The Top 300 Greatest TV Shows of All Time: FBG Consensus: 50 Lists received. 2: Seinfeld 1: Breaking Bad (11 Viewers)

[Pip's Invitation]

Six months ago I'd have had Arrested Development in the top 30.

But then I sat down to do a rewatch and just found it tiresome and over the top. Still some good moments and so many awesome lines and memes, but rewatchability was nonexistent for me and the narration was grinding this time around.

So I ended up leaving it off when this came around.

Narrator: He was wrong,

 

[CletiusMaximus]

23 - Lost

The "Kate, we have to go back" season finale scene was one of the most jaw-dropping scenes in TV history. I think what made this show work was the regularly scheduled time slot and the mystery it built, as opposed to it being dumped all at once on a streaming service.

"Not Penny's Boat" What a show - blew my mind at the time.

 

[Nick Vermeil]

I think it's too high for Ozark.

Love Jason Bateman and Julia Garner in this, but that ending was one of the worst in recent history.

Enjoyed the show but it was never in consideration to make my list.

 

[titusbramble]

Well, highest show I've never heard of is #22. Sounds like a drug that is advertised wall to wall with 662 side effects

 

[BlackCrowes]

Ozark was awesome, especially season 3. Top of my rewatch list when i run out of new stuff.

 

[kupcho1]

24 - Arrested Development​

Comedy
Score: 859
Average Rank: 30.1

Anyong

Given the disappointment of the 2 Netflix seasons, I'm actually surprised Arrested Development placed as high as it did. I believe that demonstrates just how good the first 3 seasons were despite Fox not knowing what it had. Between this and Firefly it's a wonder Fox is still a going concern.

I encourage anyone that hasn't seen the show to watch it. At the very least, watch the first 3 seasons.

I won't spoil anything for you. Much like the Good Place, you should go in cold. Be surprised how a novelty chair foreshadows later developments. Or marvel at how a character was sitting on a bench containing advertising tells you what's really going on a few episodes before the reveal.

I've rewatched the show more times than I can count and I still find things. OK, one spoiler that won't mean anything to those that haven't seen the show.
In one of the Netflix seasons: While interned at Orange County Correctional Facility L.I.T.E., Lucille Bluth is seen wearing her prisoner identification number, "07734," which reads as the word "hello" when viewed upside-down and backwards. ("Double Crossers")("Queen B.") [credit Google AI]

 

[John Maddens Lunchbox]

23 - Lost​

Sci-Fi/Fantasy/Horror
Score: 882
Average Rank: 29

The survivors of a plane crash are forced to work together in order to survive on a seemingly deserted tropical island.

List Breakdown

Barry2 7
timschochet 7
John Madden's Lunchbox 13
Dan Lambskin 14
Pip's Invitation 15
shuke 16
Tick 19
Nick Vermeil 23
Maik Jeaunz 24
Scoresman 31
Yo Mama 31
Gally 33
Bottomfeeder Sports 35
Rand al Thor 37
AAABatteries 38
The Gator 40
landrys hat 42
Brutal Penquin 44
kupcho1 46
Instinctive 47
Frostillicus 47

This show was a revelation. High production value, great writing and acting (for the most part)
You were constantly on your toes as a viewer and expectations were high for all the mysteries to be solved.
The fun of this show was the journey. The end is a personal judgement.
The richness in characters was something you rarely see in serial dramas. Concentrating on one characters back (or forward) story every episode was a genius move……except for Kates lol
I was in Europe at the time of the finale and it was a big deal that it would be screened live at the same time as the US at something like 4am. Wasnt even a consideration not to get up and watch it.

I don’t care what folks think of the final season- Lost was the greatest water cooler discussion TV show ever. The Easter eggs, the websites and phone numbers, the overall mystery sucked people in like few shows ever. Sure, they screwed up the end but those first 3-4 seasons were gold.

The ability of them to suck viewers in by the truckload and make them hooked is not an easy job. They nailed it.

23 - Lost

The "Kate, we have to go back" season finale scene was one of the most jaw-dropping scenes in TV history. I think what made this show work was the regularly scheduled time slot and the mystery it built, as opposed to it being dumped all at once on a streaming service.

