Top 7 - My Favourite TV Shows of All Time (as of August 2018)
My bi-annual breakdown of my favourite TV shows ever is back and this time, it took a fair bit of work to actually rank them. It was also a pretty interesting process as there's plenty of shows that were great but had patchy seasons so got left off and plenty that have just never gotten any less brilliant, therefore making it higher up than I thought they might. Still, 'tis done now and the results will largely not surprise you, although I hope some will. To the honourable mentions!
Black Mirror
The nature of an anthology show means Black Mirror can be hit and miss but when it hits, it hits and getting to hear Charlie Brooker talk about it in the flesh gives it a soft spot in my heart.
30 Rock
Tina Fey is one of the greatest comedy writers to have ever lived and the breakneck comedic pace of 30 Rock proves it. By turns, one of the smartest and silliest comedies of all time.
Rick and Morty
The fanbase makes me like the show less but there is undeniably some brilliant writing and animation fuelling Rick and Morty. Dan Harmon has made better yet the show is still damn brilliant.
Father Ted
Just a wonderfully silly comedy about three priests and their housemaid living in a house on a tiny Irish island. Pure joy, if too short lived.
Hannibal
Gore has never looked this beautiful and while some may think there are pace drop offs, I remained in love with this show from start to finish, loving it more so even than Silence of the Lambs.
Big leagues now, time for the final 7.
7. Arrested Development
The Netflix seasons are noticeably weaker but when Arrested Development is good, it is near unbeatable. Sadly, it did prove one theory I fully believe which is that most of the best shows ever made get cancelled. Even if the name of the show doesn't ring a bell, many of the jokes might, including the use of a narrator to deliver a lot of the punchlines and keep that pace blistering. The cast is also exceptional from the names you recognise like Jason Bateman, Michael Cera and Will Arnett to ones you might not know as much like David Cross, Tony Hale and Alia Shawkat and their chemistry with individual characters and ensembles alike are what makes the show so consistently watchable at all times. Every guest star is a joy (especially awful lawyer Barry Zuckercorn played by Henry Winkler), the jokes go way deeper than you first realise and the episode Peer Pressure could be the funniest 22 minutes in existence. Simply, you have to watch it.
6. Twin Peaks
Twin Peaks wouldn't actually have made it this far up the list, had it not been for last year's epic The Return. Before we get to that though, we should talk about the original series from the nineties. For the first thirteen episodes or so, I was entirely enraptured by the plot of who killed Laura Palmer and the crazy cast who existed around that mystery. Unfortunately, David Lynch was forced into revealing the answer to that mystery and for a couple of episodes, the show goes into free all, With a new mystery around a character called Windom Earle the show picked up, only to be cancelled and go out with an almighty bang in the season finale that for 25 years was the perfect conclusion. Which brings us to last year and The Return, a show which redefined what TV could do, what reboots should be and how to leave audiences on yet another astonishing cliffhanger. For my money, The Return could be the greatest season of TV ever made, there's just too many weak episodes for it to go any higher up. Still, there's a reason Twin Peaks is as iconic and influential as it is.
5. Fargo
I wasn't really expecting to put Fargo so far up the list but when I really started to think about it, it really had to. After all, even though there's only been three seasons so far, each one of them has been pretty much perfect. Hell, I watched the film for the first time this year and I would say each season is stronger than that. Each season takes place in a different time setting but the same location and features essentially good people doing stupid things that end up going horribly wrong and it is always as sickeningly gripping watching them plummet down that rabbit hole. Not only does that plot grab me every time but the flow of the show, the way it's all edited together and orchestrated is very special, to the extent that I get giddy often. Finally, even if you're not interested in all that, the performances are all some of the best I've ever seen. Plenty of the modern greats, from Martin Freeman, Patrick Wilson and Carrie Coon, give performances that many shows could only wish for one of. And hey, it's all on Netflix so why not waste a weekend or two bingeing it?
4. Bojack Horseman
Like Fargo, I didn't think Bojack Horseman would go this high up the list but damn if the show doesn't deserve it. The first thing you have to know going into the show is that the first six episodes are a little mediocre. They're not bad by any means but around episode six, you realise how great the show can actually be as it graduates from silly animal based humour to hysterical animal based humour laced with examinations of depression and heart breaking moments of misery. These two things are why the show is brilliant as the humour is hysterical, willing to dedicate an entire episode to a character flying around on a drone throne but that is never to the detriment of examining how mental health affects people in the modern age, then dedicating an episode to the character's mother experiencing dementia. You can laugh, cry, quote along with your favourite jokes but if you're on board with animation, you have a show that currently stands with an impeccable four seasons. Even better, if you're one of my house mates, I'm forcing you to watch this come September. Sorry lads.
