The Top 100 Best TV Shows of All Time
25.09.2023 - 15:23
/ ign.com
/ Of All
/ Best
How do you break down what makes the ideal television show? It’s not easy, given the fact that each person has their own individual taste, but IGN did our best when it came to outlining our criteria for our 2023 revamp of our top TV shows of all time.
The show must have finished its run or been on the air for at least 10 years and had a significant impact on television as a whole — because how many shows make it to 10 seasons these days? While this does exclude some of our currently running faves like The Last of Us, The Boys, Squid Game and more, those shows haven’t completed their stories yet. Don’t worry — we’ll likely see them eligible by the next time we refresh this list!
Voters were asked to consider the following: How influential was the show? How well has it aged? Did the show have ongoing cultural significance? And, obviously, we considered best vs. favorite. (Just because you love Love Is Blind, that doesn’t mean it’s one of the greatest TV shows ever made. Sorry, those are just the rules!)
And, obviously, the voters all must have spent a considerable hunk of their lives watching what some would describe as “too much TV.” Our voting pool was made up of entertainment-centric staffers as well as critics from across the industry. You can check out our full list of voters and learn more about our criteria, too!
You can flip through our slideshow below to see our choices or scroll down the page to read why each entry is worthy of its spot on our list. If you want to jump to a certain section, feel free to do so by clicking the index below. Once you've finished, all that's left to do is let us know how we did and how it compares to your list...
Oh, and be sure to look out for our Top 100 TV Shows of All Time Face-Off tomorrow, September 26, so you can help decide what the best shows are!
Jump to a section of the Top 100:
No. 100-91, No. 90-81, No. 80-71, No. 70-61, No. 60-51, No. 50-41, No. 40-31, No. 30-21, No. 20-11, No. 10-1
After making box office magic with George Lucas in the similarly themed classic American Graffiti, Ron Howard was cast as Richie in Happy Days. Taking a jump into a highly idealized version of 1950s Milwaukee, Happy Days sold audiences by being pretty much just what the title says it is. Along with Potsie, Ralph, and cool guy Fonzie, Richie and his friends have mostly low-stakes teenage hijinks. The nostalgic vibe of the show hit a chord with TV fans, and the series ultimately ran for eleven seasons, spawning multiple spin-offs including the great Laverne & Shirley and Mork & Mindy. Yet, the most important thing about Happy Days was always the incredible cast that brought it to life. Gifting the world with now-major Hollywood players like Ron Howard and Henry Winkler, Happy