There are so many great cliffhangers and mysteries. My favorite is the reveal of Desmond in the hatch

I was obsessed enough that I watched a whole bunch of successor series featuring various members of the Lost cast. Person of Interest was the best of those and I blew it by not putting it on my list.

Yeah I missed Person of Interest as well. It was a fun show.

 

[simey]

I think it's too high for Ozark.

Love Jason Bateman and Julia Garner in this, but that ending was one of the worst in recent history.

I don't think it was a bad ending. Also, I loved Laura Linney in it as much as Bateman and Garner. I think she was great at playing a power hungry manipulative person.

 

[John Maddens Lunchbox]

@Scoresman any chance of a rundown as to who has the most or least 25 shows left?

I can confidently predict 16 of the 25 remaining.

Well, 3 of the 4 today were not in my 16. So i can confidently predict 15 of the 21 left

 

[zamboni]

I think it's too high for Ozark.

Love Jason Bateman and Julia Garner in this, but that ending was one of the worst in recent history.

I don't think it was a bad ending. Also, I loved Laura Linney in it as much as Bateman and Garner. I think she was great at playing a power hungry manipulative person.

I do think the ending could have been a bit better, but it was a gripping show. And agree the acting was superb across the board, even Trevor Lawrence.

 

[Andy Dufresne]

Yeah I missed Person of Interest as well. It was a fun show.

Great show. Not coincidental that it was created by Jonathan Nolan...and starred Michael Emerson.

 

[landrys hat]

Ruth - "I don't know **** about ****"

 

[Yo Mama]

@Scoresman any chance of a rundown as to who has the most or least 25 shows left?

I can confidently predict 16 of the 25 remaining.

Well, 3 of the 4 today were not in my 16. So i can confidently predict 15 of the 21 left

I know what 20 of the 21 left will be. 18 are on my list, and 2 are highly regarded shows that I’m sure will rank but that I’ve never watched too much of. I’m pretty sure I know what the 21st is but not positive.

 

[McBokonon]

I think it's too high for Ozark.

Love Jason Bateman and Julia Garner in this, but that ending was one of the worst in recent history.

Looks like you and I were about the same on this one. I liked it a lot but it was also always completely bonkers in a way that wasn’t Super Elite Upper Tier worthy.

 

[Dr. Octopus]

I think it's too high for Ozark.

Love Jason Bateman and Julia Garner in this, but that ending was one of the worst in recent history.

I don't think it was a bad ending. Also, I loved Laura Linney in it as much as Bateman and Garner. I think she was great at playing a power hungry manipulative person.

I thought it was a pretty clever ending. The show overall was great. Some scenes had so much tension.

 

[Dan Lambskin]

Ozark was good not great IMO. Probably would have been in the 75-100 range for me

 

[Todem]

Ozark is a gem. Bateman brilliant. Literally every character was fantastic.

We stuck with Lost thru Season 4 and tapped out. For me it was mularky writing off the seats of their pants and I stopped caring for the characters.

Anyway different strokes for different folks on that one. We felt it became A waste of our time.

 

[Atomic Punk]

22 Ozarks - Bateman, Linney, Garner and great writing equals must watch top 30 for me.
23 Lost - my wife loved it but see previous comments about needing to think too hard while trying to escape watching tv.
24 Arrested Development - love all of the actors but I never had it on the list. Will need to rectify that.
25 Fargo - another top 30. Some seasons better than others but still overall one of the best shows in the last 10 years.
26 Stranger Things - #22 on my list. Like others have said, these shows with nostalgia done right just work for me.
27 All in the Family - groundbreaking and still resonates. 14th on my list.
28 Justified - adding it to the list.
29 Ted Lasso - held out for awhile but recommended by a colleague. So glad, as it became one of my favourites #23.
30 The Americans - seems right up my alley but never seen it.
31 Chernobyl - hard to rank these limited series but squeaked in at #64. Amazingly done and will watch again.
32 Survivor - surprised I don’t have this higher. One of my favourites and never missed an episode #21.
33 Succession - see Americans.
34 Chappelle’s Show - not on my radar at all.
35 Monty Python’s Flying Circus - I used to sneak out of bed to watch this when I was a kid. It’s even funnier now #12.
36 Battlestar Galactica 2004 - not into tv sci-fi.
37 True Detective - first season was incredible, which skewed my raking. Would put it lower if redoing my list #18.
38 Parks and Recreation - great show that made the list but seeing others that I omitted, it may not make the cut on a redo.
39 Boardwalk Empire - see Americans.
40 Veep - see Americans.
41 The Bear - recency bias probably but love the intensity
42 Star Trek: The Next Generation - not into tv sci-fi.
43 The Wonder Years - ranked in the 40s. I turned 18 when it first aired, so the timing was perfect in moving from adolescence to adulthood.
44 The Muppet Show - brilliant show and probably ranked a little too low at #46.

