Best TV Show of All Time: The Simpsons
This animated program is a satiric adventure of a working-class family in the misfit city of Springfield. Each episode is about the antics of a particularly dysfunctional family. Homer is the oafish unhealthy beer loving father, Marge is the hardworking homemaker wife, Bart is the perpetual ten-year-old underachiever (and proud of it), Lisa is the unappreciated eight-year-old genius, and Maggie is the cute, pacifier loving silent infant. To be fair, the first seasons or so can be hard to watch. However, there have been many changes and a lot of character growth over its thirty-three-year run. It’s been known to push the envelope on many societal norms and has gotten away with it, mostly because it’s animation –– and its great writers (late night talk show host Conan O’Brien was one of its first writers). Storylines have covered topical subjects and have even foreseen political events that eventually happened in real life. The list of guest voices includes living legends (Maya Angelou), political notables (four ex-presidents), sports heroes (Derek Jeter, Peyton Manning), and music super-stars (JZ and Beyonce) –– often mocking themselves. It’s considered an honor to be asked to guest voice on The Simpsons. As the longest running primetime comedy series, as well as the longest-running primetime animated series, in U.S. television history, you know they’ve got to be doing something right.
Favorite TV Show: Schitt$ Creek
When filthy-rich video store magnate Johnny Rose and his family suddenly find themselves broke, they are forced to leave their pampered lives to regroup and rebuild their empire from within the rural city limits of their only remaining asset – Schitt’s Creek, an armpit of a town they once bought as a joke. It’s not the best premise, in fact, I hated the preview ads, but after so many people were talking about it, I decided to give it a try and I fell in love. I’ll admit, it’s probably not for everyone, but give it six episodes before you make a judgment call. The father and son creators, Dan and Eugene Levy, crafted something so wonderful that by its final season, it swept the Emmys, collecting awards for Best Comedy, Best Writing, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actor, and Best Supporting Actress. No show (comedy or drama) has ever achieved such an accomplishment. The cast is stellar, offbeat, and as quirky as the humor. Even the side characters shine! And, since this is what is called a “one camera” show, there is no live audience supplemented by a laugh track. You don’t need it.
–– Carrie Specht (Department of Film & Television Production)
Below, Honors students and faculty selected and discussed their opinions of the best and favorite TV shows:
Krissy Dufala (Neuroscience, Class of 2025)
Best TV Show: This Is Us –– “The storyline and character development are impeccable. There are literally no plot holes, everything ties into something else at some point, and it also brings a lot of new approaches to concepts that we haven’t seen before in television.”
Favorite TV Show: Euphoria –– “The cinematography just gives me so much serotonin. And, also, I love that it’s been an amazing role for Zendaya to break out into a much more mature character as well as helping her become well known as a serious actor and not just a Disney star.”
Asia Estebar (Biomedical Science, Class of 2024)
Best TV Show: The Haunting of Bly Manor –– “The plot, cinematography, writing, and acting were top-notch. Every little detail in the show mattered and connected at the end, it keeps your eyes superglued to the screen.”
Favorite TV Show: Hunter x Hunter –– “I love how Hunter x Hunter is storyline based. You grow to love (or hate) each character as they grow through the seasons.”
Isaac Estrada (Biomedical Science, Class of 2023)
Best TV Show: Criminal Minds
Favorite TV Show: Hunter x Hunter
Lora Geriguis (Honors Faculty)
Best TV Show: Gilligan’s Island –– “As a child, I remember being so invested in the characters and their challenges; how the show kept going for 98 episodes on so slim a premise is pretty remarkable! It’s funny to think I later wrote a dissertation (in part) about ‘Robinson Crusoe,’ a character from Defoe’s novel named in the Gilligan Island’s theme song!”
Favorite TV Show: Glee –– “My guilty pleasure has been binging (early seasons, especially) of Glee with my college-age daughter as a way of connecting with each other over the music of the past.”
Jill Walker Gonzalez Gonzalez (Honors Faculty)
Best TV Show: Cobra Kai –– “This show is great at keeping viewers in suspense, it has dynamic and redeemable characters, and it appeals to multiple generations of viewers through humor and well-written thematic content. ”
Favorite TV Show: Longmire –– “First of all, I love a good crime show. Second, Longmire does a good job of showcasing the issues many indigenous communities face. Third, I love the friendship between Walt Longmire and Henry Standing Bear. Finally, the characters are well written, sympathetic, and dynamic.”
