FTA-TV The BigFooty Top 100 TV Shows Countdown (Top 10 Counting Down)

[Kyptastic]

As with the movie countdown, I've collected lists of BigFooty poster's favourite TV shows. The purpose, again, is to promote discussion and get an indication of BigFooty's TV preferences. The reaction to this countdown was even stronger than that of the Film countdown and a big thanks goes out to all those who participated in the collection of votes.

Before we begin, I should make it clear how the order was reached. Firstly, people were asked to submit a list of 10 to 20 TV shows which they considered to be their favourites. It was important that these were ranked from 1 to 20, as the films ranking within a person's list determined how many points were awarded. For example, a film ranked 1 on a posters list would receive 20 points, whilst a film ranked 15 would receive 6 points.

Once all the votes were tallied, the list was created. Because of the increase to a possible 20 shows on a list, there were less ties than in the film countdown. However, there still were these situations and tiebreakers were required to determine the position of shows on the list. Tied shows were ranked first on how many lists they appeared on, then their position on those lists.

For example

Show A is ranked 8 on Poster 1's list and 4 on poster 2's list
Show B is ranked 7 on Poster 3's list and 5 on poster 4's list

Both these shows will receive 30 points (Film A 13&17, Film B 14&16). Both shows appeared on 2 lists.
Show A would be ranked higher because it was ranked 4 on Poster 2's list, compared to 5 on Poster 4's list.

One of the other concerns I had about this countdown was that there would be a low amount of participation and the list would be dominated by films that appeared high on one person's list and nowhere else. Thanks to the high amount of participation, this was avoided - every film on this list appeared on at least two poster's list.

Overall, 98 posters took part in the countdown, whilst 426 shows received votes.

Without further ado, let the countdown begin!
______________________________________________________________________________

The list:

100. Californication
99. True Blood
98. Weeds
97. Star Trek: TOS
96. Garth Marenghri's Dark Place
95. The Games
94. Father Ted
93. The Wonder Years
92. Summer Height's High
91. Coupling
90. Angel
89. The Twilight Zone (59-64)
88. Supernatural
87. The Late Show (D Generation)
86. Whose Line is it Anyway (US)
85. The Daily Show
84. Carnivale
83. Treme
82. Life on Mars (UK)
81. Cheers
80. Skins (UK)
79. Spartacus
78. Top Gear (UK)
77. Archer
76. Homicide: Life on the Street
75. The League
74. 24
73. 30 Rock
72. Minder
71. Friends
70. Dragon Ball Z
69. Peep Show
68. Modern Family
67. The Mighty Boosh
66. The Young Ones
65. Justified
64. sherlock
63. Yes Minister/Yes Prime Minister
62. Prison Break
61. Suits
60. Flight of the Conchords
59. Rome
58. Louie
57. Mr Bean
56. The IT Crowd
55. How I Met Your Mother
54. Get Smart
53. Extras
52. Black Books
51. Battlestar Galactica (2004)
50. The Goodies
49. Survivor (US)
48. Buffy the Vampire Slayer
47. Frontline
46. Firefly
45. Twin Peaks
44. Monty Python’s Flying Circus
43. Blackadder
42. Friday Night Lights
41. The Chaser’s War on Everything
40. Red Dwarf
39. Family Guy
38. Frasier
37. Oz
36. The Inbetweeners (UK)
35. Chappelle’s Show
34. The Walking Dead
33. Homeland
32. Dr Who
31. Band of Brothers
30. Entourage
29. M*A*S*H
28. The West Wing
27. The X-Files
26. Futurama
25. The Shield
24. Parks and Recreation
23. Freaks and Geeks
22. Sons of Anarchy
21. Boardwalk Empire
20. Lost
19. Scrubs
18. The Office (US)
17. Community
16. Deadwood
15. Six Feet Under
14. It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia
13. Mad Men
12. Curb Your Enthusiasm
11. Dexter
10. The Office (UK)
9. Fawlty Towers
8. South Park
7. Arrested Development
6. The Sopranos
5. The Wire
4. Game of Thrones

 

[Kyptastic]

100. Californication (2007 – 2013)

Created by: Tom Kapinos
Starring: David Duchovny, Natasha McElhone, Pamela Adlon
Channel: Showtime
IMDB Rating: 8.2
Bigfooty
Votes: 35
Highest Position: 8th
Appeared on: 4 Lists
A writer tries to juggle his career, his relationship with his daughter and his ex-girlfriend, as well as his appetite for beautiful women.

