Your top 5 tv series all time

[Opal]

I like Breaking Bad's recurrence.

In no order:
Breaking Bad
Dexter (downhill after season 2, imho)
Wilfred
Archer
Death Note

Also, Workaholics and Bob's Burgers are pretty amusing. EDIT: Arrested Development too. I love David Cross.
A few I haven't watched but intend to: The Sopranos, The Wire, Six Feet Under.

 

[EffEmDoubleyou]

1. The Simpsons
2. The Twilight Zone
3. Cheers
4. Six Feet Under
5. Breaking Bad
6. Seinfeld

Sorry, couldn't cut any of them, and there's a big gap after #6 for me.

I feel like this has just been about scripted narrative sitcoms or dramas. Some of my all time favorites have been variety or talk or game shows, so I'll use my honorable mentions on those:

Late Night/Late Show with David Letterman
Saturday Night Live
Late Night with Conan O'Brien
Mr. Show
The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson
Jeopardy!

 

[Lexicon]

In no particular rank/order:

The Simpsons - before they got watered down- then Futurama
Red Dwarf
The Adventures of Pete & Pete
The Twilight Zone
Trailer Park Boys
Kids in The Hall

Honorable mentions to Seinfeld, Beavis & Butthead, The Maxx, Farscape, Dr. Who, Monty Python's Flying Circus, Married.. With Children, How It's Made, & Prison Break (up to season 2).

 

[/DG/]

So it's important to remember that these are some of my favorites, not necessarily the pinnacle of television. I don't even watch TV that often anyway.

In no particular order...

Avatar: The Last Airbender
I Love Lucy
Parks and Recreation
King of the Hill
Criminal Minds
Bones


Oops...that was six. Meh.

 

[Habba]

Here are the five series I've watched over at least twice.

Babylon 5 - It was far before it's time when it came:

• first TV-series to rely on CGI on that scale
• first series to be filmed in 16:9
• first ones to have 5-year story arc (now a standard for high-quality series)
• first series to have author chatting with fans on internet (20 years ago!!)

Battlestar Galactica

• Great music
• Gender Equality (did you ever notice how equal the world was? No one ever questioned female leaders because they were female, or never told man to 'man up'.)
• How comlex Gaius Baltar's character and storyline was

Spartacus

• So brutal
• Just about anyone could die
• This had me sit on the edge of the seat the whole time

Monty Python's Flying Circus

• The only show from 60-70s I can bear
• Still the best comedy out there
• Albatross!!

Heroes

• Hiro!!!
• Easily the best superhero thing out there, ever. No spandex or capes here. No ridiculous 'let's throw skyscrapers at each others' as is in every superhero movie nowadays.
• Sadly this series lost it's thing somewhere after season 1 and tried to continously reset and repeat it's winning formula.

Honorable Mentions, these series had a good season and numerous bad seasons. I did enjoy watching them back then, but I'm not missing them anymore.

• Walking Dead
• Lost
• Dexter
• Carnivale

Special Honorable Mention

• Game of Thrones - I'm not sure if I'm a fan or not. I enjoy reading the books and watching the show, but on the other hand it feels soulless. There's just too much stuff and too little time. Some characters only get about 20min of screen time per season, and they are still considered 'main cast'. But I'm all for having a high quality fantasy TV-series in mainstream.

 

[chubber]

Battlestar Galactica

• Great music
• Gender Equality (did you ever notice how equal the world was? No one ever questioned female leaders because they were female, or never told man to 'man up'.)
• How comlex Gaius Baltar's character and storyline was

• With regards to the 2nd note of above. They also addressed LGBT equality.

I agree with the above and what got me hooked was that chase scene right in the beginning and trying to discover who the Cylons were. and the search for the 13th colony. There was a goal with the whole series, it was like one big movie to me. It did slow down in season 3 and went all daily soap opera. It picked up speed again in season 4 and ended before they could cancel it.

Some more I would like to add.

