Came across this link on Lost site about the 50 greatest tv shows of all time, and decided to look at them all. Angel was at 21 and Buffy and 2. I would have put Buffy first, but was quite surprised to see Buffy at 2.

Have a look and see what you think. Most of the other shows discussed on the boards are in the top 50 somewhere.

Empire Online 50 Greatest TV Shows of All Time

I would have thought Friends would have been higher than it was what with all the hype around it but I am chuffed Buffy was No. 2! I'm also suprised to see Firefly within the top 20. Tell us again why it was cancelled!

My sis thought Friends would be higher, and i agreed, but didn't think The Simpsons was worthy of the number 1 spot. Buffy would get my number 1 spot. Firefly and Angel quite high up as well. I've not watched Prison Break, but thought from what people of said about it that it would be higher than 49.

Maybe as a forum we should create our own top 50 or something similar and cut out some of the shows that shouldn't have been in there and add some that should.

The first season of Prison Break was absolute genius. In a way I wish it had been a sort of one off mini series. I did enjoy S2 very much but thought it developed into a very enjoyable 24 style series but the S1 sheer claustrophobic atmosphere and pressure cooker tests of character were lost. In other words the unique selling point was lost.

Nevertheless S1 was staggeringly good. sk

If Buffy had finished with S5 and The Gift there is no doubt I would have put it at no 1. The decidedly mediocre S6 and S7 put me off slightly though I will be the first to admit there were flashes of genius.

The same applies to Angel. S1 to S4 were very strong but S5 was very variable with the totally unnecessary addition of Spike.

If S4 of Battlestar Galactica is as good as the previous 3 seasons I feel it is a contender as the acting, scripts and production values are of a staggeringly high standard.

The Simpsons is a bit of a funniosity once you step away from the uncritical hype that has been lavished on it. A lot of the episodes are clearly aimed at a childlike sensibility which renders them tedious and unsatisfying from an adult perspective. The episodes that centre around Homer, and tend to have an adult perspective, can be very satisfying even hilarious. My favourite episode has to be King Size Homer which is an absolute hoot capturing the universal concern about letting oneself go in a delightfully silly escalation of absurdity. sk

So highest show with actual live actors in it and plots taking more than 20 minutes to digest. Not so shabby! :thumbsup:

great idea. :)

I never agree with these lists but at least I'll give them number two is in the right place. Personally I think they would do better to separate them into the different genres like comedy, drama, sci-fi but maybe that's just me? :shrug:

I mostly agree with John about Prison Break, the first season was awesome television. The writing was so tight and the show was absolutely captivating. The second-season was just a pointless extension and lost everything that was good about the show. Third season of what I saw of it was just laughable cashing in trying to recapture the first season but failing miserably and I hear there's now a 4th season going to be made. :rolleyes:

:lmao: :thumbsup:

:lol:

Classy............................

:lol: :rolleyes:

I will put down my instinctive response which was a slightly giggly hmph.

In a way I wish Joss had gone with his instincts and transferred Spike across to Angel in an earlier season which would have seemed more like a desire to keep the character fresh rather than a desperate response to boost ratings under pressure from the network. sk

:ermm: move spike to angel earlier (wouldn't that be a bit like "in the dark" but for more episodes :unsure: ) .... no spuffy but then no souled spike :unsure: but i suppose the writers would have probably find a different way to close the hellmouth :rolleyes:

Sometimes I am quite certain as to what idea I have had while at other times, like this one, I am throwing an idea into the mix.

I think you probably know that I am extremely critical of the whole Spuffy debacle, just like David Fury, so I would have been sympathetic to an earlier move.

The development of Spike in S4 and S5 was very entertaining. Spike's thwarted and humiliated character was a very suitable foil for Buffy to chafe against. I would not want to be without the sheer insanity of Intervention.

Joss definitely said somewhere he was considering moving Spike to Angel to keep the character fresh. I think this might have been a good idea.

The obvious time to move, as you hint, would have been at the beginning of AS3. Spike could have been some sort of Huggy Bear character perhaps. He could have provided the word on the street and maybe he could have been involved in shady dealings which allowed the action to start rolling. sk

as darla come back in angel season three, spike would have probably trouble on which side to be (too bad dru was not available, i would have love to see the consequences of "crush" :lol: ) and knowing wolfran and hart, they would have offered him to remove the chip :ponder: if he help with baby connor and holtz (the writers would have probably think of a backstory between holtz and spike)