99. True Blood (2008 – 2013)

Created by: Alan Ball
Starring: Anna Paquin, Stephen Moyer, Sam Trammell
Channel: HBO
IMDB Rating: 8.0
Bigfooty
Votes: 35
Highest Position: 12th
Appeared on: 6 Lists
In a world where vampires have "come out of the coffin", Sookie Stackhouse, a telepathic waitress, discovers a new world of different creatures when she meets Bill Compton, a vampire.

98. Weeds (2005 - 2012)

Created by: Jenji Kohan
Starring: Mary Louise-Parker, Elizabeth Perkins, Tonye Patano
Channel: Showtime
IMDB Rating: 7.8
Bigfooty
Votes: 36
Highest Position: 6th
Appeared on: 3 Lists
Comedy about a suburban mother turned marijuana dealer.

97. Star Trek (1966 - 1969)

Created by: Gene Roddenberry
Starring: William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, DeForest Kelley
Channel: NBC
IMDB Rating: 8.3
Bigfooty
Votes: 37
Highest Position: 2nd
Appeared on: 2 Lists
Captain James T. Kirk and the crew of the Starship Enterprise explore the Galaxy and defend the United Federation of Planets.


96. Garth Marenghri’s Dark Place (2004)

Created by: Richard Ayoade, Matthew Holness
Starring: Richard Ayoade, Matt Berry, Matthew Holness
Channel: Channel 4
IMDB Rating: 8.4
Bigfooty
Votes: 38
Highest Position: 4th
Appeared on: 3 Lists
This spoof TV series is an unearthed 80's horror TV show, complete with poor production values, awful dialogue and hilarious violence. The series is set in a Hospital in Romford, which is situated over the gates of Hell.

95. The Games (1998 - 2000)

Created by: John Clarke, Ross Stevenson
Starring: John Clarke, Brian Dawe, Gina Riley
Channel: ABC (Aus)
IMDB Rating: 7.3
Bigfooty
Votes: 38
Highest Position: 2nd
Appeared on: 3 Lists
Mockumentary about the organisation of the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games.

94. Father Ted (1995 - 1998)

Created by: Graham Linehan, Arthur Mathews
Starring: Dermot Morgan, Ardal O’Hanlon, Frank Kelly
Channel: Channel 4
IMDB Rating: 8.6
Bigfooty
Votes: 39
Highest Position: 4th
Appeared on: 3 Lists
Crazy sitcom about 3 priests and their housekeeper who live on Craggy Island, not the peaceful and quiet part of Ireland it seems!

93. The Wonder Years (1988 - 1993)

Created by: Neal Marlons, Carol Black
Starring: Fred Savage, Dan Lauria, Alley Mills
Channel: ABC (US)
IMDB Rating: 8.3
Bigfooty
Votes: 40
Highest Position: 2nd
Appeared on: 3 Lists
Kevin Arnold recalls growing up during the 60's; the turbulent social times make the transition from child to adult unusually interesting.

92. Summer Height’s High (2007)

Created by: Chris Lilley
Starring: Chris Lilley
Channel: ABC (Aus)
IMDB Rating: 8.3
Bigfooty
Votes: 40
Highest Position: 8th
Appeared on: 6 Lists
It is a parody of high-school life epitomised by its three protagonists: effeminate and megalomaniacal "Director of Performing Arts" Mr G; self-absorbed, privileged teenager Ja'mie King; and disobedient, vulgar Tongan student Jonah Takalua.

