Favorite Shows by Year
An annual list of the best show by its debut year.
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- CreatorGertrude BergStarsGertrude BergArlene McQuadeEli MintzComedy-drama about a Jewish-American family living in New York City.
- StarsLucille BallDesi ArnazVivian VanceThe wife of a band leader constantly tries to become a star - in spite of her having no talent, and gets herself (along with her best friend) into the funniest predicaments.
- StarsGeorge ReevesNoel NeillJack LarsonThe Man of Steel fights crime with help from his friends at the "Daily Planet."
- StarsDouglas Fairbanks Jr.Christopher LeeRon RandellDouglas Fairbanks, Jr. narrated, produced, and frequently starred in this anthology series, which presented everything from drama to mystery to farce.Most watched: You Are There
- CreatorWilliam BlinnStarsWalt DisneyPaul FreesClarence NashA Disney-produced anthology covering many different genres.
- StarsAlfred HitchcockHarry TylerLillian O'MalleySeries of unrelated short stories covering elements of crime, horror, drama, and comedy about people of different backgrounds committing murders, suicides, thefts, and other sorts of crime caused by certain motivations, perceived or not.Honorable mention: The Honeymooners
- StarsRichard JoyPaul LambertHelen KleebOf the many anthology series, this is considered the most ambitious with outstanding talent in front of the camera. Attracting top ranked directors and scripts, it was often filmed live including the entire first season.
- StarsGuy WilliamsGene SheldonHenry CalvinDon Diego de la Vega opposes the corrupt tyrants of Spanish California as the masked swordsman, Zorro.
- CreatorBlake EdwardsStarsCraig StevensHerschel BernardiLola AlbrightPeter Gunn is a private detective with a knack for finding trouble. His cases often mean he runs into the shadiest characters, most vicious thugs and the most powerful crime bosses. Cool and resourceful, he always gets the guilty party.
- CreatorRod SerlingStarsRod SerlingRobert McCordJay OverholtsOrdinary people find themselves in extraordinarily astounding situations, which they each try to solve in a remarkable manner.
- CreatorSheldon LeonardAaron RubenDanny ThomasStarsAndy GriffithRon HowardDon KnottsWidower Sheriff Andy Taylor, and his son Opie, live with Andy's Aunt Bee in Mayberry, North Carolina. With virtually no crimes to solve, most of Andy's time is spent philosophizing and calming down his cousin Deputy Barney Fife.
- CreatorCarl ReinerStarsDick Van DykeMary Tyler MooreRose MarieThe misadventures of a TV writer both at work and at home.
- StarsAlfred HitchcockHinton PopeJimmy Joyce"The Alfred Hitchcock Hour" was a continuation of the dramatic anthology series Alfred Hitchcock Presents (1955) hosted by the Master of Suspense and Mystery.
- CreatorLeslie StevensStarsBob JohnsonBen WrightWilliam DouglasAn anthology series of insightful science fiction tales.
- CreatorSherwood SchwartzStarsBob DenverAlan Hale Jr.Jim BackusFour men and three women are stranded on an uncharted island following a torrential storm.
- CreatorMel BrooksBuck HenryStarsDon AdamsBarbara FeldonEdward PlattMaxwell Smart, a highly intellectual but bumbling spy working for the CONTROL agency, battles the evil forces of rival spy agency KAOS with the help of his competent partner Agent 99.Most watched: I Dream of Jeannie
- CreatorLorenzo Semple Jr.William DozierStarsAdam WestBurt WardAlan NapierThe Caped Crusader and his young ward battle evildoers in Gotham City.
- StarsGeraldine MoffatGeorge ColeDavid Graham18 short plays written especially for TV, an opportunity for up and coming directors such as floor manager Alan Clarke, who landed up doing 10 of the episodes. Some top ranking performers were attracted to the series.Most watched: Journey to the Center of the Earth
- CreatorJames FritzellStarsDoris DayPhilip BrownTodd StarkeAfter spending most of her life in big cities, widow Doris Martin decides to move back to the family ranch.
