TV Series Rankings
A consolidated look at the top 50 from IMDb's Top 250 TV, the 25 most popular titles on our platform, RT25 critics' picks, the top 40 from Rolling Stone's 100 Greatest, and Douban's top 50 TV list—complete with side-by-side comparisons, tiered breakdowns, and a draggable template.
How the Rankings Work
Data as of 2026-08-06There is no single "greatest of all time" master list for TV series. This article runs four public lists side by side: IMDb Top 250 TV (user ratings), IMDb Most Popular (current browsing buzz), Rotten Tomatoes' RT25 (critics' picks), and Rolling Stone's "100 Greatest TV Shows" (editors' ranking); plus the top 50 from Douban's community "TV Top 250" list, for a reference to what Chinese-speaking viewers commonly rate highly. The ratings lists favor long-running classics, while the popularity list skews toward the current season.
| Sources | Snapshot | Data Methodology | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| IMDb Top 250 TV Shows | Time of capture | Weighted user ratings (series / miniseries) | Primary basis for this article's Top 50 |
| IMDb Most Popular TV | Time of capture | On-site browsing and interest heat | Trending now, not necessarily top-rated |
| RT25: Critics' Top TV of the Last 25 Years | RT Special Rankings | Critics' Poll: Top 25 | Leans Toward "Recent Classics" Narrative |
| Rolling Stone: 100 Greatest TV Shows | 2022 List | Editors' Historical Top 100 (Fan-Compiled Order) | Higher Share of Comedies / Long-Running Favorites |
| Douban: TV Series Top 250 List | List Updated to April 2025 | Composite Algorithm of Viewer Counts, Ratings, etc. | Community List; Includes High-Rated Chinese and East Asian Shows |
IMDb Top 50 by Rating
From IMDb Charts' "Top 250 TV Shows." Breaking Bad leads with a 9.5 rating; nature documentaries and miniseries (Planet Earth, Band of Brothers, Chernobyl) consistently hold top spots. Titles with over a million votes rank more reliably against rating manipulation noise.
| Rank | Common English Title | Original Title | Year | Rating | Votes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Breaking Bad | Breaking Bad | 2008–2013 | 9.5 | 2.7M |
| 2 | Planet Earth II | Planet Earth II | 2016 | 9.4 | 176K |
| 3 | Planet Earth | Planet Earth | 2006 | 9.4 | 236K |
| 4 | Band of Brothers | Band of Brothers | 2001 | 9.4 | 600K |
| 5 | Chernobyl | Chernobyl | 2019 | 9.3 | 1.1M |
| 6 | The Wire | The Wire | 2002–2008 | 9.3 | 436K |
| 7 | Avatar: The Last Airbender | Avatar: The Last Airbender | 2005–2008 | 9.3 | 451K |
| 8 | The Sopranos | The Sopranos | 1999–2007 | 9.2 | 590K |
| 9 | Blue Planet II | Blue Planet II | 2017 | 9.3 | 58K |
| 10 | Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey | Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey | 2014 | 9.2 | 141K |
| 11 | Cosmos | Cosmos | 1980 | 9.3 | 54K |
