Since 1950, 28 series have been the highest rated show of the year. Numerous shows have been at the top for more than one season, and American Idol holds the record for most consecutive seasons with six. In this poll, I'm asking which top rated show is your favorite. There are a lot of good classics on the list, so it'll be interesting to see what gets the most votes!

Here are the choices:
Texaco Star Theater ('50-'51)
Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts ('51-'52)
I Love Lucy ('52-'55', '56-'57)
The $64,000 Question ('55-'56)
Gunsmoke ('57-'61)
Wagon Train ('61-'62)
The Beverly Hillbillies ('62-'64)
Bonanza ('64-'67)
The Andy Griffith Show ('67-'68)
Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In ('68-'70)
Marcus Welby, M.D. ('70-'71)
All in the Family ('71-'76)
Happy Days ('76-'77)
Laverne & Shirley ('77-'79)
60 Minutes ('79-'80, '82-'83, '91-'94)
Dallas ('80-'82, '83-'84)
Dynasty ('84-'85)
The Cosby Show ('85-'90)*
Roseanne ('89-90)*
Cheers ('90-'91)
Seinfeld ('94-'95, '97-'98)
ER ('95-'97, '98-'99)
Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? ('99-'00)
Survivor ('00-'01)
Friends ('01-'02)
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation ('02-'05)
American Idol ('05-'11)
NBC Sunday Night Football ('11-'12)


Number by Genre:
COMEDY - 11
DRAMA - 8
GAME SHOW - 2
NEWSMAGAZINE - 1
REALITY - 2
SPORTS - 1
VARIETY - 3

Number by Network:
ABC - 6
CBS - 11
FOX - 1
NBC - 10


*The Cosby Show and Roseanne tied for first during the 1989-1990 season.

My vote definitely goes to "Dallas". It ran for 13 seasons and never got boring.

Seinfeld for me!

Dallas

I voted for "All in the Family" (I love that picture of the original "Dallas" cast, though...really takes me back).

You can now participate in a tournament style voting to get your favorite to the end!

Just go here: http://tonightontv.blogspot.com/2012/07/which-top-rated-show-is-best-overall.html to see how.

And continue voting right here on SitcomsOnline!! :)

I voted for Seinfeld out of those shows. It was a close call though. It was between Seinfeld, Cheers, Roseanne, and sunday night football.

Sunday Night Football, actually any football trumps scripted shows for me. CSI or Andy Griffith would be my second/third choices.

It only trumps it for me if my team is playing. So, I couldn't pick it for just that. I do love football though.

Well since I don't believe the Cowboys won a Sunday Night football game last year, I couldn't vote for it. lol

My vote definitely goes to "Dallas". It ran for 13 seasons and never got boring.

Gotta agree with Dallas and it got my vote! The hot women sure made it easy to watch!

I cannot believe Laverne and Shirley was #1 for 3 years! It has not held up well as most people don't even know what that is!

I cannot believe Laverne and Shirley was #1 for 3 years! It has not held up well as most people don't even know what that is!

I would say that it's held up well and 5 seasons have been released so obviously a lot of people know what it is.

I would say that it's held up well and 5 seasons have been released so obviously a lot of people know what it is.

It's not been shown on the big networks for sitcom reruns, TV Land and Antenna TV.

It's not been shown on the big networks for sitcom reruns, TV Land and Antenna TV.
It's been on the Hub for a few years. I know before that it aired on one of my local channels.

L & S was #1 for 2 years 1977-78 and 1978-79.

It's been on the Hub for a few years. I know before that it aired on one of my local channels.

L & S was #1 for 2 years 1977-78 and 1978-79.

I thought it was all right but not good enough for #1. Like many shows it doesn't have appeal decades later.

I just can't believe 3's Company, The Jeffersons, Family Ties, and Fresh Prince were never #1! They were all stellar!

I thought it was all right but not good enough for #1. Like many shows it doesn't have appeal decades later.

I just can't believe 3's Company, The Jeffersons, Family Ties, and Fresh Prince were never #1! They were all stellar!
TC came close to #1 during 1978-79. It probably would have been but it ended it's season early so The Ropers could premiere.

