WGA Announces 101 Best Written TV Series of All Time — Do You Agree?
June 3, 2013 by Marisa Roffman
The Writers Guild of America announced the top 101 best written television series of all time, and while my personal top three shows are listed here, I can think of probably three or four more I wish had made the list.
Take a look at the complete list…
“1. THE SOPRANOS
Created by David Chase
2. SEINFELD
Created by Larry David & Jerry Seinfeld
3. THE TWILIGHT ZONE
Season One writers: Charles Beaumont, Richard Matheson, Robert Presnell, Jr., Rod Serling
4. ALL IN THE FAMILY
Developed for Television by Norman Lear, Based on Till Death Do Us Part, Created by Johnny Speight
5. M*A*S*H
Developed for Television by Larry Gelbart
6. THE MARY TYLER MOORE SHOW
Created by James L. Brooks and Allan Burns
7. MAD MEN
Created by Matthew Weiner
8. CHEERS
Created by Glen Charles & Les Charles and James Burrows
9. THE WIRE
Created by David Simon
10. THE WEST WING
Created by Aaron Sorkin
11. THE SIMPSONS
Created by Matt Groening, Developed by James L. Brooks and Matt Groening and Sam Simon
12. I LOVE LUCY
“Pilot,” Written by Jess Oppenheimer & Madelyn Pugh & Bob Carroll, Jr.
13. BREAKING BAD
Created by Vince Gilligan
14. THE DICK VAN DYKE SHOW
Created by Carl Reiner
15. HILL STREET BLUES
Created by Michael Kozoll and Steven Bochco
16. ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT
Created by Mitchell Hurwitz
17. THE DAILY SHOW WITH JON STEWART
Created by Madeleine Smithberg, Lizz Winstead; Head Writer: Chris Kreski; Writers: Jim Earl, Daniel J. Goor, Charles Grandy, J.R. Havlan, Tom Johnson, Kent Jones, Paul Mercurio, Guy Nicolucci, Steve Rosenfield, Jon Stewart
18. SIX FEET UNDER
Created by Alan Ball
19. TAXI
Created by James L. Brooks and Stan Daniels and David Davis and Ed Weinberger
20. THE LARRY SANDERS SHOW
Created by Garry Shandling & Dennis Klein
21. 30 ROCK
Created by Tina Fey
22. FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS
Developed by Television by Peter Berg, Inspired by the Book by H.G. Bissinger
23. FRASIER
Created by David Angell & Peter Casey & David Lee, Based on the character “Frasier Crane” created by Glen Charles & Les Charles
24. FRIENDS
Created by Marta Kauffman & David Crane
25. SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE
Season One: Writing Supervised by Walter Kempley, Harry Shearer; Written by: Ann Beatts, Chevy Chase, Tom Davis, Al Franken, Rosie Michaels, Garrett Morris, Michael O’Donoghue, Herb Sargent, Tom Schiller, Alan Zweibel
26. THE X-FILES
Created by Chris Carter
27. LOST
Created by Jeffrey Lieber and J.J. Abrams & Damon Lindelof
28. ER
Created Michael Crichton
29. THE COSBY SHOW
Created by Ed Weinberger & Michael Leeson and William Cosby, Jr., Ed. D.