• The machines were sometimes more compassionate than the humans, where as the humans turned out to be cruel in some cases.
• The series, challenged logic with faith.
• How precious the identity of each character was, regardless of human, Cylon or machine.
• How far some people are willing to go.
• How some will even turn on their own kind to fight for what is REALLY right and not just the rules.
• How some people do things without realising they are doing it (Cylons).
• How some of the Cylons were trying to find their identity and think individually, even when their prerogative was to eliminate the humans.
• The constant challenge of our understanding of others.

edit: it was because of BSG that I became interested in personalities types.

 

[21%]

Downton Abbey
as a representative of the whole genre

Avatar: The Last Airbender
Maybe it doesn't count as it's a cartoon, but it's so good. I only watched it a few years ago, but I feel that this is one kids' show that is really empowering for kids to watch. It has the morally safe fluff of american cartoons and the energetic youthful feel of anime -- a perfect blend.

Firefly
seriously underrated

I must be forgetting something. I'll keep two spots free for now.

Other things that I did like a lot:
Misfits series 1
Glee season 1
Lie to Me
Friends for old times' sake
Being Human there's nothing like it... some really gem heart-wrenching moments and genuine laughs
Doctor Who for the wonderful overall cheesiness and the occasional mind-blowing brilliance
Sherlock the first episode -- the rest is a bit artificial, but still entertaining

 

[ndovjtjcaqidthi]

MASH
Seinfeld
The Simpsons
The Twilight Zone
South Park
*Freaks and Geeks

 

[Opal]

Oh, also... Adventure Time, anyone?

 

[SD45T-2]

In no real order:

Southland
The Wire
Deadwood
Monty Python's Flying Circus

3) Babylon 5
Some of the acting is kinda craptastic, and the CGI is most definitely dated, and it took a season or so to get on its feet, and all of the actors are dying off early, but it broke ground as a telenovel, rewards the patient with its depth and universe, exudes so much atmosphere & soul, and is undeniably lovable and at moments utterly brilliant. The three season run from 2 to 4 is mostly just class. Londo and G'Kar, inexorably linked, are spellbinding and a masterclass in how to build up and tear down characters.

Londo and G'Kar are kind of analogous to Sadat and Begin.

2. Babylon Five - My SO had to practically pin me down to make me watch it, but omg, was it good. So glad he did

I'm glad to see people who appreciate it. In many ways it was way ahead of its time.

What I really like about it is that it was one man's vision, and he wrote almost all of it himself. Joe Straczynski overcame some huge obstacles to making the show and did it on a shoestring budget. I also love his emphasis on ethics in the sense of "playing fair" with the audience.

 

[Totenkindly]

Oh, also... Adventure Time, anyone?

Lolz....probably one of my most favorite shows that I never watch.

I think I'd give Walking Dead and AHS honorable mentions too. Probably favorite walking dead arc is the Shane thing; favorite AHS season is still season #1.

 

[Stansmith]

3 tv shows that stand out to me, in no particular order.


Mad Men (Season 4); stylish, tasteful, and it's always managed to touched me on a more intimate level that most popular tv dramas haven't been able to. Season 4 is a masterpiece and perhaps a testament to the television drama's potential to be viewed as a genuine art form.

The Sopranos; I'd have to give the series a second look before I can decided what my favorite season is, although I can remember the last few episodes of Season 6 being pretty solid. Overall, it seemed like a fairly consistent series, although I didn't care for some of the more contrived storylines from later in the series (the poorly handled Vito storyline, being one example).

It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia; consistent and charmingly irreverent when it comes to typical sitcom conventions. I think I'm partial towards seasons 2 to 6.

I'm not comfortable choosing two others; I've never really been much of a tv person....Although I could share some other series that I've enjoyed thoroughly in the past:

The Office
Parks and Rec
Futurama
Breaking Bad
Louie
King of the Hill

 

[Galena]

You know what? I don't think I've watched five shows to completion.