| 12 | Our Planet | Our Planet | 2019–2023 | 9.2 | 63K |
| 13 | Game of Thrones | Game of Thrones | 2011–2019 | 9.2 | 2.6M |
| 14 | Bluey | Bluey | 2018– | 9.3 | 49K |
| 15 | The World at War | The World at War | 1973–1974 | 9.2 | 38K |
| 16 | Attack on Titan | Attack on Titan | 2013–2023 | 9.1 | 736K |
| 17 | Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood | Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood | 2009–2010 | 9.1 | 254K |
| 18 | Life | Life | 2009 | 9.1 | 51K |
| 19 | The Last Dance | The Last Dance | 2020 | 9.0 | 183K |
| 20 | The Twilight Zone | The Twilight Zone | 1959–1964 | 9.0 | 110K |
| 21 | The Vietnam War | The Vietnam War | 2017 | 9.1 | 37K |
| 22 | Rick and Morty | Rick and Morty | 2013– | 9.0 | 706K |
| 23 | Sherlock | Sherlock | 2010–2017 | 9.0 | 1.1M |
| 24 | Batman: The Animated Series | Batman: The Animated Series | 1992–1995 | 9.0 | 139K |
| 25 | Better Call Saul | Better Call Saul | 2015–2022 | 9.0 | 853K |
| 26 | The Office | The Office | 2005–2013 | 9.0 | 843K |
| 27 | Arcane | Arcane | 2021–2024 | 9.0 | 452K |
| 28 | The Blue Planet | The Blue Planet | 2001 | 9.0 | 51K |
| 29 | Clarkson's Farm | Clarkson's Farm | 2021– | 9.0 | 89K |
| 30 | Hunter X Hunter | Hunter X Hunter | 2011–2014 | 9.0 | 201K |
| 31 | Scam 1992: The Harshad Mehta Story | Scam 1992: The Harshad Mehta Story | 2020 | 9.2 | 174K |
| 32 | Frozen Planet | Frozen Planet | 2011–2012 | 9.0 | 41K |
| 33 | Only Fools and Horses | Only Fools and Horses | 1981–2003 | 9.0 | 67K |
| 34 | Human Planet | Human Planet | 2011 | 9.0 | 34K |
| 35 | The Beatles Anthology | The Beatles Anthology | 1995–1996 | 9.1 | 11K |
| 36 | Dexter: Resurrection | Dexter: Resurrection | 2025– | 9.0 | 152K |
| 37 | The Civil War | The Civil War | 1990 | 9.0 | 26K |
| 38 | As If | As If | 2021–2025 | 9.0 | 37K |
| 39 | The Pitt | The Pitt | 2025– | 8.9 | 163K |
| 40 | Firefly | Firefly | 2002–2003 | 8.9 | 303K |
| 41 | Gravity Falls | Gravity Falls | 2012–2016 | 8.9 | 183K |
| 42 | Death Note | Death Note | 2006–2007 | 8.9 | 493K |
| 43 | Taskmaster | Taskmaster | 2015– | 9.0 | 32K |
| 44 | Frieren: Beyond Journey's End | Frieren: Beyond Journey's End | 2023– | 8.9 | 81K |
| 45 | The Ten Commandments | Dekalog | 1989–1990 | 8.9 | 35K |
| 46 | Seinfeld | Seinfeld | 1989–1998 | 8.8 | 387K |
| 47 | The Beatles: Get Back | The Beatles: Get Back | 2021 | 8.9 | 38K |
| 48 | Cowboy Bebop | Cowboy Bebop | 1998–1999 | 8.9 | 172K |
| 49 | True Detective | True Detective | 2014– | 8.8 | 764K |
| 50 | Nathan for You | Nathan for You | 2013–2017 | 8.9 | 50K |
IMDb Top 25 Most Popular TV
Most Popular TV: Shows currently being clicked on within the site. Titles like House of the Dragon, Silo, and newly premiered U.S. series rotate in and out throughout the year; older shows such as Game of Thrones and Breaking Bad also climb back into the top twenty as viewers revisit them.
