Making a list of “The 100 Best TV Shows of All-TIME” and not putting them in any particular order is a simultaneously a brave and cowardly move. It’s brave because its an admission that such a list would be ridiculous and flawed; it’s cowardly because anyone in their right mind would WANT to order them but knows they would more or less be totally wrong and cheese off a whole lot of folks.
That said, TIME’s TV critic and blogger, James Poniewozik, has crafted a fairly spot-on feature that works perfectly without any actual ranking. Instead of focusing on ratings or relying too heavily on scripted drama, Ponieozik took all aspects of TV into perspective – including newscasts like The CBS Evening News with Walter Cronkite, iconic specials like A Charlie Brown Christmas and service programs like Julia Child’s groundbreaking The French Chef. This isn’t just a list, it’s a portrait of the last 80 years in our country. I’m particularly pleased to see the following shows included in that portrait:
Arrested Development
Battlestar Galactica
The Beavis and Butt-Head Show
Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Freaks and Geeks
Gilmore Girls
The Mary Tyler Moore Show
MTV 1981-1992
My So-Called Life
Six Feet Under
The X-Files
Online fandom/me will cry foul over the notable absences of a lot of recent cult favorites (Wonderfalls? Dead Like Me? Bueller?), but any TV round-up that includes Pee Wee’s Playhouse and ignores Northern Exposure deserves a pat on the back. James, you’re livin’ the dream. And you got good taste.