 

[Qlip]

Buffy The Vampire Slayer - I'm going to include the entire Whendonverse in this one, I love the characters, writing and mythology in his shows.
Battlestar Galactica reboot - I need to rewatch this, but that show kept me so engaged. Everything in it changed so fast, so much so that I had trouble remembering how the plot had gotten into whatever messed up situation that it was in, but it always felt organic and somehow portentous.
SNL - Netflix had like *all* of the SNLs in their catalog at one point. It's a great way to get perspective on those decades that I was too young to pay attention to culture. The early episodes were so creative , and the musical acts are usually great, if they aren't edited out of whichever version you are watching.
Mad Men - I've been watching from the first episode. The perspective of the show was like a slap in the face. The period accurate representation felt like satire at times and at others it felt like a foreign country. In the better episodes the resonance between the story arcs and the themes are moving, especially when the perfect song is playing in the end credits.
My So Called Life - Damn, I was in love with Angela Chase. I totally understood Ricky, and even sympathized with the adults when this was on. The feeelings, the 90's angst.

 

[five sounds]

SNL - Netflix had like *all* of the SNLs in their catalog at one point. It's a great way to get perspective on those decades that I was too young to pay attention to culture. The early episodes were so creative , and the musical acts are usually great, if they aren't edited out of whichever version you are watching.

good call. minus like the past however many years. that show really dropped off, but it has so many excellent seasons behind it, that i'd still qualify it as one of the best. for sure.

 

[Totenkindly]

good call. minus like the past however many years. that show really dropped off, but it has so many excellent seasons behind it, that i'd still qualify it as one of the best. for sure.

I remember thinking the early years were pretty good, but at some point it became a fixture scrounging for replacements rather than a show generated from worthwhile parts to begin with.

Not there hasn't occasionally been something of interest, but I usually just catch it on YouTube rather than watching the show.

I remember when Mad TV came out, I thought it was far fresher and funnier. Too bad it didn't last as long.

 

[Qlip]

good call. minus like the past however many years. that show really dropped off, but it has so many excellent seasons behind it, that i'd still qualify it as one of the best. for sure.

I remember thinking the early years were pretty good, but at some point it became a fixture scrounging for replacements rather than a show generated from worthwhile parts to begin with.

Not there hasn't occasionally been something of interest, but I usually just catch it on YouTube rather than watching the show.

I remember when Mad TV came out, I thought it was far fresher and funnier. Too bad it didn't last as long.

There are definitely gaps. What struck me watching the first season is the original ambition of the show, to be a cultural and creative showcase. Carlin was in the first episode, they had comedic and high-concept films by Albert Brooks, and very abstract stuff by Jim Henson. It felt a little to me like an extension of the type of energy coming out of the punk/no-new-wave stuff in NYC at the time. The ambition has definitely dropped, and it has settled into a formula, which works especially election years.

Some talent definitely makes it into and out of there still.

 

[Totenkindly]

There are definitely gaps. What struck me watching the first season is the original ambition of the show, to be a cultural and creative showcase. Carlin was in the first episode, they had comedic and high-concept films by Albert Brooks, and very abstract stuff by Jim Henson. It felt a little to me like an extension of the type of energy coming out of the punk/no-new-wave stuff in NYC at the time. The ambition has definitely dropped, and it has settled into a formula, which works especially election years.

Trying to remember what real comedy troupe shows had been out there before in that prior decade. I know MPFC was something like 67-71' or so, over in England. What was SNL competing with and/or building off at the time? I just was too young to really be aware of it, I actually caught the earlier stuff later.

I was a fan of SCTV growing up too, kind of the Canadian sketch show version (with Joe Flaherty, Eugene Levy, Catherine O' Hara, Dave Thomas, John Candy, and Rick Moranis... plus a few others... Robin Duke?) Most of them are still around, although I think the last thing I saw Joe Flaherty in was "Back to the Future II", cameoing as the Western Union guy at the movie's end. O'Hara, Thomas, and Levy are still doing movies/TV maybe, Moranis is still known... and of course, well John Candy...

 

[Lady_X]

#5 true blood- exceeded video upload :/

 

[Lady_X]

honorable mentions of the ones that got cancelled.

and older favorites

seinfeld
frasier
friends