| Rank | Common Localized Title | Original Title |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | House of the Dragon | House of the Dragon |
| 2 | Furious | Furious |
| 3 | Silo | Silo |
| 4 | The Bombing of Pan Am 103 | The Bombing of Pan Am 103 |
| 5 | Cape Fear | Cape Fear |
| 6 | Ride or Die | Ride or Die |
| 7 | Ransom Canyon | Ransom Canyon |
| 8 | Lioness | Lioness |
| 9 | I Will Find You | I Will Find You |
| 10 | Game of Thrones | Game of Thrones |
| 11 | The Hawk | The Hawk |
| 12 | Lucky | Lucky |
| 13 | Stuart Fails to Save the Universe | Stuart Fails to Save the Universe |
| 14 | Rick and Morty | Rick and Morty |
| 15 | Ted Lasso | Ted Lasso |
| 16 | Widow's Bay | Widow's Bay |
| 17 | The Mentalist | The Mentalist |
| 18 | The Sopranos | The Sopranos |
| 19 | The Rookie | The Rookie |
| 20 | Breaking Bad | Breaking Bad |
| 21 | The Shards | The Shards |
| 22 | The Bear | The Bear |
| 23 | Little House on the Prairie | Little House on the Prairie |
| 24 | Off Campus | Off Campus |
| 25 | Star Trek: Strange New Worlds | Star Trek: Strange New Worlds |
RT Critics' Top 25
Rotten Tomatoes' "Top 25 TV Shows of the Last 25 Years, According to Critics" feature. Breaking Bad, The Sopranos, The Wire, Mad Men, and Succession take the top five; the miniseries Chernobyl rounds out the list at No. 25.
| Rank | Common English Title | Original Title |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Breaking Bad | Breaking Bad |
| 2 | The Sopranos | The Sopranos |
| 3 | The Wire | The Wire |
| 4 | Mad Men | Mad Men |
| 5 | Succession | Succession |
| 6 | Lost | The Leftovers |
| 7 | Game of Thrones | Game of Thrones |
| 8 | Twin Peaks: The Return | Twin Peaks: The Return |
| 9 | Lost | Lost |
| 10 | Six Feet Under | Six Feet Under |
| 11 | Fleabag | Fleabag |
| 12 | Ted Lasso | Ted Lasso |
| 13 | Better Call Saul | Better Call Saul |
| 14 | BoJack Horseman | BoJack Horseman |
| 15 | Curb Your Enthusiasm | Curb Your Enthusiasm |
| 16 | Atlanta | Atlanta |
| 17 | Stranger Things | Stranger Things |
| 18 | The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel | The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel |
| 19 | The Office | The Office |
| 20 | The West Wing | The West Wing |
| 21 | The Americans | The Americans |
| 22 | Parks and Recreation | Parks and Recreation |
| 23 | Arrested Development | Arrested Development |
| 24 | Watchmen | Watchmen |
| 25 | Chernobyl | Chernobyl |
Rolling Stone’s Top 40
From the 2022 Rolling Stone list of the “100 Greatest TV Shows of All Time” (compiled from public rankings). The Sopranos takes the top spot, with The Simpsons at No. 2; comedy and TV history milestones weigh far more heavily than IMDb user scores.
| Rank | Common Chinese Title | Original Title |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Sopranos | The Sopranos |
| 2 | The Simpsons | The Simpsons |
| 3 | Breaking Bad | Breaking Bad |
| 4 | The Wire | The Wire |
| 5 | Fleabag | Fleabag |
| 6 | Seinfeld | Seinfeld |
| 7 | Mad Men | Mad Men |
| 8 | Cheers | Cheers |
| 9 | Atlanta | Atlanta |
| 10 | The Mary Tyler Moore Show | The Mary Tyler Moore Show |
| 11 | Succession | Succession |
| 12 | The Twilight Zone | The Twilight Zone |
| 13 | Veep | Veep |
| 14 | The Americans | The Americans |
| 15 | The Larry Sanders Show | The Larry Sanders Show |
| 16 | Twin Peaks | Twin Peaks |
| 17 | The Leftovers | The Leftovers |
| 18 | Saturday Night Live | Saturday Night Live |
| 19 | I May Destroy You | I May Destroy You |
| 20 | 30 Rock | 30 Rock |
| 21 | All in the Family | All in the Family |
| 22 | Star Trek | Star Trek |
| 23 | Watchmen | Watchmen |
| 24 | Freaks and Geeks | Freaks and Geeks |
| 26 | Sesame Street | Sesame Street |
| 27 | Deadwood | Deadwood |
| 28 | Friday Night Lights | Friday Night Lights |
| 29 | Roots | Roots |
| 30 | Parks and Recreation | Parks and Recreation |
| 31 | Game of Thrones | Game of Thrones |
| 32 | Better Call Saul | Better Call Saul |
| 33 | Monty Python's Flying Circus | Monty Python's Flying Circus |
| 34 | The Office | The Office |
| 35 | Lost | Lost |
| 36 | I Love Lucy | I Love Lucy |
| 37 | Arrested Development | Arrested Development |
| 38 | Hill Street Blues | Hill Street Blues |
| 39 | Curb Your Enthusiasm | Curb Your Enthusiasm |
| 40 | The Good Place | The Good Place |
| 41 | BoJack Horseman | BoJack Horseman |
Douban List: Top 50
From the community list "Douban TV Series Top 250," the top 50 (ranked by an algorithm combining views and ratings; the list page notes weekly updates, with cover info updated as of April 2025). High-scoring Chinese and East Asian titles like Reply 1988, Ming Dynasty 1566, Friends, the 1986 Journey to the West, and Dream of the Red Chamber lead the rankings; some entries are split by season for scoring purposes.
