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TV Guide's 50 Best Shows of All Time
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Posted by: mrpayroll

TV Guide Names 'Seinfeld' Greatest Show of All

April 26, 2002 2:59 pm EST

By Steve Gorman
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - It was facetiously billed as the "show about nothing," but the editors of TV Guide rank the NBC smash comedy hit "Seinfeld" as the greatest television show of all time.

The 1990s show starring comedian Jerry Seinfeld as a New York comedian hanging out with three of his pals -- Elaine, George and Kramer -- topped TV Guide's list of the 50 most entertaining or influential television series in American pop culture.

The list, appearing in next week's issue, will get the countdown treatment in an ABC special on May 13, "TV Guide's 50 Best Shows of All Time," part of the magazine's celebration of its golden anniversary.

The 50 entries, chosen and ranked by TV Guide editors, consist of regularly scheduled series spanning more than a half century of television, going as far back as NBC's pioneering live comedy/variety program, "Your Show of Shows."

That show, which debuted in 1950 starring Sid Caesar and Imogene Coca, was ranked No. 30.

TV movies, miniseries and specials were not eligible.

Prime time accounts for most of the shows, though a few daytime programs made the list -- NBC's "Today" (No. 17) and the syndicated talk shows "Donahue" (No. 29) and "The Oprah Winfrey Show" (No. 49).

On the late-night front, the CBS "Late Show with David Letterman" got the highest ranking, at No. 7, beating out even NBC's "The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson" (No. 12). Letterman's arch rival -- and Carson's successor -- Jay Leno, failed to make the cut. ABC's "Nightline" ranked 23rd.

NBC dominated the list with 17 shows, which, besides "Seinfeld," ranged from "Saturday Night Live" at No. 10 to the Judd Hirsch sitcom "Taxi," which also aired on ABC, at No. 48.

CBS made the list with 16 shows, led by "I Love Lucy" at No. 2, and boasted five other programs in the top 10, including "The Honeymooners" (No. 3), "All in the Family" (No. 4), "60 Minutes" (No. 6) and "The Andy Griffith Show" (No. 9).

A total of eight ABC shows made the list, led by the late-1980s, early '90s drama "thirtysomething, while Fox had two entries -- animated sitcom satire "The Simpsons" at No. 8 and sci-fi thriller "The X-Files" at No. 37.

The only other cartoon series to make the list was ABC's "Rocky and His Friends" at No. 47.

Cable television was represented by just two shows -- mob drama "The Sopranos" at No. 5 and Garry Shandling's "The Larry Sanders Show" at No. 38, both on HBO.

Public TV also had two series on the list -- the landmark children's program "Sesame Street" (No. 27) and the pioneering 1973 "reality" series "An American Family" (No. 32).

Modern-day reality hit "Survivor" was snubbed, as were all game shows. Not even "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire" made the list.

The fledgling networks the WB and UPN had to settle for one shared entry, "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," which has aired on both outlets.

The following is the complete list:

1. Seinfeld (NBC)

2. I Love Lucy (CBS)

3. The Honeymooners (CBS)

4. All in the Family (CBS)

5. The Sopranos (HBO)

6. 60 Minutes (CBS)

7. Late Show with David Letterman (CBS)

8. The Simpsons (Fox)

9. The Andy Griffith Show (CBS)

10. Saturday Night Live (NBC)

11. The Mary Tyler Moore Show (CBS)

12. The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson (NBC)

13. The Dick Van Dyke Show (CBS)

14. Hill Street Blues (NBC)

15. The Ed Sullivan Show (CBS)

16. The Carol Burnett Show (CBS)

17. Today (NBC)

18. Cheers (NBC)

19. thirtysomething (ABC)

20. St. Elsewhere (NBC)

21. Friends (NBC)

22. ER (NBC

23. Nightline (ABC)

24. Law & Order (NBC)

25. M+A+S+H (CBS)

26. The Twilight Zone (CBS)

27. Sesame Street (PBS)

28. The Cosby Show (NBC)

29. Donahue (syndicated)

30. You Show of Shows (NBC)

31. The Defenders (CBS)

32. An American Family (PBS)

33. Playhouse 90 (CBS)

34. Frasier (NBC)

35. Roseanne (ABC)

36. The Fugitive (ABC)

37. The X-Files (Fox)

38. The Larry Sanders Show (HBO)

39. The Rockford Files (NBC)

40. Gunsmoke (CBS)

41. Buffy the Vampire Slayer (WB/UPN)

42. Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In (NBC)

43. Bonanza (NBC)

44. The Bob Newhart Show (CBS)

45. Twin Peaks (ABC)

46. Star Trek: The Next Generation (syndicated)

47. Rocky and His Friends (ABC)

48. Taxi (ABC/NBC)

49. The Oprah Winfrey Show (syndicated)

50. Bewitched (ABC)

What a crock! Now how could they say that Seinfeld is better than I Love Lucy or All in the Family? And David Letterman was more influential than Johnny Carson? And Rocky and his Friends beat out The Flintstones? What were these editors thinking? Chris

Posted by: eweu

No Dr. Who?

