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Hit Lists: Favorite Shows Of Any Era!


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What are your 5-10 very favorite shows, the ones that you'd take with you to that hypothetical desert island---and why? Just to be clear, these aren't necessarily the shows you think are of the highest quality, just the ones to which you happen to be most attached. If you want to make this even more of a challenge, try putting them in order of preference :) 

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Friends

Gilligan's Island

Power Rangers In Space

Saved By The Bell

Golden Girls

 

I love a good sitcom. The cheesier and unrealistic, the better. PRIS has been one of my favorite things since I was like 12, and it's one of those shows I've never grown out of.

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So hard, but I'll list a few off the top of my head.  I reserve the right to change my mind later

 

Golden Girls

Coupling

Law & Order

Night Court

WKRP In Cincinnati

Criminal Minds seasons 1-5

Leverage

Star Trek

SNL - orig cast, 80's cast with Eddie Murphy, Billy Crystal then later again (90s?) with Mike Myers and Dana Carvey and Phil Hartman)

New Adventures of Old Christine

Hannibal

 

Whoops - that's 11.  I'll stop now.

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Taxi

Six Feet Under

WKRP in Cincinnati

Seinfeld

Mad About You (all episodes before the baby, which killed the show)

Mash

Parks and Recreation

New Adventures of Old Christine

 

There are probably more or better ones that escape me at the moment.  . 

 

ETA.  Night Court!  Thanks Aquarian.  

Edited by wings707
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I tried to just think of what were my favorite shows in my "eras" of watching TV.

 

Battlestar Galactica (original)

Letterman - morning show and every iteration thereafter

Dallas

Cheers

Hill Street Blues

Wonder Years

Twin Peaks

Seinfeld

24

LOST

The Office /30 Rock

Breaking Bad

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Golden Girls- It will never not be funny

Twilight Zone- Because it's amazing

6 Feet Under- Perfection

It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia- Always funny

MTV Unplugged- 89-99

You Can't Do That on Television- Nostalgia

Daria- 90's teen

King of the Hill- Suck it Simpsons

Kids in the Hall- Suck it SNL

Unsolved Mysteries- Variety

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LOST

Archer

Law & Order (original)

Homicide: Life on the Streets

Daria

(Game of Thrones dropped because I actually had 11 shows here) 

Fringe

Sports Night (edited out Newsradio) 

The West Wing (edited out WKRP in Cincinatti)

Justified

Hill Street Blues

 

(This is off the top of my head, and I was just a very young kid when I saw some of this [in reruns even], so I may be changing this in the near future.)

Edited by Enigma X
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The West Wing

WKRP in Cincinnati

Sports Night

Hill Street Blues

Adam 12

The Office

Fawlty Towers

 

OMG yes, Fawlty Towers!  I will put this on the top of my list.  Love it!  Thanks for the memory jog,  

Edited by wings707
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My 3 favorite shows of all time? Desert Island shows?  Quantum Leap, Fringe, and the Rockford Files (which I only discovered this year).

 

Possibly also Frasier.

Edited by Jipijapa
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Buffy, because it's my favourite show ever and there's enough variety that I'd be able to watch it for ages without getting bored.

 

Also; South Park, Grey's Anatomy, 30 Rock, Veronica Mars, and a few more but I have to stop because narrowing it down is going to be hell.

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Farscape

Friday Night Lights

All in the Family

Brooklyn Nine-Nine (I know it's new but I could be happy with what we've gotten so far)

Star Trek DS:9

The Bionic Woman (don't judge me)

 

I'm surprised more sitcoms didn't make my list. But I find with sitcoms I love more certain episodes than the entire series, thus no WKRP and no Designing Women.

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Roseanne

All in the Family

The Brady Bunch

Punky Brewster

Coach

Friends

The Facts of Life

The Wonder Years

I Love Lucy

The Golden Girls

 

This was REALLY hard, because if I were to include dramas, I would have put either The Waltons, thirtysomething, or the short-lived I'll Fly Away and My So-Called Life. And the post-Barney years kept The Andy Griffith Show off the list for me, too. And I haven't seen enough of Murphy Brown for it to make the list, either.

