The Top 300 Greatest TV Shows of All Time: FBG Consensus: 50 Lists received. 2: Seinfeld 1: Breaking Bad (5 Viewers)

[Frostillicus]

While we wait, here was the rest of my list that didn't make the top 300.

50 V (1983)

That's three people (including me) who had V. Are we sure it didn't make the list?

 

[steelerfan1]

Here's some missing titles that would have been on my list:

Longmire

This was on mine. Not sure if anyone else had it.

 

[zamboni]

Emergency was one of my favorites when I was a wee lad. Totally forgot about it. Not sure it would have made my list at all and it came out soooooo long ago it's pretty forgettable, but brings back fond memories of little guru_007.

Same - originally wanted to be a paramedic based off this show.

And Randolph Mantooth is one of the best actor names in history.

 

[steelerfan1]

Okay, if we are revealing our misses. I think these are safe at this point.


65) Silk Stalkings (1991–1999) :- Okay this is not a very high ranked show, but it was so "something" that it was must watch back in the day. If you want critically acclaimed, this isn't it, but for its brief run even when they made the mistake of hooking up the leads it was a "guilty pleasure". [And surprisingly on at least one other list.]

It was on my list as well.

Mitzi Kapture or Janet Gunn? GO!

 

[steelerfan1]

Emergency was one of my favorites when I was a wee lad. Totally forgot about it. Not sure it would have made my list at all and it came out soooooo long ago it's pretty forgettable, but brings back fond memories of little guru_007.

Same - originally wanted to be a paramedic based off this show.

And Randolph Mantooth is one of the best actor names in history.

Any relation to Dorothy?

 

[zamboni]

Emergency was one of my favorites when I was a wee lad. Totally forgot about it. Not sure it would have made my list at all and it came out soooooo long ago it's pretty forgettable, but brings back fond memories of little guru_007.

Same - originally wanted to be a paramedic based off this show.

And Randolph Mantooth is one of the best actor names in history.

Any relation to Dorothy?

Never heard of her - p@rn actress?

 

[Uruk-Hai]

GOT is another example, I think, of people not liking the finish because it didn't give them their expected ending.

I thought it ended the only way it could. If anything it was telegraphed. Plus, who will win the throne was always pretty irrelevant anyway - the throne was the story's MacGuffin.

The bolded wasn't the problem I had with the final few seasons. It was that any attempt to have a coherent plot was completely abandoned. The action set pieces and production got better all the way through. It was just that almost none of it made any sense

They were starting to go off of the rails before they ran out of books for a blueprint. Dorne - for instance - was an abject failure not just from an adaptation standpoint, but as a standalone plot thread.

 

[Leroy Hoard]

Not until all the sh!t went down with Lalo did she realize she had to get out. The scenes of her in Florida post-Lalo show her deliberately choosing the most boring life possible because she knows anything else could be dangerous for her. This was a lesson that Jimmy/Saul never learned.

Lalo was such a great character, as was everyone. Tony Dalton played him to perfection.

Lalo was obviously the only Salamanca to go to charm school.

 

[Gally]

3 great shows and one terrible show to go. Intrigued to see the order.

It’s a bit odd to call something so highly ranked as “terrible”. I mean it’s fine if you don’t like it but that hardly makes it “terrible”.

Which is the terrible one??

He’s been making comments about Seinfeld along the way.

It's basically shtick at this point fellas relax

Well, the Jerk Store called and they are running out of you.

 

[Ilov80s]

GOT is another example, I think, of people not liking the finish because it didn't give them their expected ending.

I thought it ended the only way it could. If anything it was telegraphed. Plus, who will win the throne was always pretty irrelevant anyway - the throne was the story's MacGuffin.

The bolded wasn't the problem I had with the final few seasons. It was that any attempt to have a coherent plot was completely abandoned. The action set pieces and production got better all the way through. It was just that almost none of it made any sense

They were starting to go off of the rails before they ran out of books for a blueprint. Dorne - for instance - was an abject failure not just from an adaptation standpoint, but as a standalone plot thread.

