I collected over 24 lists of the Best TV Shows of All Time by critics and experts and combined them into one list. Here are the results – every show on three or more of the original source lists, arranged by rank (that is, with the most-listed shows at the top). Shows on the same number of lists (i.e., ties) are listed chronologically. For the same list organized chronologically, go here.

On 24 Lists

The Simpsons (Fox: 1989- ) Creator: Matt Groening

The Sopranos (HBO: 1999-2007) Creator: David Chase

The Wire (HBO: 2002-2008) Creator: David Simon

On 23 Lists

Seinfeld (NBC: 1989-1998) Creators: Larry David & Jerry Seinfeld

Breaking Bad (AMC: 2008-2013) Creator: Vince Gilligan

On 22 Lists

Twin Peaks (ABC: 1990-1991; Showtime: 2017) Creators: Mark Frost & David Lynch

Friends (NBC: 1994-2004) Creators: David Crane & Marta Kauffman

On 20 lists

The Twilight Zone (CBS: 1959-1964) Creator: Rod Serling

William Shatner in the 1963 episode, ‘Nightmare at 20,000 Feet.’

Six Feet Under (HBO: 2001-2005) Creator: Alan Ball

Arrested Development (Fox: 2003-2006; Netflix: 2013) Creator: Mitchell Hurwitz

On 19 lists

Mad Men (AMC: 2007-2015) Creator: Matthew Weiner


Game of Thrones (HBO: 2011-2019) Creators: David Benioff & D.B. Weiss

On 18 lists

Monty Python’s Flying Circus (BBC: 1969-1974) Creators: Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry Jones & Michael Palin

The X-Files (Fox: 1993-2002, 2016-2018) Creator: Chris Carter

Buffy the Vampire Slayer (WB: 1997-2001; UPN: 2001-2003) Creator: Joss Whedon

Deadwood (HBO: 2004-2006) Creator: David Milch

Lost  (ABC: 2004-2010) Creators: Jeffrey Lieber, J.J. Abrams & Damon Lindelof

On 17 Lists

The West Wing (NBC: 1999-2006) Creator: Aaron Sorkin

Curb Your Enthusiasm (HBO: 2000-2011, 2017- ) Creator: Larry David

The Office (UK) (BBC: 2001-2003) Creators: Ricky Gervais & Stephen Merchant

Battlestar Galactica (Sci-Fi: 2004-2009) Creator: Ronald D. Moore

On 16 lists

South Park (Comedy Central: 1997- ) Creators: Trey Parker & Matt Stone

On 15 lists

Doctor Who (BBC: 1963-1989; 2005- ) Creators: Sydney Newman, C.E. Webber, Donald Wilson

M*A*S*H (CBS: 1972-1983) Creator: Larry Gelbart

Freaks and Geeks (NBC: 1999-2000) Creator: Paul Feig

The Shield (FX: 2002-2008) Creator: Shawn Ryan

On 14 lists

Star Trek (NBC: 1966-1969) Creator: Gene Roddenberry

Saturday Night Live (NBC: 1975- ) Creator: Lorne Michaels

24 (Fox: 2001-2010, 2014) Creators: Joel Surnow & Robert Cochran

On 13 lists

Fawlty Towers (BBC: 1975-1979) Creators: John Cleese & Connie Booth

Oz (HBO: 1997-2003) Creator: Tom Fontana

Sex and the City (HBO: 1998-2004) Creator: Darren Star

The Office (US) (NBC: 2005-2013) Creators: Ricky Gervais & Stephen Merchant

30 Rock (NBC: 2006-2013) Creator: Tina Fey

On 12 Lists

I Love Lucy (CBS: 1951-1957) Creators: Desi Arnaz & Jess Oppenheimer

Cheers (NBC: 1982-1993) Creators: James Burrows, Glen Charles & Les Charles

ER (NBC: 1994-2009) Creator: Michael Crichton

Friday Night Lights (NBC: 2006-2011) Creator: Peter Berg

On 11 Lists

The Mary Tyler Moore Show (CBS: 1970-1977) Creator: James L. Brooks & Allan Burns

The Larry Sanders Show (HBO: 1992-1998) Creators: Garry Shandling & Dennis Klein

On 10 lists

All in the Family (CBS: 1971-1979) Creator: Norman Lear

Roots (ABC: 1977) Creator: Alex Haley

Hill Street Blues (NBC: 1981-1987) Creators: Steven Bochco & Michael Kozoll

Star Trek: The Next Generation (Syndication: 1987-1994) Creator: Gene Roddenberry

Frasier (NBC: 1993-2004) Creators: David Angell, Peter Casey & David Lee

Band of Brothers (HBO: 2001) Creators: Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks & Stephen E. Ambrose

Firefly (Fox: 2002) Creator: Joss Whedon

Parks and Recreation (NBC: 2009-2015) Creators: Greg Daniels & Michael Schur

On 9 lists

The Honeymooners (CBS: 1955-1956) Creator: Jackie Gleason

The Golden Girls (NBC: 1985-1992) Creator: Susan Harris

The Daily Show with John Stewart (Comedy Central: 1999-2015) Creators: Madeleine Smithberg & Liz Winstead

It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia (FX: 2005- ) Creator: Rob McElhenney

Dexter (Showtime: 2006-2013) Developer: James Manos, Jr.