91. Coupling (2000 - 2004)

Created by: Steven Moffat
Starring: Jack Davenport, Gina Bellman, Sarah Alexander
Channel: BBC2
IMDB Rating: 8.6
Bigfooty
Votes: 41
Highest Position: 3rd
Appeared on: 4 Lists
On average, men and women think about sex every six seconds. Shorten that to every second, and you've got Coupling. It's more than just a one night stand!

 

[flight23]

will be interesting the free to air shows vs shows that people download

 

[PP34]

will be interesting the free to air shows vs shows that people download

Most of the lists had US shows high up.

 

[DIG]

Looking forward to this, I rate a lot of the opinions in this forum and this list will be a great guide for shows I've missed.

I've watched all of Californication and True Blood until their current series. Californication I might pick up again but just seemed to be getting tired. True Blood, I dunno, doesn't seem to be going anywhere interesting now so I got bored this season, don't think ill return.

Both have had some cracking moments - especially Californication.

Games and SHHigh were pissers, good calls.

 

[alfy!]

Californication I might pick up again but just seemed to be getting tired.

Don't bother, this latest season has been woeful.

 

[OrdinaryJoel]

Good start so far!

 

[alfy!]

Happy to see Garth Marenghi's Dark Place get a gig in the top 100, a very underrated gem with a cult following.

 

[JP Sauce]

Happy to see Garth Marenghi's Dark Place get a gig in the top 100, a very underrated gem with a cult following.

Agreed. Didn't quite make my top 20 but I love it.

List off to a good start.

 

[raskolnikov]

Damn. How could I forget The Wonder Years?

 

[treefingers]

I'm way more excited for this countdown compared to the movie one considering how much more time I spend watching TV.

Almost impossible to predict number 1, I'll go with The Simpsons as I saw it on heaps of lists but could easily be Seinfeld or something else I've forgotten

 

[benji2]

Good to see Coupling get in, was wondering if people have forgotten it already, and the Games was just outside my 20. Looking forward to the rest of the countdown.

 

[alfy!]

I'm way more excited for this countdown compared to the movie one considering how much more time I spend watching TV.

Almost impossible to predict number 1, I'll go with The Simpsons as I saw it on heaps of lists but could easily be Seinfeld or something else I've forgotten

Breaking Bad for mine. The Wire and Mad Men will be up there as well.

 

[Kyptastic]

The next 10:


90. Angel (1999 - 2004)

Created by: Joss Whedon, David Greenwalt
Starring: David Boreanaz, Charisma Carpenter, Glenn Quinn
Channel: The WB
IMDB Rating: 7.9
Bigfooty
Votes: 41
Highest Position: 3rd
Appeared on: 4 Lists
The vampire Angel, cursed with a soul, moves to Los Angeles and aids people with supernatural-related problems while questing for his own redemption.

89. The Twilight Zone (1959 - 1964)

Created by: Rob Serling
Starring: Various
Channel: CBS
IMDB Rating: 9.0
Bigfooty
Votes: 41
Highest Position: 2nd
Appeared on: 4 Lists
Rod Serling's seminal anthology series focused on ordinary folks who suddenly found themselves in extraordinary, usually supernatural, situations. The stories would typically end with an ironic twist that would see the guilty punished.

88. Supernatural (2005 - 2013)

Created by: Erik Kripke
Starring: Jared Padalecki, Jensen Ackles
Channel: The WB/The CW
IMDB Rating: 8.6
Bigfooty
Votes: 42
Highest Position: 3rd
Appeared on: 5 Lists
Two brothers follow their father's footsteps as "hunters" fighting evil supernatural beings of many kinds including monsters, demons, and gods that roam the earth.

87. The Late Show (1992 - 1993)

Created by: D- Generation
Starring: Santo Cilauro, Tom Gleisner, Jane Kennedy
Channel: ABC (Aus)
IMDB Rating: 7.5
Bigfooty
Votes: 47
Highest Position: 5th
Appeared on: 5 Lists
The Late show, which only ran for two years was one of the most successful and funny comedy shows ever produced and shown in Australia.

