BEST HISTORICAL SHOWS
Probably my favourite genre. ROME was absolutely amazing with the sets, the plots, the amazing actors (especially Polly Walker, Kevin McKidd and Ray Stevenson). THE TUDORS the first season was definitely groundbreaking, bringing the most amazing acting (Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Maria Doyle Kennedy, Henry Cavill), costumes, intrigues, drama ... BAND OF BROTHERS was the most touching show on WW2 bringing some of the best actors together - Damian Lewis, Ron Livingston, Michael Fassbender, Tom Hardy...
BEST WRITTEN SHOWS
There are always some shows with amazing plots like DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES (super intelligent twists, brilliant acting, witty humour), clever dialogues like THE UNITED STATES OF TARA, beautifully written lines like in GILMORE GIRLS or mind-blowing and ultrashocking stories like in NIP/TUCK. Some people have prejudices and won't watch these shows, but they all bring the most profoundly written scripts TV has even seen raising television programmes on some much higher level.
SCIENCE FICTION SHOWS
I grew up with STAR TREK, watching mostly NEW GENERATION, but I also loved VOYAGER for it's scientific vibe and ENTERPRISE. As a teenager I also loved SLIDERS with Jerry O'Connel and Karie Wuhrer who traveled through parallel dimensions. And off course there's also the prematurely deceased FIREFLY.
FANTASY, MYTH AND LEGENDS
Not many of those on TV unfortunately, but I do love BBC's MERLIN with amazing Colin Morgan, I also enjoyed SPARTACUS BLOOD AND SAND, and I will forever miss LEGEND OF THE SEEKER and my favourite Mord Sith Cara. Can't wait for Starz' CAMELOT and HBO's GAME OF THRONES next year!
COMEDY SHOWS
I've mentioned before that I was pretty much raised by family sitcoms as a kid, developing my ethical principles and social values while watching the amazing family comedies such as HOME IMPROVEMENT, THE NANNY, BOY MEETS WORLD, COSBY SHOW, GOLDEN GIRLS and later on I had unforgettable fun watching FRIENDS (Chandler, Phoebe and Monica being my favourite), SEX AND THE CITY, WILL AND GRACE (especially Karen and her Rosario), GROUNDED FOR LIFE, WAR AT HOME, ALF...
GREAT BRITISH SHOWS
One thing's for sure, over in Britain they know how to make memorable TV programmes. I can't describe how happy I am for growing up with AS TIME GOES BY (the legendary sitcom with Judi Dench). I've never laughed so much as I laughed watching WW2 comedy ALLO ALLO with the brilliant gallery of characters and cult lines, and Rowan Atkinson's hilarious acting in BLACKADDER. Many times I thought I'd die from laughter watching Patsy and Edwina in ABSOLUTELY FABULOUS. I'm sad that the world doesn't make such shows any more. 
When it comes to British TV I also loved ITV's brilliantly written show THE PALACE about a fictional royal court with an amazing chemistry between young king Richard and his PR Abigale. Then there's also CRANFORD mini series which brings the best acting TV has even seen, and BBC's supercharming BEING HUMAN in which a vampire, a werewolf and a ghost live together as roommates.
Excellent choices, Dezz! (And wise choice to follow orders.) There are a great many shows I left off my list. Perhaps a follow-up is in order? And I believe Star Trek is leading at the moment as the most popular.
ReplyDeleteThanks for participating!!
glad you like my choices, Alex, and yes, STAR TREK and FIREFLY are really high on almost all lists :) We are a bunch of sf junkies :)
ReplyDeleteEnjoyed your list Dez. I love Home Improvement and The Cosby Show (especially the earlier seasons). They always make you laugh. I'm glad I found Firefly on Hulu (I love it too) so I can keep up with everyone's list.
ReplyDeleteMason
Thoughts in Progress
Glad you like it, Masy :) Yes, HOME IMPROVEMENT was great especially growing up with it, and I watched the early seasons of COSBY SHOW when I was very very little :)
ReplyDeleteThat is quite a collection of shows. Great format breaking them down into genre. Most of them I have never seen or heard of.
ReplyDeleteWhere would a show like buffy fit in?
ReplyDeleteThe Brit section is missing Dr. Who and Are you being served.
Excellent list. (I used to watch Home Improvement and laugh at Tim and Desperate Housewives would have been in my top fifteen).
ReplyDeleteAnd Nip/Tuck...I still miss it! I wish it was still on. Crazy insane show!
Yikes! I watched more TV than I thought. I recognized all but one. I'll have to look the other one up. Great list.
ReplyDeleteHi, Dezmond!
ReplyDeleteYour selection is excellent!
I love The Nanny and Friends.
Have a good week ;)
I'll have to trust your judgement on most of these since they are mostly for the era since I basically stopped watching most TV. Original "Star Trek" I've probably seen all of them. I did often enjoy "Home Improvement" when it was in syndication. My daughters used to watch "Boy Meets World".
