Let’s get real: attempting to list the greatest television shows of all time is like debating the best pizza topping or which Pokémon is supreme—you can’t please everyone, and it’ll likely destroy the group chat. But hey, that’s half the fun, right? Here then is a countdown, from number 10, of the programs that not only made us laugh and/or cry but actually changed the cultural dialogue, broke new ground, and left an impression that television will never be able to escape.
10. The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
Suppose Mad Men had a snappy-tongued, feminist younger sister who also happened to work part-time as a stand-up comedian—that’s Mrs. Maisel. This Amazon jewel dishes up stunning costumes, quick wit, and a hero lead who won’t be pigeonholed by the 1950s. Rachel Brosnahan’s Midge confronts the boys’ club of comedy with sparkler speed, and Alex Borstein’s Susie steals every scene with acid-tongued one-liners. Chic, laugh-out-loud funny, and subversively groundbreaking, Maisel showed period dramas need not be glacial; they can glitter.
9. The Golden Girls
Four women, one Miami house, unlimited cheesecake. The Golden Girls changed the rules of what a sitcom should be by demonstrating that getting older doesn’t equal disappearing into the wallpaper. Bea Arthur, Betty White, Rue McClanahan, and Estelle Getty turned sarcasm, friendship, and late-night cheesecake into a craft. All these years later, the show remains cutting, heartwarming, and infinitely quotable. Forget “squad goals”—these women created it.
8. The Cosby Show
Yes, its legacy is complicated—but dismissing its impact would be dishonest. During the 1980s, The Cosby Show broke down stereotypes by depicting an upper-class Black family whose storylines revolved around love, learning, and laughter. The Huxtables were more than a sitcom family; they were a cultural touchstone and paved the path toward more diverse representation on television. Its shadow is long, and its influence is undeniable.
7. Schitt’s Creek
A program called what most parents still aren’t willing to say out loud somehow became a global phenomenon. What began as a fish-out-of-water sitcom about an entitled family trapped in a small town became one of television’s most authentic redemption stories. Seeing the Roses transform from caricatures into humans you actually find yourself rooting for is a joy. And let’s be honest—Moira Rose’s closet and accent are worthy of their own series. Hilarious, down-to-earth, and thoroughly human, Schitt’s Creek provided us with the very rare gift of characters who actually do grow.
6. Star Trek: The Next Generation
Boldly going where no television show had gone previously, TNG raised science fiction to a perch of moral philosophy, political allegory, and character studies. With Captain Picard at the helm via Patrick Stewart, the show presented us with Borg wars, holodecks, and myriad ethical conundrums. It wasn’t merely fine sci-fi; it was considered challenging television that still impacts the genre today.
5. The Good Place
Only Michael Schur could make ethical philosophy into prime-time comedy gold. The Good Place begins as a sugar-colored sitcom about the hereafter, but soon becomes a surprisingly deep foray into ethics, redemption, and what it takes to be a good human. Kristen Bell and Ted Danson hold the mayhem together with wit, as D’Arcy Carden’s Janet more or less steals the show. It’s goofy, smart, and—like its frozen yogurt theme—sweet with a little tartness.
4. Cheers
Long before the word “third place” became cool, Cheers got it right: a pub where everyone knows your name, your business, and your order. From its eccentric misfits—Sam, Diane, Carla, Norm, Cliff—the show made community the core of the narrative. Walking the tightrope between laugh-out-loud comedy and honest emotion, Cheers entertained but also provided a model for sitcoms that feature found families.
3. Succession
If Shakespeare penned billionaires and threw in a couple of dozen F-bombs, you’d have Succession. The Roy clan’s combination of power struggles, treachery, and withering one-liners has rendered it our generation’s watercooler show. Each character is simultaneously detestable and compelling, each episode a lesson in tension. It’s as mean as it is unputdownable, and honestly, we wouldn’t have it otherwise.
2. The Underground Railroad
Some shows are greater than television—they’re cinema. Barry Jenkins’ take on Colson Whitehead’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel is stunning, haunting, and indelible. Beautifully filmed and unflinchingly candid, it’s at once a lesson in history and an artistic achievement. Difficult to sit through at times, sure—but also necessary, powerful, and profoundly affecting.
1. Cheers (Yes, Again)
Alright, let’s make our case: Cheers has got to have two slots. Not only because it’s repeat-viewer-friendly, but because it represents all that is best about television. It was funny and touching and ageless, and it provided us with people who were like old friends and a place that was home. The bar wasn’t only a bar—it was an attitude. If there is one show that represents TV at its finest, it’s this one.
And there you have it: 10 shows (okay, nine and one encore) that not only entertained us, but remade the cultural landscape. Think we left one out? Of course you do. That’s the magic of TV—it keeps us watching, arguing, and falling in love all over again.