best TV series of all time

Best TV Series M-Z 📺

Best TV Series & Shows M-Z 📺 Classic Television List

What is the best TV Series of all time? When did TV series first air and how many episodes were there? This sortable list of popular Television Shows on British and American TV Networks makes it easy to find out.

  • Best TV series compiled by Robert Junker, last updated 16 Feb 2021.

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Best TV Series M-Z Genre/s Episodes First aired Country Synopsis 📺 TV Show Creators, Actors & Roles
Magnum, P.I. Cop drama 161 1980-1981 🇺🇸 USA The life and adventures of Thomas Magnum, a private investigator, based in Hawaii.
  • Concept: Donald Bellisario, Glen Larson.
  • Actors: Thomas Magnum (Tom Selleck), Jonathan Higgins III. (John Hillerman), TC Calvin (R. Mosley), “Rick” Wright (Larry Manetti), Carol Baldwin (K. Lloyd).
Married with Children Sitcom 259 1987-1997 🇺🇸 USA Fictional comedy surrounding a dysfunctional family set in a Chicago suburb.
  • Concept: Michael Moye, Ron Leavitt.
  • Actors: Al Bundy (Ed O’Neill), Peggy (Katey Sagal), “dumb blonde” Kelly (Christina Applegate), Bud (David Faustino), Marcy (Amanda Bearse).
Miami Vice Cop drama 113 1984-1989 🇺🇸 USA Adventures centered around two Miami vice squad detectives.
  • Concept: Anthony Yerkovitch.
  • Actors: “Sonny” Crockett (Don Johnson), Ricardo Tubbs (Philip Thomas).
Nanny, The Sitcom 146 1993-1999 🇺🇸 USA Romantic comedy centered around nanny to three children of a rich British widower.
  • Concept: Peter Jacobson, Fran Drescher.
  • Director : Fran Fine (Fran Drescher), Maxwell Sheffield (Charles Shaughnessy), Maggie (Nicholle Tom), Gracie (Madeline Zima), Brighton (Benjamin Salisbury).
Quincy, M.E. Medical drama 148 1976-1983 🇺🇸 USA Adventures centered around medical examiner Dr Quincy set in Los Angeles.
  • Concept: Glen Larson, Lou Shaw.
  • Actors: Dr. Quincy (Jack Klugman), Lt. Frank Monahan (Garry Walberg), Detective Brill (Joseph Roman), Sam Fujiyama (Robert Ito), Lee Potter (Lynette Mettey).
Remington Steele Crime comedy drama 94 1982-1987 🇺🇸 USA Cases of female private detective Laura Holt who invents Remington Steele then partners with an ex-con who assumes the role.
  • Concept: Robert Butler, Michael Gleason.
  • Actors: Remington (Pierce Brosnan), Laura Holt (St. Zimbalist).
Sex and the City Rom sitcom 94 1998-2004 🇺🇸 USA Live and adventures of four single women based in New York in the 90s. One of the best TV series.
  • Concept: Darren Star.
  • Actors: Carrie Bradshaw (Sarah Jessica Parker), Samantha Jones (Kim Cattrall), Charlotte York McDougal (Kristin Davis), Miranda Hobbes (Cynthia Nixon), Mr. Big (Chris Noth).
Smallville Sci-fi drama 218 2001-2011 🇺🇸 USA Teenage adventures of superhero Clarke Kent (Superman) based in fictional town of Smallville, Kansas, USA.
  • Concept: Miles Millar, Alfred Gough.
  • Actors: Clark Kent (Tom Welling), Jonathan (John Schneider), Martha (Annette O’Toole), Pete Ross (Sam Jones III.), Chloe Sullivan (Allison Mack).
Star Trek Sci-fi drama 79 1966-1969 🇺🇸 USA Adventures of USS Enterprise starship and its crew set several hundred years in the future. One of the best TV series of all-time.
  • Concept: Gene Roddenberry.
  • Director : Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner), Mr. Spock (Leonard Nimoy), “Bones” McCoy (DeForest Kelley), “Scotty” (James Doohan), Nyota Uhura (Nichelle Nichols).
Star Trek TNG (Next Generation) Sci-fi drama 178 1987-1994 🇺🇸 USA Adventures of the new starship Enterprise set in the Milky way galaxy set around seventy years after the original series.
  • Concept: Gene Roddenberry.
  • Actors: Jean -Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart), William Riker (Jonathan Frakes), Data (Brent Spiner), Geordi LaForge (LeVar Burton), Klingon Worf (Michael Dorn).