 

[The Gator]

I think it's too high for Ozark.

Love Jason Bateman and Julia Garner in this, but that ending was one of the worst in recent history.

Enjoyed the show but it was never in consideration to make my list.

Same. The seasons got exponentially more ridiculous imo

Really enjoyed the first season

 

[KarmaPolice]

Ozark is one of the bigger surprises for me in this countdown. I definitely didn't have that one on my bingo card.

 

[Hastur]

It just occurred to me I left a biggie off my list. Real BIG. Dangit. It won't matter, as I am positive it will be top 5. Just a slip on my part.

 

[Mrs. Rannous]

28 - Here Comes Honey Boo Boo​

Chaos34 24

ETA. you got me.

I just sent him a text informing him I did not rank that show.

Do we need to Rickroll you?

 

[kupcho1]

Is anyone else getting a chuckle out of the updated thread title?

50 lists received, 23 lost

 

[steelerfan1]

If you guys like Lost style sci-fi mystery with a promise from the producers that they know how it will all end and questions will be answered, you owe it to yourself to check out From.

It did not make the list as only myself and one other list ranked it, but it is really good.

That would have been me as the other voter. What did you think of this season Scores? I wasn't a huge fan compared to first 2.

I think I did like the first two better as well, but knowing they have a plan to wrap things up soon with an ending that is already planned has me hopeful.

I really like Harold Perrineau in it though. I really didn't like his character in Lost but love him in From.

Haven’t watched Lost yet, but remembered him from Oz.

 

[steelerfan1]

22 - Ozark​

Drama
Score: 884
Average Rank: 28.9

A financial advisor drags his family from Chicago to the Missouri Ozarks, where he must launder money to appease a drug boss.

List Breakdown

steelerfan1 2
Gally 4
Todem 7
zamboni 8
Runkle 11
simey 15
BlackCrowes 19
shuke 26
timschochet 27
Brutal Penquin 28
Atomic Punk 30
kupcho1 31
Jayrod 31
Dr Octopus 32
Frostillicus 32
Yo Mama 37
Maik Jeaunz 37
AAABatteries 46
Instinctive 58
Scoresman 61
McBokonon 65

Obviously as my #2 ranked show absolutely loved this. I was surprised to see the ranking tool I used spit this out above some of my other shows that haven’t been mentioned yet. This is a show the wife and I couldn’t wait to watch each week.

 

[steelerfan1]

It just occurred to me I left a biggie off my list. Real BIG. Dangit. It won't matter, as I am positive it will be top 5. Just a slip on my part.

Care to share with a spoiler?

 

[Pip's Invitation]

23 - Lost​

Sci-Fi/Fantasy/Horror
Score: 882
Average Rank: 29

The survivors of a plane crash are forced to work together in order to survive on a seemingly deserted tropical island.

List Breakdown

Barry2 7
timschochet 7
John Madden's Lunchbox 13
Dan Lambskin 14
Pip's Invitation 15
shuke 16
Tick 19
Nick Vermeil 23
Maik Jeaunz 24
Scoresman 31
Yo Mama 31
Gally 33
Bottomfeeder Sports 35
Rand al Thor 37
AAABatteries 38
The Gator 40
landrys hat 42
Brutal Penquin 44
kupcho1 46
Instinctive 47
Frostillicus 47

This show was a revelation. High production value, great writing and acting (for the most part)
You were constantly on your toes as a viewer and expectations were high for all the mysteries to be solved.
The fun of this show was the journey. The end is a personal judgement.
The richness in characters was something you rarely see in serial dramas. Concentrating on one characters back (or forward) story every episode was a genius move……except for Kates lol
I was in Europe at the time of the finale and it was a big deal that it would be screened live at the same time as the US at something like 4am. Wasnt even a consideration not to get up and watch it.

