In the future, the average age of fathers will continue to rise and with that the % of children who are diagnosed with autism and schizophrenia in the future will also continue to rise. Already, as many as 20-30% of cases are, in part, considered attributable to the rising tide of older fathers.
Probability Rate:
Bank on it!
August 22, 2012
Father’s Age Is Linked to Risk of Autism and Schizophrenia
Older men are more likely than young ones to father a child who develops autism or schizophrenia, because of random mutations that become more numerous with advancing paternal age, scientists reported on Wednesday, in the first study to quantify the effect as it builds each year. The age of mothers had no bearing on the risk for these disorders, the study found.
Experts said that the finding was hardly reason to forgo fatherhood later in life, though it might have some influence on reproductive decisions. The overall risk to a man in his 40s or older is in the range of 2 percent, at most, and there are other contributing biological factors that are entirely unknown.
But the study, published online in the journal Nature, provides support for the argument that the surging rate of autism diagnoses over recent decades is attributable in part to the increasing average age of fathers, which could account for as many as 20 to 30 percent of cases.
The findings also counter the longstanding assumption that the age of the mother is the most important factor in determining the odds of a child having developmental problems. The risk of chromosomal abnormalities, like Down syndrome, increases for older mothers, but when it comes to some complex developmental and psychiatric problems, the lion’s share of the genetic risk originates in the sperm, not the egg, the study found.
Previous studies had strongly suggested as much, including an analysis published in April that found that this risk was higher at age 35 than 25 and crept up with age. The new report quantifies that risk for the first time, calculating how much it accumulates each year.
The research team found that the average child born to a 20-year-old father had 25 random mutations that could be traced to paternal genetic material. The number increased steadily by two mutations a year, reaching 65 mutations for offspring of 40-year-old men.
The average number of mutations coming from the mother’s side was 15, no matter her age, the study found.
“This study provides some of the first solid scientific evidence for a true increase in the condition” of autism, said Dr. Fred R. Volkmar, director of the Child Study Center at the Yale School of Medicine, who was not involved in the research. “It is extremely well done and the sample meticulously characterized.”
The new investigation, led by the Icelandic firm Decode Genetics, analyzed genetic material taken from blood samples of 78 parent-child trios, focusing on families in which parents with no signs of a mental disorder gave birth to a child who developed autism or schizophrenia. This approach allows scientists to isolate brand-new mutations in the genes of the child that were not present in the parents.
Most people have many of these so-called de novo mutations, which occur spontaneously at or near conception, and most of them are harmless. But studies suggest that there are several such changes that can sharply increase the risk for autism and possibly schizophrenia — and the more a child has, the more likely he or she is by chance to have one of these rare, disabling ones.
Some difference between the paternal and maternal side is to be expected. Sperm cells divide every 15 days or so, whereas egg cells are relatively stable, and continual copying inevitably leads to errors, in DNA as in life.
Still, when the researchers removed the effect of paternal age, they found no difference in genetic risk between those who had a diagnosis of autism or schizophrenia and a control group of Icelanders who did not. “It is absolutely stunning that the father’s age accounted for all this added risk, given the possibility of environmental factors and the diversity of the population,” said Dr. Kari Stefansson, the chief executive of Decode and the study’s senior author. “And it’s stunning that so little is contributed by the age of the mother.”
Dr. Stefansson’s co-authors included C. Augustine Kong of Decode, and researchers from the University of Iceland, Aarhus University in Denmark and Illumina Cambridge Ltd.
Dr. Stefansson said it made sense that de novo mutations would play a significant role in brain disorders. At least 50 percent of active genes play a role in neural development, so that random glitches are more likely to affect the brain than other organs, which have less exposure.
In the end, these kinds of mutations may account for 20 to 30 percent of cases of autism, and perhaps schizophrenia, some experts said. The remainder is probably a result of inherited genetic predisposition and environmental factors that are the subjects of numerous studies.
Dr. Stefansson and other experts said that an increase in the average age of fathers had most likely led to more cases of autism. Unlike other theories proposed to explain the increase, likevaccinations, it is backed by evidence that scientists agree is solid.
This by itself hardly explains the overall increase in diagnoses, at least in the United States. The birthrate of fathers age 40 and older has increased by more than 30 percent since 1980, according to government figures, but the diagnosis rate has jumped tenfold, to 1 in 88 8-year-olds.
And it is not clear whether the rate of schizophrenia diagnosis has increased at all in that time.
Nonetheless, if these study findings hold up and extend to other brain disorders, wrote Alexey S. Kondrashov of the University of Michigan, in an editorial accompanying the study, “then collecting the sperm of young adult men and cold-storing it for later use could be a wise individual decision.”
That very much depends on the individual. “You are going to have guys who look at this and say, ‘Oh no, you mean I have to have all my kids when I’m 20 and stupid?’ ” said Evan E. Eichler, a professor of genome sciences at the University of Washington in Seattle. “Well, of course not. You have to understand that the vast majority of these mutations have no consequences, and that there are tons of guys in their 50s who have healthy children.”
Older fathers’ sperm have more mutations — as do their children.
V. PEÑAFIEL/FLICKR/GETTY
In the 1930s, the pioneering geneticist J. B. S. Haldane noticed a peculiar inheritance pattern in families with long histories of haemophilia. The faulty mutation responsible for the blood-clotting disorder tended to arise on the X chromosomes that fathers passed to their daughters, rather than on those that mothers passed down. Haldane subsequently proposed1 that children inherit more mutations from their fathers than their mothers, although he acknowledged that “it is difficult to see how this could be proved or disproved for many years to come”.
That year has finally arrived: whole-genome sequencing of dozens of Icelandic families has at last provided the evidence that eluded Haldane. Moreover, a study published in Nature finds that the age at which a father sires children determines how many mutations those offspring inherit2. By starting families in their thirties, forties and beyond, men could be increasing the chances that their children will develop autism, schizophrenia and other diseases often linked to new mutations. “The older we are as fathers, the more likely we will pass on our mutations,” says lead author Kári Stefánsson, chief executive of deCODE Genetics in Reykjavik. “The more mutations we pass on, the more likely that one of them is going to be deleterious.”
Haldane, working years before the structure of DNA was determined, was also correct about why fathers pass on more mutations. Sperm is continually being generated by dividing precursor cells, which acquire new mutations with each division. By contrast, women are born with their lifelong complement of egg cells.
Nature Podcast
deCODE’s Kári Stefánsson explains to Ewen Callaway how a father’s age might affect a baby’s risk of disease.
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Stefánsson, whose company maintains genetic information on most Icelanders, compared the whole-genome sequences of 78 trios of a mother, father and child. The team searched for mutations in the child that were not present in either parent and that must therefore have arisen spontaneously in the egg, sperm or embryo. The paper reports the largest such study of nuclear families so far.
Fathers passed on nearly four times as many new mutations as mothers: on average, 55 versus 14. The father’s age also accounted for nearly all of the variation in the number of new mutations in a child’s genome, with the number of new mutations being passed on rising exponentially with paternal age. A 36-year-old will pass on twice as many mutations to his child as a man of 20, and a 70-year-old eight times as many, Stefánsson’s team estimates.
The researchers estimate that an Icelandic child born in 2011 will harbour 70 new mutations, compared with 60 for a child born in 1980; the average age of fatherhood rose from 28 to 33 over that time.
Previous studies have shown that a child’s risk of being diagnosed with autism increases with the father’s age. And a trio of papers3–5published this year identified dozens of new mutations implicated in autism and found that the mutations were four times more likely to originate on the father’s side than the mother’s.Most such mutations are harmless, but Stefánsson’s team identified some that studies have linked to conditions such as autism and schizophrenia. The study does not prove that older fathers are more likely than younger ones to pass on disease-associated or other deleterious genes, but that is the strong implication, Stefánsson and other geneticists say.
The results might help to explain the apparent rise in autism spectrum disorder: this year, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, Georgia, reported that one in every 88 American children has now been diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder, a 78% increase since 2007. Better and more inclusive autism diagnoses explain some of this increase, but new mutations are probably also a factor, says Daniel Geschwind, a neurobiologist at the University of California, Los Angeles. “I think we will find, in places where there are really old dads, higher prevalence of autism.”
However, Mark Daly, a geneticist at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston who studies autism, says that increasing paternal age is unlikely to account for all of the rise in autism prevalence. He notes that autism is highly heritable, but that most cases are not caused by a single new mutation — so there must be predisposing factors that are inherited from parents but are distinct from the new mutations occurring in sperm.
Historical evidence suggests that older fathers are unlikely to augur a genetic meltdown. Throughout the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, Icelandic men fathered children at much higher ages than they do today, averaging between 34 and 38. Moreover, genetic mutations are the basis for natural selection, Stefánsson points out. “You could argue what is bad for the next generation is good for the future of our species,” he says.
Every day between now and New Year’s Eve, we’ll be looking back at the best music and pop culture of 2011. Today we look at the TV shows that made us laugh, cry or root for a meth cooks and serial killers. There’s no reality to be found except the frightening realities covered by a pair of fake news shows. But there’s plenty of comedy, drama and, of course, zombies.
A whopping 78 shows got nominated, so if your favorites are missing, let us know in the comments section below.
20. Friday Night Lights Creator: Peter Berg Stars: Kyle Chandler, Connie Britton, Taylor Kitsch, Michael B. Jordan, Matt Lauria Network:NBC I can’t think of a television series in recent memory that’s resonated so deeply. These are characters who’ve struggled, mightily struggled, to find their way, to find their happiness and to find their purpose, and because of this, we saw ourselves in their struggle. They all worked toward redemption. They all worked toward a better life—whether that was overcoming the odds of a paralyzing spinal cord injury to become a sports agent in New York City or to own a piece of land. And five years later, they did all of these things—found redemption, mostly found better lives, almost always found something akin to happiness. The final season brought so many of our characters full circle, while also providing honest glimpses into their future—morsels to let us know that while we won’t be joining them on their continuing journeys in Dillon (or Philadelphia), they’re going to be okay without us.—Allison Winn Scotch
19. Archer Creator: Adam Reed Stars: H. Jon Benjamin, Jessica Walter, Judy Greer, Aisha Tyler, Chris Parnell, Amber Nash Network: FX Archer has succeeded as a hilarious parody of both James Bond and Mad Men with the comedic sensibilities of FX’s best. Season Two was full of surprising twists—like Archer’s breast cancer. The mini third season—the “Heart of Archness” trilogy following Archer’s revenge on the man who killed his Russian love—made Archer one of the few story-driven animated series that actually delivers.—Ross Bonaime
18. Treme Creators: David Simon, Eric Overmyer Stars: Khandi Alexander, Rob Brown, Kim Dickens, India Ennenga, John Goodman, Melissa Leo, Wendell Pierce, Steve Zahn Network:HBO In its second season, David Simon’s Treme has settled in, examining, grieving with, and paying weary homage to a wonderful American city still woozy from the shock of the greatest natural disaster to hit America. Assembling the stellar talents of Melissa Leo, Kim Dickens, John Goodman, Wendell Pierce, and so many other greats, Treme brings New Orleans to life.—Michael Dunaway
17. The Colbert Report Creators: Stephen Colbert, Ben Karlin, Jon Stewart Stars: Stephen Colbert Network: Comedy Central Since debuting back in October of 2005 as a spin-off of The Daily Show, Stephen Colbert’sThe Colbert Report has gone on to consistently deliver razor sharp and undeniably hilarious political satire year after year. This past September’s Radiohead special feature (“The Wørd”: I Think, Therefore I Brand), which included a live performance from the band, brought the show to new heights as Colbert repeatedly plugged advertisements for Dr. Pepper as “the official beverage of Radiohead,” among other products. Colbert’s extremely exaggerated neo-conservative fictional persona has become a mainstay of American television programming as an ever-growing segment of young Americans increasingly turn to his and Jon Stewart’s comedy-news shows nightly to be informed about current events.—K. Alexander Smith
16. Bored To Death Creator: Jonathan Ames Stars: Jason Schwartzman, Zach Galifianakis, Ted Danson Network:HBO Writer Jonathan Ames’ series features Jason Schwartzman as a writer named Jonathan Ames who decides to advertise his private investigative services on Craigslist. Zach Galifianakis plays Ames’ best friend, Ted Danson quickly makes us forget he was ever inBecker, and the parade of guest stars and recurring characters continues this season with Patton Oswalt and Isla Fisher. But it’s Schwartzman’s absurd mix of self-obsession and sincerity that makes the show so fun to watch.—Josh Jackson
15. How I Met Your Mother Creators: Craig Thomas, Carter Bays Stars: Josh Radnor, Jason Segel, Alyson Hannigan, Cobie Smulders, Neil Patrick Harris Network:CBS Very few shows are able to teeter on the tightrope of daytime soap opera and a laugh-out-loud sitcom without going overboard. For over half a decade HIMYM has spun a hilarious tale of how Ted met his children’s mother without growing stale. Sure, fans were starting to grow weary, but since the dramatic and uplifting turn in Marshall and Lily’s life and the return of the Ted-Robin-Barney love triangle, the show is back in top form and geting more like Friends than ever. We’re closing in on a lot of mysteries (Who exactly is the mother? Will Barney marry Robin? How will the baby change the Eriksens?), but so much more has developed to keep us intrigued for a few more seasons. Bonus: Neil Patrick Harris is as loveable as ever.—Adam Vitcavage
14. Portlandia Creators: Fred Armisen and Carrie Brownstein Stars: Fred Armisen and Carrie Brownstein Network:IFC IFC’s short-run comedy series Portlandia is a show about hipsters that translates well-beyond Portland’s city limits. (Hey, Silver Lake and Brooklyn: We mean you, too.) Fred Armisen (Saturday Night Live) and Carrie Brownstein (Sleater-Kinney) have struck gold poking fun at the culture of coffee shops, indie book and record stores, and that too-cool-for school attitude.—Christine N. Ziemba
13. Game of Thrones Creators: David Benioff, D.B. Weiss Stars: Sean Bean, Mark Addy, Michelle Fairley, Peter Dinklage, Emelia Clarke, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Lena Headey Network:HBO For a show that wasn’t supposed to attract female viewers, Game of Thrones‘s strongest characters are its women. Women in fantasy and science fiction are often made in the image of teen-boy dreams: scantily clad, big-chested warriors and damsels in distress. So credit George R.R. Martin, along with screenwriters and casting directors for giving us women with the strength to challenge the misogyny of their fictional time and place. It’sHBO, so there’s still a few more objectifying scenes than necessary, but the writing of these characters is sharp, supported by top-notch actresses. This fantasy world isn’t just for fanboys.—Josh Jackson
12. It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia Creator: Rob McElhenney Stars: Charlie Day, Rob McElhenney, Glenn Howerton, Kaitlin Olson, Danny DeVito Network: FX In its seventh season, It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia continues to surprise, keeping it among FX’s highest-rated shows. This season The Gang has tackled The Jersey Shore, beauty pageants, Facebook and hurricanes, each in a way that only the show’s anti-sitcom mentality could. It’s Always Sunny remains as shocking and consistently hilarious as it’s always been, while becoming self-referential and staying original, even after hitting syndication.—Ross Bonaime
11. The Daily Show with Jon Stewart Creator: Madeleine Smithberg, Lizz Winstead Stars: Jon Stewart, Jon Oliver, Samantha Bee, Aasif Mandvi, Wyat Cenac, Olivia Munn, Jason Jones Network: Comedy Central Hosting the longest running show on Comedy Central, Jon Stewart hasn’t lost his touch since taking over from Craig Kilbourn in 1999. Some of this year’s best episodes included interviews with New York Times columnist and author Thomas Friedman, Iranian-Canadian journalist Maziar Bahari and Steve Jobs’ biographer Walter Isaacson. With its cast of satirically oddball character-correspondents, consistently sharp writing and Stewart’s winning straight-man persona holding it all together, The Daily Show doesn’t look to be running out of steam any time soon. —K. Alexander Smith
Every day between now and New Year’s Eve, we’ll be looking back at the best music and pop culture of 2011. Today we look at the TV shows that made us laugh, cry or root for meth cooks and serial killers.
