Top Hundred TvShows

Best Television Shows of All Time (U.S.)

This list comes from Rob Sheffield's list of 100 Greatest TV Shows of All Time, from Rolling Stone, Sept. 16, 2016, with links to streaming sources online or records for DVD sets in the Penn Libraries collections, for the benefit of television studies and media history researchers. Dates for programs that have ended since the publication of this list are updated

   

1. The Sopranos 1999-2007 S1 S2 S3 S4 S5 S6pt1 S6pt2 

2. The Wire 2002-2008 S1 S2 S3 S4 S5

3. Breaking Bad 2008-2013 S1 S2 S3 S4 S5pt1 S5pt2

4. Mad Men 2007-2015 S1 S2 S3 S4 S5 S6 S7pt1 S7pt2

5. Seinfeld 1989-1998 S1&2 S3 S4 S5 S6 S7 S8 S9

6. The Simpsons 1989-present S1 S2 S3 S4 S5 S6 S7 S8 S9 S10

      S11 S12 S13 S14 S15 S16 S17 

      S18 S19 S20 (S21-S34 streaming only)

7. The Twilight Zone 1959-1964 S1 S2 S3 S4 S5

8. Saturday Night Live 1975-present S1 S2 S3 S4 S5

9. All in the Family 1971-1979 S1 S2 S3 S4 S5 S6 

10. The Daily Show 1996-present n/a

11. Freaks and Geeks 1999-2000 Complete series

12. Game of Thrones 2011-2019 S1 S2 S3 S4 S5 S6 S7 S8

13. Late Night with David Letterman 1982-2015 n/a

14. The Larry Sanders Show 1992-1998 S1 S2 S3 S4 S5 S6 

15. The West Wing 1999-2006 S1 S2 S3 S4 S5 S6 S7

16. M*A*S*H 1972-1983 S1 S2 S3 S4 S5 S6 S7 S8 S9 S10 S11

17. Twin Peaks 1990-1991 S1&2

18. Star Trek 1966-1969 S1 S2 S3

19. Curb Your Enthusiasm 2000-2024 S1 S2 S3 S4 S5 S6 S7 S8 S9 S10 S11

20. Cheers 1982-1993 S1 S2 S3 S4 S5 S6 S7 S8 S9 S10 S11

21. The Office (U.K.) 2001-2003 S1 S2

22. Louie 2010-2015 S1 S2 S3 S4 S5

23. Deadwood 2004-2006 S1 S2 S3

24. Friday Night Lights 2006-2011 S1 S2 S3 S4 S5

25. Veep 2012-2019 S1 S2 S3 S4 S5 S6 S7

26. Friends 1994-2004 S1 S2 S3 S4 S5 S6 S7 S8 S9 S10

27. Arrested Development 2003-2019 S1 S2 S3 S4 S5

28. The X-Files 1993-2002 S1 S2 S3 S4 S5 S6 S7 S8 S9 S10 S11

29. Monty Python's Flying Circus 1969-1974 Set 1 - Set 2 - Set 3

30. The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson 1962-1992 n/a

31. Sesame Street 1969-present Select episodes S1-S5

32. I Love Lucy 1951-1957 S1 S2 S3 S4 S5 S6 S7 S8 S9

33. South Park 1997-present S1 S2 S3 S4 S5 S6 S7 S8 S9 S10

      S11 S12 S13 S14 S15 S16 S17 S18

      S19 S20 S21 S22 S23 S24 S25

34. 30 Rock 2006-2013 S1 S2 S3 S4 S5 S6 S7

35. My So-Called Life 1994-1995 Complete series

36. Law & Order 1990-2010 S1 S2 S3 S4 S5 S6 S7 S8 S9 S10

      

