25. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1987-1997)

Mostly due to nostalgia, but this show still holds as one of the greatest kids shows ever made. I loved everything about the Turtles when I was a kid, and watched the show religiously. I was even Raphael for Halloween one year. It’s the quintessential 80s Cartoon and the best of the bunch. I think most of the ’spin-off’ stuff like the movies and video games were just as great. Personally I think the first movie is even better than the show, as it gives the turtles a more darker tone. The show is still better than half of the crap for kids today, though.

Best Moment: Watching it now, as an adult, the situations and animation and dialogue is pretty hilarious. The entire first episode is filled with such moments, and it stands out as my favorite of the series because of it’s nostalgic value for me.

24. Beast Wars (1996-1999)

Set after the original Transformers TV Show, Beast Wars was an entirely new direction from the G1 Autobots and Decepticons. This time around we have the Maximals and the Predacons, who crash land on a prehistoric Earth and fight each other while learning more about their past.

While it started out as another way to sell Transformer toys (and worked, on me at least) Beast Wars developed into a complex story with many memorable characters and exceptional voice acting. It’s also one of the few animated shows that can draw tears from me, so that’s worth noting as well. If only the successor to this show, Beast Machines, could have been as good.

Best Moment: The episode titled ‘Code of Hero,’ in which Dinobot (who was originally a Predacon but defected to the Maximals) gives his life to save the primitive humans living on the planet. It cemented his character as a man of honor, and was a great end to one of the most dynamic characters on the show.

23. Curb Your Enthusiasm (2000- ??)

I like to describe this show as “Seinfeld without the laugh track.” Which is a good thing for me, as I hate laugh tracks, but love Seinfeld. Larry David is actually the co-creator of Seinfeld and this show follows him in a semi-documentary style, with most people playing themselves and the majority of the dialogue improvised.

The show plays with the whole ‘uncomfortable comedy’ idea that other shows incorporate (The Office, for example). Situations that make you cringe because they’re so absurd yet laugh because it’s funny when it happens to other people. Larry David is the master of playing the unlucky shlub (not a word apparently), and the worse always seems to happen to him even when he has nothing but good intentions.

Best Moment: In a rare moment of triumph for Larry, he wakes his rude neighbor (whose daughters vandalized his house earlier on) with a full blown orchestra playing the very song the two men got in a heated argument over near the beginning of the episode.

22. Clone High (2002-2003)

An elaborate parody of teen soap operas, each episode of Clone High starts with a voice over saying, “Today, on a very special Clone High.” But really, it’s pretty much always true. At least in my heart, they’re all special.

A school filled with clones of famous people, Clone High has many absurd situations and random visual gags. A strong lineup of voice actors help the comedy flow, as do the running gags and the one-off characters. There was a surprising amount of guest appearances as well, such as Marilyn Manson, Mandy Moore, Micheal J. Fox, Tom Green, Jack Black, and more. It also has possibly the best reading of ‘Bite Size Wieners’ I’ve ever heard.

Best Moment: The entirety of the episode titled “Raisin’ the Stakes: A Rock Opera in Three Acts,” which is just what it claims to be. And it’s amazing.

21. Veronica Mars (2004-2007)

I really love this show, if only due to Enrico Colantoni as Keith Mars, who is just so awesome it hurts. But the majority of the characters are very likeable and the mysteries are a great plot device to keep the show episodic but still have a reason to come back each week to discover more about the ’season long mystery.’ There is also a large number of pop culture references which aren’t too blatant, but still fun to pick out.

Best Moment: I gotta give it to Joss Whedon’s guest appearance in season 2. He’s actually pretty good at comedy, who would’ve guessed?

20. 24 (2001- ??)

On an impulse I picked up the first season of this show, and was instantly hooked. Set in ‘real time’ over the course of one day, and therefore 24 hours, it really packs the intensity in there and keeps you on the edge ALL THE TIME. Everything is so intense and I love it. I’m not sure if I’d enjoy actually watching it on TV, but I’ve bought all the DVD box sets so far and it’s great to be able to just watch however many episodes I want at a time.