I don’t care what folks think of the final season- Lost was the greatest water cooler discussion TV show ever. The Easter eggs, the websites and phone numbers, the overall mystery sucked people in like few shows ever. Sure, they screwed up the end but those first 3-4 seasons were gold.

The ability of them to suck viewers in by the truckload and make them hooked is not an easy job. They nailed it.

23 - Lost

The "Kate, we have to go back" season finale scene was one of the most jaw-dropping scenes in TV history. I think what made this show work was the regularly scheduled time slot and the mystery it built, as opposed to it being dumped all at once on a streaming service.

There are so many great cliffhangers and mysteries. My favorite is the reveal of Desmond in the hatch

I was obsessed enough that I watched a whole bunch of successor series featuring various members of the Lost cast. Person of Interest was the best of those and I blew it by not putting it on my list.

Yeah I missed Person of Interest as well. It was a fun show.

The amazing thing was that Lost was greenlighted very late and the season 1 cast was put together quickly from a limited pool of people who hadn’t committed to other series.

Michael Keaton had agreed to play Jack, but that was based on the initial scripts, which called for Jack to die in season 1 (maybe even at the end of the pilot. I don’t remember.) When the script was changed to not kill off Jack, Keaton bowed out because he didn’t want to make a long-term commitment.

 

[Hastur]

It just occurred to me I left a biggie off my list. Real BIG. Dangit. It won't matter, as I am positive it will be top 5. Just a slip on my part.

Care to share with a spoiler?

Spoiler

Seinfeld

 

[steelerfan1]

It just occurred to me I left a biggie off my list. Real BIG. Dangit. It won't matter, as I am positive it will be top 5. Just a slip on my part.

Care to share with a spoiler?

Spoiler

Seinfeld

I DON’T EVEN KNOW YOU ANYMORE!

 

[Dr. Octopus]

It just occurred to me I left a biggie off my list. Real BIG. Dangit. It won't matter, as I am positive it will be top 5. Just a slip on my part.

Care to share with a spoiler?

Spoiler

Seinfeld

I think it will survive.

 

[steelerfan1]

It just occurred to me I left a biggie off my list. Real BIG. Dangit. It won't matter, as I am positive it will be top 5. Just a slip on my part.

Care to share with a spoiler?

Spoiler

Seinfeld

I think it will survive.

That vote could have been the difference

 

[BLOCKED_PUNT]

Never seen Ozark but Lost seems a bit high with everyone saying that they bailed or that the first few seasons were good and then it went downhill.

 

[Pip's Invitation]

Never seen Ozark but Lost seems a bit high with everyone saying that they bailed or that the first few seasons were good and then it went downhill.

Those first few seasons were so good that we were able to overlook the decline in quality — which actually wasn’t that much of a dip in seasons 4 and 5. The last season was more of a decline.

But part of the sensation was the theorizing and discussion and Easter Egg hunting that happened while we waited for a new episode. That can’t be recaptured if you weren’t there.

 

[Mr. Mojo]

I've said it a zillion times but one of the best thing about the 80's were the child empowerment films. The Goonies, E.T., Stand By Me, The Neverending Story, etc.

Stranger Things nails that trope and actually improves upon it. It's an all time great show.

Now...Can I get all the seasons on physical 4k disc please?

For me it got to feel like Ready Player One in that they overdid the references and pushed the nostalgia button too much.

What? You don't like The Shining? I like the blast from the past thing.

By the way, I'm counting on you to raise Jeopardy to a lofty place in the countdown.

 

[UncleZen]

Arrested Development is worth watching just for the various times they do the chicken dance. I laugh so hard that it hurts every single time.

Chicken Dances

 

[Mrs. Rannous]

I've said it a zillion times but one of the best thing about the 80's were the child empowerment films. The Goonies, E.T., Stand By Me, The Neverending Story, etc.