3. It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia
The golden rule of TV shows is to leave the audience wanting more. It's why another show coming up is that high up but why Dexter didn't make the list because of two seasons of middling to poor quality. That rule goes straight out the window with Always Sunny which currently has 12 seasons under its belt and may have done much of its best work in those most recent ones. I can't say the show is for everyone because the characters that lead the show and run Paddy's Pub are some of the worst human beings on the planet. Fortunately, being horrible human beings makes for great comedy, whether they're competing in a dance off to win back their pub, ruining the life of a priest or committing to black face to make their Lethal Weapon sequel more accurate. In the last couple of seasons however, they've infused their comedy with real pathos, with characters showing huge growth and achieving some of their goals, after it being teased over years and years of small jokes scattered around. Another season is on the way at the start of next month and with huge changes ahead, it could either hit new heights or new lows. Either way, as it stands currently, Always Sunny is one of the greatest sitcoms ever made.
2. Breaking Bad
These last two entries were the easiest of the bunch because they really are two of the greatest show ever made. Breaking Bad in particular is frequently heralded as the greatest show ever made and I really couldn't argue with that. Even 10 years out from the premiere, there has never been tension, character development or "HOLY SHIT" moments like the kind Vince Gilligan, Bryan Cranston and company have given us. Sadly, I'm yet to revisit the show but this year is going to be the year I finally watch it again in full because I did rewatch the first season at one point. It was at a party with a group of friends and we stayed up all night watching the first season of the show and while I think most people didn't give a shit, I loved it all over again. If somehow you've never seen Breaking Bad, you just have to. The tale of high-school chemistry teacher Walter White transforming into a drug kingpin is still the most gripping tale TV has told and the fact that it finished at five excellent seasons, not wearing out its welcome, is so genuinely admirable. Breaking Bad would only be number one on the list if not for another show which very obviously is taking the top spot yet again.
1. Community
Yes, it's Community and no, I don't care that you hate me for that. Other shows may be technically greater, more groundbreaking, subversive in ways that no other is but Community owns my heart forever, maybe just through sheer time investment. See, my favourite film may change over time because it's a single time investment which yes, I can go back and revisit but each experience won't go over about three hours but TV is an investment. Community, I have invested the initial time it takes to watch six seasons and then I've rewatched it countless times, over the course of about six years of my life. Impressively, the show has grown as I have, new jokes opening up to me as I grow as a person and certain emotional beats begin to hit harder with me. I've also come to terms with a key flaw of the show recently, that being the loss of Donald Glover mid-season five. Sure, it was a blow to the show but we got lucky enough to have one of the most talented entertainers alive be part of the show for that time. The jokes make me laugh every time, the references are endearing every time and I still get a little choked up every time. I have never seen another show like it and for me, there may never be another show like it which is why it defines me in the way it does. So no, don't expect Community to be usurped any time soon, it is the beating core of my existence and still my favourite show of all time.
Black Mirror
The nature of an anthology show means Black Mirror can be hit and miss but when it hits, it hits and getting to hear Charlie Brooker talk about it in the flesh gives it a soft spot in my heart.
30 Rock
Tina Fey is one of the greatest comedy writers to have ever lived and the breakneck comedic pace of 30 Rock proves it. By turns, one of the smartest and silliest comedies of all time.
Rick and Morty
The fanbase makes me like the show less but there is undeniably some brilliant writing and animation fuelling Rick and Morty. Dan Harmon has made better yet the show is still damn brilliant.
Father Ted
Just a wonderfully silly comedy about three priests and their housemaid living in a house on a tiny Irish island. Pure joy, if too short lived.
Hannibal
Gore has never looked this beautiful and while some may think there are pace drop offs, I remained in love with this show from start to finish, loving it more so even than Silence of the Lambs.
Big leagues now, time for the final 7.
7. Arrested Development
The Netflix seasons are noticeably weaker but when Arrested Development is good, it is near unbeatable. Sadly, it did prove one theory I fully believe which is that most of the best shows ever made get cancelled. Even if the name of the show doesn't ring a bell, many of the jokes might, including the use of a narrator to deliver a lot of the punchlines and keep that pace blistering. The cast is also exceptional from the names you recognise like Jason Bateman, Michael Cera and Will Arnett to ones you might not know as much like David Cross, Tony Hale and Alia Shawkat and their chemistry with individual characters and ensembles alike are what makes the show so consistently watchable at all times. Every guest star is a joy (especially awful lawyer Barry Zuckercorn played by Henry Winkler), the jokes go way deeper than you first realise and the episode Peer Pressure could be the funniest 22 minutes in existence. Simply, you have to watch it.
6. Twin Peaks
Twin Peaks wouldn't actually have made it this far up the list, had it not been for last year's epic The Return. Before we get to that though, we should talk about the original series from the nineties. For the first thirteen episodes or so, I was entirely enraptured by the plot of who killed Laura Palmer and the crazy cast who existed around that mystery. Unfortunately, David Lynch was forced into revealing the answer to that mystery and for a couple of episodes, the show goes into free all, With a new mystery around a character called Windom Earle the show picked up, only to be cancelled and go out with an almighty bang in the season finale that for 25 years was the perfect conclusion. Which brings us to last year and The Return, a show which redefined what TV could do, what reboots should be and how to leave audiences on yet another astonishing cliffhanger. For my money, The Return could be the greatest season of TV ever made, there's just too many weak episodes for it to go any higher up. Still, there's a reason Twin Peaks is as iconic and influential as it is.
