50 Best American TV Series
by Channing_F | created - 09 Oct 2011 | updated - 23 May 2020 | Public- Instant Watch Options
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1. Person of Interest (2011–2016)
TV-14 | 43 min | Action, Crime, Drama
An ex-CIA agent and a wealthy programmer save lives via a surveillance AI that sends them the identities of civilians involved in impending crimes. However, the details of the crimes, including the civilians' roles, are left a mystery.
Stars: Jim Caviezel, Taraji P. Henson, Kevin Chapman, Michael Emerson
Votes: 188,748
2. The Following (2013–2015)
TV-14 | 43 min | Crime, Drama, Horror
A brilliant, charismatic, and psychotic serial killer communicates with other active serial killers and activates a cult of believers who follow his every command.
Stars: Kevin Bacon, James Purefoy, Shawn Ashmore, Valorie Curry
Votes: 91,447
3. Flashforward (2009–2010)
TV-14 | 42 min | Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi
A special task force in the FBI investigates after every person on Earth simultaneously blacks out and awakens with a short vision of their future.
Stars: Courtney B. Vance, Joseph Fiennes, Jack Davenport, Zachary Knighton
Votes: 62,074
4. Threshold (2005–2006)
60 min | Action, Drama, Sci-Fi
A team of experts are assembled after the U.S. Navy discovers an extra-terrestrial object briefly appeared near a ship in the Atlantic Ocean.
Stars: Carla Gugino, Brian Van Holt, Brent Spiner, Rob Benedict
Votes: 5,920
5. Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987–1994)
TV-PG | 45 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
Set almost 100 years after Captain Kirk's 5-year mission, a new generation of Starfleet officers sets off in the U.S.S. Enterprise-D on its own mission to go where no one has gone before.
Stars: Patrick Stewart, Brent Spiner, Jonathan Frakes, LeVar Burton
Votes: 135,749
6. Grey's Anatomy (2005– )
TV-14 | 41 min | Drama, Romance
A drama centered on the personal and professional lives of five surgical interns and their supervisors.
Stars: Ellen Pompeo, Chandra Wilson, James Pickens Jr., Justin Chambers
Votes: 341,169
7. The Sopranos (1999–2007)
TV-MA | 60 min | Crime, Drama
New Jersey mob boss Tony Soprano deals with personal and professional issues in his home and business life that affect his mental state, leading him to seek professional psychiatric counseling.
Stars: James Gandolfini, Lorraine Bracco, Edie Falco, Michael Imperioli
Votes: 469,694
8. Breaking Bad (2008–2013)
TV-MA | 45 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
A chemistry teacher diagnosed with inoperable lung cancer turns to manufacturing and selling methamphetamine with a former student in order to secure his family's future.
Stars: Bryan Cranston, Aaron Paul, Anna Gunn, Betsy Brandt
Votes: 2,131,423
9. Malcolm in the Middle (2000–2006)
TV-PG | 22 min | Comedy, Family
A gifted young teen tries to survive life with his dimwitted, dysfunctional family.
Stars: Frankie Muniz, Bryan Cranston, Justin Berfield, Erik Per Sullivan
Votes: 142,375
10. How I Met Your Mother (2005–2014)
TV-14 | 4,576 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
A father recounts to his children - through a series of flashbacks - the journey he and his four best friends took leading up to him meeting their mother.
Stars: Josh Radnor, Jason Segel, Cobie Smulders, Neil Patrick Harris
Votes: 727,729
11. Numb3rs (2005–2010)
TV-PG | 43 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
Working for the F.B.I., a mathematician uses equations to help solve various crimes.
Stars: Rob Morrow, David Krumholtz, Judd Hirsch, Alimi Ballard
Votes: 45,695
12. The X-Files (1993–2018)
TV-14 | 45 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
Two F.B.I. Agents, Fox Mulder the believer and Dana Scully the skeptic, investigate the strange and unexplained, while hidden forces work to impede their efforts.
Stars: David Duchovny, Gillian Anderson, Mitch Pileggi, William B. Davis
Votes: 249,422
13. Criminal Minds (2005– )
TV-14 | 42 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
A group of criminal profilers who work for the FBI as members of its Behavioral Analysis Unit (BAU) using behavioral analysis and profiling to help investigate crimes and find the suspect known as the unsub.
Stars: Kirsten Vangsness, Matthew Gray Gubler, A.J. Cook, Joe Mantegna
Votes: 218,325
14. Third Watch (1999–2005)
TV-14 | 44 min | Action, Crime, Drama
The exploits of a group of men and women who serve New York City as police officers, firefighters, and paramedics in the fictional 55th Precinct.
