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

St. Elsewhere

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Physicians, heal thyselves: the story of St. Eligius, a Boston hospital of last resort for poor patients (hence its nickname) was important not so much for the diseases its doctors cured as the afflictions they suffered. Neither soap stars nor Welbyesque saints, Elsewhere's characters dealt with infidelity and moral crises; one was discovered to be a rapist, while another contracted AIDS. Elsewhere pioneered the quirky humor of modern dramedies, full of in-jokes and pop culture references (fictional TV doctors would sometimes be paged on Eligius' intercom). The loved-hated finale still divides fans; the entire series was revealed to take place in the imagination of the autistic son of Dr. Westphall (Ed Flanders), who turned out not to be a doctor at all. But it was a beautiful dream while it lasted.

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