In the past few decades,televisionwent from being seen as a detriment to intellectualism to becoming a new kind of literacy, at least in terms of the amount of time very smart people now spend watching screens. Just asliterary classics likePride & PrejudiceorThe Grapes of Wrathcan spend years on people’s lists without them ever actually reading the literature, ‘prestige’ TV has become simultaneously treasured and laborious to the average viewer who used to just unwind after workwith a sitcom.
Now, with different new series dominating the cultural landscape seemingly every week, keeping up with television can almost become a chore.Regardless, certain shows that have stood out from the ever-expanding televisual territories have done so through pure artistry, innovation, or cultural influence (or have simply perfected a traditional form), earning their prized positions in culture just as murals on the Santa Maria delle Grazie or athletic games in the Colosseum have in the past — they’re what we as a society revolve around at their point in time, and they’re what reflects us.
Does a person need to watch these shows? No.Are these series culturally significant, and do they give people a wider experience of the human condition, as well as being entertaining? Yes.There are quite literally more hours of television to watch than someone would have in numerous lifetimes, so a viewer might as well watch the best of the best. A list like this is an invitation to get upset; there are obviously countless TV shows that could be included here because all of this is subjective. Instead of lamenting what isn’t presented here or where a certain title is located on the list, though, let’s celebrate what is actually included.
Excluding news- and sports-related programs, game shows, and very young children’s series, these are some of the best American television series of all time.
50Gravity Falls (2012-2016)
Gravity Falls
The rare kids' show that’s also perfect for adults,Gravity Fallsfeels likeThe X-FilesandTwin Peakshad a Disney cartoon baby. It’s an addictive, incredibly fun series that tells a very satisfying overarching story over a tight two seasons, mixed with some spooky monster-of-the-week action, and it’s got some of the most fleshed out and relatable characters in cartoon history. The plot is shaped by these characters and their secrets, which makes it even better. It concerns one summer that a pair of siblings spend at their Grukle Stan (their great-uncle), and the strange secrets he and his town harbor.
A Compelling Mystery with Deep Emotion
While the show is often laugh-out-loud funny, even for adults, it’s the supernatural mystery that the siblings investigate and how Stan is connected which become the most entertaining aspects of the show. The supporting characters throughout the titular town are given time to shine as well, creating a truly developed world where characters learn and grow, and an ancient evil threatens them all. Do yourself a favor and check outGravity Falls, even if you don’t have kids to watch it with. It’s a blast.
49Miami Vice (1984-1990)
Miami Vice
Sonny and Rico, Crockett and Tubbs. Whatever you call them, they made for one of thecoolest pairs of detectivesin TV history. The wayMiami Viceincorporates Cuban-American culture, beautiful beaches, bodacious babes, seedy drug underworlds, and Jan Hammer’s score all add up to a very entertaining cop show, one that inspired culture at large, from fashion and music to the future of police procedurals. It’s that aesthetic foundation which makes the series so important and watchable.
Miami Vice Helped Shape the ’80s
Michael Mann helped define the aesthetic of the 1980s withThiefand his landmark TV series,Miami Vice. Glossy neon and pastels, oversized jackets, tense and slightly cheesy synth rock, sunglasses, beautiful but spurned women, and antisocial men of few words — this was Mann’s ’80s. And Anthony Yerkovich may have created the series with Mann as producer, but after just six episodes, it was essentially Mann running the show. Moody, consistent, and iconic (even ironically),Miami Viceis pure ’80s fun.Miami Vice can be rented on most digital platforms.
48Married … With Children (1987-1997)
Married… With Children
InMarried with Children, Al Bundy, the patriarch, is a misogynistic shoe salesman whose wife, Peggy, is a housewife who does no work around the house. To say that their children, Kelly and Bud, do not have a lot going for them would be an understatement. This biting, acidic comedy focuses on the couple’s constant verbal sparring over their slacker kids and each other, and their lack of money, success, and intimacy. In this way, it was much more relatable than the picture-perfect families on television.
The Average American Family
The Bundys could certainly stand on the Mount Rushmore of sitcom families. There has never been another brood quite like them, before or after their hugely successful 11-season run. Arriving before the long-running seriesThe Simpsons,Married with Childrenbuilt Fox into the fourth network, which in the ’80s only consisted of ABC, NBC, and CBS.
The flipside of the lovingCosby Showfamily,Married … With Childrenfocused on the Bundys, a suburban Chicago family who would rather eat nails than say a kind word to one another. The series reflects the reality of most American families, the ones who don’t learn lessons together and aren’t overflowing with love. No, the Bundys reflect the typical banal, bitter, and bland American household, with just a bit more absurdity.Married… with Childrenis available to stream on Hulu, and two seasons are available to stream for free on Pluto TV.
