Do you remember your favorite TV shows? Whether it's a comedy like Seinfeld or a drama like The Fugitive, we all seem to remember our favorite television shows with a warm fondness. Like all of our warmest memories, the top TV shows that we grew up with are with us forever. The same classic television shows have a propensity to pop up on every TV viewers poll of all time top TV shows. Additionally, these same top TV programs also have a tendency to be so innovative that they spawn many imitations. Luckily, because of today's technology, we can re-live the memories of the ones that are long gone by viewing them on both DVD and repeats.
One of the longest running and earliest hits was a brilliant comedy which ran from 1951-1961, called the I Love Lucy Show. Who didn't love Lucille Ball as the red headed girl next door that continuously had us laughing hysterically at her screwball antics. Also starring in this top TV show was Lucille Ball's real-life husband Desi Arnaz who was Ricky Ricardo in the show. The comedy centered around the antics of Lucy, who wanted to be anything but an ordinary housewife. Along with her neighbors, Fred and Ethel Mertz of whom she would constantly tricked into helping her, Lucy would persistently plot to join her Cuban bandleader husbands band. Not surprisingly, after over a half century after I Love Lucy was released, this top TV show which has been syndicated across the globe, still plays each and every day in one country or another. The one and only Lucille Ball has been the inspiration for other top female comics such as Carole Burnett (The Carole Burnett Show) and Mary Tyler Moore (The Mary Tyler Moore Show) as well as other top TV shows which have mimicked I Love Lucy's sitcom format.
M*A*S*H, which was is a very successful Hollywood movie about a comical medical mash (mobile army surgical hospital) unit during the Korean War inspired the making of a top TV show of the same name that ran from 1972 - 1983. One of the first television shows to combine tragedy with comedy, the characters of the award winning M*A*S*H were so popular among American viewers, they became household names. The most popular character was the wisecracking surgeon, Captain Benjamin "Hawkeye" Pierce (Alan Alda), who cracks us up while patching up wounded soldiers, flirts with nurses and makes fun of head nurse Margaret "Hotlips" Houlihan and fellow doctor, Major Frank Burns. The final episode of M*A*S*H is still one of the all time most watched TV shows of all time! Trapper John, M.D. was a successful spin-off of this top TV show.
Probably the most successful television series and one of the biggest television cult phenomena of all time is the science fiction franchise known as Star Trek. The original Star Trek series was broadcast from 1966-1969 followed by Star Trek - The Animated series 1973-1974, Star Trek - The Next Generation 1987-1994, Star Trek - Deep Space Nine 1993-1999, Star Trek - Voyager 1995-2001, and Star Trek - Enterprise 2001-2005. All of the later spin offs that followed, especially Star Trek - The Next Generation are considered top TV shows and the Star Trek series still has the same cult following today as it did 40 years ago. Star Trek the original series introduced us to both Captain Kirk, played by William Shatner and Mr. Spock, played by Leonard Nimoy who, along with the rest of the Enterprise's crew soon became household names. "Beam me up Scotty" is still being used today. Along with all of the Star Trek top TV shows, ten Star Trek movies have been made with Star Trek eleven to be released on May 8, 2009.
Top rated TV show, Rod Serling's, The Twilight Zone which ran from 1959-1965 is a science fiction, fantasy and horror show that helped pave the way for Star Trek as well as other top science fiction, fantasy and horror shows. What made The Twilight Zone popular was the way it enthralled it's viewers with all of it's surprising twists and off the wall plots as well as the unique voice of creator, writer, host and narrator, Rod Serling. The number one reason that The Twilight Zone has been one of the top TV shows throughout the years is the high standard of the scripts that have been written by many of Hollywood's and televisions most respected writers including The Twilight Zone's creator Rod Serling who wrote many of the top television shows original 156 episodes. New episodes of The Twilight Zone were introduced to a new audience in 1985 and again, in 2002. Famed Hollywood movie director Steven Spielberg who considered the original Twilight Zone series to be one of the top TV shows from his youth, produced Twilight Zone - The Movie starring Dan Aykroyd and the late Vic Morrow who also starred in the top TV show called "Combat". Tragically, Vic Morrow died on set in a freak helicopter accident during the filming of Twilight Zone - The Movie.