Well since I don't believe the Cowboys won a Sunday Night football game last year, I couldn't vote for it. lol

Shouldn't we limit this to non - sports? The fact that SNF actually won just shows how bad sitcoms and dramas have become!

Even MNF never won back when there were only 3 or 4 networks!

The highest The Fresh Prince of Bel Air ever went was #14 during the 1992-1993 season. It's interesting to see that some shows are still popular today despite never reaching number one.

Family Ties hit #2 two seasons in a row, but could never make it to #1.

The highest The Fresh Prince of Bel Air ever went was #14 during the 1992-1993 season. It's interesting to see that some shows are still popular today despite never reaching number one.

Family Ties hit #2 two seasons in a row, but could never make it to #1.

Wow! I would've thought FP was a top 10 show! It's quite popular in syndication while FT really isn't.

I'm surprised M*A*S*H was never the highest rated show, I know it had a record breaking finale.

my top 10 from the winner's circle
1. I Love Lucy
2. Happy Days
3. The Andy Griffith Show
4. Cheers
5. Seinfeld
6. Laverne & Shirley
7. The Beverly Hillbillies
8. Who Wants to be a Millionaire?
9. The Cosby Show
10. CSI: Crime Scene Investigation

I'm surprised M*A*S*H was never the highest rated show, I know it had a record breaking finale.
The highest M*A*S*H ever went was #3, and that was in its final season; it was behind 60 Minutes and Dallas. It's hard to believe, but M*A*S*H finished at #46 in its first season! After that, it never finished below #15 and had nine of its eleven seasons finish in the top 10.

my top 10 from the winner's circle
1. I Love Lucy
2. Happy Days
3. The Andy Griffith Show
4. Cheers
5. Seinfeld
6. Laverne & Shirley
7. The Beverly Hillbillies
8. Who Wants to be a Millionaire?
9. The Cosby Show
10. CSI: Crime Scene Investigation

Happy Days was cute but never saw it as being THAT funny although better than L&S. I never did get the popularity of the Cosby Show since it was never that funny.

I never cared for Cheers, Seinfeld, or Friends either.

John Ritter took Lucille Ball's physical comedy and perfected it in TC.

A lot of ties, and (not surprisingly) no votes for American Idol. :lol:

Keep voting...thanks!

A lot of ties, and (not surprisingly) no votes for American Idol. :lol:

Keep voting...thanks!

LOL...to this day I've never seen a single episode of that show! It's just a glorified karoke competition!

American Idol has to be the worst-ever holder of the title of the most watched (#1) U.S. primetime series in the Nielsen Ratings. It has held onto the crown for too long and it is the most overrated.

Since 1950, 28 series have been the highest rated show of the year. Numerous shows have been at the top for more than one season, and American Idol holds the record for most consecutive seasons with six. In this poll, I'm asking which top rated show is your favorite. There are a lot of good classics on the list, so it'll be interesting to see what gets the most votes!

Here are the choices:
Texaco Star Theater ('50-'51)
Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts ('51-'52)
I Love Lucy ('52-'55', '56-'57)
The $64,000 Question ('55-'56)
Gunsmoke ('57-'61)
Wagon Train ('61-'62)
The Beverly Hillbillies ('62-'64)
Bonanza ('64-'67)
The Andy Griffith Show ('67-'68)
Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In ('68-'70)
Marcus Welby, M.D. ('70-'71)
All in the Family ('71-'76)
Happy Days ('76-'77)
Laverne & Shirley ('77-'79)
60 Minutes ('79-'80, '82-'83, '91-'94)
Dallas ('80-'82, '83-'84)
Dynasty ('84-'85)
The Cosby Show ('85-'90)*
Roseanne ('89-90)*
Cheers ('90-'91)
Seinfeld ('94-'95, '97-'98)
ER ('95-'97, '98-'99)
Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? ('99-'00)
Survivor ('00-'01)
Friends ('01-'02)
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation ('02-'05)
American Idol ('05-'11)
NBC Sunday Night Football ('11-'12)


Number by Genre:
COMEDY - 11
DRAMA - 8
GAME SHOW - 2
NEWSMAGAZINE - 1
REALITY - 2
SPORTS - 1
VARIETY - 3

Number by Network:
ABC - 6
CBS - 11
FOX - 1
NBC - 10


*The Cosby Show and Roseanne tied for first during the 1989-1990 season.
Three's Company was Number 1 Rated(Highest) Television show in the 1878-1979 Season.