EXTERMINATE!

Posted by: ehopper

Seinfeld was an ugly show about a bunch of ugly people. And I'm not talking about their looks. I think the finale summed it up. These were a bunch of self-absorbed losers.

Posted by: GoodSpike

60 Minutes at #6? It shouldn't even be #1006! Since when does unprofessional, sensational, pick a side to report and slam the other reporting qualify as great TV?

There are Senators who are less biased than your typical 60 Minutes report.

Posted by: Mark Lopez

#47 Rocky and His Friends:? :confused: Never heard of it.

Posted by: mrpayroll

Rocky & Bullwinkle. Rocky was initially the lead guy (girl?), but that big goof Bullwinkle won the hearts of viewers everywhere. Most people will probably recognize Bullwinkle before Rocky. Chris

Posted by: GoodSpike

quote:
Originally posted by Mark Lopez
#47 Rocky and His Friends:? :confused: Never heard of it.

I assume that's Rocky & Bullwinkle, but I don't recall the show being called that back in the day. So maybe the #47 is a collection of re-run cartoons!

Posted by: mrpayroll

I think it was originally called Rocky & his friends and then they renamed it the Rocky & Bullwinkle Show (?) when it was in syndication. Chris

Posted by: Mark Lopez

quote:
Originally posted by mrpayroll
I think it was originally called Rocky & his friends and then they renamed it the Rocky & Bullwinkle Show (?) when it was in syndication. Chris

I thought it might be that, but I didn't think it could possibly have made the top 50 list. :eek:

Posted by: jsmeeker

Not so sure about an HBO series.(The Sopranos) Its not network TV. Its not even broadcast. Its not even basic cable.

Posted by: mrpayroll

Here we go, courtesy of IMDB:

Bullwinkle Show, The" (1961)
[TV-Series: 1961-1973]

Also Known As:
"Adventures of Bullwinkle and Rocky" (1961)
"Rocky and His Friends" (1961)

Posted by: GoodSpike

Did Rocky have Sherman Peabody as part of the same show?

Posted by: GoodSpike

quote:
Originally posted by jsmeeker
Not so sure about an HBO series.(The Sopranos) Its not network TV.

Yeah. Talk about an unfair comparision! ;-)

Posted by: mrpayroll

Yes!

Courtesy of IMDB:

Cast (in credits order) verified as complete
Bill Scott (I) .... Bullwinkle/Dudley Doright/Mr. Peabody (voice)
June Foray .... Rocket 'Rocky' J. Squirrel/Natasha Fatale/Nell Fenwick (voice)
Paul Frees .... Boris Badenov/Captain Peachfuzz/Cloyd/Inspector Fenwick (voice)
Hans Conried .... Snidley Whiplash (voice)
Charles Ruggles .... Aesop (voice)
Walter Tetley .... Sherman (voice)
Edward Everett Horton .... Narrator (segment "Fractured Fairy Tales") (voice)
rest of cast listed alphabetically
Julie Bennett .... Additional Voices (voice)
Daws Butler .... Aesop Jr. (uncredited) (voice)
William Conrad .... Narrator (1961-73) (voice)
Dorothy Scott (I) .... Additional Voices (uncredited) (voice)

Posted by: jkeegan

quote:
Originally posted by jsmeeker
Not so sure about an HBO series.(The Sopranos) Its not network TV. Its not even broadcast. Its not even basic cable.

It's not TV. It's HBO.

:) (That's even their tagline!)

At first glance, the list looks great. ehopper, sorry, gotta disagree, Seinfeld was classic TV. Karyk, I agree 60 minutes needs to be lower.

The Practice would be nice to be on there, but I didn't expect it. 24 is too new to put on there. The Incredible Hulk should have made it. :) Bewitched surprised me.. I liked it as a kid, but..

I guess Columbo didn't count because they were movies.. No Quantum Leap? :(

Dave is king. Damned right that he beat Carson, and damned right that Leno didn't even make the cut. (I'll bet Conan should be around #51 though.. :) "For Christ's Sake Conan, let the bear masturbate!")

