My Top 30... TV Shows

I tried to think of a good variety of shows but they mainly cover 90's/00's shows from the US, UK & Australia. Rankings were sorted in a rush with maybe some higher rankings for shows I've watched recently but they are consistently good shows I can watch multiple times.

I tried to find short, relevant footage from youtube but some shows are easier to find than others. Enjoy

30. RAMSAY'S KITCHEN NIGHTMARES / KITCHEN NIGHTMARES USA (UK) 2007 - present
Chef Gordon Ramsay goes into run-down restaurants pointing to their flaws and tries to turn them around. To be honest the show isn't that good, the episodes are quite similar and the swearing obvious but the vocabulary of Gordan Ramsay is hilarious.

Favourite part: When he tries the first meal at the new restaurant and also telling the managers/chefs what all the employees wish they could say what they think of them.

29. IT'S ALWAYS SUNNY IN PHILADELPHIA (USA) 2005 - present
Following "The Gang," a group of four dishonest, selfish, unethical, lazy, manipulative, deceitful, hypocritical, vain, narcissistic, childish and vengeful twenty-something underachievers in their dilapidated owned Paddy's Pub in South Philly. It usually finds them hatching elaborate schemes, conspiring against one another and others for personal gain, vengeance, or simply for the entertainment of watching one another's downfall.

Favourite character: Charlie - he is just the most random out of the group

28. LONG WAY ROUND/DOWN (UK) 2004 & 2007
Documentary following the motorcycle journey between London & New York (going east) and Scotland to Cape Town with Ewan McGregor & Charlie Boorman. A good mix of travel, adventure, friendship and they also did some humanitarian work for UNICEF along the way.

Favourite part: Ukraine - trying to find somewhere to sleep they end up meeting Igor, an electronic shop owner (Mafia), who invites some friends over then randomly comes down the stairs with a gun & a guitar? Ewan says 'usually people bring a coffee, he brought a f-ing machine gun', classic!

27. MEDIUM (USA) 2005 - 2009
Follows the life of Alison Dubois, a medium who sees dead people in her dreams who is employed by the Phoenix District Attorney as a consultant, along with her home life with her husband and 3 girls. This is a rare show that Alicia watches that I like, with a nice family / crime / thriller balance in the show.

Favourite part: It was originally based on a real Alison Dubois and her experiences but got much more interesting the further the writers went in their own direction with the characters and the story.

26. FAMILY TIES (USA) 1982 - 1989
Parents raising 3 (later 4) kids in during the 80's, lead by smart young republican Alex, airhead Mallory and tomboy Jennifer. Much of the humour is focused around the divide between the hippy parents and their conservative son Alex, and also between the differences between the 3 kids.

Favourite character: Alex P.Keaton -  wearing his nerdy APK initials on his sweaters, Michael J. Fox carried the show

25. ENTOURAGE (USA) 2004 - 2011
Loosely based on Executive Producer Mark Wahlberg's experiences as an up-and-coming Hollywood star, it follows the acting career of Vincent Chase with his New York childhood friends taging along for a good time. It's theme is based on the male camaraderie between the group and is a bit of a male version of Sex and the City with a variety of guest stars in each episode.

Favourite character: Ari Gold - based on Wahlburg's real-life agent, love his rants & his treatment of his assistant Lloyd

24. PARKS AND RECREATION (USA) 2009 - present
Mockumentary style political satire comedy from the creators of the US version of The Office follows workers of this mid-level government department and their friends. A great variety of characters with quick, dry humour. Season 2 onwards is where it takes off.

Favourite character: Ron Swanson - meat loving anti-government boss

With Tom & Andy not far behind

23. BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER (USA) 1997 - 2003
Follows Buffy Summers, the chosen 'Slayer' with her friends battling against vampires and demons and the 'hellmouth' of Sunnydale. Creator Josh Whedon described the show as "My So-Called Life" meets "The X-Files", with a great mix of high school drama, comic relief and female kick-ass action. It's hard to describe why you like it to people who are not fans but it's a fun cheesy show that gets you hooked.

Memorable episode: Hush - The 'silent' episode, with only 17 of the 44 minutes with dialogue and showing that it was a very clever show even without words

22. THE SUNDAY ROAST (AUS) 2005 - 2011
NRL talk show looking at the lighter side of Rugby League. Great to watch on a lazy Sunday afternoon with a good mix of humour, insight & funny footage. 2012 doesn't count as it's turned into rubbish without Andrew Voss who runs the show quite well.