ReplyDeleteI guess yours was a pretty good list from what I hear.
Lee
Tossing It Out
All my friends know that I'm a FRIENDS freak!...but it would shock people to know I'M OBSESSED WITH THE TUDORS!! I've seen every episode twice!!!
ReplyDeleteI've watched the first three seasons of Tudaors. its pretty good, nice list
ReplyDeleteMy cousin loved Band of Brothers and I purchased the box set for him one year. Enjoy all the Star Treks, but DS9 will always be my favorite.
ReplyDeleteband of brothers was sheer genius. i loved boy meets world growing up. early topanga was awesome. and gilmore girls, united states of tara, and the tudors are all shows i really hope to see some day! great list! :)
ReplyDeleteGreat shows. You must make those photos because they're so wonderful!
ReplyDeleteClarissa Draper from Listen To The Voices
Firefly seems very popular.
ReplyDeleteOoo . . .I loved that you did categories like an awards show!
ReplyDeleteI love that you broke them down into categories. I'm smacking my forehead for forgetting Merlin! Maybe if I had done it your way, I would have remembered. Love your list! And I love your blog!
ReplyDeleteI don't watch hardly any tv lately, but yeah FRIENDS was a lot of fun, I still catch those on reruns sometimes and still enjoyed them. My faves when I used to watch TV were Wings, Frasier and most recently Moonlight (which was canceled so prematurely!). I did like the first season of ROME a lot, but never got around to seeing the 2nd season. The Tudors is too raunchy for my taste but I did watch a few episodes for the sake of Henry ;)
ReplyDeleteI've seen, like, 4 Top Ten TV Shows blog posts today....
ReplyDeleteYou list is the best so far.
Nice choices!
I don't really watch much TV so maybe I can't be talking but I'd be very surprised if there were a better TV show than Mad Men. It is simply dazzling.
ReplyDeleteI completely forgot about Home Improvement! Oh man, I remember watching that all the time after school! Nice list Dez, you got some good choices.
ReplyDeleteExcellent choices Dezmond, and I'm happy to say you've even introduced me to a couple I've never heard of. Bravo.
ReplyDeleteI have to give a two thumbs up for Sliders. Great concept. Great show. Anything with wormholes and parallel dimensions has great possibilities.
ReplyDeleteStephen Tremp
@Greg and Ellie
ReplyDeleteglad you like my categories :)
@Budd
I didn't watch BUFFY too much, it would go into the supernatural category which I don't have :) I was never too fond of DR. WHO
@Kelly
NIP/TUCK really was something else, yes?
@Mary
which one? :)
@Suzy
thanks, Suzy, glad you like it :)
@Arlee
I'm glad you liked HOME IMPROVEMENT too, I often think of you as Wilson from that show :))
@Falen and Summer
ReplyDeleteyes, THE TUDORS were an amazing show, especially the first season with queen Catherine of Aragon
@Diane Wolfe and Vics
yes, BAND OF BROTHERS was a cult show, and Vics, yes, you should watch all those other shows.
@Clarissa
which photos? These from the post?
@Ricky
yes, FIREFLY and STAR TREK are popular everywhere
@Jennie Bailey
thanks, Jennie, glad you like it my way :) MERLIN really is super charming show
I see you listed one of my favourites"As Time Goes By", I was surprised it was shown in the US. I enjoyed reading of your other favourites.
ReplyDeleteTake care.
Yvonne.
@Flixy
ReplyDeleteyou should watch ROME second season, it was also great, especially since Simon Woods appears in that one :))
@Andrew
yes, it's a blogfest today, and I'm very honoured that you think my list is the best, I know you are afraid of some monkey beating :PPP
@Amanda
MAD MEN is great, but too American for my taste, although it does captivate you when you catch it on TV
@Bryan
thanks, Bry, we gotta love Tim the Toolman Taylor :)
@Matt
I'd be happy if you would fall in love with one of those shows which are new to you :)
@Welcome to my world...
ReplyDeleteWell, I'm not from USA, Yvonne, I'm from Europe, so I had the chance to watch AS TIME GOES BY while I was growing up :) Thanks for visiting, hope to see you here often :)
such great choices, some i so forgot...
ReplyDelete:)........
iZombie
SPOOKS? Yes, both Matthew and Rupert are yummy! Oh, did you hear that Rupert will be in the next series of Whitechapel starting soon. Maybe it's not your thing...but it's mine!
ReplyDeleteCD
@iZombie
ReplyDeletethanks, glad you like it ;)
@Clarissa
Rupert is always my thing :)
That was more than 10! You rebel you. I've not seen Being Human. Sounds great though. Definitely looking forward to Game of Thrones as well.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed the Tudors. Fun show. I wish they'd do a spinoff about the girls. Heck. It's the Tudors. It doesn't even have to be a spinoff. It can pick up a few years later with Queen Mary.