86. Whose Line is it Anyway? (1998 - 2007)

Created by: Dan Patterson
Starring: Ryan Stiles, Colin Mochrie, Wayne Brady
Channel: ABC (US)
IMDB Rating: 8.6
Bigfooty
Votes: 47
Highest Position: 3rd
Appeared on: 8 Lists
Improvisational comedy game show in which four players act out various comic games and sketches.
85. The Daily Show (1996 - 2013)

Created by: Madeleine Smithberg, Lizz Winstead
Starring: Craig Kilborn, John Stewart
Channel: Comedy Central
IMDB Rating: 8.5
Bigfooty
Votes: 48
Highest Position: 7th
Appeared on: 6 Lists
America's top fake news show.



84. Carnivale (2003 - 2005)

Created by: Daniel Knauf
Starring: Michael J Anderson, Adrienne Barbeau, Patrick Bauchau
Channel: HBO
IMDB Rating: 8.6
Bigfooty
Votes: 49
Highest Position: 10th
Appeared on: 7 Lists
During the Great Depression, an Oklahoma farm boy and a charismatic minister learn that they are key players in a proxy war being fought between Heaven and Hell.

83. Treme (2010 - 2013)

Created by: David Simon, Eric Overmyer
Starring: Khandi Alexander, Rob Brown, Kim Dickens
Channel: HBO
IMDB Rating: 7.7
Bigfooty
Votes: 50
Highest Position: 3rd
Appeared on: 4 Lists
It takes its name from Tremé, a neighborhood of New Orleans. The series begins three months after Hurricane Katrina as the residents of New Orleans, including musicians, chefs, Mardi Gras Indians, and other New Orleanians try to rebuild their lives, their homes and their unique culture in the aftermath of the 2005 hurricane.
82. Life on Mars (UK) (2006 - 2007)

Created by: Matthew Graham, Tony Jordan, Ashley Pharoah
Starring: John Simm, Philip Glenister, Liz White
Channel: BBC1
IMDB Rating: 8.3
Bigfooty
Votes: 50
Highest Position: 2nd
Appeared on: 4 Lists
After being involved in a car accident in 2006, DCI Sam Tyler (Simm) wakes up to find himself in 1973, the era of 'Sweeney' type policing, Mark III Cortinas, and flared trousers.

81. Cheers (1982 - 1993)

Created by: James Burrows, Glen Charles, Les Charles
Starring: Ted Danson, Shelley Long, Rhea Perlman
Channel: NBC
IMDB Rating: 7.8
Bigfooty
Votes: 51
Highest Position: 3rd
Appeared on: 7 Lists
The regulars of the Boston bar Cheers share their experiences and lives with each other while drinking or working at the bar where everybody knows your name.

 

[alfy!]

Again, some good shows in that ten. No real surprises or outrages.

 

[Milang_Panthers]

Absolutely loved Life on Mars, was such a great show that not many people i know had heard of until I showed them.
Also love Whose Line is it Anyway.

 

[JP Sauce]

Lots of quality in there. Was hoping the Daily Show would be higher.

 

[djrossie16]

A bit peeved Veronica Mars probably didn't get in but i'll fight through

 

[PP34]

So when will the top ten probably be posted?

 

[Roobs321]

I voted for Treme & Life on Mars (UK), so happy to see them make it. Part of me thought Life on Mars would be higher, but its on the list, so whatevs. I think my #1 will be in the next 10.

 

[treefingers]

My #1 was Fawlty Towers, saw that as number 1 on a couple of lists but not on a huge quantity of people's top 20. Should be between 10-20 I think.

 

[rayven]

So when will the top ten probably be posted?

1 day after 11-20

 

[Marlowe]

Looks all good so far.

 

[NitroFan]

glad to see daily show, treme, carnivale and life on mars make the list. all great shows. although of them i think i only voted for the daily show.

