The esteemed US magazine Entertainment Weekly (a very distant relation of TV & Satellite Week) is marking its 1000th issue with a series of lists celebrating the best films, TV shows, books and so forth from the last 25 years.
Their list of the 100 best TV shows from 1983 to 2008 particularly caught our eye.
• The way-past-its-best The Simpsons comes in at number one, followed by The Sopranos, Seinfeld, The X Files and, in this correspondent’s view at least, the most over-rated show of all time, Sex and the City.
• Only four British programmes make the list – The Office at number 17 (the US version also features at 61), Planet Earth at 67, Absolutely Fabulous at 83 and Prime Suspect at 86.
• Baywatch is ranked higher than Battlestar Galactica, House or Oz. This, one suspects, has been done purely in order to get people like me frothing at the mouth.
• TV Spy faves such as Dexter, Murder One, Damages, Band of Brothers, Alias and Firefly don’t even get a look-in.
The magazine has also compiled lists of 25 classic holiday episodes, 25 classic TV farewells and 25 classic TV theme tunes.
Full list follows after the jump…
1) The Simpsons, Fox, 1989-present
2) The Sopranos, HBO (1999-2007)
3) Seinfeld, NBC (1989-98)
4) The X Files, Fox (1993-2002)
5) Sex and the City, HBO (1998-2004)
6) Survivor, CBS (2000-present)
7) The Cosby Show, NBC (1984-92) 
Lost, ABC (2004-present)
9) Friends, NBC (1994-2004)
10) Buffy the Vampire Slayer, The WB (1997-2001); UPN (2001-03)
11) The Wire, HBO (2002-08)
12) South Park, Comedy Central (1997-present)
13) Freaks and Geeks, NBC (1999-2000)
14) The Daily Show, Comedy Central (1996-present)
15) The Oprah Winfrey Show, Syndicated (1986-present)
16) Arrested Development, Fox (2003-06)
17) The Office (U)K) version), BBC2 (2001-03)
18) American Idol, Fox (2002-present)
19) ER, NBC (1994-present)
20) Beverly Hills, 90210, Fox (1990-2000)
21) Roseanne, ABC (1988-97)
22) The Real World, MTV (1992-present)
23) The West Wing, NBC (1999-2006)
24) Star Trek: The Next Generation, Syndication (1987-94)
25) Miami Vice, NBC (1984-89)
26) Chappelle’s Show, Comedy Central (2003-06)
27) Law & Order, NBC (1990-present)
28) The Larry Sanders Show, HBO (1992-98)
29) The Shield, FX (2002-present)
30) Late Show With David Letterman, CBS (1993-present)
31) The Civil War, PBS (1990)
32) Gilmore Girls, The WB (2000-06), The CW (2006-07)
33) My So-Called Life, ABC (1994-95)
34) 24, Fox (2001-present)
35) CSI, CBS (2000-present)
36) thirtysomething, ABC (1987-91)
38) Beavis and Butt-head, MTV (1993-97)
39) Six Feet Under, HBO (2001-05)
40) Mr) Show, (HBO, 1995-98)
41) Frasier, NBC (1993-2004)
42) LA Law, NBC (1986-94)
43) Late Night With Conan O’Brien, NBC (1993-present)
44) Jeopardy!, Syndicated (1984-present)
45) Curb Your Enthusiasm, HBO (2000-present)
46) Homicide: Life on the Street, NBC (1993-99)
47) 30 Rock, NBC (2006-present)
48) Ally McBeal, Fox (1997-2002)
49) Twin Peaks, ABC (1990-91)
50) Baywatch, NBC (1989-90), Syndicated (1991-2001)
51) Melrose Place, Fox (1992-99)
52) Felicity, The WB (1998-2002)
53) Will & Grace, NBC (1998-2006)
54) Moonlighting, ABC (1985-89)
55) Pee-wee’s Playhouse, CBS (1986-90)
56) Desperate Housewives, ABC (2004-present)
57) The Amazing Race, CBS (2001-present)
58) The Tonight Show With Jay Leno, NBC (1992-present)
59) Battlestar Galactica, Sci Fi (2003-2008)
60) Xena: Warrior Princess, Syndicated (1995-2001)
61) The Office (U)S)), NBC (2005-present)
62) House, Fox (2004-present)
63) Mystery Science Theater 3000, Comedy Central (1989-96), Sci Fi (1997-99)
64) The Osbournes, MTV (2002-05)
65) Family Guy, Fox (1999-2002, 2005-present)
66) Grey’s Anatomy, ABC (2005-present)
67) Planet Earth, Discovery Channel (2007)
68) Jackass, MTV (2000-02)
69) The Colbert Report, Comedy Central (2005-present)
70) Everybody Loves Raymond, CBS (1996-2005)
71) Friday Night Lights, NBC (2006-present)
72) NewsRadio, NBC (1995-99)
73) Oz, HBO (1997-2003)
74) Wiseguy, CBS (1987-90)
75) Project Runway, Bravo (2004-present)
76) In Living Color, Fox (1990-94)
77) The Golden Girls, NBC (1985-92)
78) I’ll Fly Away, NBC (1991-93)
79) The Comeback, HBO (2005)
80) King of the Hill, Fox (1997-present)
81) Murphy Brown, CBS (1988-98)
82) The Hills, MTV (2006-present)
83) Absolutely Fabulous, BBC2 (1992), BBC1 (1994-2004)
84) Northern Exposure, CBS (1990-95)
85) The Kids in the Hall, HBO (1989-92), CBS (1992-95)
86) Prime Suspect, ITV (1991-2006)
87) Deadwood, HBO (2004-06)
88) Malcolm in the Middle, Fox (2000-06)
89) SpongeBob SquarePants, Nickelodeon (1999-present)
90) Dawson’s Creek, The WB (1998-2003)
91) Mad Men, AMC (2007-present)
92) The Ben Stiller Show, Fox (1992-93)
93) Queer Eye for the Straight Guy, Bravo (2003-07)
94) Married… With Children, Fox (1987-97)
95) Designing Women, CBS (1986-93)
96) The Arsenio Hall Show, Syndicated (1989-94)
97) Party of Five, Fox (1994-2000)
98) MacGyver, ABC (1985-92)
99) The Bachelor, ABC (2002-present)
100) Saved by the Bell, NBC (1989-93)
Yep, Angel, Charmed, and star trke voyager are not on it. Pfff
I was about to say, “They don’t have Seinfeld!” Until I saw it at the top.
