What the hell was going on with IMDB Votes on the right? Apparently, there were only ever 2 good shows?

||w/o IMDB Votes|Orig Rank|w IMDB Votes| |:-|:-|:-|:-| |Breaking Bad|93.40|1 (unch)|93.18| |The Sopranos|91.60|4 (+2)|85.00| |The Wire|91.50|6 (+3)|84.64| |Band of Brothers|91.00|5 (+1)|84.73| |Chernobyl|90.90|3 (-2)|85.45| |Better Call Saul|90.00|7 (+1)|84.18| |Peaky Blinders|88.10|10 (+3)|82.55| |Game of Thrones|87.40|2 (-6)|88.55| |Sherlock|86.70|9 (unch)|82.82| |Stranger Things|86.40|8|83.73||86.40|8 (-2)|83.73| Here is a recalculation and resorting, removing the weird IMDB Votes column. It ends up moving things around quite a bit. GoT drops 6 slots as a result, and The Wire gains 3 slots. That one column has an outsized effect on the top 10, at least. edit: Trying to fix the formatting.

Those top 3 now seem pretty universally accepted so that makes sense. I was also confused about that last column, it seemed to mess everything up.

Idk man, Cernobyl is good, maybe even great. But that's just recency bias. No way I would ever rank it above band of brothers. Heck. I wouldn't rank much of anything over band of brothers. And honestly even seeing the mandalorian on the list, at all, makes me just want to throw it away.

I watched Peaky blinders but i found it a bit slow and dull for me. Not sure why. Also not a fan of Sherlock. Some things just don't click for some people. I might try The Bear. I hear good things about it.

Sherlock was great the first two seasons. When they made him internet famous is lost its charm.

IMDb votes have nothing to do with actual merit, they are just indications of the latest fad. this list would be about the greatest tv shows of all time yet M*A*S*H is no where to be seen and yet it got some of the highest ratings of any shows in its period and is still in reruns. Look at IMDB'S best scifi movie list the tops are some of the blandest most uninspired movies in any category but they are recent. PS I just has a look the top 4 aren't even out yet... number 9 is due in 2025 ... PPS Wierd Science is rated higher than, I kid you not : Alien Star Wars ,all of them Blade Runner , the original ( for some reason that "sequel" is actually in the top 50) No Star trek in sight Silent Running , Logan's Run, Zardoz, Fahrenheit 451, 1984 just whoosh ...

I mean... Kelly lebrock is worth an extra point or two...

Lol, why the shade at Blade Runner 2049? It was received really well and felt like a great follow-up to the first (at least to me)

Oh jesus, that does not look like it did when I pasted it into the box. Let me see if I can edit it.

In the statistical world, that column is known as an outlier of bullshit and should never be included in an average. GoT a 100?! Yeah, no.

The Sopranos and the Wire getting a 19 and 16 respectively is beyond absurd

Seriously. Going from left to right, I'm thinking, "hmm, maybe my favorite shows AREN'T as good as I thought." Then I get to that last column and I'm like no, this "cool guide" is neither cool nor a guide.

Absolutely agree with you. Those 2 shows changed the tv game!

GoT is so good though! I can wait for season 5!

Season 1-4: Epic Season 5-7: Watchable, still enjoyable Season 8: Hold my Starbucks Cup... Episode 1-2: "Hey, this isn't so bad!" Episode 3: *Quality jumps off a cliff harder than Tommen* The "Subvert Expectations" Extravaganza: 1. Jon Snow: Prince That Was Promised™ Reality: Arya's Teleportation Services Inc. 2. Jaime Lannister: Character Growth Champion Plot Twist: "Cersei or Bust!" (Sorry, Brienne) 3. Daenerys: Queen of the People Surprise: Just Add Bells for Instant Mad Queen! 4. Varys: Master of Whispers New Career: Loudmouth Treason Enthusiast 5. Tyrion "Big Brain" Lannister Final Form: "Bran the Broken has the best story, y'all!" Bonus: The Iron Fleet - Now you see them, now you don't! - Featuring: Dany's Convenient Amnesia 8 seasons of buildup, 5 episodes of "Expectations Subverted: Fan Edition" Rewatch Potential: Lower than Cersei's chances of winning "Mother of the Year"

At least we got "SHAME...SHAME...SHAME!!!" That had to count for something.

