There was primetime Television nirvana even before streaming allowed consumers to binge-watch the rest of the series in a single weekend. “The West Wing” and “The Sopranos” had audiences riveted to their sofas weekly and year after year, waiting to see what would happen next. Some fans were so devoted to their favorite shows that they would buy editions on VHS or DVDs to relive the drama or giggle at the jokes.
The popularity of TV series is growing by the day, as new high-quality shows are added to various OTT platforms daily. Even people who enjoy viewing movies have turned to binge-watching TV episodes to fill the time. However, with so many series to choose from, it may be tough to choose the finest one, so here is a list of the 12 best TV shows of all time.
Overview of 12 Best TV Shows of All Time
| Series Name | Release Date | IMDb Rating | Rotten Tomatoes |
| Breaking Bad | January 20, 2008 | 9.5/10 | 96% |
| Band of Brothers | September 9, 2001 | 9.4/10 | 97% |
| Chernobyl | May 6, 2019 | 9.4/10 | 95% |
| The Wire | June 2, 2002 | 9.3/10 | 94% |
| The Sopranos | January 10, 1999 | 9.2/10 | 92% |
| Game of Thrones | April 17, 2011 | 9.2/10 | 89% |
| Rick and Morty | December 2, 2013 | 9.1/10 | 92% |
| Full Metal Alchemist Brotherhood | April 5, 2009 | 9.1/10 | 100% |
| Sherlock | July 25, 2010 | 9.1/10 | 78% |
| True Detective | January 12, 2014 | 8.9/10 | 77% |
| Better Call Saul | February 8, 2015 | 8.9/10 | 98% |
| Seinfield | July 5, 1989 | 8.9/10 | 89% |
1. Breaking Bad
Creator: Vince Gilligan
Genre: Crime Drama, Serial Drama, Thriller
Cast:
- Bryan Cranston
- Anna Gunn
- Aaron Paul
- Dean Norris
- Betsy Brandt
- RJ Mitte
- Giancarlo Esposito
- Bob Odenkirk
- Jonathan Banks
Official Trailer:
Running Time: 43–58 minutes long per episode.
Breaking Bad is set in Albuquerque, New Mexico, between 2008 and 2010. It follows Walter White, a humble high school chemistry teacher who becomes a merciless kingpin in the local methamphetamine drug business after being diagnosed with incurable lung cancer.
Initially producing just tiny amounts of meth in a rolling meth lab with his old student Jesse Pinkman, Walter and Jesse gradually expand to produce bigger batches of rare blue meth that is exceedingly pure and in great demand. Walter adopts the alias “Heisenberg” to conceal his true identity.
Since of his narcotic activities, Walter finally finds himself at probability with his family, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) via his brother-in-law Hank Schrader, local gangs, and Mexican drug cartels (such as their regional distributors), putting his and his family’s lives in danger.
The Breaking Bad franchise arose from the series. It is acclaimed as one of the best tv shows of all time. On October 11, 2019, El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie, starring Paul, was released on Netflix and in cinemas. Better Call Saul, a prequel series starring Odenkirk, Banks, and Esposito repeating their roles from Breaking Bad and many others in guest and regular appearances, premiered on AMC on February 8, 2015, and will finish on August 15, 2022.
2. Band of Brothers
Creator: Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg
Genre: War Drama
Cast:
- Kirk Acevedo
- Eion Bailey
- Michael Cudlitz
- Dale Dye
- Rick Gomez
- Scott Grimes
- Frank John Hughes
Official Trailer:
Running Time: 49–70 minutes long per episode.
Band of Brothers is a dramatized portrayal of the United States Army’s 101st Airborne Division’s “Easy Company” (part of the 2nd Company, 506th Parachute Infantry Brigade) during World War II. The series covers the firm’s exploits during the conflict in 10 episodes.
Band of Brothers follows the regiment thru the American parachute landings in Normandy, Battle Market Garden, the Battle of Bastogne, the conquest of Germany, such as the evacuation of a concentration camp, and the war’s conclusion.