47Bob’s Burgers (2011-Present)
Bob’s Burgers
Bob’s Burgersis a special show despite being so similar to other shows. It’s likeMarried… With Childrenin the way it focuses on a lower-class, somewhat sloppyAmerican family. It’s likeThe Simpsonsin that it’s not overly crass likeFamily GuyorSouth Park, but it still manages to be consistently funny and celebrate toilet humor like few other sitcoms. The plot follows the often struggling Belchers, a family of five dealing with the quirky fellow residents (not that they’re free of quirks themselves) of a seaside town, none of whom seem to be interested in coming in to purchase a burger (except Teddy, that is).
A Hilarious Cast of Voice Artists
WhileBob’s Burgershas proven to be a bit of a case of diminishing returns over the course of its decade-plus on air, that’s to be expected with any series, animated or live-action. This is particularly true of comedy, and while some may faultBob’s Burgersfor softening its edges over time, it’s hard to be too angry when the show is still so accessible.Bob’sundoubtedly took more risks in its first few seasons, but it’s never lost its charm.
Plus, it has some ofthe greatest voice actingin an animated series, thanks to the great H. Jon Benjamin (Bob), Dan Mintz (Tina), Kristen Schaal (Louise), Eugene Mirman (Gene), and the incredible John Roberts as fan-favorite matriarch, Linda Belcher. This isn’t even mentioning the wonderful guest stars throughout the show, such as a hilarious turn from Kevin Kline as the Belchers' landlord, Zach Galifianakis, Sam Seder, Sarah and Laura Silverman, Molly Shannon, Tim Meadows, Megan Mullally, Bill Hader, Ken Jeong, Jenny Slate, and more.Bob’s Burgersis available to stream on Hulu and onFOX.
46Stargate SG-1 (1997-2007)
Stargate SG-1
Stargate SG-1is anincredibly enjoyable sci-fi serieswith a great sense of humor and imagination. Set roughly a year after the underrated James Spader filmStargate, in this show, the government has essentially perfected the portal to other planets. One of the Air Force’s teams (which includes an alien among them) is tasked with traveling to other galaxies and attempting to find new information, technology, and species. It’s a set-up for essentially infinite episodes, so it makes sense that this surprisingly popular series led to four spin-off series.
Stargate SG-1 Has Characters You’ll Follow Anywhere
An episodic series is only as good as its characters and cast; if there are no main plot threads to follow across seasons, than we need strong characters we enjoy spending time with from week to week. That’s whatStargate SG-1excels in more than most hour-long sci-fi dramas — incredible characters. Jack O’Neill (Richard Dean Anderson), Daniel Jackson (Michael Shanks), Samantha Carter (Amanda Tapping), George Hammond (Don S. Davis), and especially Teal’c (Christopher Judge) make for one of the best main casts in TV history, and even if occasional episodes felt like filler, it was simply a joy to spend time with these people.Stargate SG-1can be streamed on Prime Video and for free on Pluto TV.
45The Adventures of Pete & Pete (1991-1996)
The Adventures of Pete and Pete
There aremany great kids' shows, but not too many qualify as great television. Great television can certainly appeal to kids, but it has to have something much more meaningful and special to it than being a TV babysitter. In the 1990s, Nickelodeon was mastering these kinds of brilliant shows with bigger themes and ideas, fromRocko’s Modern LifetoAaahh!!! Real Monsters, but the pinnacle of their decade wasThe Adventures of Pete & Pete. Long before the Disney Channel attempted live-action for kids programming, this series forsook animation to tell a relatable but surreal story of one regular family in one regular town. What they achieved was anything but regular.
Finding Absurdity in Everyday Life
The Adventures of Pete & Peteoften split its stories up, but it never really mattered who had the A-plot — every character was wonderful, and the writing was always unique. Narrated by the older Pete with a kind of poetic wonderment, the show would tackle mundane things like snow days, shop class, daylight savings time, ordering a pizza, or riding the bus, and then inject it with just the right amount of surrealism so that it was very funny and memorable but never too outlandish. It remains one of the most deeply relatable TV shows of all time.The Adventures of Pete & Petecan be rented on Prime Video.