Jack Bauer is quite possibly the coolest motherfucker I’ve seen on TV and I love how much he yells at everyone. “TELL ME WHERE THE BOMB IS” “GIVE ME THE INFORMATION NOW” “WE DON’T HAVE TIME FOR THIS” and many others. It really is my favorite part of the show.

Best Moment: The reveal at the end of season 1 that Nina is a mole, was something I never saw coming and was really cool before it became a staple of the show and less surprising.

19. Extras (2005-2007)

This is such an amazing show, and Ricky Gervais is so brilliant I cannot have more love for that man. The show follows a couple of friends who work as extras on movies as struggling actors. They spend most of season one just interacting with celebrities (always lampooning themselves, hilariously) and trying to break into something more than extra work. Season two has Andy (Gervais) getting a deal to make his sitcom happen, but has to decide between stardom and personal integrity. He more or less chooses stardom, but it’s not the kind of stardom he wants. The show he ends up making is a ridiculous show with catchphrases, wigs, and random celebrity guest appearances (like Coldplay’s Chris Martin who comes on the show and then sings for no reason. At a piano and everything).

The special ties everything together and is a brilliant hour (or so) of television. I love that Gervais always chooses to make 2 seasons (or ’series’) of his shows, as he feels that’s all a show needs. I hate seeing shows I love stop, but also understand that if they keep going forever, they’ll eventually dip in quality. Simpsons I’m looking at you.

Best Moment: I’ve said it too many times, but Andy’s speech in the Big Brother house during the special is hands down the greatest moment, and one of the greatest in Television history. But an honorably mention goes to Patrick Stewart’s description of his film where he mainly sees women naked. Mainly.

18. Home Movies (1999-2004)

Brendon Small created this fantastic animated show, and it is definitely the kind of show I would like to make one day. Dry, subtle humor based mostly on the largely improvised dialogue, but also many visual gags coming from Brendon’s awesome home movies he makes with his friends. I wish I could have made such great movies when I was eight. It’s a pretty silly show but it’s fun and legitimately funny, mostly due to the way the characters talk to each other, really subtle and straight. I love it.

Best Moment: The episode `Bye Bye Greasy`where Brendon is put in charge of making a musical stageplay for the school. When Coach Mcgurk drives in on his car, and can`t get the window down, he proceeds to sing the entire song with the window up inside his car.

17. South Park (1997- ??)

I’ll admit I hated this show when it first came on the air. It seemed like such obscene humor and wasn’t really my taste. It wasn’t until the later seasons that I started to appreciate the intelligent satirical humor that it began to develop.

What I really like about the show is the way the adult characters all take themselves so seriously, and the boys are all so innocent and usually smarter than the adults. There’s so much to love here, I even started appreciating the earlier episodes as well.

Best Moment: Oh man, there are a lot to choose from. I think anything with Randy warrants a mention, but when Kyle’s dad undergoes ‘Dolphinplasty’ to become a Dolphin, that was freakin hilarious.

16. Futurama (1999-2003)

If this show’s any indication, the year 3000 will be an awesome time to live. Matt Groening’s successor to the Simpsons, this show takes a lot of cues from that show but also does a lot of things differently. But the talent is still there, and Billy West shines as Fry, The Professor, Zoidberg, and Zapp Branigan just to name a few.

While many believe the show ended much too soon, it also avoided dragging out and becoming stale, and instead each episode is a great one. Jurassic Bark is possibly one of the greatest episodes of an animated cartoon I’ve ever seen.

Best Moment: Jurassic Bark is about Fry finding the petrified remains of his old dog, Seymour. Throughout the episode we see flashbacks to their happy times together as well as their attempt to reanimate the dog in the present. Before they do, Fry has a change of heart and figures Seymour probably forgot all about him, and bringing him back won’t make either of them happy. The last part of the episode is a montage showing Seymour waiting for Fry outside the pizza place after he was frozen. He waits his whole life for Fry to return, until finally laying down and closing his eyes.

