Gilmore Girls
Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Friends
Parenthood
Sex and the City

1. Buffy the Vampire Slayer (it's still my favorite show by far)

2. Fawlty Towers (12 brilliantly hilarious episodes, more than most comedy shows manage to rack up in their 100+ episode runs)

3. The Golden Girls (I'm actually re-watching it for the third time now and it's amazing how current 90% of their themes still are. Also it's funny as hell).

4. The Good Wife (I've written multiple times how brilliant this show is.)

5. Les Revenants (this was the hardest spot, but I give it to The Returned. It's a great two season mystery with the best atmosphere I've ever seen on any show. The story is told in just enough episodes, there are no filler episodes. It's all about telling a dark supernatural story)

1. South Park
2. Futurama
3. Arrested Development
4. Seinfeld
5. Breaking Bad

Though another current drama might knock off BB when it concludes. I'll follow the rules and not name it, but it rhymes with Blame of Groans.

5. Battlestar Galactica
4. Six Feet Under
3. The Sopranos
2. Community
1. Once Upon A Time

I'd probably pick The Sopranos and Six Feet Under as the best shows of all time, but unlike film I'm fine ranking favorite a little different than best for this genre, as my adoration for the top 2 was helped by being a fan while they were airing

Not being able to mention any HMs burns

1. SEINFELD
2. I LOVE LUCY
3. XFILES
4. 24
5. ROSEANNE

I used to watch it as a kid in the 80s/early 90s and always loved it. Look forward to watching the series again.

Im also a big fan of Maude - the show that really launched Bea Arthur's career.

Unfortunately most people don't value comedies as highly as drama.

The Golden Girls is so good.

I have to admit I haven't seen it anymore since maybe a decade ago, but it was my favorite show in high school and that was a pretty good nostalgic time. Same for Lois & Clark, I remember those shows and times so vividly it's hard not to still give them credit now.

And Friday Night Lights that was a hard one to omit for me too. Any top 5 is never going to do justice to all the great series with characters I've gotten attached too.

Comedy is fun escapism, some of it's flat out funny (Arrested Development, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia) or also quite endearing (Friends) but I can never get sucked into that like with a drama.

Well, of course. Comedy doesn't work that way. Its intentions are different, but no less worthwhile or entertaining, and just as if not harder to make work.

Comedies have been represented decently in this thread.

For me I haven't "front to back" watched quite a few shows like Friends, Seinfeld, Frasier, The Larry Sanders Show, Curb, Roseanne, Golden Girls, The Office, etc. so it makes the options worse. I do love Arrested Development, Louie, The Mindy Project, Broad City for shows not on my list though

Great stuff to reminisce

http://besttv.theringer.com/

Seinfeld
Quantum Leap
Arrested Development
24
The Simpsons

There are really so many though. Fresh Prince, Hercules, Cheers, SVU, Leverage, Psych

1. South Park
2. Futurama
3. 30 Rock
4. Breaking Bad
5. Seinfeld

I've been going through 30 Rock again and laughing as much as ever. So much so that I feel comfortable bumping it above every other live action show. Arrested Development's somewhat weak fifth season made it easier to cut, but I still feel bad since seasons 1-4 (including the remix) are so so good.

I'd love to watch Louie. I feels like a classic in the waiting, but I still haven't been able to find them anywhere.

My top five hasn't really changed, although shows like Game of Thrones and Better Call Saul could definitely end up in 24's place someday, if one would include the god-awful spinoff/reboot/whatever 24: Legacy was.

The X-Files solidified itself as my top show of all time with a handful of excellent Season 11 episodes.