In just two years, a major television milestone will be marked as centenary celebrations begin for the debut of The Queen’s Messenger, a one-act drama first broadcast in September 1928. Regarded by many as the very first American TV series, the evolution of art on the small screen has been remarkable ever since, with the likes of Charles Francis Jenkins surely never able to envisage quite where the medium would be today.
In those almost 100 years, television has grown and adapted more than any other medium when it comes to the changing habits of consumers. From the invention of the TV dinner in 1953, helping to lure families around their sets at meal times, to the sudden and rapid rise of big-budget TV productions over the past 20 years, these major milestones in the journey of television have been marked by some of the best and most important titles. So, with that in mind, and with few able to truly prove wholly popular, here are the eight most universally loved shows of all time, ranked.
8
‘Cheers’ (1982–1993)
Ted Danson as Sam Malone, looking off, in the ‘Cheers’ series finale.Image via NBC
Sometimes you want to go where everybody knows your name, and in the case of Cheers, this is true of almost everyone. A beloved sitcom that follows former Red Sox pitcher and neighborhood bar owner Sam Malone (Ted Danson), Cheers is the quintessential blueprint for the ensemble comedy, undoubtedly influencing the likes of Friends that came later.
Featuring a star-studded ensemble, including the aforementioned Danson, Shelley Long, Nicholas Colasanto, Rhea Perlman, a young Woody Harrelson, and Kelsey Grammer as the soon-to-be sitcom star Frasier Crane, Cheers enveloped its audience like a warm hug, bringing laughter with a heartfelt touch, allowing its deeply rooted character-based storytelling to blossom over 270 exceptional episodes.
7
‘The Twilight Zone’ (1959–1964)
Jack Klugman holding a pole cue while resting his chin on his hands while Jonathan Winters is standing behind him in The Twilight Zone episode  A Game of PoolImage via CBS
For any beloved series pushing its 70th anniversary, the weight of nostalgia can often hide a multitude of elements that have aged poorly. For the original Twilight Zone, an anthology series spanning the horror, fantasy, and sci-fi genres, this isn’t the case, with many of its 150 episodes across five successful seasons holding up impeccably.
This is thanks in no small part to the genius team of writers working on the series, led by creator Rod Serling and including the likes of Charles Beaumont and Richard Matheson. With the title of the series itself becoming a phrase ingrained in the popular lexicon, later similarly realized by Black Mirror, this pioneering pillar of horror storytelling really is loved by almost all who have seen it.
6
‘Sesame Street’ (1969–Present)
Mr. Hooper – ‘Sesame Street’ (1969 – )  (1)Image via PBSÂ
To be beloved by young people across the world — an audience certainly not known for their critical eye — is a fair measure of success for children’s television. However, to also find a place in the hearts of adults, too, and to do so for nigh-on six decades, is a feat reserved for very few.
One such series to not just have achieved this, but to stake its claim as the greatest children’s series of all time, is Sesame Street, the educational blend of live-action and puppetry created by Joan Ganz Cooney and Lloyd Morrisett. Across over 3,000 episodes to date, Sesame Street has been a mainstay in the lives of generations of children and their parents, winning six Primetime Emmys in the process.
5
‘Seinfeld’ (1989–1998)
Jerry and George sitting inside a laundromat in the pilot episode of Seinfeld – Good News, Bad News (1989).Image via NBC
To turn a show famously about nothing into one of the most universally loved of all time is simply incredible. Following a fictionalized version of Jerry Seinfeld, Seinfeld looks at his life both on and off the stand-up stage, as he spends time with hilarious friends, including George (Jason Alexander), Elaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus), and Kramer (Michael Richards).
A beat-for-beat blueprint on how to generate laughter, Seinfeld is one of the only sitcoms of its time to still hold up thanks to sharp, observational humor and intricate character dynamics. Featuring career-best roles for several famous faces, the series delights in using every sinew to make its audience laugh, chuckling itself all the way to an eye-catching 10 Primetime Emmys.
4
‘I Love Lucy’ (1951–1957)
Lucille Ball resting her head on her hand and thinking in I Love Lucy.Image via CBS
The oldest title on this list is one of the most-loved shows ever to grace our screens. Following in the footsteps of the likes of The Goldbergs and Mama, I Love Lucy took the situational comedy and molded it into what we know today with a multi-camera set-up and live studio audience, pioneering the genre and helping it become perhaps the most quintessential of its kind on TV.
Starring Lucille Ball and her real-life husband, Desi Arnaz, the show follows a woman dreaming of breaking out of her housewife life and into show business. Still hilarious and boasting a heart of gold, I Love Lucy warms every heart of its many millions of fans, with love for it like an heirloom passed down through generations of viewers.
3
‘Avatar: The Last Airbender’ (2005–2008)
Aang air-gliding with a large smile in Avatar: The Last Airbender.Image via Nickelodeon
Animated series are a dime a dozen on our TV screens, with few elevating themselves to timeless status. Of those timeless animated classics, Avatar: The Last Airbender is the best. Set in a world where individuals can control one of the four elements (water, fire, earth, or air), the series follows Aang (Zach Tyler Eisen) as he is taught to master these elements in the hope of saving the world.
An undeniable masterpiece of both visual and narrative storytelling, this golden blend of heart and head is both emotionally poignant and intelligent. By borrowing heavily from the Japanese animation style, the series also proved an important milestone in the rising admiration for anime and anime-influenced television in Western culture.
2
‘The Sopranos’ (1999–2007)
James Gandolfini’s Tony Soprano looking serious in The SopranosImage via HBO
When one thinks of the greatest shows of all time, it’s often The Sopranos that first comes to mind. The series follows Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini) as he unloads the many fascinating twists and turns in his life as a family man and the head of an Italian-American mob.
From start to finish, across 86 episodes, The Sopranos shocks, dazzles, and moves its audience, managing to capture almost every notch on the human spectrum through the eyes of one of TV’s best-shaped characters. David Chase’s stroke of genius is both a masterclass in scriptwriting and one of the blueprints of modern television, as it helped usher in an era of prestige TV and establish HBO as best-in-class.
1
‘Breaking Bad’ (2008–2013)
There really is nothing else like Breaking Bad. The greatest small-screen crime drama of all time follows high school teacher Walter White (Bryan Cranston), who, after receiving a tragic diagnosis of inoperable lung cancer, begins a transformation into a drug lord as he looks to secure his family’s financial future.
When a show is regularly cited as the greatest ever, it inevitably grows a small band of detractors who aren’t afraid to voice their scathing opinions. However, in the case of Breaking Bad, stumbling across a negative opinion is as rare as the show delivering an underwhelming episode. From some of the finest cinematography in TV history to Cranston’s generation-defining lead performance, Breaking Bad had it all.
Release Date
2008 – 2013-00-00
Network
AMC
Showrunner
Vince Gilligan