10. Dexter Creator: James Manos, Jr. Stars: Michael C. Hall, Jennifer Carpenter, Desmond Harrington, C.S. Lee, Laren Velez, David Zayas, James Remar Network: Showtime In all honesty Dexter probably will never duplicate the intensity it created in the fourth season. The bathtub scene in the finale two years ago left us all with our jaws on the floor. Last season provided a bridging season that allowed Dexter to regroup. This season is drastically different than anything we’ve seen yet. The serialization of the Doomsday Killer harks back to when Trinity was slicing up the ladies, but weaves in so many more threads.—Adam Vitcavage
9. Modern Family Creators: Steven Levitan, Christopher Lloyd Stars: Ed O’Neill, Ty Burrell, Sofia Vergara, Julie Bowen, Jessie Tyler Ferguson, Eric Stonestreet Network:ABC Modern Family liberally borrows some of the finest elements of two of the best sitcoms of the last decade: Arrested Development and The Office. But it applies them to one of the greatest ensembles currently on TV, making each family interesting and fun in their own way. Modern Family has been able to take ideas we’ve seen before, but wrap them up in a way that feels fresh each week.—Ross Bonaime
8. Louie Creator: Louis C.K. Stars: Louis C.K., Hadley Delany, Pamela Adlon Network: FX When life gives you lemons, you can make lemonade. But as comedian-turned-divorced dad Louis C.K. proves on a week-to-week basis, you don’t have to be happy about it. Louieoffers a painfully real but hilarious look at Louis C.K.’s fictional, jaded version of himself and explores the humor in divorce, aging and parenthood.—Tyler Kane
7. The Walking Dead Creator: Frank Darabont Stars: Andrew Lincoln, Jon Bernthal, Sarah Wayne Callies, Laurie Holden Network:AMC The Walking Dead has been treated with all the cinematic care director Frank Darabont put into The Shawshank Redemption and The Green Mile and AMC put into Mad Men andBreaking Bad. For all my quibbles about lazy Southern stereotypes or occasional clunky dialogue, the plot arcs have been masterful again in the show’s second season. That’s a credit both to Robert Kirkman’s source material and Frank Darabont’s adaptation to TV. Zombies been pretty fully explored in two-hour chunks, but this slowly unfolding adventure has the time to look at religion after the apocalypse, the morality of survivalism and even the question of what makes life worth living.Josh Jackson
6. 30 Rock Creator: Tina Fey Stars: Tina Fey, Tracy Morgan, Jane Krakowski, Jack McBrayer, Scott Adsit, Judah Friedlander, Alec Baldwin Network:NBC Season Five of Tina Fey’s oft-celebrated sitcom helped re-establish the show’s critical clout after what was considered a relatively weak fourth season. With varying degrees of success, Fey and company experimented with form more than ever with a two-hour “100th episode” special, an episode recorded live à la classic sitcoms, and even an entire episode stylized as a fictional reality TV show starring Tracy Jordan’s wife. That adventurousness aside, 30 Rock’s fifth season faced a tremendous obstacle: Central actor Tracy Morgan underwent an emergency operation related to diabetes during production, forcing him to miss several episodes. The show headed off this potential debacle with finesse, which is a further testament to the strength of the comedic interplay between Fey and Alec Baldwin.—John Barrett
5. Homeland Creator: Howard Gordon, Alex Gansa Stars: Claire Danes, Damien Lewis, Morena Baccarin, David Harewood, Diego Klatenhoff, Mandy Patinkin Network: Showtime Acclaim for a pay-cable drama isn’t anything new, but Homeland’s reviews have been universally glowing. The series follows Claire Danes as Carrie Mathison, a CIA officer who is on probation thanks to running an unauthorized operation in Iraq. She believes a Marine Sargeant has been turned into a sleeper agent by Al-Qaeda. Offering a great look into a post-9/11 world, Homeland focuses on the psychological aspect of government officials’ lives in a thrilling manner and has already captivated a loyal audience. It was rewarded with a second season not even halfway through its debut set of episodes.—Adam Vitcavage
4. Parks and Recreation Creators: Greg Daniels, Michael Schur Stars: Amy Poehler, Nick Offerman, Aziz Ansari, Adam Scott, Rob Lowe, Chris Pratt, Aubrey Plaza, Rashida Jones Network:NBC Parks and Recreation started its run as a fairly typical mirror of The Office, but in its third season, the student became the master. As it’s fleshed out with oddballs and unusual city quirks, Pawnee has become the greatest television town since Springfield. The show flourished this year with some of the most unique and interesting characters in comedy today. With one of the greatest writing staffs of any show right now, Parks and Recreationis only getting better with time. —Ross Bonaime
3. Boardwalk Empire Creator: Terence Winter Stars: Steve Buscemi, Michael Pitt, Kelly Macdonald, Michael Shannon Network:HBO Easily dismissed as just a Sopranos clone set in the 1920s, Boardwalk Empire wisely took many of the best elements of its predecessor and expanded its scope. It’s this wide-ranging spotlight, drifting from the highest levels of political office down to lowly bootleggers and prostitutes, that makes the show something special, offering up morality plays that hold the lives of millions at stake while putting an actual face on those being affected. The show’s political commentary is apt without seeming preachy, while characters have maintained the balance between being archetypal ciphers and real people. Boardwalk Empire isn’t as energetic as other dramas but its meticulous slow-burn has a depth and beauty to it that’s rarely been matched on the little screen. Sean Gandert
2. Community Stars: Joel McHale, Donald Glover, Danny Pudi, Alison Brie, Gillian Jacobs, Yvette Nicole Brown, Ken Jeong, Chevy Chase Network:NBC There are so many aspects of Community that are fresh, smart and creative that it’s beyond head-scratching that the entire world isn’t walking around quoting lines from the sitcom. For two-and-a-half seasons now we’ve followed Jeff Winger and his merry study group around a community college campus, hanging onto every pop-culture reference and absurd plotline, like we’d never heard or seen them before. But we have heard and seen them, just never taken to their ridiculous extremes. And that’s why Community is such a top-notch show. Dan Harmon has created a world that we feel a part of. We know how ridiculous it is, and so do the characters. We love the gang because we can hang out with them and know that they’ll love us back just as much.—Adam Vitcavage
1. Breaking Bad Creator:Vince Gilligan Stars: Bryan Cranston, Anna Gunn, Aaron Paul, RJ Mitte, Giancarlo Esposito Network:AMC One of the reasons Breaking Bad is the best show on TV right now (and will be ranked among the all-time greats), is that the writers do a phenomenal job introducing complex themes, plot lines and ideas, and then weaving them all together for an extremely satisfying conclusion. It’s not an easy thing to do, especially when the show asks the audience to hold on until the end to see where it’s all going. In that way it’s reminiscent of The Wire, a show that didn’t hammer its audience over the head constantly with flashy moments, but asked for patience as all the plot threads slowly untangled. And with Breaking Bad‘s narrower focus, the stakes and emotional ties we have with the story and characters can be much higher. If the Season Four premiere told us anything, it was that we were in for a lengthy chess match that would keep us on the edge of our seats until the final move was made. This couldn’t have been truer as the finale brought them all home. It’s hard to say where Breaking Bad will go next. But if the writers can come up with anything half as incredible as this season, we could have ourselves a true modern classic.—Brent Koepp
TV has never been worse with an increasing over-reliance on reality shows that seem to be in a race to sink as low as possible. But it’s also never been better with more and more networks investing in original well-scripted, cinematic series and sitcoms that don’t depend on tired gags and canned laughter. Nine networks ended up the list—broadcast, basic cable and pay channels, and we could have gone much deeper than 20 with compelling music, food and travel shows hovering just out of striking distance.
20. Bored To Death Creator: Jonathan Ames Stars: Jason Schwartzman, Zach Galifianakis, Ted Danson, Heather Burns Network:HBO
Writer Jonathan Ames’ series features Jason Schwartzman as a writer named Jonathan Ames who decides to advertise his private investigative services on Craigslist. Our favorite comedian Zach Galifianakis plays Ames’ best friend, Ted Danson quickly makes us forget he was ever in Becker, and the guest stars have included Kristen Wiig, Jim Jarmusch, John Hodgman, Olivia Thirlby and Patton Oswalt. But its Schwartzman’s absurd mix of self-obsession and sincerity that makes the show so fun to watch. Schwartzman told Paste that he loves that the real Ames is “not ever winking at the camera, making fun of the genre of mystery. He has no ability as a human being to detect irony. He doesn’t write his books from a place of mean or sarcastic humor. What I love is that his characters are always trying to do the right thing. They just keep fucking it up and end up hurting people, but it’s never intended.” — Josh Jackson
19. Family Guy Creator: Seth MacFarlane Stars: Seth MacFarlane, Alex Borstein, Seth Green, Mila Kunis, Mike Henry Network: Fox
It’s the show that made Seth MacFarlane a household name, and unfortunately, the one it seems he’ll never top. This is with good reason. MacFarlane created a family that’s easy to relate to despite the fact that it includes a talking dog and an inexplicably British, bloodthirsty infant. Combine the characters’ eccentricities with jokes that (sometimes literally) won’t quit, and you’ve got one of the most important cartoons to grace the small screen. Austin L. Ray
18. Terriers Creator: Ted Griffin Stars: Donal Logue, Michael Raymond-James, Laura Allen Network: FX
Hank (Donal Logue) and Britt (Michael Raymond-James) team up as a pair of unlicensed private investigators. It rises above a TV landscape littered with crime procedurals thanks to the heaping mess that is their lives. Imagine The Dude as an alcoholic ex-cop with a reformed thief as a sidekick. The crimes they’re trying to solve aren’t as interesting as their own personal issues. Josh Jackson
17. The Big Bang Theory Creators: Chuck Lorre and Bill Prady Stars: Johnny Galecki, Jim Parsons, Kaley Cuoco Network:CBS
Using a sitcom formula that is pretty much unchanged from what The Honeymooners did in the 1950s or Three’s Company in the 1970s, The Big Bang Theory relies on continuous one-liners set up by a talented cast, especially the Emmy-winning Jim Parsons as Sheldon. Never mind why two successful physicists have to share an apartment while the waitress neighbor has her own place. Just roll with it. The trip to Parsons’ payoff punch lines sometimes requires patience. Remember when we had to tolerate Mindy just to hear Mork?Tim Basham
16. Parks & Recreation Creators: Greg Daniels, Michael Schur Stars: Amy Poehler, Rashida Jones, Aziz Ansari, Nick Offerman, Aubrey Plaza Network:NBC
Maybe I’m just tired of sitcoms set in New York City. But I’m ready to say it: I like this season’s Parks & Recreation better than 30 Rock. Love me some Tina Fey, but Parks wins out overall due to the sympathetic and charming cast of characters. The only Parkscharacter that approaches the overweening narcissism of the average 30 Rock character is Aziz Ansari’s well-intentioned Tom Haverford. The half-hour each week I devote to Amy Poehler’s Leslie Knope, Nick Offerman’s uproarious Ron Swanson and the rest of the city officials in Pawnee, Ind., is tops for pure relaxation and sitcom bliss. — Nick Purdy
15. Doctor Who Creators: Sydney Newman, C. E. Webber, Donald Wilson Stars: Matt Smith, Karen Gillan Network:BBC/BBC America
Originally launched in 1963, The Doctor has once-again returned to the TV screen, traveling through time and space in the TARDIS, an antiquated and surprisingly spacious blue police box. The special effects may have gotten marginally better, but the camp has stayed the same. And while David Tennant might remain my favorite doctor, Matt Smith has continued the unflappable enthusiasm of the 10 who came before.
14. Fringe Creator: J. J. Abrams, Alex Kurtzman, Roberto Orci Stars: Anna Torv, Joshua Jackson, Lance Reddick, John Noble Network: Fox
When I gave up on Fringe during its bumpy first season, it seems I was too impatient. It’s grown into a smart, compelling sci-fi drama. And even back then I couldn’t deny that John Noble’s Dr. Walter Bishop was among the best characters on TV. He’s both grandfatherly and dangerous; he shows flashes of great anger and then humble remorse. And he’s self-absorbed but with a sense of curiosity and playfulness. I should have known to give J.J. Abrams more time. Josh Jackson
13. The Colbert Report Creators: Stephen Colbert, Ben Karlin, Jon Stewart Stars: Stephen Colbert Network: Comedy Central
Opting for a different approach to news satire than his mentor, Jon Stewart, Stephen Colbert takes his potshots at the shouting-match mess of modern cable-news partisan commentary by hilariously inhabiting a blowhard persona himself, and playing it for all it’s worth with only the slightest wink. He does this so well that a recent Ohio State University study found that there’s actually a sub-group of viewers who believe that Colbert “only pretends to be joking and genuinely meant what he said.” Wow. Steve LaBate
12. Friday Night Lights Creator: Peter Berg Stars: Kyle Chandler, Connie Britton, Taylor Kitsch, Jesse Plemons, Aimee Teegarden, Michael B. Jordan, Jurnee Smollett Networks: DirectTV/The 101
From the book to the film to the tube FNL has always soared beyond its expectations. (Don’t bet against it if a Saturday morning cartoon is developed.) With football as a backdrop, the show serves up some serious and invaluable life lessons. Who knew that integrity actually sells? Even more surprising is its ability to maintain its success in spite of a cast that continues to change as its high schooling stars graduate.Tim Basham
11. Parenthood Creator: Jason Katims Stars: Peter Krause, Lauren Graham, Dax Shepard, Monica Potter, Bonnie Bedelia,, Craig T. Nelson Network:NBC
After the 1990 disaster TV adaptation of Ron Howard’s 1989 film starring Ed Begley, Jr., this second attempt is much more relatable. Even with its thick layer of Hallmark sentimentality, the adult siblings of this three-generation family still manage to screw things up like the rest of us. It may not hit on all the mathematical possibilities of today’s American family but the mix is good—like the child with Asperger Syndrome, and the seemingly strong family patriarch (Craig T. Nelson) whose armor is fraught with cracks. Watch it with your respective social unit. Tim Basham
10. The Daily Show Creators: Madeleine Smithberg, Lizz Winstead Stars: Jon Stewart, Samantha Bee, Jason Jones, John Hodgman, John Oliver, Steve Carell, Stephen Colbert, Rob Corddry, Ed Helms Network: Comedy Central
Amidst the madness and absurdity of the post-9/11 world, as the old-standby TV-news anchors retired or passed away, young America was looking for its new Cronkite, Rather, Jennings or Brokaw. Into this void, improbably, stepped comedian Jon Stewart and his band of brilliantly deadpan correspondents. While The Daily Show never really claimed to be more than a satirical faux-news show, it is so much more, offering the smartest, most unflinching social commentary on television. Steve LaBate
9. Community Creator: Dan Harmon Stars: Joel McHale, Gillian Jacobs, Danny Pudi, Yvette Nicole Brown, Alison Brie, Donald Glover, Ken Jeong, Chevy Chase Network:NBC
Community is a show suffused with pop culture. Almost every episode’s plot has been done by a sit-com or movie previously, but Community revels in its referentiality. Nearly everyone watching Community has spent countless hours watching other TV sitcoms and trashy Hollywood movies. The characters of Community have done the same, and aside from Abed’s encyclopedic knowledge of pop culture, they respond to clichéd show tropes in the same way you do. They know that Jeff is the cool guy, that Britta has been set up as a romantic interest regardless of the lack of chemistry between the two characters. They know that Pierce is comic relief and that they’re the center of the universe because they’re TV characters. They’ve managed to take the oldest jokes in the book and make them completely new. — Sean Gandert
8. The Walking Dead Creator: Frank Darabont Stars: Andrew Lincoln, Jon Bernthal, Sarah Wayne Callies, Laurie Holden Network:AMC
The Walking Dead was done with all the cinematic care director Frank Darabont put intoThe Shawshank Redemption and The Green Mile and AMC put into Mad Men and Breaking Bad. Zombies been pretty fully explored in two-hour chunks. But with hours at his disposal to develop characters and plot, Darabont dips us gently into his apocalypse. The camera stays with the crumpling bedside flowers, the carcass of a woman in the flickering fluorescent light and the fingers poking through the cafeteria door before we see our first zombie since the gut-punch series premiere. And like Lost or Battlestar Galactica, the survivors are finding that there can be as much danger and drama among themselves than with the enemy. Josh Jackson
7. Lost Creator: J.J. Abrams, Jeffrey Lieber, Damon Lindelof Stars: Matthew Fox, Evangeline Lilly, Naveen Andrews, Michael Emerson, Terry O’Quinn, Josh Holloway, Jorge Garcia, Yunjin Kim, Daniel Dae Kim Network:ABC
When J.J. Abrams first marooned his plane-crash survivors on a remote island, no one realized the show’s name was a double entendre: It took crowd-sourced blogs to make sense of all the hidden clues, relevant connections, time shifts and intertwined storylines, and each season has given us far more questions than answers. But there’s something refreshing about a network TV show that trusts the mental rigor of its audience instead of dumbing everything down to the lowest common denominator. Sometimes it’s good to be a little lost. The final resolution earlier this year might not have been completely satisfying, but the run up to the end included some of the show’s best episodes. Josh Jackson
6. 30 Rock Creator: Tina Fey Stars: Tina Fey, Alec Baldwin, Tracy Morgan, Jane Krakowski, Jack McBrayer, Scott Adsit, Judah Friedlander Network:NBC
The spiritual successor to Arrested Development, 30 Rock succeeded where its competition failed by largely ignoring the actual process of creating a TV show and instead focusing on the life of one individual in charge of the process, played by show creator Tina Fey. 30 Rock never loses track of its focus and creates a surprisingly deep character for the its circus to spin around. But Fey’s not the only one that makes the series. Consistently spot-on performances by Tracy Morgan—whether frequenting strip clubs or a werewolf bar mitzvah—and Alec Baldwin’s evil plans for microwave-television programming create a perfect level of chaos for the show’s writers to unravel every week. 30 Rock doesn’t have complex themes or a deep message, but that stuff would get in the way of its goal: having the most consistently funny show on TV. Suffice to say, it’s succeeding. Sean Gandert
5. Breaking Bad Creator: Vince Gilligan Stars: Bryan Cranston, Anna Gunn, Aaron Paul, Dean Norris, Betsy Brandt, RJ Mitte Network:AMC
It’s not just the delightful repartee in the meth lab or the twin Mexican hit men with axes. It’s not just the three straight Emmys for Bryan Cranston as Chemistry teacher turned criminal apothecary Walter White. It’s not just any one thing that makes Breaking Bad one of the most original television shows in history. It just is. The only bad in Bad? Making us wait thirteen months to watch a new episode. The new season begins July 2011. Tim Basham
4. Boardwalk Empire Creator: Terence Winter Stars: Steve Buscemi, Michael Pitt, Kelly Macdonald, Michael Shannon Network:HBO
Easily dismissed as just a Sopranos clone set in the 1920s, Boardwalk Empire wisely took many of the best elements of its predecessor and expanded its scope. It’s this wide-ranging spotlight, drifting from the highest levels of political office down to lowly bootleggers and prostitutes, that makes the show something special, offering up morality plays that hold the lives of millions at stake while putting an actual face on those being affected. The show’s political commentary is apt without seeming preachy, while characters have maintained the balance between being archetypal ciphers and real people. Boardwalk Empire‘s not as energetic as other dramas but its meticulous slow-burn has a depth and beauty to it that’s rarely been matched on the little screen. Sean Gandert
3. Dexter Creator: James Manos Jr. Stars: Michael C. Hall, Jennifer Carpenter, Desmond Harrington, Erik King, C.S. Lee, Lauren Vélez, David Zayas, James Remar Network: Showtime
Dexter Morgan is a family man and a blood-splatter analyst for the Miami Police Department. Oh, and a serial killer. The fact that Dexter is governed by a strict moral code, only preying on murderers, makes the series uniquely fascinating and challenging—as a viewer, you find yourself rooting for a killer, caring for his family, hoping he’ll do the right thing, and wondering: Can slicing someone to pieces and dumping the body in the ocean ever be right?Kate Kiefer
2. Modern Family Creators: Christopher Lloyd, Steven Levitan Stars: Ed O’Neill, Sofía Vergara, Julie Bowen, Ty Burrell, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Eric Stonestreet Network:ABC
The story of three inter-related families works because its characters seem familiar to life but fresh to the screen. Not that the show is above archetypes: There’s the rebellious teen seduced by popularity, the beautiful Colombian second wife, the trying-too-hard-to-be-cool dad, the patriarch who doesn’t like to show affection, the flamboyantly gay boyfriend. But it’s not taken long for TV veterans Christopher Lloyd and Steven Levitan to let each character’s uniqueness flourish through the myriad relationships within the family. There’s dysfunction here, and while a meanness sometimes creeps in, there’s also as much love for these characters as there is laughter at their expense. Mitchell’s tendencies to get uptight are mellowed by Cameron’s constant joviality. Jay’s crotchetiness is mitigated by his wife Gloria’s vivaciousness. Even Phil, the show’s version of The Office’s Michael Scott—with no self-awareness and a self-sabotaging quest to seem hip—is protected from his own antics by a loving wife. It’s these relationships that make even a completely messed-up family a valuable thing. No matter how bad things get in this Modern Family, it always beats the alternative of not having each other. They’re flawed individuals, offering only broken bits of love to one another, but that’s more than enough to cling to. Josh Jackson
1. Mad Men Creator: Matthew Weiner Stars: Jon Hamm, Elisabeth Moss, Vincent Kartheiser, January Jones, Christina Hendricks, Bryan Batt, Michael Gladis, Aaron Staton, Rich Sommer, Robert Morse, John Slattery Network:AMC
Unless you worked on Madison Avenue in the early 1960s, AMC’s Mad Men has all the otherworldliness of a foreign film. It’s easy to covet a time when working in an office meant sharp suits, free-flowing liquor and nary a computer screen or Blackberry to tie you down. It’s also easy to feel superior to the characters’ rampant racism and misogyny. But there’s something all too familiar at the heart of Mad Men—the failings of the powerful and petty never go out of style. And Season 4 only added to the show’s intrigue. Josh Jackson
The 10 Best Sitcoms on TV Right Now
The 10 Best Sitcoms on TV? I can’t believe I’m even typing that. It’s been years since you could even point to five funny sitcoms on TV at the same time. With occasional exceptions over the last decade—Arrested Development, Sports Night, The Office, Scrubs—the post Seinfeld landscape was mostly dotted with unfunny, unoriginal, brainless, multi-camera, laugh-tracked half-hour blocks of misery.
Then came Tina Fey. And then premium cable channels started to build on the success of Curb Your Enthusiasm. Now, all of the sudden, TV is funny again. We created a list of our 10 favorite current sitcoms because we realized that we could, without reservation, recommend 10 sitcoms. And we’re talking live-action, half-hour TV comedies, not hour-long dramedies, animated hilarity, or biting fake news shows. And that’s with Curb taking the year off. Crazy, huh?