THE 50 TOP TV SHOWS OF ALL TIME
I'm sure you have your own list of The 50 Top TV Shows of All Time, but here is TV Guides list. While I agree with most of their list, I strongly disagree with the absence of Star Trek the original series from their list of The TV Guides 50 Top TV Shows of All Time. I would have definitely had it in the top five because of it's popularity as well as it's influence on future science fiction TV shows and movies that followed.
1) Seinfeld - Jerry Seinfeld stars in this television comedy series as himself, a comedian. The premise of this sitcom is Jerry and his friends going through everyday life, discussing various quirky situations that we can all relate to (especially if we live in New York). The eccentric personalities of the offbeat characters who make up Jerry's social circle contribute to the fun.
2) I Love Lucy - Cuban Bandleader Ricky Ricardo would be happy if his wife Lucy would just be a housewife. Instead she tries constantly to perform at the Tropicana where he works, and make life comically frantic in the apartment building they share with landlords Fred and Ethel Mertz. The first major show to be put on film rather than kinescope.
3) The Honeymooners - Ralph Kramden is a New York bus driver who dreams of a better life. With his eccentric good friend, Ed Norton the sewer worker, he constantly tries crackpot schemes to strike it rich. All the while, his exasperated wife, Alice, is always there to bring him down to earth or to pick him up if he beats her to it. For as much as they fight, even dunderhead Ralph knows that she is the greatest and vice versa.
4) All in the Family - Television was changed forever the night of Jan. 12, 1971, with the premiere episode of "All in the Family." The show's central character, Archie Bunker, was a working-class family man who held bigoted, conservative views of the world. His viewpoints clash with nearly everyone he comes into contact with especially his liberal son-in-law Mike Stivic (or, as Archie delights in calling him, "Meathead"). The two disagree about nearly everything politics, minorities, sex, religion, economics, war, gun control, crime, free speech, women's rights, morality, philosophy and (so it seemed) life in general. Archie's daughter, Gloria, often (but not always) sided with Mike, while his saintly wife, Edith, was the rock that held the family together. Edith was as friendly, reserved, considerate and open-minded as Archie was bigoted, loud, rude and closed-minded; however, the love and faithfulness between them was undeniable.
5) The Sopranos - An innovative look at the life of fictional Mafia Capo Tony Soprano, this serial is presented largely first person, but additional perspective is conveyed by the intimate conversations Tony has with his psychotherapist. We see Tony at work, at home, and in therapy. Moments of black comedy intersperse this aggressive, adult drama, with adult language, and extreme violence.
6) 60 Minutes - This series set the pattern for the TV news magazine. Each episode consists of several stories, each presented by a different reporter. Stories have included investigative pieces, celebrity profiles, background pieces on current events, and general human interest stories. The series has also featured "Point-Counterpoint" debates and humorous commentaries by Andy Rooney.
7) The Late Show with David Letterman - David Letterman's comedic talk-show after moving to a new television network. He retains largely the same format as the previous 'Late Night with David Letterman.'
8) The Simpsons - The Simpsons are a very politically incorrect family. Homer works with pride in a nuclear power plant run with more regard for profit that safety. His wife is Marge, a kind of supermom. They have three kids: Bart, an underachiever ("and proud of it"), Lisa (who is as serious and responsible as Bart isn't), and Maggie.
9) The Andy Griffith Show - Widower Sheriff Andy and his son Opie live with Andy's Aunt Bea in Mayberry NC. With virtually no crimes to solve, most of Andy's time is spent philosophizing and calming down his cousin Deputy Barney.
10) Saturday Night Live - A late-night comedy show featuring several short skits, parodies of television commercials, a live guest band, and a pop-cultural guest host each week. Many of the SNL players have spun off successful independent comedy and/or movie careers from here.