15. Seinfeld (1989-1998)

My favorite thing about this show is about just how terrible an actor Jerry really is. I find it hilarious when a joke is told and he can’t help from smirking, even when he is the one telling the joke (see: I don’t wanna be a cowboy!). But it’s also a very interesting idea, the whole ’show about nothing.’ I like the observational humor, and most of the physical gags are great as well. Basically I have a hard time being friends with people who DON’T like this show, because I reference it (too) often and think it’s hilarious.

Best Moment: When Jerry accuses his girlfriend of making out with his cousin, only to find out she never did (and has an alibi), he responds with an hilarious reading of ‘wanna go get some pizza?!’

14. 30 Rock (2006 – ??)

This is a show I never gave a chance to when it first started airing, but not for any reason in particular. I have a hard time committing to a time schedule on TV and usually watch shows on DVD rather than every week when it airs. So when the first season came out on DVD it was always a show I meant to purchase but didn’t actually get around to it until the second season was released as well. Before this I had seen one episode on TV and was very confused by it, and wasn’t sure if I’d like it. Needless to say as soon as I started watching it from the beginning I fell in love with it. Alec Baldwin and Tina Fey are so great on this show, as is Kenneth the Page, and the numerous celebrity guests are usually lampooning themselves as well (see: Extras) which always makes celebrity guest appearances ten times funnier.

Also the show is full of awesome quotes.

Best Moment: “Seinfeld Vision.” Because I love Seinfeld. (see above)

13. The Office (US) (2005- ??)

I had to debate which version of this show would be in front of which, and as much as I love the US version which has quickly set itself apart from the UK one, I think Ricky Gervais has the utmost respect from me so I had to give the edge to his series. Of course, I love Steve Carell and anything he does as well, and he’s great as the hapless so-stupid-you-feel-sorry-for-him Michael Scott. The awkwardness is there, as are the great running jokes. Even the secondary characters are hilarious when given their time to shine. There are very few characters I dislike on this show, which is rare with most TV shows.

Best Moment: Michael goes to his improv group and every time he does a scene he plays ‘Agent Michael Scott’ who carries a gun and shoots a lot of people. Even people who aren’t in the scene.

12. The Office (UK) (2001-2003)

This show is one of the first comedies I recall seeing that didn’t have a laugh track, and I was so thankful to finally be able to laugh when I wanted and not when a computer told me to. Ricky Gervais as I’ve mentioned before is one of my heroes and I love everything he does, and this is generally what started it all. The idea of setting a comedy in an office, let alone a paper supply office, doesn’t sound like it would be funny. But believe me, it is. There are so many awkward moments and the best part is when they just let them play out for a long time, rather than cut away.

David Brent is so unlikeable throughout the two series run, and compared to Michael Scott, his US counterpart, he seems less of a goof and more of a terrible person. He is redeemed somewhat in the special, albeit slightly, when his character seems to grow and realize the right way to treat people.

Best Moment: David wants to prove that he can dance so he busts out a really, really terrible dance that everyone goes along with at first as kind of cute, but they quickly stop clapping and get uncomfortable. But David just keeps on dancin.

11. Undeclared (2001-2002)

Largely the same team from Freaks & Geeks (see below), Undeclared unfortunately suffered the same fate as it’s predecessor and was canceled after one season. While F&G was mainly an hour long drama, Undeclared was a half hour comedy. I have to admit the biggest reason I liked this show so much was due to Seth Rogen, who really seems to have my kind of humor.

There was also a large amount of guest stars, which kept things interesting, and many of the cast from Freaks & Geeks made appearances as well. It was a shame it only lasted as long as it did, but with many of my favorite shows, it indeed kept it from becoming stale.

Best Moment: The unsung hero of the show, Steven`s Dad (played by Louden Wainwright, famed Folk singer), plays a song to Adam Sandler about his wife and how she left him. You feel sad for him but laugh at the same time, and Adam`s obvious uncomfort really drives it home.