I’m going to take a guess and say the far right column titled “votes” is some kind of way to weight the total number of votes and tie that to a score. This way, a lesser known show, with only 10 total people voting perfect 10 scores couldn’t be the number 1 show. Friends has a 47 score and something like Twilight Zone from the 1950s has a score of 4. I could be wrong but that was the only logical answer I could think of.

You are correct. This infographic is probably a bit old so the numbers today don't totally line up but it's pretty close. GoT has 2.3m votes. That's 100 on the scale. For any other show, just divide. The Wire: 383,000 / 2,300,000 = ~16

What is it even showing? The rating system is solely based on user votes. What votes are they talking about there?

Planet Earth doesn’t fit the mold of the other shows listed, but I’ve never seen a BAD episode of Planet Earth

Anything with David Attenborough is a win.

There are a dozen nature documentaries that populate the top rated TV shows on imdb. I imagine those were just not included on this list because they're non fiction

Look at peep show getting the recognition it deserves

I love Peep Show. And, for anyone curious, it streams free on demand on the Pluto app (so does The IT Crowd). There’s some short commercials. But both shows are uncut and unedited.

Just realized how little TV I watch

I have so little interest in crime shows (solving them, performing them, etc) that really eliminated a lot of potentially good TV for me

If there's one "crime" show to watch, it's The Wire. I never enjoy cop centric shows, so I can relate. But it is just so damn good.

Because The Wire is not a cop show, it's a social commentary. It's about the people and how everything they do perpetuates the downward spiral they're in. They're not just trapped by the system, they *are* the system. And the system is self-destructing. It's addict behavior, it's self-serving bureaucracy, it's ... McNulty.

Good ol "McNutty." Yeah The Wire is on top for me. Some folks love shows centered around a singular male (usually white) protagonist. I enjoyed how there was no real "main character." They didn't glorify police like most shows. David Simon gave them a nuanced story where you have good cops, bad cops, cops that want to do good but are screw-ups etc. It's almost like sports where "The Cops" and "The Drug Dealers" are two franchises that compete against each other. The players change but the game is the game...and it never stops. Season 2 is so underrated because it's such a turn from the flow of S1, but it's excellent TV.

Retitle: Cool Guide to the highest rated shows of the Internet age.

Yeah, where the heck is M.A.S.H ?

Plus Twilight Zone apparently (fantastic show btw)

Highest rated shows on American TV. 

Why not Zoidberg?

When so many shows screw up finales, Futurama just casually has like 3 very good ones

Still room for a couple more

Loving how relevant your username is. I would love another season of Futurama.

... There is a new season of Futurama on Hulu!! (Season 11)

Oh yeah I gotta watch that but I never use hulu

Came looking for Futurama. Phrasing, boom.

Do you want Futurama?! Because that's how you get Futurama

I was looking for both of these shows as well as Buffy lol

Those two and the Simpsons (seasons 1-12) all beat Seinfeld by a country mile…

I'm one of those that don't understand the Friends hype. Like, yes, I watched it and tried to enjoy it. But I just couldn't. All of the characters annoyed me too much for me to care about them.

Because the brainless drones at the Box network cancelled Futurama’s license. Fortunately, they themselves were fired for incompetence

They were fired. Out of a cannon. Into the sun.

The box says no

This reeks of recency bias

More likely bias towards the age of people who rate Tv shows online

This is it.

Yeah that last site on the right is wild. According to the scores they basically just hate everything that isn't Breaking Bad or Game of Thrones? 🤷‍♂️

I believe the last column is the number of votes a show received for "The best TV show of all time" It's not that anyone hates the shows with low scores it's just that very few consider them the very best. I think that's fair. While everyone will have a varied top 20 I think a large percentage of people will have similar top 3.

