Quantum Leap

Quantum Leap is an American television series that was broadcast on NBC from March 26, 1989 to May 5, 1993, for a total of five seasons. The series was created by Donald P. Bellisario, and starred Scott Bakula as Dr. Sam Beckett, a quantum physicist from the near future who becomes lost in time following a time travel experiment, temporarily taking the places of other people to "put right what once went wrong". Dean Stockwell co-starred as Al Calavicci, Sam's womanizing, cigar-smoking sidekick and best friend, who appeared as a hologram that only Sam, animals, young children, and the mentally ill could see and hear. The series featured a mix of humor, drama and melodrama, social commentary, nostalgia, and science fiction, which won it a broad range of fans. One of its trademarks is that at the end of each episode, Sam "leaps" into the setting for the next episode, usually uttering a dismayed "Oh, boy!"

Despite struggling on Friday nights in its brief first season, the show was renewed by NBC because of its impressive 18-49 demographics. The series was moved to Wednesdays where it performed well in comparison to other fan-favorite series Wiseguy and China Beach. It was moved twice away from Wednesdays to Fridays in late 1990 and to Tuesdays in late 1992 where it also performed well. The series finale aired in its successful Wednesday slot in May 1993.

Global score: 100% from 1 lists

1989

Law & Order

Law & Order is an American police procedural and legal drama television series, created by Dick Wolf and part of the Law & Order franchise. It originally aired on NBC and, in syndication, on various cable networks. Law & Order premiered on September 13, 1990, and completed its 20th and final season on May 24, 2010. At the time of its cancellation, Law & Order was the longest-running crime drama on American primetime television. After The Simpsons, both Law & Order and Gunsmoke tied for the second longest-running scripted American primetime series with ongoing characters.

Global score: 95% from 1 lists

1990

Star Trek: The Next Generation

Star Trek: The Next Generation is an American science fiction television series created by Gene Roddenberry as part of the Star Trek franchise. The show is set in the nearby regions of the Milky Way galaxy, approximately during the 2360s and features a new crew and a new starship Enterprise.

Global score: 90% from 1 lists

1987

Garfield and Friends

Garfield and Friends is an American animated television series based on the comic strip Garfield by Jim Davis. The show was produced by Film Roman, in association with United Feature Syndicate and Paws, Inc., and ran on CBS Saturday mornings from September 17, 1988 to December 10, 1994, with reruns airing until October 7, 1995. The show's seven seasons make it one of the longest running Saturday morning cartoons in history, with most lasting no more than two or three seasons.

Regular segments feature both Garfield and U.S. Acres, a lesser-known comic strip also created by Davis. The latter was retitled Orson's Farm for foreign syndication, as that was the name of the comic strip outside of the United States.

A total of 121 episodes were made, each consisting of two Garfield segments and one U.S. Acres segment, totalling 242 Garfield segments and 121 U.S. Acres segments. All episodes have been released in the U.S. on five DVD sets by 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment. The first season aired in a half-hour format. In the second season, it switched to an hour-length format, showing two episodes each week. However, in the show's last season, the second half-hour of the show featured either an episode from the previous season or one of Garfield's TV specials.

Global score: 85% from 1 lists

1988

Bill Nye the Science Guy

Bill Nye the Science Guy is an educational television program that originally aired from September 10, 1993 to June 20, 1998, hosted by William "Bill" Nye and produced by Buena Vista Television. The show aired on PBS Kids and was also syndicated to local stations. Each of the 100 episodes aims to teach a specific topic in science to a preteen audience. The show is frequently used in schools as an education medium, and it still airs on some PBS stations for this reason.

Created by comedian Ross Shafer and based on sketches on KING-TV's sketch program Almost Live!, Bill Nye the Science Guy was produced by Disney Educational Productions and KCTS-TV of Seattle.

Bill Nye the Science Guy won nineteen Emmy Awards during its run.

Global score: 80% from 1 lists

1993

Doctor Who

Paris, in the early 1960s. Jean-Louis Joubert is a serious but uptight stockbroker, married to Suzanne, a starchy class-conscious woman and father of two arrogant teenage boys, currently in a boarding school. The affluent man lives a steady yet boring life. At least until, due to fortuitous circumstances, Maria, the charming new maid at the service of Jean-Louis' family, makes him discover the servants' quarter on the sixth floor of the luxury building he owns and lives in. There live a crowd of lively Spanish maids who will help Jean-Louis to open to a new civilization and a new approach of life. In their company - and more precisely in the company of beautiful Maria - Jean-Louis will gradually become another man, a better man.

Global score: 70% from 4 lists

2005

Star Trek: The Original Series

Star Trek is an American science fiction television series created by Gene Roddenberry that follows the adventures of the starship USS Enterprise and its crew.