11) The Mary Tyler Moore Show - Mary Richards moves to Minneapolis after a relationship goes bad. She finds work as an associate producer in a small television newsroom where the characters include Lou Grant, her gruff boss, Murray Slaughter the humorous writer, and Ted Baxter the Anchor Man who spends his time mispronouncing country names. Mary continues to hope for romance, but finds that her friends are more dependable.
12) The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson - Host Johnny Carson performs comedy routines and chats with various celebrities.
13) The Dick Van Dyke Show - Rob, Buddy and Sally write for the Alan Brady TV show under the thumb of Brady's brother-in-law Mel. Rob and Laura live in new Rochelle next-door to Jerry and Millie.
14) Hill Street Blues - The original "ensemble drama," this is the story of an overworked, under-staffed police precinct in an anonymous inner city patterned after Chicago. We follow the lives of many characters, from the lowly beat and traffic cops to the captain of the precinct himself. This is the show that blazed the trail followed later by such notable ensemble dramas as "St. Elsewhere" and "L.A. Law."
15) The Ed Sullivan Show - Ed Sullivan's show was straight out of old vaudeville; brief acts of every description, from slapstick comedy to operatic arias. At least once, he showed a film, the only known film of Anna Pavlova (doing her Swan Dance). The Muppets' first TV appearance was on Ed Sullivan. Stiff and expressionless, with a peculiar voice and a talent for mispronunciation, Sullivan was at least as recognizable as Cronkite to early 60's viewers.
16) The Carol Burnett Show - Television show featuring skits by Carol Burnett and her comedy troupe.
17) Today Show - The Today Show premiered on the NBC Television Network on January 14, 1952, and since then, the show has gone through many changes. The show, which offers the latest in news, sports, entertainment, and weather, broadcasts from Rockefeller Center each and every morning in a glass enclosed window studio, where people can come by and be on television.
18) Cheers - Sam Malone, a former baseball star, is the head of a nice little bar where Norm, Cliff, Dr. Frasier and all the other regular customers spend together a few hours every day, talking about their problems, laughing at each other's flaws, trying to be there when someone else needs them. "Cheers" is the place where everybody knows your name...
19) thirtysomething - Hope and Michael are a married couple in their thirties, living in Philadelphia, and struggling with everyday adult angst. Michael runs an ad agency with his friend Elliot, whose marriage to Nancy is beginning to show the cracks of age, as is the friendship between Hope and her best friend Ellyn. Michael's best friend, Gary, on the other hand, is trying to get on with his womanizing life, and get over the mutually-destructive affair he had with Michael's cousin, Melissa. It all sounds like just another soap, but is given a unique atmosphere by the production team (the Bedford Falls company, also responsible for 'My So Called Life') whose intelligent scripts, believable characters and frequent dips into the slightly surreal world of the character's minds places the series as one of the highlights of the late 1980s.
20) St. Elsewhere - This hour-long dramatic series featured life at St. Eligius Hospital, headed by Drs. Donald Westphall and Daniel Auschlander. Every year, new residents would walk down the halls of St. Eligius; learning to deal with perfectionist Cardiovascular Surgeon Mark Craig was only the beginning of the way the hospital and its interesting patients would change their lives forever.
21) Friends - Six young people, on their own and struggling to survive in the real world, find the companionship, comfort and support they get from each other to be the perfect antidote to the pressures of life.
22) ER - Michael Crichton has created a medical drama that chronicles life and death in a Chicago hospital emergency room. Each episode tells the tale of another day in the ER, from the exciting to the mundane, and the joyous to the heart-rending. Frenetic pacing, interwoven plot lines, and emotional roller-coastering is used to attempt to accurately depict the stressful environment found there. This show even portrays the plight of medical students in their quest to become physicians.
23) Nightline - A nightly discussion of one important news event from earlier that day.
24) Law & Order - Armed with pithy quips, Detectives Logan and Briscoe catch a variety of criminals, then work with the D.A.'s office to put them away. Many plots revolve around recent sensational cases or current social issues.
