Best TV Shows of All Time (or so I think...)
by scottgilesmusic-1 | created - 14 Oct 2013 | updated - 24 Nov 2013 | PublicThere really are not many great TV shows. The ones with the best writing, acting and directing tend to be Sci-fi. Maybe that's a genre that attracts creative kinds?
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1. Firefly (2002–2003)
TV-14 | 45 min | Adventure, Drama, Sci-Fi
Five hundred years in the future, a renegade crew aboard a small spacecraft tries to survive as they travel the unknown parts of the galaxy and evade warring factions as well as authority agents out to get them.
Stars: Nathan Fillion, Gina Torres, Alan Tudyk, Morena Baccarin
Votes: 281,828
2. House of Cards (2013–2018)
TV-MA | 50 min | Drama
A Congressman works with his equally conniving wife to exact revenge on the people who betrayed him.
Stars: Kevin Spacey, Michel Gill, Robin Wright, Kate Mara
Votes: 531,119
3. Babylon 5 (1993–1998)
TV-PG | 45 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
In the mid 23rd century, the Earth Alliance space station Babylon 5, located in neutral territory, is a major focal point for political intrigue, racial tensions and various wars over the course of five years.
Stars: Mira Furlan, Richard Biggs, Stephen Furst, Andreas Katsulas
Votes: 34,636
4. Dollhouse (2009–2010)
TV-14 | 44 min | Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi
A top secret organization erases the identities of attractive young people, turning them into blank "dolls" ready for imprints of temporary identities they need to fulfill assignments for clients.
Stars: Eliza Dushku, Harry Lennix, Fran Kranz, Tahmoh Penikett
Votes: 51,813
5. Star Trek (1966–1969)
TV-PG | 50 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
In the 23rd Century, Captain James T. Kirk and the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise explore the galaxy and defend the United Federation of Planets.
Stars: William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, DeForest Kelley, Nichelle Nichols
Votes: 92,993
6. The X-Files (1993–2018)
TV-14 | 45 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
Two F.B.I. Agents, Fox Mulder the believer and Dana Scully the skeptic, investigate the strange and unexplained, while hidden forces work to impede their efforts.
Stars: David Duchovny, Gillian Anderson, Mitch Pileggi, William B. Davis
Votes: 250,028
7. The Story of Film: An Odyssey (2011)
Not Rated | 62 min | Documentary, History
A comprehensive history of the medium and art of motion pictures.
Stars: Mark Cousins, Juan Diego Botto, Aleksandr Sokurov, Norman Lloyd
Votes: 4,834
8. Battlestar Galactica (2004–2009)
TV-14 | 45 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
When an old enemy, the Cylons, resurface and obliterate the 12 colonies, the crew of the aged Galactica protect a small civilian fleet - the last of humanity - as they journey toward the fabled 13th colony, Earth.
Stars: Edward James Olmos, Mary McDonnell, Jamie Bamber, James Callis
Votes: 175,669
9. Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987–1994)
TV-PG | 45 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
Set almost 100 years after Captain Kirk's 5-year mission, a new generation of Starfleet officers sets off in the U.S.S. Enterprise-D on its own mission to go where no one has gone before.
Stars: Patrick Stewart, Brent Spiner, Jonathan Frakes, LeVar Burton
Votes: 136,206
10. The Metropolitan Opera HD Live (2006– )
Not Rated | 128 min | Musical
Live performances of operas from New York's Metropolitan Opera.
Stars: Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, Metropolitan Opera Chorus, Metropolitan Opera Ballet, Renée Fleming
Votes: 172
11. Dexter (2006–2013)
TV-MA | 60 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
He's smart. He's lovable. He's Dexter Morgan, America's favorite serial killer, who spends his days solving crimes and nights committing them.
Stars: Michael C. Hall, Jennifer Carpenter, David Zayas, James Remar
Votes: 767,349
12. Through the Wormhole (2010–2017)
TV-PG | 60 min | Documentary
Hosted by Morgan Freeman, Through the Wormhole will explore the deepest mysteries of existence - the questions that have puzzled mankind for eternity. What are we made of? What was there ... See full summary »
Stars: Morgan Freeman, Sean Carroll, Michio Kaku, Kip Thorne
Votes: 18,435
13. Being Human (2011–2014)
TV-14 | 44 min | Drama, Fantasy, Horror
Three twenty-somethings share a house and try to live a normal life despite being a ghost, a werewolf, and a vampire.
Stars: Sam Witwer, Meaghan Rath, Sam Huntington, Kristen Hager
Votes: 26,898
14. The Sopranos (1999–2007)
TV-MA | 60 min | Crime, Drama
New Jersey mob boss Tony Soprano deals with personal and professional issues in his home and business life that affect his mental state, leading him to seek professional psychiatric counseling.
Stars: James Gandolfini, Lorraine Bracco, Edie Falco, Michael Imperioli
Votes: 472,015
15. Psych (2006–2014)
TV-PG | 44 min | Comedy, Crime, Mystery
When a novice sleuth convinces the police he has psychic powers, he and his reluctant best friend are hired on as consultants to help solve complicated cases.
