π‘ A while ago I came across some post on reddit where someone ranked the top-50 TV shows using aggregated ratings from multiple sources β and I got really inspired. Hats off to the original for the inspiration and idea.
After hundreds of hours of data transfer, I expanded the idea into a list of 100 must-see TV shows (no animation/documentaries), based on data from 20+ rating platforms like IMDb, Rotten Tomatoes, Metacritic, Letterboxd, TMDB, Kinopoisk, Douban, and more (full list below).
π The goal was to create a ranking thatβs as close to objective as possible by combining scores from diverse international platforms β to equally represent critics, casual viewers, and different cultural perspectives across many countries.
To ensure quality and avoid outliers, I only included shows with at least 25,000 IMDb ratings. I tried to make a list of series with a broader audience in mind, which is probably why older shows didnβt make the final top. They tend to get less attention and fewer ratings from modern viewers, though some definitely deserve an βHonorable Mention.β
(Youβll find the shows that almost made the cut listed at the bottom of the table.)*
Iβve thought about this a lot and eventually came to this conclusion: if I didnβt filter by popularity at all, the list might end up with a bunch of random series that got, say, 85 points from 100 people. Instead, I gave preference to shows that scored around 83 points but from 300+ people - a stronger consensus. But still series that scored 75 points from 10,000 people wouldnβt necessarily make the list just because of the volume
βοΈ To add some balance, I also included a popularity score as one of the metrics β but kept its weight relatively low (just 1 out of 25 metrics). This metric was only applied within the top-100 to give more popular series a slight edge in their final positioning, while still ensuring rating quality remained the primary factor. Even shows with below-average popularity scores (as low as 65 points) could still make the cut if their ratings were outstanding enough.
For any missing ratings β which happened when a show had no data on a specific site β I used the average rating of the top-140 shows on that platform. This ensured that underrated or lesser-known series werenβt unfairly penalized due to lack of data.
If youβre wondering why your favorite show didnβt make the list β 99% chance itβs because it scored lower across aggregated ratings or didnβt have enough ratings compared to top-100 shows. Thereβs a 1% chance I genuinely missed it somehow, but given how deep I went into this, thatβs pretty unlikely.
Hope youβll find this list interesting or maybe even discover a few new shows to watch. Would love to hear your thoughts!
π** [Sources used]**
IMDb, IMDb Episodes Rating (W2WTV and Ratingraph), TMDB, Metacritic, Kinopoisk, Rotten Tomatoes, Serializd, JustWatch, Filmaffinity, Reelgood, Criticker, TasteDive, Taste.io, Simkl, Trakt, TV Time, Allocine, Filmweb, Myshows, Douban
π Text version:
Click
Breaking Bad β 92.28
Chernobyl β 91.80
Band of Brothers β 90.76
The Wire β 90.40
The Sopranos β 90.28
Better Call Saul β 89.12
Game of Thrones β 88.88
Sherlock β 88.04
Fleabag β 87.40
Succession β 87.28
Severance β 87.16
Fargo β 86.80
Peaky Blinders β 86.76
The Office (2005) β 86.76
The Queen's Gambit β 86.44
Mindhunter β 86.44
The Pitt β 86.44
Dark β 86.24
Stranger Things β 85.92
Narcos β 85.88
When They See Us β 85.88
House M.D. β 85.80
ShΕgun (2024) β 85.68
Mad Men β 85.48
Mare of Easttown β 85.44
Twin Peaks β 85.40
Andor β 85.40
Freaks and Geeks β 85.32
Ted Lasso β 85.28
The Penguin β 85.24
Firefly β 85.24
The Boys β 84.96
The Haunting of Hill House β 84.92
Atlanta β 84.92
Friends β 84.84
Black Mirror β 84.76
Daredevil β 84.76
Big Little Lies β 84.64
The Last Kingdom β 84.64
Downton Abbey β 84.60
The Night Of β 84.56
Rome β 84.56
True Detective β 84.52
The Crown β 84.52
Boardwalk Empire β 84.52
Silicon Valley β 84.44
Hannibal β 84.36
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel β 84.36
Mr. Robot β 84.32
The Bear β 84.20
The Shield β 84.20
Six Feet Under β 84.16
Brooklyn Nine-Nine β 84.08
The Mandalorian β 83.96
Fallout β 83.92
Parks and Recreation β 83.88
This Is Us β 83.88
Broadchurch β 83.84
The Expanse β 83.80
Unbelievable β 83.80
Heartstopper β 83.76
The Last of Us β 83.68
Shameless (2011) β 83.68
The Pacific β 83.68
1883 β 83.68
What We Do in the Shadows β 83.64
Battlestar Galactica (2004) β 83.64
Sons of Anarchy β 83.56
Anne with an E β 83.56
Community β 83.40
Normal People β 83.36
Curb Your Enthusiasm β 83.32
Lost β 83.28
Black Bird β 83.28
Vikings β 83.24
It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia β 83.24
Slow Horses β 83.24
Dexter β 83.16
Modern Family β 83.08
Barry β 83.04
Peacemaker β 82.92
The Good Place β 82.80
Person of Interest β 82.80
The Leftovers β 82.80
Seinfeld β 82.68
Banshee β 82.64
Adolescence β 82.52
Orphan Black β 82.52
Maid β 82.52
Suits β 82.48
Fringe β 82.32
The Newsroom β 82.32
Doctor Who β 82.24
The IT Crowd β 82.20
House of Cards β 82.16
Ozark β 82.12
One Piece (2024) β 81.92
Yellowstone β 81.84
Scrubs β 81.76
Cobra Kai β 81.72
π Histogramma:
1986β1990: 2
1991β1995: 1
1995β2000: 2
2001β2005: 13
2006β2010: 13
2011β2015: 24
2016β2021: 30
2021β2025: 16
Honorable Mentions (Almost Made the Main List):
Pride and Prejudice (1995), Line of Duty, Happy Valley, The Twilight Zone (1959), The Chosen, Fawlty Towers, The Bridge (2011), It's Okay to Not Be Okay, Mr Inbetween, The Knick, Peep Show, Deadwood, Olive Kitteridge, SKAM (2015), The Americans, This Is Going to Hurt, Wayne, Oz, Justified, Halt and Catch Fire.
