Top Ten TV Shows of All Time Blogfest

Top Ten TV Shows of All Time


This originated with Alex J Cavanaugh, so skip over there if you want to participate. Just like Amparo over at No Rest For The Lazy, I'll be going from oldish to newish (but not in exact chronological order). Man, this is going to give my age away....

10. Out of This World

Evie could freeze time, being half human/half alien. And she talked to her dad through a glowing crystal! How cool is that? I used to rush home after school to catch this show.

9. Sliders

ah, Quinn. So clueless about love even though you've mastered inter-dimensional travel...well, sort of mastered it. Except for that glitch that makes you jump ever few days whether you're ready or not. (This is one of those series that went weird after a few seasons, like Lost--convoluted plots galore.)


8. Quantum Leap (the original Sliders)

Sam, Al, and Ziggy (not pictured here), jumping through time into other people's bodies to solve their problems. Kind of a Sliders meets Being Erica. :-)


7. Star Trek the next Generation

My parents were trekkies, so I grew up madly in love with Wesley (not pictured), Beverly's son; and wishing I could look like Diana Troy, the empath with the low-cut uniform. Data is still the coolest robot on television. Sorry, Johnny 5. 

6. Heroes (the first season)

Hiro is the only hero I loved the whole way through. Even Peter went back and forth between good and bad. It was dizzying. The first season was awesome, though. Stupid spoiled character arcs!

5. House

House and Wilson. Holmes and Watson. The detective and his consultant. It was a brilliant concept with a character who was lovably bad. But this one also went bad with a character who refused to change. Character arcs, people! They're important! The theme that people just don't change? Not cool.

4. Bones

The fun-loving character. The serious and troubled character. The romantic tension. Oh, the delicious romantic tension! This one is still a great show. The way these two play off each other keeps things interesting without the writers resorting to painfully chronic character flaws (see House).

3. Fringe

I love me some sci-fi, and this show delivers. I don't frequently watch this one anymore, though, because of the  horror quality it's taken on. Too much gore. But it still makes the list for creativity and characters. (ditto to Amparo's sigh over Joshua Jackson)

2. Lie to Me

This is like psychology on steroids, with some great character arcs woven in. At first sight, Lightman seems as hopelessly hostile as House, but there's more depth to Lightman with his family loyalty and fierce protective father gig. Not to mention a subtle romance between him and Jillian. This one still has me checking hulu for new episodes. :-)

1. Scrubs

This started out as a show my husband watched and I tolerated, but it really grew on me. JD's constant daydreaming, Elliott's bang-flipping and fake-swearing, and Turk's general goofiness won me over. Plus, you gotta love a show with a happy ending and healthy relationships. *Note, I didn't say they were healthy the entire time. :-) 

Okay, that was kind of exhausting. I'm going to do some rudimentary math with the little guy while you guys take over from here. Have fun!

OMgoodness! I can't believe I almost forgot my Zero entry, as in the best show ever:

ZERO: CHARMED

Best character arcs ever. And they went on for 9 seasons.