| Rank | Title | Rating | Number of Ratings |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Reply 1988 | 9.7 | 1,055,468 |
| 2 | Ming Dynasty 1566 | 9.8 | 371,279 |
| 3 | Friends | 9.7 | 413,195 |
| 4 | Journey to the West | 9.7 | 412,933 |
| 5 | Dream of the Red Chamber | 9.7 | 329,490 |
| 6 | My Own Swordsman | 9.6 | 672,199 |
| 7 | The Great White Tower | 9.7 | 191,783 |
| 8 | Unstoppable High Kick! | 9.6 | 159,575 |
| 9 | Yes, Prime Minister | 9.8 | 57,776 |
| 10 | Yes, Minister | 9.8 | 78,916 |
| 12 | My Chief and My Regiment | 9.6 | 193,386 |
| 13 | Unnatural | 9.5 | 765,232 |
| 14 | The Long Season | 9.4 | 1,189,639 |
| 15 | Hospital Playlist | 9.5 | 360,033 |
| 16 | Nirvana in Fire | 9.4 | 939,839 |
| 17 | Empresses in the Palace | 9.4 | 931,773 |
| 18 | The World Between Us | 9.4 | 526,658 |
| 19 | The Age of Awakening | 9.3 | 564,042 |
| 20 | Drawing Sword | 9.5 | 299,285 |
| 21 | Mao Pian: The Final Chapter | 9.7 | 127,047 |
| 22 | Prison Playbook | 9.4 | 295,488 |
| 23 | Someday or One Day | 9.3 | 904,040 |
| 24 | Why Women Kill | 9.4 | 666,530 |
| 25 | The Long Night | 9.0 | 1,054,197 |
| 26 | Band of Brothers | 9.6 | 143,011 |
| 27 | Signal | 9.2 | 375,816 |
| 28 | Minning Town | 9.2 | 490,610 |
| 29 | Legal High | 9.4 | 391,662 |
| 30 | Parents Love | 9.3 | 457,711 |
| 31 | Chinese Paladin | 9.1 | 428,381 |
| 32 | Soldiers' Sortie | 9.5 | 307,818 |
| 33 | Lurk | 9.5 | 407,260 |
| 34 | Towards the Republic | 9.6 | 115,933 |
| 35 | The Bad Kids | 8.8 | 1,279,463 |
| 36 | Romance of the Three Kingdoms | 9.6 | 191,689 |
| 37 | Game of Thrones | 9.5 | 502,826 |
| 38 | Sherlock | 9.5 | 587,272 |
| 39 | Love, Death & Robots | 9.2 | 519,329 |
| 40 | The Queen's Gambit | 9.0 | 457,050 |
| 41 | Black Mirror | 9.4 | 456,676 |
| 42 | Stranger Things | 9.1 | 523,668 |
| 43 | The End of the F***ing World | 9.1 | 385,953 |
| 44 | Day and Night | 8.9 | 707,827 |
| 45 | The Big Bang Theory | 9.5 | 383,349 |
| 46 | Sex Education: Season 1 | 9.2 | 332,304 |
| 47 | Westworld: Season 1 | 8.9 | 318,372 |
| 48 | Breaking Bad: Season 1 | 9.2 | 387,343 |
| 49 | 2 Broke Girls: Season 1, Vol. 2 | 9.1 | 327,012 |
| 50 | Prison Break: Season 1 | 9.4 | 296,303 |
Cross-List Comparison
It’s common for the same show to land in very different spots across user scores, critic ratings, historical rankings, and Chinese-language community lists.