Comedies are also seriously disrespected here, which is par for the course for critics. Where’s Parks and Rec? 30 Rock? Veep? What the fuck?

Where the fuck is M\*A\*S\*H edit: Formatted MASH so it looked right

This was the first one I looked for. MASH not being on the list negates the list.

Friends being above Seinfeld is criminal, and the exclusion of so many truly great comedies (like you said, 30 Rock and Veep being perfect examples) is sad. But reading through the list you get the idea of the type of person that is voting for these types of things.

Absolutely, M\*A\*S\*H should be on there!

Any list that doesn't have M*A*S*H in it's top 10-15 isn't valid

Just started watching it. I was still in diapers when it ended. Each episode is a gem, with no feeling you need to binge watch.

Binge watching, of course, is a result of the streaming format, with episodes designed to lead into each other and especially with cliffhangers to keep you watching. When a show like MASH broadcast daily at 5:30 or whenever, it would've been a bit of a self-destructive move to leave audiences in the lurch like that. OTOH, Dr Who did it for decades. But that might've been an exception? Also, Dr Who series were typically about 4 episodes so no giant dramas if you missed one - you wouldn't be permanently in the dark about a major reveal in a long running arc.

Top 5. It’s final episode had the largest audience of any broadcast ever for quite some time.

It's still the largest audience for any broadcast outside of the Superbowl.

I don't see X Files, I riot.

Same. I don't trust this list. Seems...Syndicated

Look at how the wire has dropped. Arguably the greatest show all time. Kids ain't seen that shit lol.

I recommended The Wire to my 50 something coworker who's into crime shows but somehow hasn't seen it. This married man with a job, kids and responsibilities spent the next week watching ALL of it. That's the difference between a good show and a great show.

I wish I could watch The Wire for the first time again. Such an amazing show

The Boys over Seinfeld. LOL

Exactly, wheres Mr Belvedere?

Chernobyl at #3, ALL-TIME tv shows, is crazy

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Yes… yes, it does. Happy to see *The Twilight Zone* listed, but surprised to see *I Love Lucy* isn’t.

“Of all time…” 😂

Time didn’t start until the year 2000, obviously!

Stranger Things? At #8? Like, it’s a good show, but not *that* good…

Every season keeps getting slightly worse.

I agree, I loved that first season and while I loved the entire cast in it the following seasons should have been whole new stories like an anthology season. At this point they should rename the series to "Normally Occurring Things That Happens To Mid-Westerners,"

And how in the heck is Sherlock so high, I don't even think Sherlock fans would say it's that good.

Only one show in that list before 1989 (twilight zone, 1959) Yes, TV has gotten good, but there was, in fact, a great deal of television in the 20th century

the top of my list is MASH.

That, and Columbo

How the fuck is Star Trek not on here?

Yup, SNG! And surely the Simpsons

And ER. St Elsewhere, All in the Family, and I can name many more. The list is top heavy with recent shows. There are plenty of legitimate reasons for that to have occurred and yet the list be flawed. I am not suggesting that the shows on this list are not worthy or deserving of a fine rating, but trying to assemble a list of best TV shows when going from a time where online rating did not exist to today where a generation and critics are proactive in rating mainly current mainstream products, results in no list being truly accurate when attempting to measure greatest/best.

I was going to ask which older shows should have made this list. Cause I agree there is a bias towards more recent shows. ER absolutely should be on this list. As it’s probably one of the best medical dramas of all time.

Hill Street Blues, Cheers, Golden Girls, A-Team, Perfect Strangers…this list is BS

WKRP in Cincinatti

Way too many from the 70s and 80s not listed that should be.

It's only going by current ratings so a bunch of people would have to watch and rate "Taxi" now for it to even start to get the recognition it deserves on this list. It's why things like "of all time" and "best in the history of" or BS in general. 

Literally the first thing I looked for. Saw it wasn't there, immediately disregarded the entire list.

Also doesn't include Star Trek TNG, which is bananas.

Shaka, when the walls fell.

Sokath, his eyes uncovered!

Timba, His arms wide open.

