The 20 most influential TV shows of all time

Based on the British series of the same name, Queer as Folk focuses on a group of queer friends in early 2000s Pittsburgh as they navigate life and its various trials and triumphs. It featured a frank depiction of queer sexuality in its various forms, and it also grappled with several serious issues facing the community, including AIDS, coming out, hate crimes, and intergenerational relationships. Frankly honest and unapologetically sexual, it was one of the most notable and influential LGBTQ+ shows of the 2000s, and no series has yet managed to fill its shoes.

The Jeffersons is influential for a whole host of reasons, not the least of which is that it was remarkably long-running, airing from 1975 to 1985. Its focus on a middle-class African American couple, George and Louise Jefferson, was remarkable, and it quickly became an audience and ratings favorite. In that sense, it helped to pave the way for subsequent Black-led series, particularly The Cosby Show. It certainly helped that Sherman Hemsley and Isabel Sanford were so believable as a married couple. 

It’s not every sitcom that becomes the subject of an American Vice President’s diatribe, but that’s just what happened with Murphy Brown. Infamously, Vice President Dan Quayle derided the title character’s choice to be a single mother, which in turn brought up a whole conversation about family values. This, in combination with the fact that Candace Bergen’s Murphy Brown was in many ways the epitome of a certain kind of second-wave feminism, ensured that the series would have an enduring influence on American popular culture.

After a long career in film and theater, Angela Lansbury finally became a household name thanks to her starring role in the hit series Murder, She Wrote. She portrays plucky mystery novelist and amateur detective Jessica Fletcher in the series. Though there had been other similarly quirky mystery-solvers before, this show's sheer longevity and popularity elevated it into the ranks of the greats. Even today, similar shows stand in its shadow, and it remains a steady presence in reruns. With the role, Lansbury finally received the legendary status she so richly deserved.

While its final season left much to be desired, for most of its run, Roseanne was a powerhouse of a series, thanks to its remarkable cast and the fact that it focused on a blue-collar family. While operating well within the bounds of typical sitcom conventions, it still managed to examine some tough questions, particularly as these involved class, gender, and sexuality. Its humor could sometimes be cutting, and the show had its fair share of devastating moments, but this is precisely what made it such an enduringly popular series.

Running from 2005 to 2007, HBO’s Rome depicted the last days of the Roman Republic, focusing in particular on the political ascendance of Julius Caesar, his assassination, and the civil war among Octavian, Antony, and Cleopatra. Though its run was brief, it nevertheless helped to set the stage for some of the big-budget spectacle series to follow, including such notable successes as Game of Thrones, Outlander, and The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power. It remains a testament to the heights that historical TV drama can achieve.

The Mary Tyler Moore Show emerged out of the zeitgeist of the 1970s, when second-wave feminism was on the rise in America. Its title character remains one of the most recognizable icons of feminism, particularly since Mary Richards defies the various stereotypes associated with women on TV. Just as importantly, it was also a show that showcased remarkably sophisticated writing, and in that sense, it showed that sitcoms could focus almost exclusively on adults, their lives, and their interests. Its influence continues to be felt in numerous workplace sitcoms.

Star Trek is a true giant in television and science fiction. Even though the original show is very much of its time, there is also something remarkably timeless about it, and this helps to explain why it remains beloved by both casual and devoted fans alike. The mark of Star Trek’s influence can be seen in the fact that it produced a franchise that continues to this day — and is comprised of films, TV series, books, and more — but also in the sheer number of parodies it has spawned. Few other sci-fi series have ever matched its influence on popular culture.

To say that The Simpsons is influential seems like an understatement, given its enormous impact on American culture and television. In addition to showing how adult animation could become a key part of the primetime TV landscape, it also tapped (and continues to tap) into the cultural zeitgeist. Characters like Bart and Homer Simpson, Mr. Burns, and Moe are instantly recognizable. Though the show has had its fair share of ups and downs, there’s no doubt its influence will continue to be felt for some time.

Will & Grace might have seemed like a typical sitcom, but it would have a profound influence on the way many Americans viewed LGBTQ+ people. As no less a person than then-Vice President Biden pointed out, it brought attention to the various issues faced by the community in a way that felt familiar. It also helped that it was a very funny and warm-hearted show, anchored by a quarter of actors who created characters who remain beloved parts of the American sitcom canon.