ReplyDeleteAnd I love Desperate Housewives. The writers have this knack for taking seemingly tiny, insignificant details and turning them into surprisingly important plot points later in the season. It's silly fun, but surprisingly smart.
Great post! I'll look into some of these shows I haven't heard of. My mom watched Cranford and loved it. It's on my list, as is Firefly. And you know I love me some Gilmore Girls! Great choices :)
ReplyDeleteI love "The Tudors" damn, forgot that one! These are great! I see a lot of Firefly and Star Trek!
ReplyDeleteI love Star Trek, guess I need to check out Firefly~ Thanks for the reminder, King Henry is a lion~
Awesome list! And Nip/Tuck I forgot about. I watched every episode of the first couple seasons--hooked! And the numbers are racking up for Firefly. Yep, it's added to my must-watch list.
ReplyDeleteWell we have something else in common, Star Trek! I grew up on the show from TNG to Enterprise, watched them all, own them all! And you know I'm looking forward to Camelot, although for different reasons than I'm sure you are since you don't like Eva Green.
ReplyDeleteFirefly and Merlin again! I will DEFINITELY have to check them out. And I had forgotten all about Band of Brothers, SHAME ON ME! What an amazing show.
ReplyDeleteDEZMOND - How could I possibly have forgotten Gilmore Girls? That show was brilliantly written. I agree with you 100%. The dialogue they had was some of the most fantastic ever!! And we also have the same fav characters on friends. Harrah!! (Practicing my English dialogue for a character in my book.) Hope your day is fantastic! =D
ReplyDeleteI need to check out some British TV! I love that you broke it into sections and expanded your lists. You're so good at this kind of thing!
ReplyDeleteMichele
SouthernCityMysteries
Wow - you've got a great list too! So many reminders of shows gone by. As of now on making my rounds, your list is the first with Friends on it... surprising :)
ReplyDeleteI'd forgotten all about Blackadder!! Good call with Being Human and Merlin too, your fantasy TV taste buds are strong :P I still need to finish watching Legend of the Seeker; there was so little hype for it in the UK that there was rarely an opportunity to watch it :(
ReplyDelete@Lynda
ReplyDeleteah, you know how I like breaking the rules and setting my own trends :))))
@Karen
I guess they didn't want to show Marry, whom we came to love, as a bloodthirsty tyrant as she was, and it is true that THE TUDORS have lost their enthusiasm and their popularity with the 4th season
@Kristin
yep, you should watch CRANFORD and GILMORES rule!
@Ellie
yep, everyone forgot THE TUDORS even though everyone loves them. The same is with ROME
@Angela
well, FIREFLY has just around 15 episodes, to it won't be difficult to check it out :)
@Answer
ReplyDeleteI shall leave Eva to you, and you leave the rest of CAMELOT to me :))))
@Ishta
you must check out MERLIN, I've poisoned everybody with that show here in our blogosphere :))
@Shells
yep, the dialogues between Rory and Lorelai were legendary and amazing :)
@Michele
you do know you are dealing with an expert here :)))
@DLCurran
thank you :) I was also shocked that almost nobody but me put TUDORS, ROME, FRIENDS, SEX AND THE CITY, WILL AND GRACE on their lists
@Jamie
now what kind of a proud Britishman are you if you forgot about lord Blackadder and his dear Baldrick???? :)))) The second season of SEEKER was much better than the first one.
Great choices Dezz. :-)
ReplyDeleteI would add Grey's Anatomy and X Files although I don't know the exact category of these shows. :-) I guess drama for GA and sci-fi/thriller for X files.
Love Merlin. Truly missing The Seeker. Never heard of Firefly? Looks like something i would enjoy. Cant wait for Camelot.
ReplyDeleteLike THE TUDORS photo!
@Mike
ReplyDeletethanks :) GREY would go into the medical show category with ER, HOUSE, PRIVATE PRACTICE, CHICAGO HOPE ...
@Avalon
FIREFLY is a popular sf show mix of Wild West and interstellar voyage.
Yay for gilmore girls and friends the rest of your shows i really haven't heard of :/ i will have to check them out
ReplyDeleteyou must, Kelley, check them out all :)
ReplyDeleteah, you really took me back in time with this one. i watched many of these shows too. thanks for this:)
ReplyDeleteLove The Tudors. Did you notice no one mentioned the Sopranos?
ReplyDelete@Ed
ReplyDeletebe welcome :) it's nice when we remind ourselves on good old times
@Carolyn
I think I've seen SOPRANOS in one list, but I'm glad people didn't give too much love to a mobster show :)
Will have to see about the DVD for FIREFLY
ReplyDelete