Stargate SG-1 Sci-fi drama 214 1997-2006 USA / Canada Adventures of military team that travels through stargates to alien worlds across the universe.
  • Concept: Brad Wright, Jonathan Glassner.
  • Actors: Colonel Jack O’Neill (Richard Anderson), Samantha Carter (Amanda Tapping), Teal’c (Christopher Judge), Dr. Daniel Jackson (Michael Shanks).
Starsky & Hutch Cop drama 93 1975-1979 🇺🇸 USA Adventures of detectives David Michael Starsky and Kenneth “Hutch” Hutchinson set in fictional Bay City, California, USA.
  • Concept: William Blinn.
  • Actors: Dave Starsky (Paul Michael Glaser), Ken Hutchinson (David Soul), Huggy Bear (Antonio Fargas), Captain Harold Dobey (Bernie Hamilton).
Tarzan Fantasy jungle adventure 57 1966-2002 🇺🇸 USA Jungle adventure. Many films before various TV series from 1966. Tarzan fled “civilization” to return to the jungle where he had been raised by apes. Loved for his ululating yell “Aaaah Aaaaaah AaAaAa aaaah!”. Swinging through the jungle accompanied by Jane or Cheeta the mischievous chimpanzee.
  • Concept: Edgar Rice Burroughs.
  • Author: Tarzan series of 25 books between 1912-1946.
  • Actors: Ron Ely, Johnny Weissmuller, Miles O’Keefe, Tony Goldwyn, Christopher Lambert (Tarzan). Maureen O’Sullivan Bo Derek, Andie MacDowell (Jane). Plus many animals.
The Streets of San Francisco
 Cop drama 119 1972-1977 🇺🇸 USA Cases of pair of police detectives set in San Francisco in the seventies.
  • Director: Edward Hume.
  • Author: Carolyn Weston.
  • Actors: Mike Stone (Karl Malden), Steve Heller (Michael Douglas), Lt. Lessing (Lee Harris), Dan Robbins (Richard Hatch) and daughter Jean (Darleen Carr).
The Rockford Files Crime drama 123 1974-1980 🇺🇸 USA Cases of private investigator Jim Rockford set in Los Angeles in the late seventies.
  • Concept: Roy Huggins, Stephen Cannell.
  • Actors: Jim Rockford (James Garner), father “Rocky” Rockford (Noah Beery Jr.), “Angel” Martin (Stuart Margolin) and lawyer Beth Davenport (Gretchen Corbett).
The X-Files Sci-fi horror drama 202 in 9 seasons 1993-2002 🇺🇸 USA Cases of FBI agents Fox Mulder and Dana Scully (believer and skeptic) who investigate strange and unexplained events. One of the best TV series.
  • Concept: Chris Carter.
  • Music: Mark Snow.
  • Actors: Fox Mulder (David Duchovny), Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson), Walter Skinner (Mitch Pileggi) and Monica Reyes (Annabeth Gish).
Upstairs, Downstairs Drama 52 1972-1975 🇬🇧 UK The lives of servants (downstairs) and family of their masters (upstairs) set in London around World War I.
  • Concept: Jean Marsh, Eileen Atkins.
  • Actors: Lord Richard Bellamy (David Langton), Lady Marjorie (Rachel Gurney) Elizabeth (Nicola Pagett), James (Simon Williams) and butler Mr. Hudson (Gordon Jackson).
The Virginian (The Men From Shiloh) Western drama 171 1962-1971 🇺🇸 USA The story of “The Virginian”, the foreman of a ranch in Wyoming set in the late 19th century.
  • Author: Owen Wister.
  • Director: Charles Marquis Warren.
  • Actors: Virginian (James Drury), Trampas (D. McClure), Judge Henry Garth (Lee Cobb), Betsy (R. Shore), Randy (R. Boone) and Jennifer (Diane Red).
The Waltons Family drama 221 1972-1981 🇺🇸 USA The lives and times of the Walton family set in rural Virginia between 1933 and 1946.
  • Concept: Earl Hamner.
  • Actors: John Walton (Ralph Waite), Mrs. Olivia (M. Learned), John -Boy (Richard Thomas R. Wightman later), Mary Ellen (Judy Norton-Taylor), Jim-Bob (David Harper), Ben (Eric Scott), Erin (Mary Elizabeth McDonough), Jason (Jon Walmsley) and Elizabeth (Kami Cotler).
See also: ▶️ TV Series A-E | ⏩ Top TV Series F-L | 🔀 All X Factor & BGT Winners…

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