Stars: James Roday Rodriguez, Dulé Hill, Timothy Omundson, Corbin Bernsen
Votes: 105,880
16. Doctor Who (1963–1989)
TV-PG | 25 min | Adventure, Drama, Family
The adventures in time and space of the Doctor, a Time Lord who changes appearance and personality by regenerating when near death, and is joined by companions in battles against aliens and other megalomaniacs.
Stars: William Hartnell, Patrick Troughton, Jon Pertwee, Tom Baker
Votes: 39,544
17. Kolchak: The Night Stalker (1974–1975)
TV-PG | 51 min | Horror, Mystery, Thriller
Carl Kolchak is a reporter for a Chicago newspaper. Through more accident than design he ends up investigating homicides, many of which involve supernatural forces. Ultimately, rather than reporting on the crimes, he solves them.
Stars: Darren McGavin, Simon Oakland, Jack Grinnage, Ruth McDevitt
Votes: 6,246
18. The Big Bang Theory (2007–2019)
TV-PG | 22 min | Comedy, Romance
A woman who moves into an apartment across the hall from two brilliant but socially awkward physicists shows them how little they know about life outside of the laboratory.
Stars: Johnny Galecki, Jim Parsons, Kaley Cuoco, Simon Helberg
Votes: 868,761
19. Quantum Leap (1989–1993)
TV-PG | 60 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
During an experiment into time travel, a scientist finds himself trapped in the past, "leaping" into the lives of different people, sorting out their problems and changing history in hopes of getting back to his own life in the present.
Stars: Scott Bakula, Dean Stockwell, Deborah Pratt, Dennis Wolfberg
Votes: 36,498
20. Destination Truth (2007–2012)
TV-14 | 60 min | Reality-TV
A globe-trekking reality show that follows Josh Gates around the world as he explores different sites of supernatural import.
Stars: Josh Gates, Gabriel Copeland, Mike Morrell, Erin Ryder
Votes: 3,178
21. Ancient Aliens (2009– )
TV-PG | 42 min | Documentary, History, Sci-Fi
Science and mythology - and how they are the same thing.
Stars: Robert Clotworthy, Giorgio A. Tsoukalos, David Childress, William Henry
Votes: 12,577
22. Monk (2002–2009)
TV-PG | 44 min | Comedy, Crime, Drama
The series follows Adrian Monk, a brilliant former San Francisco detective, who now consults the police as a private consultant whilst battling with an obsessive-compulsive disorder.
Stars: Tony Shalhoub, Jason Gray-Stanford, Ted Levine, Traylor Howard
Votes: 89,005
23. Castle (2009–2016)
TV-14 | 43 min | Comedy, Crime, Drama
When a psychopath commits murders based on novelist Castle's books, Detective Beckett seeks his help to solve the case. He decides to work with her and uses his experiences as research for his novels.
Stars: Nathan Fillion, Stana Katic, Susan Sullivan, Jon Huertas
Votes: 174,468
Well written? Sometimes...but not enough. Well cast? Well, here and there, yes. Well shot? Nothing special except on occasion. Still, it is a good show but if TV was better this wouldn't make the list.
24. Bones (2005–2017)
TV-14 | 40 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
F.B.I. Special Agent Seeley Booth teams up with the Jeffersonian's top anthropologist, Dr. Temperance Brennan, to investigate cases where all that's left of the victims are their bones.
Stars: Emily Deschanel, David Boreanaz, Michaela Conlin, T.J. Thyne
Votes: 176,371
25. The Undersea World of Jacques Cousteau (1966–1987)
60 min | Documentary, Adventure
The aquatic explorations of Jacques-Yves Cousteau and the crew of the Calypso.
Stars: Jacques-Yves Cousteau, Rod Serling, Georges Wilson, Joseph Campanella
Votes: 482
26. M*A*S*H (1972–1983)
TV-PG | 25 min | Comedy, Drama, War
The staff of an Army hospital in the Korean War find that laughter is the best way to deal with their situation.
Stars: Alan Alda, Wayne Rogers, Loretta Swit, Jamie Farr
Votes: 63,848
27. The Carol Burnett Show (1967–1978)
TV-G | 60 min | Comedy, Family
Television show featuring skits by Carol Burnett and her comedy troupe.
Stars: Carol Burnett, Vicki Lawrence, The Ernie Flatt Dancers, Harvey Korman
Votes: 7,309
28.
Great Composers (1997– )
Episode:
Mahler
(1997)
60 min | Documentary, Music
Director: Kriss Rusmanis | Stars: Kenneth Branagh, BBC Symphony Orchestra, Georg Solti, Thomas Hampson
Votes: 14
29. The Twilight Zone (1959–1964)
TV-PG | 50 min | Drama, Fantasy, Horror
Ordinary people find themselves in extraordinarily astounding situations, which they each try to solve in a remarkable manner.
Stars: Rod Serling, Robert McCord, Jay Overholts, James Turley
Votes: 93,233
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