- CreatorGraham ChapmanEric IdleTerry JonesStarsGraham ChapmanJohn CleeseTerry GilliamThe original surreal sketch comedy showcase for the Monty Python troupe.
- CreatorJames L. BrooksAllan BurnsStarsMary Tyler MooreEdward AsnerGavin MacLeodThe lives and trials of a young single woman and her friends, both at work and at home.
- CreatorNorman LearStarsCarroll O'ConnorJean StapletonRob ReinerA working class man constantly squabbles with his family over the important issues of the day.
- CreatorNorman LearStarsRedd FoxxDemond WilsonLaWanda PageThe misadventures of a cantankerous junk dealer and his frustrated son.
- CreatorGardner FoxStarsDanny DarkCasey KasemOlan SouleThe greatest of the DC Comics superheroes work together to uphold the good with the help of some young proteges.
- CreatorJames L. BrooksAllan BurnsDavid DavisStarsValerie HarperJulie KavnerLorenzo MusicIn this spin-off of "The Mary Tyler Moore Show," Rhoda Morgenstern leaves best pal Mary Richards and her other friends in Minneapolis, Minn., to try her luck in Manhattan.Most watched: Planet of the Apes
- CreatorWilliam Moulton MarstonStanley Ralph RossStarsLynda CarterLyle WaggonerTom KratochvilThe adventures of the greatest of the female superheroes.Most watched: Saturday Night Live
- CreatorLowell GanzGarry MarshallMark RothmanStarsPenny MarshallCindy WilliamsDavid L. LanderThe misadventures of two single women in the 1950s and '60s.Most watched: Three's Company
- CreatorJames L. BrooksAllan BurnsGene ReynoldsStarsEdward AsnerRobert WaldenMason AdamsThe trials of a former television station manager, turned newspaper city editor, and his journalist staff.Most watched: I Am the Greatest!
- CreatorJames L. BrooksStan DanielsDavid DavisStarsJudd HirschJeff ConawayDanny DeVitoThe staff of a New York City taxicab company go about their job while they dream of greater things.The Incredible Hulk
- StarsEiko YamadaFumie KitaharaMichio HazamaBased on the books by Lucy Maud Montgomery, this 50 episode series tells the story of Anne Shirley, a young orphan living in 19th century Canada.Most watched: Facts of Life
- CreatorOsamu TezukaStarsRichard GanoungNicholas PodbreyGregory NorthOriginally intended to be kept a secret, the Pinocchio-like character becomes a publicly renowned superhero -- complete with devices like laser-firing fingers, uncanny hearing, and jet-powered boots -- all eventually used to repulse an alien invasion of Earth.
- CreatorSteven BochcoMichael KozollStarsDaniel J. TravantiMichael WarrenBruce WeitzThe lives and work of the staff of an inner city police precinct.Most watched: Cagney & Lacey
- CreatorJames BurrowsGlen CharlesLes CharlesStarsTed DansonRhea PerlmanJohn RatzenbergerThe regulars of the Boston bar "Cheers" share their experiences and lives with each other while drinking or working at the bar where everybody knows your name.
- StarsPaul SparerCatherine BattistoneJohn Marzilli"Tales from the Darkside" was a horror anthology series where the viewer is taken through ghost stories, science fiction adventures, and creepy, unexplained events.
- CreatorAnthony YerkovichStarsDon JohnsonPhilip Michael ThomasSaundra Santiago-Resplendent with authentic 1980s music, fashion, and vibe, "Miami Vice" follows two undercover detectives and their extended team through the mean streets of Miami, Florida.Most watched: The Cosby Show
- CreatorSteven SpielbergJoshua BrandJohn FalseyStarsCharles DurningDouglas SealeSharon SpelmanTruly amazing, fantastical, funny, and odd, and sometimes scary, sad, and endearing stories are portrayed. Many famous actors, actresses, and directors made guest appearances.