It involves the capture of the Kehlsteinhaus (Eagle’s Nest) at Obersalzberg, Berchtesgaden, and refers to Japan’s surrender. Major Richard Winters (1918-2011) is the main character, depicted striving to complete the company’s duties while keeping his soldiers together and safe. While the series has a vast ensemble cast, each episode concentrates on a single man and his actions.
Because the series is based on historical events, the characters’ fates follow those of the people who inspired them. Many either die or suffer significant injuries that force them to return home. Other troops return to their units on the front lines after being treated at field hospitals. Their experiences and the moral, mental, and physical obstacles they must face are important to the plot.
3. Chernobyl
Creator: Craig Mazin
Genre: Historical drama, Disaster, Tragedy
Cast:
- Jared Harris
- Stellan Skarsgård
- Paul Ritter
- Jessie Buckley
- Adam Nagaitis
- Con O’Neill
- Adrian Rawlins
- Sam Troughton
Official Trailer:
Running Time: 65–78 minutes long per episode.
Chernobyl dramatizes the narrative of the April 1986 nuclear plant accident in the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic, Soviet Union, presenting the lives of individuals engaged in the tragedy and those who responded to it.
The series covers some of the disaster’s lesser-known storylines, including as the efforts of the first responders on the site, volunteers, and teams of workers who excavated a key tunnel beneath Reactor 4.
The miniseries is based in significant part on Pripyat residents’ experiences, as described by Belarusian Nobel winner Svetlana Alexievich in her novel Voices from Chernobyl.
Whereas the series was meticulously studied, certain dramatic liberties were used. Each episode was followed by a webcast in which Mazin and NPR broadcaster Peter Sagal discussed the adjustments and their justification. While historians, specialists, and witnesses have pointed out historical and factual errors in the series, the makers’ care for detail has been universally appreciated.
4. The Wire
Creator: David Simon
Genre: Crime drama, Serial drama, Tragedy
Cast:
- Dominic West
- John Doman
- Idris Elba
- Frankie Faison
- Larry Gilliard Jr.
- Wood Harris
- Deirdre Lovejoy
Official Trailer:
Running Time: 55–60 minutes long per episode, and 93 minutes was the final episode.
The Wire is a television series in the United States that was produced and mostly scripted by author and former police journalist David Simon. The series was shown on the cable network HBO in the United States. The Wire is set and filmed in Baltimore, Maryland, and each season introduces a new institution and its ties to law enforcement.
Maintaining characters and furthering stories from prior seasons. In chronological order, the five issues are illegal drug traffic, port system, municipal government and bureaucracy, training and schools, and print news media. Simon picked Baltimore as the location for the play since he is familiar with the city.
Simon has indicated that he first intended to write a police drama largely based on the experiences of his writing partner Ed Burns, a former murder investigator and public school teacher who had previously collaborated with Simon on projects such as The Corner (2000).
Burns had been irritated by the Baltimore Police Department’s bureaucracy while working on long-term investigations of violent drug traffickers utilizing surveillance technology; Simon noticed parallels with his own experiences as a police writer for The Baltimore Sun.
Simon picked Baltimore as the setting for the episode since he is familiar with the city. During his stint as a writer and producer for the NBC show Homicide: Life on the Street, which was based on his book Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets (1991), likewise set in Baltimore, Simon clashed with NBC network officials who were dissatisfied with the show’s pessimism.
Simon sought to prevent a repetition of these disagreements and picked HBO for The Wire because of their previous collaboration on the miniseries The Corner. HBO was hesitant to include a police drama in its program at first but decided to create the pilot episode.
5. The Sopranos
Creator: David Chase
Genre: Crime Drama, Serial Drama, Dark comedy
Cast:
- James Gandolfini
- Lorraine Bracco
- Edie Falco
- Michael Imperioli
- Dominic Chianese
- Steven Van Zandt
- Tony Sirico
- Robert Iler
- Jamie-Lynn Sigler
Official Trailer:
Running Time: 43–75 minutes long per episode.
