We all know that modern culture, particularly on the internet, is dominated by lists. But the reason for this is very simple, and not particularly insidious: Lists are irresistible. The latest example is the “100 Greatest TV Shows of All Time,” according to those prolific list-makers at Rolling Stone magazine.
Television has been around for over 50 years, so any list of TV shows encompassing the entirety of the medium, especially one that doesn’t discriminate based on format or genre, is an ambitious project. It’s also arguably a foolhardy one, since the “100 Greatest TV Shows of All Time” is bound to be controversial.
For the sake of illustration, here’s the top 20:
20. Cheers
19. Curb Your Enthusiasm
18. Star Trek
17. Twin Peaks
16. M*A*S*H
15. The West Wing
14. The Larry Sanders Show
13. Late Night With David Letterman
12. Game of Thrones
11. Freaks and Geeks
10. The Daily Show
9. All in the Family
8. Saturday Night Live
7. The Twilight Zone
6. The Simpsons
5. Seinfeld
4. Mad Men
3. Breaking Bad
2. The Wire
1. The Sopranos
Talk shows, sitcoms, dramas, sketch comedy programs, and whatever Twin Peaks is—the top 20 of the “100 Greatest TV Shows of All Time” is a good indicator for what the rest of the list is like. But face it—you won’t be able to resist taking a look at the whole thing, which you can do at the Rolling Stone site right here.