In this article, we are going to discuss the 30 best TV shows of all time. You can skip our detailed analysis of the history of the entertainment industry, the American film and television industry, evolution of online streaming platforms, impact of Covid-19 on online streaming services and future outlook of streaming and go directly to 10 Best TV Shows of All Time.
The entertainment industry has a long and varied history, with roots dating back to ancient civilizations. One of the earliest forms of entertainment was the art of storytelling, which has been a part of human culture for millennia. Theater and drama have also been popular for thousands of years and the ancient Greeks are credited with developing the art of theater, as we know it today.
However, the global entertainment industry was revolutionized after the invention of the first motion picture camera in 1891. The first movie theater opened in 1905, radio broadcasts began in 1920 and television broadcasts began in 1928, but it was not until after World War II that television was widely adopted as a form of mass communication around the globe.
American Film and Television Industry:
The production and distribution of motion pictures and television programs is a nation’s most valuable economic and cultural resource. As we mentioned in our article 15 Most Watched TV Shows of 2023, the film and television entertainment sector in the U.S. provides $21 billion in annual payments to more than 260,000 local businesses across the country. The industry is made up of more than 122,000 companies located in every state in America, 92% of which have less than 10 employees. The film and television sector supported a total of 2.1 million jobs and paid $186 billion in total wages in 2021. The industry also provided $29 billion in public tax revenue and earned $14.4 billion in export revenues for the country in 2021.
Evolution of Online Streaming Platforms:
The global TV and film industry went through a paradigm shift in the last few years with the evolution of online streaming services. Netflix, Inc. (NASDAQ:NFLX) began as a DVD rental service in 1997, which allowed consumers to select and receive DVDs by mail. In 2007, the company expanded into online streaming of movies and television shows directly from its streaming platform. Now, after 16 years of redefining global entertainment distribution and even giving us some of the greatest TV shows of all time, Netflix, Inc. (NASDAQ:NFLX) currently has over 222 million subscribers worldwide, a market cap of over $200 billion and boasted a revenue of $31.6 billion in 2022.
Netflix, Inc. (NASDAQ:NFLX) opened the door to a new entertainment distribution and production model and was then followed by other popular streaming platforms, like Amazon Prime by Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN), Disney+ by The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS), HBO Max by Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc (NASDAQ:WBD) and many others.
Impact of Covid-19 on Online Streaming Services:
When the entire world went into a lockdown during the Covid-19 pandemic, people could no longer go to theaters or cinemas and so online streaming platforms became an important source of home entertainment. In 2020, the number of streaming subscriptions across platforms crossed one billion worldwide. Netflix, Inc. (NASDAQ:NFLX) hit 200 million subscribers for the first time and witnessed a 47% growth in revenue from 2019 to 2021.
Meanwhile, global box office revenues, which reached a record $42.3 billion in 2019, plunged by over 70% and reached $12 billion in 2020. This was also the first year that China overtook the U.S. as the country with highest box office revenues.
Future Outlook of Streaming:
It’s fairly clear that streaming is becoming increasingly popular among viewers worldwide. According to Forbes, binge watchers and casual viewers spent 35% of their total TV time streaming in 2022, up from just 10% in 2020, and they streamed an average of 190 billion minutes per week.
In addition to increased viewership numbers, streaming services are also pushing for an increase in the number of subscribers. A recent example of this is Netflix, Inc. (NASDAQ:NFLX) cracking down on its subscribers sharing their passwords with others. The move seems to have worked and Netflix, Inc. (NASDAQ:NFLX) had its four largest single days of U.S. customers signing up since it issued the alert.
A report by Lightshed Partners has predicted that subscriptions for streaming platforms will cross 1.25 billion by 2024, driven largely by fresh content offering from existing providers, as well as new entrants in the market.
With that said, here is a list of the best TV shows in history.
To collect data for our article, we went through several different sources, such as IMDB, Rolling Stone, Reader’s Digest etc., searching for the top-ranking TV shows of all time, and picked the top 5 shows from every index until we had our list of 30 greatest TV shows. Then we ranked these TV series based on their number of appearances in the aforementioned indexes.
If you’re also interested to read about our compilation of best movies, please refer to our article 35 Best New Movies on Netflix.
30. Chernobyl (2019)
Chernobyl is an HBO original series that offered a brilliant dramatization of the horrors and chaos following the meltdown of a nuclear plant in the Soviet Union in 1986. With a 95% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, the show has 3 Emmys and 2 Golden Globes to its name.
29. Sesame Street (1969-Present)
Sesame Street has always been a show on a mission: to educate and entertain both its young target audience and their exhausted parents through a mix of songs, sketches, and a voice that speaks to kids rather than at them. The show that gave us the Cookie Monster, is available for streaming on HBO Max, owned by Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc (NASDAQ:WBD). It has often been regarded by pop culture as one of the best shows of all time.
28. Rick and Morty (2013-Present)
Although Rick and Morty is a cartoon show with its vivid splashes of color and its improvisational voice acting, it is a hilarious and original sci-fi comedy meant for a mature audience. Each episode is funny, smart and weird and gets you invested in its world and characters. It is estimated that a single episode of the show costs between $1.2 million to $1.5 million and most of this goes into animation and design.
27. The Office U.K. (2001-2003)
The Ricky Gervais-led British show that inspired its more famous American counterpart, The Office, was intended to look as ordinary, as mundane and as unremarkable as possible. Instead, it is one of the greatest comedy shows of the 21st century and though it ran for only 14 episodes, the show’s cultural impact is immense. The Office U.K. is available to watch on PrimeVideo, by Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN)
26. Modern Family (2009-2020)
Told from the perspective of an unseen documentary filmmaker, Modern Family is one of the most heartwarming shows in the modern era and tells us the story of the Pritchett family. The show has an 85% average audience score on Rotten Tomatoes and is available to watch on Peacock, the streaming platform of NBCUniversal, which, in turn, is owned by the Comcast Corporation (NASDAQ:CMCSA).