The series is mostly set in New Jersey and New York City and features Tony Soprano, a North Jersey-based Italian-American gangster who strives to combine his family life with his career as Soprano family leader. Tony, who suffers from panic attacks, has counseling sessions with psychologist Jennifer Melfi on and off throughout the series.
Tony finds himself at war with his uncle Junior, his wife Carmela, other mobsters in the Soprano family, and the New York-area Lupertazzi family at various times during the series, putting his life in danger on many occasions. It is known to be one of the best tv shows of all time.
The program aired on HBO on January 10, 1999, after the pilot was ordered in 1997. The show lasted six seasons and 86 episodes till June 10, 2007. Broadcast syndication followed in the United States and across the world. HBO, Chase Films, and Brad Grey Television created The Sopranos. It was mostly shot in Silvercup Studios in Long Island City, Queens, and on location in New Jersey.
6. Game of Thrones
Creator: David Benioff and D. B. Weiss
Genre: Action, Adventure, Fantasy
Cast:
- Emilia Clarke
- Sean Bean
- Kit Harington
- Mark Addy
- Lena Headey
- Peter Dinklage
Official Trailer:
Running Time: 50–82 minutes long per episode.
There are television shows that more people have loved and watched, that have openly contributed to the growth of our culture, that have better emphasized a particular show, or that have clearly provided a model for other shows to follow. It is clearly one of the best TV shows of all time.
However, “Game of Thrones,” created by D.B. Weiss and David Benioff for HBO based on the George R.R. Martin novel series, is the only television show recognized as epic. No other series has ever established a world with such detailed depth and diversity in its geography, social institutions, faiths, and languages as The Hunger Games.
The entire Game of Thrones series may be divided into three stories. The book’s longest portion focuses on Eddard Stark, the family’s patriarch and head of household, as he navigates plots and court intrigue throughout the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros. In the second story, the exiled princess Daenerys, one of the last members of the previous royal family, is followed as she grows up.
A third story follows Eddard Stark’s adoptive son Jon Snow’s upbringing in the north of Westeros. He is a member of the Night’s Watch, an elite military squad tasked with defending the sophisticated civilization of the Seven Kingdoms from dangers beyond the Wall.
7. Rick and Morty
Creator: Justin Roiland and Dan Harmon
Genre: Animated sitcom, Adult Animation, Science fiction, Black comedy
Cast:
- Justin Roiland
- Chris Parnell
- Spencer Grammer
- Sarah Chalke
- Kari Wahlgren
Official Trailer:
Running Time: 22 minutes long per episode.
The sitcom follows the exploits of the Smith family, which includes Jerry and Beth, their daughters Summer and Morty, and Beth’s father, Rick Sanchez, who lives with them as a guest. The family resides outside of Seattle, Washington, according to Justin Roiland.
On the other hand, Rick and Morty’s adventures take place over an endless number of realities, with the protagonists traveling to different worlds and universes via portals and Rick’s flying saucer.
Rick is an eccentric and drunken crazy scientist who rejects conventional norms such as education, marriage, love, and family. He regularly embarks on adventures with Morty, his 14-year-old grandson, a kind-hearted but easily upset youngster whose naive but grounded moral compass is a counterweight to Rick’s Machiavellian ego.
Summer, Morty’s 17-year-old sister, is a more typical adolescent who is concerned about her social standing and occasionally joins Rick and Morty on their travels. Beth, the children’s mother, is a typically calm and strong influence in the home, despite being self-conscious about her professional function as a horse surgeon. She is unhappy with her marriage to Jerry, a simple-minded and insecure man who despises Rick’s power over his family.
Multiple variations of the characters exist in different realities throughout the show’s universe, and their personalities might change from one reality to the next. In reference to his native world, the show’s original Rick refers to himself as “Rick Sanchez of Earth Dimension C-137”.
However, this does not relate to any other member of the Smith household. For example, in the first-season show “Rick Potion #9,” Rick and Morty leave the original Summer, Beth, and Jerry behind after turning the whole planet population into monsters.