Favourite 4 panelists: MG, Vossy, Matty Johns & Gus Gould were the best together

21. CHEERS (USA) 1982 - 1993
Comedy set in the Cheers bar in Boston, run by ex-baseball star and ladies man Sam Malone with a ensemble cast of bartenders and regulars. Great variety of characters throughout with a theme of upper class characters mixing with the working/middle class ones.

Favourite characters: Norm & Cliff together (they were rarely apart)

20. THE PANEL (AUS) 1998 - 2004
Featuring a panel of 5 or 6 people discussing and joking about items in the news, current affairs and pop culture. It's main cast were from The Late Show with a range of guests including music, movie & sport stars & other relevant people with good stories to tell then closing with an acoustic musical performance. It always ran overtime and always had great clips with good natured Aussie humour.

 Favourite pannelist: Glen Robbins - always had the other panelists in stitches each week

19. FAMILY GUY (USA) 1999 - 2002, 2005 - present
It's The Simpsons being more rude, crude and over-the-top. There's an emphasis placed on gags which make reference to current events and/or modern cultural icons, taking shots at anyone they please & using the 'fantasy' cut-away to random perfection. I find it a bit hit and miss, with the funny things being hilarious & some things going over my head or going too far, but I guess it's good to see a show push the boundaries, even if it is too far sometimes.

Favourite characters: Brian & Stewie, preferably together

18. BOSTON LEGAL (USA) 2004 - 2008 

Legal drama created by David E. Kelly, a spin-off show from The Practice following Alan Shore at the legal firm Crane, Poole & Schmidt. It was a good mix of drama, comedy & politics with zany cases and polished courtroom speeches. William Shatner was great as 'Denny Crane' & even occasionally made Star Trek references & it was cute watching him & James Spader smoking cigars on the balcony at the end of the episodes.

 

Favourite character: Alan Shore - the show was worth watching just to watch his closing arguments

17. THE LATE SHOW (AUS) 1992 - 1993
Australian comedy skit show & as per the best of DVD notes puts it, 'friends pissfarting about for an hour on a Saturday night. Some of it was quite funny. And that's pretty much all that needs to be said'. Although when it first aired I was too young for a lot of the humour it was still very funny & leaps ahead of the Fast Forwards & Full Frontals with some great characters like Graham & The Colonel, Charlie the Wonderdog & Shitscared.

Favourite cast member: Rob Sitch played a great array of recurring & one-off characters

16. LOUIS THEROUX... (UK) 1998 - present

Impartial, uncomfronting & enthusiastic documentary presenter usually featuring the enduring exploration of the oddest and most awful corners of the world, but usually in America. He seems a genuinely nice nerdy guy which I think helps him when he is in a weird situation or asking tough questions to extreme subcultures.

 

One to look out for: Extreme Love Autism - screened in 2012 in the UK hopefully this will get an airing on Australian TV (on ABC) soon. It was good to show the reality that so many families face & the good work that early intervention programs can do.

15. THE CHASERS WARE ON EVERYTHING (AUS) 2006 - 2009
Satirical comedy series with performance sketchers mocking  social & political issues. Highlights included 'What Have We Learned from Current Affairs This Week?' in which they poke fun at the sensationalism used in Today Tonight & A Current Affair & 'The Ad Road Test' in which they recreate ads to see if they would work in real life. The show is probably best remembered for it's APEC stunt & Chas trying to sell fave knives to Bulldogs supporters but it clever & silly at the same time.

Favourite cast member: Chas - the won who probably dresses up the most & he works well with Andrew

14. FRESH PRINCE OF BEL-AIR (USA) 1990 - 1996
Now this is a story all about how Will Smith's life got turned upside down... from West Philadelphia born and raised... to the king of Bel-Air. Although the jokes were very similar each episode, they were always funny. It was basically Uncle Phil fat jokes, Carlton small jokes, Hillary airhead joke, Jazz getting thrown out, Geoffrey adding wit & Will learning a lesson. The theme song is probably the best of any show and I'm proud that Alicia knows all the words.

