Rather than our usual rant, we thought today we would pose a question. A question that has been pondered by many, but agreed upon by few. It’s a question of taste and personal preference. It’s a topic which can elicit passionate responses from all, which makes Two Cents the perfect forum for discussion.
What is the greatest TV show of all time?
Don Biluric of IMDB would have you believe it’s Lost… he’s an idiot. The New York Post has The Sopranos as number one while my mother disagrees with both and will argue until her last breath that it is undeniably A Country Practice. Like I said, there is very little consensus on the issue, but I believe if we have any hope of agreeing, we must first define what is meant by 'greatest'.
To me, a program's greatness must be measured by its cultural significance. What effect has it had on society, what is the scale of that effect and how has it shaped culture world-wide. While I realise that TV shows are created to entertain people and not necessarily to change the world, I believe the greatest shows have the power to do both.
When thinking about this post I asked many people their opinion and one of my favourite responses was David Attenborough’s Planet Earth. Shown in over 130 countries worldwide and more than five years in the making, Planet Earth is nothing short of a triumph, and to be honest it almost feels disrespectful calling it a 'TV show'. It is so much more than that, it’s a discovery, an education, a view into our world that we've never seen before. It just happened to use TV as its vehicle of choice. So ironically, for reasons of respect, Planet Earth doesn’t make my list.
Frighteningly, shows like X Factor and Idol were also frequently suggested. It’s hard to deny their overwhelming success in redefining a whole genre of television but whether that success has been for the greater good is questionable.
In recent years, reality TV as a whole has brought new lows to what we accept as viewable content but there have also been saviours on the other end on the spectrum. Boardwalk Empire, Mad Men and Game of Thrones have restored our faith in the intelligence of humanity.
While these are undoubtedly brilliant series, they are yet to stand the test of time, a test that truly reveals a program's greatness. Friends was a show that passed this test with flying colours, drawing in huge audience numbers for ten successive seasons. Seinfeld also lasted nine years on air and is often thought of amongst the best. In more recent times, TV shows have struggled to emulate this longevity, with even the most popular of programs fading out after five or six seasons. Perhaps this is more a reflection of our current society's susceptibility to boredom than a statement on programming quality.
There is however one show that has managed to defy the odds over the years, consistently performing and appealing to audiences both young and old, east and west. I’m, of course, talking about Two Cents’ choice for greatest show of all time: The Simpsons. From its catchy opening tune to its countless quotable phrases, no show in history has penetrated popular culture like The Simpsons has. For 25 years these yellow, four-fingered characters have captured the imagination of the world and I challenge anyone to name me a show that has influenced culture at the same scale and for as long as The Simspons has.
That being said, our top five are as follows:
1. The Simpsons
2. Seinfeld
3. Friends
4. Cakeboss
5. The Wonder Years (who wasn’t in love with Winnie Cooper growing up?)
No doubt there will be some disagreements, so please comment and let us know what you think should receive the number one spot and why.
Two Cents: The greatest show on earth
31 May 2012