Good list.

Posted by: mrpayroll

Columbo was part of a rotating series along with McMillan & Wife & McCloud, so they were considered as a regular series, just not every week.

Chris

Posted by: Graymalkin

That's Sherman AND Mr. Peabody, with the Way Back Machine.

Seinfeld? SEINFELD?! Are they INSANE? "I Love Lucy" and "All in the Family" were far more ground-breaking.

The judges must be the kind of people who consider Snoop Doggy Dog more influential than, oh, the Beatles.

Posted by: mrpayroll

The judges must be the kind of people who consider Snoop Doggy Dog more influential than, oh, the Beatles.

Oooooh the horror!

Posted by: jamesbobo

I thought Rocky and Friends was better than the Flintstones, but I would say the Flintstones had a bigger influence on TV animation.
The Defenders is mentioned, but not Perry Mason?
Alfred Hitchcock Presents deserves a mention.

Posted by: omnibus

I tried, I really tried but I was never able to sit through a single Seinfeld episode. Did I say I tried?

Posted by: Graymalkin

quote:
Originally posted by omnibus
I tried, I really tried but I was never able to sit through a single Seinfeld episode. Did I say I tried?

I'm pretty sure I sat through a few Seinfeld episodes, but I've blocked them from my mind. Da horror, DA HORROR!

Posted by: Todd

I Love Lucy probably should have been number 1. Family Ties should have been in the list and The Flintstones certainly should have beat out Rocky and His Friends!

Posted by: Todd

BTW, what about Gilligan's Island?? :D

Posted by: scooterboy

This is a perfect example of why I hate these "50 greatest" and "100 greatest" list things. It's all so subjective.

As soon as I see something like "The Andy Griffith Show" beat out "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" and "The Dick Van Dyke Show" I immediately stop reading the list. It will only annoy me more if I keep reading.

Posted by: smak

I don't know about Seinfeld being the best, although it's up there. But as for being influential...

Seen a TV show starring a stand-up comedian much?

-smak-

Posted by: bsoft

If anything, it was "balanced".

Not that that means much.

- BSoft

Posted by: justapixel

quote:
Originally posted by ehopper
Seinfeld was an ugly show about a bunch of ugly people. And I'm not talking about their looks. I think the finale summed it up. These were a bunch of self-absorbed losers.

I read the whole thread, but I'll quote this early post, because the point is missed here.

This show caught and skewered the decade it was representing, the 90s. The entire 90s was about a bunch of self-absorbed losers, so to speak.

In the same way, Tom Wolfe captured the greed of the 80s in his novel, "Bonfire of the Vanities" and Jonathen Franzen got down the dysfunction of the 90s in his book "The Corrections."

I can't think of another TV show on those levels aside from All in the Family. (Another group of dislikable people.) Seinfeld captured the heart of American culture in a way that only books and very rare TV shows can.

It's worthy of the list.

Posted by: Todd

Come to think about it, didn't one of these lists come out a couple of years ago and put "Taxi" at the top of the list? :confused: I remember not understanding why that show would be at the top.

Posted by: MikeCG

Articles like this are designed to sell magazines and provoke discussion and controversy. So TVG has succeeded in that respect. As to the selections on the list, they depend in part on how the word "greatest" is defined. Best? Most influential? Impact on the industry? Biggest audience? Etc. And whether shows are evaluated in the context of the industry at the time they were first broadcast, or on an overall assessment based on the industry today. Having said that, I do not see how any such list could possibly omit Milton Berle's Texaco Star Theater. It MADE television and was responsible for the sale of millions of TV sets at a time when a roof top antenna was a novelty.

BTW, I like Seinfeld, but number one? No way.

Posted by: TomK

Roseanne in the top 50? Oh please! Buffy is in there too but I'll admit to never having watched a single eipisode of it. Is it really that good???? I'm bummed that Northern Exposure wasn't considered a top 50 but I'll get it over it. It's in my top 10 list of favorites.

Posted by: Lori

quote:
Originally posted by TomK
[snip] Buffy is in there too but I'll admit to never having watched a single eipisode of it. Is it really that good???? [snip]

Yes. Yes it is.

Posted by: Tasky

quote:
Originally posted by Lori

Yes. Yes it is.

Wow, and this is coming from a woman... I thought all the attraction of Buffy was Sarah Michelle Gellar (is that her name?)... I admit, I saw the movie, but have never seen a single episode of the series.

