5 Greatest TV shows ever... a random poll

[Alexa]

Good think they made a version for each !

 

[Bugg]

The Wire
The Shield
Band of Brothers
The Bridge (the original Swedish/Danish version)
Hill Street Blues

 

[svalbard]

1. The Sopranos
2. The Wire
3. GOT
4. Band of Brothers
5. Battlestar Galactica(New Version)

Many more could have made the list such as The Expanse, Preacher, TWD, and The Exorcist.

And of course then there is Robin of Sherwood.

 

[Cat's Cradle]

Great old thread; it really interests me to see how the lists have changed over the years (there's a Saved By the Bell [which of course is just fine], way, way back...a lot of SF though, too).

So, with the recognition that I've probably seen like 1/100,000th (or less) of all TV series ever made, and that this is my personal list of my own greatest shows, here we are:

Arrested Development
Fringe
Seinfeld
Twilight Zone (TOS)
Monty Python’s Flying Circus

The Wire, Star Trek (TOS), Alfred Hitchcock Presents (TOS), and others are very close (give me two more good seasons of Stranger Things, and it might be on there). (Also, I’m leaving off animated series...including anime; some of these are very close.) Okay, who's next??

 

[Bugg]

Fringe

I came so close to including it in my five. Re-watching it at the moment. Great show.

 

[Cli-Fi]

I like weird. The Wire is not weird enough to even make my top ten list, but it is a very good show and probably my favorite cop show. With Southland second. That being said. Here's my top five weird list:

1. American Gods
2. The Leftovers
3. Legion
4. Better Call Saul
5. The Expanse

Other shows that aren't quite up to par on the weirdness scale, but still very good TV shows in my top favs list are: Breaking Bad, Billions, Battlestar Galactica, Boardwalk Empire, Halt and Catch Fire, and The Newsroom.

 

[Cat's Cradle]

I agree, Bugg. It's wonderful. My wife and I have watched it all the way through three times now. It has some great season-ending cliffhangers!

 

[Mouse]

3. Legion

I almost added Legion. I think I'd need to see another series before adding it to the 'greatest ever' but it's pretty damn good.

 

[Heather Myst]

Bugg,

I forgot about the Swedish version of The Bridge. That is an awesome series.

 

[Cli-Fi]

I almost added Legion. I think I'd need to see another series before adding it to the 'greatest ever' but it's pretty damn good.

I had very low expectations for it, but as you can tell from my list it redeemed itself in more ways than one.

I watch too much TV to have a running genre free list so I have to break them up into different genres.

 

[Bugg]

Bugg,

I forgot about the Swedish version of The Bridge. That is an awesome series.

Yes, I can't wait for the final season

 

[Harpo]

I’ve decided I’m going to go through this entire thread and count up the totals for everything listed, and then I’ll post a Top 100 here.

but first, this is me reviving this thread for the benefit of those who haven’t yet posted their five

 

[Ian Fortytwo]

My top five:

5 Endeavour.
4 Morse.
3 Beiderbecke Affair.
2 Mission Impossible.
1 Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy.

 

[Astro Pen]

Off the top of my head.

The Prisoner McGoohan
X-files
The Beiderbecke Affair British, (very)
Dallas
Twin Peaks

runners up
Tales of the Unexpected UK
Gangsters (UK 1975)
The Saint Roger Moore (despite all the stock footage and a back projector)
The History Man UK
The Man from Uncle

ps Just noticed that @Ian Fortytwo also nominated the gentle and brilliant Beiderbecke Affair

 

[PadreTX]

Gunsmoke
MASH
All in the Family
Sopranos
Game of Thrones

 

[M. Robert Gibson]

Without thinking too hard, and just thinking about those that bear repeat watching again and again
Monty Python
Fawlty Towers
The Young Ones
Green Wing
What We Do in the Shadows

But what about
Q5/6/7
The Goodies
The Comic Strip Presents
Spaced
Gimme Gimme Gimme
Absolutely Fabulous
Father Ted

And those are just the comedy shows

It's too hard this question We need more criteria

 

[Mon0Zer0]

Just 5? Impossible to choose! There are so, so many to choose from. Mr Robot, Six Feet Under, Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul, Mission Impossible, Blake's 7, Doctor Who, Hitchhiker's guide, Absolute Power, House of Cards, The Sopranos, Fawlty Towers, Monty Python, Mad Men, Porridge, Boys from the black stuff, Open All hours, spitting image, Red Dwarf, Steptoe and Son, Alf Garnett, The Young Ones, BSG, The Red Line, Spaced, Peep Show, Look Around You, Sapphire & Steel, The box of delights, The day today, time trumpet, Succession, Babylon 5, The Thick of It, Black Mirror, Veep, dragnet, the x-files, buffy the vampire slayer, Frasier, Quantum Leap, The wonder years, The Simpsons, Futurama, the danger five, lost in space, star trek, kung fu, the green hornet, roots, the addams family, the munsters, looney tunes, tom & jerry, Spongebob Squarepants, Rugrats, Space Dandy, Kimba the white lion, Gatchaman, I Spy, The Flintstones, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, A very british coup, Mork & Mindy, Happy Days, Till Death do us Part, Stingray, Captain Scarlet, Thunderbirds, Alien Nation, Hawaii Five-O, The Clangers, Button Moon, New Adventures of Superman, Samurai Jack, Batman, Batman cartoon, The Monkees, I dream of jeannie, Bewitched, Randall & Hopkirk, Twilight Zone, night court, dad's army, the muppets, sesame street, get smart, to name just a few!

But I'd go for:

M*A*S*H*
The Wire
Yes, Minister
The Simpsons
Police Squad

 

[Elckerlyc]

That is a tough one. I'll exclude mini series and name only those series that ran longer than just 1 season. Not that this make it any easier...

Farscape
The Umbrella Academy
Heimat
Hill Street Blues
Westworld

 

[CupofJoe]

In no particular order...
Porridge
The West Wing
Buffy the Vampire Slayer
M*A*S*H
and...
Yes [Prime]Minister
These are all shows I will go back to when I want something to watch or will try to catch when I see they are on.
You asked for five so I won't include the next 5 or 10 that could have made the list on a different day.
I've just realised they are all very verbal shows.

 

[mosaix]

In no particular order:

Hill Street Blues
The West Wing
The Bridge
Father Ted
Montalbano