What was the greatest TV Show of all time?

I never watch TV any more-----except for sports and old movies.  So all of my TV experience
is as Ancient as I am.  I know nothing of the current shows---but as far as I am concerned there are a number of oldies I tried not to miss---
 
I Love Lucy
Cheers
Mash
All in the Family
Happy Days
Hill St Blues
(early) Law and Order
Masterpiece Theater
Maverick
Bonanza
----Did I miss any good ones ?
 
If I had to pick just one------wow that would be difficult---I'll have to think a while and get back to you.
 
 

MASH would definitely be on my list. One my old favorites used to be the Sunday evening Wonderful World of Disney. Also - the Carol Burnett Show.

Honeymooners
The Walton's
Little House
Lots of good old time favorites but nothing of late. except maybe Seinfeld.

Dragnet
"Just the Fax, Ma'am."

Honeymooners
Seinfeld
All In the Family (the earlier years)
Dragnet
Kojak
The Office (until the past couple of years)
 
I don't watch much current TV, but  Two and a Half Men seems to be cleverly written, although it's bascially the same plot every week.

BR


Honeymooners

 
Ding! We have a winner.

The Fugitive

I know it's a TV icon, but I've never been a fan of I Love Lucy. It seems most of the episodes are riffs on three themes; Lucy wants to cast in a show, Lucy has a scheme to make some money or Lucy wants to meet a movie star/famous person.
 
As for shows not mentioned, I'd add...
Newhart (in Vermont)
Sherlock Holmes with Jeremy Brett
Mary Tyler Moore
The Friday night Jack Paar show...where else are you going to see Maudie Frickett flirting with Oscar Levant.

Cav-- you reminded me of one I loved  the original Dick Van Dyke with mary T.Moore, Rosemarie, Morey Amsterdam---------
 
and TnT you are dead on with Carol Burnett---I'm so glad we had that time together Carol. 
 
Big omission I forgot Jackie (He was the Greatest, Alice) Gleason and the Honeymooners---how could I forget that Norton ?  Have them all on tape now. 
 
Anyone for The Sopranos ?  Never saw one second of it but it did well .

Broadway Open House with Jerry Lester, Morey Amsterdam, Barbara Nichols, Dagmar and Milton DeLugg. Who could ever forget The Beanbag Song or Under An Orange Colored Sky (Flash, bam, alacazam)?

I still watch the reruns of Andy Griffith Show. The best ones are the black and white ones when Opie was still little. Barney was great, as was Howard and the rest of the gang. 

Michael------you and I may be the only ones who remember that great show.  Jerry Lester was great---
 
Was there a bit where a girl in a Dale Evans outfit would come on and always say---"Way out west where the cactus grows" or something like that.
 
Was that show on 5 nights a week and then was replaced by Steve Allen
and then Jack Parr and then Johnny Carson------wow ---- early 50s ---a little tiny screen and a lot of laughs.   
 
 

Veronica Mars
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0412253/

How about...
 
In the Heat of the Night
NYPD Blue
Murphy Brown
 
 

the ancient mariner


Michael------you and I may be the only ones who remember that great show.  Jerry Lester was great---

Was there a bit where a girl in a Dale Evans outfit would come on and always say---"Way out west where the cactus grows" or something like that.

Was that show on 5 nights a week and then was replaced by Steve Allen
and then Jack Parr and then Johnny Carson------wow ---- early 50s ---a little tiny screen and a lot of laughs.   

Broadway Open House was on five nights a week, on NBC. After the show went off in 1951 the local NBC station, WNBC, did a late night show with Steve Allen, but he didn't get on the network till several years later.
 
The Way out west where the cactus grows bit sounds familiar, but I can't really place it.

Lost!
 
It might not have lived up to everyone's expectations at the end but I've never enjoyed watching a show from start to finish more. 
 
I do love classic tv (there was never a night when we didn't watch MASH at least twice growing up) but the recent explosion of cable shows that do 12 episode seasons has made for some great tv.  Mad Men, Dexter, and Breaking Bad to name a few are as good as anything that has ever been on. 
 
As for sitcoms, I have a new channel called HUB and they are showing Family Ties and The Wonder Years every night which are also two of my all time favorites.

If I had to name one, it would be the Tonight Show with Johnny Carson.  Others I looked forward to watching every week were:
 
The Avengers  - the early ones with Diana Rigg
Twilight Zone - the early shows
SNL - the early shows up through Billy Crystal, I think I stopped watching about the time he left
MASH
MTM
 

Oh, that's easy.  That would be Manimal, a series about a Dr. who could change into any animal to help solve crimes.  It lasted for 8 episodes.

Marry Hartman Mary Hartman
 
It was the only thing on when I got home from the candy coin store.

Fernwood Tonight would of course be the greatest show ever

Bill, We're obviously the same age.

I suggest breaking it down to greatest situation comedy, greatest drama, greatest soap, prime-time soap, etc., but...all things being equal, I'd have to say The Fugitive.  The casting, performances, and production values surpass today's standards, in my view, and have more than stood the test of time.

As Time Goes By  would be my first choice hands down.
Are You Being Served would be somewhere in the top 5.
St. Elsewhere up there too.
Guess Mary Hartman Mary Hartman would make in the top 25 along with the spin-offs.

Tony Bad

BR


Honeymooners

Ding! We have a winner.

 
Live TV!!!  Belongs in a league of its own.  

The Ed Sullivan Show

Bonanza
Gilmore Girls
MASH
Fantasy Island (old)
Gunsmoke
Benny Hill
NCIS
CSI

Mar 52 ---  same age group-------does that mean you are admitting to be over 39 again. I think Voss is an old timer.  What's this Mary Hartman in Fernwood you guys have dreamed up?
 
CTF__Ed Sullivan was around a long time and had a lot of 1st like the Beatles, introduced a lot of future stars like Elvis (he had been on the Dorsey Show) were overnight sensations from being  on Sullivan's
R-E-A-L-L-Y BIG SHEW.  He didn't do cooking bits though.
 
Mellow ---- breaking it down would take all night and I have a big day ahead.  I wrote what i had to do on a piece of paper, where is it ?
 
Joe Rogo--League of it's Own was a movie if I am not mistaken. 
 
Belle likes Johnny Carson but Hatteras lost me with that Lost vote. 
 
Michael----I think it was on Broadway Open House where that bit was a standard---real cute little blond (that should get your little gray cells working) would come out in a Cowgirl suit and recite a dumb poem. 
Always started with somethng about Way Out West---not the Laurel and Hardy Masterpiece.
 
 
 
 
 
 

Someof the newer people on this here site probably grew up with Sesame St, Cap't kangaroo and Howdy Doody.
 
How come no votes for Gilligan's Island. 
 
My brother in law always watcher Roy Rogers and Gene Autry.  Frustrated
kinda guy.  

chewingthefat


The Ed Sullivan Show

You mean, The Toast of the Town.

Ancient One...  I think that I'm older than Bill.  *sniff*