 

But at the end of the day, I'm much more of a sitcom girl than a drama girl, so it is what it is, whether it's a more serious sitcom (Roseanne, although seasons 1-6 are the most important to me), or a...less serious sitcom (I can honestly say The Brady Bunch is one of my favorite shows of all time. You may cry for my soul, now.).

 

ETA: Bewitched would probably be on the list too had Dick York not been forced to leave.

Edited by UYI
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To explain what I chose in my first post on this topic (in essence, why I chose what I chose):

 

Barney Miller: that ABC police comedy of 1975-82 was chosen because I really enjoyed how Hal Linden played that title character (Captain of the 12th Precinct), and because the humor in it was very seldom mean-spirited. In fact, seeing reruns (or parts thereof) on WGN (before it became WGN America) was very much a contributing factor. 

 

Hart to Hart: this 1979-84 ABC detective series starring Robert Wagner and Stefanie Powers (which I have completed three seasons' worth of, and am very much looking forward to the fourth one [1982-83]) was selected because the romance and marriage that the two main characters (Jonathan and Jennifer Hart) had was presented in a very believable manner, IMO. I actually thought they were really in love as they were portrayed. 

 

Diagnosis: Murder: this 1993-01 CBS medical detective series was picked because of that fact that Dick Van Dyke, while he played much the same kind of character that Angela Lansbury portrayed on Murder, She Wrote, did it in a far more plausible manner as a medical sleuth by the name of Dr. Mark Sloan. Dr. Sloan, in fact, was far less irritating to me than Jessica Fletcher, and as such, Diagnosis will see its second season's worth (1994-95) coming into my DVDs, while MSW is very much one and done. 

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I kind of wanted to include a show I had never really seen on my list so I could experience all the shocks and  have the experience of watching something I had never seen before, and then I realised I was taking the question way too seriously. For the record that show would have been ER. I've seen random episodes, and there are so many people on that show I love from other things (Margulies from The Good Wife, Ming Na Wen from Agents of Shield, etc.), but as much as I want to watch it I don't really have the time for it at the moment with fifteen seasons to watch. And I know I wouldn't have to watch all fifteen seasons of the show, but I already know I want to so starting would just be time consuming and I should really be concentrating on other things. Like all those other shows I've already started watching lately...

 

I'll also tack Angel on to my list because I can't have Buffy and not have Angel.

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I kind of wanted to include a show I had never really seen on my list so I could experience all the shocks and  have the experience of watching something I had never seen before, and then I realised I was taking the question way too seriously. For the record that show would have been ER. I've seen random episodes, and there are so many people on that show I love from other things (Margulies from The Good Wife, Ming Na Wen from Agents of Shield, etc.), but as much as I want to watch it I don't really have the time for it at the moment with fifteen seasons to watch. And I know I wouldn't have to watch all fifteen seasons of the show, but I already know I want to so starting would just be time consuming and I should really be concentrating on other things. Like all those other shows I've already started watching lately...

 

I'll also tack Angel on to my list because I can't have Buffy and not have Angel.

 

Oh! Good idea too! If I were to include shows to take to the island, please don't throw stones. I hardly watch shows when they are out and usually wait years to binge watch something if it I like the first few episodes. 

 

American Horror Story

The Wire

OZ

The Sopranos

Breaking Bad

Sons of Anarchy

--

Yes seriously, not one episode of any of them. Friends and Frasier too, but have absolutely NO desire to watch those.

Only including newer shows right now. There are a lot of older shows I plan to try. 

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This is off the top of my head and in no order

 

1.  Ron Moore's Battlestar Galactica

2.  American Horror Story (but Only Murder House and Asylum) 

3.  Buffy The Vampire Slayer

4.  Breaking Bad

5.  The Outer Limits (Both Versions)

6..  The Twilight Zone

7.  The Star Trek Series (All of Them - Yes I liked all of them)

8.  Hannibal 

9. Sherlock

10.  Fargo

 

But at the end of the day, I'm much more of a sitcom girl than a drama gir

 

 

Ha.  I am the opposite.  If I was to include a sitcom there is maybe three I can think of off the top of my head.  Roseanne, Fraiser and Absolutely Fabulous

Edited by Chaos Theory
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My final pick is   10) Another World -- it was my favorite soap, and even though I didn't watch regularly, it ran for 35 years, which will give me lots of viewing hours on the island, provided my photovoltaic panels hold up. Hmmm, maybe I should have included Gilligan's Island … a little help, please, Professor.