βοΈ If anyoneβs interested in what the ranking** would look like without any influence from popularity** (i.e. broader audience appeal), hereβs the list. Let me know if you think itβs better - maybe Iβll make this the main one.
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Breaking Bad β 92.00
Chernobyl β 91.63
Band of Brothers β 90.92
The Wire β 90.75
The Sopranos β 90.33
Better Call Saul β 88.88
Game of Thrones β 88.42
Sherlock β 87.67
Fleabag β 87.67
Succession β 87.29
The Pitt β 87.29
Severance β 87.13
Fargo β 86.75
The Office (2005) β 86.58
Peaky Blinders β 86.58
When They See Us β 86.50
Mindhunter β 86.46
The Queen's Gambit β 86.21
Freaks and Geeks β 86.13
Dark β 86.08
ShΕgun (2024) β 85.96
Narcos β 85.92
Pride and Prejudice β 85.83
Line of Duty β 85.79
Mare of Easttown β 85.71
House M.D. β 85.67
Atlanta β 85.63
Andor β 85.63
Happy Valley β 85.54
Firefly β 85.54
Twin Peaks β 85.50
The Penguin β 85.50
Stranger Things β 85.42
The Twilight Zone (1959) β 85.33
Ted Lasso β 85.29
Mad Men β 85.17
The Chosen β 85.17
The Last Kingdom β 85.13
Fawlty Towers β 85.13
Rome β 85.08
Downton Abbey β 85.04
The Shield β 85.00
Silicon Valley β 85.00
The Bridge β 85.00
Boardwalk Empire β 85.00
The Night Of β 85.00
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel β 84.88
The Haunting of Hill House β 84.88
Big Little Lies β 84.79
It's Okay to Not Be Okay β 84.75
The Crown β 84.71
Mr Inbetween β 84.71
Six Feet Under β 84.67
The Knick β 84.63
Peep Show β 84.63
Daredevil β 84.58
Deadwood β 84.58
The Boys β 84.54
Olive Kitteridge β 84.54
SKAM β 84.54
The Americans β 84.50
Friends β 84.46
Broadchurch β 84.46
This Is Going to Hurt β 84.46
Wayne β 84.42
Heartstopper β 84.38
Unbelievable β 84.38
Oz β 84.38
This Is Us β 84.33
1883 β 84.33
Black Mirror β 84.29
Justified β 84.29
The Bear β 84.29
Battlestar Galactica (2004) β 84.25
Hannibal β 84.25
The Pacific β 84.25
What We Do in the Shadows β 84.21
True Detective β 84.17
Anne with an E β 84.17
The Expanse β 84.17
Parks and Recreation β 84.13
Friday Night Lights β 84.13
Dopesick β 84.13
Mr. Robot β 84.08
Brooklyn Nine-Nine β 84.08
Curb Your Enthusiasm β 84.08
Slow Horses β 83.96
Pose β 83.96
Fallout β 83.92
Black Bird β 83.92
Halt and Catch Fire β 83.92
Normal People β 83.88
Shameless (2011) β 83.75
Gomorrah β 83.67
The Mandalorian β 83.58
It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia β 83.58
Sons of Anarchy β 83.58
The West Wing β 83.54
Community β 83.50
Louie β 83.50
If you have a Reddit account, could you share this list there? Iβve been unfairly blocked in my every new account, so I canβt post it myself. Iβd really appreciate it if more people could see this ranking! π
The title is misleading. This is a list of the top 100 best rated shows. I wouldn't call Friends a show everybody must tee before they die. Also not one Star Trek made it here.
