TV Guide's 50 Greatest Dramas of All Time
This list is of best dramas in television history based on critical reception, diversity, numerous accolades and cultural influence. Excluding those with mixed, negative or panned critical reception, derived mostly from films and those with less than two seasons. No specific ranking.
--2010s
MadMen
BreakingBad
Dexter
GameofThrones
TheGoodWife
Grey'Anatomy
Homeland
--2010s
MadMen
BreakingBad
Dexter
GameofThrones
TheGoodWife
Grey'Anatomy
Homeland
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50 titles
- CreatorSteven BochcoMichael KozollStarsDaniel J. TravantiMichael WarrenBruce WeitzThe lives and work of the staff of an inner city police precinct.
- CreatorDavid ChaseStarsJames GandolfiniLorraine BraccoEdie FalcoNew Jersey mob boss Tony Soprano deals with personal and professional issues in his home and business life that affect his mental state, leading him to seek professional psychiatric counseling.
- CreatorRod SerlingStarsRod SerlingRobert McCordJay OverholtsOrdinary people find themselves in extraordinarily astounding situations, which they each try to solve in a remarkable manner.
- CreatorDavid SimonStarsDominic WestLance ReddickSonja SohnThe Baltimore drug scene, as seen through the eyes of drug dealers and law enforcement.
- CreatorAaron SorkinStarsMartin SheenRob LoweAllison JanneyInside the lives of staffers in the West Wing of the White House.
- CreatorReginald RoseStarsE.G. MarshallRobert ReedPolly RowlesA father and son lawyer duo take a variety of cases that often deal with the important issues of the day.
- CreatorMichael CrichtonStarsAnthony EdwardsGeorge ClooneyJulianna MarguliesThe doctors who work in the ER at the County General Hospital in Chicago grapple with ups and downs in their personal and professional lives while trying to give apt medical care to their patients.
- CreatorMarshall HerskovitzEdward ZwickStarsTimothy BusfieldPolly DraperMel HarrisSeven tricenarians living in Philadelphia struggle with everyday adult angst.
- CreatorDavid DortortFred HamiltonStarsLorne GreeneMichael LandonDan BlockerThe Wild West adventures of Ben Cartwright and his sons as they run and defend their Nevada ranch while helping the surrounding community.
- CreatorJoss WhedonStarsSarah Michelle GellarNicholas BrendonAlyson HanniganA young woman, destined to slay vampires, demons and other infernal creatures, deals with her life fighting evil, with the help of her friends.
- CreatorBarbara AvedonBarbara CordayStarsTyne DalySharon GlessAl WaxmanTwo female police detectives cooperate with each other both in their professions and in their personal lives.
- CreatorJohn Sacret YoungWilliam Broyles Jr.StarsDana DelanyMarg HelgenbergerBrian WimmerThe trials of a weary nurse, her friends and colleagues in a Vietnam War field hospital.
- CreatorRichard LevinsonWilliam LinkStarsPeter FalkMike LallyJohn FinneganLos Angeles homicide detective Lieutenant Columbo uses his humble ways and ingenuous demeanor to winkle out even the most well-concealed of crimes.
- CreatorDavid JacobsStarsLarry HagmanKen KerchevalPatrick DuffyJ.R. Ewing, a Texas oil baron, uses manipulation and blackmail to achieve his ambitions, both business and personal. He often comes into conflict with his brother Bobby, his arch-enemy Cliff Barnes and his long-suffering wife Sue Ellen.
- CreatorRoy HugginsStarsDavid JanssenWilliam ConradBarry MorseA doctor, wrongly convicted for a murder he didn't commit, escapes custody and must stay ahead of the police to find the real killer.
- CreatorCharles Marquis WarrenClyde WareStarsJames ArnessMilburn StoneAmanda BlakeMarshal Matt Dillon keeps the peace in rough-and-tumble Dodge City.
- CreatorPaul AttanasioStarsRichard BelzerClark JohnsonYaphet KottoAn American police procedural television series chronicling the work of a fictional version of the Baltimore Police Department's Homicide Unit.
- CreatorDavid ShoreStarsHugh LaurieOmar EppsRobert Sean LeonardUsing a crack team of doctors and his wits, an antisocial maverick doctor specializing in diagnostic medicine does whatever it takes to solve puzzling cases that come his way.!
- CreatorAbby MannStarsTelly SavalasDan FrazerKevin DobsonA bald, lollipop sucking police detective with a fiery righteous attitude battles crime in his city.
- CreatorSteven BochcoTerry Louise FisherStarsCorbin BernsenJill EikenberryAlan RachinsThe lives and work of the staff of a major Los Angeles law firm.
- CreatorDick WolfRick EidStarsJerry OrbachJesse L. MartinDennis FarinaNew York's finest police detectives and prosecutors fight to make the city a safer place. With integrity as the guiding force from investigation to verdict, the teams weigh every perspective in their commitment to finding justice.
- CreatorJ.J. AbramsJeffrey LieberDamon LindelofStarsJorge GarciaJosh HollowayYunjin KimThe survivors of a plane crash are forced to work together in order to survive on a seemingly deserted tropical island.
- CreatorDonald P. BellisarioGlen A. LarsonStarsTom SelleckJohn HillermanRoger E. MosleyThe adventures of a Hawaii-based private investigator.
- CreatorAnthony YerkovichStarsDon JohnsonPhilip Michael ThomasSaundra Santiago-Resplendent with authentic 1980s music, fashion, and vibe, "Miami Vice" follows two undercover detectives and their extended team through the mean streets of Miami, Florida.