5. Fargo
I wasn't really expecting to put Fargo so far up the list but when I really started to think about it, it really had to. After all, even though there's only been three seasons so far, each one of them has been pretty much perfect. Hell, I watched the film for the first time this year and I would say each season is stronger than that. Each season takes place in a different time setting but the same location and features essentially good people doing stupid things that end up going horribly wrong and it is always as sickeningly gripping watching them plummet down that rabbit hole. Not only does that plot grab me every time but the flow of the show, the way it's all edited together and orchestrated is very special, to the extent that I get giddy often. Finally, even if you're not interested in all that, the performances are all some of the best I've ever seen. Plenty of the modern greats, from Martin Freeman, Patrick Wilson and Carrie Coon, give performances that many shows could only wish for one of. And hey, it's all on Netflix so why not waste a weekend or two bingeing it?
4. Bojack Horseman
Like Fargo, I didn't think Bojack Horseman would go this high up the list but damn if the show doesn't deserve it. The first thing you have to know going into the show is that the first six episodes are a little mediocre. They're not bad by any means but around episode six, you realise how great the show can actually be as it graduates from silly animal based humour to hysterical animal based humour laced with examinations of depression and heart breaking moments of misery. These two things are why the show is brilliant as the humour is hysterical, willing to dedicate an entire episode to a character flying around on a drone throne but that is never to the detriment of examining how mental health affects people in the modern age, then dedicating an episode to the character's mother experiencing dementia. You can laugh, cry, quote along with your favourite jokes but if you're on board with animation, you have a show that currently stands with an impeccable four seasons. Even better, if you're one of my house mates, I'm forcing you to watch this come September. Sorry lads.
3. It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia
The golden rule of TV shows is to leave the audience wanting more. It's why another show coming up is that high up but why Dexter didn't make the list because of two seasons of middling to poor quality. That rule goes straight out the window with Always Sunny which currently has 12 seasons under its belt and may have done much of its best work in those most recent ones. I can't say the show is for everyone because the characters that lead the show and run Paddy's Pub are some of the worst human beings on the planet. Fortunately, being horrible human beings makes for great comedy, whether they're competing in a dance off to win back their pub, ruining the life of a priest or committing to black face to make their Lethal Weapon sequel more accurate. In the last couple of seasons however, they've infused their comedy with real pathos, with characters showing huge growth and achieving some of their goals, after it being teased over years and years of small jokes scattered around. Another season is on the way at the start of next month and with huge changes ahead, it could either hit new heights or new lows. Either way, as it stands currently, Always Sunny is one of the greatest sitcoms ever made.
2. Breaking Bad
These last two entries were the easiest of the bunch because they really are two of the greatest show ever made. Breaking Bad in particular is frequently heralded as the greatest show ever made and I really couldn't argue with that. Even 10 years out from the premiere, there has never been tension, character development or "HOLY SHIT" moments like the kind Vince Gilligan, Bryan Cranston and company have given us. Sadly, I'm yet to revisit the show but this year is going to be the year I finally watch it again in full because I did rewatch the first season at one point. It was at a party with a group of friends and we stayed up all night watching the first season of the show and while I think most people didn't give a shit, I loved it all over again. If somehow you've never seen Breaking Bad, you just have to. The tale of high-school chemistry teacher Walter White transforming into a drug kingpin is still the most gripping tale TV has told and the fact that it finished at five excellent seasons, not wearing out its welcome, is so genuinely admirable. Breaking Bad would only be number one on the list if not for another show which very obviously is taking the top spot yet again.
1. Community
Yes, it's Community and no, I don't care that you hate me for that. Other shows may be technically greater, more groundbreaking, subversive in ways that no other is but Community owns my heart forever, maybe just through sheer time investment. See, my favourite film may change over time because it's a single time investment which yes, I can go back and revisit but each experience won't go over about three hours but TV is an investment. Community, I have invested the initial time it takes to watch six seasons and then I've rewatched it countless times, over the course of about six years of my life. Impressively, the show has grown as I have, new jokes opening up to me as I grow as a person and certain emotional beats begin to hit harder with me. I've also come to terms with a key flaw of the show recently, that being the loss of Donald Glover mid-season five. Sure, it was a blow to the show but we got lucky enough to have one of the most talented entertainers alive be part of the show for that time. The jokes make me laugh every time, the references are endearing every time and I still get a little choked up every time. I have never seen another show like it and for me, there may never be another show like it which is why it defines me in the way it does. So no, don't expect Community to be usurped any time soon, it is the beating core of my existence and still my favourite show of all time.
Comments
Post a Comment