Favourite main character: Carlton, especially his dance moves

Favourite minor characters: Geoffrey or Jazz

13. GRUEN TRANSFER/PLANET/NATION/SWEAT (AUS) 2008 - present
Advertising based panel show hosted by comedian Wil Anderson & supported by 4 industry experts focusing on recent ads or current events. It has a good mix of education & humour in an industry that dominates so much in the 21st century.

Favourite panelist: Todd Sampson - I love when Todd & Russell argue like a married couple but I do agree with Todd on most points, although Russell is great comic value

12. MODERN FAMILY (USA) 2009 - present
Very well written & acted modern classic mockumentary style comedy showing an extended dysfunctional family. So many great characters across all 3 families & great interactions between them, especially with such a big cast sometimes there is a star that gets more attention but this seems very balanced with great story interaction between everyone. Although the doco style makes it so funny, the craziness & realism of where the cameras go does seem unrealistic but just try & forget about that and enjoy the craziness.

Favourite character: Phil - very hard to pick but sorry to say but I can just see myself being part Phil in 10 years time, the daggy dad trying to be cool

11. THE OFFICE (UK) 2001 - 2003

Created by Ricky Gervais & Stephen Merchant, this mockumentary followed the day to day lives of office employees of Wernham Hogg Paper Company in Slough. Much of the series's comedic success stems from the boss David Brent, the other major arc is the flirtation between Tim & Dawn along with their plots to prank clueless Gareth. It's great cringe comedy, referencing the camera appropriately & anyone who's worked in an office can relate to the stories & characters.

 

Favourite episode: Training (Series 1, episode 4) - An training session is taking place but David can't help but undermine him and even belts out a song to keep the attention on himself

Favourite character: David Brent - frequently makes attempts to win favour with his employees & peers with embarrassing or disastrous results including numerous verbal gaffes, unconscious racism & sexism.

10. OUTNUMBERED (UK) 2007 - present
British comedy featuring two parents 'outnumbered' by their 3 crazy kids, sarcastic teenager Jake, hyperactive Ben and the youngest who asks the most random questions Karen. Part of the kids' script is improvised to portray convincing & realistic performances, making the chaos & the uncomfortable questions they ask even funnier. I think I might like the show more since I have kids soon to be their ages but I can't help myself LOL watching this.

 Favourite characters: Ben & Karen - 2 funniest kids on TV

9. FRONTLINE (AUS) 1994 - 1997
A satirised & fictional current affairs program doing any sort of underhanded tricks to get ratings, including the use of hidden cameras, foot-in-the-door bullying interview techniques & chequebook journalism. The episodes were written & taped in a single week with characters & situations thinly-disguised parodies of recent real events & real people. I don't know if it's funny or embarrassing that the parody of the stories & journalism of the major TV networks are just as relevant over 15 years later.  

Favourite character: Mike Moore - the show pretty much revolves around the dim-witted host but love his work around the autocue & his protection of his "journalistic integrity"

8. DEXTER (USA) 2006 - present
Centering around Dexter, the Miami Metro blood splatter analyst who moonlights as a serial killer. The narration by Michael C.Hall helps the audience get in depth with this complex character & you can't help but cheer for him as he only kills bad people, a 'code' his adopted father helped create for him to satisy his 'dark passenger'. I enjoy the black humour & the trilling suspense, especially when they end the episode on a cliffhanger making you can't wait to what happens next/have to watch 1 more episode to find out.

Favourite season: 2 - the FBI are trying to find the 'Bay Harbour Butcher' & Doakes follows his own suspicions. Followed just behind by season 1 & 4, with the other seasons well below the same quality.

PS. No we did not name our 2nd son after this show/character

7. SCRUBS (USA) 2001 - 2010
Medical comedy-drama focusing on the unique point of view of it's main character "J.D" who narrates his story along with his comical daydreams, with a great theme of friendships & relationships. It had great slapstick humour while at the same time respecting the moral issues of its life-and-death setting. A great varied cast of different types of characters & also some great music incorporated into the episodes, especially the dramatic ones.

Favourite main character: Dr Cox because of his rants or Janitor because of his improv

Favourite minor characters: too many... Creator Bill Lawrence said he tried to create minor characters like The Simpsons in which they can come in at the appropriate times for comedic affect

6. LAW & ORDER: SVU (USA) 1999 - present

"In the criminal justice system, sexually based offenses are considered especially heinous. In New York City, the dedicated detectives who investigate these vicious felonies are members of an elite squad known as the Special Victims Unit. These are their stories... BOOM BOOM". Episodes are often "ripped from the headlines" & into it's 14th season this is the most consistent drama on TV. One of Alicia's favourites & a good excuse when I buy her the DVD's for a present.