8. Full Metal Alchemist Brotherhood
Director: Yasuhiro Irie
Genre: Anime, Adventure, Dark Fantasy, Steampunk
Cast:
- Vic Mignogna
- Romi Park
- Maxey Whitehead
- Rie Kugimiya
- Iemasa Kayumi
- Muriel Hofmann
- Colleen Clinkenbeard
Official Trailer:
Running Time: 12–18 minutes long per episode.
Edward and Alphonse Elric are reared in the secluded village of Resembool in the land of Amestris by their mother Trisha Elric. Their father, Hohenheim, a well-known and skilled alchemist, abandoned his family. At the same time, the boys were young, and while in Trisha’s care, they developed an interest in alchemy and grew interested in its mysteries.
They were looked for by their best friend Winry Rockbell and her grandma Pinako after Trisha died after a protracted illness. The guys traversed the world to further their alchemic studies with Izumi Curtis. When they return home, the two resolve to use alchemy to bring their mother back to life.
On the other hand, human transmutation is forbidden since it is difficult to execute effectively. Al’s body is utterly annihilated in the attempted transformation, while Ed loses his left leg. Ed sacrifices his right arm to bring Al’s spirit back and links it to a nearby set of armor in a final bid to keep his brother alive.
After receiving automail prosthetics from Winry and Pinako, the brothers resolve to burn down their boyhood house, a mark of their dedication and “never turning back,” and travel to the capital city to become government-sanctioned State Alchemists.
After passing the exam, Edward is branded the “Fullmetal Alchemist” by the State Military, and the brothers are tasked to reclaim their entire bodies via the famous Philosopher’s Stone.
They are guided by Colonel Roy Mustang. Along the way, they uncover a complex government plot to conceal the actual nature of the Philosopher’s Stone, which involves homunculi, alchemists from nearby Xing, a scarred man from war-torn Ishval, and their own father’s background.
9. Sherlock
Creator: Mark Gatiss and Steven Moffat
Genre: Crime, Mystery, Comedy-drama
Cast:
- Benedict Cumberbatch
- Martin Freeman
- Rupert Graves
- Una Stubbs
- Mark Gatiss
- Louise Brealey
- Andrew Scott
Official Trailer:
Running Time: 85–90 minutes long per episode.
Sherlock features Sherlock Holmes, a “consulting detective,” investigating several puzzles in modern-day London. Dr. John Watson (Martin Freeman), Holmes’ flatmate and buddy, has returned from military duty in Afghanistan with the British Army Medical Corps. It is arguably one of the best TV shows of all time.
While Metropolitan Local Police Det Insp Greg Lestrade (Rupert Graves) and other characters are first skeptical of Holmes, his great intelligence and aggressive observation abilities eventually persuade them of his worth. Holmes becomes a reluctant celebrity, thanks partly to Watson’s blog tracking their exploits, with the press focusing on his cases and quirky personal life.
Both regular people and the British government want his assistance. Despite the series covering a wide range of crimes and offenders, Holmes’ fight with his sworn enemy Jim Moriarty is a continuous theme. Molly Hooper, a scientist at St. Bart’s Hospital.
She aids Holmes on occasion with his cases. Una Stubbs plays Mrs. Hudson, Holmes and Watson’s housekeeper. In contrast, series co-creator Mark Gatiss plays Holmes’s elder brother Mycroft.
10. True Detective
Creator: Nic Pizzolatto
Genre: Anthology, Crime drama, Detective Mystery, Thriller, Neo-noir, Southern Gothic.
Cast:
- Matthew McConaughey
- Woody Harrelson
- Michelle Monaghan
- Colin Farrell
- Rachel McAdams
- Taylor Kitsch
- Mahershala Ali
- Carmen Ejogo
- Stephen Dorff
- Jodie Foster
- Kali Reis
Official Trailer:
Running Time: 54–87 minutes long per episode.
Nic Pizzolatto conceived and wrote the American anthology crime drama television series True Detective. The series launched on the premium cable network HBO in the United States on January 12, 2014. Each show season is designed as a standalone story, with fresh cast ensembles and different sets of characters and places. It is known to be one of the best TV shows of all time.
