• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Lieff Ink

TELL YOUR STORY

  • About
  • Services
    • Writing • Editing
    • PR
    • Writing Tutor
  • Words
  • Press
  • Blog
  • Clients
    • Client List
    • Testimonials
  • Contact
  • Book
    • Accolades
    • Reviews

100 Greatest TV Shows of All Time

September 23, 2016

rs-100-tv-showsI love lists. There is no question about that. But Rolling Stone’s latest list of the “100 Greatest TV Shows of All Time” exemplifies the problem with lists that are too broad. While I’ve always been a fan of the magazine (my subscription dates back to 1996), it has become notorious for lists that are too large – i.e. 2003’s “500 Greatest Albums of All Time “list. Seriously? At that point what really separates number 179 from number 156 or number 83 from 72?

The bottom line is that lists of this caliber need to be divided into some kind of system that breaks down into smaller categories, whether it’s by decade or genre, so the magnitude of it isn’t so overwhelming and the choices actually mean something.

In terms of this particular list, I found that the number of talk shows mentioned extremely odd since interviewing actors and actually acting aren’t exactly the same skill set. I get that those shows changed/elevated/enhanced television (I’m a huge fan of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon), but it’s kind of unfair to compare The Tonight Show With Johnny Carson (30) with Friends (26). But that’s not the only issue. Where are all the premium cable shows on this list? Yes, The Sopranos, The Wire, and Veep were mentioned within the top 25, but does Sex and the City really belong at number 62? And what about Californication? Did it seriously not even make the list? Both of the shows earned numerous Emmy and Golden Globe nominations so why aren’t they at least part of the top 40?

Also, should game shows be part of this list? Jeopardy clocks in at number 94 but there is no Wheel of Fortune? I enjoy both of the shows and they’ve been on since 1964 and 1975, respectively. And then “reality” shows are allowed as well? American Idol at number 92 but The Voice is nowhere to be found? I guess that’s because, even thought I like the format of the latter much better, the former launched the careers of two award-winning artists in Carrie Underwood and Kelly Clarkson. But if that’s the case where is American Bandstand? And the mother of all reality shows, The Real World, is listed at 85, but where is Survivor? That show has been on for 33 seasons!

Although I enjoyed American Crime Story: The People vs. O.J. Simpson, it was a 10-part miniseries that lasted just over two months. And Roots, as game-changing as it was, only lasted eight episodes. Is it fair for all these genres to be judged under one large umbrella?

While The Sopranos at number one wasn’t surprising, The Wire and Breaking Bad at numbers two and three were kind of copout choices because they are shows that have similar themes about damaged characters who find themselves in corrupt situations that involve even more damaged characters. I never got into The Wire or Breaking Bad but, from what I’ve read and been told, they were television game-changers. Fair enough – I just wish the top ten had more variety.

That being said, I expected to see both Seinfeld and The Simpsons, which is funny because they both debuted in 1989 but the former shut it down in 1998 and the latter is still going! Who would have thought that The Simpsons would end up being the longest-running American sitcom, the longest-running American animated program, and the longest-running American scripted primetime television series of all time. Does that mean it’s in a category by itself?

Speaking of classic shows, I was looking for M*A*S*H and Cheers in the top ten but they barely made the top 20, at 16 and 20, respectively. I couldn’t believe SNL, The Daily Show, and Late Night With David Letterman, which all landed in the top 20, are part of this list because I feel like those shows should have their own category. They are skit and talk shows, not scripted drama or comedy. It was definitely fun seeing Freaks and Geeks at number 11 (even though it lasted one season) and The West Wing at 15. On another note, I’m surprised Lost was at 39 – seems like that show should have (and would have) made the top 25 if talk shows weren’t allowed. Loved seeing My So-Called Life at 35 (also only one season), and South Park at 36 (showing that they will never really be able to compete with The Simpsons).

Hopefully in the future Rolling Stone will focus more on quality and thoughtfulness than quantity and shock value with their numbers. Television has always and will always be part of the pop culture lexicon so lets make these lists a little bit more quantitative and interesting to read.

Laura

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

Blog Archive

  • March 2023
  • February 2023
  • January 2023
  • December 2022
  • November 2022
  • October 2022
  • September 2022
  • August 2022
  • July 2022
  • June 2022
  • May 2022
  • April 2022
  • March 2022
  • February 2022
  • January 2022
  • December 2021
  • November 2021
  • October 2021
  • September 2021
  • August 2021
  • July 2021
  • June 2021
  • May 2021
  • April 2021
  • March 2021
  • February 2021
  • January 2021
  • December 2020
  • November 2020
  • October 2020
  • September 2020
  • August 2020
  • July 2020
  • June 2020
  • May 2020
  • April 2020
  • March 2020
  • February 2020
  • January 2020
  • December 2019
  • November 2019
  • October 2019
  • September 2019
  • August 2019
  • July 2019
  • June 2019
  • May 2019
  • April 2019
  • March 2019
  • February 2019
  • January 2019
  • December 2018
  • November 2018
  • October 2018
  • September 2018
  • August 2018
  • July 2018
  • June 2018
  • May 2018
  • April 2018
  • March 2018
  • February 2018
  • January 2018
  • December 2017
  • November 2017
  • October 2017
  • September 2017
  • August 2017
  • July 2017
  • June 2017
  • May 2017
  • April 2017
  • March 2017
  • February 2017
  • January 2017
  • December 2016
  • November 2016
  • October 2016
  • September 2016
  • August 2016
  • July 2016
  • June 2016
  • May 2016
  • April 2016
  • March 2016
  • February 2016
  • January 2016
  • December 2015
  • November 2015
  • October 2015
  • September 2015
  • August 2015
  • July 2015
  • June 2015
  • May 2015
  • April 2015
  • March 2015
  • February 2015
  • January 2015
  • December 2014
  • November 2014
  • October 2014
  • September 2014
  • August 2014
  • July 2014
  • June 2014
  • May 2014
  • April 2014
  • March 2014
  • February 2014
  • January 2014
  • December 2013
  • November 2013
  • October 2013
  • September 2013
  • August 2013
  • July 2013
  • June 2013
  • May 2013
  • April 2013
  • March 2013
  • February 2013
  • January 2013
  • December 2012
  • November 2012
  • October 2012
  • September 2012
  • August 2012
  • July 2012
  • June 2012
  • May 2012
  • April 2012
  • March 2012
  • February 2012
  • January 2012
  • December 2011
  • November 2011
  • October 2011
  • September 2011
  • August 2011
  • July 2011
  • June 2011
  • May 2011
  • April 2011
  • March 2011
  • February 2011
  • January 2011
  • December 2010
  • November 2010
  • October 2010
  • September 2010
  • August 2010
  • July 2010
  • June 2010
  • May 2010
  • April 2010
  • March 2010
  • February 2010
  • January 2010

Footer

Laura Lieff was named Colorado Mountain College’s 2017-2018 Part Time Staff Member of the Year for her work as a writing tutor and teaching assistant.
Laura Lieff was named Colorado Mountain College’s 2017-2018 Part Time Staff Member of the Year for her work as a writing tutor and teaching assistant.

Work With Me

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter
lieff-ink-logo_updated-2
  • About
  • Services
  • Words
  • Blog
  • Client List
  • Contact

Copyright © 2023 · PO Box 1228 Edwards CO 81632 · info@lauralieff.com