The show is set in the Milky Way galaxy, roughly during the 2260s. The crew is headed by Captain James T. Kirk, first officer Spock, and chief medical officer Leonard McCoy. Shatner's voice-over introduction during each episode's opening credits stated the starship's purpose:

The series was produced from 1966-67 by Desilu Productions, and by Paramount Television from 1968-69. Star Trek aired on NBC from September 8, 1966 to June 3, 1969. Although this television series had the title of Star Trek, it later acquired the retronym of Star Trek: The Original Series to distinguish the show within the media franchise that it began. Star Trek's Nielsen ratings while on NBC were low, and the network canceled it after three seasons and 79 episodes. Nevertheless, the show had a major influence on popular culture and it became a cult classic in broadcast syndication during the 1970s. The show eventually spawned a franchise, consisting of five additional television series, 12 theatrical films, and numerous books, games, toys, and other products.

Global score: 70% from 1 lists

1966

Star Trek: Voyager

Star Trek: Voyager is a science fiction television series set in the Star Trek universe.

The show is initially set on the other side of the Milky Way galaxy, 75,000 light-years from Earth, during the 2370s; the setting migrates across that distance over the course of the show's run. It follows the adventures of the Starfleet vessel USS Voyager, which became stranded in the Delta Quadrant while pursuing a renegade Maquis ship. Both ships' crews merge aboard Voyager to make the estimated 75-year journey home.

The show was created by Rick Berman, Michael Piller, and Jeri Taylor and is the fifth incarnation of Star Trek, which began with the 1960s series Star Trek, created by Gene Roddenberry. It was produced for seven seasons, from 1995 to 2001, and is the only Star Trek TV series with a female captain, Kathryn Janeway, as a main character.

Star Trek: Voyager aired on UPN and was the network's second longest-running series.

Global score: 65% from 1 lists

1995

Breaking Bad

Breaking Bad is an American crime drama television series created and produced by Vince Gilligan. Set and produced in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Breaking Bad is the story of Walter White, a struggling high school chemistry teacher who is diagnosed with inoperable lung cancer at the beginning of the series. He turns to a life of crime, producing and selling methamphetamine, in order to secure his family's financial future before he dies, teaming with his former student, Jesse Pinkman. Heavily serialized, the series is known for positioning its characters in seemingly inextricable corners and has been labeled a contemporary western by its creator.

Global score: 60% from 1 lists

2008

The Wonder Years

The Wonder Years is an American television comedy-drama created by Neal Marlens and Carol Black. It ran on ABC from 1988 through 1993. The pilot aired on January 31, 1988, following ABC's coverage of Super Bowl XXII.

The show achieved a spot in the Nielsen Top Thirty for four of its six seasons. TV Guide named the show one of the 20 best of the 1980s. After only six episodes aired, The Wonder Years won an Emmy for best comedy series in 1988. In addition, at age 13, Fred Savage became the youngest actor ever nominated as Outstanding Lead Actor for a Comedy Series. The show was also awarded a Peabody Award in 1989, for pushing the boundaries of the sitcom format and using new modes of storytelling. The series won 22 awards and was nominated for 54 more. In 1997, "My Father's Office" was ranked #29 on TV Guide's 100 Greatest Episodes of All Time, and in the 2009 revised list the pilot episode was ranked #43. The TV show is named after the band, The Wonder Years.

Global score: 55% from 1 lists

1988

Supernatural

Supernatural is an American supernatural drama television series, created by Eric Kripke, which was first broadcast on September 13, 2005, on The WB, and is now part of The CW's lineup. Starring Jared Padalecki as Sam Winchester, and Jensen Ackles as Dean Winchester, the series follows these two brothers as they hunt demons, ghosts, monsters and other supernatural beings in the world.

Global score: 50% from 1 lists

2005

True Blood

True Blood is an American television drama series created and produced by Alan Ball. It is based on The Southern Vampire Mysteries series of novels by Charlaine Harris, detailing the co-existence of vampires and humans in Bon Temps, a fictional, small town in northwestern Louisiana. The series centers on the adventures of Sookie Stackhouse, a telepathic waitress with an otherworldly quality.

Global score: 45% from 1 lists

2008

Hemlock Grove

Hemlock Grove is an American horror thriller television series for the online video streaming company Netflix. The show is from executive producer Eli Roth, developed by Brian McGreevy and Lee Shipman, and is a production of Gaumont International Television. It is based on McGreevy's novel Hemlock Grove, which was released on March 27, 2012. The show premiered April 19, 2013, with all 13 episodes made immediately available for online viewing.

The show examines the strange happenings in Hemlock Grove, a fictional town in Pennsylvania. Roman Godfrey, heir to the town's wealthy Godfrey family, befriends the town's newcomer Peter Rumancek. Recent brutal murders in the town have stirred up rumors, and the two work together to shed light on the case while also hiding their own dark secrets.

