The 15 Highest Rated TV Shows of All Time

The Magic of Television

Many use Television to escape from their lives, unlike movies Television allows you to wonder into the lives of characters for years at time – unless a film invests in multiple sequels! Whether a show embarks upon investigating serious topics or simply provides a mindless comedic distraction there’s always something for everyone!  However, it becomes difficult over time to measure which shows were the most popular, critically acclaimed, and can stand the test of time.

Every film is a remake of a previous film, or a remake of a television series that everyone loved in the 1960s, or a remake of a television series that everyone hated in the 1960s. Or it’s a theme park ride; it will soon come to breakfast cereal mascots. – Alan Moore

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The following list was compiled using several different rating measures to judge which Television shows were the highest rated of all time. This aggregate methodology is the best method to use in order to get an accurate representation of  the popularity of differing shows. Raw viewership is nearly impossible to get a complete estimation of despite the best efforts from companies like Nielsen.
However, with the thousands of television programs that have made it to the airwaves narrowing down the list to fifteen was entertaining and allowed for a learning experience to pass along to readers!
What television gets to do, and there’s a reason why ‘S.H.I.E.L.D.’ works as well as it does, is that it deals with the relationships. It deals with the very small, interpersonal ways that people both love and hate each other. – Jeffrey Bell
The following is a list of the 15 highest rated television shows of all time!

15. The Walking Dead

While still in the prime of its legendary run, The Walking Dead is on a historic path. The zombie apocalyptic drama has captured the imagination of audience since it stormed the airwaves  in October 2010. From the detail that goes into the on screen locations, to the texture of the zombies, and the statements it makes about the human condition – The Walking Dead is a program that will not be forgotten!

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While nearly every member of the original cast has been killed off – the show has been a smashing success. From ratings, to social media involvement, to selling of merchandise the franchise has the opportunity to spawn further spin-offs. Fear The Walking Dead is primed to be another success story, there’s really no limitations to how far The Walking Dead can carry on!


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Walter graduated from East Carolina with degrees in Political Science and Philosophy. He enjoys working out, writing, and is trying to make his way into entertainment. When you read his articles you help boost his already inflated ego.

12 Comments

  1. Sirbrek March 18, 2016

    He forgot some very important shows like M*A*S*H, and all of the Lucille Ball series . Starting with I Love Lucy in 1951 through Here’s Lucy ending in 1974, some of Lucy was on TV. Archie Bunker’s Place is just a footnote. This Walter needs to do more homework. In 1951, fewer homes had television set than in 1980’s and beyond. The measure of success should be percents of viewers rather than number of viewers.

    Reply
    • Walter Yeates March 20, 2016

      On the contrary, I did do my homework and used those measures in the analysis. MASH just missed the top 15 and Archie Bunker’s Place is far more than a footnote when calculating various different measures.

      Longevity and Percentage of households viewed were weighed more heavily than number of overall viewers (If that wasn’t the case a number on the list wouldn’t have been present). There was hours of time put into compiling the list – but thanks for taking the time to comment.

      Reply
  2. kp March 19, 2016

    Seinfeld?

    Reply
    • Walter Yeates March 20, 2016

      While Seinfeld is considered one of the (if not) best Sitcoms of all time it really only spent 5 seasons as a ratings hit. Due to that it’s share ranks rather low – the first 4 seasons of the show didn’t crack the top 20 in ratings. But, that does not take away from the critical success the show was able to obtain. Unlike the vast majority of shows, the series ended while it was still a major ratings powerhouse. If it continued for 3, 4, or 5 more seasons in the top 3 of ratings it would have skyrocketed up the list and would have cracked the top 15.

      Good question.

      Reply
  3. Harper March 20, 2016

    Andy Griffith?

    Reply
    • Walter Yeates March 21, 2016

      *Whistles Theme Song*

      Around the mid 20s – 30 range. Would have definitely been higher up the list if it continued past it’s final season where reached #1. Was a top 10 hit for all 8 of its seasons. Definitely a good show to mention, longevity is all what held it down really.

      Reply
  4. Michele March 20, 2016

    Law and order? Buffy?

    Reply
    • Walter Yeates March 21, 2016

      Law & Order is in the 20s. Longevity played a huge role there, it only broke into the top 10 for 1 out of its 20 seasons. It remains one of my favorite series as it resulted in a number of spin-offs. While I personally love Buffy it was far from a ratings machine – at least at this level.

      Reply
  5. Johnny Thaxton March 21, 2016

    What about Gilligans Island?

    Reply
    • Walter Yeates March 21, 2016

      The run for Gilligan’s Island was extremely short. It’s been far more popular. It was actually cancelled after Gunsmoke was moved into its timeslot.

      Reply
  6. Paul Iurato March 21, 2016

    I thought I love Lucy was shot in front of a live audience

    Reply
    • Walter Yeates March 21, 2016

      From what I can find I Love Lucy used a laugh track, cannot find anything about being filmed in front of a live audience.

      Reply

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