The 100 Best TV Shows of All-TIME

"First, I apologize. I know I left some of your favorite shows off this list. How do I know that? Because I left some of my favorite shows off this list. The happy and unfortunate fact is that there are far more than 100 great shows, and more created every year. Lists are incredibly important: they are how we define what matters to us, what we want entertainment and art to do, what we expect of our culture."
TIME TV critic James Poniewozik

Bob Barker poses with a cake at the taping of the 35th season premiere of The Price Is Right at CBS Television studios August 31, 2006 in Los Angeles, California.

Michael Buckner / Getty
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Much-loved but less respected than brainiac quiz shows like Jeopardy! and Twenty-One, TPIR has earned its longevity by making the skills of everyday consumer life into entertainment. The show's contestants aren't held up as smarter than the home viewer—they are the home viewer, excitability, comfortable T-shirts and all. The show's populism extended to its recently retired host Bob Barker, who was so much more accessible—literally, letting contestants hug and paw him—than the lectern-ensconced hosts of other game shows. How can you put an actual retail price on that?

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