The Flintstones was one of the true game-changing TV series of the 1960s. Produced by Hanna-Barbera, it partook in many of the conventions of the family sitcoms of the era (notably The Honeymooners), and it wasn’t long before Fred, Wilma, Barney, and Betty were household names in their own right. It’s hard to imagine the subsequent decades of beloved animated cartoons, particularly those that became Saturday morning fixtures, without the success and canonical status of The Flintstones. 

Few television series have blended comedy and drama quite as effortlessly or devastatingly as M*A*S*H. Based on the film and novel of the same name, it focuses on a number of field surgeons as they try to hold onto their sanity during the dark days of the Korean War. It was a series that could be heartbreaking and hilarious in the same episode, and it managed to survive several major cast changes to become one of the most popular and beloved series on American television.

Based on George RR Martin’s enormously successful series A Song of Ice and Fire, Game of Thrones slowly but surely built itself into a true ratings powerhouse for HBO. It also changed the face of television, inaugurating a cycle of big-budget fantasy spectacles, including The Rings of Power and House of the Dragon, that continues to this day. The series demonstrated that fantasy could make for appointment viewing, and it also spawned a franchise that is still growing, with the series A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms due to premiere in 2026.

Rod Serling earned himself a place in the history of science fiction with his series The Twilight Zone. It is one of those shows that has been often imitated but never surpassed, and Serling’s brilliance was that he could use various genres to pick and probe at the anxieties and deep-rooted fears of Cold War America. It’s thus easy to see why so many shows, including The Simpsons, have referred to it and, even today, it’s possible to see the series’ influence on American television and culture more generally.

It can be argued that the sitcom wouldn’t be what it is today without the influence and popularity of I Love Lucy. There’s likewise no question that Lucille Ball was one of the most talented comedians to have ever appeared on the small screen. Even today, so many decades after the show concluded, it still feels as fresh and timely as ever, so powerful and effervescent is Ball’s presence on the camera. It helped to demonstrate that the sitcom genre could appeal to a wide audience, and many of the genre's conventions were solidified thanks to the show’s enormous popularity. 

Few westerns have had the sheer longevity of Gunsmoke. It began as a radio serial but found true success on television, and it ran on CBS from 1955 to 1975. Starring James Arness as Marshal Matt Dillon, it managed to keep its core cast for almost the entirety of its run. Somehow, despite its numerous episodes, it never became stale and featured several notable guest stars over the years. Even though it was abruptly cancelled by CBS, it has continued to enjoy a remarkable legacy.

There’s no question that the original Law & Order series was a powerful force in television. After all, even before it was rebooted in the early 2020s, it had managed to run for 20 years (no small feat in the world of television). It was one of those series that managed to use the formula of the procedural to address various vexing and sometimes controversial questions regarding the law and its enforcement. It was also anchored by a remarkable cast, which included the likes of Sam Waterston, Benjamin Bratt, Dianne Wiest, and Jerry Orbach over the years.

Like many of the other shows that emerged from the creative genius of Norman Lear, All in the Family wasn’t afraid to grapple with some of the weighty issues affecting America in the 1970s. At the same time, it was an uproariously funny show, and the series’ genius was its ability to use the conventions and form of the sitcom to make audiences think and laugh. It was a remarkably brave show, and it helped to pave the way for other shows to take political stands on the issues of the time.

Running from 1985 to 1992, The Golden Girls is notable for many reasons, not the least of which is the fact that it focused on the lives and experiences of older women during a decade noted for its backlash to feminism and the absence of many women over fifty from TV. Dorothy, Blanche, Rose, and Sophia captured American audiences’ hearts for the entirety of the series run. In addition to being a truly hilarious show in its own right, The Golden Girls was also notable for its willingness to take on some heavy subject matter, which helps to explain why it has enjoyed such enduring popularity. 

When it comes to antiheroes, few have been as infamous as James Gandolfini’s Tony Soprano.  Indeed, the character casts a very long shadow, as does the show that is the center: The Sopranos. At the time of its release, it was one of the centerpieces of HBO’s programming slate, and it marked the beginning of what has been dubbed the Second Golden Age of Television. All of the numerous antiheroes that were such a key part of TV during the 2000s and into the 2010s can, in one way or another, trace their lineage to Tony Soprano.