TOP TEN TV SHOWS

There are many "top ten" lists.



And here's another one.




Here is my personal top ten list of TV shows, in no particular order. The list includes the first ten shows I thought of that really made me say, "Yeah. That show was awesome." For some, I may offer an explanation as to what makes a show "top" on my list, if I actually have one that can be articulated. For others, the reason the show made the top ten is because reasons.



This is just my opinion, and a gut reaction at that. Your opinion may differ.



And is probably wrong. But feel free to comment below with your objections, flattery at my listing prowess, or suggestions of your own.



1. The X-Files. The truth was out there. We all wanted to find it SO BAD. But we never did. Bring on that third movie, Christ Carter.

2. Lost. Put me in the camp that thought the series finale was good - and look down on me for it if you must. Most shows couldn't pull off an ending like they did. Lost could. Lost did.

3. The West Wing. A show that makes policy wonks into action heroes (of a sort) has to be good.

4. Cheers. One of the best of the now near-extinct three-camera comedies.

5. Frasier. I was tempted to lump Cheers and Frasier together given the obvious overlap. A reviewer once called Frasier "peerlessly classy". I have to agree.

6. Doctor Who. Any regular reader of this blog (all two of you. Well one of you plus me.) knew that show would be on this list somewhere.

7. Sherlock - I was scared as anybody when Mark Gatiss and Stephen Moffat launched a Holmes and Watson series updated to present day. There was nothing to be scared of. Just adored.

8. Friends. Yes, they were half a dozen improbably handsome twenty-somethings spouting impossibly clever one-liners while sitting around in huge apartments none of them could afford in reality. But the whole ensemble made "MUST SEE TV" a real thing. Don't believe me? Has anyone uttered that phrase since the show went off the air?

9. The Greatest American Hero. A few years ago I bought all the DVDs of one of my favorite childhood shows. Many of the stories were poorly constructed and full of plot holes. But the magic was still there. When I was a kid watching Ralph Hinkley crash into a building, ironically, made me believe any order person could be a superhero.

10. M*A*S*H The series finale is still one of the most watched TV shows EVER. And with the splintering of audiences by infinite cable channels, the Internet and movie services like Netflix, no show will ever get the kind of audience M*A*S*H did. Many shows don't deserve it anyway.

11. I'm adding in #11 as an honorable mention any of the Star Trek series. Classic Trek, The Next Generation, Voyager, Deep Space Nine, or Enterprise. All had good points. All had weaknesses. But all were true, honest-to-god sci-fi. And monsters! And lasers! Fans align with different series as their tastes dictate. But there's no question the longetivity of this franchise is stunning.



So. What say you?
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