The 100 Best TV Shows of All-TIME

N - S

The Price Is Right

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
Article Tools
Print
Sphere
RSS

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?

View the full list for "The 100 Best TV Shows of All-TIME"
Next: Prime Suspect >>

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

Blogs

Tuned In

TIME's TV critic James Poniewozik blogs daily on all visual media. Join the discussion here

A - F

From Abbott and Costello to Friends

G - M

From General Hospital to Mystery Science Theater 3000

N - S

From The Odd Couple to Survivor

T - Z

From Taxi to Your Show of Shows

100 Best Movies

Presenting the 100 best films as chosen by TIME's movie critics Richard Corliss and Richard Schickel

All-TIME 100 Albums

A list of the greatest and most influential records ever by Josh Tyrangiel and Alan Light

100 Best Novels

TIME critics Lev Grossman and Richard Lacayo pick the 100 best English-language novels from 1923 to the present

Most Popular »

Full List »
  1. The State of Hillary: A Mixed Record on the Job
  2. Powerhouse Priests Spar Over What it Means to Be Catholic
  3. Are You Getting Scammed by Facebook Games?
  4. The Ft. Hood Hero: Who is Kimberly Munley?
  5. Hunting for Tuna: The Environmental Peril Grows
  6. The Meaning of Manny Pacquiao
  7. Indie Film Shakeout: There Will Be Blood
  8. Troubles for a Deal — and for Obama — in Honduras
  9. The Quicksilver Mess
  10. Is the Dollar Dying a Slow Death?
  1. Powerhouse Priests Spar Over What it Means to Be Catholic
  2. Are You Getting Scammed by Facebook Games?
  3. The State of Hillary: A Mixed Record on the Job
  4. The Ft. Hood Hero: Who is Kimberly Munley?
  5. Hunting for Tuna: The Environmental Peril Grows
  6. The Meaning of Manny Pacquiao
  7. Indie Film Shakeout: There Will Be Blood
  8. Is the Dollar Dying a Slow Death?
  9. To Help The Kids, Parents Go Back to School
  10. The Secrets Inside Your Dog's Mind