10. Angel (1999-2004)

It was honestly tough to decide if this show should be ranked higher than Buffy or not, and I had to give the edge to Buffy due to it being the one that created it all. But that doesn’t mean Angel isn’t a great series in it’s own right. It does seem quite a bit darker than Buffy, but it maintains the great humor and suspense that made Buffy great. I also found myself liking some of the characters a lot more as they were given a bit more of a chance to develop (Wesley, for example). The had some pretty good crossover episodes between this and Buffy as well.

Best Moment: The season five episode, where Angel is transformed into a puppet. You read that right.

9. Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997-2003)

I have to be honest – I sort of grew up watching Buffy. I was pretty much hooked instantly, I remember actually being scared of the show for the first few episodes. But eventually it became an obsession between me and my two siblings and now it’s a legendary show for us. I remember having many Buffy parties and watching the new episodes religiously, even when the show’s quality started to decline around Season 5 (not counting the amazing Musical episode in the sixth season).

What really amazed me about this show is the way they parallel the supernatural with realistic problems, and so seamlessly too. Like when Buffy and Angel sleep together and (spoiler alert) he becomes evil, which is something that happens in real life as well, while maybe they don’t start killing your friends and what not some guys do ‘become evil’ after the fact. There are many other interesting parallels as well.

Best Moment: Once More, With Feeling. It really can`t be argued.

8. The Simpsons (1989- ??)

One of the funniest shows I’ve seen, animated or not. Of course, seasons 3-8 are the ones I feel are flawless, while they slowly declined in quality after that. I’ve realized lately that while the humor is a huge part of my love for the show, it’s also the whole family aspect that makes it engaging. Which also explains why I dislike the newer seasons, they’ve drifted away from that family aspect and focused more on making zany characters and situations. Either way, the prime episodes are some of the best half hours of TV you can find.

Best Moment: My favorite line of the series is probably from Homer: After Kent Brockman wins the lottery, the Simpson family are watching him talk on TV, and Homer begrudgingly mentions that “He may be the richest person in the world, but there’s one thing he can’t buy.” When Marge asks what that is, he replies, “A dinosaur!“

7. Spaced (1999-2001)

Simon Pegg and Edgar Wright can do no wrong. This show was a huge cult hit and unfortunately unavailable in North America for a long time. Luckily it finally arrived here in a nice DVD boxset and I immediately bought it. I was a fan of their movies (Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz) and knew I’d love this show too, as it was the beginning of their collaborating together. I was right. The show is so funny, and you can see a lot of inspiration for their movies came from the stuff in this show. It’s also filled with pop culture references and I always love stuff like that, cause I’m a huge pop culture nerd. But seriously, it’s quickly become one of my favorite shows ever (evidently) and I highly recommend giving it a shot.

Best Moment:The sequence where Mike explains that all men have an unspoken telepathy between them, and they proceed to ’show’ Brian – by having an imaginary gunfight.

6. Nip/Tuck (2003 – ??)

This show is amazing and I’m kind of upset I never gave it a watch before. I finally picked up the first season DVDs due to many people’s recommendations, and am I ever glad I did. The main characters are so awesome (apart from Matt) and I love the crazy shit that happens all throughout the series. Looking back the relationships and situations the characters get themselves in are so surreal, but I think that’s one of the reasons I loved it so much. Just about anything could happen when you were watching it. It has quickly become a staple ‘favorite’ that I recommend to other people, because not many people have watched it yet. It’s also one of the few shows that uses music perfectly and frequently, in fact the music selections are often a favorite part of the show for me.

Best Moment: There is a scene at the end of season 4, where the characters all sing along to a song by The Submarines (“Brighter Discontent”) and it reminded me of one of my favorite movies ever, Magnolia. It’s done beautifully and gives a good sense of where the major characters are at at that point in their lives.