Posted by: Maui

quote:
Originally posted by TomK
Roseanne in the top 50? Oh please! Buffy is in there too but I'll admit to never having watched a single eipisode of it. Is it really that good???? I'm bummed that Northern Exposure wasn't considered a top 50 but I'll get it over it. It's in my top 10 list of favorites.

As a general rule i would say it deserves to be ranked.

There are episodes of Buffy that have left me emotionally drained after watching them and others that left me laughing hysterically.

I just watched the season 2 finale the other day and that one still gets to me even after repeated viewings.

And oh, My choice for #1 is The Dick Van Dyke Show!

Posted by: Marco

Snoop Dogg : Beatles <> Seinfeld : All In The Family

I'm sorry, but your nostalgia is showing. I don't know about #1 all time, but Seinfeld should be right up there. I would have no quarrel with putting Lucy and Archie in front of Jerry, but he had a hell of a show for a long time.

And as for the show being about a bunch of ugly losers - of course! Larry David et al. knew that! We all knew that. The point is, we all have our ugly moments, and we're all losers from time to time.

On the Flinstones vs. Rocky and Bullwinkle - in terms of humor content for people over age 9, and in terms of social relevance, R&B have it ALL OVER the Flintstones. And The Simpsons blow R&B away.

Posted by: dmdeane

Hmmm. Star Trek:TNG but no Star Trek TOS.

No WKRP in Cincinnati.

I wonder if part of the bias is for shows which stayed on the air for more than four seasons.

Posted by: Maui

quote:
Originally posted by Tasky

Wow, and this is coming from a woman... I thought all the attraction of Buffy was Sarah Michelle Gellar (is that her name?)... I admit, I saw the movie, but have never seen a single episode of the series.

Of course for many of the guys here, me included, the attraction comes from Buffy's sidekick Willow.

Posted by: TiVolcano

quote:
Originally posted by Maui_Lover

And oh, My choice for #1 is The Dick Van Dyke Show!

Yes, this is by far my favorite show of all time.

I love Seinfeld. I still laugh at almost every episode after many repeat viewings.

And where the hell was Alf?

Posted by: doom1701

quote:
Originally posted by dmdeane
Hmmm. Star Trek:TNG but no Star Trek TOS.

No WKRP in Cincinnati.

I wonder if part of the bias is for shows which stayed on the air for more than four seasons.

Actually, ST:TOS wasn't really ground breaking TV. Yeah, we like to look back on it that way, and it did have some cool issues, but it was really mediocre TV with a big fan base.

Star Trek TNG was really the first syndicated drama. It was groundbreaking in the fact that it showed you could do serious television, with gripping stories, fx, and characters, without having a single network backing you up.

Posted by: bobcarn

Sorry, but I think ST:TOS should be placed above ST:TNG. Groundbreaking? Yes, it was. I don't know if any other TV show had as much of a culturally-diverse cast as ST:TOS. Not only were the characters diverse (black, japanese, russian, woman), but the characters weren't just token characters.

Face it, 35 years later almost everyone knows what a warp drive or a photon torpedo is. And we all know what "beam me up" means too! That is one show that definitely ingrained itself in our culture.

Posted by: TomK

I think I'll start catching Buffy. (The show, not the actress)

Posted by: IJustLikeTivo

Who cares? Any list of great TV shows that does not include "Sports Night" has no idea what good TV is. I have a wishlist for this and every time I watch it, it just amazes me at how good it was. Great Acting, great scripts, amazing dialog. Wow, Aaron Sorkin was the man on this show. As much as I like West Wing, this work of his was even better.

IJLT

Posted by: tivojoego

quote:
Originally posted by Graymalkin

The judges must be the kind of people who consider Snoop Doggy Dog more influential than, oh, the Beatles.

ROTFLMAO:D

My newest meausring stick is if their D.O.B. is after my year(1977) to drink legally (which for me was 18) then they have no business being judge, critic, panelist, etc.

Posted by: tivojoego

quote:
Originally posted by Tasky

Wow, and this is coming from a woman... I thought all the attraction of Buffy was Sarah Michelle Gellar (is that her name?)... I admit, I saw the movie, but have never seen a single episode of the series.

Actually the first two seasons were some of the best written televison of the time. It is a very hard series to describe (twilight zone meets beverly hills 90210) but it was very well done. To the point where the character development in any given week actually eclipsed the basic show premise - monsters in sunnydale.

I would continually discuss/argue with people whose only point of reference was the movie (WEAK) or were reactiving to the show title.

I admit the eye candy is not (forget about Willow or Buffy how about CARISMA!) bad but the writing is what would bring me back.