The 100 Best TV Shows of All-TIME

N - S

Sex and the City

Article Tools

The Naked City, indeed. This HBO comedy, based on the columns of Candace Bushnell, divided women into four archetypes: preppy Charlotte, sardonic Miranda, assertive (in and out of bed) Samantha and neurotic narrator Carrie. In truth, there was always more talking than headboard bumping on SATC, and that was always the point. You came for the—well, coming—and you stayed for the banter, the analysis of what society expects from single (and married) women, the Big-vs.-Aidan arguments and the friendship. Contrasting the glamour of upscale Manhattan life with the mundane hard work of committing and coupling, SATC, struck the right balance of fantasy and realism—just like a good relationship.

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