Sherlock (BBC: 2010-2017) Creators: Mark Gatiss & Steven Moffat

The Americans (FX: 2013-2018) Creator: Joe Weisberg

On 8 lists

The Muppet Show (Syndication: 1976-1981) Creator: Jim Henson

Blackadder (BBC: 1983-1989) Creators: Rowan Atkinson, Richard Curtis & Ben Elton

Roseanne (ABC: 1988-1997) Creator: Matt Williams

NYPD Blue (ABC: 1993-2005) Creators: Steven Bochco & David Milch

House (Fox: 2004-2012) Creator: David Shore

House of Cards (Netflix: 2013-2018) Creator: Beau Willimon

On 7 Lists

Alfred Hitchcock Presents (CBS: 1955-1960, 1962-1964; NBC: 1960-1962, 1964-1965) Creator: Alfred Hitchcock

The Dick Van Dyke Show (CBS: 1961-1966) Creator: Carl Reiner

The Prisoner (ATV: 1967-1968) Creators: Patrick McGoohan & George Markstein

The Carol Burnett Show (CBS: 1967-1978) Creator: Carol Burnett
Carol Burnett and Harvey Korman in “Went with the Wind.”

Sesame Street (PBS: 1968-Present, HBO: 2016-2020, HBO Max: 2020-Present) Creators: Joan Ganz Cooney & Lloyd Morrisett

The Bob Newhart Show (CBS: 1972-1978) Creators: David Davis & Lorenzo Music

Taxi (ABC: 1978-1982, NBC: 1982-1983) Creators: James L. Brooks, Stan Daniels, David Davis & Ed Weinberger

Only Fools and Horses (BBC; 1981-2003) Creator: John Sullivan

Spaced (Channel 4: 1999-2001) Creators: Simon Pegg, Jessica Stevenson & Edgar Wright

Futurama (Fox: 1999-2003; Comedy Central: 2008-2013; Hulu: 2023- ) Creator: Matt Groening

Gilmore Girls (The WB: 2000-2006, The CW: 2006-2007) Creator: Amy Sherman-Palladino

Chappelle’s Show (Comedy Central: 2003-2006) Creators: Dave Chappelle & Neal Brennan

Community (NBC: 2009-2014; Yahoo! Screen: 2015) Creator: Dan Harmon

Justified (FX: 2010-2015) Creators: Graham Yost & Elmore Leonard

Downton Abbey (ITV: 2010-2015) Creator: Julian Fellowes

Veep (HBO: 2012-2018) Creator: Armando Iannucci

Orange Is the New Black (Netflix: 2013-2019 ) Creator: Jenji Kohan

On 6 lists

The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson (NBC: 1962-1992) Creators: Steve Allen, William O. Harbach, Dwight Hemion & Sylvester Weaver, Jr.

Columbo (NBC: 1971-1978; ABC: 1989-2003) Creators: Richard Levinson & William Link

Late Night (NBC: 1982-1993)/Late Show with David Letterman (CBS: 1993-2015) Creator: David Letterman

The Cosby Show (NBC: 1984-1992) Creators: Ed Weinberger, Michael Leeson & Bill Cosby

The Wonder Years (ABC: 1988-1993) Creators: Neal Marlens & Carol Black

Law & Order (NBC: 1990-2010, 2022- ) Creator: Dick Wolf

Homicide: Life on the Street (NBC: 1993-1999) Creator: Paul Attanasio

My So-Called Life (ABC: 1994-1995) Creator: Winnie Holzman

The Good Wife (CBS: 2009-2016) Creators: Robert King & Michelle King

Modern Family (ABC: 2009-2020) Creators: Christopher Lloyd & Steven Levitan

Louie (FX: 2010-2015 ) Creator: Louis C.K.

The Walking Dead (AMC: 2010-2022 ) Creators: Frank Darabont, Robert Kirkman, Tony Moore & Charlie Adlard

Better Call Saul (AMC: 2015-2022) Creators: Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould

Stranger Things (Netflix: 2016- ) Creator: The Duffer Brothers

On 5 lists

Your Show of Shows (NBC: 1950-1954)/Caesar’s Hour (NBC: 1954-1957) Creator: Sylvester L. Weaver, Jr.