25. Battlestar Galactica (2004-2009)
The original Battlestar Galactica, which aired in 1978, only enjoyed one season, but Ron Moore’s more modern version of the show is one of the finest examples of a reboot one can imagine. Fans couldn’t get enough of the Galactica crew and their face-off with the Cylons, humanoid robots bent on destruction. The original series in 1978 cost roughly $1 million per episode, more than double that of a prime-time TV show at the time.
24. 30 Rock (2006-2013)
With an average audience score of 92% on Rotten Tomatoes, 30 Rock was a comedy sitcom on NBC, centered on a young Liz Lemon, currently head writer for a live comedy-sketch show in New York. The show is loosely based on the backstage shenanigans at Saturday Night Live.
23. Better Call Saul (2015-2022)
Spin-offs rarely live up to the original show and so people didn’t exactly have high hopes when a spin-off of the legendary series Breaking Bad was announced. Better Call Saul has exceeded expectations and managed to be considered on par with the all-time great show it was born from.
For the final season of the series, Bob Odenkirk, the lead actor, reportedly earned $200,000 per episode. Better Call Saul is one of the best TV series of all time on Netflix.
22. Atlanta (2016-2022)
With a perfect 100% rating by the top critics, Atlanta is rated one of the best TV shows of all time on Rotten Tomatoes. Atlanta is a comedy sitcom that boldly experiments with tone, storylines and themes, making an unpredictable show that is different with every episode. Donald Glover won Emmys, both as an actor and director for the show. The show is available to stream on Hulu, a platform majorly owned by The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS).
21. Lost (2004-2010)
Lost is a sci-fi soap opera adventure, with humor, mystery and interesting characters galore. The show follows the survivors of Oceanic Flight 815 when they crashed on a lush, mysterious island. Lost had a budget of around $4 million per episode. The science fiction drama aired on ABC, the flagship property of the Disney Entertainment division of The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS).
20. Fleabag (2016-2019)
Fleabag is a British comedy-drama television series starring Phoebe Waller-Bridge, who portrays a woman living in London and navigating her struggling business and busy dating life, while attempting to keep her dark secrets from overcoming her. Fleabag is available to watch on Amazon Prime, the streaming platform of Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN).
19. Friends (1994-2004)
Perhaps one the most popular TV shows of all time, Friends earned more than 60 Emmy nods in its time. The show revolved around the lives of six friends living in New York City and to this day, is still among the most watched shows in the world. Each of the six stars earned $1 million per episode in the 9th season and by the 10th and final season, they were earning approximately $1.6 million per episode. Although Netflix, Inc. (NASDAQ:NFLX) hasn’t made Friends available to watch on Netflix US, it can be streamed in several other countries.
18. The Office U.S. (2005-2013)
The U.S. adaptation of the Ricky Gervais-led British original, the show features the staff of a fictitious paper company called Dunder Mifflin, based in Scranton. One of the best comedy series of all time, The Office has a hardcore fan base and is still watched by millions today and is the biggest selling point for Peacock. When season 5 of The Office was filmed, the average budget was in the region of $250,000 to $400,000 per episode.
17. Band of Brothers (2001)
Band of Brothers in American war drama miniseries, based on the non-fictional book of Stephen E. Ambrose. The show follows the story of the Easy Company from 1942 to the end of World War II. Band of Brothers is one of the best tv series of all time on IMDB and is ranked 4th among the top-rated TV shows on the website.
Produced by Steven Spielberg, the show had a whopping budget of around $125 million, averaging $12.5 million per episode. Band of Brothers was originally broadcasted on HBO, owned by Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc (NASDAQ:WBD).
16. Schitt’s Creek (2015-2020)
The Canadian sitcom, made by the father-and-son duo Dan and Eugene Levy, got more popular with time and hit its heyday when it became streamable on Netflix. The final season of Schitt’s Creek pulled off the incredible feat of sweeping the Emmys and won all 7 comedy awards.
15. Succession (2018-present)
Succession is a slow moving but captivating drama, once you have an opportunity to dive into the characters that make up the devious Roy family. In such short years, Succession has made a huge impact on the TV landscape. The show has won multiple Emmys and is one of the top 20 series of all time in our list.
14. The West Wing (1999-2006)
One of thebest political drama series of all time, The West Wing, at its best, delivered brilliant dialogue, powerful performances, and an inspirational look at the American political system. The show has a slew of awards to its name and continues to be one of the most re-watched shows of the era. The West Wing aired on NBC, owned by Comcast Corporation (NASDAQ:CMCSA).
13. I Love Lucy (1952-1957)
Many sitcoms have come and gone over the years, but Lucy is eternal. The show pushed the boundaries of television in many ways, including creating the multi-camera sitcom and even depicting Lucy’s real-life pregnancy onscreen. For an era when two leads had to be portrayed as sleeping in separate beds, this was quite a bold move. With all the influence that it has had on TV sitcom history, I Love Lucy is easily one of the best series of all time.
12. Cheers (1982-1993)
Even though viewers weren’t physically present in that iconic bar in Boston, everyone felt a part of the Cheers family by tuning in to the sitcom each week. The show even spawned an equally successful spin-off, Frasier. Cheers got a 98% rating by Critics on Rotten Tomatoes.
11. Star Trek: The Original Series (1966-1969)
The most important and influential sci-fi series ever produced, the original series of Star Trek marked the debut of characters like Spock and Captain Kirk, before leading to several blockbuster movies and subsequent TV shows. The first season of Star Trek in 1966 had a budget of $190,000 per episode.