44The Muppet Show (1976-1981)
The Muppet Show
Jim Henson learned a lot from his time doing sketches on the first year ofSaturday Night Live, so when he decided to take his Muppets fromSesame Streetand the kids' table to Sunday night for primetime audiences, he was ready. WhereSesame Streetinstilled unconditional empathy,The Muppet Showinstilled wit. Where Mr. Rogers taught kindness, Beaker taught loss (again and again). It became an immediate hit, airing in over 100 countries within a year of its premiere.
Classic Vaudeville Comedy with a Twist
Leave it to The Muppets to reinvigorate the dance halls of vaudeville. Instead of another variety show retread,The Muppet Showtook great influence from the early days of comedy, mixing it with a more meta approach which detailed the production of the episodes themselves (in a way, it’s a progenitor of 30 Rock). Meanwhile, a ton of legendary celebrities were itching to appear on the show. The guest list speaks for itself:
Steve Martin, Sylvester Stallone, Julie Andrews, Carol Burnett, Liza Minnelli, Christopher Reeve, Raquel Welch, Dom DeLuise, Ethel Merman, Bob Hope, Danny Kaye, Don Knotts, Liberace, Peter Ustinov, James Coburn, Lena Horne, Zero Mostel, Vincent Price, Elton John, Diana Ross, Harry Belafonte, Kenny Rogers, Linda Ronstadt, Alice Cooper, Paul Simon, Debbie Harry, John Denver, and many more.The Muppet Showis available to stream on Disney+.
43Mystery Science Theater 3000 (1988-Present)
Mystery Science Theater 3000
Yes, each episode is technically a movie, but between episodic and season-long arcs and its distinct characters,Mystery Science Theater 3000totally qualifies as a TV series. It’s had a strange history as one, going from public access television to Comedy Central, then to The Sci-Fi Network, and eventually to Netflix before its current iteration as a self-released series. It’s survived a lot of hubbub, and that’s because its foundation is just so structurally perfect — a person is stuck in space being tortured by mad scientists and forced to watch bad movies; he and the robot friends he built provide snark commentary while the film plays out.
Often shortened toMST3K, the series has introduced a variety of obscure, cheap movies to audiences everywhere, the kind that are often so bad they’re good. But they’re almost all a blast to watch thanks to the live commentary by the astronaut (originally the great Joel, then Mike, then Jonah) and his robot buddies, Crow and Tom Servo. It’s the kind of set-up that has inspired other comedy series like Rifftrax and even the live-stream medium itself, but nothing else can compare toManosand the special chemistry inMST2K.You can watch episodes ofMSTRKat theGizmoplex, and check out the Forever-athon onYouTube, where episodes are played back to back with a great community in the chats.
42Parks and Recreation (2009-2015)
Parks and Recreation
After gifting TV viewers withThe Office, Michael Schur returned with the equally solidParks and Recreation. LikeThe Office, there are some seasons that are wildly superior to others, but the fact remains,Parks and Recreationis one of the most heartwarming and enjoyable TV series out there, part of a new movement of sincerity in comedy. The plot follows a chipper but low-paid government worker who strives to make her quirky little city’s parks an idyllic oasis…with waffles everywhere.
An Optimistic Team Gives Us Hope
Amy Poehler is perfect as Leslie Knope, the ever-optimistic civil servant with a heart of gold. But not even Poehler alone is enough to carry a series, so, also likeThe Office, she’s ably supported by a group of government workers (AKA cast members) who are as good in their roles as Poehler is as Knope, e.g. Nick Offerman as Ron Swanson, Chris Pratt as Andy Dwyer, andAubrey Plaza as April Ludgate. While each individual isn’t a beam of sunshine like Knope, she brings the best out of each of them in different ways, creating a warm, sunny, and genuinely hopeful show.Parks and Recreationis available to stream on Peacock.
41Justified (2010-2015)
Of all the Elmore Leonard adaptations out there, even includingOut of SightandGet Shorty, there’s arguably none better than FX’sJustified. No one could have inhabited the stetson-wearing Raylan Givens like Timothy Olyphant, and thank goodness he’s held the role close enough to his heart to reprise it for the sublimeJustified: City Primeval. The plot of the original FX series follows Givens as he solves crimes in Kentucky, many of which were caused by his sometimes pal and sometimes adversary (usually the latter) Boyd Crowder,played wonderfully by Walton Goggins.
One Show with Six Great Seasons
There were six seasons ofJustified, and each one of them felt simultaneously separated from the other and in line with the series' established tone. So, in essence,Justifiedgives viewers what amounts to six filmed Elmore Leonard novels (not that all of them were explicitly based on a Leonard novel) with his best protagonist leading the charge.Justifiedis available to stream on Hulu.
