If you're looking for the best TV s⛎hows of all time – look no further. We've completed the daunting task of coming through every single decade within television history and extracting the absolute best shows – ones that have had a significant cultural impact and changed the course of television forever.

Our list goes above and beyond 2022 releases on popular streaming apps like Netflix or Disney Plus. We've got e🍨verything from late 90s comedies to satirical cartoons to shows based on a true story – and there's probably some you've never even heard of, or have simply been long-forgotten from your childhood. 

The rules are simple: no documentaries, and only shows that have left the biggest impression on the cultural and TV-viewi🦹ng consciousness. With that in mind, these are the best TV shows of all time, as chosen by the teams at Total Film, SFX💞, and GamesRadar+.

Words by: David Bradley (DB), Aiden Dalby (AD), Richard Edwards (RE), Jordan Farley (JF), Miles Hamer (MH), Steve O’Brien (SOB), Will Salmon (WS), Alasdai🌞r Stuart (AS), Jack Shepherd (JS), Alyssa Mercante (AM), Bradley Russell (BR), Alex Avard (AA), Marianne Eloise (ME)

100. Freaks and Geeks

Years: 1999 – 2000

It's incredible to think that one season of television launched the careers of so many leading actors – Linda Cardellini, James Franco, Seth Rogen, Jason Segel, and Busy Philipps to name a few. Although creator Paul Feig (working with producer Judd Apatow) was unable to persuade NBC to bring the show back for a second season to wrap up its multiple storylines, Freaks and Geeks has gone on to become a cult classic, and for good reason. A wonderful '80s period piece about a bunch of high school outsiders, the cast of characters are entirely relatable. Should this have been made today, the fan petitions to bring back Freaks and Geeks would be unstoppable. JS

99. Watchmen
Years: 2019

The scope of Watchmen is staggering. The series goes from being a historical drama, to a superhero show, to a crime-thriller, to a sci-fi blowout with events unfurling on different timelines and different planets. What's more, the story itself is exceedingly prescient as it follows a black policewoman dealing with modern-day racists who work alongside her. Even Alan Moore would be hard-pressed not to begrudgingly applaud Damon Lindelof's vision. JS

98. The Good Place
Years: 2016 – 2020

Kristen Bell excels playing the former selfish saleswoman Eleanor Shellstrop, who finds herself in strange a version of the afterlife after dying in an unfortunate shopping accident. Of course, not all is as it seems in The Good Place – the show's name for heaven – and the first season's finale marks one of the best twists in television history, completely upending the show's premise. What happens from there is also miraculous: a show that continues to stay consistently fun, and with a beautifully heart-wrenching finale that will long be remembered. JS

97. Chernobyl
Years: 2019

澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Chernobyl's not an easy watch, and it's certainly not a series designed to be binged in a day. Craig Mazin dramatisation of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster will stick with you for a long, long time. It's one of the most essential stories in recent years: one of truth and power being held to account. The retelling of the most dramatic near-miss of the 20th Century is filled with moments that will make your skin itch and keep you up at night. Charred bodies, dead dogs, and litres of sick all feature. Persevere through the mini-series, however, and you'll be rewarded with a powerful, life-affirming message of hope against all the odds. BR

96. Sherlock
Years: 2010 – 2017

Sherlock’s genius is that it’s both completely fresh, while staying pleasingly faithful to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s iconic characters, despite its present-day setting. Martin Freeman’s superbly realised Watson retains his traumatic wartime experiences and a side-order of steel, while Benedict Cumberbatch is ice-cold and aloof (and just a little bit sexy) as the Great Detective. Still going strong after four seasons, Sherlock made international stars of its leads and shored up Steven Moffat’s position as the BBC’s most bankable writer. WS

95. Moonlighting

Years: 1985 – 1989

Moonlighting is the series that introduced the world to Bruce Willis (teamed here with Cybill Shepherd), back in the days when the old grump still had a sense of humour. Intended as a marriage of TV detective show and screwball comedy, this Glenn Gordon Caron-created series wears its cinematic influences on its sleeve. They even do a film noir episode, shot entirely in black and white and introduced by Orson Welles. SOB

