I have had a Top 10 list of my favourite TV shows of all-time for as long as I can remember. I have updated it several times over the years but a new show has caught my attention and I knew I needed to revisit this list. I also wanted to expand it to 20 to include some of the shows that got pushed out or didn’t quite make the cut.

I was reluctant to put a show in at the number one spot. Could an animated show about a family of dogs meant for children truly be my all-time favourite show? Should I add another sitcom to the list? And what about those two shows that had horrible finales? Can I forgive them of that and include them too?

I put a lot of thought into this list. I think it will stick around in this form for a while. But who knows?

Without further ado, here is My Top 20 TV Shows of All-Time!

1) Bluey (2018)

This show really has no business being this good. It’s an animated show for children based around the adventures of a six-year-old dog, her sister, and her parents. There is something truly magical about the short seven minute episodes that is hard to explain. I’m surprised that a kids show can give me this many feels. I laugh out lout several times every episode. I am often moved to tears too. It’s a well-crafted show that doesn’t have to engage in anything outlandish. This is a regular family doing everyday things, even if they happen to be dogs.

The last episode of Season 3, “The Sign,” brought everything to a close in a brilliant way. It is the single most perfect episode of television I have ever seen. It even had a coda, in an episode called “Surprise.” It’s not the end of this amazing show as more episodes are coming. But as of right now, it is perfect in every way. Watch it!

2) Everwood (2002)

This show is just perfect. It is about a world famous neuro-surgeon who tends to put work before family. When his wife suddenly dies, he is thrown into the role of a single parent. He moves the family to a small town for reasons that are heart-warming and heart-breaking. I have watched it from beginning to end more times than any other program on this list and never get bored of it. The series finale wrapped up every character’s story arc beautifully. I love when a series is able to give us that sense of closure.

3) My So-Called Life (1994) 

This show was in the Number 1 spot for years and years. It is the second television show I ever obsessed about. It is written in such a way that it appeals to both teenagers and their parents. It was groundbreaking in the way it told its stories. It really is a shame that we only got one season and never got the sense of closure we should have from this amazing group of characters.

4) Star Trek (1966) 

Television changed forever in 1966 with this little science fiction show. It was powerfully written with great characters that have managed to stand the test of time. It has inspired movies, television series, comics, novels, and more. Without this show, science fiction might never have taken a hold in popular culture. I am a huge fan and considered myself to be a Trekkie, although that term has fallen out of favour, I still wear it proudly.

5) Rita (2012)

This is the only foreign language television show on my list but it is absolutely brilliant. It is worth your time reading the subtitles. The show is about an unconventional teacher who truly cares about the well-being of students. As a teacher, it is very refreshing to see someone like her in school. It’s a rare thing to see teachers as good as this in the classroom. Her life isn’t perfect outside of it, and the last season gets quite dark, but the ending is great. It makes me think this show should be higher on the list. It is that good!

6) M*A*S*H (1972) 

This show is a classic on so many levels. There are only two sit-coms on my list and this one managed to transcend that form. Not only was it hilarious, but it also tackled some pretty heavy issues and storylines. Set in a mobile surgical hospital in the Korean War, this series actually ran three times longer than the actual war. Its series finale broke viewing records and remains the most-watched single broadcast in television history.

7) Breaking Bad (2008)

This series took me by surprise. I didn’t think I could get into a show about a drug dealer, but I heard so much about it, that I gave it a shot. It was train-wreck television, that’s the best description I can offer for it. The main character got into so much trouble that I would cringe as I watched it. But it was extremely compelling and I found I could relate to the main character in a way I never would have thought possible. The final episode brought things to the only ending that it could have. It was perfect!

8) Doctor Who (1963, 2005, 2023)

This probably should be higher on my list. I first discovered it via the television movie that introduced us to the 8th Doctor. I then watched all of the 1st Doctor’s adventures courtesy of the public library, and I have been watching the series since it came back to television with 9. Doctor Who is a hero that we can all stand behind. The Doctor is a kind individual who helps people all the time and does it without the use of weapons. That is inspiring. This show is like having a favourite football team. There have been different eras, casts, writers, etc, but once you find your Doctor, you will be hooked.

9) Stargirl (2020) 

I haven’t enjoyed a television series this much in a long time. The strange thing is that I was ready to write this one off. I love watching super-hero television, but there are just so many these days. I was starting to get a little burnt out. I’m glad I gave this one a chance. Each season was completely unique in tone, and they never told the same story twice. They went from a light-hearted affair, to a scary and dark storyline, to one of heroes, villains, and redemption in the final season.

10) Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist (2020)

When the closing credits rolled on the second, and last season, of this incredible show, I had the biggest smile on my face. It was absolutely perfect television. The premise sounds crazy but it works in such a magical way that it is truly hard to explain. Zoey has the power to know exactly what people are feeling on the inside. She only knows it though because time seems to freeze as they perform a musical dance number with everyone close by. She calls these “heart-songs” and then uses that knowledge to help them. But her super-power often messes up her own life. It is a heart-warming and heart-breaking series that will have you singing along. It is spectacular! 

The third and final season wrapped everything up perfectly. The ending left me with a sense of awe and magic that I used to get from reading comics.

11) Jericho (2006) 

This is sit-on-the-edge-of-your-seat television. And just when you think they can’t ramp it up any more, they hit you with something at the end of the episode that makes you sad it’s over and waiting nervously for the resolution. It really is a crime that it was taken off the air. It was brilliant. It did continue for two additional seasons in graphic novel form, however.

12) Life on Mars (2006) 

I rarely watch procedural drama. There are just too many cop shows and, to me, they lack originality. I’m not compelled to watch them and they don’t draw me into the fictional world. This one, however did. It’s about a modern day cop who gets into an accident and wakes up thirty years in the past. He struggles trying to adjust to 1973 and to find a way back to the present day. I love how the series wrapped up too. It was perfect.

13) Friday Night Lights (2006) 

This show is about a high-school football team in a town where football is life. It’s intense for everyone involved and it’s a great drama. I didn’t want to see it come to an end. I loved every episode.

14) The Dick Van Dyke Show (1961)

Dick Van Dyke plays a comedy writer for a popular variety show on television. He works with two other writers and they constantly try out jokes on one another. Mary Tyler Moore did some amazing work on this show and broke a lot of common conventions for television wives at the time. It’s almost impossible not to fall in love with her and the amazing character of Laura Petrie. This is one of the best sitcoms ever and still holds up all these years later.

15) Batman: The Animated Series (1992)

This was a ground-breaking superhero show that gave us a more realistic Batman than we’d seen on television up until this point. It had an amazing orchestral soundtrack, great writing, and brilliant acting. Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamil stole the show with their portrayals of Batman and The Joker respectively.

16) Ted Lasso (2020)

This show is hilarious. It’s about an America football coach who gets recruited to coach overseas. Of course, this style of football isn’t even the same game. It turned out to be a set-up to drive a team into the ground. But Ted is such a likeable guy and an amazing coach, that he does the impossible. Full of heart and fun, this show probably should be higher on this list.

17) Daredevil (2015)

Daredevil is my favourite superhero and people who know me will be shocked that this groundbreaking Netflix television show isn’t higher up on my list. While there are parts of this show that I really love, there are parts of it that I wish had been done differently. That being said, Charlie Cox and Vincent D’Onofiro are perfectly cast as Matt Murdock / Daredevil and Wilson Fisk / Kingpin respectively. And that nod to the original colouring of the hero’s costume in Season 1 is amazing.

18) The Newsroom (2012)

I don’t typically go for political drama, but one set in a big television newsroom, now that’s a concept I can get behind. Jeff Daniels plays the main anchor of the show and he has some amazing monologues that challenge the entire notion of news as entertainment and business. It’s brilliant stuff.

19) God Friended Me (2018)

This show nearly didn’t make the list, and not because it’s my least favourite. I thoroughly enjoyed nearly every episode. However, the series finale left me so angry that I stopped even considering this show worthy of any list. I don’t know why the writers felt the need to wrap things up, at least not in the way they did. It pretty much destroyed the entire premise of the series. Feel good television never left me feeling this way. That being said, I’d recommend this series and just tell you to skip the finale. Trust me on this one.

20) Disney’s Adventures of the Gummi Bears (1985)

This show is magical to me, and not just because it has magical elements in it, but because this was the only animated show I enjoyed as a child that my dad loved. We would watch it together. It still holds up too. It’s about a group of bears that drink gummiberry juice so they can bounce like they were on an pogo stick. For humans, this juice has a completely different effect; it gives them a moment of super-strength. As such, it is highly sought after by the villain of the series set in medieval times.

Honourable Mention

Kevin Probably Saves The World (2017)

This show’s premise sounds completely absurd. It also has very religious undertones that probably didn’t help it find an audience. But the show has a lot of heart and was very well done. It revolves around Kevin, who gets a visit from an angel who has been sent to help guide him into finding 36 righteous souls. No one else can see or hear her. Kevin doesn’t believe her at first, but good things start to happen all around him and he is quickly convinced. It’s a shame that this show only lasted one season. I was really looking forward to seeing what happened next.

Perfect Television

As seen with the final few entries, not all of these shows are perfect. But I think they all have something magical about them. They may not end up on everyone’s list, but I thoroughly enjoyed them. I am surprised that this list is now shaped like this. It was static for years. Who knows how long this version will stay as is. I will update it when more magic happens. That’s one of the reasons I like his medium.