Stranger Things nails that trope and actually improves upon it. It's an all time great show.

Now...Can I get all the seasons on physical 4k disc please?

For me it got to feel like Ready Player One in that they overdid the references and pushed the nostalgia button too much.

What? You don't like The Shining? I like the blast from the past thing.

By the way, I'm counting on you to raise Jeopardy to a lofty place in the countdown.

Alas, I didn't realise this would be fun, so I didn't submit a list. I regret this. My rankings would be way different.

 

[Tick]

Goggins is excellent as Boyd Crowder as is Olyphant as Raylen

Supporting cast is good as well

My wife really liked it but I think that’s because she has the hots for Raylen

I do like Goggins a lot, so it has that going for it (which is nice). I don't get the Olyphant love in terms of his being hot. I find him pretty bland. I do have another of his shows on my list, but it hasn't appeared yet. I thought he was good in that (and in the bits of Justified I've seen), but I don't find him super attractive. I'm obviously weird.

Book of Boba Fett?

 

[Tick]

26 - Stranger Things​

Sci-Fi/Fantasy/Horror
Score: 822
Average Rank: 31.9

In 1980s Indiana, a group of young friends witness supernatural forces and secret government exploits. As they search for answers, the children unravel a series of extraordinary mysteries.

List Breakdown

Jayrod 6
Pip's Invitation 14
Runkle 14
steelerfan1 16
Tick 17
zamboni 21
Yo Mama 21
Atomic Punk 22
Psychopav 25
The Gator 25
Dr Octopus 26
Scoresman 26
Frostillicus 27
Nick Vermeil 38
Todem 39
shuke 46
John Madden's Lunchbox 48
Dan Lambskin 52
Gally 55
Chaos34 65
Hastur 66

As a kid from the 80s that first season hit wonderfully. Just great. Ya. It tailed off a bit, but what show doesn't really? My biggest gripe is having 10 years between seasons watching the little kids become adults. I like it better when they were like the kids from the Goonies

The middle seasons may have tailed off a bit but the last one was excellent, on par with Season 1.

Yeah, Master of Puppets and Conan's sword. All I wanted in the world.

 

[BLOCKED_PUNT]

I've said it a zillion times but one of the best thing about the 80's were the child empowerment films. The Goonies, E.T., Stand By Me, The Neverending Story, etc.

Stranger Things nails that trope and actually improves upon it. It's an all time great show.

Now...Can I get all the seasons on physical 4k disc please?

For me it got to feel like Ready Player One in that they overdid the references and pushed the nostalgia button too much.

What? You don't like The Shining? I like the blast from the past thing.

By the way, I'm counting on you to raise Jeopardy to a lofty place in the countdown.

Alas, I didn't realise this would be fun, so I didn't submit a list. I regret this. My rankings would be way different.

You know you and anyone else that didn't do a list can still post one for us to over analyze and possibly mock? I'm interested in how your rankings would be different?

 

[Tick]

I am 51 and have never watched an episode of All in the Family and it doesn't sound familiar at all.

The above is why I wondered about the age of the voters as I watched the countdown. There probably are a lot of people just like you that never saw All in the Family.

The age of the people voting here is the only possible explanation for that show being rated outside the top 10.

Yes, everyone here is 50. We're slightly too young for the show.

 

[Zeppelin]

I am 51 and have never watched an episode of All in the Family and it doesn't sound familiar at all.

The above is why I wondered about the age of the voters as I watched the countdown. There probably are a lot of people just like you that never saw All in the Family.

The age of the people voting here is the only possible explanation for that show being rated outside the top 10.

Yes, everyone here is 50. We're slightly too young for the show.

****ing kids these days.

 

[Tick]

Regarding Lost, maybe we should stop giving season 1 so much credit and crapping on the final season... season 1 was the real problem. They set up so many things they had no plan on how to resolve, so they just abandoned them. A polar bear in the jungle... in a way, I'm glad they gave up on trying to close all those loops and just told a different story for the final season.

I could never do a rewatch, but it was gripping at the time. It was one of the high points of the FFA for me - speculation without everyone jumping around the internet to find ideas from elsewhere. We had a little community coming up with our own theories, which was fun.