 

Ooh, I need to add "All My Children" to my list.

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Ooh, I love positive threads like this one!

 

Okay, with the risk of dating myself...  Here goes...

 

M*A*S*H

Little House on the Prairie

NYPD Blue

Sports Night

The Wire

Breaking Bad

Justified

 

But if I have to pick one, it'd be Sports Night. Ah, the good ol' days.

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(edited)

I'm having the hardest time answering my own question! There are so many shows I've loved at one time that, for whatever reason, haven't really stood the test of time for me. I'm definitely taking Gilmore Girls. And Poirot. (Stop mocking me!!!) I feel like my other eight would vary depending on my mood :) 

Edited by amensisterfriend
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Good question - makes me think from a different perspective.

 

West Wing.  I love the patter.  I love the characters.  I could maybe do without some of the later episodes, but I would bring all the ones that had Leo and then a few more.  

 

Law and Order.  I never remember the plot, so it will always be new to me.  Perfect background noise while I'm trying to get the sand out of my underwear.  

 

The comedy I could watch forever?  Chef, with Lenny Henry.  

 

Favorites from a really long time ago?  How about Quincy, The Odd Couple, and Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom?

 

*hobbles away on a cane*

 

ETA: How could I forget?  The Sing-Off and So You Think You Can Dance.

Edited by ToxicUnicorn
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Okay, some of these I saw a long time ago, some I found in reruns, some I haven't seen all the episodes, that said:

 

Perry Mason (original) mainly for the cast and the great relationships among the regular characters (especially when Ray Collins/Lt. Tragg was there);

Star Trek, Original;

The Fugitive.  No one's currently rerunning this great noir drama, which made such great use of the episodic nature of television, and someone ought to be;

Law and Order Criminal Intent:  for the many great, truly strange episodes (mainly in the first 5 years and a few in the final season) and for Vincent D'Onofrio's brilliant Robert Goren:

Leverage: Great stories about big time corruption, great characters and cast; I'd be willing to re-watch any episode right now;

The Dick Van Dyke Show:  Maybe most consistently great sitcom ever;

Green Acres:  Supposed simple rural sitcom was the wackiest half hour of the late 60s;

Barney Miller:  Great cast, great New York stories over an amazingly long run; and

Corner Gas:  Brilliant Canadian show.  Order the DVDs if you haven't seen it.  It's hilarious;

hmm that's only 9, it'll come to me...

Oh yes, The Soupy Sales Show from New York in the 1960s.  Soupy at his shoestring budget-craziest; sadly I think most of the films were said to have been destroyed but a few are out there.  It was something else.

 

ETA:  Oh I forgot The Odd Couple.  I used to watch it 3 times a day on WPIX Channel 11.  And that makes 11.   Sue me :)

Edited by roseha
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The Fall just finished season 2 on Netflix and it is just as good as season 1. A well thought out police show. I wouldn't say procedural or mystery because you know who the killer is during the first episode. It is more of a Thriller then anything else.

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Having watched the new (to my area) MeTV, the only shows that I consistently enjoy are The Bob Newhart Show (Dr.Hartley), The Odd Couple, and usually Mary Tyler Moore.
Once in a while I'll watch something I loved as a kid, but not often.

