The 40 Best TV Series of All Time, According to IMDB Users

By Dustin Rowles | Lists | November 21, 2013 |

By Dustin Rowles | Lists | November 21, 2013 |

Thanksgiving is right around the corner, and with the holidays arrives reruns, hiatuses, and a slew of series that will end their yearly runs, giving us much of December to finally take a break from television and spend it with our families.

Hahahahahahahaha. No.

The holidays are the ideal time to hunker down and catch up on those classic television series you’ve been meaning to get around to forever, except that you keep getting sidetracked by the mediocrity that makes up much of the current television schedule. People are beginning to argue that the Golden Age of Television is winding down, and I don’t know about that, but I will say that most of the shows on this list come from the last decade or so, and there are 11 of them that are still running. Make of that what you will.

At any rate, I thought this list — ranked entirely by IMDB user ratings — might trigger a few ideas for catch-up watching over the break. There are a few questionable shows on here (Suits, I like, but top 40 of all time? And Downton Abby? Come on) and there are a few that really should be on here that aren’t (Slings and Arrows is a top ten for me, as is The Shield, which actually clocks in at #41. Wonder Years, Scrubs, 30 Rock, Parks and Rec, Orange is the New Black and Community are all also missing ).

Here’s the list. What’s missing? What’s rated too high? Quibble with it all you’d like. As for me, I’m going to find out what this Death Note is all about.

1. Breaking Bad

2. Game of Thrones

3. The Wire

4. Sherlock

5. Sopranos

6. Arrested Development

7. Firefly

8. Dexter

9. Avatar: The Last Airbender

10. The Simpsons

11. Monty Python’s Flying Circus

12. Rome

13. Freaks and Geeks

14. Twin Peaks

15. Twilight Zone

16. Death Note

17. Oz

18. Seinfeld

19. Leyla ile Mecnun

20. House M.D.

21. House of Cards

22. Batman: The Animated Series

23. Deadwood

24. Friends

25. South Park

26. Fawlty Towers

27. Cowboy Bebop

28. Suits

29. It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia

30. Six Feet Under

31. Archer

32. Downton Abbey

33. The Office

34. Doctor Who

35. Battlestar Galactica

36. Boardwalk Empire

37. The Walking Dead

38. The X-Files

39. Curb Your Enthusiasm

40. Justified