On June 19, 2013, Netflix renewed Hemlock Grove for a second season of 10 episodes to air in 2014. On July 18, 2013 Netflix earned the first Primetime Emmy Award nominations for original online only web television for the 65th Primetime Emmy Awards in 2013. Three of its online original series, House of Cards, Arrested Development and Hemlock Grove, earned nominations.

Global score: 40% from 1 lists

2013

Twin Peaks

Twin Peaks is an American television serial drama created by Mark Frost and David Lynch. It follows an investigation headed by FBI Special Agent Dale Cooper into the murder of homecoming queen Laura Palmer. Its pilot episode was first broadcast on April 8, 1990 on ABC. Seven more episodes were produced, and the series was renewed for a second season that aired until June 10, 1991. The show's title came from the small, fictional Washington town in which it was set. Exteriors were primarily filmed in the Washington towns of Snoqualmie and North Bend, though additional exteriors were shot in southern California. Most of the interior scenes were shot on standing sets in a San Fernando Valley warehouse.

Twin Peaks became one of the top-rated shows of 1990 and was a critical success both nationally and internationally. It captured a devoted cult fan base and became a part of popular culture that has been referenced in television shows, commercials, comic books, video games, films and song lyrics. Declining viewer ratings led to ABC's insistence that the identity of Laura's murderer be revealed midway through the second season. The series was followed by a 1992 feature film, Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me, which serves as a prequel to the television series.

Global score: 35% from 1 lists

1990

Penny Dreadful

Some of literature's most terrifying characters, including Dr. Frankenstein, Dorian Gray, and iconic figures from the novel Dracula are lurking in the darkest corners of Victorian London. Penny Dreadful is a frightening psychological thriller that weaves together these classic horror origin stories into a new adult drama.

Global score: 30% from 1 lists

2014

Batman

Batman is a 1960s American live action television series, based on the DC comic book character of the same name. It stars Adam West as Batman and Burt Ward as Robin — two crime-fighting heroes who defend Gotham City. It aired on the American Broadcasting Company network for three seasons from January 12, 1966 to March 14, 1968. The show was aired twice weekly for its first two seasons, resulting in the production of a total of 120 episodes.

Global score: 25% from 1 lists

1966

The Sifl and Olly Show

The Sifl and Olly Show is a comedy TV series that used sock puppets, animation, and music. Musicians Liam Lynch and Matt Crocco, friends since childhood, created and performed the series. The first episode aired on MTV in 1997. The show was cancelled in 1999. The characters, along with new material, currently appear on Liam Lynch's podcast entitled Lynchland.

Global score: 20% from 1 lists

Star Trek: Enterprise

Star Trek: Enterprise is a science fiction TV series and a prequel to the original Star Trek set 100 years before. The series premiered September 26, 2001 on the UPN television network with the final episode airing on May 13, 2005.

The series takes place in the 22nd century aboard Earth's first warp 5 capable starship Enterprise NX-01 designed for long-range exploration of the galaxy and captained by Jonathan Archer. The NX designation indicates that this Enterprise is an experimental prototype.

Global score: 15% from 1 lists

2001

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine is a science fiction television series set in the Star Trek universe.

The show is set in the Milky Way galaxy, in the years 2369 - 2375. Unlike the other Star Trek TV shows, it takes place on a space station instead of a starship, so as not to have two series with starships at the same time. This made continuing story arcs and the appearance of recurring characters much more feasible. The show is noted for its well-developed characters and its original, complex plots. The series depended on darker themes, less physical exploration of space, and an emphasis on many aspects of war.

DS9 premiered in 1993 and ran for seven seasons, ending in 1999. Rooted in Gene Roddenberry’s Star Trek universe, it was the first Trek spin-off created without direct involvement from Roddenberry, although he did give his blessing to the concept shortly before his death in 1991. The series was created by Rick Berman and Michael Piller, at the request of Brandon Tartikoff, and produced by Paramount Television. Key writers, in addition to Berman and Piller, included showrunner Ira Steven Behr, Robert Hewitt Wolfe, Ronald D. Moore, Peter Allan Fields, Bradley Thompson, David Weddle, Hans Beimler, and René Echevarria.

Global score: 10% from 1 lists

1993

Lost

Lost is an American television series that originally aired on the American Broadcasting Company from September 22, 2004 to May 23, 2010, over six seasons which contained a total of 121 episodes. Lost is a drama series containing elements of science fiction and the supernatural that follows the survivors of the crash of a commercial passenger jet flying between Sydney and Los Angeles, on a mysterious tropical island somewhere in the South Pacific Ocean. The story is told in a heavily serialized manner. Episodes typically feature a primary storyline on the island, as well as a secondary storyline from another point in a character's life.

Global score: 46% from 2 lists

2004