There's a reason that comedy is making a comeback on television in recent seasons, and it was made very clear when People magazine partnered with ABC for a "20/20" special called "Best in TV: The Greatest TV Shows of Our Time." Every television series that found itself in the Top 5 on the list was a comedy. This despite there being a separate category for best comedies.
In fact, the special had plenty of categories, so it could honor all sorts of different shows. They looked at the tops for Best Comedy, Drama, Legal or Cop Show, Reality Show and Variety Show. They also touched on a few other categories like Best TV Mom, Host, and Non-Human Character.
But when it came to the Best TV Show of All Time, America said they wanted to laugh. The Top 5 counted down through "Cheers," "All in the Family" and "Seinfeld" before declaring "M*A*S*H" a close second. It's no surprise that Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz are still stealing the hearts of America as "I Love Lucy" sits atop this chart, and remains a staple on television stations across the nation.
Interestingly enough, in the Best TV Comedy category, "The Cosby Show" slipped in at #4, bumping "All in the Family" to #5 and "Cheers" off the list, while "Seinfeld" jumped above "M*A*S*H" to claim the #2 spot.
Complete List Of Honorees:
Best TV Drama
5) “Mad Men”
4) “The West Wing”
3) “The Sopranos”
2) “The Twilight Zone”
1) “E.R.”
Best Reality TV Show
5) “Deadliest Catch”
4) “The Amazing Race”
3) “Survivor”
2) “American Idol”
1) “Dancing With the Stars”
Best Cop or Legal Show
5) “Hill Street Blues”
4) “24”
3) “Columbo”
2) “Law & Order”
1) “Law & Order: SVU”
Best Variety Show
5) "The Ed Sullivan Show"
4) "American Bandstand"
3) "In Living Color"
2) "The Carol Burnett Show"
1) "Saturday Night Live"
Best TV Host
5) David Letterman
4) Carol Burnett
3) Oprah Winfrey
2) Ellen Degeneres
1) Johnny Carson
Best TV Mom
5) June Cleaver, “Leave it to Beaver”
4) Mrs. Cunningham, “Happy Days”
3) Marie, “Everybody Loves Raymond”
2) Carol Brady, “The Brady Bunch”
1) Claire Huxtable, “The Cosby Show”
Best Non-Human TV Character
5) Miss Piggy, “The Muppets”
4) Alf, “ALF”
3) Spock, “Star Trek”
2) Lassie, “Lassie”
1) Kermit the Frog, “The Muppets”
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