| Series | IMDb Top 250 | RT 25 | RS 100 | Douban Lists |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Breaking Bad | 1（9.5） | 1 | 3 | — |
| The Sopranos | 8（9.2） | 2 | 1 | — |
| The Wire | 6（9.3） | 3 | 4 | — |
| Game of Thrones | 13（9.2） | 7 | — | 37 (S1) |
| Chernobyl | 5（9.3） | 25 | — | — |
| Succession | — | 5 | 11 | — |
| Mad Men | — | 4 | 7 | — |
| Band of Brothers | 4（9.4） | — | — | 26 |
| Reply 1988 | — | — | — | 1（9.7） |
| Ming Dynasty 1566 | — | — | — | 2（9.8） |
| The Simpsons | — | — | 2 | — |
| Stranger Things | — | 17 | — | 42 (Season 1) |
Pick by scenario
Choose based on what you want: binge-worthy ratings, new releases, classics, or acclaimed Chinese-language titles—don't lump them into one list.
| Scenario | What you're usually after | Recent go-to examples |
|---|---|---|
| Looking for universally acclaimed, long-running shows | IMDb Top 250 + RT25 | Breaking Bad, The Wire, The Sopranos, Chernobyl |
| Weekend picks from what everyone’s talking about | IMDb Most Popular | House of the Dragon, The Silo, and this season’s new premieres |
| TV history deep dives / comedy milestones | Rolling Stone’s Top 100 | The Simpsons, Seinfeld, Cheers, and SNL |
| Top-rated Chinese-language and East Asian picks | Douban watchlists | Ming Dynasty 1566, Reply 1988, Nirvana in Fire, and The Long Season |
| Documentaries and miniseries to binge in one sitting | Top IMDb documentaries and miniseries | Planet Earth, Blue Planet, Band of Brothers, and Chernobyl |
Quick picks from our editors
Combining user scores, critic selections, canon lists, and frequent names in Chinese-language communities, here’s a quick tiering of shows that often get recommended. For series with big swings between seasons, we go by the peak in reputation.
| Tier | Show | Based on the summary |
|---|---|---|
| S | Breaking Bad, The Sopranos, The Wire, Band of Brothers, Chernobyl, Ming Dynasty 1566, Reply 1988 | Top of multiple charts or a benchmark in Chinese-speaking communities |
| A | Game of Thrones, Mad Men, Succession, Better Call Saul, Sherlock, Avatar: The Last Airbender, Planet Earth series, Nirvana in Fire, Empresses in the Palace, The Long Season, Friends | Consistently high ratings or strong cultural buzz |
| B | Stranger Things, Ted Lasso, The Bear, Twin Peaks, Lost, BoJack Horseman, Minning Town, The Bad Kids, Soldiers Sortie, Lurk | Niche hits or top scores in their genre |
| C | Trending shows of the season, sequels with a dip in quality, and titles boosted by viral short clips | High buzz, legacy not yet established |
| D | Bandwagon filler seasons and sequels with major controversial endings | Check season reviews before recommending |
Online Ranked Play
It comes loaded with templates for 600+ TV series, letting you drag each one into a tier from S to E based on critical acclaim, nostalgia, or whether it’s worth a rewatch.
互动体验：拖拽排位《The Most Complete TV Series Tier List (600+)》
The Most Complete TV Series Tier List (600+)
The Most Complete TV Series Tier List (600+)
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