Here are the 10 funniest sitcoms currently on TV:
10. Bored to Death (HBO)
Writer Jonathan Ames’ new series features Jason Schwartzman as a writer named Jonathan Ames who decides to advertise his private investigative services on Craigslist. Our favorite comedian Zach Galifianakis plays Ames’ best friend, Ted Danson quickly makes us forget he was ever in Becker, and the guest stars have included Kristen Wiig, Jim Jarmusch and Patton Oswalt. But its Schwartzman’s absurd mix of self-obsession and sincerity that makes the show so fun to watch. Schwartzman told Paste last fall that he loves that the real Ames is “not ever winking at the camera, making fun of the genre of mystery. He has no ability as a human being to detect irony. He doesn’t write his books from a place of mean or sarcastic humor. What I love is that his characters are always trying to do the right thing. They just keep fucking it up and end up hurting people, but it’s never intended.” — Josh Jackson
9. Nurse Jackie (Showtime)
Edie Falco plays Showtime’s latest morally ambiguous protagonist, a cranky ER nurse who’s snorting painkillers and having sex with the hospital pharmacist (how convenient) while the World’s Best Husband waits for her to come home to him and their two girls. Jackie Peyton is a maddening, two-faced character, kind and empathetic with her patients and stoically hurtful to the people closest to her. Her moral code is erratic, but intriguing—she flushes a patient’s ear down the toilet because he stabbed a woman, and then promptly returns to her day-to-day routine of getting high and committing adultery. The supporting cast brings out the worst in her and the best moments in the show: Eager nursing student Zoey worships the ground Jackie walks on; narcissistic doctor Fitch Cooper has an inexplicable crush on her, and fashionista doctor friend Eleanor O’Hara knows about all her transgressions and refuses to judge her, creating a twisted friendship and an unusual dynamic for two female characters. — Kate Kiefer
8. Parks & Recreation (NBC)
Maybe I’m just tired of sitcoms set in New York City. But I’m ready to say it: I like this season’s Parks & Recreation better than 30 Rock. Love me some Tina Fey but Parks wins out overall due to the sympathetic and charming cast of characters. The only Parks character that approaches the overweening narcissism of the average 30 Rock character is Aziz Ansari’s well-intentioned Tom Haverford. The half-hour each week I devote to Amy Poehler’s Leslie Knope, Nick Offerman’s uproarious Ron Swanson and the rest of the city officials in Pawnee, Ind., is tops for pure relaxation and sitcom bliss. — Nick Purdy
7. How I Met Your Mother (CBS)
A replacement for anyone who misses Friends, CBS’ only great sitcom has given us Barney Stinson (Neil Patrick Harris), one of the most egocentric, hilarious TV characters this decade. Once you get past the laugh track, the show is truly, as Barney would say, “legend—wait for it—ary.” — Kate Kiefer
6. The Office (NBC)
NBC’s remake of Ricky Gervais’ masterpiece has certainly seen better days. It’s been a while (since Michael Scott’s last dinner party, to be precise) since the show really made us squirm with delicious discomfort in a way that only Scott’s lack of self-awareness ever could. Still, the characters we got to know back in 2005 were so wonderfully crafted that they show little wear and tear after six seasons, even when the show’s central romantic tension is long gone. Long live Dunder-Mifflin. — Josh Jackson
5. It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia (FX)
Blatant nihilism and self-absorption makes for pretty funny television—shows like Arrested Development and Curb Your Enthusiasm are proof-positive of this new maxim. But onscreen celebrations of this emotional insularity are usually somewhat self-aware. It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphiatakes this über-ironic humor to it’s logical conclusion: amoral sociopaths who think they’re lovable sitcom archetypes (whence “The Gang”). Your jaw will drop and you’ll squirm in your seat when you hear Frank dismiss his daughter Dee’s pregnancy with a deadpan “Do yourself a favor and flush it out.” And then, despite yourself, you’ll laugh until your sides hurt. — Michael Saba
4. Party Down (Starz)
Underneath the white button-downs and ridiculous pink bow-ties, the employees of L.A.‘s Party Down catering company are writers, actors, comedians and aspiring restaurant franchise owners—but it hardly matters to the folks they’re pushing appletinis and crudites for. What could easily be a bleak, recession-era tale of thwarted egos—or worse, just another exercise in “awkward!”—skirts both entirely; it surely doesn’t hurt that the cast draws from the Christopher Guest and Judd Apatow universes, or that Paul Rudd is one of the dudes at the helm. Care for a cheese cube with that quiet desperation? — Rachael Maddux
3. Community (NBC)
Community is a show suffused with pop culture. Almost every episode’s plot has been done by a sit-com or movie previously, but Community revels in its referentiality. Nearly everyone watching Community has spent countless hours watching other TV sitcoms and trashy Hollywood movies. The characters of Community have done the same, and aside from Abed’s encyclopedic knowledge of pop culture, they respond to clichéd show tropes in the same way you do. They know that Jeff is the cool guy, that Britta has been set up as a romantic interest regardless of the lack of chemistry between the two characters. They know that Pierce is comic relief and that they’re the center of the universe because they’re TV characters. They’ve managed to take the oldest jokes in the book and make them completely new. — Sean Gandert
2. 30 Rock (NBC)
The spiritual successor to Arrested Development, 30 Rock succeeded where its competition failed thanks to star/creator Tina Fey. 30 Rock never loses track of its focus and creates a surprisingly deep character for the its circus to spin around. But Fey’s not the only one that makes the series. Consistently spot-on performances by Tracy Morgan—whether frequenting strip clubs or a werewolf bar mitzvah—and Alec Baldwin’s evil plans for microwave-television programming create a perfect level of chaos for the show’s writers to unravel every week. It may be a little off its game, this season, but an average episode of 30 Rock is still better than a good episode of almost any other sitcom. — Sean Gandert
1. Modern Family (ABC)
The funniest debut season of a sitcom in a long while belongs to Modern Family on ABC. The story of three inter-related families works because its characters seem familiar to life but fresh to the screen. Not that the show is above archetypes: There’s the rebellious teen seduced by popularity, the beautiful Colombian second wife, the trying-too-hard-to-be-cool dad, the patriarch who doesn’t like to show affection, the flamboyantly gay boyfriend. But it’s not taken long for TV veterans Christopher Lloyd and Steven Levitan to let each character’s uniqueness flourish through the myriad relationships within the family.
We’ve seen Jay Pritchart (Married With Children‘s Ed O’Neill) struggle to relate with his new stepson Manny and his son-in-law Phil, but surprisingly connect with Cameron—his gay son’s boyfriend—over football. We’ve seen 10-year-old Manny give parenting advice to Jay’s daughter Claire and fight with Claire’s slow-witted, hyper son Luke (technically, his nephew). And then the cameo from Jay’s first wife, played by Shelley Long, took the craziness to a whole new level (as Cameron says, “There’s a fish in nature that swims around with its babies in its mouth. That fish would look at Mitchell’s relationship with his mother and say, ’That’s messed up.’”)
There’s dysfunction here, and while a meanness sometimes creeps in, there’s also as much love for these characters as there is laughter at their expense. Mitchell’s tendencies to get uptight are mellowed by Cameron’s constant joviality. Jay’s crotchetiness is mitigated by his wife Gloria’s vivaciousness. Even Phil, the show’s version of The Office’s Michael Scott—with no self-awareness and a self-sabotaging quest to seem hip—is protected from his own antics by a loving wife.
It’s these relationships that make even a completely messed-up family a valuable thing. No matter how bad things get in this Modern Family, it always beats the alternative of not having each other. They’re flawed individuals, offering only broken bits of love to one another, but that’s more than enough to cling to. As Dylan, the boyfriend of Claire’s oldest daughter so sweetly an wisely said—before breaking into a song about Haley with the lyrics, “I just want to do you, do you” in front of the family—“You’re reaching out, trying to hold on to something awesome… Haley’s got the kind of confidence that you get from having a family like this that’s passionate and accepting of hot foreigners and gay dudes and nutty people—you know, family that actually loves each other.”
Despite a heap of critical acclaim, Southland got the axe earlier this week. NBC gave fans the kind of surprise that happens all too often when smart TV shows are still trying to find an audience. We wanted to look back on other TV series that were canceled too soon. A half-dozen networks are represented here, but it seems like Fox and ABC are the quickest to give up on great television. A couple animated shows—Futurama and Family Guy—managed to survive the first cancellation, and it’s still possible that Southland will find a home on cable. But those are the exceptions. These 15 classic shows all died too young.
Andy Barker P.I. (32 episodes; Sept. 26, 2007 – April 8, 2009; NBC)
Before Jason Schwartzman was privately investigating without a license in Bored to Death, Andy Richter and Arrested Development’s Tony Hale did things the suburban-strip-mall way in this half-hour comedy. Andy Richter Controls the Universe was another short-lived gem on Fox in 2002-03.
Fans rallied to bring Jericho back after its first cancellation, but they were more successful at rallying the loyal base than converting casual viewers, and it CBS killed the post-apocalyptic drama a second time in 2008. Now all we’re left with are the hopes that NBC’s Day One doesn’t suck.
Prior to Pushing Daisies, Star Trek writer Bryan Fuller co-created the equally quirky Wonderfalls in which an overeducated sales clerk received strange advice from inanimate figurines. After only four episodes and a confusing time-slot change, Fox gave up on the show, and the single season finally aired on Logo in the summer of 2005.
12. Love Monkey (8 episodes; Jan. 17, 2006 – May 16, 2006; CBS, VH1)
After Ed, Tom Cavenaugh briefly starred in a quirky dramedy as a record-label exec who left a major label to work at an indie upstart. It was fun, particularly since it delved into familiar territory for those of us at Paste. After three-episodes which featured cameos from Ben Folds, Aimee Mann and James Blunt, CBS pulled the plug, and VH1 aired the remaining five episodes.
11. Dead Like Me (29 episodes; June 27, 2003 – Oct. 31, 2004; Showtime)
The grim reaper is an 18-year-old directionless college drop-out named Georgia Lass whose post-life boss is a bank robber who died in the 1920s played by Mandy Patinkin. But, sadly, her on-air life was even shorter.
Judd Apatow’s follow-up to Freaks and Geeks focused on a group of college freshmen in the early 2000s. _Freaks_’ Seth Rogen was among the main cast, and guests and regulars included Seth Rogen, Busy Phillips, Will Ferrell, Amy Poehler, Ben Stiller, Jenna Fisher and Felicia Day.
9. Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip (22 episodes; Sept. 18, 2006 – June 28, 2007; NBC)
From the first cold open and Judd Hirsch’s on-air Network moment to Jordan McDeere (Amanda Peet), Matt Albie (Matthew Perry) and Danny Tripp (Bradley Whitford) taking control, Aaron Sorkin’s snappy dialogue and scrappy idealism seemed to find the perfect outlet in a drama about a sketch comedy show. But the ratings never materialized, and NBC stuck with the comedy show about a comedy show—30 Rock—instead.
8. Veronica Mars (64 episodes; Sept. 22, 2004 – May 22, 2007; UPN, The CW)
Paste’s James South wrote at the end of the show’s first season, “Kristen Bell uncannily portrays Veronica as simultaneously smart, vulnerable, tough and injured. The remaining cast is uniformly good, but Jason Dohring as Logan Echolls (Duncan’s best friend and Lilly’s former boyfriend) deserves special mention for the combination of cockiness and hurt he brings to his character. It’s a thematically compelling, stylistically coherent and fully realized TV show.”
When this quirky drama was canceled, _Paste_’s Jeremy Medina wrote: “The fact that I hadn’t ever really seen anything like Pushing Daisies should have been my first clue it was headed toward the graveyard. In this day and age—where crime shows, hospital dramas and reality TV dominate the Nielsen’s top tier—there isn’t much room on network television for anything outside of the status quo. Pushing Daisies was just too inventive, too ingenious, and just too damn cute to survive in these turbulent TV times. So it goes.”
6. My So Called Life (19 episodes; Aug. 25, 1994 – Jan. 26, 1995; ABC)
The nervous hair-flip, semi-requited love and existential confusion of Claire Danes’ Angela Chase made the world less-lonely for the sort of artsy grunge-era high school kids who would go on to rule the world—or at least work at indie magazines.
Leave it to Joss Whedon to dream up a space show without aliens. The smart writing he brought to Buffy turned the universe into one big frontier, where those who didn’t conform to authoritarian rule were forced to eke out their livings among outlying planets where the long arm of the law can’t follow. Watch the way-too-short lived series in full before finishing with Serenity.
4. Sports Night (45 episodes; Sept. 22, 1998 – May 16, 2000; ABC)
More than the rapid-fire dialogue or deft blend of comedy and drama, it’s the utter competence of the sportscasters and producers that quickly separates Sports Night from the other 30-minute laugh-tracked TV shows of the ’90s. The bosses are smart and helpful, except when they’re meddlesome network executives. You’re held accountable for mistakes, but your co-workers always have your back. Instead of the classic reliance on miscommunication for situational comedy, the tension arises from a pressure to excel in the national spotlight, and the humor comes from genuinely funny characters.With film-worthy writing and one of the best casts ever assembled for a sitcom (Robert Guillaume shone both pre- and post-stroke and William H. Macy was a regular guest), Sports Night changed the trajectory of television. It was a half-hour comedy with better, more emotional storylines than most hour-long dramas. It was one of the first hybrids of a multi-camera and single-camera show, benefiting from the strengths of both approaches. And its echoes could be felt in some of the best shows that followed: the volleys of witty repartee between Lorelai and Rory Gilmore, The Sopranos’ psychiatrist scenes, and the meta-story lines about the show’s impending cancellation in Arrested Development.
3. Twin Peaks (30 episodes; April 8, 1990 – June 10, 1991; ABC)
The surprising thing about David Lynch and Mark Frost’s weirdly wonderful series was not that it got canceled, but that it ever found a home on a broadcast network in 1990. Fortunately David Lynch went on to direct Mulholland Drive and blog about the weather, and Frost went on to, er, co-write The Fantastic Four.
2. Freaks and Geeks (Sept. 25, 1999 – July 8, 2000, NBC)
Judd Apatow’s short-lived comedy made stars out of Seth Rogen, Jason Segel, James Franco and Linda Cardellini. But just about everyone from the show has stayed busy in film and TV. Says Paste TV reviewer Sean Gandert: “It featured the same jocks and pimples and every other cliché the genre can offer, not only because its audience expected it, but also because that’s what high school is all about. By embracing these tropes (rather than pretending they’re mere clichés), Freaks managed to transcend the genre, focusing on human interaction and, above all, character. Ultimately, it’s this focus on character that turned another typical high-school sitcom into an incredibly funny and moving show.”
1. Arrested Development (53 episodes, Oct. 19, 2004 – December 6, 2006; Fox)
Fox had one of the best shows of the last decade on its hands, but decided to dump the show’s final four episodes unceremoniously in one block opposite the Opening Ceremonies for the 2006 Winter Olympic Games. We’re still not over it.
TV comedies are evolving—(mostly) gone are the days of laugh tracks and predictable one-liners. With many of television’s boundaries thoroughly pushed already, shows that don’t do something new can seem stale and unoriginal.
If a series is going to survive past its pilot, it needs to explore some aspect of life that we haven’t laughed at a million times before—even if that means mining the most unpleasant of topics. Some of the best comedies out there have found hilarity in the tragic, with new shows like Wilfred making punch lines out of failed suicide attempts.
Here are ten TV shows that can make us squirm as they present the darkest situations in a new light.
10. The Big C When Cathy Jamison finds out that she’s got cancer, she decides that putting on a happy face and trying to think positively just isn’t for her. Instead, the high school teacher and mother starts to live recklessly, kicking out her husband, buying a new car, and having an affair.
9. Weeds If you haven’t already blazed through a season or two of Weeds on your Netflix queue, the series starts off in the quiet suburbs of Agrestic as Nancy Botwin struggles to support her family following the death of her husband. As the title suggests, she finds an unlikely source of income by selling the green stuff to the untapped market of upper-class socialites in her neighborhood. Of course her involvement with drug dealers gets her into more and more trouble, and as each season progresses, her situation spirals further out of control, but it’s a train wreck from which you can’t look away.
8. Shameless William H. Macy brings plenty of uncomfortable laughs to this series as Frank Gallagher, an alcoholic deadbeat dad raising a family of delinquents in the slums of Chicago. Since their father is almost always under the influence of something (or passed out on the living room floor), the kids find their own ways of supporting themselves while not exactly obeying all the rules themselves.
7. United States of Tara Created by Diablo Cody and Steven Spielberg, this edgy little comedy centers around Tara Gregson, a mother and wife with dissociative identity disorder, causing her alternate personalities to take over whenever she’s stressed. At the beginning of the series, Tara has three alters: Alice, a housewife straight out of a 1950s sitcom; T, a flirty, out-of-control 16-year-old girl; and Buck, a manly war vet. More personalities are introduced as the show progresses, but unfortunately the series’ final episode aired last month.
6. Californication This Showtime series isn’t all beaches and sex scenes as the name suggests—though the latter is definitely a big part of it. At the start of the show, David Duchovny is introduced as Hank Moody, an oversexed, recently dumped novelist with writer’s block. Hank’s promiscuous qualities often get him into trouble, most notably when he sleeps with his ex-girlfriend’s boyfriend’s 16-year-old daughter. Yeah, it gets a little complicated, but somehow the show keeps you rooting for Duchovny’s dirtbag character.
5. Eastbound & Down With an endorsement deal from K-Swiss, Danny McBride’s alter-ego Kenny Powers may soon be bigger than McBride himself. Powers is a washed up baseball player whose fall from grace leads him back to his hometown. He immediately starts training in hopes of returning to the majors—though his fondness for anything from booze to ecstasy often slows his progress.
4. Scrubs The now-retired medical sitcom is syndicated on so many channels that the re-runs are almost inescapable. But with all of J.D.’s wacky fantasies and heartwarming sentiments, it can be easy to forget that the show actually employs some pretty dark humor. The main characters do work in a hospital after all, and the show often finds them lightening up situations of death and disease with some much-needed comic relief.
3. South Park The most offensive cartoon (maybe even just TV show, period) is now into its 15th season, and you can’t imagine that series creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone could’ve known the disgusting, vile things their characters would get into back when they were cutting them out of construction paper. The show has always pushed the limits, however: The Simpsonsdefinitely wasn’t killing off a main character on every episode back in the ’90s.
2. It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia The idea behind Sunny is simple yet brilliant—bring together the most narcissistic and cruel characters imaginable and let them wreak havoc on the world. Dennis, Dee, Mac, Charlie, and Frank all run Patty’s Pub together, though that endeavor never seems to keep them occupied for long. To entertain themselves, the group hatches one scheme after another. “The D.E.N.N.I.S. System,” for example, is Dennis’ foolproof method for manipulating women’s emotions so that they’ll fall in love with him. To give you an idea of how it works, the strategic acronym begins with “Demonstrate value” and ends with “Separate entirely.”
1. Louie Louis C.K. manages to make the most tragic and taboo situations hilarious in his stand-up routine, so it only made sense that his show on FX wouldn’t pull any punches either. Playing a fictionalized version of himself, the comedian gets divorced, copes with aging, and, most recently in the show, watches a homeless man get beheaded by a bus. A huge amount of self-loathing and depression runs throughout the entire series, yet despite being a gigantic bummer, Louie includes enough subtle winks to the audience to remain one of the best comedies on television.
