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

[Mannahnin]

The West Wing has aged EXTREMELY poorly. And I would call its view on the world anything but "mature." "Naive" would be one word for it.

A lot of compromises and pyrrhic victories in that show; though certainly the level of idealism was still unrealistic.

 

[Ryujin]

The West Wing has aged EXTREMELY poorly. And I would call its view on the world anything but "mature." "Naive" would be one word for it.

Sometimes it's nice to have something that shows what you should strive for, rather than the cesspool that you must currently wade through.

 

[TheSword]

The West Wing has aged EXTREMELY poorly. And I would call its view on the world anything but "mature." "Naive" would be one word for it.

I disagree, it was and still is very good.
It features highly dedicated and passionate public servants doing the best they can. Most of the big topics are as relevant today as they were 20 years ago.

 

[LongTimeLurker]

M*A*S*H

Also, lack of comedies because it is too hard is sad.

Mash is a better show (and has aged well too) than every other show on this list. In fact MASH and Seinfeld are, by far, the two best American TV shows ever created and only The Larry David Show even comes close. MASH was even a better drama than all the shows listed. Disqualifying comedies is nonsense.

 

[Gladius Legis]

Sometimes it's nice to have something that shows what you should strive for, rather than the cesspool that you must currently wade through.

The problem is a lot of people watch that show and think that's how it actually works.

The West Wing could work if it was explicitly a fairy tale, but it clearly doesn't present itself that way.

 

[Gladius Legis]

It features highly dedicated and passionate public servants doing the best they can.

Which is EXACTLY why it doesn't work.

 

[Ryujin]

The problem is a lot of people watch that show and think that's how it actually works.

The West Wing could work if it was explicitly a fairy tale, but it clearly doesn't present itself that way.

The law works how it does in "The West Wing." The people don't. It's an idealized version of what The United States could/should be. America isn't the way that it appears in a Frank Capra movie, but that in no way impacts my enjoyment of them. It's the way that he thought his America should be.

 

[Gladius Legis]

The law works how it does in "The West Wing." The people don't. It's an idealized version of what The United States could/should be. America isn't the way that it appears in a Frank Capra movie, but that in no way impacts my enjoyment of them. It's the way that he thought his America should be.

Well, I find depictions of an idealized America, and especially the American political system, to be a very distasteful and frankly dangerous concept nowadays. Especially when you compare it to a reality where it is indeed the people who have and will always get in the way of anything ideal ever happening in it.

 

[Ryujin]

Well, I find depictions of an idealized America, and especially the American political system, to be a very distasteful and frankly dangerous concept nowadays. Especially when you compare it to a reality where it is indeed the people who have and will always get in the way of anything ideal ever happening in it.

And yet you don't generally influence people to do good, by giving them examples of bad. Especially so when you show people profiting from the bad.

 

[Snarf Zagyg]

Mash is a better show (and has aged well too) than every other show on this list. In fact MASH and Seinfeld are, by far, the two best American TV shows ever created and only The Larry David Show even comes close. MASH was even a better drama than all the shows listed. Disqualifying comedies is nonsense.

It's almost as if there is a whole description in the OP about why comedies aren't included ...

and an entire additional post about the greatest comedies.

The Greatest TV Shows of All Time Part 2: HA HA! Comedy Illustrated

If you haven't seen it yet, then here is Part 1 - the Dramas. Oh, the DRAMA! You'd think that people would be understanding if you create a list of shows and put forth reasons for having the list exclusive (such as American shows, and no Comedies) given that you were only doing 10, but, of...

www.enworld.org

Seriously, at a certain point it's like ... why bother with words? it's not like people read them.