DamnYankees: Can anyone think of an actual good drama on TV before ER came on the air?

Two words: Cop Rock

No Doctor Who? This list is farking bullshiat.

Cavemen isn't on the list. I call shenanigans.

This list is a massive piece of fail.

/DNRTFA

Okay, I RTFA now. Yep, it's fail. He doesn't even Happy Days on there.

MST3k is present... list is valid.

FTA: Lists are incredibly important: they are how we define what matters to us, what we want entertainment and art to do, what we expect of our culture.

Really, lists are how we define what matters to us?

Came to make sure that Family Guy wasn't there but Beavis and Butthead was. Needs more Greatest American Hero.

BillCo: Did the author just randomly pick 100 shows?

He did actually include a link to why and how he choose things for the list.

Beavis and Butthead, King of the Hill, South Park, Spongebob, Married...With Children are on there so the list is cool by me.

Could have used some NewsRadio, Venture Brothers, and Dean Martin though.

Babylon 5 never gets any respect even though it completely changed TV sci-fi from being dominated by the Star Trek weekly serial format to running plot lines being the norm.

You know it's a slow news day when two-year-old arbitrary lists go green.

Best American TV shows ever. Which really narrows the field.

whatshisname: Best American TV shows ever. Which really narrows the field.

20. Monty Python's Flying Circus

The only complaints I have involve Doctor Who, Mad Men, and Rome. But these are minor, because in reality, it really is a good list. Stop complaining and grow up farkers.

No Night rider?

Copperbelly watersnake: Babylon 5 never gets any respect even though it completely changed TV sci-fi from being dominated by the Star Trek weekly serial format to running plot lines being the norm.

No kidding. Plus, they snub B5 but they put Battlestar Galactica on there? What a load of horse hockey.

DamnYankees: Copperbelly watersnake: Babylon 5 never gets any respect even though it completely changed TV sci-fi from being dominated by the Star Trek weekly serial format to running plot lines being the norm.

It didn't change anything. Talk about overhyping some random, tiny show's influence.

A show that ran five year is tiny by you? A show that had, for it's day, some ground-breaking fx? A show that brought the sci fi from being a mission of the week format to a serialized, character driven one?

Yeah...random and tiny. Kinda like your wang.

/NERD FIGHT ON!

This list needs more "The Golden Girls". Yes, I'm completely serious.

DamnYankees: PizzaJedi81: A show that ran five year is tiny by you? A show that had, for it's day, some ground-breaking fx? A show that brought the sci fi from being a mission of the week format to a serialized, character driven one?

Tiny in viewership, yes. That show was mostly crap.

Also the first space-based science fiction show to last longer than 2 years that wasn't called "Star Trek" if memory serves.

DamnYankees: PizzaJedi81: A show that ran five year is tiny by you? A show that had, for it's day, some ground-breaking fx? A show that brought the sci fi from being a mission of the week format to a serialized, character driven one?

Tiny in viewership, yes. That show was mostly crap.

What, to you, specifically, was crap?

LOST FTW

FTFA: Lists are incredibly important: they are how we define what matters to us, what we want entertainment and art to do, what we expect of our culture.

Oh, shut up.

DamnYankees: icy_one: Also the first space-based science fiction show to last longer than 2 years that wasn't called "Star Trek" if memory serves.

Maybe. Not sure if thats really meaningfull.

But we also shouldn't forget Homeboys in Outer Space.

Lost in Space September 15, 1965 - March 6, 1968

Not the worst list I've ever seen.

There's a few shows I've never heard of and many more I have no interest in, but seeing some of the names brought back some good memories.

No BJ and the Bear?

farbekrieg: DamnYankees: icy_one: Also the first space-based science fiction show to last longer than 2 years that wasn't called "Star Trek" if memory serves.

Maybe. Not sure if thats really meaningfull.

But we also shouldn't forget Homeboys in Outer Space.

Lost in Space September 15, 1965 - March 6, 1968

My bad, first series since Star Trek. Wikipedia says it was the longest non-Trek space series on American television series at the time. It also won numerous awards over that time.

There have been so many television shows since the inception of that media format, that the 100 listed in the article should be of much higher caliber than the author has chosen.

Therefore, the list is null and void due to the inclusion of 'The Office'(American version), 'American Idol', and 'Lost'.

/Seriously? 'The Office' over 'News Radio'? And 'American Idol' over 'Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In'?

//Get the hell off my lawn.

swahnhennessy: FTFA: Lists are incredibly important: they are how we define what matters to us, what we want entertainment and art to do, what we expect of our culture.

Oh, shut up.

Yea - and critics wonder why they get no respect.

DamnYankees: PizzaJedi81: DamnYankees: PizzaJedi81: A show that ran five year is tiny by you? A show that had, for it's day, some ground-breaking fx? A show that brought the sci fi from being a mission of the week format to a serialized, character driven one?

Tiny in viewership, yes. That show was mostly crap.

What, to you, specifically, was crap?

The acting, production values, and writing. The overall story arc was pretty much the only good thing in it.

The acting: watch just about any G'kar episode, any of the later Londo episodes...tell me the acting is crap. Yes, it has cheesy moments...but any given episode of any given season of any given Star Trek show has just the same level. Honestly, though, Bruce Bowleitner had the best single episode: "Intersections in Real Time"

Production values: Look here. (new window) $90mil for 110 episodes? The Bat-calculator puts that at just shy of 82000 per episode. (Okay, 818181.81 recurring.) I think, for what they had, they did the best job possible. Yeah, some of the stuff doesn't hold up...but then there's episodes like "Z'Ha'Dum."

Writing: JMS wrote 92 of 110 episodes, allowing him to keep the story going the direction he wanted, instead of allowing the "suits" to derail it. (LOST, I'm looking at you.) So, yeah, there's clunkers. But there's a lot more gold than dirt in the series. Season 3, awesome, season 4, pretty darn good. My personal favorite: And the Rock Cried Out, No Hiding Place.

Oh, and if JMS HADN'T written the entirity (Minus one.) of the last three seasons, that overall arc wouldn't be there.

DamnYankees: somedude210: Well, since its 100 best shows of "all time" i would imagine there would be a lot of old shows on there.

Well that assumes TV has been equally good for all time. Which is really hasn't been. Can anyone think of an actual good drama on TV before ER came on the air? Stuff like Hill Street Blues is a prototype, but it really doesn't come close to matching modern stuff.

Lulz. Also, no good video games were made before the Xbox came along.