20 classic TV shows that still hold up

To this day, The West Wing  remains one of Aaron Sorkin’s most well-known and beloved series, and it’s easy to see why. Its entire ethos is based on the belief that those who serve in government really do have the best interests of the people at heart. This makes it feel like a balm in the present troubled age, when it seems as if no one can agree on the purpose of government and when society itself feels eternally caught up in conflict. The show is a reminder that there are other ways of doing things.

While The Nanny  may never have been a ratings juggernaut, it was still a reliably hilarious sitcom, thanks in large part to Fran Drescher’s memorable performance. Some of its cultural references may go over the heads of younger viewers, but it’s the type of show that never loses sight of the fact that its primary goal is to make the viewer laugh. It’s undeniably silly, but it also has a very good heart. Whether it’s the long-simmering romance between Fran Fine and her boss, Mr. Sheffield, or the eternal feud between Niles and C.C., there’s something here for everyone.

Bea Arthur might be most famous for playing Dorothy Zbornak in the hit sitcom The Golden Girls, but before that, she was a national sensation as the title character in Maude. An outspoken feminist, Maude is the sort of fierce, fiery character with whom Bea Arthur would often be identified. Even though the show came out in the 1970s, many of the issues that it contends with — not the least of which is abortion — make it feel remarkably current. And, when it comes down to it, Bea Arthur simply never gets old. 

At first glance, it might seem counterintuitive to claim that All in the Family holds up, considering that its main character, Archie Bunker, is as out of place in the 21st century as he was in the 1970s. At the same time, however, this is precisely what makes the show feel so relevant in the present moment. The clash between Archie and his liberal daughter and son-in-law is a storyline that feels as current now as it did when the show was on the air in the 1970s. As he so often did, show creator Norman Lear managed to create a timely and timeless series. 

Will Smith has certainly had a long and varied career, but for many Gen Xers and Millennials, he will always be Will Smith of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. Smith’s charisma is just as infectious now as it was when the series aired during the 1990s, and it’s hard not to love his character and the show in general. There’s something remarkably timeless about its story of culture clash, and the fact that it spawned a dramatic reimagining in the form of the show Bel-Air speaks to its enduring appeal to many audiences.

Seinfeld truly lives up to its premise — it’s a show about nothing much at all. While this concept might be easy to mock, it’s precisely what has made it so enduringly popular. The show might have left the air nearly thirty years ago, but it has managed to secure a remarkable afterlife for itself, thanks in part to streaming and also to the fact that its characters remain as fascinating, frustrating, and unlikable as they were when the show premiered.

Star Trek is arguably one of the most influential science fiction series ever made, and it holds up surprisingly well on a rewatch. While many of its special effects and costumes can seem a bit old-fashioned, there is still something exciting, even joyful, about the extent to which it was willing and able to espouse a remarkably progressive point of view. The franchise has gone in many different directions over the decade, but there’s still something to be said for spending some time with the show where it all began.

When it comes to animated characters, few have had as long a career as Scooby-Doo. The first show to bear the name of the mystery-solving (though very cowardly) Great Dane first aired in the late 1960s and early 1970s, but numerous other shows and movies have been made. Even so, there’s something about the original show, Scooby-Doo, Where Are You?, that remains enduringly popular. For some, it's a reminder of the good old days when Saturday morning cartoons were a phenomenon, while for others, it’s just fun to watch an animated dog and his human companions solve crimes.

The Western has had its periods of boom and bust in American popular culture, and while many Western TV shows have been forgotten, Gunsmoke still endures. It’s easy to see why this would be the case, given that it ran twenty total seasons. It endured from the 1950s to the 1970s, managing to weather the various changes in the television industry during that period. It is, to be sure, a bit old-fashioned from today’s perspective, but it still has a lot of entertainment value, with stories that are well-crafted and a number of great performances from the likes of James Arness, Milburn Stone, and Amanda Blake.

The Jeffersons, like so many of the other shows developed by Norman Lear, was truly groundbreaking, in that it focused on an upwardly mobile African-American family. It was also remarkably successful, staying on the air from 1975 to 1985. The heart of the show’s appeal, as well as a key part of why it holds up so well, is the relationship between husband George and wife Louise “Weezy” Jefferson, so memorably and hilariously portrayed by Sherman Hemsley and Isabel Sanford.

