The Greatest TV Shows of All Time (Kinda): The Top 10

[Marc_C]

• Joe 90
• Captain Scarlett
• Thunderbirds
• UFO
• Space 1999
• Battlestar Galactica TOS
• Buck Rodgers in the 25th Century
• ARK II
• V the series
• The Greatest American Hero.

 

[Staffan]

Really hard to see Buffy/Angel belonging on this list. Too schlocky and too much filler (even if it's often well-done as far as that goes).

Strong disagreement on that. What you call filler, I call character-building.

This is actually one of my main beefs with the modern Trek shows (Discovery and Picard – I'll use Trek as an example because there isn't a modern version of Buffy): the crew are basically just extras. Since the seasons are so short and focused on the Big Story, there's no room to breathe and get to know anyone who isn't Burnham, Saru, Stamets, or the captain of the Season. Or maybe Tilly, a little. Discovery in particular has tried multiple times to make things "interesting" by doing something with another member of the bridge crew – Airam's sacrifice when corrupted by Control, Detmer needing to get her mojo back after crashing the Discovery when exiting the wormhole, and Owosekun being a badass retaking Discovery from the Emerald Chain. To me, all of these fell flat because I do not know these people. Compare this to Deep Space 9, where we get to know not only Sisko, Kira, and Dax, but also Bashir, Odo, Quark, Rom, Nog, Jake (OK, I could mostly do without Jake), Worf, Garak, O'Brien, Dukat, Damar, Winn. These are all interesting characters that we get to know and love/hate over the course of the series, precisely because of those "filler" episodes.

Modern short seasons work well when you only have one or at most a handful of important characters and the rest are literally there as supporting cast for the main characters. But they make for poor ensemble shows.

But the showrunners said no they could do it in just a handful of episodes....and they were so rushed it felt like absolute hot garbage. Now I can respect that the guys were tired, or maybe wanted to do something else, or had a new opportunity, etc....these things happen. But you turn the reigns over to someone else, wish them good luck, and let the project continue...you don't just kill it so you can be over and done with it.

My understanding was that Disney wanted D&D to do Star Wars, and they were all over that, and so they rushed to finish Game of Thrones. Of course, Game of Thrones season 8 ended in such a mess that Disney then told them "On second thought, no."

 

[Ryujin]

• Joe 90
• Captain Scarlett
• Thunderbirds
• UFO
• Space 1999
• Battlestar Galactica TOS
• Buck Rodgers in the 25th Century
• ARK II
• V the series
• The Greatest American Hero.

I rewatched "UFO" a couple of years back and just finished watching "Captain Scarlet" again. That moment when you realize that Captain Blue is Jack Straker....

 

[Deset Gled]

Since people are complaining about GoT, I guess this as good of a point as any to go off on this tangent.

I don't think Breaking Bad belongs on the list. After years of people raving about it, my wife and I started watching it during COVID. She gave up after season one, and I gave up after season two. It's just not that great of a show. People rave about the characters, but I honestly think the characters in Breaking Bad have basically the same depth as the cast of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, and are just as likeable. Horrible people on the surface, mildly interesting quirks below that, but under that just more of the same horrible people you found on the top. Some of the acting is good, but not all of it. The plot is nowhere near as engaging or surprising as I was lead to believe. The cinematography wobbles between good, okay, and over-the-top pretentious. The writing and continuity are interesting, but not good enough to justify the lack of entertainment and enjoyment I got from watching it.

I'd rate Breaking Bad at about the same quality level as other well known dramas like, say, ER or Hill Street Blues. Good. Probably good enough at their peak to be "best of the year". But nowhere near "Greatest of All Time" material.

Oh, and I do think that the comparison's between Breaking Bad and IASIP can go much further. They're basically drama/comedy counterparts to each other.

 

[payn]

Oh, and I do think that the comparison's between Breaking Bad and IASIP can go much further.

I can see that hot take. Although BB has a serious overtone, the show can be quite cheeky at times.

They're basically drama/comedy counterparts to each other.

I dont know about that though.

 

[Deset Gled]

I dont know about that though.

I'm going to be lazy and copy/paste from Wikipedia.

This is the from the synopsis of IASIP:

Each member of "The Gang" displays unethical behavior and traits such as excessive drinking and substance use, dishonesty, cruelty, selfishness, and egotism. Episodes usually find them hatching elaborate schemes and often conspiring against one another and others for personal gain, vengeance, or simply the entertainment of watching another's downfall. They habitually inflict mental, emotional, and physical pain on each other and anyone who crosses their path. They also regularly use blackmail to manipulate one another and others outside of the group.

The Gang's unity is never solid, and they will quickly dump any of the others for a quick profit or personal gain regardless of the consequences. Despite this, they ultimately return to their usual group dynamic due to their toxic codependency. Everything they do results in contention among themselves and much of the show's dialogue involves the characters arguing or yelling at one another.

I contend this synopsis works equally well for Breaking Bad, with only minor changes.

Also from Wikipedia:

Themes:
Moral consequences
Devotion to family
Pride

This time, it's from the Breaking Bad page. But it's also basically the list of central themes to all of the plots and humor of IASIP.

 

[payn]

I'm going to be lazy and copy/paste from Wikipedia.

This is the from the synopsis of IASIP:



I contend this synopsis works equally well for Breaking Bad, with only minor changes.

Also from Wikipedia:



This time, it's from the Breaking Bad page. But it's also basically the list of central themes to all of the plots and humor of IASIP.

50% of television shows fall into those generalities.

 

[Herschel]

Leverage had no bad episodes. That's a feat worth noting.

There was one episode I didn't care for, which is still a ridiculously good track record. Burn Notice was even better. The cool thing about Burn Notice is in the final season, Michael was finally broken. He finally got what he wished for and it turned out to be a lie. Yes, he came back, but it was interesting to see how much gray surrounded him.

 

[Arilyn]

There was one episode I didn't care for, which is still a ridiculously good track record. Burn Notice was even better. The cool thing about Burn Notice is in the final season, Michael was finally broken. He finally got what he wished for and it turned out to be a lie. Yes, he came back, but it was interesting to see how much gray surrounded him.

Just rewatched Leverage and there is one episode I'm not overly fond of. But an excellent track record.

I like Burn Notice too, as well as White Collar, although White Collar has season finales that I'm not overly fond of.

 

[Malmuria]

TWIN PEAKS