Andrew Howe (Honors Director, outgoing)
Best TV Show: Breaking Bad — “What a wonderful character study, not just of Walter White and other primary characters but even minor ones. The desert Southwest setting provides the perfect backdrop for this study of human greed.”
Favorite TV Show: Star Trek: Deep Space Nine — “This iteration of Star Trek has it all: Sci-Fi plots, Western cinematic motifs, and empire building, not to mention the incomparable Andrew Robinson as Garak. Rare for a Star Trek series due to syndication limitations, it also employs long-arc storytelling.”
Caleb Kim (Biomedical Science, Class of 2025)
Best TV Show: The Simpsons –– “I’ve never really watched this TV show, but based on its long-standing popularity and relevance to our society, it’s definitely got to be good.”
Favorite TV Show: The Office –– “The comedy shown in this TV show is cringy, yet hilarious. I enjoy that sense of humor.”
Josh Lee (Biomedical Science, Class of 2022)
Best TV Show: Chef’s Table France
Favorite TV Show: David Chang’s Ugly Delicious
Diana Lim (Biomedical Science, Class of 2022)
Best TV Show: The Office, Modern Family
Favorite TV Show: The Office
Fiona Lin (Digital Media Design, Class of 2024)
Best TV Show: The Office
Favorite TV Show: The Office
Sam McBride (Dean, CAS & General Education)
Best TV Show: Downton Abbey –– “Combines period costume drama with engrossing soap opera (with a delightful variety of English accents, and setting, Highclere Castle, foregrounded to the point that it’s almost a character); plus deadpan zingers from Maggie Smith.”
Favorite TV Show: Call the Midwife –– “Terrific ensemble cast, almost exclusively women; realistic childbirth depictions (though conveniently foreshortened to fit into an hour drama).”
Ailinh Nguyen (Biomedical Science, Class of 2023)
Best TV Show: Gilmore Girls
Favorite TV Show: Gilmore Girls
“I am currently on my third rewatch of Gilmore Girls, and I still fall in love with the fast-paced, witty dialogue every single time <3”
Daphne Prakash (Biomedical Science, Class of 2025)
Best TV Show: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Favorite TV Show: The Good Place
Nyla Provost (Global Studies, Class of 2025)
Best TV Show: Law & Order (current), The West Wing (all-time)
Favorite TV Show: Blue Bloods
Tashyanna Simpson (Biomedical Science & Music Performance, Class of 2025)
Best TV Show: Criminal Minds
Favorite TV Show: The Blacklist
Nate Sutter (Honors Faculty)
Best TV Show: Dr. Who –– “Dr. Who is over 50 years old. It’s something I love watching with family and friends and have many good memories of doing so. Travel through space and time is the ULTIMATE premise for episodic adventure. Pick any situation anywhere, the Doctor can pop in. The TARDIS is the perfect color and just a brilliant spaceship.”
Favorite TV Show: She-Ra and Princesses of Power –– “ ‘Stick with your friends’ is a message I can really get behind. The show has tremendous joy. Note: Skip the 1980s show and go straight to the recent Netflix one.”
Oliver Sutter (Honors Director, incoming)
Best TV Show: Godless –– “This is a seven episode Netflix limited series. I really like the way the show’s creator Scott Frank works with and updates tropes from the genre of westerns.”
Favorite TV Show: Time Jam: Valerian & Laureline –– “This is a very fun animated Sci-fi series based on the Pierre Christin and Jean-Claude Mézières comic. This version has Japanese animation with French dialogue, it’s just so fun.”
Zack Sutter (Computer Science, Class of 2024)
Best TV Show: The Office
Favorite TV Show: The Office
“It’s real, it’s raw. The characters grow together making the finale episode the most rewarding TV anyone can watch.”
Carmen Wong (Social Work, Class of 2022)
Best TV Show: 開端 –– “Bai Jing Ting is in the show.”
Favorite TV Show: 三體 –– “My favorite fiction.”