94. Alfred Hitchcock Presents
Years: 1955 – 1965

Later called The Alfred Hitchcock Hour after the runtime was increased, this series from the Master of Suspense remains superb television thanks to its well-written stories and charismatic host. While each episode is anthological in nature, Hitchcock's presence – introducing and concluding every story – acts as a throughline. The great director even found time to helm 17 episodes himself, doing so between filming classics Vertigo, North by Northwest, and Psycho. Should you have watched his cinematic filmography, then start seeking out his episodes of Alfred Hitchcock Presents. JS

93. Northern Exposure
Years: 1990 – 1995

Often compared unfavourably to Twin Peaks, Northern Exposure is something else entirely. Where Peaks is defined by its overarching murder mystery, the tale of Joel Fleischman (Rob Morrow), a fish-out-of-water New York doctor transported to the fictional town of Cicely, Alaska, is both broader in scope and smaller in scale. Over the course of six seasons, it celebrates life’s finer moments, love and the value of friendship. WS

92. Key and Peele
Years: 2012 – 2015 

Sketch shows are infamously hit or miss, so it's a testament to the talent of Jordan Peele and Keegan-Michael Key that their collection of surrealist skits earns a place amongst such fine company here. Key & Peele sketches are still endlessly regurgitated across the internet, proving the pair's hilarious riffs on hot button subjects hold a remarkably prescient staying power. With classics like "Continental Breakfast" and "Obama Meet & Greet", is it really any surprise that Jordan Peele has gone on to direct some of the finest horror movies of the generation? AA

91. Dawson’s Creek
Years: 1998 – 2003

A defining show for many teens at the turn of the century, it follows a group of teenagers in a small town as they tried to get through high school. What sets it apart from other shows is that the characters talk like young adults rather than big kids, and they discuss mature subjects that others wouldn’t touch at the time. AD

90. Babylon 5

Years: 1994 – 2007

A bravura attempt to tell a complex science-fiction epic over five years, Babylon 5 remains essential sci-fi viewing even today. The titular space station begins as a hub of diplomacy, but soon becomes the centre of a rebellion against Earth’s oppressive government and the deadly Shadows. Twisty and turny like you wouldn’t believe, Babylon 5’s groundbreaking arc plot and memorable characters more than make up for its sometimes tripe dialogue. WS

89. The Avengers
Years: 1961 – 1969

A series so incredibly '60s that it was only right that it bowed out in the months before 1970. The Avengers started its television life as a garden-variety crime drama, before evolving into a super-stylised adventure show, all sinister English villages and eccentric authority figures. Its fruity mix of spy drama, science fiction, and Powell and Pressburger means there has never been anything like it, before or since. SOB

88. Catastrophe
Years: 2015 – 2019

Sharon Horgan and Rob Delaney's sitcom follows two strangers  – named, er, Sharon and Rob – who have a one-night stand that results in an unexpected pregnancy. The duo manage to capture the minutiae of everyday life while providing escapism in the purest form, their chemistry shining through in this often-hilarious series that’s unafraid to deal with the tough aspects of life (alcoholism, infidelity, death) in a light-hearted manner. The supporting characters – including Rob’s eccentric mother (Carrie Fisher) and Sharon’s mischievous brother (Jonathan Forbes) – are a delight. JS

87. Dexter
Years: 2006 – 2013

Forget the weak later seasons and that laughable ending, the first four seasons of Dexter are thrillingly dangerous TV. Michael C Hall plays the killer with a code – he only takes out other murderers – as an ambiguous figure. You genuinely never know which way he will turn or if his “friends” and family are truly safe. The first season is intense, but Dexter’s chase to bring down the “Trinity Killer” in season four is the show’s high-point. WS

86. Futurama
Years: 1999 – 2013

The Simpsons may be Matt Groening’s magnum opus but Futurama is his oft-overlooked masterpiece. The animated sci-fi comedy about a pizza delivery boy who’s cryogenically frozen and wakes up in the year 3000 deals with some scarily complex ideas, but always in smart, relatable and hilarious ways. Better yet it can be heart-wrenchingly emotional. If you don’t shed tears at the end of “Jurassic Bark” you have no soul. JF

85. Line of Duty

Years: 2012 – present

The series follows Detective Sergeant Steve Arnott and the fictional AC-12, an anti-corruption unit tasked with investigating cases within the police force. Line of Duty quickly became one of the BBC’s most popular dramas, but its success wasn’t immediate. It took three seasons before truly taking off but, boy, did it, soon becoming the benchmark for all police dramas. AD