 

[Kyptastic]

Into the 70's:

80. Skins (UK) (2007 - 2013)

Created by: Bryan Eisley, Jamie Brittain
Starring: Ensemble cast
Channel: E4
IMDB Rating: 8.1
Bigfooty
Votes: 52
Highest Position: 5th
Appeared on: 5 Lists
The story of a group of British teens who are trying to grow up and find love and happiness despite questionable parenting and teachers who more want to be friends (and lovers) rather than authority figures.

79. Spartacus (2010 - 2013)

Created by: Steven S DeKnight
Starring: Andy Whitfield, Liam McIntyre, John Hannah
Channel: Starz
IMDB Rating: 8.7
Bigfooty
Votes: 53
Highest Position: 7th
Appeared on: 6 Lists
Watch the story of history's greatest gladiator unfold with graphic violence and explicit sex. This is Spartacus.

78. Top Gear (2002 - 2013)

Created by: Brian Klein
Starring: Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond, James May
Channel: BBC2
IMDB Rating: 8.8
Bigfooty
Votes: 53
Highest Position: 7th
Appeared on: 7 Lists
Jeremy, Richard and James talk about everything car-related. From new cars to how they're fueled, this show has it all.

77. Archer (2009 - 2013)

Created by: Adam Reed
Starring: H. Jon Benjamin, Judy Greer, Amber Nash
Channel: FX
IMDB Rating: 8.8
Bigfooty
Votes: 54
Highest Position: 7th
Appeared on: 7 Lists
At ISIS, an international spy agency, global crises are merely opportunities for its highly trained employees to confuse, undermine, betray and royally screw each other.

76. Homicide: Life on the Street (1993 - 1999)

Created by: Paul Attanasio
Starring: Richard Belzer, Clark Johnson, Yaphet Kotto
Channel: NBC
IMDB Rating: 8.5
Bigfooty
Votes: 56
Highest Position: 1st
Appeared on: 4 Lists
A police homicide investigation unit investigates violent crimes in the city of Baltimore.

75. The League (2009 - 2013)

Created by: Jeff Schaffer, Jackie Marcus Schaffer
Starring: Mark Duplass, Nick Kroll, Stephen Rannazzisi
Channel: FX
IMDB Rating: 8.3
Bigfooty
Votes: 58
Highest Position: 5th
Appeared on: 9 Lists
Semi-scripted comedy about a fantasy football league.

74. 24 (2001 - 2010)

Created by: Joel Surnow, Robert Cochran
Starring: Keifer Sutherland, Carlos Bernard, Elisha Cuthbert
Channel: Fox
IMDB Rating: 8.4
Bigfooty
Votes: 59
Highest Position: 8th
Appeared on: 8 Lists
Jack Bauer, Director of Field Ops for the Counter-Terrorist Unit of Los Angeles, races against the clock to subvert terrorist plots and save his nation from ultimate disaster.

73. 30 Rock (2006 - 2013)

Created by: Tina Fey
Starring: Tina Fey, Alec Baldwin, Tracy Morgan
Channel: NBC
IMDB Rating: 8.0
Bigfooty
Votes: 60
Highest Position: 5th
Appeared on: 9 Lists
Liz Lemon, head writer of the sketch comedy show "TGS with Tracy Jordan", must deal with an arrogant new boss and a crazy new star, all while trying to run a successful TV show without losing her mind.

72. Minder (1979 - 1994)

Created by: Leon Griffiths
Starring: George Cole, Dennis Waterman, Gary Webster
Channel: ITV
IMDB Rating: 7.7
Bigfooty
Votes: 62
Highest Position: 1st
Appeared on: 4 Lists
Arthur Daley, a small-time conman, hires former boxer Terry McCann to be his 'minder', so Terry can protect him (Arthur) from other, small-time, crooks.

71. Friends (1994 - 2004)

Created by: David Crane, Marta Kauffman
Starring: Jennifer Aniston, Matthew Perry, Courtney Cox
Channel: NBC
IMDB Rating: 8.9
Bigfooty
Votes: 62
Highest Position: 2nd
Appeared on: 6 Lists
The lives, loves, and laughs of six young friends living in Manhattan.