TV Guide's 50 Greatest TV Shows of All Time

The list was also counted down in an ABC television special, TV Guide's 50 Best Shows of All Time, on May 13, 2002.

The 50 entries, chosen and ranked by the editors of TV Guide, consist of regularly scheduled series spanning more than half a century of television.

[1] The special aired at 10:00 pm and was viewed by 8.9 million people, giving it a 6 rating and a 10 share.

NBC has the most shows on the list with 17, counting the final season of Taxi; otherwise, it ties with CBS at 16.

ABC has eight, Fox, HBO and PBS each have two and The WB and UPN have a shared entry, Buffy the Vampire Slayer.