84. M*A*S*H
Years: 1972 – 1983

One of the few big-to-small screen spin-offs that have managed to eclipse their feature film parent, M*A*S*H elevated the sitcom to a loftier level over 11 seasons. Set during the Korean War, but broadcast partly during the Vietnam conflict, this is a sitcom by way of social commentary, with storylines as vivid and unflinching as its sometimes grisly visuals. The final episode attracted 121 million viewers. SOB

83. True Blood
Years: 2008 – 2014

HBO’s vampire saga is addictive. With as much sex as you’d expect from the network, plus lashings of gore, it's certainly full-blooded. But True Blood’s secret weapon is a thick vein of underlying satire that kicked against right-wing America’s outdated attitudes towards homosexuality. Sure, when the werewolves show up, the quality dips a bit – but before then, it's TV to die for. WS

82. Blackadder
Years: 1983 – 1989

There’s no denying that Blackadder is one of the greatest sitcoms of all time – and one that only builds as it endures. This isn’t to say the first series – written by both Rowan Atkinson and Richard Curtis – is weak, but the final three outings, which enlist the services of Ben Elton, rank among some of the most hilarious episodes of television. Period. It helps that the cast, including Rik Mayall and Stephen Fry, throw themselves into the zany material headfirst. Without that commitment, Blackadder wouldn’t factor so highly on this list. JS

81. Peep Show
Years: 2003 – 2015

Over the course of nine series, Peep Show – which follows the dysfunctional friendship of Mark (David Mitchell) and Jez (Robert Webb) – quietly revolutionised sitcoms in the Noughties, giving comedy fans something they had not seen before. The use of voiceover narration to convey the inner thoughts of its main characters, as well as the point-of-view camera style, all adds to the off-kilter awkwardness that makes Peep Show so quintessentially British. JS

80. The Walking Dead

Years: 2010 – 2022

"The zombie story that never ends!" That was creator Robert Kirkman’s initial idea for his absurdly popular comic (which has, funnily enough, 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:actually come to an end). That ethos, though, has carried over into the TV adaptation which has become a runaway success and spawned multiple spin-offs and even 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:feature-length movies. Beyond the scares and the gore and the zombies, it takes a long, hard look at humanity. What does living in a hostile world for so long do to civilised people, it asks. The results are rarely pretty. WS

79. The Office (UK)
Years: 2001 – 2003

The comedy shockwaves of Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant’s exceptionally well-observed workplace mockumentary still reverberate strongly today. From The Thick Of It to Modern Family to Parks & Recreation, the blend of extreme social discomfort and excruciating calamity through an unfiltered lens has proven a formula worth repeating. Thoughtless but certainly not careless, pathetic yet sympathetic, delusional fool David Brent’s hilariously awkward exchanges made him a true comic icon. Plus, Tim and Dawn – aw! MH

78. Boardwalk Empire
Years: 2010 – 2014

A period Sopranos? Not quite – though the tale of “Nucky” Thompson is similarly blood-filled and morally oblique as its HBO stablemate. Mixing fact with fiction (Thompson is himself based on the real-life Enoch L Johnson), Boardwalk Empire looks amazing and tells a fascinating, often-troubling tale of corruption in the Prohibition era. Steve Buscemi is, unsurprisingly, excellent in the lead role. WS

77. Roots
Years: 1977

Described by Vulture as the "single most important piece of scripted television in broadcast history," Roots remains an urgent watch all these years later. The miniseries tells the story of Kunta Kinte, a Mandinka warrior who's captured by slave traders and sold to a white owner. He's treated brutally and relentlessly, and the scars America still feels today are on show. Following episodes feature Kinte's descendants and wracked up record viewing figures in the United States. JS

76. The Singing Detective
Year: 1986

Quite simply Pennies from Heaven writer Dennis Potter’s finest TV achievement. All of his familiar tropes are here – the lip-synching to ’30s tunes, fantasy sequences and flashbacks to childhood – all bundled up in a satisfyingly complete package. It’s devastatingly personal, in a way that most TV drama isn’t nowadays, with Michael Gambon as the psoriasis-afflicted novelist drifting in and out of his imagination while undergoing treatment. SOB