The 100 Best TV Shows of All-TIME

G - M

Leave It to Beaver

Article Tools

I'll be honest: I did not expect to put this show on this list. I mean, Leave It to Beaver? That sugar-coated jawbreaker of '50s naivete? But on a fresh viewing, this show—unlike, say, The Adventures of Ozzie & Harriet—holds up. Jerry Mathers came across as a real kid, tentative, not too bright and fueled by a boy's natural cocktail of curiosity and fear. (Beaver's imagination always served up far more gruesome consequences for his antics than he ever actually suffered.) And in an underrated performance as Beaver's dad Ward—June always got all the love—Hugh Beaumont added just a note of fallibility and wistful nostalgia to the typical role of the all-knowing dad.

View the full list for "The 100 Best TV Shows of All-TIME"

Next: Lost >>

Video

How I Chose The List

Adding to this list would be easy; taking shows off is the tricky part. How did I settle on this list? I set a few guidelines...

Talk Back

What is your all-time favorite TV show?

Which films should have been included and weren't? Did we leave off any of your favorites? Were any shows on the list more influential than others? Tell us what you think