Gunsmoke (CBS: 1955-1975) Creators: Norman Macdonnell & John Meston

The Andy Griffith Show (CBS: 1960-1968) Creator: Arthur Stander

The Odd Couple (ABC: 1970-1975) Developers: Garry Marshall & Jerry Belson

The Rockford Files (NBC: 1974-1980) Creators: Roy Huggins & Stephen J. Cannell

I, Claudius (BBC: 1976) Creator: Robert Graves

The Singing Detective (BBC: 1986) Creator: Dennis Potter

Mystery Science Theater 3000 (KMA-TV: 1988-1989, Comedy Central: 1989-1996, Sci-Fi: 1997-1999, Netflix: 2017-2018, Gizmoplex: 2022- ) Creator: Joel Hodgson

Batman: The Animated Series (For Kids: 1992-1995, Kids’ WB: 1997-1999) Creators: Bruce Timm & Eric Radomski

Will & Grace (NBC: 1998-2005, 2017) Creators: David Kohan & Max Mutchnick

Alias (ABC: 2001-2006) Creator: J.J. Abrams

Scrubs (NBC: 2001-2008, ABC: 2009-2010) Creator: Bill Lawrence

Party Down (Starz: 2009-2010, 2023- ) Creators:  John Enbom, Rob Thomas, Dan Etheridge & Paul Rudd

Homeland (Showtime: 2011-2020) Creators: Howard Gordon & Alex Gansa

The Leftovers (HBO: 2014-2017) Creators: Damon Lindelof & Tom Perrotta

BoJack Horseman (Netflix: 2014-2020) Creator: Raphael Bob-Waksberg

Fargo (FX: 2014-2015, 2017- ) Creator: Noah Hawley

Fleabag (BBC: 2016-2019) Creator: Phoebe Waller-Bridge

On 4 Lists

Good Times (CBS: 1974-1979) Creators:  Eric Monte, Mike Evans & Norman Lear

Happy Days (ABC: 1974-1984) Creator: Garry Marshall

Soap (ABC: 1977-1981) Creator: Susan Harris

Dallas (CBS: 1978-1991) Creator: David Jacobs

St. Elsewhere (NBC: 1982-1988) Creators: Joshua Brand & John Falsey

Moonlighting (ABC: 1985-1989) Creator: Glenn Gordon Caron

In Living Color (Fox: 1990-1994) Creator: Keenen Ivory Wayans

Prime Suspect (ITV: 1991-2006) Creator: Lynda La Plante

The Real World/Real World (MTV: 1992-2017; Facebook Watch: 2019) Creators: Mary-Elis Bunim & Jonathan Murray

Beavis and Butt-head (MTV: 1993-1997, 2011, Paramount +: 2022- ) Creator: Mike Judge

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (Syndication: 1993-1999) Creator: Rick Berman & Michael Pillar

Everybody Loves Raymond (CBS: 1996-2005) Creator: Philip Rosenthal

Survivor (CBS: 2000- ) Creator: Charlie Parsons

American Idol (Fox: 2002-2016, ABC: 2018- ) Creator: Simon Fuller

Planet Earth (BBC: 2006) Creator: Alastair Fothergill

Boardwalk Empire (HBO: 2010-2014) Creator: Terence Winter

Black Mirror (Channel 4: 2011-2014, Netflix: 2016-2019, 2023-Present) Creator: Charlie Brooker
Aaron Paul in “Beyond the Sea”, episode 3 of Season Six.

Hannibal (NBC: 2013-2015) Creator: Bryan Fuller

Brooklyn Nine-Nine (Fox: 2013-2018, NBC: 2019-2021) Creators: Dan Goor & Michael Schur

True Detective (HBO: 2014-2019) Creator: Nic Pizzolatto

Atlanta (FX: 2016-2022) Creator: Donald Glover

Succession (HBO: 2018-2023) Creator: Jesse Armstrong

On 3 Lists

The Ed Sullivan Show (CBS: 1948-1971) Creators: Marlo Lewis & Ed Sullivan


The Fugitive (ABC: 1963-1967) Creator: Roy Huggins

Sanford and Son (NBC: 1972-1977) Creator: Bud Yorkin

Family Ties (NBC: 1982-1989) Creator: Gary David Goldberg

thirtysomething (ABC: 1987-1991) Creators: Edward Zwick & Marshall Herskovitz

The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air (NBC: 1990-1996) Creators: Andy & Susan Borowitz

I’m Alan Partridge (BBC: 1997-2002) Creators: Peter Baynham, Steve Coogan & Armando Ianucci

The Colbert Report (Comedy Central: 2005-2014) Creators: Stephen Colbert, Ben Karlin & Jon Stewart

Life on Mars (UK) (BBC: 2006-2007) Creators: Matthew Graham, Tony Jordan & Ashley Pharoah

Fringe (Fox: 2008-2013) Creators: J.J. Abrams, Alex Kurtzman & Roberto Orci

Sons of Anarchy (FX: 2008-2014) Creator: Kurt Sutter

Eastbound and Down (HBO: 2009-2013) Creators: Ben Best, Jody Hill & Danny McBride

Rick and Morty (Adult Swim, 2013- ) Creators: Justin Rolland & Dan Harmon

Silicon Valley (HBO: 2014-2019) Creators: Mike Judge, John Altschuler & Dave Krinsky

Schitt’s Creek (CBC Television: 2015-2020) Creator: Eugene Levy & Daniel Levy

The Good Place (NBC, 2016-2020) Creator: Michael Schur

Westworld (HBO: 2016-2022) Creators: Jonathan Nolan & Lisa Joy

The Handmaid’s Tale (Hulu: 2017- ) Creator: Bruce Miller

Sacred Games (Netflix: 2018-2019) Creator: Vikramaditya Motwane

Chernobyl (HBO: 2019) Creator: Craig Mazin