Stargate:Universe is just latest in a long line of sci-fi and fantasy TV shows to get me hooked. I originally ran this list on my High Gravity blog, but here it is with a bit of tweaking. And apologies to all Babylon 5 fans; it's still not on among the Top 10.
10. Dr. Who Originally launched in 1963, The Doctor has once-again returned to the TV screen, traveling through time and space in the TARDIS, an antiquated and surprisingly spacious blue police box. The special effects may have gotten marginally better, but the camp has stayed the same. Recent spin-offs including the highly addictive (though strangely both campy and serious) Torchwood. 9. Stargate SG-1 Based on a mediocre movie with a good premise—that all of our mythology was the result of alien contact with our ancestors—the 10 seasons of SG-1 brought back good clean star trekking fun, complete with its own Spock (Teal'c) and a team leader played by MacGyver. Stargate:Atlantis has kept the spirit of its predecessor alive and well. 8. Farscape "My name is John Crichton, an astronaut. A radiation wave hit and I got shot through a wormhole. Now I'm lost in some distant part of the universe on a ship, a living ship, full of strange alien life forms. Help me. Listen, please. Is anybody out there who can hear me? I'm being hunted... by an insane military commander. I'm doing everything I can. I'm just looking for a way home." So begins the adventures of a modern man from earth, where some of the creatures look a lot like muppets (it's a Jim Henson production, after all). Like Lexx without all the sexual innuendo, a group of refugees are forced to coexist aboard a living ship. It's dark without being dreary.
7. Firefly Leave it to Joss Whedon to dream up a space show without aliens. The smart writing he brought to Buffy turned the universe into one big frontier, where those who didn't conform to authoritarian rule were forced to eke out their livings among outlying planets where the long arm of the law can't follow. Watch the way-too-short lived series in full before finishing with Serenity.
6. The Twilight Zone
Criminally left off the original list, Rod Sterling's original series burned itself into the imaginations of generations of sci-fi fans, getting revived in the '80s and the '00s and inspiring countless plotlines in many of the other shows on this list. 5. The X-Files Pairing Scully the skeptic and Mulder the believer as they investigated the paranormal, The X-Files at its best was as good as any other TV show in history. Its greatness waned in the later years, but the early seasons did more than investigate the implausible; it accomplished it by taking aliens and conspiracy theories to the mainstream. 4. Buffy the Vampire Slayer Based on a terrible movie with a mediocre premise—that a high school was built on the hellmouth where vampires, demons and other various devil-spawn would creep into California—Buffy became a surprising hit, even among academia ("Buffy studies" classes became popular after the series concluded). The show tackled teen issue as well as My So Called Life, metaphysical questions as well as The X-Files, all while a female protagonist fought like Bruce Lee.
3. Lost J.J. Abrams convinced viewers to watch his sci-fi show by taking his sweet time to reveal that it was a sci-fi show. Filled with exceptional characters (man, I miss Mr. Eko), clever structures (flash forwards?), moral conundrums and more plot twists and hidden clues than 1200 websites can keep straight, it's kept the water cooler interesting the last seven years.
2. Star Trek: The Next Generation The original series was pioneering. Deep Space Nine and Voyager had their moments. But TNG was head-and-shoulders the greatest Star Trekfranchise. Jean Luc Picard. Data. Worf. The holodeck. The Borg. Gene Roddenbury must not have had a cynical bone in his body, and watching his characters explore strange new worlds, seek out new life and new civilizations, and boldly go where no one has gone before, I didn't either.
1. Battlestar Galactica Based on a mediocre TV show with a great premise—robots annihilate most of humanity; the remnant search for earth—Ronald D. Moore's reimagined version has become the greatest sci-fi show in history. With gritty realism, the last remaining military ship feels like it's in a constant state of repair, like humanity is being held together with duct tape. The show explores major themes—politics, religion, terror, marriage, humanity, sacrifice, pragmatism, personal failure, free press, free speech, loyalty—while keeping the plot moving forward with every episode. Long live Commander Adama.
As the vitality of sketch comedy moves increasingly online thanks to sites like Funny or Die and series like Between Two Ferns, it’s encouraging that television can still surprise us with a show like Portlandia. In honor of its return for a second season on IFC, here are our picks for the 11 best sketch comedy shows of all time.
11. The State (1993-1995) Network:MTV Introduced the world to: Michael Ian Black, Michael Showalter, David Wain, Ken Marino, Kerri Kenney-Silver
Somewhere between its existence as a music channel and its current reality TV slate, MTV had a wonderful, short-lived half-hour sketch comedy show which never quite found its audience among the network’s teen viewers.
10. A Bit of Fry & Laurie (1989-1985) Network:BBC Introduced the world to: Stephen Fry, Hugh Laurie
The British—they have the charm and the accent and the overwhelming ability to take an average phrase, like oh lets say, “Please Mr. Music, will you play?” and turn it into a ridiculous cocktail name catchphrase that prompts an even more absurd dance. BBC’s sketch comedy A Bit of Fry & Lauriestarred former Cambridge Footlights members Stephen Fry and Hugh Laurie, who followed a strict agenda of wordplay, fourth wall breaking, political bashing, instrument playing, elaborate innuendos and singing numbers. With Noel Edmonds as a frequent target and The Beatles and Elvis tributes in between, it’s no wonder DVD releases have found new fans since their 2006 release.—Kristen Blanton
9. Mr. Show with Bob and David (1995-1998) Network:HBO Introduced the world to: Bob Odenkirk, David Cross, Jack Black, Paul F. Thompkins, Sarah Silverman, Brian Posehn
Mr. Show with Bob and David was the brainchild of former SNL writer Bob Odenkirk and stand-up extraordinaire David Cross. Its ability to push the boundaries and absurd sketches helped separate the show from other more traditional shows. The series mocked series topics like Satanism, after-school specials and the Ku Klux Klan, which helped make it a cult hit in the late ’90s.—Adam Vitcavage
8. In Living Color (1990-1994) Network: Fox Introduced the world to: Damon Wayans, Keenen Ivory Wayans, David Alan Grier, Jim Carrey, Jamie Foxx, Jennifer Lopez
In Living Color was the first sketch show with a predominantly African-American cast to burst out onto the scene. The Wayans family created an edgy program where comics were able to speak freely, helping launch the careers of Jamie Foxx and Jim Carrey, one of the few white members of the show. Notable sketches like Fire Marshall Bill and an Arsenio Hall parody have been revered over time and helped revive the show. Two half-hour specials will air later this year with the option for bringing it back for a full season.—Adam Vitcavage
7. Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In (1968-1973) Network:NBC Introduced the world to: Dick Martin, Dan Rowan, Goldie Hawn, Ruth Buzzi, Lily Tomlin, Lorne Michaels
The precursor to Saturday Night Live was rooted in vaudeville humor, more politically charged and risqué than sketch comedies like The Red Skelton Show, which had come before. It also featured some of the first music videos on television and a guest appearance from political candidate Richard Nixon.
6. SCTV (1976-1984) Network:CBC/NBC Introduced the world to: John Candy, Eugene Levy, Catherine O’Hara, Rick Moranis, Harold Ramis, Martin Short, Dave Thomas, Andrea Martin
Before Wayne’s World, local TV was spoofed by Andrew Alexander’s Second City troupe via SCTV, the fake channel from Melonville, Ontario which included clips from “The Great White North” with Bob & Doug McKenzie.
5. The Carol Burnett Show (1967-1978) Network:CBS Introduced the world to: Carol Burnett, Harvey Korman, Tim Conway, Vicki Lawrence
Parodying Hollywood with “As the Stomach Turns” and “Went with the Wind,” it was a ratings and critical success for most of its 11-year run. The skit “The Family” even spun-off into its own show, Mama’s Family. Burnett addressed gender issues in this Star Trek spoof:
4. The Kids In the Hall (1988-1995) Network:CBC/HBO Introduced the world to: Dave Foley, Kevin McDonald, Bruce McCulloch, Neve Campbell
The Kids in the Hall first unleashed their quirky take on sketch comedy in 1988 in Canada on the CBC network. The group—which included Dave Foley, Kevin McDonald, Bruce McCulloch, Mark McKinney and Scott Thompson—was best known for memorable characters like Headcrusher, the It’s a Fact! girl, and Gavin. And although the show only lasted for five seasons, it left behind unforgettably hilarious sketches like Bobby vs. the Deviland Things to Do;Tyler Kane
3. Chapelle’s Show (2003-2006) Network: Comedy Central Introduced the world to: Dave Chappelle, Samuel L. Jackson Beer
In the last decade, no comedian made racially tense, cringe-worthy moments funnier than Dave Chappelle. His show, dubbed simply Chappelle’s Show, originally aired on Comedy Central in 2003, and its three seasons spawned instantly quotable characters. With characters ranging from the blind white supremacist Clayton Bigsby, who didn’t know he was actually black, to Tyrone Biggums, the high-voiced crack addict that always reminds the audience “I smoke rocks,” Chappelle and long-time collaborator Charlie Murphy cemented their spots among the greats of sketch comedy.—Tyler Kane
2. Saturday Night Live (1975-present) Network:NBC Introduced the world to: Dan Akroyd, John Belushi, Chevy Chase, Jane Curtin, Bill Murray, Gilda Radner, Harry Shearer, Al Franken, Eddie Murphy, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Martin Short, Dana Carvey, Phil Hartman, Mike Myers, Kevin Nealon, Chris Farley, Chris Rock, Adam Sandler, Will Ferrell, Jimmy Fallon, Tina Fey, Tracy Morgan, Amy Poehler, Fred Armisen, Bill Hader, Andy Samberg, Kristen Wiig
While SNL has had its share of comic peaks and valleys, no other show has launched more comic stars, earning 142 Emmy nominations and spawning 11 (mostly terrible) movies along the way. Every time its stars have moved on, they’ve only made way for a new crop of talent to eventually fill the void.
1. Monty Python’s Flying Circus (1969-1974) Network:BBC Introduced the world to: John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Michael Palin, Graham Chapman, Terry Jones
The six Brits in Monty Python created, wrote and acted in the groundbreaking series, giving them the freedom to experiment with form and content and redefine what sketch comedy could be. Unlike SNL, the troupe were masters at keeping skits from dragging by interrupting weaker segments by dropping animated weights on characters or having an unrelated character barge in declaring things have become “far too silly” before moving on to something completely different. Often absurd (“The Ministry of Silly Walks,” “Self-Defense Agaist Fresh Fruit,” “The Fish-Slapping Dance”), almost always cutting edge, this is comedy that’s only gotten better with age.
If the last few years of television were all about the rise of reality, 2012 was marked by a resurgence of the sitcom. Just looking at some of the supporting cast members in the list below—Zach Galifianakis, Danny DeVito, Alec Baldwin, Rob Lowe and Chevy Chase—it’s been a while since sitcoms have been this strong. Here are our 10 favorites of the bunch.
10. New Girl Creator: Elizabeth Meriwether Stars: Zooey Deschanel, Jake Johnson, Max Greenfield, Lamorne Morris, Hannah Simone Network:FOX Moving way past “too adorably quirky” into the territory of “so self-consciously too adorably quirky that it’s funny,” Deschanel circles all the way back to her old charming self in this fall debut. The supporting cast of male roommates has helped it find it’s footing since Damon Wayans left after the pilot for another solid new sitcom, Happy Endings.
9. Up All Night Creator: Emily Spivey Stars: Christina Applegate, Maya Rudolph, Jennifer Hall, Will Arnett Network:NBC
Will Arnett and Christina Applegate play a couple with a new baby, but it’s Maya Rudolph as Applegate’s Oprah-like boss Ava Alexander who steals NBC’s best new show this season.
8. Bored To Death Creator: Jonathan Ames Stars: Jason Schwartzman, Zach Galifianakis, Ted Danson Network:HBO Writer Jonathan Ames’ series features Jason Schwartzman as a writer named Jonathan Ames who decides to advertise his private investigative services on Craigslist. Zach Galifianakis plays Ames’ best friend, Ted Danson quickly makes us forget he was ever in Becker, and the parade of guest stars and recurring characters continues this season with Patton Oswalt and Isla Fisher. But it’s Schwartzman’s absurd mix of self-obsession and sincerity that makes the show so fun to watch.—Josh Jackson
7. How I Met Your Mother Creators: Craig Thomas, Carter Bays Stars: Josh Radnor, Jason Segel, Alyson Hannigan, Cobie Smulders, Neil Patrick Harris Network:CBS Very few shows are able to teeter on the tightrope of daytime soap opera and a laugh-out-loud sitcom without going overboard. For over half a decade HIMYM has spun a hilarious tale of how Ted met his children’s mother without growing stale. Sure, fans were starting to grow weary, but since the dramatic and uplifting turn in Marshall and Lily’s life and the return of the Ted-Robin-Barney love triangle, the show is back in top form and geting more like Friends than ever. We’re closing in on a lot of mysteries (Who exactly is the mother? Will Barney marry Robin? How will the baby change the Eriksens?), but so much more has developed to keep us intrigued for a few more seasons. Bonus: Neil Patrick Harris is as loveable as ever.—Adam Vitcavage
6. It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia Creator: Rob McElhenney Stars: Charlie Day, Rob McElhenney, Glenn Howerton, Kaitlin Olson, Danny DeVito Network: FX In its seventh season, It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia continues to surprise, keeping it among FX’s highest-rated shows. This season The Gang has tackled The Jersey Shore, beauty pageants, Facebook and hurricanes, each in a way that only the show’s anti-sitcom mentality could. It’s Always Sunny remains as shocking and consistently hilarious as it’s always been, while becoming self-referential and staying original, even after hitting syndication.—Ross Bonaime
5. Modern Family Creators: Steven Levitan, Christopher Lloyd Stars: Ed O’Neill, Ty Burrell, Sofia Vergara, Julie Bowen, Jessie Tyler Ferguson, Eric Stonestreet Network:ABC Modern Family liberally borrows some of the finest elements of two of the best sitcoms of the last decade: Arrested Development and The Office. But it applies them to one of the greatest ensembles currently on TV, making each family interesting and fun in their own way. Modern Family has been able to take ideas we’ve seen before, but wrap them up in a way that feels fresh each week.—Ross Bonaime
4. Louie Creator: Louis C.K. Stars: Louis C.K., Hadley Delany, Pamela Adlon Network: FX When life gives you lemons, you can make lemonade. But as comedian-turned-divorced dad Louis C.K. proves on a week-to-week basis, you don’t have to be happy about it. Louie offers a painfully real but hilarious look at Louis C.K.’s fictional, jaded version of himself and explores the humor in divorce, aging and parenthood.—Tyler Kane
3.. 30 Rock Creator: Tina Fey Stars: Tina Fey, Tracy Morgan, Jane Krakowski, Jack McBrayer, Scott Adsit, Judah Friedlander, Alec Baldwin Network:NBC Season Five of Tina Fey’s oft-celebrated sitcom helped re-establish the show’s critical clout after what was considered a relatively weak fourth season. With varying degrees of success, Fey and company experimented with form more than ever with a two-hour “100th episode” special, an episode recorded live à la classic sitcoms, and even an entire episode stylized as a fictional reality TV show starring Tracy Jordan’s wife. That adventurousness aside, 30 Rock’s fifth season faced a tremendous obstacle: Central actor Tracy Morgan underwent an emergency operation related to diabetes during production, forcing him to miss several episodes. The show headed off this potential debacle with finesse, which is a further testament to the strength of the comedic interplay between Fey and Alec Baldwin.—John Barrett
2. Parks and Recreation Creators: Greg Daniels, Michael Schur Stars: Amy Poehler, Nick Offerman, Aziz Ansari, Adam Scott, Rob Lowe, Chris Pratt, Aubrey Plaza, Rashida Jones Network:NBC Parks and Recreation started its run as a fairly typical mirror of The Office, but in its third season, the student became the master. As it’s fleshed out with oddballs and unusual city quirks, Pawnee has become the greatest television town since Springfield. The show flourished this year with some of the most unique and interesting characters in comedy today. With one of the greatest writing staffs of any show right now, Parks and Recreation is only getting better with time. —Ross Bonaime
1. Community Stars: Joel McHale, Donald Glover, Danny Pudi, Alison Brie, Gillian Jacobs, Yvette Nicole Brown, Ken Jeong, Chevy Chase Network:NBC There are so many aspects of Community that are fresh, smart and creative that it’s beyond head-scratching that the entire world isn’t walking around quoting lines from the sitcom. For two-and-a-half seasons now we’ve followed Jeff Winger and his merry study group around a community college campus, hanging onto every pop-culture reference and absurd plotline, like we’d never heard or seen them before. But we have heard and seen them, just never taken to their ridiculous extremes. And that’s why Community is such a top-notch show. Dan Harmon has created a world that we feel a part of. We know how ridiculous it is, and so do the characters. We love the gang because we can hang out with them and know that they’ll love us back just as much.—Adam Vitcavage
In this fall’s TV landscape, there were only two new shows this fall that kept my attention: Boardwalk Empire and The Walking Dead. But there’s plenty of great television that I missed the first time around, and lately I’ve caught up on several of those shows via Netflix’s Instant. Frankly, shows that are serial in nature are more enjoyable in spurts, rather than weekly episodes. Plus you can now catch these shows on your computer, iPhone, iPad, XBox 360 or Wii. We found 20 quality TV shows (several which made our of list of the 20 Best Shows of the Decade) available right now streaming into your home or wherever you happen to be. (Or you can always just rent them at your local DVD store).
