your top ten shows

[Matt]

right I am probably missing out some of ,mine when I do this but there you go.

1 Charmed
well my top 3 usally chnage depending of which the are more new episodes at the time, and seeing as charmed as just started season 7 I guess it gets the vote.
The show is excellant and deserves much more sucess then it has.

2 The simpsons
in the 16th season now, wow. what can you dsay about the simpson, simply it is the best prime time comedy, always good for a laugh the series is alwas top notc and basicly spawned a thousand clones.

3 Fairly odd parnets,

the best childrens cartoon show that there was ever been, Failry odd parnets can spawn from me around 50-to 60 quote from me on avergae every day. "Pull here if you the best kids cartoon" "why doesn't it just say, failry odd parents pull here"

4 the first english show on the list, Hex, this show was every good, shame as with all english shows it had a short 6 episode season.

5 Futurama

Quite simply brillant, but stuck forever in the shadow of the simpsons, and seeing how the show was cannceld no chnace of seeing new epsiodes anytime soon!
(However if you miss the show, pick up new issue of the futurama comic, always with a new futurama story)

6 hust outiside the top 5 come sonic undergorund, no matter what people say this story line mewnas more me then the other sonic, the episodes actully flow on from each other with opld chracter regualrly coming back rather being thrown out,would be higher but the songs in each episodes push it way down. espiacly like the knuckles/ birth of the resitance stories that ran side by side, the epic told over the feature lenght tales of the stealing oif the master emeralds by robotnik, and knuckles wressling with saving mobius and a warning from his great grandfather, were the other feature lenght story told, the story from the speration of the three siblings to there reunion and sonic lose of uncle chuck.

7 st ds9

great show with vast scope, would place st v and st tng near to but, I only want to put on st show in the top ten show thats that.

8 sg sg1 also come up here another great show that comming to an end soon, but very good worth watching

9 red dawrf
a funny show that just make the top ten

10 only fools and horses

show that almost made it

the vicar of dibley
satam
my hero
the muppets
sliders

[ashurathecomic]

My top ten shows change depending on how I'm feeling.

1) NUUMAMONJAA!

I guess, since only one episode was made (to promote Chrono Trigger) and it was only 15 minutes long, NUUMAMONJAA! may not count... But it still rocks because it's just so random and funny. PM me if you want me to send you a link to the site you can download it from.

2) Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Because... Buffy. Vampires. Humour. And stuff.

3) Angel

See 2) Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

4) The Mighty Boosh

Randomness in a jar.

5) Malcolm in the Middle

It's just so funny. XD

6) Samurai Jack

Top quality show. Great, stylistic animation. Great storyline.

7) Spiderman (the old animated series from the '90s)

Whee! This show ROCKED beyond belief.

8) Batman the animated series

As with Spiderman.

9) X-Men evolution.

For some reason, this show also rocked.

10) Digimon Series 3

I dunno. I really like Digimon for some reason. Probably best if I don't find out why.

[Baxter]

(Updated January 19th)

1. Neon Genesis Evangelion

If you have to watch just one anime in your life... make it this one. It has everything - awesome action, terrific animation (especially considering the low budget), a gripping storyline, biblical references and, most importantly, characterization second-to-none. I'm sure everyone will be able to find a character they can relate to in the story (I empathised with Shinji immediately), making it an emotional experience for all involved.

2. 24

The best American drama of recent times, if not ever. All three series have been excellent (last one was the best IMO), and its popularity just seems to keep on growing. It's only flaws are the ridiculous storylines involving Kim and the never-ending stream of irrelevant characters.

3. South Park

The ultimate American satire. The third series was a bit dodgy, but things picked up again with the fantastic fourth series, and the show has remained strong ever since.

4. The Simpsons

Hey, who doesn't love the Simpsons?

5. Little Britain

The finest British comedy in years, crammed with great characters. "Yeeeees!"

6. The Office

classic television. What makes it so intriguing is the realism - I'm sure we all know people like David Brent and Gareth and real life!

7. Friends

Quite possibly the most popular show ever, and with good reason. In an era where TV is filled with images of heartbreak and suffering, it's nice to come across a programme with such a light-hearted, upbeat attitude. Shame it had to end so suddenly, but it was for the best I suppose.

8. Six Feet Under

The first two series contained some of the best television I've ever witnessed. Sadly, since then, it appears to have gone all downhill, which may be due to the minimal role that creator Alan Ball now plays in the writing process. I can't see it lasting another series.

9. Phoenix Nights

Just hilarious, and crammed with great characters. Jerry St. Clair in particular is awesome ("Come get your black bin bags!"). Shame Kay had to go and ruin everything by shunning a third series, opting instead to make the atrocious Max and Paddy's Road to Nowehere.