S11 S12 S13 S14 S15 S16 S17 S18 S19 S20 S21 S22 S23 S24 S25

37. Orange is the New Black 2013-2019 S1 S2 S3 S4 S5 S6 S7

38. Buffy the Vampire Slayer 1997-2003 S1 S2 S3 S4 S5 S6 S7

39. Lost 2004-2010 S1 S2 S3 S4 S5 S6 

40. The Shield 2002-2008 S1 S2 S3 S4 S5 S6 S7

41. The Honeymooners 1955-1956 Complete series

42. NYPD Blue 1993-2017 S1 S2 S3 S4 S5 S6 S7 S8 S9 S10

      S11 S12

43. The Americans 2013-2018 S1 S2 S3 S4 S5 S6 

44. Columbo 1971-1978 S1 S2 S3 S4 S5 S6 S7 S8 S9 S10

45. Battlestar Galactica 2003-2009 S1 S2 S2.5 S3 S4 S4.5

46. The Mary Tyler Moore Show 1970-1977 S1 S2 S3 S4 S5 S6 S7

47. The Rockford Files 1974-1980 S1 S2 S3 S4 S5 S6 

48. The Office (U.S.) 2005-2013 Complete series

49. Taxi 1978-1983 S1 S2 S3 S4 S5

50. ER 1994-2009 S1 S2 S3 S4 S5 S6 S7 S8 S9 S10

      S11 S12 S13 S14 S15

51. Fargo 2014-present S1 S2 S3

52. The Colbert Report 2005-2014 n/a - Best of

53. The Bob Newhart Show 1972-1978 S1 S2 S3 S4 S5 S6 

54. The Muppet Show 1976-1981 S1 S2 S3 (S4 S5 n/a)

55. Six Feet Under 2001-2005 S1 S2 S3 S4 S5

56. 24 2001-2010 S1 S2 S3 S4 S5 S6 S7 S8 S9

57. Fawlty Towers 1975-1979 Complete series

58. Roots 1977 Complete set

59. Hill Street Blues 1981-1987 S1 S2 S3 S4 S5 S6 S7

60. Beavis and Butt-Head 1993-1997, 2011 S1-8 - Mike Judge collection v1 v2 v3 v4

61. Your Show of Shows 1950-1957 Excerpts (S1 S2 S3 S4 n/a)

62. Sex and the City 1998-2004 S1 S2 S3 S4 S5 S6pt1 S6pt2 

63. The Wonder Years 1988-1993 S1 S2 S3 S4 S5 S6 

64. Chappelle's Show 2003-2006 S1 S2 S3

65. Happy Days 1974-1984 S1 S2 S3 S4 S5 S6 S7 S8 S9 S10 S11

66. Downton Abbey 2011-2016 S1 S2 S3 S4 S5 S6

67. The Odd Couple 1970-1975 Complete series

68. The State 1993-1995 S1&2

69. The Ed Sullivan Show 1948-1971 S1 S2 S3 S4 S5 S6 S7 S8 S9 S10 S11

      S12 S13 S14 S15 S16 S17 S18 S19 S20

      S21 S22 S23 S24

70. Roseanne 1988-1997 S1 S2 S3 S4 S5 S6 S7 S8 S9 S10

71. Mr. Show 1995-1998 S1 S2 S3 S4

72. Girls 2012-2017 S1 S2 S3 S4 S5 S6 

73. Transparent 2014-2019 S1 S2 S3 S4

74. The Ren & Stimpy Show 1991-1995 S1 S2 S3 S4 S5

75. American Crime Story: The People vs. O.J. Simpson 2016 Complete series

76. Late Night with Conan O'Brien 1993-2009 n/a

77. The Walking Dead 2010-2022 S1 S2 S3 S4 S5 S6 S7 S8 S9 S10 S11

78. Thirtysomething 1987-1991 S1 S2 S3 S4

79. In Living Color 1990-1994 S1 S2 S3 S4 S5

80. The Fugitive 1963-1967 S1v1 S1v2 S2v1 S2v2 S3v1 S3v2 S4v1 S4v2

81. Dallas 1978-1991 S1&2 S3 S4 S5 S6 S7 S8 S9 S10

      S11 S12 S13 S14

82. The Jeffersons 1975-1985 Complete series

83. House of Cards 2013-2018 S1 S2 S3 S4 S5 S6

84. Real Time with Bill Maher 2003-present n/a

85. The Real World 1992-present S1 S12 (other seasons n/a)

86. Good Times 1974-1979 S1 S2 S3 S4 S5 S6 

87. Doctor Who 1963-present S1 S2 S3 S4 S5 S6 S7 S8 S9 S10 S11

88. Party Down 2009-2010 S1 S2

89. Homeland 2011-2020 S1 S2 S3 S4 S5 S6 S7

90. The Dick Van Dyke Show 1961-1966 S1 S2 S3 S4 S5

91. Broad City 2014-2019 S1 S2 S3 S4 S5

92. American Idol 2001-2016 n/a

93. Mystery Science Theater 3000 1988-1999 Select episodes

94. Jeopardy 1964-1975, 1984-present n/a

95. Key & Peele 2012-2015 Complete series

96. Gunsmoke 1955-1975 Select episodes

      S1 S2 S3 S4 S5 S6 S7 S8 S9 S10 S11

      S12 S13 S14 S15 S16 S17 S18 S19 S20

97. Portlandia 2011-2018 S1 S2 S3 S4 S5 S6 S7 S8

98. The Golden Girls 1985-1992 S1 S2 S3 S4 S5 S6 S7

99. Oz 1997-2003 S1 S2 S3 S4 S5 S6 

100. Eastbound and Down 2009-2013 S1 S2 S3 S4