TV Guide's 50 Greatest TV Shows of All Time

TV Guide's 50 Greatest TV Shows of All Time is TV Guide's list of the 50 most well known and biggest television shows in American television history. The list was in the May 4–10, 2002 issue of the magazine. The television shows were chosen by the people who edit TV Guide. The list was also told in an ABC television special, TV Guide's 50 Best Shows of All Time, on May 13, 2002.[1]

The list

No Series Network Start End Type
1 Seinfeld NBC July 5, 1989 May 14, 1998 Sitcom
2 I Love Lucy CBS October 15, 1951 May 6, 1957 sitcom, B/W
3 The Honeymooners CBS October 1, 1955 September 22, 1956 sitcom, B/W
4 All in the Family CBS January 12, 1971 April 8, 1979 sitcom, B/W
5 The Sopranos HBO January 10, 1999 June 10, 2007 drama (crime)
6 60 Minutes CBS September 24, 1968 present news
7 The Late Show with David Letterman CBS August 30, 1993 May 20, 2015 talk (late-night)
8 The Simpsons FOX December 17, 1989 present animation
9 The Andy Griffith Show CBS October 3, 1960 April 1, 1968 sitcom, B/W
10 Saturday Night Live NBC October 11, 1975 present sketches
11 The Mary Tyler Moore Show CBS 1970 1977 sitcom, B/W
12 The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson NBC 1962 1992 talk
13 The Dick Van Dyke Show CBS 1961 1966 sitcom, B/W
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 January 14, 1952 present
18 Cheers NBC 1982 1993
19 Thirtysomething ABC 1987 1991
20 St. Elsewhere NBC 1982 1988
21 Friends NBC 1994 2004
22 ER NBC September 19, 1994 April 2, 2009
23 Nightline ABC March 24, 1980 present late news
24 Law & Order NBC September 13, 1990 present legal drama
25 M*A*S*H CBS 1972 1983
26 The Twilight Zone CBS 1959 1964
27 Sesame Street PBS (NET), HBO November 10, 1969 present children
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 January 11, 1973 March 29, 1973 documentary
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 science fiction
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 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 Science fiction
47 The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show ABC 1959 1964
48 Taxi ABC/NBC 1978 1983 sitcom
49 The Oprah Winfrey Show Syndication September 8, 1986 May 25, 2011 talk
50 Bewitched ABC September 17, 1964 March 25, 1972 sitcom (fantasy)

References

  1. ↑ "TV Guide Names Top 50 Shows". Associated Press/CBS News. April 26, 2002. Archived from the original on August 2, 2002. Retrieved March 9, 2021.