10. The Fast Show

Following the success of Harry Enfield and Chums, Paul Whitheouse went off to make this, his own sketch show. Characters such as Swiss Toni are now legendary, and I don't think it's any coincidence that Enfield has done so little since Whitheouse (and later Kathy Burke) left him.

Honourable mentions to the following...

Blackadder, Family Guy, Fawlty Towers, Gimme Gimme Gimme, Malcom in the Middle, Only Fools and Horses and Pokemon (which I would have included in the list, had it not sucked so badly from series 3 onwards).

[ashurathecomic]

Ahrg! I forgot Friends!

--Ray

[archangelffx]

Ugh, I can't really think at the moment but here's the choices without explanations:

1) Friends
2) The Simpsons
3) Little Britain
4) The Crystal Maze 0_o
5) Sonic X (Japanese)
6) Pokémon (First, possibly 2nd series)
7) Stargate SG-1
8) Smallville
9) Pheonix Nights
10) Black Books
11) Never Mind the Buzzcocks

Erm, that's 11. Oh well, whatareyagonnado?

[JJ]

Can't be bothered to shuffle it all into a cohesive top ten (or even come up with ten), but...

- 24. Absolutely awesome, the way American telly should be.

- ER. I'm totally hooked on this show for some reason. I never miss it.

- Family Guy. The funniest animated show ever, IMO.

- The Simpsons, still great after all these years. Shame about the new episodes, though.

- Futurama. Excellent show, great writing.

- Friends. The first couple of seasons are awesome.

- Teen Titans. Normally I hate anime, but this superhero show is really well-written and enjoyable.

X-Men Evolution - Apart from all the angsty, 'Mutant 90210' stuff, this is a really solid, revisionist slant on the classic characters.

[Shadic?]

Listness

1.Seinfeld
2. Cheers
3. Full house (back off!)
4. Simpsons
5. Malcom in the middle
6. Smallville
7. One tree hill.
8. Family guy
9. The 70s show
10.Friends.

img.photobucket.com/albums/v397/Supershadic/monkey.jpg

Super Sonic Boomer
Hooday!

[Admin Droid]

Dan: 'Friends' ended suddenly? You're kidding right?

My list:

1. '24'. No cinema thriller comes close. Frankly, no other television experience comes close. Awesome.

2. 'Gargoyles'. Beautiful show that inspired me to look into all sorts of mythologies that I hadn't been aware of.

3. 'Yes (Prime) Minister'. I've probably watched some episodes 10 or 20 times, and I still crease myself laughing. And it's funniest because it still rings true today.

4. 'Firefly'. It may be a blessing that the show had a short lifespan judging by how Whedon's other shows tanked spectacularly after a couple of years, but this was so well-cast, well-filmed, well-conceived and well-written that it really deserves a lot of praise.

5. 'The West Wing'. From Season 3, you can see Sorkin tire, and once Sorkin leaves after Season 4, it's not worth bothering, but there's a lot of phenomenal tv in there. Season 2 is just... wow. Hilarious and powerful.

6. 'Dead Ringers'. I think I prefer the radio ones a bit, but it's still hilarious.

7. 'Star Trek: Deep Space Nine'. Thanks to Mike for getting me into this. Consistently strong, wonderful characters, great cast, and an incredible ongoing story. Season 4 of 'Enterprise' is blowing me away as well, and though it's not making my list yet, after some shaky early seasons, if it keeps going as it currently is, it'll be right up there.

8. 'Miracles'. Splendid X-Files style drama from the guy who wrote 'The Mothman Prophecies'. It died a premature death, which is a shame.

9. 'Neighbours'. You can say a lot of bad stuff about 'Neighbours'. I've had many happy years slagging it off, and some of the time it has been embarassingly dire. (And occasionally, including over the last year or so, actually rather good). But there's no other show that I've watched religiously for 16 years and still find something in. Not always a good show, but nonetheless a great show.

10. 'Monty Python's Flying Circus'. It isn't all good, but there's so much funny stuff in there and it's incredible to see these hugely talented comics going wild with their own show. I don't think any recent shows in the same vein have topped it.

[ChaosX3]

1) Shaman King

2) Eastenders

3) Little Britain

4) Naruto

5) Outlaw Star

6) Sonic X

7) Coronation Street

8) Pokemon

9) Pimp my Ride (Smite me)

10) Simpsons

[Spudiator]

Here's mine:

1. Monty Python's Flying Circus
Without a doubt the funniest, most anarchic TV show in the history of existence, a timeless comedy which was the influence for thousands of TV shows and movies the world over. Without Monty Python there would never have been any Simpsons, South Park or so many other legendary shows that this influenced. It also brought us some of the greatest ever sketches. Everyone has their own favourite's (mine is the Spam Song), but it's hard to find any point when it wasn't painfully hilarious.

