Copyright Screen Rant
Since network TV established itself at the beginning of the 1940s, the small screen has become an indispensable cultural medium, which has shaped the world we live in. All-time great television shows began to appear in the years that followed the founding of CBS, NBC and ABC in the United States, and periodically revolutionized people’s watching habits ever since. It’s almost impossible to elevate a single show from each decade of television above the rest, particularly when it comes to 21st century releases. There are simply too many series worthy of being counted among TV’s best of all time to whittle down into a list like this one without doing some flawless classics a serious disservice. Meanwhile, there are genre-defining shows from over 40 years ago which everyone should watch that won’t make the cut either. Although television’s golden age is supposed to have started at the end of the 1990s, the medium began to offer a broad range of genuine classics as early as the 1950s. Still, in the end there are certain shows which have combined peerless artistic merit with mass popularity in ways that others belonging to the same eras just couldn’t compete with. The TV series listed here are the very best of the best, as synonymous with their respective decades as major world events. Lights Out 1946–1952 The first classic horror show in TV history, Lights Out began as a radio series before being adapted for the small screen in a set of 1946 specials. Despite being made on a shoestring budget, it managed to convey genuine terror through clever lighting tricks and sound effects, invoking the atmosphere of a 19th century gothic novel. Lights Out also helped launch the careers of several Hollywood legends, with Anthony Quinn and Leslie Nielsen most notable among them. While it might not be a match for other shows on this list in terms of overall quality, this anthology series was far ahead of its time, and even today most of its episodes are thoroughly frightening to watch. I Love Lucy 1951–1957 The importance of I Love Lucy to the history of television can’t be overstated. This groundbreaking sitcom ruled the small screen for six years in the 1950s, and has remained one of the most popular shows of all time ever since. It laid the blueprint for every situation comedy that’s ever come after it, effectively writing the genre’s rulebook. What’s more, I Love Lucy placed a woman front-and-center of a comedy series at a time when female comedians were virtually unheard-of. Lucille Ball’s irresistible charisma transcends the era of her sitcom, which remains just as funny today as when it first aired. Fans of Gunsmoke might feel aggrieved that their favorite show misses out, but Lucy is simply too iconic. The Twilight Zone 1959–1964 A show that’s almost impossible to define, The Twilight Zone maintains its unique status as arguably the best horror, fantasy, and sci-fi series ever made. Its profound influence on all three genres is still felt today, through everything from Black Mirror to the movies of Jordan Peele. The best Twilight Zone episodes have almost nothing in common, but are each ingenious in their own way. As revolutionary as the storylines and themes of the series were for its time, what continues to set it apart is its noir aesthetic and starkly philosophical outlook on the world. No other show has yet surpassed its ambitious narrative conceits. Monty Python's Flying Circus 1969–1974 A key influence on Saturday Night Live and the forerunner to all-time great comedy movies The Holy Grail and Life of Brian, Monty Python’s Flying Circus is the best sketch comedy show ever produced. Its anarchic approach to humor might be a little too much for some viewers, but its greatest sketches remain the benchmark for TV comedy. Quoted by prime ministers and reenacted in front of sell-out crowds at the Hollywood Bowl, Python is even more than the sum of its inimitably brilliant parts. What John Cleese, Michael Palin, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry Jones, and Graham Chapman did after the show ended is further testament to just how special it was. Hill Street Blues 1981–1987 Hill Street Blues is the forgotten forerunner to The Wire, among other superb neo-noir police procedurals. Boasting writing talents such as Twin Peaks co-creator Mark Frost and legendary dramatist David Mamet, the show single-handedly wrested the crime genre away from gimmicky formulas and into the modern age of social realism. It preceded the modern prestige TV drama by two decades, yet it wouldn’t look at all out of place alongside its 21st century counterparts. While the series is still remembered fondly by viewers of a certain age, and has developed a retrospective cult status, it doesn’t get anything like the recognition it merits as an all-time, decade-defining great. The Simpsons 1989–Present The golden age of The Simpsons is widely considered the finest single achievement of television. The smartest, stupidest, warmest, sharpest, most culturally aware, absurdly cartoonish sitcom ever created, throughout the 1990s The Simpsons was quite simply one of the world’s most important works of art. It described society far better than the most celebrated artists, intellectuals and social commentators. Its impact on global culture is everywhere today, from catchphrases, to memes, to the myriad adult animated sitcoms that have followed in its wake. Those who grew up watching The Simpsons received an education in comedy the like of which no one had ever seen before, and we may never see again. The Sopranos 1999–2007 Every great TV show from the past two and a half decades owes an enormous debt of gratitude to The Sopranos, which raised the bar for what could be achieved on the small screen. With its deeply complex characterizations, cinematic approach to staging, filming, and soundtracking, and thematic boldness, the show ushered in a new era. For the first time, television could match and even surpass great works of cinema in artistic terms. The Sopranos was the catalyst for The Wire, Breaking Bad, Boardwalk Empire, Justified, Better Call Saul and many more crime masterpieces. Even Steven Spielberg’s Band of Brothers would have to doff its cap to a TV series that beat it to the punch. Game Of Thrones 2011–2019 The outstanding TV juggernaut of the 2010s, Game of Thrones isn’t just the best fantasy series of all time. It redefined the genre, making world-building a fundamental aspect of its relentlessly forward-thinking plot, rather than the focus of the story itself. It made a whole ensemble cast of standout characters the basis for a series, rather than a singular hero. Game of Thrones took fantasy production values to the next level, harnessing the height of Hollywood set and costume design as well as visual effects to wow audiences more than equivalent big-screen blockbusters ever could. If The Sopranos ushered in the age of prestige television, then this landmark fantasy series signaled the arrival of blockbuster theater in our living rooms. Squid Game 2021–2025 Netflix’s Squid Game is a global cultural phenomenon for a reason. Its story of rapacious capitalism set within the world of a warped playground game has tapped into the zeitgeist of millennial and Gen-Z life in the 2020s. But it’s not enough to have an ingenious idea for a show.