I’m surprised American Idol is on the list but not America’s Got Talent. And I’m surprised King of Queens isn’t on the list!
Forgot to add that they don’t have Boston Public either!
ENTOURAGE!!!!!!!!!!!!
DEXTER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I’m glad friends made the top 10, classic show.
You’re kidding right baywatch is a good show?? It was nothing but a guilty pleasure
Where is Weeds?!?!??!?!!?
As a Brit I can’t believe how many classic comedies you’ve missed out!!! Only Fools and Horses, Fawlty Towers, Yes Minister, Monty Python. Even modern classics like Mighty Boosh and Phoenix Nights are pushing forward the boundaries of comedy. Thank god for the internet otherwise I’d be stuck watching re-runs of the hills!!!
Oh and what about Dr Katz??? Sack your researcher!!!
It’s a good thing Oz and The Office are on there. But where is Weeds? Also, I’m happy that Arrested Development and Freaks and Geeks are on there, or I would have flipped.
god…its as if a group of about three people got together one afternoon and tried to remember 100 shows…then just tried to put them in order!
absolute bloody rubbish!!!
oh and p.s there are far more quality british tv shows than american ones…
like
Phoenix Nights
Mighty Boosh
Red Dwarf
Dr. Who
Blackadder
Ideal
Deal or No Deal
Fawlty Towers
Dad’s Army
The Royle Family
TWO PINTS OF LAGER & A PACKET OF CRISPS
TOP GEAR
you should have made it the top 100 greatest US tv shows
I can’t believe Ugly Betty is not on the list.There are some real bad shows on that list,like The Hills.And I’m shocked that Desperate Housewives is not even in the top 50!What about Gossip Girl,huh?
This is list is awful! how is desperate housewives in this list?
where is Prison Break? Only Fools and Horses? Blackadder? Heroes? The IT Crowd?
Family Guy should have come much higher
although, i would agree that the simpsons should be 1st
Ok…does anyone see The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air? Cause that should definately be on there!!
Dano i think your right it does seem like a handful of people just flung a bunch of shows in a semi random order in half an afternoon, personally my biggetst problems with the listy tht i haven’t seen raised are:
yes simpsons were moderatly funny and has done amazingly well but i really dont think it deserves the no.1 spot,
how are shows like south park and the wire lower than the cosby show?
how the hell did house end up 62nd sandwitched between the office (U.S.) and mystery science theatre
AND HOW IS FAMILY GUY EVEN LOWER THAN THT
Wheres The OC?
would you fools who keep saying ‘wheres only fools and horses? wheres fawlty towers?’ IT WASN’T TV AND SATELITTE THAT CAME UP WITH THE LIST IT WAS ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY…AN AMERICAN MAGAZINE!!! they’ve probably never even heard of only fools and horses and even if they did watch it americans probably wouldn’t be able to understand it anyway. So please shut up complaining about ‘Where are the brit shoes’ because they’re probably not big over there.
HINT: Read the whole article.
I pretty much agree with most of this list. I’m glad Freaks and Geeks is ranked as high as it is and Simpsons totally deserve #1, but where is Dr. Katz?
when will people realise how FUCKING SHIT lost is?
I see the wire made it to number 11 which is total bs. as far as story and character development goes, it should be in at least the top 5 if not 1 or 2, sopranos is a great show but the wire is so much better.
Am I not seeing Saturday Night Live on there? Let’s think for a minute the actors and actresses that the show has produced, not to mention the longevity of the show. Oh wait I guess you need room on the list for The Bachelor. We know how it has changed TV for ever.
LOL at the guy who said two pints… just.. lol.
The Hills makes is … and How I Met Your Mother doesn’t … c’mon.
The West Wing is 22 places too low. I guess it’s too intelligent for the people who made this list.
COLD CASE!!! >:(
Fresh Prince of Belair definitely needs to be on there too.