Not only did star Patrick Stewart elevate the series, and the genre, with his Shakespearean-trained approach, but Next Gen’s continued mining of the vast Star Trek universe for thought-provoking, exciting, and often relevant to the here and now stories mirrored and sometimes outmatched The Original Series. And while many fans eyed Captain Picard and his crew warily at first - and rightfully so considering the series’ first couple of shaky years - this new take on the voyage of the starship Enterprise eventually earned its own place among great sci-fi television. Star Trek was already legendary and iconic by the time the first spin-off series, The Next Generation, arrived in 1987. Is it beautiful? Well-written and acted? Does it feel like must-see TV?

Finally, of course, our most important consideration was pure excellence.

Questions the panel considered about each show include: How influential was it? How well has it aged? Did the show have ongoing cultural significance?.These are the top 100 TV shows of all time. And our course it’s nearly impossible to overstate the importance and influence of greats like I Love Lucy and The Andy Griffith Show.īut which are the best of the best? Which have shows were so far ahead of their time and so immaculately made that they stand apart, demanding recognition? IGN’s TV addicts put out heads together to find out.

‘90s shows like The West Wing or The X-Files feel just as entertaining and relevant today as they did when they debuted. There may be more great television on the air now than ever before, but the truth is that television has always been a fantastic way to tell thoughtful, slow-burn character stories, or to slowly unfurl a tightly-wound mystery.

Even “genre” TV has been elevated to new heights thanks to gorgeous and vivid shows like Lost and Game of Thrones. Sharp and subversive comedies like Arrested Development and Parks and Recreation are fantastic to binge watch. Dramas like Breaking Bad and The Wire have kept us on the edge of our seats. We’ve been enjoying a Golden Age of Television for well over a decade now, and it’s been absolutely epic.

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