25) M*A*S*H - The 4077th Mobile Army Surgical Hospital is stuck in the middle of the Korean war. With little help from the circumstances they find themselves in, they are forced to make their own fun. Fond of practical jokes and revenge, the doctors, nurses, administrators, and soldiers often find ways of making wartime life bearable. Nevertheless, the war goes on,
26) The Twilight Zone - A collection of tales which range from comic to tragic, but often have a wicked sense of humor and an unexpected twist.
27) Sesame Street - The setting is in a small street in a city where children and furry puppet monsters learn about numbers, the alphabet and other pre-school subjects taught in commercial spots, songs and games.
28) The Cosby Show - Long running popular comedy television series about the Huxtable family. Doctor Heathcliff Huxtable and Clair Huxtable, a happily married couple, are raising their children (Sondra, Denise, Theodore, Vanessa, and Rudy). The two oldest daughters eventually graduate from college and get married (Sondra to Elvin and Denise to Martin).
29) Donahue - The precursor to all the daytime talk shows that arose during the 1980's and 90's. Phil Donahue's show started off similar to other shows of its day, featuring celebrities and musical acts, but he soon started pushing the envelope by discussing health and social topics previously considered taboo. Eventually, the popularity of this approach proved to be his downfall, as he was soon competing with host such as Oprah Winfrey, Sally Jesse Raphael and Geraldo Rivera, who were willing to stoop to new depths in search of sensational topics.
30) Your Show of Shows - Live, original comedy originally featuring Sid Caesar and Imogene Coca. Carl Reiner and Howard Morris joined the show later. Two of the great skits on the show were "The Hickenloopers", a battling husband-and-wife team and the clock in the Bavarian town of Baverhoff which always broke when the hour was struck.
31) The Defenders - Recent law school graduate (Robert Reed) joins his father (E.G. Marshall) as the pair tackle challenging legal cases, often involving issues which were highly touchy for the times (abortion, euthanasia, "un-American" activities, movie censorship). In most the freshly minted lawyer has much to learn from his father's extensive legal experience.
32) American Family - This was the original "Real World". The show was a weekly documentary which followed the real life travails of the Loud family, a mixed up cluster of suburbanites. The show picked up lots of interesting footage, including an on-camera divorce demand from wife Pat to her husband, and the coming-out of one of the children who was gay.
33) Playhouse 90 - An anthology series that every week brought a different 90 minute drama to viewers. The first season was live, but during the latter seasons, the number of live shows tapered off.
34) Frasier - Eminent Boston Psychiatrist, Frasier Crane, last seen gracing the bars of Cheers has left his life there to start afresh in Seattle. He now has a spot as a popular radio Psychiatrist, giving him the chance to spread words of wit and wisdom to the masses. He shares his apartment with his retired cop father, Martin, and his father's physical care assistant, Daphne Moon. Add in brother Niles, Eddie the dog, some bizarre situations and plenty of humour and you've got all the ingredients for an excellent show and worthy successor to Cheers.
35) Roseanne - Roseanne and Dan Connor are a suburban working class couple trying to make ends meet. They have three kids (soon to be four): Darlene, Becky and DJ. Darlene is a smart-ass who always finds the ironic side. Becky is a dumb blonde married to the even dumber Mark Healy. And DJ is the psycho 14 year old who's always doing something weird. Plots vary from personal problems (Roseane's annoying mother, having your old boss be your business partner) to world issues(gay rights, race relations)
36) The Fugitive - Dr. Richard Kimble is accused to be the murder of his wife. The night before his execution, he escapes. The only chance to prove his innocence is to find the man who killed hi wife. Kimble, persecuted by the Lt. Gerard, risks his life several times when he shows his identity to help other people out of trouble.
37) The X-Files - This television series follows the adventures and lives of FBI agents investigating those cases that involve the paranormal or previously unsolved (especially by conventional means). FBI Special Agents Mulder, Scully, Doggett and Reyes work to uncover forces within the United States of America government that would violate people's rights, alien creatures and monsters alike that attack and other mysteries.