The premise revolves around Louisiana State Police Detectives Rust Cohle and Martin Hart being called back in 2012 to look at a homicide case they worked on in 1995. The two former detectives describe the tale of their investigation, revealing unhealed scars and calling into doubt their alleged solution of a peculiar ritualistic murder in 1995.
While the investigation unfolds in the current day through separate interrogations. In 2012, the timelines braid and merge as each man is drawn back into a world they thought they’d left behind. Learning more about each other and their killer reveals that evil exists on both sides of the law.
11. Better Call Saul
Creators: Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould
Genre: Crime drama, Legal drama, Black comedy, Tragedy
Cast:
- Bob Odenkirk
- Jonathan Banks
- Rhea Seehorn
- Patrick Fabian
- Michael Mando
- Michael McKean
Official Trailer:
Running Time: 41–69 minutes long per episode.
Better Call Saul follows Jimmy McGill, a former con artist attempting to become a respectable lawyer, as he transforms into the flamboyant criminal lawyer Saul Goodman (a play on the phrase “[itall ]’s good, man!”) over the six-year period preceding the events of Breaking Bad, roughly from 2002 to 2008.
Jimmy is motivated to escape his past as a Chicago-area conman known as “Slippin’ Jimmy” by his older brother Chuck. He begins his career as a mailroom clerk at his brother’s Albuquerque law business, Hamlin, Hamlin & McGill (HHM), when general manager Howard Hamlin meets his adversary.
While working at HHM, Jimmy meets Kim Wexler, a fellow mailroom employee who goes on to law school and becomes one of the company’s associates, and their relationship blossoms into a sexual relationship. Chuck’s success inspires Jimmy to finish college and obtain a Juris Doctor degree from the fake University of American Samoa via correspondence law school.
Jimmy’s interests center on low-paying clients, including working as a public defender, after gaining membership to the bar but being rejected for employment at HHM. Later, he attempts to create an elder law firm, which leads to lengthy litigation against a nursing facility network that he learns is cheating its customers.
He and Chuck start working on a class-action lawsuit, which Chuck rapidly passes on to HHM, pushing Jimmy out. Chuck’s relentless belittling, sabotage, and vengeful actions toward Jimmy cause him to disintegrate. Jimmy’s life and job collide with the illicit drugs trade, introducing people and plot arcs that will carry over into Breaking Bad.
12. Seinfield
Creators: Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld
Genre: Sitcom
Cast:
- Jerry Seinfeld
- Julia Louis-Dreyfus
- Michael Richards
- Jason Alexander
Official Trailer:
Running Time: 22–24 minutes long per episode.
Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld developed the American television series Seinfeld. It ran on NBC for nine seasons and 180 episodes from July 5, 1989, to May 14, 1998.
It stars Seinfeld as a fictionalized version of himself. It centers on his personal life with three of his friends: best buddy George Costanza, ex-girlfriend Elaine Benes, and Cosmo Kramer, his neighbor across the hall. It is largely set in an apartment building on Manhattan’s Upper West Side. It is not only one of the best TV shows of all time but also one of the best sitcoms ever made.
Several Seinfeld episodes are inspired by the writers’ actual experiences, which are reinterpreted for the characters’ narratives. For example, in “The Revenge,” George’s plot is inspired by Larry David’s time on Saturday Night Live.
“The Contest” is also inspired by David’s own experiences. The plot of “The Smelly Automobile” is based on Peter Mehlman’s lawyer buddy, who couldn’t get a terrible odor out of his car. “The Strike” is inspired by Dan O’Keefe’s father, who invented his own holiday: Festivus.
Conclusion
So what are you waiting for? If you haven’t watched these 12 best tv shows of all time, grab popcorn and get busy. Because these series will cast a long shadow of impact on you and your personality. In that case, you may have much catching up to do if you want to stay up with some of the most lauded cultural touchstones of the last several decades. It’s an excellent starting point for anyone trying to make the most of their time with these shows.
- Related: 10 Best TV Shows on HBO Max
