TV Guide's 50 Greatest TV Shows of All Time

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The 50 Greatest TV Shows of All Time is a list of American TV series compiled by TV Guide as a cover story for the week of May 4, 2002. It coincided with an ABC primetime special that aired on May 13, 2002. The list garnered much national attention at the time, as the magazine was simultaneously celebrating five decades on newsstands. At the time, TV Guide billed the list as a perspective of the most "influential" television programs in American history. Here is the entire list:

1. Seinfeld (NBC, 1989-1998)
2. I Love Lucy (CBS, 1951–1957)
3. The Honeymooners (CBS, 1955–1956)
4. All in the Family (CBS, 1971–1979)
5. The Sopranos (HBO, 1999–2007)
6. 60 Minutes (CBS, 1968— )
7. The Late Show with David Letterman (CBS, 1993— )
8. The Simpsons (FOX, 1989— )
9. The Andy Griffith Show (CBS, 1960–1968)
10. Saturday Night Live (NBC, 1975— )
11. The Mary Tyler Moore Show (CBS, 1970–1977)
12. The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson (NBC, 1962–1992)
13. The Dick Van Dyke Show (CBS, 1961–1966)
14. Hill Street Blues (NBC, 1981–1987)
15. The Ed Sullivan Show (CBS, 1948–1971)
16. The Carol Burnett Show (CBS, 1967–1978)
17. The Today Show (NBC, 1952— )
18. Cheers (NBC, 1982–1993)
19. Thirtysomething (ABC, 1987–1991)
20. St. Elsewhere (NBC, 1982–1988)
21. Friends (NBC, 1994–2004)
22. ER (NBC, 1994— )
23. Nightline (ABC, 1980–present {originally premiered as The Iran Crisis—America Held Hostage in 1979})
24. Law & Order (NBC, 1990— )
25. M*A*S*H (CBS, 1972–1983)
26. The Twilight Zone (CBS, 1959–1964)
27. Sesame Street (PBS, 1969— )
28. The Cosby Show (NBC, 1984–1992)
29. The Phil Donahue Show (Syndication, 1970–1996)
30. Your Show of Shows (NBC, 1950–1954)
31. The Defenders (CBS, 1961–1964)
32. An American Family (PBS, 1973)
33. Playhouse 90 (CBS, 1956–1961)
34. Frasier (NBC, 1993–2004)
35. Roseanne (ABC, 1988–1997)
36. The Fugitive (ABC, 1963–1967)
37. The X-Files (Fox, 1993–2002)
38. The Larry Sanders Show (HBO, 1992–1998)
39. The Rockford Files (NBC, 1974–1980)
40. Gunsmoke (CBS, 1955-1975)
41. Buffy the Vampire Slayer (The WB/UPN, 1997–2003)
42. Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In (NBC, 1968–1973)
43. Bonanza (NBC, 1959–1973)
44. The Bob Newhart Show (CBS, 1972–1978)
45. Twin Peaks (ABC, 1990–1991)
46. Star Trek: The Next Generation (Syndication, 1987–1994)
47. The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show (ABC, 1959–1964)
48. Taxi (ABC/NBC, 1978–1983)
49. The Oprah Winfrey Show (Syndication, 1986— )
50. Bewitched (ABC, 1964–1972)

Breakdown of shows

Earliest aired show on the list: The Ed Sullivan Show (first aired in 1948)
Most recently premiered show: The Sopranos (first aired in 1999)
Shortest run: An American Family (12 episodes, plus two subsequent special episodes)
Primetime shows: 41 (highest-ranking was Seinfeld, #1)
Late-night shows: 4 (The Late Show with David Letterman, The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, ABC News Nightline, Saturday Night Live)
Daytime shows: 4 (Oprah, Donahue, Sesame Street, Today Show)
Syndicated shows: 3 (Oprah, Donahue, Star Trek: Next Generation)
Sitcoms: 18 (highest-ranking was Seinfeld, #1)
Variety shows: 5 (Laugh-In, Your Show of Shows, Carol Burnett Show, Ed Sullivan Show, Saturday Night Live)
Talk shows: 5 (Oprah, Donahue, Today, Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, Late Show with David Letterman)
Drama: 18 (highest-ranking was The Sopranos at #5)
News: 3 (Nightline, Today, 60 Minutes)
Animated: 2 (The Simpsons, Rocky and Bullwinkle)
Game shows: 0 (although TV Guide had earlier made a separate list of the 50 greatest game shows)
Soap operas: 0
Reality shows: 1 (technically, An American Family at #32 is considered primitive reality)
NBC shows: 17 (highest-ranking was at #1, Seinfeld)
CBS shows: 16 (highest-ranking was at #2, I Love Lucy)
ABC shows: 8 (highest-ranking was at #19, Thirtysomething)
Fox shows: 2 (highest-ranking was at #8, The Simpsons; other was The X-Files, #37)
Cable shows: 2 (both from HBO; highest-ranking was The Sopranos at #5; other was Larry Sanders at #38)
Public TV shows: 2 (highest-ranking was Sesame Street at #27; other was An American Family at #32)
The WB/UPN shows: 1 (Buffy the Vampire Slayer at #41)

Criticism of the list

Many were skeptical of decisions such as ranking Seinfeld (which made the #1 spot) higher than classics such as All in the Family and there was fury over the fact that several popular shows of the 1990s were unnecessarily high in ranking, such as Frasier and ER. Many were upset at the fact that Married… with Children, which helped save FOX Television, was completely left off the list as well as Miami Vice, which had a huge impact on popular culture in the 1980s. Also, television experts were stunned that David Letterman's late-night program was named more influential than that of the legendary "king of late-night" Johnny Carson and that there were no daytime soap operas or any game shows at all included in the list. Also, the list is heavily skewed toward more recent shows, with shows generally considered "classic" such as Have Gun – Will Travel, Magnum P.I., Perry Mason, and the original Star Trek left off the list. Also, the only show with a majority black cast on this list was The Cosby Show. However, several iconic black sitcoms such as The Jeffersons and Good Times were ignored.

However, L. Brent Bozell III of the Parents Television Council praised the list for including mostly shows from before the 1990s, speculating that TV Guide was making "a backlash against the networks' ever-relaxing standards.

Only one reality television show was included in the list, although several reality television shows were included on the Worst Shows of All Time list.

References

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