1. Arrested Development Creator: Mitch Hurwitz Stars: Jason Bateman, Will Arnett, Portia de Rossi, Tony Hale, David Cross, Michael Cera, Jeffrey Tambor, Jessica Walter, Alia Shawkat, Ron Howard Original Network: Fox
Mitch Hurwitz’ sitcom about a “wealthy family who lost everything and the one son who had no choice but to keep them all together” debuted six weeks after Two and a Half Men, but never gathered the audience to keep the show alive. Still, Hurwitz packed a whole lot of awesome into three short seasons. How much awesome? Well, there was the chicken dance, for starters. And Franklin’s “It’s Not Easy Being White.” There was Ron Howard’s spot-on narration, and Tobias Funke’s Blue Man ambitions. There was Mrs. Featherbottom and Charlize Theron as Rita, Michael Bluth’s mentally challenged love interest. Not since Seinfeld has a comic storyline been so perfectly constructed, with every loose thread tying so perfectly into the next act: The Oedipal Buster spiting his mother Lucille by dating her friend Lucille, and eventually losing his hand to a hungry loose seal; George Michael crushing on his cousin only to have the house cave in when they finally kiss; the “Save Our Bluths” campaign trying to simultaneously rescue the family and rescue the show from cancellation. Arrested Development took self-referencing postmodernism to an absurdist extreme, jumping shark after shark, but that was the point. They even brought on the original shark-jumper—Henry Winkler—as the family lawyer. And when he was replaced, naturally, it was by Scott Baio. Each of the Bluth family members was among the best characters on television, and Jason Bateman played a brilliant straight man to them all. The show was canned three years ago. Meanwhile, Two and a Half Men is still trotting out new episodes. What the hell is wrong with you, America? Josh Jackson
2. The Office * Creators: Ricky Gervais, Stephen Merchant Stars:BBC: Ricky Gervais, Martin Freeman, Mackenzie Crook, Lucy Davis, Oliver Chris, Patrick Baladi, Stacey Roca, Ralph Ineson, Stirling Gallacher;NBC: Steve Carell John Krasinski, Rainn Wilson, Jenna Fischer, B. J. Novak, Oscar Nunez, Brian Baumgartner, Angela Kinsey, Ed Helms, Creed Bratton, Phyllis Smith, Leslie David Baker, Kate Flannery, Mindy Kaling, Paul Lieberstein Original Networks:BBC, NBC
Ricky Gervais’ immortal Britcom deserves full marks for establishing this comedy franchise that killed the laugh track and introduced us to a hilarious bunch of paper-pushing mopes. Defying expectations that it would pale in comparison, NBC’s Office has become an institution unto itself. At its best, the American version is just as awkward as its predecessor, while showing a lot more heart than the gang could muster in sooty old England. Both the original and the American update are currently available on Netflix Instant. Nick Marino
3. Dexter Creator: James Manos Jr. Stars: Michael C. Hall, Julie Benz, Jennifer Carpenter, Desmond Harrington, Erik King, C.S. Lee, Lauren Vélez, David Zayas, James Remar Original Network: Showtime
Dexter Morgan is a family man and a blood-splatter analyst for the Miami Police Department. Oh, and a serial killer. The fact that Dexter is governed by a strict moral code, only preying on murderers, makes the series uniquely fascinating and challenging—as a viewer, you find yourself rooting for a killer, caring for his family, hoping he’ll do the right thing, and wondering: Can slicing someone to pieces and dumping the body in the ocean ever be right? Kate Kiefer
4. Battlestar Galactica Creators: Glen A. Larson (original), Ronald D. Moore, David Eick Stars: Edward James Olmos, Mary McDonnell, Katee Sackhoff, Jamie Bamber, James Callis, Michael Hogan, Aaron Douglas, Tricia Heifer, Grace Park, Tahmoh Penikett Original Network: Sci-Fi (SyFy)
Ronald D. Moore turned a cheesy ’70s show into a gritty, unflinching look at what it means to be human, and ended up with one of the best sci-fi series of all time. With the crew of Galactica encountering no aliens during its exodus, the show was free to pit religion against science, freedom against security and family against conscience—tensions with no easy answers. It’s an epic tale with few villains and fewer heroes—just flawed people fighting for survival. Josh Jackson
5. Buffy the Vampire Slayer Creator: Joss Whedon Stars: Sarah Michelle Gellar, Nicholas Brendon, Alyson Hannigan, Charisma Carpenter, David Boreanaz, Seth Green, Marc Blucas, Emma Caulfield, Michelle Trachtenberg, Amber Benson, James Marsters, Anthony Stewart Head Networks: The WB, UPN
Buffy the Vampire Slayer had it all: Romance, drama, tragedy, suspense. The show took the teen-soap formula and elevated it to an art. It was a unique combination of tragic romance, apocalyptic fantasy and the clincher—emotional realism. It also featured the most serious and realistic depiction of human loss ever witnessed on the small screen (in “The Body,” dealing with the death of Buffy’s mom by natural causes). Humor? The writers understood the campy sheen that must accompany any show named Buffy. They also knew how to use snappy dialogue and uncomfortable situations to full effect. Complex characters? You’d be hard pressed to find another program that had the same range and consistency of character development. Everyone matured (or devolved) at his or her own realistic rate. As some feminist writers have argued, TV had never before seen the complexity of relationships among women that you saw with the likes of Buffy, Willow, Joyce and Dawn. Plot? The writers employed elaborate multi-episode, multi-season story arcs. People and events of the past always had a way of popping back up, the way they do in real life. Philosophy? Series creator Joss Whedon was all about the “meta”—the ideas and story behind the story. Each season had a driving concept, and he explored an astonishingly wide range of topics. Quick asides referencing Sartre or Aquinas were as at home as the pop-culture references. The show spawned an active academic community around it (see “Buffy studies” at Wikipedia.org). Whedon wanted his heroine to be iconic. As he put it, “I wanted people to embrace it in a way that exists beyond, ‘Oh, that was a wonderful show about lawyers; let’s have dinner.’” He succeeded, creating a WB/UPN show that bears closer resemblance to the works of Dostoevsky and Kafka than 90210 or Dawson’s Creek. Tim Regan-Porter
6. Angel Creators: Joss Whedon, David Greenwalt Stars: David Boreanaz, Charisma Carpenter, Glenn Quinn, Alexis Denisof, J. August Richards, Amy Acker Original Networks: The WB, UPN
I’ve been watching Buffy straight through for the first time, and I took a break after the fourth season to watch its spin-off, Angel. I’m loving it every bit as much as Joss Whedon’s first series, especially all the half-demon as illegal alien motifs. If Boreanaz was a little too irritatingly brooding in Buffy, he’s given more depth as the lead.
7. 30 Rock Creator: Nick Stars: Tina Fey, Alec Baldwin, Tracy Morgan, Jane Krakowski, Jack McBrayer, Scott Adsit, Judah Friedlander Original Network:NBC
The spiritual successor to Arrested Development, 30 Rock succeeded where its competition failed by largely ignoring the actual process of creating a TV show and instead focusing on the life of one individual in charge of the process, played by show creator Tina Fey. 30 Rock never loses track of its focus and creates a surprisingly deep character for the its circus to spin around. But Fey’s not the only one that makes the series. Consistently spot-on performances by Tracy Morgan—whether frequenting strip clubs or a werewolf bar mitzvah—and Alec Baldwin’s evil plans for microwave-television programming create a perfect level of chaos for the show’s writers to unravel every week. 30 Rock doesn’t have complex themes or a deep message, but that stuff would get in the way of its goal: having the most consistently funny show on TV. Suffice to say, it’s succeeding. Sean Gandert
8. Friday Night Lights Creator: Peter Berg Stars: Kyle Chandler, Connie Britton, Taylor Kitsch, Jesse Plemons, Aimee Teegarden, Michael B. Jordan, Jurnee Smollett Original Networks:NBC/The 101
Who ever thought football, a sport infamous for its meat-heads and brute force, could be the cornerstone of one of television’s most delicate, affecting dramas? Heart-rending, infuriating, and rife with shattering setbacks and grand triumphs—Friday Night Lights is all of these, and in those ways it resembles the game around which the tiny town of Dillon, Texas, revolves. “Tender” and “nuanced” aren’t words usually applicable to the gridiron, but they fit the bill here, too. Full of heart but hardly saccharine, shot beautifully but hyper-realistically, and featuring a talented cast among which the teenagers and parents are—blessedly—clearly defined, the show manages to convince week after week that, yes, football somehow really is life. Rachael Maddux
9. Weeds Creator: Jenji Kohan Stars: Mary-Louise Parker, Elizabeth Perkins, Hunter Parrish, Alexander Gould, Allie Grant, with Justin Kirk, Kevin Nealon Original Network: Showtime
When widowed soccer mom Nancy Botwin started selling pot in order to maintain her family’s suburban California lifestyle, her life took a turn for the dangerous. Weeds is a dark comedy at its finest—Nancy’s behavior grows progressively darker, but supporting characters like alcoholic neighbor Celia, stoner CPA Doug and irresponsible brother-in-law Andy provide just enough comic relief. Kate Kiefer
10. Family Guy Creator: Seth MacFarlane Stars: Seth MacFarlane, Alex Borstein, Seth Green, Mila Kunis, Mike Henry Original Network:HBO
It’s the show that made Seth MacFarlane a household name, and unfortunately, the one it seems he’ll never top. This is with good reason. MacFarlane created a family that’s easy to relate to despite the fact that it includes a talking dog and an inexplicably British, bloodthirsty infant. Combine the characters’ eccentricities with jokes that (sometimes literally) won’t quit, and you’ve got one of the most important cartoons to grace the small screen. Austin L. Ray
11. Pushing Daisies Creator: Bryan Fuller Stars: Lee Pace, Anna Friel, Chi McBride, Field Cate, Ellen Greene, Swoosie Kurtz, Kristin Chenoweth Original Network:ABC
When this quirky drama was canceled, Paste’s Jeremy Medina wrote: “The fact that I hadn’t ever really seen anything like Pushing Daisies should have been my first clue it was headed toward the graveyard. In this day and age—where crime shows, hospital dramas and reality TV dominate the Nielsen’s top tier—there isn’t much room on network television for anything outside of the status quo. Pushing Daisies was just too inventive, too ingenious, and just too damn cute to survive in these turbulent TV times. So it goes.”
12. Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip Creator: Aaron Sorkin Stars: Matthew Perry, Bradley Whitford, Amanda Peet, Sarah Paulson, Steven Weber, D.L. Hughley, Nate Corddry, Timothy Busfield Original Network:NBC
From the first cold open and Judd Hirsch’s on-air Network moment to Jordan McDeere (Amanda Peet), Matt Albie (Matthew Perry) and Danny Tripp (Bradley Whitford) taking control, Aaron Sorkin’s snappy dialogue and scrappy idealism seemed to find the perfect outlet in a drama about a sketch comedy show. But the ratings never materialized, and NBC stuck with the other comedy show about a comedy show—30 Rock—instead. Unfortunately, it’s the only of Sorkin’s three excellent shows on Netflix Instant. Josh Jackson
13. Firefly Creator: Joss Whedon Stars: Nathan Fillion, Gina Torres, Alan Tudyk, Morena Baccarin, Adam Baldwin, Jewel Staite, Sean Maher, Summer Glau, Ron Glass Original Network: Fox
Leave it to Joss Whedon to dream up a space show without aliens. The smart writing he brought to Buffy turned the universe into one big frontier, where those who didn’t conform to authoritarian rule were forced to eke out their livings among outlying planets where the long arm of the law can’t follow. Watch the way-too-short lived series in full before finishing with Serenity. Josh Jackson
14. Survivors Creator: Terry Nation Stars: Ian McCulloch, Lucy Fleming, Carolyn Seymour, Denis Lill, John Abineri, Celia Gregory, Lorna Lewis Original Network:BBC One
There are no zombies, but the BBC has launched its own apocalyptic series Survivors, that’s currently just six episodes long. A virus has wiped out 99% of the population worldwide, and the story follows an unlikely group of survivors around the City of Manchester, England. Like Battlestar Galactica, it excels at making an epic story about the survival of humanity feel personal and familiar. Led by Abby Grant (Julie Graham), the small gang struggles not only to survive, but to figure out and fight for their own version of a post-apocalyptic future. With all vestiges of civilization gone, the show is a fascinating portrait of those hanging on to its better parts and those letting their more base instincts run wild. But even among those trying to do what’s right, there are major disagreements of what that means. For a government official Samantha Willis (Nikki Amuka-Bird), it’s restoring order at all costs. That eternal struggle between freedom and security quickly becomes central to the plot. Despite its British origin, this is an epic tale that hits close to home. Josh Jackson
15. Veronica Mars Creator: Rob Thomas Stars: Kristen Bell, Percy Daggs III, Teddy Dunn, Jason Dohring, Sydney Tamiia Poitier, Francis Capra, Ryan Hansen Original Networks:UPN, The CW
Kristen Bell uncannily portrays Veronica as simultaneously smart, vulnerable, tough and injured. The remaining cast is uniformly good, but Jason Dohring as Logan Echolls (Duncan’s best friend and Lilly’s former boyfriend) deserves special mention for the combination of cockiness and hurt he brings to his character. It’s a thematically compelling, stylistically coherent and fully realized TV show." James South
16. Doctor Who Creators: Sydney Newman, C. E. Webber, Donald Wilson Stars: Christopher Eccleston, David Tennant, Matt Smith Original Networks:BBC
Originally launched in 1963, The Doctor has once-again returned to the TV screen, traveling through time and space in the TARDIS, an antiquated and surprisingly spacious blue police box. The special effects may have gotten marginally better, but the camp has stayed the same. Two spin-offs are currently running, including the highly addictive (though strangely both campy and serious) Torchwood.
17. Dead Like Me Creator: Bryan Fuller Stars: Ellen Muth, Laura Harris, Callum Blue, Jasmine Guy, Cynthia Stevenson, Mandy Patinkin Original Network: Showtime
The grim reaper is an 18-year-old directionless college drop-out named Georgia Lass whose post-life boss is a bank robber who died in the 1920s played by Mandy Patinkin. But, sadly, her on-air life was even shorter.
18. Louie Creator: Louis C.K. Stars: Louis C.K. Original Network: FX
Louis C.K.‘s hilarious and uncomfortable standup-meets-sitcom show on FX got renewed for a second season, and here’s your chance to catch-up on the first.
19. This American Life Creator: Ira Glass Stars: Ira Glass Original Network: Showtime
After 11 years of making This American Life for Chicago Public Radio, his program is now a Showtime television series. To aid its transition from radio to TV, This American Life’s crew enlisted Adam Beckman—a cinematographer who, in the early ‘90s, made over 80 music videos, including Radiohead’s “High and Dry,” the first three Green Day videos and Naughty By Nature’s hip-pop block-party jam, “OPP.” John Vogel
20. Slings & Arrows Creator: Susan Coyne, Bob Martin, Mark McKinney Stars: Paul Gross, Martha Burns, Stephen Ouimette, Susan Coyne, Mark McKinney, Don McKellar Original Network: The Movie Network
This Canadian black comedy follows a struggling Shakespearean festival, balancing a desire for artistic purity with increasing commercial pressure. A mere 18 episodes over three seasons were enough to make it a cult classic in Canada and in the U.S. where it first aired on the Sundance Channel.
As another fall television season gears up, we furrow our brows and shake our fist-clenched remotes at the latest batch of comedies that won't be getting a Season Pass anytime soon (Sorry, Last Man Standing). There are several exceptions -- including standouts like 30 Rock, Community, Modern Family and Parks & Recreation -- but overall, comedy isn't the dominant force in TV that it once was.
But looking at the history of television, there are plenty of classic programs that have cracked us up through the years. And with that in mind, we were inspired to go back through our TV Guides and DVD collections to assemble a list of the Top 25 Funniest TV Shows of All Time.
Our list spans almost 60 years of television, and our criteria includes legacy factor, impact on the genre, re-run factor (does the comedy still work today?), and that 'ol chestnut Editor's Choice. We should also note that as much as we love series like Parks & Rec and Community, we feel like they are on their way to potential Top 25 status but aren't quite there yet. But let's see what happens if and when we revisit this list one day!
Behold another list of things all of you will agree with absolutely! For those against-the-grain folk out there, drop your personal Top 25 lists in the comments section below.
A show crafted by geeks, for geeks, Spaced launched the careers of Edgar Wright, Simon Pegg and Nick Frost while at the same time introducing the world to the joy of the slo-mo finger gun-fight. Written by Pegg and co-star Jessica Hines, proceedings kick off in typical sitcom fashion with strangers Tim and Daisy pretending to be a couple for the sake of their apartment lease.
That plot-point becomes an irrelevance when we are introduced to their friends and neighbors, however, with the likes of horny landlady Marsha, unhinged artist Brian, and gun-obsessed simpleton Mike taking the plot in deeply weird places. But while the characters are great, it's the countless cultural references -- from Star Wars to Resident Evil to Night of the Living Dead -- that makes the show so special. Combined with Wright's inspired, kinetic direction, Spaced is visually stunning, consistently hilarious, and actually improves with repeat views.
In 1999, Seth MacFarlane struck gold when he created another animated FOX sitcom that centered on an odd overweight husband, his suspiciously attractive wife and their "normal" family. Fueled by a ton of funny pop culture references and a wonderfully sadistic baby named Stewie, Family Guy caught on with audiences who were so loyal, they succeeded in helping get the show resurrected in 2005 after it had been cancelled.
Since then, Stewie has become as popular a mascot as Bart Simpson for FOX, while other characters like Quagmire have also broken out, thanks to Family Guy's anything goes, "yes we're going there" sense of humor. The show may be formulaic, but that doesn't detour its fanbase, as long as the laughs keep coming.
After airing old episodes of Monty Python's Flying Circus from '87 to '89, MTV tried its own hand at sketch comedy with The Idiot Box and the prototype version of The Ben Stiller Show. But the network didn't strike true gold -- and a series that went more than one season -- until a bunch of mid-'90s NYU scamps came along and made every shoe-gazer in flannel shirts and ripped jeans howl with laughter. The vast talent pool in The State caused a ripple effect that can still be seen today in movies and shows like Wet Hot American Summer, Role Models, Reno 911! and Childrens Hospital. After 15 years, most of this crew still works together and creates some of the best comedy around.
But not only was The State totes hilar, they managed to carve out their own slice of zeitgeist when they decided to honor/skewer SNL's overuse of recurring characters by creating "Louie" -- a dimwit who carried two golf balls so that he could walk into situations (house parties, last suppers with Jesus, etc.) and repeat his catchphrase ("I wanna dip my balls in it!") over and over again.
Writer James L. Brooks and his unique brand of situational comedy found further success with Taxi, which ran from 1978 to 1982 on ABC, and then from 1982 to 1983 on NBC. The show, centered around the lives of those working for the fictional Sunshine Cab Company in NYC, delicately juggled farcical comedy and dramatic plots in a way the then-TV landscape hadn't seen before. The show also gave us then-breakout star Christopher Lloyd in the terrific role of eccentric cabbie Jim 'Iggy' Ignatowski, an arguable predecessor to Seinfeld's Kramer.
Taxi also launched Judd Hirsch and Tony Danza while providing audiences with a new "in" into the workplace comedy, one that would inspire future shows like Cheers to follow in its footsteps. All that, plus the producers dared to put someone as brilliantly unpredictable -- not to mention hysterical -- as Andy Kaufman in a sitcom!
The Muppet Show proved that puppet-heavy television isn't just for children. Jim Henson and his iconic workshop crafted a large cast of memorable characters, including Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, Gonzo and many others. Each week, the Muppets performed an eclectic variety show, with copious amounts of singing, dancing, backstage antics and bizarre satire. Much likeSaturday Night Live, hosting the show became a badge of honor, and everyone from Mark Hamill to Elton John had their turn.
Unless you're a Statler and Waldorf-type, it's impossible not to have a blast with The Muppets. Thankfully, the franchise is making a cinematic comeback later this year.
Yes, kids, there was a time when Ben Stiller wasn't a Focker. Or spending his Nights in Museums. On the heels of the earlier MTV incarnation of this show, Stiller, along with a brash crew of comics that included Janeane Garofalo, Andy Dick and Bob Odenkirk, devoted their sketch comedy to skewering movies and TV shows in a way that was truly ahead of its time -- where the key to the comedy was capturing the exact look and feel of what was being parodied. The show was canceled criminally early during its run (though it still won an Emmy for its writing), but not before it gave us such must-YouTube funny as "Amish COPS" and "Die Hard 12: Die Hungry," the latter of which had McClane action hero-ing it up in a grocery store.
Now don't you wish you and all your middle school friends watched this show when it originally aired?
When you think of Matt Groening and animated sitcoms, you probably think of The Simpsons. For a loyal, rabid fanbase, however, Futurama may surpass Matt Groening's popular money maker with its intelligent brand of sci-fi humor.
Sure, maybe you have to be a metaphysicist to understand the multitude of in-gags and Easter Eggs, but on the surface the show takes the simple "man out of time" premise and turns it on its head. Philip J. Fry acts as our inept 21st century voice in the demented 30th century. Along with his delivery crew of aliens and mutants, Fry continues to be just as enduring as he was when he first appeared on our screens in 1999.
Much like Family Guy, Futurama and its fans deserve kudos for bringing their show back from cancellation. Unlike Family Guy, which found its way back to FOX, Futurama made its way to another network, and is currently prospering on Comedy Central.
Arguably the most creatively and critically successful spinoff in TV history, Frasier took Dr. Frasier Crane (Kelsey Grammer) out of the Cheers bar and into Seattle, where the shrink hosted a talk-radio show. It introduced his brother, Niles (David Hyde Pierce) and therefore one of the best prime-time comedic duos in recent memory.