 

Favourite character: Munch - he usually only plays a small role in each episode but always love his input

5. HUSTLE (UK) 2004 - 2012
Follows a team of grifters as they practice a 'long con' against one of their 'marks'. There is a Robin Hood element where you're cheering for the crew as they only go after marks who are greedy as they go by the creed 'you can never cheat an honest man'. It is funny, smart & thrilling with great use of misdirection & hidden plot details revealed to the viewer at the end of each episode. Also the only show Alicia says I have recommended to her that she likes.

Favourite crew: Series 1-3 because of the ego clashes between Mickey & Danny but I liked all the crews & how they kept changing, keeping it fresh and original.

Favourite episodes: Can't think of 1 but I like the ones where the authorities are trying to catch them the same time as pulling of the con, pretty much tricking two people at once.

4. ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT (USA) 2003 - 2006
Comedy centering around the Bluth family, a "riches to rags" disfunctional family filmed on hand held cameras and narrated by Ron Howard. It's rare for a comedy to get funnier on repeated views but the clever writing, the subtle & ongoing jokes and the different levels of humour on each character help make it a very smart show. Unfortunately the show was cancelled after only 3 seasons but is coming back for another season & a movie next year due to the cult following it has received ever since. C'MON!

Favourite characters: Gob for his enthusiasm & Tobias for being Tobias

3. SPICKS & SPECKS (AUS) 2005 - 2011
Comedic musical trivia show hosted by Adam Hills who posed questions to 2 teams captained by Alan Brough & Myf Warhust. They each had 2 guests each week, 1 from the world of music & a comedian with a great variety from both worlds. It never took itself too seriously, having fun games & getting extended discussion from the panelists great comedic affect. As being a bit of a music nerd I loved testing my musical knowledge but just had fun watching it each week.

Favourite guest: Hamish Blake - his lack of musical knowledge was a running gag

I always cheered for Team Myf

2. THE SIMPSONS (USA) 1989 - present
Disfunctional cartoon family based in fictional town of Springfield who parody of middle class US society, religion, politics & pop-culture. They have created their own world quirky characters: co-workers, teachers, family friends, extended relatives, townspeople & local celebrities with a number of them have gained expanded roles & subsequently starred in their own episodes. It is the longest running (everything) & although the quality has fallen since around 2000 (seasons 3 to 8 are the classics) there is still the occasional good episode & always random jokes. Probably my most influential show growing up & can't wait to watch this with my kids. 

Favourite character (in the family): Homer - ruled by his impulses, probably my favourite character of any show

Favourite character (not in the family): just off the top of my head... Raplh, Chief Wiggum, Lenny, Carl, Eddie, Lou, Milhouse, Nelson, Mr Burns, Smithers, Apu, Flanders, Barney, Moe, Krusty, Fat Tony, Kent Brockman, Troy McClure, Lionel Hutz, Dr Nick, Mayor Quimby, Comic Book Guy, Crazy Cat Lady, Disco Stu, Duffman, Hans Moleman... I could go on forever

Favourite episode (post season 8): Trilogy of Error - split into 3 stories & based on the movies Go & Run Lola Run with the 3 stories all sort of combining together, very well written & great gags throughout

1. SEINFELD (USA) 1989 - 1998
Show about nothing... (the video better describes it). Created by Jerry Seinfeld & Larry David it revolves around the lives of a fictional Jerry and his neurotic best friend George, assertive ex-girlfriend Elaine & crazy neighbour Kramer. It had a 'no hugging, no learning' policy & was completely different to the usual happy ending sitcoms of the 90's. Although this is probably a predictable number 1, as a child of the 90's it's pop-culture catchphrases & the number of quality episodes make it still my favourite.

Favourite character: George - based on Larry David and some of his real life experiences, his many negative character traits (stinginess, selfishness, dishonesty, insecurity) are what you love to watch

Favourite episode: The Contest - very cleverly written & a story using all 4 characters perfectly. Shows now would try to add filth to gain attention but this shows that not saying what they were doing to be even funnier.

Thanks to youtube & wikipedia for their help with this. Hope you enjoyed and leave comments if you wish.