- CreatorDale McRavenStarsBronson PinchotMark Linn-BakerMelanie WilsonA high-strung and cynical man's life is never the same when his naive but good-natured cousin comes to America to live with him.
- CreatorMarshall HerskovitzEdward ZwickStarsTimothy BusfieldPolly DraperMel HarrisSeven tricenarians living in Philadelphia struggle with everyday adult angst.
- CreatorJoel HodgsonStarsJoel HodgsonMichael J. NelsonTrace BeaulieuIn the not-too-distant future Joel Robinson is held captive by Dr. Forrester and TV's Frank, forced to watch B-Grade movies on the Satellite of Love with the help of his robot friends: Cambot, Gypsy, Tom Servo and Crow T. Robot.
- CreatorJames L. BrooksMatt GroeningSam SimonStarsDan CastellanetaNancy CartwrightHarry ShearerThe satiric adventures of a working-class family in the misfit city of Springfield.
- CreatorMark FrostDavid LynchStarsKyle MacLachlanMichael OntkeanMädchen AmickAn idiosyncratic FBI agent investigates the murder of a young woman in the even more idiosyncratic town of Twin Peaks.
- CreatorCarmen FinestraDavid McFadzeanMatt WilliamsStarsTim AllenEarl HindmanTaran Noah SmithThe daily trials and tribulations of Tim "The Tool Man" Taylor, a television show host raising three mischievous boys with help from his loyal co-host, loving wife, and eccentric neighbor.Most watched: Toxic Crusaders
- CreatorGeorge LucasStarsSean Patrick FlaneryGeorge HallCorey CarrierThe adventures of the archaeological treasure hunter in his youth as related by an elderly Indiana Jones.Most watched: The Ben Stiller Show
- CreatorTom RueggerStarsRob PaulsenJess HarnellTress MacNeilleThe zany adventures of a trio of 1930s animated characters in the modern world.
- CreatorMichael CrichtonStarsAnthony EdwardsGeorge ClooneyJulianna MarguliesThe doctors who work in the ER at the County General Hospital in Chicago grapple with ups and downs in their personal and professional lives while trying to give apt medical care to their patients.Most watched: The Critic
- StarsMaurice LaMarcheRob PaulsenTress MacNeillePinky and Brain are genetically enhanced laboratory mice who reside in the research facility. Brain is self-centered and scheming; Pinky is good-natured but feeble-minded. In each episode, Brain devises a new plan to take over the world.
- CreatorRupert HolmesStarsTom BeckettGeorge HallMargaret HallTrials and tribulations at Pittsburgh radio station WENN back in the late 1930s, when radio was king.
- CreatorJoss WhedonStarsSarah Michelle GellarNicholas BrendonAlyson HanniganA young woman, destined to slay vampires, demons and other infernal creatures, deals with her life fighting evil, with the help of her friends.
- CreatorDarren StarStarsSarah Jessica ParkerKim CattrallKristin DavisFour female New Yorkers gossip about their sex lives (or lack thereof) and find new ways to deal with being a woman in the late 1990s.
- CreatorPaul FeigStarsLinda CardelliniJohn Francis DaleyJames FrancoA high school mathlete starts hanging out with a group of burnouts while her younger brother navigates his freshman year.Most watched: Angel
- CreatorJames CameronCharles H. EgleeStarsJessica AlbaMichael WeatherlyRichard GunnA group of genetically-enhanced children escape from a lab project. Years later we meet Max, one of the escapees who now works for a messenger service in the post-apocalyptic Pacific Northwest.
- CreatorRicky GervaisStephen MerchantStarsRicky GervaisMartin FreemanMackenzie CrookThe story of an office that faces closure when the company decides to downsize its branches. A documentary film crew follow staff and the manager David Brent as they continue their daily lives.Most watched: Smallville
- CreatorJoss WhedonStarsNathan FillionGina TorresAlan TudykFive hundred years in the future, a renegade crew aboard a small spacecraft tries to survive as they travel the unknown parts of the galaxy and evade warring factions as well as authority agents out to get them.