Even the biggest fans of the series will admit that the show got a bit long in the tooth and ran out of story once characters started dating and re-dating each other. But when Frasier was in its prime, backed by its many Best Comedy Series Emmy wins, there wasn't a funnier, smarter sitcom on the air in this mold. And we may never get another.
Chapelle's Show
Even when funny people are involved, sketch comedy misses more times than hits on TV (see MAD TV, The Dana Carvey Show and several seasons of SNL). Chappelle's Show was that rare sketch comedy series whose funny either hit the bullseye or came pretty close to it almost all the time. The show ran for two complete seasons, with a third released as "The Lost Episodes" after star Dave Chappelle decided to call it quits.
Charlie Murphy's True Hollywood Stories ("I'm Rick James, bitch!"), Tyrone Biggums, Prince playing basketball and Wayne Brady gone all Training Day are a sampling of some of the bits that became instantly quotable. We used to think it was a crime that this show went off the air when it did. Now, we're glad it left on a high note.
30 Rock wasn't expected to last very long. When it originally aired on NBC, the other show set behind the scenes of an SNL-type show, Aaron Sorkin's Studio 60, was favored to be top dog.
That was 2006. Now, Studio 60 is a noble misfire that lasted a year and 30 Rock is going strong, with three Best Comedy Emmys on its mantle. Series creator and star Tina Fey's insanely sharp wit, coupled with one of the funniest supporting casts in the history of ever, continues to make 30 Rock a laugh-out-loud show, despite some of its humor purposefully intended to go over the heads of most couch potatoes.
Giving 30 Rock a slot on our Top 25 list is the least we can do for a show that gave us "Werewolf Bar Mitzvah" and reminded us that a man's hair is his head suit.
Before Curb Your Enthusiasm or Entourage got all meta with their shows about Hollywood life, Garry Shandling was doing just that for HBO -- and hilariously so. Shandling played the title character, a (slightly?) skewed version of himself who hosts a late-night talk show. Teamed with witless sidekick Hank (Jeffrey Tambor) and his roughly hewn producer Artie (Rip Torn), Sanders navigates the world of late-night, celebrity and his own inflated ego.
Scores of famous peeps stopped by throughout the show's six seasons -- playing themselves, of course -- but perhaps our favorite was David Duchovny. Or rather, a love struck version of Duchovny who only had eyes for Sanders. He even did the Sharon Stone/Basic Instinct leg-cross at one point -- aimed right at Larry. Hey now!
Watching the news these days can be a depressing experience. It's all "fear monger" this and "hidden agenda" that. In times like this, you have to turn to the comedians to tell it to you straight.
That's what Jon Stewart and the gang at The Daily Show have been doing for years. This program delivers the news with a highly comical edge, often lampooning others in the media in the process. But it isn't all about the laughs. The series is highly educational and informative without being partisan. Stewart is both funny and intelligent enough to make a generation of disenfranchised viewers care about the evening news again.
Back in the '50s, you'd be hard-pressed to find a sitcom more popular than I Love Lucy. Even today, most studios would kill for those kinds of ratings. This comedy saw real-life couple Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz take on the roles of Lucy and Ricky Ricardo. Most episodes centered around Lucy's unparalleled ability to create chaos and disorder out of everyday events. Whether it's the Vitameatavegamin incident or the chocolate conveyer belt, life never had a dull moment with Lucy around. Even 50 years later, the show, thanks to Nick at Nite, gets airplay and has audiences laughing.
Curb Your Enthusiasm
As the co-creator of Seinfeld, Larry David had already made his mark on television and pop culture history. But David had another gem to deliver with this series which has him in front of the camera as the amazing TV character, "Larry David." The Larry of Curb Your Enthusiasm is a man with no filter, who mirrors the frustrations we all have in life, but amped up to the nth degree, and with the inability to stop himself from explaining exactly why something is so annoying or off-putting -- ultimately making things much worse for himself and those around him in the process.
The use of other real life celebrities as themselves adds to the hysterical world David has created, without ever feeling too "inside." The comedic situations on Curb are brilliantly constructed, often building to an amazing, "Holy crap!" crescendo few series can mimic. Check out an episode like the legendary "The Doll" and learn why this show makes us feel pretty, pretty good.
Sam and Diane. Cliff and Norm. Woody and Carla. For 11 seasons, Cheers introduced us to some of the genre's most likable and welcoming characters ever. Cheers, along with The Cosby Show, were part of NBC's Golden Age of sitcoms, with Cheers' success hinged to the trials and tribulations of Sam Malone, ex-ballplayer-turned-bar owner. His clientele included a know-it-all mailman, a barfly with a wife, Vera, whom we never saw and the aforementioned Dr. Frasier Crane.
As strong as the Diane era was, the show really hit its stride when Kirstie Alley's Rebecca Howe took over once Shelly Long left the series. Several of Cheers' best and funniest arcs – the Gary's Tavern rivalry and the introduction of Robin Colcord – occurred here, helping the series earn its much-deserved place in TV history.
Proof that the 1990s could do something right, NBC's Friends was that rare sitcom that became part of the zeitgeist relatively early in its 10-season run. While most of us may now hide our devotion to this show about friends living in impossibly nice NYC digs (right across the hall from each other!), we more than happily worshiped the ground it walked on back in the day.
Fat Monica. "How you doin'?" Chandler-speak. Smelly Cat. Ross and Rachel. It may have outlasted its welcome, but with a ton of memorable and truly hysterical episodes and bits, Friends just worked, and still works today. A modern classic? We'll allow it.
Fawlty Towers
Over the years, many have argued over which "Python" they felt was the funniest of the bunch. And while we won't exactly weigh-in on that debate with a definitive answer, we will say that John Cleese, in his post-Monty Python years, wrote and starred in one of the most hilariously pure sitcoms of all time.
In only 12 fantastically great episodes, Cleese (who played misanthropic Bed & Breakfast owner Basil Fawlty) was able to elevate the genre while still using time-honored gags, slapstick and miscommunications that one would see on a series like Three's Company. Master of the dry insult and doomed to fail, Cleese's Fawlty influenced future TV characters from Rowan Atkinson's Blackadder to Ed O' Neill's Al Bundy.
These days it's difficult to imagine any sitcom qualifying as groundbreaking, but that's exactly what All in the Family was when it appeared in the early '70s. This comedy tackled thorny issues like racism, homosexuality, abortion and the Vietnam War, alongside the usual sitcom family fare -- and yet still managed to be funny! It all hinged on lead character Archie Bunker, a war vet known for his cranky personality and constant yearning for the good old days.
Archie and his wife, Edith, struck a chord with audiences who craved more realistic couples on TV. The show lasted over a decade in one form or another, and remains one of the greatest sitcoms to ever hit the air.
For over 35 years, the copious crew from 30 Rockefeller Plaza has not only been a pop-culture institution but many of them have gone on to become big blockbuster film stars complete with their own brand. Doing for American sketch comedy what the Python's did for the UK, Saturday Night Live took the format and juiced it up with cutting edge stand-up comedians, musical acts and an exciting live atmosphere. This approach instantly made stars out of Chevy Chase, Dan Aykroyd, John Belushi, Bill Murray, Garrett Morris, Gilda Radner and Jane Curtin. But here's the kicker. This show, like most Yank shows that ape British series, has taken the original genius and then kept it going forever. This show has been on the air for close to four decades! So there's a lot of it that's, well, not that funny. And with every new season comes a bunch of new detractors who say "this show hasn't been funny in years." So we admit that this is almost a "legacy" vote.
But for every dreaded "Charles Rocket"-era '80-'84 cast, there's a Will Ferrell, an Adam Sandler, a Mike Myers, a Chris Rock, a Phil Hartman and an Eddie Murphy to make up for it. And look, even from SNL's dead zone, performers like Robert Downey Jr. and Gilbert Gottfried were still able to move on and turn lemons into millionaire lemonade. So if there's really one thing we can honestly credit this series with, it's Lorne Michaels' eye for young, fresh comedic talent. I mean, the man's been able to capture "lightning in a bottle" more than a dozen times. On top of that, just when you might be ready to dismiss SNL, a new sketch or digital short will come along that is undeniably a new comedy classic.
We love the American version of The Office, too, but the UK original edges it out for a spot on this list for the simple brilliance of its 12 episodes (plus two Christmas specials). The show that launched Ricky Gervais onto an unsuspecting world took a while to capture the imagination of audiences, but is now one of the most successful sitcom franchises in the world, with the likes of France, Germany, Chile and Israel shooting their own versions.
Documenting the day-to-day workings of the Wernham Hogg Paper Company, the show revolves around David Brent, general manager of the Slough branch who is less a boss, "more a chilled out entertainer." Much of the comedy derives from Brent's social awkwardness and politically incorrect gags, but the show's real genius came from its depiction of the blossoming relationship between salesman Tim and receptionist Dawn, a storyline that added pathos and drama to the mix and helped turn The Office into a genuine classic.
Now that we're down to the final five, one could easily make a case for any of these as being the funniest of the entire lot. First airing in 1969, Monty Python's Flying Circus successfully introduced the world to British lunacy as John Cleese, Graham Chapman, Eric Idle, Michael Palin and the two Terrys were able to "rock star" popularize surreal sketch comedy and offbeat satire. And it was brilliant.
And we don't mean "brilliant" the way the Brits use it -- which is to say, for everything. These blokes were from Cambridge and Oxford and infused each and every one of their bits with an unsurpassed genius, whether it be the Pablo Picasso Cycling Tour, a football match featuring famous German and Greek philosophers or two men slapping each other in the face with fish. Yes, Cleese rode his "Ministry of Silly Walks" skit to stardom, but behind his oafish struts was a sketch that lampooned bureaucratic civil servants and government grants.
And much like a platinum-selling rock band, this crew bickered and argued with one another like the best of 'em causing rifts within the group. But for the sake of comedy and money, most differences were put aside long enough for the Pythons to make a few movies; one of which (Monty Python and the Holy Grail) became one of the most quotable movies of all time and another (Monty Python's Life of Brian) became one of the most controversial. But it was the show that started it all. And routines like the "Dead Parrot Sketch," "The Spanish Inquisition" and "Spam" will ensure that this series lives on for new generations.
Throughout most of the '90s, Bart Simpson was the undisputed bad boy of animated sitcoms. But eventually a new group of challengers emerged in South Park, Colorado, and television has never been the same since.
The four stars of South Park -- Stan Marsh, Kyle Broflovski, Eric Cartman, and Kenny McCormick -- are fourth graders who curse like drunken sailors and live in a town that seems to be a magnet for every sort of global and cosmic disaster imaginable. These four often serve as the voices of reason as the adults around them fall into chaos and despair, though the anti-Semitic, grotesquely obese, slyly manipulative Cartman is often guilty of instigating trouble on his own. Over the course of 15 seasons, the show has poked fun at just about every celebrity of note and many of the hot button issues of the day. The series has gained a supporting cast nearly as wide as that of The Simpsons, and just as memorable.
Thanks to the show's crude and simple animation style, creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone are often able to produce new installments in a matter of days, allowing them to spoof current events as they unfold. And while that sometimes means episodes aren't quite as funny six months down the road as they are when they debuted, it's always nice to see one show so consistently point out the absurdities of modern life.
For a show about nothing, Seinfeld sure is something worth remembering. Amid a sea of cookie-cutter sitcoms, Seinfeld stood out during the '90s thanks to strong writing and a lovable cast of misanthropes. Whereas most sitcoms concerned themselves with familiar, family-friendly conflicts with touching, heartfelt endings, Seinfeld was surprisingly dark and almost nihilistic at times. Conflicts centered around the "nothings" of life -- smelly cars, long lines, surly restaurant owners and the like.
The fictionalized Jerry Seinfeld and his friends were painted as neurotic, self-obsessed and, in the case of Cosmo Kramer, downright bizarre. But their misadventures never failed to entertain. Few other shows have become so pervasive in the public lexicon. A person need only say "yadda, yadda, yadda" for everyone around them to be in on the joke.
The Simpsons
(*Insert Nelson's laugh here*) Bet you thought that The Simpsons would be number one on this list? So did we. In one of the hardest decisions we've ever made here at IGN, we're putting America's favorite family at #2.
Why, you ask? Well, the second best comedy of all time is an impressive title, which has it beating out some of the best shows ever put on television. The Simpsons deserves its high ranking on our list, since it started as a sketch on The Tracy Ullman Show and went on to become a show with nearly 500 episodes under its belt. Humble beginnings aside, The Simpsons may be one of the largest brands in the world, and that reputation has been earned every step of the way. However, we're going with number two for the sheer fact that the show just hasn't been the same for well over a decade now, though it still has its moments. But those early years? So many amazingly funny episodes...
Whether you think that it's just as good as it always has been, or needs to gracefully bow out, The Simpsons cannot be denied its place in the historical context of the medium of television.
Guardian TV critics voted The Sopranos the greatest TV drama ever made. Photograph: c.HBO/Everett / Rex Features
What do you imagine a TV critic's ultimate viewing pleasure to be? A five-season box-set marathon of The Wire, quite possibly? A drama that digs into the power games of Washington (The West Wing)? You'd be surprised. It seems, at the Guardian at least, they are far more likely to enjoy a beautiful, costumed saga about 1920s aristocrats or a gritty tale about growing up as a lesbian in mid-70s Lancashire.
To find out what the Guardian's TV writers really think is the best TV drama ever made, we asked Nancy Banks-Smith, Sam Wollaston, Lucy Mangan, Sarah Dempster, Mark Lawson, Grace Dent and Richard Vine to rate, and then debate, what they consider the greatest ever series.
The overall winner was The Sopranos, the compelling tale of New Jersey mobsters created by David Chase. They almost all raved about this show, praising it as an original, absorbing and affectionate study of complicated family values. But it only made the top spot by a fraction. Their second favourite was Brideshead Revisited, the 1981 ITV adaptation of Evelyn Waugh's novel about religion, nobility and paisley dressing gowns. The Wire – HBO's widely praised series about Baltimore – attracted plenty of praise, but only ranked at No 14. Mad Men, the tale of 60s New York ad men, made the No 4 slot, just behind Our Friends in the North, an epic 1996 BBC2 series that traced the fates of four people across several decades.
Here's an interesting thing, though: ahead of some great US drama that has attracted such praise and attention in the last 10 years – The West Wing, Six Feet Under, Buffy the Vampire Slayer – comes a raft of British drama from the 1980s. A Very Peculiar Practice, Talking Heads, The Singing Detective, Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit, Boys From the Blackstuff – these are among the "national treasure" series that have seared themselves into our critics' imaginations. "BBC4 and UK Gold should be repeating them but instead they're playing Coast 24 hours a day and bloody Silent Witness," complained Grace Dent.
To reach their verdict, the writers compiled a longlist. There was no period restriction, but the dramas had to be series (or serials) rather than one-offs. They marked the titles out of 20 and we averaged the scores, discounting any series that failed to attract at least four voters on the basis that these were the hobby horses of fanatics – not the greatest TV of all time. At this stage, A Very British Coup, Edge of Darkness and Tenko went by the wayside.
Of course there were disagreements. No one had a bad word to say about The Sopranos, but Richard Vine, TV editor of the Guide, still feels that The Wire was "richer". Mark Lawson thought The Sopranos "exceptionally well written" but considers both The Wire and The West Wing more radical and daring. Grace Dent however thought The Wire "a slog" in parts and said the acclaim had made it "socially painful" for people to admit they weren't wild fans. "It's incomprehensible to lots of people."
Sam Wollaston, meanwhile, was appalled with Brideshead's rating. "I can't believe it did so well. It is very slow and has really dated." He preferred The Jewel in the Crown (No 27).
Coronation Street, beloved of soap fans Banks-Smith and Dent, only made it to No 26, having received lukewarm assessments from the rest. "I'm not surprised – rather like Jonathan Ross, it has outlived its usefulness," said Banks-Smith. But she added: "Its saving grace is its humour – it preserves it like salt."
Dent was outraged by the decision to rank Grange Hill (No 50; Lawson's verdict: "pioneering") above Sex and the City (No 51), calling the sniffy response to New York's It-bag ladies "snobbery and sexism". She voted highly for The Sopranos, but said: "Just goes to show that you can twaddle on about the same old themes for six series and if you're a man it's profound and if you're a woman you're vacuous."
Wollaston thought the Hollywood playboy comedy Entourage ("fantastic fun") was underrated, while Dempster couldn't understand the lack of support for C4 trilogy Red Riding: "It felt immediately like a classic piece of TV and has one of the best ensemble casts of the last 10 years. It is absolutely magnificent."
Did they get it right? Charles Sturridge, Bafta-winning director of Brideshead Revisited, is "delighted" to be in "honourable company" with The Sopranos. Linking the top four dramas, he says: "They are confidently and powerfully drawn worlds made by groups of committed programme-makers. It doesn't have to be expensive – if something is crucial to people, they will watch it."