5. Freaks & Geeks (1999-2000)

What can I say about this show that so many have not already said? It really was the best representation of High School life, and the characters were all so interesting and endearing, it was hard not to fall in love with the show. And of course the wonderful soundtrack really adds to the whole feeling of the 80s. I was Sam Weir in high school, and most of the characters remind me of someone I knew back then.

It was a shame it lasted only one season, I can easily rewatch the entire season over and over again, and never get bored.

Best Moment: The Garage Door episode is such a great hour of television, I’m inclined to say that entire episode is the best moment. But in particular, the ending is what does it for me, where Neil’s dad gives him the Atari for simply being ‘a good kid.’ It’s heartbreaking.

4. LOST (2004-2010)

It’s interesting how each season focuses on something different. First season was mainly about the characters and the Island itself (and Charlie’s question in the pilot: “Guys…where are we?”), while the second season was about the mysterious Hatch and ‘Pressing the Button.’ The third season focuses on ‘The Others’ and the inevitable confrontation between them and the crash survivors. The fourth was about the possibility of rescue, and the consequences of such. I enjoy the mystery almost as much as the interesting characters, who are almost all favorites (main exception: Kate). The flashbacks each episode are a cool device, and I fell in love with the show with Locke’s first flashback episode and the reveal at the end.

The announcement that they’ve set an end date (2010) is great for Lost fans. The creators can now plot out the show to reveal mysteries and keep our interest up, until the end comes. The show is quickly moving towards an ending, and mysteries are being solved. I only hope there isn’t TOO much disappointment with the enevitable conclusion (there is bound to be SOME).

Best Moment: The very ending of the third episode ‘Walkabout’ where we learn about Locke’s condition before and after crashing on the island. A very cool reveal that I definitely didn’t see coming.

3. Firefly (2002-2003)

One of the greatest shows to be put to Television EVER, Joss Whedon’s sci-fi/western is everything Star Wars ought to have been. Interesting, dynamic characters, comedy and drama mixed well, realistic plots and ideas, and a world that really seems real. Captain Mal Reynolds is a great character, as cool if not cooler than Han Solo himself! I really believe that, if given a chance then this show would have become bigger than Buffy and would have just continued to get better and better.

If you have never seen it, or the movie adaptation ‘Serenity,’ I highly recommend it. You will not regret it.

Best Moment: The episode titled ‘Out of Gas,’ where the ship appears to be going down and Mal, going down with the ship, remembers and reminisces how the crew all came together.

2. Arrested Development (2003-2006)

I can not get enough of this show. I just can’t. No matter how many times I watch through the entire three seasons worth of half hour episodes, I never get bored with it. It’s exactly my kind of humor and the plots and characters are so outlandish and bizarre that they seem much more real than some people I’ve met in real life.

My favorite thing about it is that you can always go back and find something new that you didn’t notice the first time. There are so many running gags, like the chicken dance, and the one armed man, and of course, ‘Her?’ It’s a lot of the little things, the things that they put in just for the hardcore fans, that really make this show shine. Of course the actors are all superb and really commit to their roles which makes it all the greater.

Best Moment: When Lindsay suggests she open her own business involving beads, Gob chimes in: “Bees?” and when he’s corrected, he states even louder: “BEADS?”

1. Six Feet Under (2001-2005)

This is the most beautiful, heartbreaking, and amazing TV show ever created. There is really nothing bad I can say about this show. The characters, the stories, the music, everything is fantastically done and I can’t get enough of this show. I watched the first season a while back, and once I started on the second, I couldn’t stop watching. Honestly, the show has almost ruined other TV shows for me as I am constantly comparing them to this one, and none can compare. I absolutely adore David (Michael C. Hall) and the rest of the Fisher family. Even the one off characters are memorable and each episode seemed to add something to the character or plot developments, there was no ‘filler’ involved.

If there is such a thing as a ‘perfect’ TV show this is the one that would come to mind.

Best Moment: The final six minutes of the series, which is absolutely beautiful and the best way a series could end ever. I recommend watching the series for this finale alone. It is the only thing I can think of that can always, 100% of the time, make me bawl like a baby.