2. The Simpsons
Cartoon geniusness. I been watching this since I was a kid. I loved it then because it was a cartoon, as as I've grown and matured more and more of the jokes make sense and become funnier and funnier. Even though it has lost some of it's freshness of late, it's still doing incredibly well for a show that's bee around about 18 years (the original concept of the Simpsons came about in 1987 when they first appeared on the Tracy Ullman Show, but then you all knew that).

3. Only Fools and Horses
Recently voted the greatest British sitcom of all time by a BBC poll, and justifyably so. The birth of so many modern phrases and slogans (how many of us would ever be going round saying "Lovely Jubbly" without OFAH?), there is just no words to describe it's excellence, although it has given us possibly the funniest ever character in Trigger (Alright Dave!)

4. Friends
A lot of American sitcoms have a tendency to be somewhat corny and predictable, and although Friends sometimes was guilty of this too, for the most part is was very fresh, original and genuinely funny, it's been a big influence in defining an entire generation. We laughed together, cried together through 10 years of emotional rollercoasters, and although the final ever episode was a little bittersweet, it was still somehow befitting as all the characters went their seperate ways and found their own lives and paths.

5. Match of the Day
The late, great Brian Clough once said: "Football is not a matter of life or death, it's much more important than that!" The great man spoke some wise words which every true football fanatic would agree with. When ITV won the rights for the Premiership coverage it was always destined to be a ratings failure, they didn't have good enough pundits, commentators or presentor (I think we'd all got a bit bored of Des Lynam by then), and watching the football highlights on a Saturday night just doesn't seem complete without that legendary MoTD theme tune that just seems to symbolise football in itself. This is one program that belongs on BBC!

6. South Park
If this show has one legacy above all else in it's achievements, it's for pushing the boundaries of what is considered acceptable TV. Even though many prudish types and old fashioned critics still think it's vile filth, it's made everything else out there so much less offensive by comparison, and eventually even the most hardened of cynics are warming to it's brilliant humour. Bearing in mind the running joke of this show above all else (yes, even above Kenny dying every show) was how crudely it was animated, it's done well to carry on for so long and get such a devoted fanbase, the humour has evolved a little, not quite so toilet humour but still retaining some of it. The movie was excellent too, it's very rare that I would ever praise a musical, but this had me in stitches.

7. Blackadder
Another legendary British sitcom, that, for reasons I can't understand, didn't do as well as it could've, and should've, done in the BBC sitcom poll. This is wthout doubt Rowan Atkinson's most accomplished role in his whole acting career. He was an evil schemer, and at times a complete scumbag, yet he still had that certain charisma about him that always had you wishing for him to do well in his schemes and plans, and this another show that had given birth to some of our best known and most loved catchphrases ("I have a cunning plan!").

8. Fawlty Towers
The original sitcom of anarchy, this was John Cleese's lovechild after the end of Monty Python, and god damn was it funny. There are very few shows that are so funny your jaw hurts with laughing, even the third of fourth time of seeing an episode, but this is a stonker! They could've made thousands of episodes and let this run for years and years (like most sitcoms do), but if they had, it's a safe bet they would never have seemed so funny in retrospect, because John Cleese knew only too well that sitcoms can very easily go stale and lose their fanbase if you allow them to outlive their shelf life, and he was determined not to let that happens. Because of that Fawlty Towers has become respected and loved just because of how little of it there is to love (there was only 12 episodes ever made).

9. Warner Brother's Cartoons
Another legendary influence over the lives of millions. This is another one that you can watch as an adult and still appreciate. There are one or two things I've often wondered about them (like why almost every single character had a speech impediment of some kind), but this is brilliant stuff. Most of it revolves around slapstick violence, which is probably a lot stronger than anything around these days which isn't permitted, but it's pure brilliance, from the Bugs and Daffy hunting season cartoons, when Daffy keeps getting his head blown off with a shotgun, to Foghorn Leghorn (who I still thinks sounds like poultry version of Fred Elliott) beating hell out of the farm dog with a plank! Oh and not forgetting the Wyle E. Coyote and Roadrunner cartoons, with their ingenius trap designs (which I still reckon was the main influence behind the Mousetrap game). It was all good.

10. The news
This may seem like an odd choice, but let's face it, if we didn't have the news none of us would know what's going on in the world, we'd never know who Posh and Becks were, we'd never have known about Neil Armstrong landing on the moon, or the Berlin Wall coming down. To put it briefly, without the news we'd have no idea who we are or what we're here for.

[Samface]

My top three:

1) Buffy The Vampire Slayer

A show that refused to be pinned down. Horror, comedy, drama (I literally cannot watch "The Body", the episode where Buffy's mum dies, because it's just too darn upsetting), action. Scary, infuriating, witty. Most importantly, it frequently took the mick out of itself mercilessly.