Totally agree. It wasn’t just the ending that was bad, it was the final 2 seasons or so building to it. Too much happened too quick, people could pretty much teleport across the whole world all of a sudden.

 

[Andy Dufresne]

GOT is another example, I think, of people not liking the finish because it didn't give them their expected ending.

I thought it ended the only way it could. If anything it was telegraphed. Plus, who will win the throne was always pretty irrelevant anyway - the throne was the story's MacGuffin.

The bolded wasn't the problem I had with the final few seasons. It was that any attempt to have a coherent plot was completely abandoned. The action set pieces and production got better all the way through. It was just that almost none of it made any sense

They were starting to go off of the rails before they ran out of books for a blueprint. Dorne - for instance - was an abject failure not just from an adaptation standpoint, but as a standalone plot thread.

Totally agree. It wasn’t just the ending that was bad, it was the final 2 seasons or so building to it. Too much happened too quick, people could pretty much teleport across the whole world all of a sudden.

"Economies of Storytelling" meets "Suspension of Disbelief" I guess.

 

[Todem]

Cant believe GOT is gonna finish so high. The other 3 i expected

I think most people are ranking it on seasons 1-7 and season 8 was a fever dream.

I think you are being generous with 1-7. It was bad before that.

I am just as guilty - i had it highly rated, but did bump it out of my top 10 because of that.

Dude....you are in a very very tiny minority who thinks that.

This show was incredible and even better on multiple viewings.....Season 8 was absolutely a let down.....everything leading up to that was absolute MONEY.

Realisim on a show with dragons......come on folks.....let your adult mind go and just enjoy the fantasy realm they created.

 

[Scoresman]

4 - Game of Thrones​

Sci-Fi/Fantasy/Horror
Score: 1956
Average Rank: 13.5

Several noble families fight for control of the mythical land of Westeros.

List Breakdown

Atomic Punk 2
timschochet 2
Todem 2
Bottomfeeder Sports 3
Maik Jeaunz 3
The Gator 5
BLOCKED PUNT 6
Tau37 6
Brutal Penquin 6
Sullie 7
Frostillicus 8
gr00vus 9
Dr Octopus 9
Keith R 9
Dan Lambskin 10
Psychopav 11
Yo Mama 11
KarmaPolice 11
shuke 11
Scoresman 11
BlackCrowes 11
Hastur 14
Nick Vermeil 15
Barry2 15
krista4 16
turnjose7 16
steelerfan1 17
landrys hat 17
John Madden's Lunchbox 18
AAABatteries 19
ilov80s 21
Rand al Thor 36
Instinctive 43
kupcho1 58

 

[Scoresman]

I wasn't as bothered by the ending of GoT. I did feel it was a bit rushed with pacing issues, but I dont have too much of a gripe with how it played out. And the ride to get there is just incredible.

 

[Todem]

I wasn't as bothered by the ending of GoT. I did feel it was a bit rushed with pacing issues, but I dont have too much of a gripe with how it played out. And the ride to get there is just incredible.

First time it was a letdown....second time through I was....ok with it. And that is because the second time thru the show (we just did this near the end of 2024 in literally 4 weeks) was so much better than the first time.

My #2 for a reason.

 

[Ilov80s]

GOT is another example, I think, of people not liking the finish because it didn't give them their expected ending.

I thought it ended the only way it could. If anything it was telegraphed. Plus, who will win the throne was always pretty irrelevant anyway - the throne was the story's MacGuffin.

The bolded wasn't the problem I had with the final few seasons. It was that any attempt to have a coherent plot was completely abandoned. The action set pieces and production got better all the way through. It was just that almost none of it made any sense

They were starting to go off of the rails before they ran out of books for a blueprint. Dorne - for instance - was an abject failure not just from an adaptation standpoint, but as a standalone plot thread.

Totally agree. It wasn’t just the ending that was bad, it was the final 2 seasons or so building to it. Too much happened too quick, people could pretty much teleport across the whole world all of a sudden.

"Economies of Storytelling" meets "Suspension of Disbelief" I guess.

It just seemed to betray what the first 5-6 seasons set-up. Huge plot points and need up going unresolved or being meaningless. It didn’t just happen be poorly, the choices it made mind if ruined enjoyment of the amazing seasons that came before. George RR got totally cut off by Dave and Dan after season 5 and it really showed. It got sloppy. That was evident not just in the poor story telling but all the visual gaffes late in the show like the Starbucks cup and the plastic water bottle very visible on screen.

 

[Todem]

While we wait, here was the rest of my list that didn't make the top 300.

50 V (1983)

That's three people (including me) who had V. Are we sure it didn't make the list?

It just missed my top 70.

I own this as well as the sequel (V The Final battle) and the dreadful TV series.

It aged horribly.....but the message of the original mini series still rings so true today. Just a great time despite the extremely dated effects and some really corny acting....Marc Singer and Michael Ironside for the win.....and pre Freddy Kruger Robert Englund as the good and kind rodent eating lizard LOL.

 

[Dr. Octopus]

I wasn't as bothered by the ending of GoT. I did feel it was a bit rushed with pacing issues, but I dont have too much of a gripe with how it played out. And the ride to get there is just incredible.

First time it was a letdown....second time through I was....ok with it. And that is because the second time thru the show (we just did this near the end of 2024 in literally 4 weeks) was so much better than the first time.

My #2 for a reason.

The one thing I don’t like about the last episode is it craps all over Jamie the Dragon Slayer’s redemption arc - which was one of my favorite parts of the show.

Otherwise I thought the ending was fine. Season 8 was a little silly overall though.

 

[Scoresman]

I wasn't as bothered by the ending of GoT. I did feel it was a bit rushed with pacing issues, but I dont have too much of a gripe with how it played out. And the ride to get there is just incredible.

First time it was a letdown....second time through I was....ok with it. And that is because the second time thru the show (we just did this near the end of 2024 in literally 4 weeks) was so much better than the first time.

My #2 for a reason.

The one thing I don’t like about the last episode is it craps all over Jamie the Dragon Slayer’s redemption arc - which was one of my favorite parts of the show.

Otherwise I thought the ending was fine. Season 8 was a little silly overall though.

I was actually pleased they didnt go through with the cliche redemption arc here. In the end, he was a Lannister. The only "good" Lannister ended up being Tyrion and he was always a family outcast. Fitting.

 

[Todem]

I wasn't as bothered by the ending of GoT. I did feel it was a bit rushed with pacing issues, but I dont have too much of a gripe with how it played out. And the ride to get there is just incredible.

First time it was a letdown....second time through I was....ok with it. And that is because the second time thru the show (we just did this near the end of 2024 in literally 4 weeks) was so much better than the first time.

My #2 for a reason.

The one thing I don’t like about the last episode is it craps all over Jamie the Dragon Slayer’s redemption arc - which was one of my favorite parts of the show.

Otherwise I thought the ending was fine. Season 8 was a little silly overall though.

I was actually pleased they didnt go through with the cliche redemption arc here. In the end, he was a Lannister. The only "good" Lannister ended up being Tyrion and he was always a family outcast. Fitting.

Different ways to look at it indeed.

 

[timschochet]

I think my highest rated show that did not make the list was The Affair. 5 great seasons, strongly written and acted, great drama.

 

[Hastur]

I watched GOT just a couple of years ago. Amazing show, but share everyones sentiments about the last season. George RR was in the news this past week, saying he will probably never finish writing the last book.

 

[Todem]

I think my highest rated show that did not make the list was The Affair. 5 great seasons, strongly written and acted, great drama.

Agree it was a great show.......brutal the last two seasons. Just a lot of sadness.

 

[BrutalPenguin]

GOT was so good for so long, but, yes, with a flawed ending. Just like Babylon 5, House, The Walking Dead, Dexter, Battlestar Galactica, House of Cards, Happy Days, and Roseanne, just to name a few.

It did have one thing unique to me in that there's one episode that I will never re-watch. "The Dance of Dragons" made me physically nausiated when I watched it the first and only time I did. The demise of Shireen Baratheon was so brutal and so undeserved that I don't ever want to see it again.

 

[AAABatteries]

Not hyperbole - if I reranked this today I would put The Pitt in my top 10. Probably somewhere around 8-10. It's that outstanding - all of you people should be watching it.

 

[Bottomfeeder Sports]

4 - Game of Thrones​

Sci-Fi/Fantasy/Horror
Score: 1956
Average Rank: 13.5

Several noble families fight for control of the mythical land of Westeros.

List Breakdown

Bottomfeeder Sports 3

Game of Thrones

Another one where I held out for the longest time, before taking the plunge. I didn't hate the ending. In fact thought it was consistent with the rest of the story arc. I also never read the books to know that I was supposed to hate when the story went beyond the books. In any case I think this deserves to be near the top.

 

[AAABatteries]

I wasn't as bothered by the ending of GoT. I did feel it was a bit rushed with pacing issues, but I dont have too much of a gripe with how it played out. And the ride to get there is just incredible.

Confession time. I've yet to watch the parts that go past the books - I kind of refuse to do it until that fat ******* dies.

 

[Psychopav]

Wait MacGyver didn't make the list???

Well, no. But you could argue that MacGruber came in at Number 10.

 

[Andy Dufresne]

Another thing - there's a big difference between watching a series as it unfolds, year after year, as opposed to binge watching all together after the series is completed.

I was late to the party with GOT and only started watching as the final season was ending. There is much less investment when watching that way.

 

[Scoresman]

3 - The Sopranos​

Drama
Score: 2050
Average Rank: 12.4

New Jersey mob boss, Tony Soprano, deals with personal and professional issues in his home and business life.

List Breakdown

Keith R 1
Atomic Punk 1

simey 1
Binky 1
UncleZen 1
Dr Octopus 1
Scoresman 2
Tau37 2
Yo Mama 2
Runkle 3
Dan Lambskin 3
Barry2 3
AAABatteries 3
Frostillicus 3
McBokonon 4
krista4 5
zamboni 5
Sullie 6
timschochet 6
kupcho1 6
The Gator 7
Brutal Penquin 7
Chaos34 7
ilov80s 9
titusbramble 10
Todem 19
shuke 21
Maik Jeaunz 25
BlackCrowes 26
Nick Vermeil 28
Psychopav 33
Hastur 36
landrys hat 36
Don Quixote 54
Instinctive 60

 

[Psychopav]

3 great shows and one terrible show to go. Intrigued to see the order.

It’s a bit odd to call something so highly ranked as “terrible”. I mean it’s fine if you don’t like it but that hardly makes it “terrible”.

Which is the terrible one??

He’s been making comments about Seinfeld along the way.

It's basically shtick at this point fellas relax

Well, the Jerk Store called and they are running out of you.

That's ok, you're their all time best seller.

 

[KarmaPolice]

Cant believe GOT is gonna finish so high. The other 3 i expected

I think most people are ranking it on seasons 1-7 and season 8 was a fever dream.

I think you are being generous with 1-7. It was bad before that.

I am just as guilty - i had it highly rated, but did bump it out of my top 10 because of that.

Dude....you are in a very very tiny minority who thinks that.

This show was incredible and even better on multiple viewings.....Season 8 was absolutely a let down.....everything leading up to that was absolute MONEY.

Realisim on a show with dragons......come on folks.....let your adult mind go and just enjoy the fantasy realm they created.

I explained more in the next post, and based on the GOT thread, i stand by my statement. Others have posted about the rumblings seasons 7 and 8 generated in the FFA.

If you think my criticisms are based on "realism" you also aren't understanding the criticism of the show.

 

[Scoresman]

4 - Game of Thrones​

Sci-Fi/Fantasy/Horror
Score: 1956
Average Rank: 13.5

Several noble families fight for control of the mythical land of Westeros.

List Breakdown

Bottomfeeder Sports 1

I think that should actually be #3, which makes the "near the top" comment written way back when make sense.

Game of Thrones

Another one where I held out for the longest time, before taking the plunge. I didn't hate the ending. In fact thought it was consistent with the rest of the story arc. I also never read the books to know that I was supposed to hate when the story went beyond the books. In any case I think this deserves to be near the top.

Fixed. A pivot table wasnt updated.

 

[STBootleg]

Square Pegs

 

[Nick Vermeil]

Reading Rainbow (#65) and 3-2-1 Contact (#68):

The Joy of Painting with Bob Ross (#63)

The Honeymooners (#66):

This Old House:

I had a list but missed the deadline. These 5 were all top 50 for me

This Old House was in my top 5. I also had Joy of Painting, so was a little surprised it didn't show up.

 

[Scoresman]

While we wait, here was the rest of my list that didn't make the top 300.

50 V (1983)

That's three people (including me) who had V. Are we sure it didn't make the list?

Ranked 412.

Bottomfeeder Sports
Frostillicus
Scoresman
shuke

 

[AAABatteries]

My top 10 prediction

Spoiler

1. Breaking Bad
2. Seinfeld
3. The Sopranos
4. The Wire
5. The Simpsons
6. SNL
7. Better Call Saul
8. Game of Thrones
9. The Office (US)
10. Cheers

 

[UncleZen]

I truly thought Sopranos would have been #1 and it will likely always be my #1. So many great characters and the way they killed off a lot of the main guys always kept you on your toes.

 

[Hastur]

3 - The Sopranos​

Drama
Score: 2050
Average Rank: 12.4

New Jersey mob boss, Tony Soprano, deals with personal and professional issues in his home and business life.

List Breakdown

Keith R 1
Atomic Punk 1
Barry2 1
simey 1
Binky 1
UncleZen 1
Dr Octopus 1
Scoresman 2
Tau37 2
Yo Mama 2
Runkle 3
Dan Lambskin 3
AAABatteries 3
Frostillicus 3
McBokonon 4
krista4 5
zamboni 5
Sullie 6
timschochet 6
kupcho1 6
The Gator 7
Brutal Penquin 7
Chaos34 7
ilov80s 9
titusbramble 10
Todem 19
shuke 21
Maik Jeaunz 25
BlackCrowes 26
Nick Vermeil 28
Psychopav 33
Hastur 36
landrys hat 36
Don Quixote 54
Instinctive 60

Woulda sworn this would be #1. My friend Ryan would host watch parties each week. He (rightly so) became incensed when it became a social event and it grew to more than 20 people showing up. He didn't mind the people, but he hated that people showed up to socialize. He would throw people out that talked during the show. Fun times!

 

[Pip's Invitation]

3 - The Sopranos​

Drama
Score: 2050
Average Rank: 12.4

New Jersey mob boss, Tony Soprano, deals with personal and professional issues in his home and business life.

List Breakdown

Keith R 1
Atomic Punk 1
Barry2 1
simey 1
Binky 1
UncleZen 1
Dr Octopus 1
Scoresman 2
Tau37 2
Yo Mama 2
Runkle 3
Dan Lambskin 3
AAABatteries 3
Frostillicus 3
McBokonon 4
krista4 5
zamboni 5
Sullie 6
timschochet 6
kupcho1 6
The Gator 7
Brutal Penquin 7
Chaos34 7
ilov80s 9
titusbramble 10
Todem 19
shuke 21
Maik Jeaunz 25
BlackCrowes 26
Nick Vermeil 28
Psychopav 33
Hastur 36
landrys hat 36
Don Quixote 54
Instinctive 60

Yeah, yeah, I have Max but haven’t gotten around to watching this. Maybe this is the year:

 

[Gally]

3 great shows and one terrible show to go. Intrigued to see the order.

It’s a bit odd to call something so highly ranked as “terrible”. I mean it’s fine if you don’t like it but that hardly makes it “terrible”.

Which is the terrible one??

He’s been making comments about Seinfeld along the way.

It's basically shtick at this point fellas relax

Well, the Jerk Store called and they are running out of you.

That's ok, you're their all time best seller.

Well, I had sex with your wife

 

[Psychopav]

We're coming down to the wire now.

11. Band of Brothers: 94/97 (wow!)
10. Saturday Night Live: --/58 (lowest rated highest FBG show ever /comic store guy)
9. Cheers: 87/95
8. The Office (US): 81/89
7. Better Call Saul: 98/96 (wow!)
6. The Simpsons: 85/76
5. The Wire: 95/96 (wow!)
4. Game of Thrones: 89/85
3. The Sopranos: 92/96 (wow!)

See what I did there?

 

[KarmaPolice]

I wasn't as bothered by the ending of GoT. I did feel it was a bit rushed with pacing issues, but I dont have too much of a gripe with how it played out. And the ride to get there is just incredible.

First time it was a letdown....second time through I was....ok with it. And that is because the second time thru the show (we just did this near the end of 2024 in literally 4 weeks) was so much better than the first time.

My #2 for a reason.

Lol. You just poted to me it was amazing. I think we probably agree more than we think. I did have it at 11, so even i didn’t downgrade it too far. No desire to rewatch it though, which is odd for a top 20 show.

 

[Gally]

Yeah, yeah, I have Max but haven’t gotten around to watching this. Maybe this is the year:

I also have Max and haven't seen Sopranos or GOT

 

[Psychopav]

My top 10 prediction

Spoiler

1. Breaking Bad
2. Seinfeld
3. The Sopranos
4. The Wire
5. The Simpsons
6. SNL
7. Better Call Saul
8. Game of Thrones
9. The Office (US)
10. Cheers

pfshaw. You're all out of order.

 

[Pip's Invitation]

Yeah, yeah, I have Max but haven’t gotten around to watching this. Maybe this is the year:

I also have Max and haven't seen Sopranos or GOT

I haven’t seen GOT either, but I’m not really into fantasy programs so I probably never will.

 

[Shaft41]

Yeah, yeah, I have Max but haven’t gotten around to watching this. Maybe this is the year:

I also have Max and haven't seen Sopranos or GOT

I have never had HBO since I was a kid and my parents had it on the cable package so we could watch "Savannah Smiles" 3 times a week, so I've never seen any of these shows that aired on HBO. I now have Max, but, frankly, the subject matter of these acclaimed shows don't appeal to me so I'll never watch them, but I know how acclaimed and water-cooler worthy they all were.

 

[AAABatteries]

@Instinctive may leave the bored if BB shows up next.

 

[KarmaPolice]

I truly thought Sopranos would have been #1 and it will likely always be my #1. So many great characters and the way they killed off a lot of the main guys always kept you on your toes.

I think it has the same issue as The Wire. Not everyone had hbo during its run, and after that it had to compete for views with many more options as streaming became popular.

 

[steelerfan1]

Emergency was one of my favorites when I was a wee lad. Totally forgot about it. Not sure it would have made my list at all and it came out soooooo long ago it's pretty forgettable, but brings back fond memories of little guru_007.

Same - originally wanted to be a paramedic based off this show.

And Randolph Mantooth is one of the best actor names in history.

Any relation to Dorothy?

Never heard of her - p@rn actress?

sorry...it's an anchorman thing...and no, SHE'S A SAINT!