Top 20 TV Shows of All Time

My husband and I were looking at IMDBs list of the 150 greatest shows of all time, which is entirely based off of their IMDB rating. Some of the list was excellent and some was rather questionable so I decided to go ahead and rank my top 20 shows of all time. I say rank but really these are in the order in which they popped into my head and they were not sorted beyond that.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Obviously we are starting with my hyperfixation from high school that really never stopped. What Buffy the Vampire Slayer has done for pop culture is undeniable and it is what made me want to be a writer. It’s seriously one of the most incredible and consistent network shows to ever have existed.

BoJack Horseman

Took me a whole year to get through the last 6 episodes because they were so heavy. Disguised as a comedy this show is so emotional and holds so much depth that really has not been touched on by any other show since.

Justice League Unlimited

Justice League

Look, this was DC at its peak. We got tight well told story arcs, we got great action and we got comic book accuracy and expansion. DC (or any other superhero story) still hasn’t topped what these shows were able to do.

Avatar the Last Airbender

The perfect show. Seriously, perfect storytelling, perfect pacing, perfect character development, perfect everything. Not a single flaw in 3 seasons. And it had the ability to use big themes and make them understandable for children without watering down their impact. Brilliant and incredible.

FullMetal Alchemist Brotherhood

Still haven’t fully finished it because every episode comes for me personally but watching it is one of the most emotional experiences I have ever been through. It's so rough but it's so good.

Fringe

I'm gonna be real honest this only goes for up through season 3 because that's all I've seen. Liv forgot Peter and I was devastated so I simply went back to rewatch from the beginning. Eventually I will finish the show.

The Good Place

Another perfect show. No flaws from beginning to end. Self contained story arcs in each season and it never got too repetitive despite keeping a single through line from beginning to end. A+ character development.

Young Justice

A show simply no one can get enough of, in fact fans begged for more for a literal decade. Still incredible, fully holds up.

Doctor Who

Globally one of the most popular shows of all time and for good reason. Funny, fun and only sometimes completely emotionally devastating.

The West Wing

Some of the best dialogue and pacing ever written for television.

Invincible

The Boys

Honestly they go in the same category. The market is so oversaturated with superhero stories right now that having something a little more realistic, and a little edgier is really nice to see. As such they get to explore more difficult themes then Marvel or DC do.

Alfred Hitchcock Presents

The Twilight Zone

The best anthology series to ever exist. Black Mirror could never. Social reflections, political and personal commentary. They took on every idea, emotion, and scale and did it well.

Boy Meets World

A timeless and delightful lesson of the week show. It's one I've rewatched several times as an adult and it does the heavier emotional stuff so well, while staying lighthearted and funny.

Over the Garden Wall

The most perfect 11 episodes of television ever produced. Elijah Wood’s best work.

Psych

Best and most consistent procedural that exists. Always more character then crime focused and that was its biggest strength.

The Nanny

Funny, adorable, holds up.

The Simpsons

Witty, hilarious, some of the best writing and comedy that has ever come out of television.