American Idol has to be the worst-ever holder of the title of the most watched (#1) U.S. primetime series in the Nielsen Ratings. It has held onto the crown for too long and it is the most overrated.

It just goes to show you how horrible shows on TV are that crap like idol can keep winning!

Three's Company was Number 1 Rated(Highest) Television show in the 1878-1979 Season.
See, I have mixed information on that. I had two sites tell me it was #1, yet I had three sites tell me it wasn't #1. In the end, I went with the information that looked more reliable to me. However, it very well could have been number one.

Anyways, ROUND TWO OF THE TOURNAMENT is now open. Take a look at who moved forward and VOTE!! http://tonightontv.blogspot.com/2012/07/which-top-rated-show-is-best-overall_24.html

See, I have mixed information on that. I had two sites tell me it was #1, yet I had three sites tell me it wasn't #1. In the end, I went with the information that looked more reliable to me. However, it very well could have been number one.

Anyways, ROUND TWO OF THE TOURNAMENT is now open. Take a look at who moved forward and VOTE!! http://tonightontv.blogspot.com/2012/07/which-top-rated-show-is-best-overall_24.html
L & S had a 30.5 rating
TC had a 30.3 rating

Very close. I've seen TC mentioned on some sites as being #1 but all the time before I had the internet, I always heard that L & S was #1. That includes a bunch of tv books.

L & S had a 30.5 rating
TC had a 30.3 rating

Very close. I've seen TC mentioned on some sites as being #1 but all the time before I had the internet, I always heard that L & S was #1. That includes a bunch of tv books.
And those tv books were the ones I followed along with. Hard to believe it was THAT close though! :eek:

Quote:
Originally Posted by USATVFAN
Three's Company was Number 1 Rated(Highest) Television show in the 1878-1979 Season.

Quote:
Originally Posted by yankeesrj12
See, I have mixed information on that. I had two sites tell me it was #1, yet I had three sites tell me it wasn't #1. In the end, I went with the information that looked more reliable to me. However, it very well could have been number one.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Stuck In The '70's
L & S had a 30.5 rating
TC had a 30.3 rating

Very close. I've seen TC mentioned on some sites as being #1 but all the time before I had the internet, I always heard that L & S was #1. That includes a bunch of tv books.
I have 'Laverne & Shirley' first at 32.0HH, 'Happy Days' second at 30.7HH and 'Three's Company' third at 28.3HH.

My choice for all-time favourite number one show was 'I Love Lucy'...after all these years, I can still watch almost any episode of that series and enjoy it as much (or more) than the many times I've seen it before. The only other series on the list with such durability for me over the years would be 'The Andy Griffith Show' and 'Cheers'.

Thanks for the data, DuMont!

By the way everyone, here is the link to vote: http://www.quibblo.com/quiz/h7lAPKO/Best-Show?view_quiz=1

I thought Family Ties was ranked #1 during one of it's seven seasons (1982-1989).

From that list I voted for Cheers.

It was ranked number 2 twice. Probably should of been number 1 though.

how about
the jerffesons
mamas famiy
sanord and son

otheri i can think of is
the wonder years
boy meets world
step by step
family matters
mork&mindy
night court

newer shows
smallvile

I thought Family Ties was ranked #1 during one of it's seven seasons (1982-1989).

From that list I voted for Cheers.
It came close, but never reached number one.

Just of note, in the bracket tournament, FINAL FOUR voting ends soon, get those votes in by voting here: http://www.quibblo.com/quiz/hawKtvw/Best-Show .