In shortNumber 1 in our ranking is Breaking Bad, followed by The Sopranos and The Wire.
Choosing the 10 best TV series of all time is everyone’s favourite after-dinner debate. We combined what critics say, what audiences love and each show’s impact on popular culture.
Many are missing: The Office, Seinfeld, Dark, Twin Peaks… Vote below or defend yours.
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We'll publish the readers' ranking once there are enough votes for it to be representative.
1. Breaking Bad
AMC · 2008–2013
A chemistry teacher with cancer becomes a methamphetamine maker. Walter White's transformation is probably the best character arc in television.
2. The Sopranos
HBO · 1999–2007
Tony Soprano, a mob boss who sees a therapist. The series that launched television's golden age and proved a TV show could have the ambition of cinema.
3. The Wire
HBO · 2002–2008
The city of Baltimore portrayed from the streets, the police, the docks, politics, schools and the press. Demanding, realistic and uncompromising.
4. Game of Thrones
HBO · 2011–2019
Traditional television's last great global ratings phenomenon. Its early seasons are still a lesson in how to surprise an audience.
5. Mad Men
AMC · 2007–2015
New York advertising in the 1960s through the eyes of Don Draper. Elegant, slow-burning and full of detail.
6. Chernobyl
HBO · 2019
Five episodes about the 1986 nuclear accident and its aftermath. A harrowing, rigorous miniseries that swept critics and audiences alike.
7. Succession
HBO · 2018–2023
A media mogul's children fight over the family empire. Razor-sharp dialogue and characters as hateful as they are fascinating.
8. Friends
NBC · 1994–2004
Six friends in New York. Thirty years later it is still among the most watched shows on streaming, and every generation rediscovers it.
9. The Simpsons
FOX · since 1989
The longest-running animated series in American television. Its early seasons are part of popular culture around the world.
10. Stranger Things
Netflix · 2016–2025
Kids on bikes, monsters and the 1980s. The series that made Netflix a generational phenomenon.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best TV series of all time?
Breaking Bad and The Sopranos are the ones that most often top critics' and audience rankings. In ours, Breaking Bad is number 1.
Which series should I start with if I haven't seen any of these?
Chernobyl is a miniseries of just five episodes: perfect for starting without a long commitment.
Would you change the order?
Tell us what's missing, what shouldn't be here or what you'd put at number 1.