 

[Andy Dufresne]

Regarding Lost, maybe we should stop giving season 1 so much credit and crapping on the final season... season 1 was the real problem. They set up so many things they had no plan on how to resolve, so they just abandoned them. A polar bear in the jungle... in a way, I'm glad they gave up on trying to close all those loops and just told a different story for the final season.

I could never do a rewatch, but it was gripping at the time. It was one of the high points of the FFA for me - speculation without everyone jumping around the internet to find ideas from elsewhere. We had a little community coming up with our own theories, which was fun.

Much of that sort of stuff was answered. The polar bear, for example, was brought there for some bizarre reason by The Dharma Initiative.

 

[Tick]

Regarding Lost, maybe we should stop giving season 1 so much credit and crapping on the final season... season 1 was the real problem. They set up so many things they had no plan on how to resolve, so they just abandoned them. A polar bear in the jungle... in a way, I'm glad they gave up on trying to close all those loops and just told a different story for the final season.

I could never do a rewatch, but it was gripping at the time. It was one of the high points of the FFA for me - speculation without everyone jumping around the internet to find ideas from elsewhere. We had a little community coming up with our own theories, which was fun.

Much of that sort of stuff was answered. The polar bear, for example, was brought there for some bizarre reason by The Dharma Initiative.

https://lostpedia.fandom.com/wiki/Polar_bears It all felt like a bunch of hand waving retconning where they worked so hard to make it fit, but never managed it. They had no plan for it.

 

[Andy Dufresne]

Regarding Lost, maybe we should stop giving season 1 so much credit and crapping on the final season... season 1 was the real problem. They set up so many things they had no plan on how to resolve, so they just abandoned them. A polar bear in the jungle... in a way, I'm glad they gave up on trying to close all those loops and just told a different story for the final season.

I could never do a rewatch, but it was gripping at the time. It was one of the high points of the FFA for me - speculation without everyone jumping around the internet to find ideas from elsewhere. We had a little community coming up with our own theories, which was fun.

Much of that sort of stuff was answered. The polar bear, for example, was brought there for some bizarre reason by The Dharma Initiative.

https://lostpedia.fandom.com/wiki/Polar_bears It all felt like a bunch of hand waving retconning where they worked so hard to make it fit, but never managed it. They had no plan for it.

This is what I was saying before - there was an explanation for it, but that explanation was unsatisfactory for some because they were expecting something else.

 

[KarmaPolice]

You all are making Lost sound kinda dumb.

 

[BLOCKED_PUNT]

only kinda?

 

[Andy Dufresne]

You all are making Lost sound kinda dumb.

Science fiction and fantasy elements are used to stir the plot from time to time. Like all sci-fi/fantasy some of it is easier to buy into than other parts.

 

[northern exposure]

Season 1 is tough to get through because there’s a lot of one off episodes but once it finds its stride it’s really good

I tried to watch this twice because Mr. krista loved it, but I couldn't make it through Season 1. This makes me think I should give it another shot.

I would. Like I said it really doesn’t get good until the last few episodes of season 1 but from then on its solid

Goggins is excellent as Boyd Crowder as is Olyphant as Raylen

Supporting cast is good as well

My wife really liked it but I think that’s because she has the hots for Raylen

Goggins was supposed to be killed off in his 1st episode. Then they saw him on the screen and decided to change the script.

 

[Instinctive]

Season 1 is tough to get through because there’s a lot of one off episodes but once it finds its stride it’s really good

I tried to watch this twice because Mr. krista loved it, but I couldn't make it through Season 1. This makes me think I should give it another shot.

I would. Like I said it really doesn’t get good until the last few episodes of season 1 but from then on its solid

Goggins is excellent as Boyd Crowder as is Olyphant as Raylen

Supporting cast is good as well

My wife really liked it but I think that’s because she has the hots for Raylen

Goggins was supposed to be killed off in his 1st episode. Then they saw him on the screen and decided to change the script.

Goggins is so freaking good. I first saw him in Fallout, which led me to watching Justified (where I found one of my favorite comic relief characters being a main character! Det. Drycop from Gone in 60 Seconds is Olyphant)...then I was considering the Shield because of Goggins when it got rated super highly here.