There’s no doubt that Carol Burnett is one of the true leading ladies of television. The show that bears her name remains one of the key series in the history of sketch comedy, and many of its sketches, including its spoof of Gone with the Wind, are rightly enshrined in TV history. Like so many other great classic shows, its durability relies on its ability to tap into the cultural moment of its production while also featuring writing that retains its humor despite the passage of the decades. It certainly helps that it had such a trove of creative talent, including, of course, Burnett herself.

Even though The Mary Tyler Moore Show  was very much a product of the 1970s and the Second Wave Feminism associated with that decade, it still holds up remarkably well. Though it became famous for the extent to which it featured an independent and unmarried woman as its lead character, it was at heart a funny and enjoyable workplace sitcom. The fact that it starred such comedy greats as Ed Asner and Betty White was just the icing on the cake.

Created by Linda Bloodworth-Thomason, Designing Women — much like The Golden Girls — focuses on a group of four women. In this case, though, they run a design firm in Atlanta, Georgia, rather than being a group of four retirees. Designing Women is unapologetically political in its orientation and, like The Golden Girls, it grappled with weighty issues, including HIV/AIDS. Despite the fact that it is very much from the 1980s and 1990s, it still has a timely quality, thanks to its undeniable humor and the sparkling chemistry among the original cast.

In many ways, Cheers  is the very epitome of the workplace sitcom. Set largely in the bar of the same name in Boston, it focuses on bartender Sam Malone, played by Ted Danson, and the various patrons who spend their time at said bar. Given that it was released in the 1980s, some elements are a bit dated, particularly some of Sam’s less appealing qualities, but there is still something timelessly appealing about spending time in a fictional bar where, as the title song says, everyone knows your name.

Based on the movie and book of the same name, the long-running series MASH takes place in a mobile field hospital during the Korean War. At the same time, however, it’s also very much about the Vietnam War and its concurrent effects on American life and society. The show was one of those that struck just the right balance between comedy and drama, and it was capable of engendering both side-busting laughter and wrenching grief. It’s thus easy to see why it would be such an enduring part of American TV history.

Angela Lansbury is nothing short of brilliant in Murder, She Wrote, in which she plays the writer and sleuth Jessica Fletcher. Something is calming about watching this show, for all that it focuses on murders and Jessica’s attempts to solve them. Even though the show is very much of its time — the 1980s and 1990s — there’s something timeless about it, too. When it comes right down to it, the cozy murder mystery is one of those genres that simply never gets old, no matter how many years pass.

Rod Serling’s The Twilight Zone remains one of the most compelling and thought-provoking series to have ever graced the small screen. Serling had the knack for taking his audience's anxieties and fears and transforming them into narratives that were terrifying and utterly watchable. Despite the many strides made in terms of sci-fi TV storytelling, The Twilight Zone remains one of those shows that has been oft-imitated but has never been surpassed. Watching is to experience 1950s America and its concerns and their ongoing relevance to the present. 

The series Kolchak: The Night Stalker was remarkably short-lived, producing just twenty episodes. Even so, it ended up having a profound influence on many subsequent series, including The X-Files. It’s also a lot of fun in its own right, thanks to Darren McGavin’s performance as the title character and its often quite scary stories. It doesn’t lean too much on special effects, relying instead on a creepy atmosphere, and this helps to explain why it remains so popular and entertaining.

There’s no question that Lucille Ball was one of her generation's most formidable comedy talents. A true pioneer in television, she catapulted to superstardom thanks to her hit sitcom I Love Lucy. Even though the series aired in the middle of the 1950s, something about the show still feels very relevant today. Moreover, Ball’s comedy is as effervescent and joyful as when the show aired in the 1950s. Physical comedy, at least of the sort that Ball excelled at, knows no time limits. 

The Golden Girls manages to exert a powerful hold on the public imagination. This is no small feat, given that it went off the air in 1992 (though it received a second round of popularity thanks to regular showings on Lifetime). It’s easy to see why it would remain so beloved. It managed to be extremely funny, supremely well-acted, and deeply politically relevant all at the same time. Indeed, many of the important political issues it raised, including same-sex marriage, the plight of the elderly, and the vicissitudes of aging, are as relevant now as they were then.