1.The Wire(HBO, 2002-08)Taking full advantage of the generous breadth of the television format—and HBO’s commitment to ambitious, form-expanding programming—The Wire unfolded like a great American novel, trusting viewers to pick up on the intricate connections between seasons, characters, and myriad details. Starting as an impressively scrupulous, evenhanded depiction of the Baltimore drug trade, the show opened up into an ever-expanding portrait of a city, one weakened institution at a time, from the unions to the schools to the newspaper business. At every turn, Simon and his crack team of writers (including crime novelists George Pelacanos, Richard Price, and Dennis Lehane) revealed how the corrupt and often grossly incompetent acts of the powerful consistently preyed on the city’s most defenseless residents. Rooted in Greek tragedy, this grim series was mitigated by moments of profound redemption, a penchant for gallows humor, and an abiding respect for the quietly heroic men and women who try to make a difference. Essential episodes: “Bad Dreams,” “Final Grades,” “Late Editions”
2. The Sopranos (HBO, 1999-2007)The depiction of evil in storytelling has been complicated ever since Lucifer became the breakout character in Milton’s Paradise Lost. It would be a mistake to say all 86 episodes of The Sopranos are a commentary on the relationship between storytellers and their wicked characters, but that was definitely on the mind of show creator David Chase. Over the course of its six seasons, the series followed the misadventures of Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini), a charismatic multiple murderer who uses psychotherapy to help him balance his relationships with his wife and children, and to deal with the stress of his position as a powerful figure in the New Jersey mafia. Chase and other writers used Tony’s dual life as means to examine consumerist culture, the lasting impact of violence, Italian-American identity, and dozens of other themes. With a strong cast anchored by Gandolfini’s brilliant leading turn, each season served up soap opera, mob intrigue, and surrealist digressions, all tied together by the main character’s quest for self-realization. The dark inevitability of that quest’s end will be forever debated by fans, but one lesson is clear: having sympathy for the Devil doesn’t make him any less monstrous, no matter how much we might wish otherwise. Essential episodes:“Employee Of The Month,” “Whoever Did This,” “Made In America”
3. Arrested Development (Fox, 2003-06)As Ron Howard explains at the beginning of everyArrested Development episode, “This is the story of a wealthy family who lost everything, and the one son who had no choice but to keep them all together.” That’s a deceptively simple way of explaining Arrested Development, but the complexity of the show’s writing is what kept fans enamored. In short, AD not only makes viewers laugh, it makes them feel smart. What other TV comedy so richly rewarded a vigilant audience with inside jokes, subtle callbacks, and long-form farce? Of course the spoiled, obnoxious characters (especially those played by Jessica Walters, Will Arnett, and David Cross) are entertaining as they are, but the writing around them makes the show a classic.Arrested Development’s gags run the gamut from puns (Sunday brunch places named “Skip Church’s” and “Miss Temple’s”) to the sweet (George Michael’s homage to Charlie Brown) to the nearly profane (the word “cunt” is referenced a surprising number of times for a network TV show) to the ridiculous (“Bob Loblaw’s law blog”), yet it all ties together. The series demands attention and repays it with bits that don’t even register until the second, third, or even fourth viewing. And the telltale sign of Arrested Development’s greatness: it looks like it was fun as hell to make. Essential episodes: “Pier Pressure,” “Mr. F,” “Righteous Brothers”
4. Freaks And Geeks (NBC, 1999-2000) The Judd Apatow juggernaut—surely the most understated, genial media movement ever to deserve the title—began with the one-season-and-out teen drama Freaks And Geeks, produced by Apatow and created by Paul Feig. Following the varied outcasts of an early-’80s suburban Detroit high school, Freaks And Geeks features Linda Cardellini as a geek (a “mathlete,” to be precise) who migrates to the stoner crowd, and John Francis Daley as her nerdy younger brother, simultaneously worried about his sister’s future and fighting his own adolescent battles. The show not only captured in 18 scant episodes the miasma of heady freedom and sickening chaos that defines the high-school years, it also provided breakout roles for Sam Levine, Martin Starr, James Franco, Busy Phillips, Jason Segel, and Seth Rogen. NBC didn’t necessarily know what to do with this critically acclaimed ratings disaster, but rarely has a canceled show's brilliance been so immediately evident. Before the final three aired episodes were burned off in the summer of 2000, the cast and crew received a scholarly fête at The Museum Of The Moving Image; then Apatow went on to the almost-as-good sitcom Undeclared, and a huge movie career. Essential episodes: “We've Got Spirit,” “Looks And Books,” “Discos And Dragons”
5. Mad Men (AMC, 2007-present)TV period pieces rarely work. The production design usually pales in comparison to period films, the characters are often only empty vessels through which to experience major historical moments, and a modern sensibility ultimately prevails, in spite of the era-specific trappings. Mad Men has turned that last weakness into an advantage with its deliberately cool, distanced look at ’60s advertising executives, unaware of the tidal wave of change soon to sweep them away. Matthew Weiner’s series apes films of the period, offering shots held for ages, moments of supreme quiet, and a glacial pace, even as the characters roil with emotions they barely knew how to express. Mad Men is about hanging out in a meticulously recreated bygone world with the handsome rogue Don Draper (played by the great Jon Hamm) and company, but it’s also about using our knowledge against us, and making us realize that the people who lived in the mythical ’60s were real individuals, struggling to comprehend just how thoroughly the world could be upended. Essential episodes: “The Wheel,” “The Jet Set,” “Seven Twenty Three”
6. Breaking Bad (AMC, 2008-present)Few shows have proven as skillful as Breaking Bad at stringing together memorable scenes. In fact, the show’s first pre-credits sequence is a flash-forward to a thundering chase scene so jaw-dropping, it’s amazing that the hour of television which follows earns every moment. Creator Vince Gilligan begins with the tale of a high-school chemistry teacher who turns to meth-dealing to provide for his family when he’s diagnosed with terminal cancer, and stretches the story out so he can explore the quiet moments between its mind-blowing setpieces. Bryan Cranston perfectly inhabits the role of a man who chooses doomed action over helpless inaction, and he’s ably served by a terrific supporting cast, including Aaron Paul as his junkie partner, Anna Gunn as his suspicious wife, and—turning around a role that could have become mawkish—RJ Mitte as his cerebral-palsy-afflicted son. The actors help imbue the life and times of a dying man with the sort of powerful drama that keeps viewers rapt between big moments that can take a whole season to play out. But as Breaking Bad showed with its masterful second season, it’s always worth the wait. Essential episodes: “Pilot,” “Cat’s In The Bag,” “ABQ”
7. The Office UK (BBC 2, 2001-03)When Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant first conceived a mockumentary about a gloriously self-deluded boss who fancies himself a “friend first, an entertainer second, and a boss third,” they couldn’t have imagined they’d concoct an international pop-culture phenomenon that would spawn adaptations around the world, including the rightly revered American version starring Steve Carell. Gervais and Merchant’s groundbreaking, wildly influential hit garnered huge laughs from awkward silence, tension, and the everyday humiliations and defeats of life as a wage slave. Underneath the comedy lay an unblinking take on middle-class ennui and frustration that bordered on tragic.
Essential episodes: “Training,” “Motivation,” “Christmas Specials”
8. Lost (ABC, 2004-present)No series risked more over the past decade thanLost, which has asked its viewers to be patient as the show’s creators have withheld information, killed characters, divided the cast and—in the ultimate potential deal-breaker—toyed with time travel. To some extent, frustration with Lost has become part of the pleasure of watching the show, as fans gather to grumble about dangling plot threads and conflicts that could be easily resolved if characters ever used some of the time they’re spending cast away on a desert island to, y’know, have conversations. But Lost’s payoffs have been well worth its head-slappers. Showrunners Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse have presided over a story that’s spanned continents and genres, all while crafting a dense mythology with a human core. Lost is a show about unexpected connections and the search for meaning in our shared cultural arcana. It’s also been a showcase for a sprawling cast of memorable characters, each learning the lesson that if they’re patient enough to wait out the changes, their tragic life stories just might have a happy ending. Essential episodes: “Walkabout,” “Greatest Hits,” “The Constant”
9. Deadwood (HBO, 2004-06)The earliest TV-drama hits were Westerns, so when HBO unleashed David Milch’s Deadwood on the world in 2004, it seemed at first like the latest in the channel’s long series of TV genre-reclamation projects. Instead, the series quickly abandoned the Wild West archetypes of its first handful of episodes and turned into a show about how communities come to be, how civilization springs from blood and gold, and how chaos is imperfectly knit into order. Featuring grandly theatrical dialogue, at least five dozen major recurring characters, and an unforgettable lead performance from Ian McShane, Deadwood was the temperamental Milch’s love letter to such timeless virtues as common decency, free societies, and creatively deployed profanity. Though the series only lasted three seasons and never reached a natural endpoint, the seasons are so packed with Milch’s richly humanistic view of the world that they trump 10 seasons of more common shows. Essential episodes: “A Lie Agreed Upon, Pts. 1 and 2,” “The Whores Can Come,” “Boy The Earth Talks To”
10. The Shield (FX, 2002-08)There’s never been a TV cop like Vic Mackey, who painted a blue uniform the most frustrating, vigorous, incredible shades of grey. In Shawn Ryan’s version of Los Angeles, the leader of an anti-gang unit—played expertly by Michael Chiklis—was a man to be admired, feared, loved, hated, and sometimes pitied. The Shield allowed viewers to cheer Mackey while he committed heinous acts in the pursuit of justice (and illegal cash for himself), but made us feel dirty by depicting the consequences, too. It didn’t hurt that Chiklis was surrounded by a cast whose stories got richer (and often more horrifying) as the series went on: His fellow Strike Teamers became the biggest part of the story in the series’ amazing, harrowing final seasons, when it seemed that in every episode, life truly was on the line. Walton Goggins, who at first seemed to be playing a stereotypical hick sidekick, proved himself an emotional lynchpin, and the side characters—other cops, plus terrific guest turns from Forest Whitaker and Glenn Close, among others—developed full personalities. And those stories: Like The Wire, The Shield plays like a classic tragedy taken as a whole, a massive web of badness that made for incredible television. Essential episodes: “Cherrypoppers,” “Postpartum,” “Family Meeting.”
11. The Office US (NBC, 2005-present)America may always be imitating our British forebears, but the U.S. version of Ricky Gervais' astounding comedy of cruelty managed to make the original’s single-camera mockumentary premise its own. Key to the translation’s success: a more sympathetic boss played by Steve Carell, a more confident (and competent) relationship between co-workers Jim and Pam, and a divergence from the plots provided by its predecessor. By the second episode, when Michael Scott assigns each employee with an ethnic identity to teach a lesson about diversity—but leaves out “Arab” because “It’s too soon”—it was abundantly clear that creator Greg Daniels was pointing the show in its own direction. As the seasons have piled up, the writers have innovated to delightful effect; witness last season’s Michael Scott Paper Company arc, which revealed new facets of the main characters without throwing any of the show’s ample investments away. Essential episodes: “Casino Night,” “Dinner Party,” “Dream Team”
12. Battlestar Galactica (2004-09)In traditional narratives, escape from disaster is about trying to return to the old life as quickly as possible. Once the worst has happened, rebuilding what was lost becomes the survivors’ main goal. That’s nominally the goal of the miserable remnants of humanity left in Battlestar Galactica, but one of the series’ most effectively subversive elements is how it questions just what it means to “rebuild.” In a more traditional show, humanity’s leaders (Edward James Olmos and Mary McDonnell) would’ve guided Jamie Bamber, James Callis, Katee Sackhoff and the rest to some haven where they could take cover and eventually defeat the Cylon race bent on exterminating them. Instead, creator Ronald Moore gave audiences the fumbling of two species bent on discovering grace, with all the confusion and terror that implies. The show’s often-tortured mythology doesn’t always work, especially in a final season that tried too hard to tie up threads that weren’t loose so much as irrelevant. But the end result is still a powerful meditation on grief, loss, and the responsibilities of consciousness. Essential episodes:“Final Cut,” “Lay Down Your Burdens, Part 2,” “Unfinished Business”
13. 30 Rock (2006-present)It’s hard to believe that back in 2006, a future three-time Emmy-winner for Best Comedy would be considered a likely flop, doomed to languish in the long shadow of Aaron Sorkin’s high-profile inside-TV drama Studio 60 On The Sunset Strip. Instead, Studio 60 proved drippy and self-important, while 30 Rock is in the middle of its fourth season as a reliable gag-generating machine. Tina Fey’s look behind the scenes of a Saturday Night Live-like sketch-comedy series has almost nothing to do with what it’s actually like to throw together a TV show, and more to do with the ridiculousness that ensues when vain creative types and arrogant corporate lackeys try to collaborate. Mainly, 30 Rock is a sight-gag-and-punchline factory. When Fey and company are on a roll, the show generates more quotable lines and memorable moments per 22 minutes than any sitcom since Arrested Development. Essential episodes: “The Rural Juror,” “Subway Hero,” “The One With The Cast Of Night Court”
14. Futurama (Fox, 1999-2003)Science fiction teaches that the future will either resemble the rainy misery of Blade Runner or the upbeat togetherness of Star Trek, without many options between them, but what happens if tomorrow is pretty much like today? That’s one of the driving ideas behind Futurama¸ the brainchild of Matt Groening and David X. Cohen. Futuramaposits a year 3000 in which the robots are surly, the suicide booths are plentiful, and the person with the clearest vision only has one eye. In its original run, the series walked the high wire of high-concept and slapstick humor, delivering gags based around Heisenberg’s Uncertainty Principle without ever talking down to its audience. That uncompromising standard led to an emotional depth that never took the easy road toward affecting an audience. It’s no surprise that this standard also led to a premature cancellation; it’s more surprising that the show lasted as long as it did. Thankfully, fan interest and DVD sales restored the series to life, but regardless of what the future brings, the original 72 episodes remain impeccable evidence that there’s no such thing as too smart for the room. Essential episodes:“Roswell That Ends Well,” “Jurassic Bark,”“The Devil’s Hands Are Idle Playthings”
15. Veronica Mars (UPN/The CW, 2004-07)The first season of the Rob Thomas-createdVeronica Mars is one of the singular achievements of ‘00s television: a season-long murder mystery that doubles as an inquiry into the class divisions in and around a Southern California high school. The second season upped the ambition level, adding a denser plot that was often hard to follow, but which paid off brilliantly. And then the third season—set at college—aimed for shorter stories and a lighter tone, and suffered significantly from the creative compromise. But throughout, star Kristen Bell grounded the twisty stories and soapy romances in a real character: a formerly popular teenager who uses her ability to slip between cliques to help make her classmates’ adolescences less confusing and unfair. Essential episodes: “You Think You Know Somebody,” “Ain’t No Magic Mountain High Enough,” “The Bitch Is Back”
16. Friday Night Lights (NBC, 2006-present)Proving that nepotism isn’t always a bad thing, Peter Berg parlayed a distant relation to H.G. Bissinger, author of the acclaimed non-fiction bookFriday Night Lights, into a film and television adaptation. And as good as its source material is, the TV series has became one of the most distinctive hours on broadcast or cable. FNL’s well-deserved acclaim led to an unusual release strategy starting in the third season, with original episodes airing first on DirecTV, then months later on NBC. Anchored by the monumental yet understated performance of Kyle Chandler as the coach of a Texas high-school football powerhouse, the show has explored a sports-saturated culture on and off the field. Its naturalistic style highlights the relationships between Dillon High’s jocks, their families and girlfriends, the team’s well-heeled boosters, and the football-mad community. Yet there’s a bleakness underlying Berg’s portrayal; when the spotlight fades, what’s left are struggling families, glass ceilings, and unclear priorities.
Essential episodes: “Best Laid Plans,” “May The Best Man Win,” “New York, New York”
17. Firefly (Fox, 2002-2003) Like Joss Whedon’s other shows, Firefly sported some serious flaws. And like Whedon’s other shows, it fought to stay on the air long enough to address them. But unlike Whedon’s other shows,Firefly failed, and given how good it was apart from those flaws, it seems churlish now to focus on what could’ve been. Instead, let’s stick with what was: a clever, funny, exciting, original outer-space Western with an unforgettable cast of characters and a palpable sense of fun. Whedon assembled what may be his best-ever group of actors, created a compelling (albeit unfinished) fictional universe, and wore his heart on his sleeve in creating one of the best science-fiction shows in a decade crammed with them. Buffy achieved its own Peter Principle, and Dollhouse bought itself a second chance; mourn Firefly as the great Whedon that wasn’t. Essential episodes: “Jaynestown,” “Out Of Gas,” “Objects In Space”
18. How I Met Your Mother (CBS, 2005-present)The traditional three-camera sitcom (with laugh track) may be considered a dead format—though they still rule the ratings, for the most part—but with How I Met Your Mother, creators Carter Bays and Craig Thomas have expanded its limitations while keeping the gags a-coming. Where most sitcoms hit the reset button on the same basic dynamics week after week, season after season,HIMYM has the continuity of a more novelistic series, and loves to play around with time, paying off jokes with flashbacks, asides, and wildly inventive structural trickery. The immensely gifted cast helps: Neil Patrick Harris as an unrepentant skirt-chaser; Cobie Smulders as a woman whose conventional beauty is undermined by her gawky Canadian-ness; Jason Segel and Alyson Hannigan as a teddy-bear-adorable couple; and Josh Radnor as the mildly douchey hero in search of the ever-elusive “mother” of the title. The show can do sitcom silliness like nobody’s business, but it has surprising emotional depth, too, and it rewards its fans for their close attention. Essential episodes:“Slap Bet,” “Showdown,” “How I Met Everyone Else”
19. Big Love (HBO, 2006-present)For a show that was originally marketed as a smirking, adults-only look inside a polygamist cult,Big Love has proved to be one of the most oddly clean-cut shows to air on HBO, and one of the most earnest studies of religion and morality ever to air on television. In extracting relatable drama and comedy from the problems of a successful businessman with cult associations, Big Love deals smartly with the troubles faced by people of faith who try to seize their part of the American dream without being sullied by the secular. It’s an impossible situation, illustrated well by this not-so-sexy show about a man with three wives. Essential episodes: “The Baptism,” “Kingdom Come,” “Come, Ye Saints”
20. Tim And Eric Awesome Show, Great Job! (Cartoon Network, 2007-present)It’s no exaggeration to claim that Tim Heidecker and Eric Wareheim have invented a completely new kind of television show: Their Tim And Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!—from that title on down—filters the idea of sketch comedy through public-access TV, Dadaism, and poop jokes. One minute, it’s a commercial parody poking at consumerism, the next a rabid commercial for rentable child clowns, the next a story arc about a kidnapped public-access singer. But every single minute bears the stamp of two really smart minds, unafraid to examine the outermost bounds of acceptability. The surface begs to be scratched, and there’s real artistry to be found underneath. No wonder guest stars (John C. Reilly, Patton Oswalt, David Cross, Zach Galifianakis, Jeff Goldblum, the list goes on) have lined up to join in. Essential episodes: “Chunky,” “Missing,” “Forest”
21. Curb Your Enthusiasm (HBO, 2000-present)At first blush, it sounds like an easy show to get into: a comedy about the fabulously wealthy crotchety man who created Seinfeld. But what makes Curb Your Enthusiasm more than just an amusing sitcom is that it forces its audience to accept a reality not quite similar to our own. Curb Your Enthusiasm might be set in the real world with real people, but it isn’t a realistic show; its people are driven by their ids, saying what’s on their minds and feeling so constrained by social niceties that they rip them apart like petulant children. Via creator/star Larry David, we root for a guy we’d probably want to punch in real life. Essential episodes: “Krazee Eyez Killa,” “Club Soda And Salt,” “Trick Or Treat”
22. Six Feet Under (HBO, 2001-05)It might be easy to magnify Six Feet Under’s occasional mid-run plot stumbles into worse flaws than they actually were, but the bumpy moments shouldn’t overshadow the real pathos that this five-season HBO drama delivered. Playing the unwilling heir to his family’s funeral home, Nate Fisher was often unlikeable, but the shitstorms that followed him around made him a hero just the same. Delicate performances from the many women in his life buoyed the show: Frances Conroy, Lauren Ambrose, Rachel Griffiths, and Lili Taylor offered some of TV’s most complex female characters. A nuanced gay couple (Dexter’s Michael C. Hall and Mathew St. Patrick) broadened the show, too. And though it could seem soapy at times, no other drama featured Six Feet Under’s depth of plot and talking dead people. Essential episodes: “Pilot,” “The Last Time,” “Everyone’s Waiting”
23. Undeclared (Fox, 2001-02)Before Judd Apatow became the bountiful wellspring of Hollywood comedy hits he is today, he was the king of noble failures on television (see also Freaks And Geeks, above)—none more cursed than Undeclared, a half-hour campus comedy that Fox began airing two weeks after 9/11, when no one was in the mood to laugh. Sixteen episodes and repeated schedule changes and preemptions later,Undeclared was finally put out of its misery, but the DVD box set that followed makes a strong argument for a show that deftly balanced comic hijinks and pranks with a real affection for underclassmen trying to cope with the independence and uncertainty of being on their own for the first time. Jay Baruchel makes a winning nerd hero, Loudon Wainwright III steals scenes as his recently divorced and eager-to-party father, Carla Gallo and Monica Keena play wonderfully daffy objects of desire, Freaks And Geeks holdovers Seth Rogen and Jason Segel contribute big laughs, and it’s all delivered with the underlying sweetness that viewers have come to expect from Apatow. Essential episodes: “Addicts,” “Truth Or Dare,” “The Perfect Date”
24. Dexter (2006-present)Though uneven, Showtime’s first genuine drama hit showed the dark flipside of the crime procedurals littering the TV landscape through most of the decade. Michael C. Hall’s riveting work as Dexter Morgan—a serial killer who kills other criminals—introduces queasy questions about just how far Americans are willing to go to feel safe, and just which crimes deserve which punishments. The series’ master plotting has rarely misstepped, especially in its first two seasons, which delved into Dexter’s backstory and the morality of his extracurricular activities. And always at the center is Hall, playing one of TV’s most fascinating characters: a bumbling everyman with a jack-o’-lantern smile that conceals more than anyone would ever want to know. Essential episodes: “Morning Comes,” “Resistance Is Futile,” “There’s Something About Harry”
25. Buffy The Vampire Slayer (The WB/UPN, 1997-2003)Heading into the decade in the middle of its fourth season, Buffy The Vampire Slayer was one of TV’s most acclaimed series, even after it left the high-school setting of its earlier seasons behind. In the first few years of the ’00s, though, Buffy and her friends wandered through dreamscapes, battled a god, lost people dear to them, and sang and danced. While more uneven in those seasons than it had been in high school, Joss Whedon’s series would still get at truths about the pain of growing up, the sheer struggle of mere living, and the formation of ad hoc families. And in its willingness to innovate stylistically, the series also proved itself a surprisingly adept chameleon: a ribald comedy one week, a musical the next, and a quiet art film the week after. Essential episodes: “Restless,” “The Body,” “Once More With Feeling”
26. The Venture Bros. (Cartoon Network, 2003-present)If The Venture Bros. wasn’t the best show of the 2000s, it was at least the most unexpected: Debuting on a network best known for funny-but-dust-thin stoner comedy, it quickly evolved into one of the most emotionally involving shows on television, showing real character growth, genuine depth of feeling, and a hefty thematic obsession with failure and disappointment. Occupying territory alongside cheaply produced junk-store animation, Venture Bros. came through with gorgeous character design, a lovely array of color and movement, and some of the best original music on television. Even its humor transcended its origins; though still a source of immense geek-recognition laughter, the show goes beyond mere reference and invites viewers to contemplate what their nostalgia means, not just that it exists. Oh, and it’s also funny as hell. Essential episodes: “Tag Sale—You’re It!”, “Powerless In The Face Of Death,” “The Family That Slays Together, Stays Together”
27. Flight Of The Conchords (HBO, 2007-2009)When HBO announced that it was building a sitcom around the New Zealand folk-comedy duo Flight Of The Conchords, many doubted whether what was essentially a musical act would translate well to filmed, scripted comedy. But the series has shown unique strengths: Jemaine Clement and Bret McKenzie are able to play low-key in front of a camera, toning down their stage personas to a pleasantly awkward degree. And by arranging for support from a wide range of alt-comedy stars (Kristen Schaal, Aziz Ansari, Eugene Mirman, Demetri Martin and others), they concocted plenty of situation for their comedy. Flight is also delightfully New York-y, with lots of charming location shots to augment the scenes shot in the duo’s cramped pad. The show went a bit too broad in its second season, but even when the comedy faltered, there was always a winning song just around the corner. Essential episodes: “Bret Gives Up The Dream,” “Girlfriends,” “Unnatural Love”
28. Eastbound & Down (HBO, 2009-present)HBO’s Eastbound & Down doesn’t entirely fit in with the “comedy of discomfort” scene epitomized by the British Office and Curb Your Enthusiasm, nor is it as broadly farcical as other projects featuring its star, Danny McBride. Instead, it finds a sweet spot between outlandish and authentic. McBride plays a washed-up baseball player, Kenny Powers, who has none of the fans he once did, yet retains all of his swagger. He’s a chauvinist pig and the ugliest of ugly Americans, and Eastbound at first invites viewers to laugh mostly at him, but the six-episode first season—half of which was directed by indie auteur David Gordon Green, tellingly—also allowed audiences to feel a little sympathy. Even though Kenny Powers says things like “I’ve been blessed with many things in this life: an arm like a damn rocket, a cock like a Burmese python, and the mind of a fucking scientist,” he’s hard not to love. Essential episodes: “Chapter 3,” “Chapter 5,” “Chapter 6.”
