http://www.empireonline.com/50greatesttv/

50. Quantum Leap
49. Prison Break
48. Veronica Mars
47. Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
46. Sex and the City
45. Farscape
44. Cracker
43. Star Trek
42. Only Fools and Horses
41. Band of Brothers
40. Life On Mars
39. Monty Python’s Flying Circus
38. Curb Your Enthusiasm
37. Star Trek: The Next Generation
36. Father Ted
35. Alias
34. Frasier
33. CSI
32. Babylon 5
31. Deadwood
30. Dexter
29. ER
28. Fawlty Towers
27. Six Feet Under
26. Red Dwarf
25. Futurama
24. Twin Peaks
23. The Office
22. The Shield
21. Angel
20. Blackadder
19. Scrubs
18. Arrested Development
17. South Park
16. Doctor Who
15. Heroes
14. Firefly
13. Battlestar Galactica
12. Family Guy
11. Seinfeld
10. Spaced
09. The X-Files
08. The Wire
07. Friends
06. 24
05. Lost
04. The West Wing
03. The Sopranos
02. Buffy the Vampire Slayer
01. The Simpsons


So, Empire magazine decided to compile a list of the 50 greatest shows OF ALL TIME. You could have fooled me, seeing as though there is nothing pre-1980. I agree with the first spot, but Buffy is the second best show television has ever offered? Lost number 5? West Wing before Seinfeld? Pretty much lost all credibility after that.

Sorry, but shows like I Love Lucy and MASH has done more for television than most of that list combined, yet they were beaten out by... VERONICA MARS!

  You know why this list is awful? There's no Taxi, no Cheers, no Bob Newhart anywhere, no serial cartoons like Ninja Turtles or Batman: The Animated Series. This basically looks like one 22 year old virgin's opinion presented as some sort of well-researched compilation, which upon the slightest glace you can see that its not researched at all. There is no Johnny Carson, no Dave Letterman, and they put DEEP SPACE NINE on the list. That was probably one of the worst of the franchise next to Voyager. They are saying BABYLON 5 IS A BETTER SHOW THAN CHEERS. No Happy Days either. (WHAT?!)
  As someone who loves TV, I am appalled. The list should be called "Top 50 Shows our Readers Like".

Jesus Christ, I don't agree with this list at all - but who agrees with these types of lists, anyway? Family Guy is WAY too high. I'm glad DEXTER and SIX FEET UNDER made the list but FAMILY GUY is above it.

Also.. where's Laguna Beach guys... where's.. Flava of Love Season 2 starring Flava Flav...

Where's Fresh Prince...

lost and prison break but no i love lucy.

all of these lists are so terrible.

also buffy has an entire school of literature thought devoted to it, it's not such a weird choice.

family guy is higher than the office!

I cannot possibly fathom how St. Elsewhere isn't on the list.  Not only did it have one of the craziest most existential endings TV has ever produced but pretty much every show in the 80s referenced it and every show in the 90s referenced those shows from the 80s and there's this huge cult following that believes EVERY POST-80s TV SHOW is a product of Tommy Westphall's imagination.

Fuck.

Did this include miniseries as well? Because I see BAND OF BROTHERS there.

^It must then, yeah. If so the list is a whole different story.

Family Guy at number 12 is such crap. I don't hate the list but certain shows on there are way too high considering some shows aren't on there at all. Lost is way too high. The Simpsons had an amazing first...9-10 seasons or so but has become really, really lacklustre bar a few exceptions (the movie was pretty good, last episode of season 18 was pretty good). As someone said it sounds like a 22 year olds list - Fawlty Towers isn't high enough, MASH, early cartoons, I Love Lucy (I don't like old TV but that show is pretty awesome) are totally ignored and so on.

I admit that I don't watch a lot of old TV but I wouldn't write a list like that because I obviously don't know enough. If he'd changed it to "Top shows of the last 25 years" it would've been a lot better.

Sorry, but shows like I Love Lucy and MASH has done more for television than most of that list combined, yet they were beaten out by... VERONICA MARS!

Not to mention Oz! That show was very ground breaking. Law & Order isn't on there either.

Yeah, bad list.

Wow. this is the WORST!!!

I don't watch too much TV but someone explain to me why buffy is #2 (I've never seen it) and fucking FRIENDs and family guy are higher than the office and arrested development

The only pre-80's I see on the list is Star Trek, which is fine. The list really lacks 80's shows too though, like Magnum P.I. I can agree with Simpsons being on top but Buffy as second, family guy at twelve? Neither should be on the list at all.

HEH THIS SHIT IS THE WORST

I was about to shit my pants in rage because I couldn't find Firefly anywhere on the list, but its actually sitting at a well-deserved 14th...
Other than that, this list is pretty much bullshit.

The only pre-80's I see on the list is Star Trek, which is fine.

The Flying Circus (1969-1974) is there, as is Fawlty Towers (1975-79).

I don't entirely disagree with this list. Sure the order could be different but all the shows are fairly quality, there's nothing I would classify as Pure Shit on the list and although some things are missing that's only to be expected.

I would say that without taking the order into account all of these shows fit into a top50, not mentioning exactly where in the top50 they'd fit.

'The Wire' is at number 8? THE FUCKING WIRE GOT A LOWER RANKING THAN MOTHERFUCKING 'FRIENDS'?!! AND FUCKING 'LOST', TOO?!! Passing... out... from... sheer... unadulterated... rage...
Also, Futurama was way better than the Simpsons.

No All in the Family, no MASH, no Happy Days, no..... Well, not a single good old sitcom is even on this list.

I've never heard of this "Empire" and, quite frankly, I can see why now. This list is full of so much bullshit that I am surprised that American Idol and Survivor do not top the chart.

The Flying Circus (1969-1974) is there, as is Fawlty Towers (1975-79).

Yeah, temporary mindslip there. Fawlty Towers and Mash should definetly be on that list.