Stars: Coby Bell, Skipp Sudduth, Jason Wiles, Molly Price
Votes: 11,422
15. ER (1994–2009)
TV-14 | 44 min | Drama, Romance
The doctors who work in the ER at the County General Hospital in Chicago grapple with ups and downs in their personal and professional lives while trying to give apt medical care to their patients.
Stars: Anthony Edwards, George Clooney, Julianna Margulies, Eriq La Salle
Votes: 67,633
16. The Unit (2006–2009)
TV-PG | 60 min | Action, Drama, Thriller
A secret US military group conducts covert operations across the world, facing several life-threatening situations during their missions.
Stars: Dennis Haysbert, Regina Taylor, Audrey Marie Anderson, Robert Patrick
Votes: 23,119
17. Babylon 5 (1993–1998)
TV-PG | 45 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
In the mid 23rd century, the Earth Alliance space station Babylon 5, located in neutral territory, is a major focal point for political intrigue, racial tensions and various wars over the course of five years.
Stars: Mira Furlan, Richard Biggs, Stephen Furst, Andreas Katsulas
Votes: 34,576
18. V (2009–2011)
TV-14 | 42 min | Drama, Sci-Fi, Thriller
An extraterrestrial race arrives on Earth with seemingly good intentions, only to slowly reveal their true machinations the more ingrained into society they become.
Stars: Elizabeth Mitchell, Morris Chestnut, Joel Gretsch, Logan Huffman
Votes: 58,841
19. Picket Fences (1992–1996)
120 min | Crime, Drama, Family
An aging Sheriff tries to keep the peace in Rome, Wisconsin, a small town plagued by bizarre and violent crimes.
Stars: Kathy Baker, Tom Skerritt, Lauren Holly, Costas Mandylor
Votes: 5,138
20. Boston Public (2000–2006)
60 min | Comedy, Drama
The lives of 10 faculty members at a high school in Boston weave in and out of dealing with trouble-makers, having a personal life, and keeping sanity.
Stars: Loretta Devine, Anthony Heald, Fyvush Finkel, Chi McBride
Votes: 6,293
21. Fame (1982–1987)
TV-14 | 60 min | Drama, Music, Musical
The stories of the students and faculty of the New York City High School for the Performing Arts.
Stars: Carlo Imperato, Gene Anthony Ray, Debbie Allen, Albert Hague
Votes: 4,440
22. Hill Street Blues (1981–1987)
TV-14 | 60 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
The lives and work of the staff of an inner city police precinct.
Stars: Daniel J. Travanti, Michael Warren, Bruce Weitz, James Sikking
Votes: 10,539
23. Cold Case (2003–2010)
TV-14 | 44 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
The Philadelphia homicide squad's lone female detective finds her calling when she's assigned "cold cases," older crimes that have never been solved.
Stars: Kathryn Morris, Danny Pino, John Finn, Jeremy Ratchford
Votes: 31,422
24. The District (2000–2004)
TV-14 | 44 min | Comedy, Crime, Drama
Chief Jack Mannion becomes the police chief of Washington D.C. and cleans up the nation's capitol.
Stars: Craig T. Nelson, Roger Aaron Brown, Sean Patrick Thomas, Elizabeth Marvel
Votes: 1,770
25. In the Heat of the Night (1988–1995)
TV-14 | 60 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
The cases and adventures of the police forces in and around Sparta, Mississippi.
Stars: Carroll O'Connor, Alan Autry, David Hart, Hugh O'Connor
Votes: 6,183
26. Magnum, P.I. (1980–1988)
TV-PG | 48 min | Action, Adventure, Crime
The adventures of a Hawaii-based private investigator.
Stars: Tom Selleck, John Hillerman, Roger E. Mosley, Larry Manetti
Votes: 28,900
27. Miami Vice (1984–1989)
TV-14 | 48 min | Action, Crime, Drama
-Resplendent with authentic 1980s music, fashion, and vibe, "Miami Vice" follows two undercover detectives and their extended team through the mean streets of Miami, Florida.
Stars: Don Johnson, Philip Michael Thomas, Saundra Santiago, Olivia Brown
Votes: 30,130
28. Twin Peaks (1990–1991)
TV-MA | 50 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
An idiosyncratic FBI agent investigates the murder of a young woman in the even more idiosyncratic town of Twin Peaks.
Stars: Kyle MacLachlan, Michael Ontkean, Mädchen Amick, Dana Ashbrook
Votes: 215,089
29. Falcon Crest (1981–1990)
TV-PG | 60 min | Drama, Romance
Set in the vineyards of California, this prime-time soap opera presented the conflict in the powerful Gioberti family, owners of the vast Falcon Crest Winery.
Stars: Jane Wyman, Lorenzo Lamas, Chao Li Chi, David Selby
Votes: 4,266
30. 24 (2001–2010)
TV-14 | 44 min | Action, Crime, Drama
Counter Terrorism Agent Jack Bauer races against the clock to subvert terrorist plots and save his nation from ultimate disaster.
