In this ongoing series of posts, I'm ranking out the top 50 of various categories. Each list is obviously slanted to my personal preference and opinion.
50. Live: With Regis &Kelly Regularly watched during my early youth ministry/no-kids, start my work day at 10 a.m. years.
49. E:60 - I'm a sucker for the story behind the sports story.
48. The A-Team - Lots of shooting and nobody dead. I mainly remember Mr. T and the Van.
47. Criminal Minds - Very dark at times, but very intriguing at times as well.
46. Knight Rider - 80s nostalgia
45. Law & Order - Love me some Cop Drama. A few too many character changes through the years for me to give it a higher ranking.
44. Pardon the Interruption - I'm a sports junky and during certain times of the year, it's nearly a daily stop for me.
43. Storage Wars - It's a binge-watching show for me.
42. Fresh Prince of Bell Air - Theme song alone makes it worthy of a ranking.
41. Total Request Live - Kind of represents the 90s MTV as a whole for me... back when MTV actually showed music videos.
40. Different Strokes - Even as a grade schooler, I found the way they ended each episode ridiculous, but I just couldn't stop watching.
39. Who's the Boss - Alyssa Milano was my first celebrity crush. At one point I was convinced she would fall in love with me if she just met me.
38. Law & Order: SVU - Some episodes have left me speechless.
37. Full House - "Have Mercy."
36. Tonight Show w/ Johnny Carson - This would rank higher had Johnny been going while I was a teen. I vividly remember watching the last week of shows.
35. Late Night w/ Conan O'Brien - This was Conan at his best. Weird characters, off-beat bits and awkward humor.
34. The Colbert Report - Colbert is a great character. The sarcasm was a crack-up. Intrigued to see what he does when he takes over for Letterman.
33. Dukes of Hazard - Yeeee Hawww!
32. Happy Days - The one show I remember watching with my dad.
31. Shark Tank - If I could get on one Reality show, it wouldn't be this one... but if I could get on two, this would be one.
30. Home Improvement - Reminds me of the 90s about as much as any show.
29. Boy Meets World - Cory and Topanga summed up the fake High School relationships.
28. The Amazing Race - If I could get on one reality show, it would be this one.
27. 24 - The first 3 seasons were fantastic. Jack Bauer was a great hero. From there. ehh.
26. Once Upon a Time - Might be too high of a rank. But the Disney nerd in me has been a sucker for this one.
25. The Office - Might be too low of a rank, but once Michael Scott left it lost its "must-watch" status.
24. Duck Dynasty - Best Fake Reality TV Show out there. A few episodes are absolute gems.
23. Quantum Leap - Loved the premise of the show. Vividly remember multiple episodes even though I watched as a Middle Schooler.
22. Star Trek: Next Generation - It could turn a rainy/cold afternoon into perfection during my teen years.
21. Behind the Music - There was a season where I wouldn't miss an episode... even if I hated the artist highlighted.
20. The Late Show With David Letterman - This show was the 90s for me. I stopped watching 2005ish and didn't pick up again until the last three weeks.
19. Parks and Recreation - Hated it at the start, but man they won me over by the end.
18. Tonight Show w/ Jimmy Fallon - Fallon is making a name for himself by unique bits and programming. Love his creativity and tone.
17. The Goldbergs - Funny. Smart. Recapturing a lot of my childhood.
16. Saved By the Bell - Terrible acting. Over the top "drama." Yet, somehow awesome!
15. Big Bang Theory - Hilarious characters (I'm a sucker for Raj)
14. The Cosby Show - Brilliant Comedy. Poignant and significant in what it did culturally for the African American presence on television.
13. Chuck - Loved the premise. Great and fun action. Hilarious moments.
12. Ducktales - My favorite cartoon. Came home from school every day to watch it.
11. Prison Break - First show I truly binge-watched. Season 1 and 2 in
10. Sunday Night Football - This pulls up higher on the ranks for me as I'm going to let it represent all NFL programming. It's the best crew running it. Football is the best TV-sport there is.
9. Blue Bloods - I love the approach, acting, plotlines, family, and faith elements interwoven to the show. Multiple times at the end of an episode, my wife or I will exclaim, "Man, that's a good show!" I love the tension it creates and the somewhat conservative social commentary.
8. Freaks and Geeks - Only one season, but man it was good. It caught so much of the angst of High School life while capturing the grungy/geeky side of the 80s. Crazy how much this showed launched the careers of multiple male characters (Franco, Rogan, Segel) and the producer (Judd Apatow).
7. MacGyver - So many memories are attached to this show. the dude could get out of anything with a toothpick, duct tape and his swiss army knife. I played MacGyver all the time in my back yard. The recurring character of Murdoc was great.
6. The Simpsons - It's been an amazing run with this show. The deveopment of Homer as the main character is, I think, the key to this show being able to laugh. The way they have been able to develop characters thanks to the animation has also been a big help. The social commentary and satire take it to next level for me.
5. The Walking Dead - The Zombie genre is a guilty pleasure for me, but what really carries this show are the characters and themes. The most recent season may have been it's best yet. Who are the heroes? Who are the villains?
4. The Wonder Years - Just brilliant story-telling and family drama. Kevin, Paul, Wayne, and Winnie's journey through life completely captured me.
3. Breaking Bad - I could only take this show in small doses, but the character development and storyline were some of TVs best storytelling. Someone encouraged me to ask myself as I watched, "Who are you pulling for?" Loved Jessie's story arc over all the others in the end
2. Seinfeld - It's probably the one show where I will gladly re-watch any episode. It does suprisingly well as transcending time despite it's commentary on society. Quotes and themes from the show make their way into so many conversations. The oddities of Kramer. The pathetic neruosis of George. The almost but not quite attractive nature of Elaine. The sarcastic slant of Jerry. It's really hard to not make this the #1 show, and had I typed this a different day, it may be #1.
1. LOST - Say what you want about how it all ended. I can't say I was fully satisfied by the finale, but I can say I was more than satisfied with the show in it's entirety. The amazing character development of season 1 locked me in. The twists and turns of Seasons 2-4 had me addicted. I loved the little hints and deep layers of Easter Eggs and hints. It was a regular "watch twice" show for me. I watched each episode the 1st time to just enjoy, and then a 2nd time to study in perpetration for the shows to come.
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