29. Wonder Showzen (MTV2, 2005-06)John Lee and Vernon Chatman’s “kids show for adults” Wonder Showzen started off dark, then grew increasingly bleak, until it wasn’t contemplating the void so much as plunging audiences inside it. Part kid-show parody, part Dadaist provocation, Wonder Showzen took the convention of children’s shows—puppets, cartoons, busy graphics, children interviewers—into evisceratingly dark places. The second season in particular dared audiences to turn away, most notoriously in the series finale, “Clarence Special Report On Compelling Television,” which featured 30 minutes of a hand puppet ambushing people in the park and challenging them to create compelling television, right there on the spot. (At the end of the episode/series, the puppet kills himself by leaping from a helicopter.) The show amply lived up to an opening crawl promising “OFFENSIVE, DESPICABLE CONTENT THAT IS TOO CONTROVERSIAL AND TOO AWESOME FOR ACTUAL CHILDREN.” Essential episodes: “Diversity,” “Patience,” “Cooperation”
30. The West Wing (NBC, 1999-2006) Aaron Sorkin’s mixture of starry-eyed idealism and wit seems so suited for the fictional White House ofThe West Wing that’s it hard to accept that the show lasted three seasons after he left. Even more surprising is that those seasons weren’t a complete wreck. Still, the first half of the show’s run is undeniably its best, pitching lofty goals against the government grind, and seeing which came out on top. The aspirations of the staff, led by president Martin Sheen, didn’t always lead to victory, but that was one of the series’ strengths: managing, at its finest, to maintain its optimism without completely disregarding the endless compromise of politics. That strength even endured in Sorkin’s absence, with a depiction of a presidential campaign that eerily predicted the realities of 2008. West Wing had the occasional misstep, but at its best, it suggested a world where smart people could do dumb things, but still find the right way in the end. Essential episodes:“The Stackhouse Filibuster,” “The Two Cathedrals,” “Game On”
Our parents told us TV would melt our brains. While it's possible "Punky Brewster" and "A-Team" did just that, along the way we saw some genius art. Television can't play 90 minutes on the big screen and vanish into the bargain bin. And it lacks one author to take it from introduction to the final page. Yet within these boundaries, there are a small number of shows that capture our attention, our obsession, and create enduring stories. How many? 35. They're listed here. Don't see your favorite television show? That's probably because, while entertaining, it didn't rise above mere packaging for a car commercial.These programs, decided on by a group of obsessive New York Post writers who never listened to their parents, are something more. Popular and compelling, yes, but groundbreaking as well, each one changing what was possible - and what sometimes was allowed - on TV.This is television's most perfect network, playing on repeats in the TiVo of our minds.
When "The Sopranos" drama was in great form, there was nothing else like it. Episodes such as "College," from season one were simultaneously funny, frightening and startling. Tony toured New England universities with his daughter Meadow and took some time out to murder an old enemy while at home, his wife Carmela almost seduced her favorite priest, Father Phil, while watching a movie. Viewers never knew what was going to happen next, a policy creator David Chase enforced to the very last scene. The show also introduced us to fantastic actors who would have never been cast had the show been produced in Los Angeles. It is impossible to imagine anyone else playing Tony and Carmela besides James Gandolfini and Edie Falco. Their portrayal of a sometimes ugly marriage had never been seen on television before.
2ALL IN THE FAMILY
(1971-79, CBS)
Archie Bunker (Carroll O'Connor) hated everybody who wasn't a white, middle-class American like himself. Regularly using such pejoratives as "fag," "spade," "wop" and "chink," he was so politically incorrect he wouldn't be allowed to set foot on a television show anymore. But in "All In The Family," creator Norman Lear found an anti-hero through which he could parody such serious subjects as intolerance in America. Based on the British series "Till Death Do Us Part," the comedy was a risky choice for CBS, but when it went to number one and stayed there for five years, the network spun off "Maude," "The Jeffersons" and "Good Times," among other series.
3THE OPRAH WINFREY SHOW (1986-present, syndication) Phil Donahue gets the credit for ushering in this era of daytime talk, but no one has mastered the genre like Oprah Winfrey, who has turned TV into her temple. Winfrey is a goddess to American women, a humanitarian who never runs out of ways to make the world a better place and the most influential media personality in America. In one classic episode, Winfrey, who has been publicly battling her weight since we met her, walked on stage some 40 pounds lighter on Nov. 5, 1988, after spending three months on a liquid diet. In the show's highest episode ever, she pulled an equivalent amount of fat behind her in a wagon. Today, Winfrey is a multi-media, multi-billion dollar brand, and her syndicated talk show, where she addresses pressing social issues of special concern to women, runs a book club, and gives away prizes to her loyal audience, is just the start. "O, the Oprah Magazine," boasts a circulation of 16 million; "Oprah and Friends" airs each day on XM Satellite Radio; and in 2009, Winfrey is partnering with Discovery to launch the Oprah Winfrey Network, or OWN. It truly is Oprah's world; we're all lucky to be living in it.
4AMERICAN IDOL (2002- present, FOX)
When the decade is over, "American Idol" will go down in history as its most-watched program. Monstrously successful, this talent show had the kind of numbers envious producers would sell their first-borns for. And at a time when the music industry saw CD sales plummet thanks to the Internet, "Idol" empowered the audience - mainly 13-year-old girls - to create the music it wanted to hear by voting for the singers it liked best. The concept was so simple, you wonder why the blowhards in Los Angeles didn't think of it first. The brainchild of British TV producer Simon Fuller, "Idol" made multi-platforming the wave of the future. The show shot to the top of the ratings, becoming the No. 1 for the season, even though it only ran from January through May. Then the winners - or even the runners-up - catapulted to the top of the charts, and in the case of Jennifer Hudson, to the winner's circle on Oscar night. Hate it or love it, "American Idol" was the one show broadcast TV producers spent ten years looking for and couldn't come up with: a phenomenon.
5THE WEST WING (1999-2006, NBC)
Who knew policy wonks could be sexy? "The West Wing," with its rapid-fire dialogue - and trademark walk-and-talks through the corridors of power - could make your ears hurt trying to keep up. But in the hands of Martin Sheen , Stockard Channing, Allison Janney, Rob Lowe, Richard Schiff and Bradley Whitford, even arguments about subjects as dry as the free trade agreement could catch fire.They said it would never work, that no one would be interested in the sausage-making of government. But creator Aaron Sorkin proved everyone wrong. Relying on Washington insiders, he built a world around the Democratic administration of President Josiah Bartlet (Sheen) that had the distinct whiff of authenticity. It went on to capture three Golden Globes and 26 Emmy Awards, tying "Hill Street Blues" for the most Emmys ever for a dramatic series.
6MARY TYLER MOORE (1970-77, CBS)
You have to look pretty hard these days to find a show or a movie that has several good roles for women. But in the long ago, there was a comedy built around Mary Tyler Moore that had three of them. There was Mary Richards, the warm and independent woman starting out in her career at a Minneapolis TV station. There was Rhoda Morgenstern (Valerie Harper), Mary's friend and neighbor, a windowdresser whose earthy candor made her the perfect foil. And then there was Phyllis Lindstrom (Cloris Leachman), uptight landlady to both Mary and Rhoda, a woman who was so self-involved that she made everyone do double takes with her crazy remarks. One of the smartest sitcoms, "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" had a gallery of well-drawn characters, three of whom - Rhoda, Phyllis and Mary's boss, Lou Grant - eventually got shows of their own.
7DALLAS (1978-91, CBS)
Without "Dallas," we never would've had to wait all summer to find out if Peter Petrelli exploded into smithereens on "Heroes," how Jack Bauer would survive imprisonment by the Chinese on "24," if Buffy would come back from the dead... Why not? Because "Dallas" and its season-two finale "A House Divided"(a k a "Who Shot J.R.?") ignited a frenzy for the jaw-dropping cliffhanger that continues to this day. It was the highest rated episode in U.S. history at the time, with numbers that were like those of "American Idol" and "Grey's Anatomy" combined. If that doesn't convince you, the series also rode the coattails of current events (gas crunch, energy crises, Iran), featured overripe plotlines involving sex, money, family and lies - what could be more American? - and had the ultimate villain, J.R. Ewing (Larry Hagman, below with Linda Grey). It was the one 1980s series that other shows wanted to be, and its imitators - "Dynasty" "Falcon Crest" and "Knots Landing" - all enjoyed long runs.
824 (2001- present, FOX)
Set aside the groundbreaking real-time format and the split-screen action. Think about the plots. An African-American senator on the verge of becoming president. Terrorist threats against the US including an exploding jetliner. Patriot Act-level surveillance and wiretapping. Secret prisons and torture. So much of what this show does has come true, you start to worry that a heroin-addicted special agent is at this moment stopping a weaponized virus from wiping out Los Angeles. Kiefer Sutherland's Jack Bauer is a hero for the modern age, amoral in motion, conflicted at rest. "24" shamed other cop dramas with its movie-size action, its breakneck plotting, but most of all its immediacy. After "24," you can't pretend your characters don't live in the real world. Now, the clock is always ticking.
9TWIN PEAKS (1990-91, ABC)
Black lodges, damn fine pie, log ladies - "Peaks" was something television hadn't been before: Weird. Once viewers figured out "Who Killed Laura Palmer?" the noir soap veered into chaos, but you see its influences in everything from "X-Files" to "Lost." The show was also the first to bring "cinema" to the small screen. Film director David Lynch included visually riveting but plotless side scenes, a seasoned cast, and on-location shooting in the Pacific Northwest instead of a studio lot. "Peaks" didn't look like TV. Backward-talking dwarves? Creepier than anything but Bea Arthur. And the next time you think "ER" is gutsy for killing off a major character, consider this. In the series finale, Lynch killed off half the cast of "Peaks" and left the main character possessed.
10SESAME STREET
(1969-present, PBS)
Many an aging Generation Xer can thank "Sesame Street" for teaching them to read. Bert, Ernie, Big Bird and the gang created the first TV show parents and kids could watch together. Segments were short enough to engage the kiddies, and funny enough to keep mom and dad from changing the channel. The series also inspired entire networks dedicated to kids, like Nickelodeon, lessening the program's power, but not its importance. No one hammered home what kids needed to know about the letter "E" and the number "8" like Grover and the Count.
11THE TONIGHT SHOW WITH JOHNNY CARSON (1962-92, NBC)
Like Lucille Ball, Johnny Carson (below) set the bar for late-night talk-show hosts and no one since has managed to combine his charm, wit and genuine ability to converse with his guests.
1260 MINUTES
(1968-present, CBS)
From Vietnam and Watergate to the Iraq War, Mike Wallace and this team have kept reported the world's most riveting news.
13THE ED SULLIVAN SHOW (1948-71, CBS)
Ed Sullivan owned Sunday night and his show can always brag about two pop culture milestones: breakthrough performances by Elvis Presley, in 1956, and The Beatles, in 1964. 60 million Americans watched.
14I LOVE LUCY (1951-57, CBS)
Lucille Ball's genius comedy about a Cuban bandleader, Ricky Ricardo (Desi Arnaz, above, with Ball) his madcap wife and their game neighbors, Fred and Ethel Mertz, created three-camera television and filmed episodes that allowed for rebroadcasts. Every sitcom actress since then has been billed as "the next Lucille Ball." Never gonna happen.
15LAW & ORDER
(1990-present, NBC)
If Jack Bauer doesn't stop the world from blowing up, there will be three things left: cockroaches, Cher and "Law & Order." The Dick Wolf show removed character from the squad room and the courtroom and riveted audiences that liked stories with a beginning, middle and end.
16MONTY PYTHON'S FLYING CIRCUS
(1969-1974, PBS)
Chances are every cast member of "SNL" and writer on "The Daily Show" can recite a sketch from this British troupe whose show first aired on the BBC. The Pythons skewered everything you weren't supposed to bring up at a dinner party (religion, politics, silly walks). Go YouTube "Philosopher's World Cup" and "How Not to Be Seen." Oh! "The Hungarian Phrasebook." "Blackmail"! There, you just lost an afternoon.
17THE CAROL BURNETT SHOW (1967-79, CBS)
Burnett was not only a great comic, specializing in outrageous satires of melodramas like "Gone With the Wind," but she cleverly surrounded herself with pros who were often funnier than she was, like the demented Tim Conway and Harvey Korman.
18THE SIMPSONS (1989-present, FOX)
Dan Castellaneta, Julie Kavner, Nancy Cartwright and Yeardley Smith gave voice to TV's most endearing animated characters.
19SEX AND THE CITY (1998-2004, HBO)
The story of four sexually liberated women falling in and out of love in New York was one of two Sunday night HBO shows that you talked about first thing on Monday morning.
20ER (1994-present, NBC)
Two words: George Clooney . America's fascination with this handsome devil began on Thursday nights in a high-octane medical drama that grabbed you by the throat with its frantic pace, overlapping dialogue and believably exhausted residents.
21THE HONEYMOONERS (1955-56, CBS)
This sitcom about a bus driver, his best pal and their wives still sends us to the moon.
22MIAMI VICE (1984-89, NBC)
The coolest show of the 1980s. The adventures of Sonny Crockett (Don Johnson) and Rico Tubbs (Philip Michael Thomas) hooked viewers with its funky portrait of an American city drenched in crime. What other show had a hot soundtrack, launched a No. 1 single and made white Armani jackets worn over T-shirts all the rage?
23SEINFELD (1990-98, NBC)
The antics of four neurotic New Yorkers who preferred each other's company to kooky girlfriends, sponge-worthy boyfriends and crotchety parents made for quirky, inspired comedy.
24GUNSMOKE (1955-75, CBS)
Over 30 Westerns came and went during this show's tenure, but Matt Dillon outlasted them all.
25ROWAN & MARTIN'S LAUGH-IN (1968-73, NBC)
The fast-paced comedy show really socked it to us. The stars it gave rise to were the best of the day: Lily Tomlin, Goldie Hawn, Ruth Buzzi and Joanne Worley.
26HILL STREET BLUES (1981-87, NBC)
The pioneering Steven Bochco cop show paved the way for "NYPD Blue," among many other gritty procedurals.
27STAR TREK(1966-1969, NBC)
Even though it was only on for four years, "Star Trek" spawned a galaxy of other "Trek" spinoffs and a parallel universe of movies.
28THE X-FILES (1993-2002, Fox)
The first time geeks were heroes. Forget the mythology; its legacy of witty dread is cemented by one episode: "Clyde Bruckman's Final Repose."
29THE DICK VAN DYKE SHOW (1961-66, CBS)
This sitcom about the life of comedy writer Rob Petrie (Dick Van Dyke), his wife Laura (Mary Tyler Moore) and his colleagues was sharp, funny and memorable.
30SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE (1975-present, NBC)
It was "Laugh-In" for the 70s, a hip mix of satire, music and straight comedy. In its early years, everyone was home watching.
31JEOPARDY! (1964-75; 1978-79; 1984-present, NBC and syndication)Merv Griffin's game show for smart people has consistently given us the right questions to our answers for over 40 years.
32MOONLIGHTING (1985-89, ABC)
If "Miami Vice" was the '80s coolest cop show and "Dallas" was the best soap, "Moonlighting" was the hippest romance.
33MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE (1966-73, CBS)
This stylish "24" precursor was a thrill-ride from the opening credits.
34The Cosby Show (1984-92, NBC)
The most popular sitcom of all time and if you watch "the Monopoly scene" between Cosby and his son, you'll know why. After Theo gives an impassioned speech about "loving me as I am" after he gets a D, the crowd "aahs." You expect Cosby to hug him. Instead, he pauses, "that's the dumbest thing I've ever heard in... I am your father. I brought you in this world, I can take you out."
35GENERAL HOSPITAL (1963-present, ABC)
Three words: Luke and Laura. Their star-crossed romance catapulted changed the face of daytime television.
Additional reporting by Paige Albiniak, Deborah Starr Seibel and Maxine Shen
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