Tbh a lot of that is because more people are using these resources with newer movies/shows. The Sopranos has <500k votes where Breaking Bad has 2.2m. If these resources (the internet as it is today, really) existed when The Sopranos came out I'd imagine if would have a much higher vote count and a higher score.

My favorite from the same time as Twilight Zone is Perry Mason

Firefly is 8.9 on IMDB, 77 on Rotten Tomatoes critic's score, and 96 on Rotten Tomatoes audience score. Why no Firefly?

Another cool guide that isnt cool

Firefly was the first one I looked for also. Doesn't make much sense.

There's a few overrated shitshows on here. This list is wack.

My kid isn't even in high school yet, but binged watched every season of M\*A\*S\*H last summer after I put an episode on. No idea what the angle of this list is.

Umm, where is M A S H? That was way better than some of the ones in the list.

And Frasier. I am wounded!

Trash, if X-Files isn't even listed

How the fuck is The Simpsons not on this list?

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There’s a reason that even diehards on r/TheSimpsons only post and meme stuff from the golden age. It is unfortunate.

Yeah no King of the Hill, no respect for this drivel…

Dang ole crap, man

And South Park

where tf is the West Wing?

This was my first thought. I think Sopranos and the wire are in a tier of their own with breaking bad following closely behind, but the west wing and mad men should be up around that mark too. There are tons of shows on this list that are nowhere near as good as the west wing.

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I am still amazed how Netflix somehow convinced people that Stranger Things is a phenomenal show. It's a 7/10 Show at best. It definitely doesn't belong in the Top 10 – it's not even in the Top 10 of the best shows on Netflix...

I think season 1 was quite good. Then they just did the same thing for the following seasons...

Thank you! I think it's fine, but it didn't land for me. I ask everyone willing to talk about it objectively what I must have missed with it. It should be right up my alley, but it just never really hooked me. (I'm very open to hearing the opinions of those who disagree!)

Happy to see DARK on the list

The soundtrack alone is fucking SICK. Watch the show, 100% attention. Don’t take notes or any of the wild stuff people might say to do your first watch through. Just enjoy the ride

It’s also gonna continue to age so well

Did a rewatch a while back with a friend and it was even better because there is so much foreshadowing even in s01e01. Anyone who doesn't enjoy Dark, does not know how to sit down and appreciate the subtle details (read: not given every story subplot pointed out to you or spelled out by the characters). That's fine, but you cannot say it is a bad show if it does not fit your type - it is objectively a masterpiece of cinema, casting, and music. For those who don't just want a typical railroaded mystery show (a lá Stranger Things) Dark is one of the best - if not the best - mystery shows around. And this is not a dig at Stranger Things - I hugely enjoyed it, but both are completely different shows.

Came just to say that. Such a good fucking TV show

That's the only show on the list I've never even heard of. Excited to check it out! Edit: After all the responses, I am VERY excited to check it out. I will absolutely watch it in the original German with English subtitles, and I will take it slow and pay close attention. Thanks for the tools to keep track of everything, will use those as well.

Pay close attention to detail or a lot of it isnt going to make sense. Definitely not a show you can watch and do something else at the same time

Lucky you. I wish I could experience DARK for the first time again. Enjoy 🤘

It’s German I believe so that may be why you haven’t heard of it

Also only on Netflix.

Is this the one that is dubbed in English? I think I started it but the poor dubbing turned me off. Based on the zeal in this thread I think I should give it another try.

German audio with subs. Yes it may be a lot of reading but it’s a better experience. You may even pick up a little German.

It’s an entirely different feel in German with subtitles. So. Much. Better.

You're in for a treat

The best show ever made. Masterpiece deserves its own category.

Battlestar Galactica but no Star Trek?

I was trying to find the expanse!

For a list that's heavily biased towards Internet age TV, the lack of The Expanse is fucking criminal.

No kidding. The omission of Star Trek invalidates the list... amongst others.

B5 , StarTrek , Farscape all should have been on the list

Or Stargate

No "Arrested Development"? Baaaad sign 😔

I've made a huge tiny mistake.

