TV Guides 50 Greatest (US) Shows of All Time!

[rah]

FOR Rocky fans,
Let's not forget two other sometimes features.
Duddly Do Right
And Aesop's Fables?

And the most famous College in the World.
Whatsamatta U

RAH

[Paul Hanson]

Originally posted by DanS
Where's the A Team on this list?

Crazy fools, with their jibba-jabba list!

[Imran Siddiqui]

Sesame Street?

#27

[Wraith]

--"45. Twin Peaks [never saw it]"

A David Lynch production. It's about an FBI (IIRC) agent who's investigating the murder of Laura Palmer in a little backwoods town named Twin Peaks.
First season was actually pretty darn good, but I think it kind of fell apart second season. Lynch is great at some things, but he didn't seem to have a conclusion to the series in mind before he got there.
Very weird show. I mean, Lynch, go figure, right? Strange dream sequences, pie and coffee obsessions, lady with a log for a friend, etc.

Wraith
"Doc Hayward said you needed familiar stimulants, so we figured, what the hell, kazoos."
-- Bobby ("Twin Peaks")

[Kyle]

First season was actually pretty darn good, but I think it kind of fell apart second season.

There was a second season? I'd thought it was cut loose after 13 episodes.

[Wraith]

--"There was a second season? I'd thought it was cut loose after 13 episodes."

Well, it certainly was surprising that it didn't get cancelled sooner, but there were 29 episodes. Somewhat odd sesaon structure, though, as I think first season only lasted 7 or 8 episodes, and the rest were season two.

Wraith (who is really looking for more Twin Peaks quotes now)
“I didn’t get much sleep last night. There was a large group of insane men staying on my floor.”
-- Cooper ("Twin Peaks")

[Demon Allbran]

It's a messed up world we're living in... Seinfeld is #1, Frasier #34? Stupid Americans.

[MrWhereItsAt]

Originally posted by Zkribbler


The best thing about "The Man from U.N.C.L.E." (United Network Command for Law & Enforcement) was the Mad Magazine parody "The Man for A.U.N.T.I.E." (Association for Unbelievably Nausiating Television and Idiotic Entertainment).

Was that before or after ultimate stand-up comedian Ben Elton named his TV show The Man From AUNTIE? Presumably as in Auntie Beeb.

[klesh]

Twin Peaks should've been far higher on this list. It was a rare piece of tv in the US that isnt all T&A and Nascar or some other trashy crap. It had a nice intellectual twist to things. I was very surprised it even made it to network TV.

Anyone here ever watch Get a life with Chris Elliot? I friggin loved that show, and my friends and I have a bunch of episodes on tape. Excellent stuff.




-FMK.

[Zkribbler]

Originally posted by MrWhereItsAt
Was that before or after ultimate stand-up comedian Ben Elton named his TV show The Man From AUNTIE? Presumably as in Auntie Beeb.

I dunno Ben Elton but presumably before. Mad Magazine published "The Man from A.U.N.T.I.E." back in the 60's--along with the musical O-O-7 (sung to the tune of O-klahoma [it had great songs like "Bentley with the Blond Up Front].)

[jdjdjd]

Just a couple of points, the newer shows always do better because, they are better preserved in your memory and more pertinent to today...well enough with the analysis...

MASH was great until Henry Blake and Trapper were killed, then it was good, until Frank Burns left, and then it was annoying and preachy, whereas shows like Seinfeld, I Love Lucy and the Honeymooners, had briefe periods of weakness but always rebounded.

As for the Simpsons, they deserve the top 10, not they better improve the writing or call it quits before the plummet.

Finally, no drama ws better than Hill St Blues, it set the standard for all new ensemnle cast shows, like Practice, ER, St, Elsewhere, LA Law, NYPD Blues, etc.. Of course, I've never seen the Soprano's, but still it can't be that good.

well thats my two cents.

[Bugs ****ing Bunny]

When these polls get done on British TV, serial dramas of 3-12 episodes tend to feature very highly- such as "Traffik", "Shooting the past", "The Singing Detective", "I, Claudius" and "Edge of Darkness".

There doesn't appear to be any comparable ones on the US list- they're all long-running (even open-ended dramas). Are such serials a British phenomenon?

[Juggernaut]

Where's AIRWOLF?
Seinfeld true deserves the top spot, but Twin Peaks should be 2nd, followed by Airwolf and Simpsons in that order, IMO.

[Hoot]

These kinds of lists come and go, and we enjoy them when they confirm or agree with what we think and criticize them when they don't. It almost seems like some of these choices (such as MASH at #25) were made to spark interest and debate. Seinfeld is one of my favorite shows, but even I have a hard time thinking its the best of all time. Great to see The Sopranos so high; can't wait for the new season so I'll have a reason to get HBO again.

My main problems with this list:

#13 The **** Van **** Show ran for only 5 seasons, but because of this never got stale. Deserves to be in the top 10, and is in my top 5.

#25 M*A*S*H - 25 is ridiculous.

#38 The Larry Sanders Show - I'm just glad its on the list, but it is one of the funniest, most satirical shows ever. I'd put it in the top 25.

#48 Taxi - I still can't understand why this show wasn't better appreciated. With Louie DePalma and Jim Ignatowski (not to mention Andy Kaufman's Latka), I can't think of a comedy with better oddball characters, including Seinfeld. Some episodes were duds, but many were brilliant. Top 10 show in my opinion.

If the list were of the top 50 PrimeTime shows, we wouldn't have the Today's and Sesame Streets clogging the list.

[Richelieu]

Originally posted by Bugs ****ing Bunny
When these polls get done on British TV, serial dramas of 3-12 episodes tend to feature very highly- such as "Traffik", "Shooting the past", "The Singing Detective", "I, Claudius" and "Edge of Darkness".

There doesn't appear to be any comparable ones on the US list- they're all long-running (even open-ended dramas). Are such serials a British phenomenon?

Agreed. Where is Roots ?