- CreatorBruce GellerStarsPeter GravesBarbara BainGreg MorrisAn elite covert operations unit carries out highly sensitive missions subject to official denial in the event of failure, death or capture.
- CreatorGlenn Gordon CaronStarsCybill ShepherdBruce WillisAllyce BeasleyThe quirky cases of a former model and a smart aleck detective who manage a private detective agency.
- CreatorJoshua BrandJohn FalseyStarsRob MorrowJanine TurnerBarry CorbinA city doctor is forced to work in the remote Alaskan town of Cicely, where he encounters peculiar locals, including a former astronaut, as he adjusts to small-town life.
- CreatorSteven BochcoDavid MilchStarsDennis FranzJimmy SmitsGordon ClappDetectives from NYPD's 15th Precinct investigate homicides within their precinct.
- CreatorDavid E. KelleyStarsDylan McDermottKelli WilliamsLara Flynn BoyleWe follow the exploits and cases of defense attorneys of a Boston law firm. Bobby Donnell is the senior defense attorney and founder of the firm.
- CreatorDenis LearyPeter TolanStarsDenis LearyMichael LombardiSteven PasqualeTommy Gavin deals with the fears of his job as a firefighter and seeing his ex-wife dating other men.
- CreatorStephen J. CannellRoy HugginsStarsJames GarnerNoah Beery Jr.Joe SantosThe cases of an easy-going ex-convict turned private investigator.
- CreatorJoshua BrandJohn FalseyJohn MasiusStarsEd Begley Jr.Howie MandelDavid MorseThe lives and work of the staff of St. Eligius Hospital, an old and disrespected Boston teaching hospital.
- CreatorShawn RyanStarsMichael ChiklisCatherine DentWalton GogginsDrama series following the lives and cases of dirty cop Vic Mackey and the corrupt LAPD unit under his command.
- CreatorAlan BallStarsPeter KrauseMichael C. HallFrances ConroyA chronicle of the lives of a dysfunctional family who run an independent funeral home in Los Angeles.
- CreatorGene RoddenberryStarsWilliam ShatnerLeonard NimoyDeForest KelleyIn the 23rd Century, Captain James T. Kirk and the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise explore the galaxy and defend the United Federation of Planets.
- CreatorEarl Hamner Jr.StarsJon WalmsleyMary Beth McDonoughEric ScottThe life and trials of a 1930s and 1940s Virginia mountain family through financial depression and World War II.
- CreatorChris CarterStarsDavid DuchovnyGillian AndersonMitch PileggiTwo F.B.I. Agents, Fox Mulder the believer and Dana Scully the skeptic, investigate the strange and unexplained, while hidden forces work to impede their efforts.
- CreatorStirling SilliphantHerbert B. LeonardStarsMartin MilnerGeorge MaharisGlenn CorbettThe adventures of two young drifters across America.replaces Masterpiece Classic
- StarsVic MorrowRick JasonPierre JalbertCombat!, a one-hour World War II drama series, followed a front line American infantry squad as they battled their way across Europereplaces Battlestar Galactica
- CreatorJames BuxbaumStarsLloyd BridgesKen DrakeCourtney BrownMike Nelson is a scuba diver in the days when it was still very new. He works alone, it was mostly carried through his voice-over narrations. These gave the show a flavor of a radio program.replaces CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
- CreatorJames E. MoserStarsVince EdwardsSam JaffeHarry LandersGritty realistic hospital drama featuring manly Dr. Casey against the medical establishment, at first, under the watchful eye of Dr. Zorba, and later under the thumb of Chief of Surgery Dr. Freeland.replaces Family
- CreatorHerb MeadowSam RolfeStarsRichard BooneKam TongHal NeedhamThe adventures of a gentlemanly gunfighter-for-hire.replaces Freaks and Geeks
- StarsSteve McQueenWright KingOlan SouleA Civil War veteran with a sawed-off rifle as a holstered weapon makes a living as a bounty hunter in the Wild West of the 1870s.replaces Friday Night Lights
- CreatorCharles Marquis WarrenStarsClint EastwoodPaul BrinegarSteve RainesGil Favor is trail boss of a continuous cattle drive. He is assisted by Rowdy Yates. The crew runs into characters and adventures along the way.replaces I'll Fly Away
- CreatorErle Stanley GardnerStarsRaymond BurrBarbara HaleWilliam HopperThe trials of a master criminal defense attorney handling the most difficult cases in support of the innocent.replaces Lou Grant
- StarsLoretta YoungJohn Milton KennedyJohn NewlandA drama anthology series hosted by actress Loretta Young. In addition to hosting the series, she played the lead in various episodes.replaces My So-Called Life
- StarsLee MarvinPaul NewlanGail KobeThe hard-hitting adventures of tough Lieutenant Frank Ballinger, a member of the Chicago Police Department's M Squad, an elite crime-fighting unit.replaces NCIS
- StarsRobert StackWalter WinchellNicholas GeorgiadeSpecial Agent Eliot Ness and his elite team of incorruptable agents battle organized crime in 1930s Chicago.replaces Twin Peaks
- CreatorBruce GellerRichard LevinsonWilliam LinkStarsMike ConnorsGail FisherWard WoodPrivate detective Joe Mannix uses force to solve crimes.replaces Wiseguy
- CreatorRob ThomasStarsKristen BellJason DohringEnrico ColantoniAfter her best friend is murdered, and her father is removed as county Sheriff, Veronica Mars dedicates her life to cracking the toughest mysteries in the affluent town of Neptune.replaces 24