2) The Simpsons

Now a shadow of its former self, at its peak (i.e. seasons 2-10) this show was unmatched. Mixing the sort of stories that every family will recognize as true with outright lunacy, this was the King, which makes its fall into mindless silliness all the more upsetting.

3) Angel

Like Buffy, but with a more pronounced defeatist streak and with more violence. And why not?

As for the rest, in no order:

Malcom in the Middle

Wonderful. Just wonderful. And so true! Apart from bits like the one when Hal builds Lois II, a robot that shoots angry bees at his enemies. And Craig is possibly the most finely judged comic stereotype ever.

Have I Got News For You

When it's on form, nothing touches this. Usually that form involves Paul Merton pondering about monkeys with jetpacks over the top of a political discussion. Which tells you a lot about my sense of humour.

Farscape

The best sci-fi ever. EVER. The last two seasons, where protagonist John Crichton went a little mad and the crew as a whole decided shooting people was easier than working out a peaceful solution, were just flawless. No-one is to tell me what goes on in the mini-series Peacekeeper Wars, shown last Sunday and this on Sky, under pain of death.

Blackadder

Occasionally falls through over-cooked metaphors, but few shows are as funny as this. Basically any episode with Miranda Richardson or Hugh Laurie in should be required viewing.
(Now that I think about it, that's three entire series. Fair enough!)

Friends

Seems to use about the same five jokes over and over, but the six leads are such good comic actors it doesn't really matter. As the failure of pretty much everything without them in proves, they need to be together.

Fraiser

Often the farce episodes leave me cold, but this is Wit Defined. Martin Crane, as wonderfully played by John Mahoney, is one of my all-time favourite characters in anything ever.

Animaniacs

"Wheel of Morality, turn turn turn." The maddest cartoon. Ever. What was the deal with that skeleton? Why is Wakko a Scouser? Seriously, who writes this stuff? And will I ever get the theme tune out of my head? (Nahh.)

Special Mention

Fawlty Towers
The Office
QI
24
Monty Python's Flying Circus - if I'd seen more than three episodes of this, it'd certainly be a Top Ten. But it seems kinda unfair.
Cheers
The Fast Show
Little Britain

[JJ]

Samface said:

Have I Got News For You

When it's on form, nothing touches this. Usually that form involves Paul Merton pondering about monkeys with jetpacks over the top of a political discussion. Which tells you a lot about my sense of humour.

Frasier

Often the farce episodes leave me cold, but this is Wit Defined. Martin Crane, as wonderfully played by John Mahoney, is one of my all-time favourite characters in anything ever.

Yes! I competely forgot these two! God Bless you, Samface. I don't like Buffy or Angel, but everything else you said is gospel!

[madhair60]

In no order -

The Simpsons

Brilliant, brilliant, brilliant. Effortlessly quotable, consistently hilarious. Even the worst seasons (11, 12, half of 13) are better than 99% of TV. However, seasons 15 and 16 are much more like the classic days - a real return to form.

Family Guy

Doesn't hold up to repeated viewings like The Simpsons does, but still essential. Every episode is utterly side-splitting.

Monty Python's Flying Circus

Just surreal - you don't get TV like this anymore. This show brought us such legendary comedy as The Parrot Sketch, Cheeseshop, Lumberjack, Spam, Village Idiot, Gumbys and Election Night Special.

The X-Files

I love this show... it's fantastic. Everyone who disagrees should die.

Futurama

Killed in its prime, this series is FAR funnier than the new Simpsons. Utterly wonderful - maybe it will get a new lease of life like Family Guy has.

Spaced

Hilarious. Movie references galore and some rather subtle gaming and comic book in-jokes.

I can't think of any more.

[Samface]

SPACED! I'd like to give Spaced a special mention too. And Shooting Stars.

[Hevs]

1) Little britain (Obviously)
2)The simpsons
3) Coronation street ( more of a soap but meh)
4) father Ted
5) The vicar of dibley
6) Futurama
7) Chewin the fat
8) Still game
9) My Hero
10) Eastenders

[Thalia]

Probably out of order. I have a hard time choosing favourites...

1 Red Dwarf
2 Spaced
3 Tenchi Muyo
4 Bucky o'hare
5 SatAM
6 Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
7 Star Trek *shot*
8 Dark Angel
9 According to Bex
10 CSI

--Thalia

[archangelffx]

Thalia said:

7 Star Trek *shot*

Which 'generation' of Star Trek do you mean? If it was the original one, then it was probably me with the gun.

[Thalia]

Arch said:

Which 'generation' of Star Trek do you mean? If it was the original one, then it was probably me with the gun.

I liked Voyager... *cringe* and the next generation *cringe cringe*
--Thalia (i'm sorry! I have no taste! @_@)

[archangelffx]

No cringe necessary. Next Generation was my favourite.

Though I never did really like Voyager. Probably just the fact that their only real mission was trying to get home.