30. CURB YOUR ENTHUSIASM
Created by Larry David
31. THE HONEYMOONERS*
Season One writers: Herbert Finn, Marvin Marx, A.J. Russell, Leonard Stern, Walter Stone, Sydney Zelinka
32. DEADWOOD
Created by David Milch
33. STAR TREK
Created by Gene Roddenberry
34. MODERN FAMILY
Created by Steven Levitan & Christopher Lloyd
35. TWIN PEAKS
“Pilot,” Written by Mark Frost & David Lynch
36. NYPD BLUE
Created by David Milch & Steven Bochco
37. THE CAROL BURNETT SHOW
Season One: Written by Bill Angelos, Stan Burns, Don Hinkley, Buz Kohan, Mike Marmer, Gail Parent, Kenny Solms, Saul Turtletaub; Writing Supervised by Arnie Rosen
38. BATTLESTAR GALACTICA (2005)
Developed by Ronald D. Moore, Based on the Series Battlestar Galactica, Created by Glen A. Larson
39. SEX AND THE CITY
Created by Darren Star, Based on the Book by Candace Bushnell
40. GAME OF THRONES
Created by David Benioff & D. B. Weiss, Based on A Song of Ice and Fire by George R. R. Martin
41. THE BOB NEWHART SHOW – TIE
Created by David Davis and Lorenzo Music
YOUR SHOW OF SHOWS* – TIE
Season One: Written by Mel Tolkin, Lucille Kallen, Max Liebman
43. DOWNTON ABBEY* – TIE
Created by Julian Fellowes
LAW & ORDER – TIE
Created by Dick Wolf
THIRTYSOMETHING – TIE
Created by Marshall Herskovitz & Edward Zwick
46. HOMICIDE: LIFE ON THE STREET – TIE
Created by Paul Attanasio, Based on the Book Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets by David Simon
ST. ELSEWHERE – TIE
Created by Joshua Brand & John Falsey, Developed by Mark Tinker/John Masius
48. HOMELAND
Developed by Howard Gordon & Alex Gansa, Based on the Original Israeli Series Prisoners of War by Gideon Raff
49. BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER
Created by Joss Whedon
50. THE COLBERT REPORT – TIE
Season One writers: Stephen Colbert, Rich Dahm, Eric Drysdale, Peter Gwinn, Jay Katsir, Laura Krafft, Allison Silverman
THE GOOD WIFE – TIE
Created by Robert King & Michelle King
THE OFFICE (UK)* – TIE
Created by Ricky Gervais & Stephen Merchant
53. NORTHERN EXPOSURE
Created by Joshua Brand & John Falsey
54. THE WONDER YEARS
Created by Neal Marlens & Carol Black
55. L.A. LAW
Created by Steven Bochco & Terry Louise Fisher
56. SESAME STREET
Created by Joan Ganz Cooney
57. COLUMBO
Created by Richard Levinson & William Link
58. FAWLTY TOWERS* – TIE
Written by John Cleese & Connie Booth
THE ROCKFORD FILES – TIE
Created by Roy Huggins and Stephen J. Cannell
60. FREAKS AND GEEKS – TIE
Created by Paul Feig
MOONLIGHTING – TIE
Created by Glenn Gordon Caron
62. ROOTS
Written by William Blinn, M. Charles Cohen, Ernest Kinoy, James Lee; Based on the Book by Alex Haley
63. EVERYBODY LOVES RAYMOND – TIE
Created by Philip Rosenthal
SOUTH PARK* – TIE
Created by Matt Stone & Trey Parker
65. PLAYHOUSE 90
Season One writers: Edna Anhalt, Edmund Beloin, Harold Jack Bloom, Marc Brandel, George Bruce, James P. Cavanagh, Whitfiled Cook, Helen Doss, Scott Fitzgerald, Devery Freeman, Frank Gilroy, Helen Howe, Speed Lamkin, Ernest Lehman, Herbert Little, Jr., Don Mankiewicz, Elick Moll, Paul Monash, Dean Reisner, Norman Retchin, Selma Robinson, William Sackheim, Rod Serling, Leonard Spigelgass, Leslie Stevens, Brandon Thomas, David Victor, Charles M. Warren, Hagar Wilde, Cornell Woolrich
66. DEXTER – TIE
Developed for Television by James Manos, Jr., Based on the Novel Darkly Dreaming Dexter by Jeff Lindsay
THE OFFICE (U.S.) – TIE
Created by Ricky Gervais & Stephen Merchant, Developed by Greg Daniels, Based on the BBC Series The Office
68. MY SO-CALLED LIFE
Created by Winnie Holzman
69. THE GOLDEN GIRLS