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Saved by the Bell

Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Golden Girls

Roseanne

Friends

Big Bang Theory

Will & Grace

House

Law & Order: SVU (season 1 through Diane Neal as ADA)

Scrubs

Sex & the City

Reno 911

Night Court

 

These shows were must see tv for me growing up, but I have no interest to watch re-runs:

Growing Pains

Full House

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For pure joy it brings me:
- Road to Avonlea
- Anne of Green Gables
- Firefly

 

For drama (and some ha-ha moments):
- OZ
- Sherlock Holmes (with Jeremy Brett)
- Inspector Morse
- Homicide: Life on the Street

 

As for "just because":

- Buffy

- Alan Partridge

- Bonanza

 

And if we can have cartoons, I'm adding Batman, the animated series (Mark Hamill as the Joker, man!), Robotech and Voltron... Oh, and King of the Hill!

 

And still it isn't enough. There is just too many interesting tv shows.

Edited by decembar13
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For drama (and some ha-ha moments):

- Homicide: Life on the Street

 

When his fellow cops found out Bayliss had sex in a coffin, that was just about the funniest thing I'd ever seen on a cop show ever.  The series of episodes after they went to the wrong door were excellent as well.

Edited by ParadoxLost
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The Golden Girls

NYPD Blue

The Facts of Life

The Andy Griffith Show

Designing Women

ER

Ben & Kate

Game of Thrones

The Wire

Cashmere Mafia (don't judge me - I have to have my Lucy fix, and her guest roles on ER & NYPD Blue don't count!)

Edited by TaraS1
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IF we're only allowed 1 program per decade:

1950s: American Bandstand; it had a glorious run off and on from 1957 thru 1989. The music would be wonderful.

1960s:The Carol Burnett Show; another long runner, but this could make me laugh and swoon over the fashions.

1970s: Wonder Woman; I love it, the character and Lynda Carter.

1980s: A Different World; It was female-centered, I love the cast, and the theme is love.

1990s:(tie) Homicide:Life on the Street and Now and Again; I just love both shows very much and cannot choose.

2000s: The Amazing Race;  So many great moments and the scenery porn and Phil and the greeters and Phil!

2010s: Arrow; I might believe there's a hot hacktivist IT genius that could fall for me if I pull back on the murder impulse after my rescue!

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1. Lost

2. DS9

3. Sg-1

4. Farscape

5. Charmed

 

I guess I really like sci-fi/fantasy. While I like shows such as Gilmore Girls or Friends I wouldn't put them in my top 5, maybe top 10. I also just realized all the above are 90's or 00's. I do like some old shows such as Twilight Zone and Star Trek.

Edited by blueray
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I feel remiss for forgetting to mention King of the Hill here. I love this sadly underrated show so much and am always surprised by how well it's held up for me with multiple viewings. Simpsons and South Park get far more acclaim (and I like those shows as well), but for some reason it's King of the Hill that's always held a special place in my TV-obsessed heart :) 

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Can I add one more show on my already packed list? It's V, the original one from the '80. I know it's cheesy, and probably doesn't stand the test of time, but little 8-year-old girl in me is doing cartwheels on the thought that Michael Ironside is coming to save me (the planet, the planet!) from those lizards.

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As DeLurker said, in no order:

 

*Barney Miller

*The Bob Newhart Show

*Home Improvement

*WKRP In Cincinnati

*Vicar of Dibley

*Coupling (UK)

 

I have enjoyed  this group of shows so much!  There are more shows I would add, but we were to keep the list short.

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In alphabetical order...

 

  • Barney Miller
  • Coupling (UK)
  • Golden Girls
  • New Adventured of Old Christine (I liked this *way* more than I ever thought I would)
  • Night Court
  • Reba (the first one, and like NAOOC, I liked this *way* more than I ever thought I would)
  • Whose Line Is It Anyway
  • WKRP In Cincinnati

 

I will watching these any time - whenever I find them in the schedule and I'm home, they are on.  Reba is often on when I get home from work. Golden Girls I watch when I'm getting ready for work and when I'm going to bed.  I'm sad WKRP and Barney Miller are no longer on when I'm home (although I know Barney Miller still airs on MeTV? AntennaTV? earlier in the day).  I catch Night Court at 6:30pm on ENCC.  Coupling hasn't been on BBCA for a long time, but I own the DVDs and keep talking about getting a viewing party together.  NAOOC used to be in NickJr/NickMom at 10pm but is no longer there :-( but it is sometimes on either TVland or Nick.

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