Silicon Valley beat scrubs and seinfeld. It wasn't bad, but Scrubs and Seinfeld were masterpieces of the sitcom genre. They had significant cultural impact and were what people were talking about the next day. Silicon Valley was pretty good. I occasionally remember that I watched it, or most of it, idk if I finished because it didn't leave that level of impact.
Wait, I just noticed it has Dexter above the Good Place. What the actual fuck. Like I was a fan when Dexter was airing (until the last season when I stopped a few episodes in), but it was pretty good. The Good Place was one of the most impactful and well made television shows I've ever watched. I laughed, I cried, I thought, I craved shrimp, and years later I still reference it because of how good it is.
Better Call Saul AFTER Breaking Bad?? What is this chicanery???
Reasons BCS is superior to BB:
1.) no Skyler singing happy birthday scene
2.) see #1
Jokes aside BB is phenomenal don't get me wrong, but BCS goes so much deeper in character development, performances and world building. The top rated episode is rated as high as it is for a reason. I literally jumped in shock from it. I'll admit, when it was coming out up through the end of season 3, I felt it was a cash grab sequel and didn't vibe with it. I stopped watching for a few years until the hype around season 6 exploded online so I gave it another go and boy am I glad I did.
Look, plenty of these are fun but not important viewing. But a few certainly are. If you haven't seen Chernobyl or Band of Brothers, go see them for the history lessons they are.
Bonkers that curb your enthusiasm is so low on the list. And that's not the only bonkers aspect to the list... It's proof that popularity isn't a great metric.
I would throw out any series that isn't finished yet, those canceled before they got to finish and those finished but with a shitty ending (Game of Thrones, obviously).
Great list!
To be honest, I am surprised that The Expanse is so far down the list (59). I am going to check out the ones higher on the list that I have not watched yet. Thanks!
It would be interesting to see the ratings adjusted for age. Probably no great way to do that without skewing some other aspect but could be fun. Secretly I just want the data to skew so that TNG ends up on top.
The goal was to create a ranking thatβs as close to objective as possible by combining scores from diverse international platforms β to equally represent critics, casual viewers, and different cultural perspectives across many countries.
100% of the show's titles are english language? I highly doubt the "diversity" of platforms.
Watching some objectively bad shows makes you realize how braindead a lot of reviewers are. Especially with modern shows that have 40+ minute filler episodes that exist just because the streaming service wanted to stretch the season out to 10+ episodes.
There will be an episode that advances nothing except a cringey forced romance sideplot, and then all the imdb reviews will be like "5 stars, best thing I ever watched"
There are plenty of exceptions though! Breaking Bad was really good. Poker Face (not on the list, but it should be) is also good. Brooklyn 99 and Parks & Rec were good. WWDitS was good until right after the house flipping episode in season 3.
Lmao I'm glad I got my answer so I don't have to bother asking. Does DS9 or TNG make the list when you don't filter for general audiences because these are some of the most iconic shows out there even ~30 years after they stopped airing
My main feeling looking at this ranking gives is of a location, gender, and race bias in reviews and reviers. I can't really add sexuality to that because, really, there's not much media that takes it into account full stop.
Many of the favourites people are talking about in this thread have little appeal to others outside their own demographic. That's not a bad thing, but it does mean series like High Potential, Deadloch, or even classics like Fresh Prince, don't get a look in.
It's also ammunition for people who want to remove representation of women and minorities from popular culture.
There's a lot about this list I find silly, but nothing is sillier than recommending the live-action One Piece. Surely if the goal is to watch the best media, you'd want to watch the original anime, as opposed to the strange live-action remake? There's some serious recency bias prevalent throughout the list, but that has to be the most absurd example.
Some of these we have seen, some of them we want to but the vast majority we don't want to and thus think popularity of something is not a good metric of whether people should watch something.
We have watched tons of shows and movies, played lots of games etc, read lots of books and listened to lots of podcasts which were either universally slammed or complained a lot about by many people and we thoroughly enjoyed them.
Edit: Conversely we have seen/played/read/listened to some that were popular that we hated, even some on this list.
I like the list, though I think itβs a shame animation is essentially cut out. Iβd rank Pantheon, Arcane, Avatar well above, say, Person of Interest, as much as I like PoI.
Resisting the temptation to pile on, but a title change away from the cringey-redditbait-title into something like "100 most popular shows based on aggregated data" would: 1. more accurate 2. show the amount of effort put in and 3. emphasis that this is based on collected data and not a definitive list.
This is fantastic work but that cringe title and it's implications are really holding you back.
Yeah, sure, you better watch The Last of Us instead of The X-files. Thanks for the effort, truly appreciated, but in these times critics are mostly mercenaries and showrunners are cheaters.
BTW, I didn't see any animated series in the list? Am I correct?
I'd revise the methodology of each score. For example, if you used the Tomatometer of Rotten Tomatoes, I think a better rating tool is the Trusted critics score, which averages critics' rates instead of an all or nothing ratio.
I don't agree with a lot of these but that's how it usually goes. I'd change almost all of the top ten. Haunting of Hill House is so very good, and I'd rank Midnight Mass by the same team even higher.