Created by Susan Harris
70. THE ANDY GRIFFITH SHOW
Episode 1, “The New Housekeeper,” Written by Jack Elinson and Charles Stewart
71. 24 – TIE
Created by Joel Surnow & Robert Cochran
ROSEANNE – TIE
Created by Matt Williams, Based on a Character Created by Roseanne Barr
THE SHIELD – TIE
Created by Shawn Ryan
74. HOUSE – TIE
Created by David Shore
MURPHY BROWN – TIE
Created by Diane English
76. BARNEY MILLER – TIE
Created by Danny Arnold & Theodore J. Flicker
I, CLAUDIUS* – TIE
Written by Rupert Graves and Jack Pulman
78. THE ODD COUPLE
Episode 1, “The Fight of the Felix,” Written by Peggy Elliott & Ed Scharlach
79. ALFRED HITCHCOCK PRESENTS – TIE
Season One writers: Gwen Bagni, Samuel Blas, Robert Blees, Ray Bradbury, Richard Carr, James Cavanagh, Eustace Cockrell, Francis Cockrell, Marian Cockrell, John Collier, Robert C. Dennis, Mel Dinelli, Stanley Ellin, Fred Freiberger, Irwin Gielgud, Gina Kaus, Terence Maples, Richard Pedicini, Louis Pollock, Joseph Ruscoll, A.J. Russell, Stirling Silliphant, Andrew Solt, Harold Swanton, Victor Wolfson, Cornell Woolrich
MONTY PYTHON’S FLYING CIRCUS* – TIE
Conceived and Written by Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Neil Innes, Terry Jones, Michael Palin
STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION – TIE
Created by Gene Roddenberry
UPSTAIRS, DOWNSTAIRS* – TIE
Created by Jean Marsh and Eileen Atkins
83. GET SMART
“Pilot,” Written by Mel Brooks and Buck Henry
84. THE DEFENDERS – TIE
Created by Reginald Rose
GUNSMOKE – TIE
Episode 1, “Matt Gets It,” Written by Charles Marquis Warren & John Meston
86. JUSTIFIED – TIE
Developed by Television by Graham Yost, Based on the Short Story “Fire in the Hold” by Elmore Leonard
SGT. BILKO (THE PHIL SILVERS SHOW) – TIE
Created by Nat Hiken
88. BAND OF BROTHERS
Written by Erik Bork, E. Max Frye, Tom Hanks, Erik Jendresen, Bruce C. McKenna, John Orloff, Graham Yost; Based on the Book by Stephan E. Ambrose
89. ROWAN & MARTIN’S LAUGH-IN
Season One: Written by Chris Beard, Phil Hahn, John Hanrahan, Coslough Johnson, Paul Keyes, Marc London, Allan Manings, David Panich, Hugh Wedlock, Digby Wolfe
90. THE PRISONER*
Premiere Episode: Written by George Markstein and David Tomblin
91. ABSOLUTELY FABULOUS (U.K.)* – TIE
Episode 1, “Fashion,” Written by Jennifer Saunders, Based on an original idea by Jennifer Saunders & Dawn French
THE MUPPET SHOW – TIE
Season One: Written by Jack Burns, Jim Henson, Jerry Juhl, Marc London
93. BOARDWALK EMPIRE
Created by Terence Winter, Based on the Book Boardwalk Empire by Nelson Johnson
94. WILL & GRACE
Created by David Kohan & Max Mutchnick
95. FAMILY TIES
Created by Gary David Goldberg
96. LONESOME DOVE – TIE
Teleplay by Bill Wittliff, Based on the Novel Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry
SOAP – TIE
Created by Susan Harris
98. THE FUGITIVE – TIE
Episode 1, “Where the Action Is,” Written by Harry Kronman
LATE NIGHT WITH DAVID LETTERMAN – TIE
Season One: Writing Supervised by Merrill Markoe, Writers: Andy Breckman, Tom Gammill, David Letterman, Richard Morris, Gerard Mulligan, Max Pross, Karl Tiedemann, Steve Winer
LOUIE – TIE
Season One: Written and Directed by Louis C.K.
101. OZ
Created by Tom Fontana”
Which show (or shows) do you think got snubbed?
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The Office (both UK and US) was ranked way too low. At least FNL made it in the top 25.
NCIS keeps going along, year after year after year. Poorly written? Worse than Soap or Will and Grace?
Castle didn’t even get a whiff. Poorly written??
Yuck!