Stars: Kiefer Sutherland, Mary Lynn Rajskub, Carlos Bernard, Dennis Haysbert
Votes: 196,887
31. Millennium (I) (1996–1999)
TV-14 | 45 min | Crime, Drama, Horror
A former FBI profiler with the ability to look inside the mind of a killer begins working for the mysterious Millennium Group which investigates serial killers, conspiracies, the occult, and those obsessed with the end of the millennium.
Stars: Lance Henriksen, Megan Gallagher, Terry O'Quinn, Brittany Tiplady
Votes: 12,268
32. Chicago Story (1982)
90 min | Drama
This is the story of three lawyers, a street cop, two detectives, and two doctors in the Windy city. And how an incident or person's life is affected by one or more of these people.
Stars: Maud Adams, Vincent Baggetta, Molly Cheek, Dennis Franz
Votes: 56
33. Lady Blue (1985–1991)
TV-PG | 60 min | Drama
Katy Mahoney patrols the grittier streets of Chicago, dispatching the steamier elements before reporting to her boss Terry McNichol. Katy's intensity about her job interfered with her social life.
Stars: Jamie Rose, Danny Aiello, Ralph Foody, Ron Dean
Votes: 387
34. Hack (2002–2004)
60 min | Crime, Drama
When corruption charges strip him of his job, his family and his pride, former cop Mike Olshansky forges a new identity as a Philadelphia cab driver, patrolling the city as a roving vigilante who works with local police.
Stars: David Morse, Andre Braugher, Matthew Borish, George Dzundza
Votes: 1,026
35. Little House on the Prairie (1974–1983)
TV-PG | 60 min | Drama, Family, Romance
The life and adventures of the Ingalls family in the nineteenth century American Midwest.
Stars: Melissa Gilbert, Michael Landon, Karen Grassle, Rachel Lindsay Greenbush
Votes: 26,809
36. The Munsters (1964–1966)
TV-PG | 30 min | Comedy, Family, Fantasy
A family of friendly monsters have misadventures, never quite understanding why people react to them so strangely.
Stars: Fred Gwynne, Al Lewis, Yvonne De Carlo, Butch Patrick
Votes: 16,872
37. The Guardian (2001–2004)
TV-14 | 60 min | Crime, Drama
Nick Fallin is a hotshot lawyer working at his father's ultrasuccessful Pittsburgh law firm. Unfortunately, the high life has gotten the best of Nick.
Stars: Simon Baker, Alan Rosenberg, Raphael Sbarge, Dabney Coleman
Votes: 5,878
38. The Commish (1991–1996)
TV-14 | 60 min | Comedy, Crime, Drama
Tony Scali is the police commissioner of a city where solutions often require creativity. Tony's calmness and intellect are far more useful to him than guns or brute force in his fight against crime.
Stars: Michael Chiklis, Theresa Saldana, Kaj-Erik Eriksen, Geoffrey Nauffts
Votes: 2,531
39. The Simpsons (1989– )
TV-14 | 22 min | Animation, Comedy
The satiric adventures of a working-class family in the misfit city of Springfield.
Stars: Dan Castellaneta, Nancy Cartwright, Harry Shearer, Julie Kavner
Votes: 435,359
40. Band of Brothers (2001)
TV-MA | 59 min | Drama, History, War
The story of Easy Company of the U.S. Army 101st Airborne Division and their mission in World War II Europe, from Operation Overlord to V-J Day.
Stars: Scott Grimes, Damian Lewis, Ron Livingston, Shane Taylor
Votes: 525,834
41. Justified (2010–2015)
TV-MA | 45 min | Action, Crime, Drama
Enforcing his own brand of justice, U.S. Marshal Raylan Givens, a strong-willed, quiet law-man haunted by his past, returns to his native town to see that justice is served to those in need.
Stars: Timothy Olyphant, Nick Searcy, Joelle Carter, Jacob Pitts
Votes: 118,467
42. Mike & Molly (2010–2016)
TV-14 | 30 min | Comedy, Romance
A couple meets at an Overeaters' Anonymous meeting.
Stars: Billy Gardell, Melissa McCarthy, Reno Wilson, Katy Mixon Greer
Votes: 27,991
43. Blue Bloods (2010–2024)
TV-14 | 43 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
Revolves around a family of New York cops.
Stars: Donnie Wahlberg, Bridget Moynahan, Will Estes, Len Cariou
Votes: 47,516
44. True Detective (2014– )
TV-MA | 60 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
Anthology series in which police investigations unearth the personal and professional secrets of those involved, both within and outside the law.
Stars: Vince Vaughn, Colin Farrell, Rachel McAdams, Taylor Kitsch
Votes: 655,159
45. Law & Order (1990– )
TV-14 | 45 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery