Last Updated on 25 March 2024
I searched the Internet for lists of the best TV shows of all time. Criteria included the shows being ranked, not just listed, and generally created by groups, whether teams or committees or based on general public voting (like Ranker.com).
I was able to find 27 lists. I took the 27 lists and added all their content into a spreadsheet, noting the rank of every TV show. I ended up averaging the rankings each show got (there were 285 that were on at least 2 lists) and dividing that average by a factor of the number of lists that show was on. The lowest score meant a high ranking average on many lists. The complete spreadsheet is attached at the bottom.
The TV shows that were on the most lists (out of 27) were:
- Breaking Bad (2008-2013) – 25 lists
- The Sopranos (1999-2007) – 25 lists
- The Wire (2002-2008) – 23 lists
- Game of Thrones (2011-2019) – 23 lists
- The Simpsons (1989-present) – 21 lists
- Seinfeld (1989-1998) – 20 lists
- The Twilight Zone (1959-1964) – 19 lists
- Friends (1994-2004) – 19 lists
- Mad Men (2007-2015) – 19 lists
- Lost (2004-2010) – 18 lists
- The Office (U.S.) (2005-2013) – 18 lists
Here are links to the lists I used along with dates the lists were created:
- Pinkvilla – 29 Aug 2023
- Ranker – 22 Aug 2023, 90.4K voters
- Readers Digest – 8 Aug 2023
- Screen Rant – 2 Aug 2023
- Wealthy Gorilla – 23 Jul 2023
- ShortList – 7 Jul 2023
- MovieWeb – 1 Jul 2023
- Tech, Media & Entertainment (TME) – 9 Jun 2023
- Collider – 3 Jun 2023
- Stacker – 14 Apr 2023
- Business Insider – 5 Apr 2023
- Buddy TV – 1 Apr 2023
- Rolling Stone – 26 Sep 2022
- Games Radar – 26 Aug 2022
- BuzzFeed – 11 Aug 2022
- StudyFinds – 31 Jan 2022
- Sunny 106.3 – 28 Jan 2022
- Empire – 7 Oct 2021
- CBS News – 18 Mar 2021
- Ultimate Movie Rankings – 26 May 2020
- Hollywood Reporter – 16 Sep 2015
- TV Guide – 23 Dec 2013
- Entertainment Weekly – 12 Jul 2013
- Writers Guild of America West – 2 Jun 2013
- All Top Everything – no date
- IGN – no date
- Top Tens – no date