- CreatorMitchell HurwitzStarsJason BatemanMichael CeraPortia de RossiLevel-headed son Michael Bluth takes over family affairs after his father is imprisoned. But the rest of his spoiled, dysfunctional family are making his job unbearable.
- CreatorMichele AbbottIlene ChaikenKathy GreenbergStarsJennifer BealsLeisha HaileyLaurel HollomanFollows the lives and loves of a small, close-knit group of lesbian women living in Los Angeles as well as the friends and family members that either support or loathe them.Most watched: Justice League Unlimited
- CreatorGreg DanielsRicky GervaisStephen MerchantStarsSteve CarellJenna FischerJohn KrasinskiA mockumentary on a group of typical office workers, where the workday consists of ego clashes, inappropriate behavior, tedium and romance.
- CreatorPeter BergStarsKyle ChandlerConnie BrittonZach GilfordA drama that follows the lives of the Dillon Panthers, one of the nation's best high school football teams, and their head coach Eric Taylor.Most watched: House of Payne
- CreatorJames BobinJemaine ClementBret McKenzieStarsJemaine ClementBret McKenzieRhys DarbyBret and Jemaine are Flight of the Conchords, a folk-rock band from New Zealand living in New York City in search of stardom.Most watched: Californication
- CreatorGeorge LucasStarsTom KaneDee Bradley BakerMatt LanterJedi Knights lead the Grand Army of the Republic against the droid army of the Separatists.
- CreatorBen BestJody HillDanny McBrideStarsDanny McBrideSteve LittleKaty Mixon GreerMany years after he turned his back on his hometown, a burned-out major league ballplayer returns to teach Physical Education at his old middle school.Most watched: 30 for 30
- CreatorTerence WinterStarsSteve BuscemiKelly MacdonaldMichael ShannonAn Atlantic City politician plays both sides of the law by conspiring with gangsters during the Prohibition era.Most watched: Human Target
- CreatorNeil JordanStarsJeremy IronsFrançois ArnaudHolliday GraingerIn the fifteenth century, Pope Alexander VI tries to control all power in Italy with the help of his several sons, through murder, intrigue, war, and marriage alliances.
- CreatorLena DunhamStarsLena DunhamAllison WilliamsJemima KirkeA comedy about the experiences of a group of girls in their early 20s.Most watched: Arrow
- CreatorMaurissa TancharoenJed WhedonJoss WhedonStarsClark GreggMing-Na WenBrett DaltonThe missions of the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division.
- CreatorJack AmielMichael BeglerStarsClive OwenAndré HollandJeremy BobbA look at the professional and personal lives of the staff at New York's Knickerbocker Hospital during the early part of the twentieth century.Most watched: The Flash
- CreatorJ. Michael StraczynskiLana WachowskiLilly WachowskiStarsBae DoonaJamie ClaytonTina DesaiA group of people around the world are suddenly linked mentally, and must find a way to survive being hunted by those who see them as a threat to the world's order.Most watched: Supergirl
- CreatorJudd ApatowLesley ArfinPaul RustStarsGillian JacobsPaul RustClaudia O'DohertyA program that follows a couple who must navigate the exhilarations and humiliations of intimacy, commitment, and other things they were hoping to avoid.
- CreatorLiz FlahiveCarly MenschStarsAlison BrieMarc MaronBetty GilpinA look at the personal and professional lives of a group of women who perform for a wrestling organization in Los Angeles during the 1980s.Most watched: Future Man
- CreatorSalim AkilStarsCress WilliamsNafessa WilliamsChristine AdamsA crusading school principal gets back into action as the original African-American electrical superhero.
- CreatorJemaine ClementStarsKayvan NovakMatt BerryNatasia DemetriouA look into the nightly lives of four vampires who have lived together on Staten Island for over a century.
- CreatorRyan MurphyEvan RomanskyStarsSarah PaulsonFinn WittrockCynthia NixonIn 1947, Mildred Ratched begins working as a nurse at a leading psychiatric hospital. But beneath her stylish exterior lurks a growing darkness.