Writers Guild Of America Lists The 101 Best Written TV Shows Of All Time
Let the debate begin. Sunday night, theWriters Guild of Americarevealed its list of the 101 “Best Written TV Series of All Time.” What took the top spot? The HBO dramaThe Sopranos, followed bySeinfeld, The Twilight Zone, All in the FamilyandMAS*H. Solid choices all, but are they the five best? Where do some of your other all time favorite shows rank? You’ll find shows likeBreaking Bad, Arrested Development, Friends, Lost, The X-Files, South Park, Star Trekand more on the list. Check the ranking to find out how the writers' guild lined them all up.
Thanks tothe WGAfor this list.
1.The Sopranos
2.Seinfeld
3.The Twilight Zone
4.All in the Family
6.The Mary Tyler Moore Show
9.The Wire
10.The West Wing
11.The Simpsons
12.I Love Lucy
13.Breaking Bad
14.The Dick Van Dyke Show
15.Hill Street Blues
16.Arrested Development
17.The Daily Show with Jon Stewart
18.Six Feet Under
20.The Larry Sanders Show
21.30 Rock
22.Friday Night Lights
23.Frasier
24.Friends
25.Saturday Night Live
26.The X-Files
29.The Cosby Show
30.Curb Your Enthusiasm
31.The Honeymooners
32.Deadwood
33.Star Trek
34.Modern Family
35.Twin Peaks
36.NYPD Blue
37.The Carol Burnett Show
38.Battlestar Galactica(2005)
39.Sex & The City
40.Game of Thrones
41.The Bob Newhart ShowandYour Show of Shows(tie)
43.Downton Abbey, Law & OrderandThirtysomething(tie)
46.Homicide: Life on the StreetandSt. Elsewhere(tie)
48.Homeland
49.Buffy the Vampire Slayer
50.The Colbert Report,The Good Wifeand the UKOffice(tie)
53.Northern Exposure
54.The Wonder Years
55.L.A. Law
56.Sesame Street
57.Columbo
58.Fawlty TowersandThe Rockford Files(tie)
60.Freaks and GeeksandMoonlighting(tie)
63.Everybody Loves RaymondandSouth Park(tie)
65.Playhouse 90
66.Dexterand the USOffice(tie)
68.My So-Called Life
69.Golden Girls
70.The Andy Griffith Show
- 24, RoseanneandThe Shield
74.HouseandMurphy Brown(tie)
76.Barney MillerandI, Claudius(tie)
78.The Odd Couple
79.Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Monty Python’s Flying Circus, Star Trek: The Next GenerationandUpstairs, Downstairs(tie)
83.Get Smart
84.The DefendersandGunsmoke(tie)
86.Justified,Sgt. Bilko/The Phil Silvers Show(tie)
88.Band of Brothers
89.Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In
90.The Prisoner
91.Absolutely FabulousandThe Muppet Show(tie)
93.Boardwalk Empire
94.Will & Grace
95.Family Ties
96.Lonesome DoveandSoap
98.The Fugitive,Late Night with David LettermanandLouie
So, so much to talk about here. Just at a quick glimpse, I’m beyond happy to seeThe Wirein the top ten but there does seem to be a bit of favoritism for shows released in the past decade or so. Maybe that’s because of the television renaissance or that writers are most familiar with those shows. Other notes, isThe Simpsonsnot making the top ten a reflection on its recent years? Are new shows likeHomelandorGame of Thronesreally better thanSesame Street or The Wonder Years? What shows were snubbed? Feel free to discuss all this and more below.