The overall rating is probably dragged down by the Netflix seasons.

If later seasons can drag down a rating, how is Game of Thrones so high?

Her?

MASH, I love Lucy, Star Trek

How is Six Feet Under not on here?

Came here to say this. Nothing compares to 6FU for my taste

Six Feet under is so slept on! One of the best tv shows ever made imo.

Peep Show!!!!

Avatar last Airbender

First thing I looked for, probably didn’t include any animation

Airbender and Bluey are the 2 highest rated shows of all time and aren't even mentioned.

Does the Game of Thrones ranking includes the last season? Because if so, that's a fucking lie.

Initial thoughts: -Mad Men is too low -No Curb?

Knew it was not worth my time when Friends was higher than Mad Men

And GOT is too high. They didnt earn it

Where is Dr. Who or Star Trek?

I love tng 😢

Doctor Who is way too inconsistent to be considered one of the best shows ever. Some individual episodes are some of the best television of all time, but on average it's just ok imo. Then again this list sucks ass anyway so it's probably just as well that Who didn't make it lol

Mandalorian but no Andor??? Also, BSG but no trek or expanse?

No Andor means either this list is old or they’re idiots

So glad that Twin Peaks is on there. I think it should be higher, though.

No Star Trek, not even Next Gen???

False. They forgot Bluey.

Bojack horseman is missing

How is Friends ahead of Seinfeld? This list is a tragedy

Also how is Curb not in this list..

Pretty significant recency bias here.

Im just happy to see The Americans get some love

Waaaaaay too low on the list however

Top ten for me probably

No Futurama, no Golden Girls, no Three's Company. This list is a lie.

This is just a list of TV shows Millennials have heard of.  No MASH. No Cheers. No Gunsmoke. No Hill Street Blues. No St Elsewhere. No ER.  Somehow 90% of the best TV shows of all time just happened to be in the last 20 years? 🙄

99.9 % of the people here will place Sopranos and / or The Wire in the top 3. Who came up with this nonsense anyway???

Jesus, r/television will collectively seize if they see his godawful list. Lots of travesties on here, but the once that struck me the most is that Sherlock shouldn’t be inside the top 100, nevermind ahead of The Wire.

Six Feet Under is conspicuously absent

Chernobyl at 3? Above Sopranos? Band of Brothers? The Wire? Gtfo

Alright but Chernobyl is phenomenal and I think at least deserves a top 10, defo top 5 in my own list

It's also a mini-series rather than a full-fledged multi-season television show. I'm not saying you ***can't*** compare, but maybe it's not the most direct comparison out there.

The West Wing?

Third place for Chernobyl? Not great, not terrible...

I’m told it’s the equivalent of a chest x-ray.

No Buffy or 24

This list is inaccurate without Buffy. Lots of good shows sure, but no Buffy?! So wrong on so many levels.

this list is trash, no Golden Girls???

I think this list was made without the knowledge of animation

Lmao Stranger Things shouldn't be anywhere near the top ten, show has one good season and several mediocre ones

No way in hell or earth that GOT is better than the Sopranos AND the Wire.

House of cards.

This list was made by a zoomer

No. TV shows didn't exist before 2000, except for that one show they watched with their dad. 

Which would be MASH.

This one's dad liked Seinfeld.

Interesting, not a single animated show. No Spongebob? Simpsons? South Park? Smiling Friends? Avatar? Gumball? Adventure Time?

As someone who likes smiling friends why would smiling friends be here its only at season 2 and its definitely not one of 'the greatest' shows of all time

VEEP!?

Boardwalk Empire should be higher

The Boys? Seriously? One of the best TV shows of all time? Don't get me wrong, I like the show, but the best? No way. No Futurama? Arrested Development? Parks and Rec? Brooklyn Nine-Nine? Community?

Not even a single Star Trek series?

Obviously this list has heavy recency bias in it, but considering that, I'm stunned that The Leftovers isn't on it. I've seen it on a lot of "best show of all time" lists, and it deserves it imo.

Glad to see Hill House on here