Best Rated TV Shows Of All Time: The List You Need
- 01. These Best Rated TV Shows Changed Television Forever
- 02. Top 10 Highest-Rated TV Shows of All Time
- 03. How The Sopranos Revolutionized Television
- 04. Breaking Bad's Cinematographic Innovation
- 05. The Wire's Social Realism Mastery
- 06. Documentary Series That Set New Standards
- 07. Why These Shows Changed Television Forever
These Best Rated TV Shows Changed Television Forever
The best rated TV shows of all time according to IMDb are: Chernobyl (9.3/10, 1M ratings), Breaking Bad (9.5/10), Planet Earth II (9.6/10), Band of Brothers (9.5/10), The Sopranos (9.2/10), and The Wire (9.3/10). These series revolutionized television through groundbreaking storytelling, cinematography, and cultural impact that redefined the medium's artistic potential.
Top 10 Highest-Rated TV Shows of All Time
| Rank | Show | IMDb Rating | Years aired | Network |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Planet Earth II | 9.6 | 2016 | BBC One |
| 2 | Band of Brothers | 9.5 | 2001 | HBO |
| 3 | Breaking Bad | 9.5 | 2008-2013 | AMC |
| 4 | Chernobyl | 9.3 | 2019 | HBO |
| 5 | The Wire | 9.3 | 2002-2008 | HBO |
| 6 | The Sopranos | 9.2 | 1999-2007 | HBO |
| 7 | Planet Earth | 9.4 | 2006 | BBC One |
| 8 | Avatar: The Last Airbender | 9.3 | 2005-2008 | Nickelodeon |
| 9 | Game of Thrones | 9.2 | 2011-2019 | HBO |
| 10 | Mad Men | 8.7 | 2007-2015 | AMC |
How The Sopranos Revolutionized Television
The Sopranos premiered January 10, 1999, and fundamentally changed television by introducing the complex antihero protagonist who became the template for prestige TV. Creator David Chase's HBO series centered on mobster Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini), a deeply flawed male antihero undergoing psychotherapy, breaking network standards for language, violence, and moral ambiguity. The show influenced a raft of prestige TV that followed including Mad Men, Breaking Bad, The Wire, Deadwood, and Game of Thrones, many involving writers and directors who worked on The Sopranos.
Pre-Sopranos TV was widely dismissed as a medium for programs that didn't ask viewers to think, preferring lovable characters with no inner life. The Sopranos was the first show to break all the rules and still become a massive, enduring hit, establishing antiheroic central characters and serialized narrative arcs as routine conventions. During the 2020 pandemic, the show's popularity skyrocketed with millennial and Gen Z audiences calling it "one of the greatest-if not the greatest-shows ever made".
Breaking Bad's Cinematographic Innovation
Breaking Bad premiered January 20, 2008, created by Vince Gilligan (known for The X-Files), and transformed television through cinematic cinematography and character transformation. The series introduced Walter White, an ordinary man grappling with cancer who utilized his intellect to establish a crystal-meth empire, embodying the American Dream only to unravel tragically.
The show's cinematography defined tone through four iconic camera techniques: wide shots contrasting vast New Mexico landscape with life-or-death struggles, time-lapse photography providing cosmic perspective, POV shots from inanimate objects, and wide-closed shots creating foreboding "calm before the storm" moments. Editor Kelley Dixon won a 2013 Emmy for Outstanding Single-Camera Picture Editing for a Drama Series for her Breaking Bad work. The show delivered five seasons of some of the most addictive television ever produced.
The Wire's Social Realism Mastery
The Wire premiered June 2, 2002, and is viewed less as television and more like an academic essay on TV that opened viewers' eyes beyond entertainment. The show broke decisively by exploring social crisis resulting from a world where many people will not succeed, presenting radical relevance 20 years later. Its visual and storytelling style drew upon documentary and social realism conventions for unprecedented naturalism.
- The Wire examined Baltimore's drug trade through police, drug dealers, school system, city government, and media perspectives across five seasons
- Broke more decisively than previous shows by exploring systemic institutional failure rather than individual heroism
- Remains just as radical and relevant two decades after its debut, educating viewers on urban policy and institutional corruption
Documentary Series That Set New Standards
Planet Earth II became the highest-rated TV show on IMDb with a 9.6 rating, narrowly edging out Band of Brothers' 9.5 rating. Narrated by David Attenborough, the sequel featured 4K ultra high definition (UHD), aerial drones, and remote recordings exploring habitats across islands, mountains, jungles, deserts, grasslands, and cities. The combined opinions of 70 million IMDb users concluded Planet Earth II is the most worthy of the "best TV show ever" title.
Band of Brothers, HBO's World War II drama, achieved a 9.5 rating and set the standard for miniseries production value. The five-part Chernobyl chronicles the aftermath of the catastrophic 1986 nuclear accident, achieving a 9.7-star average from nearly 140,000 users immediately after its finale.
Why These Shows Changed Television Forever
- The Sopranos introduced the antihero protagonist and serialized storytelling, launching the Golden Age of Television
- Breaking Bad perfected cinematic cinematography and character transformation arcs with visual storytelling innovation
- The Wire established social realism and institutional critique as television's highest artistic form
- Planet Earth II demonstrated documentary series could achieve the highest viewer ratings through technological innovation
- Chernobyl proved miniseries could deliver historical drama with unprecedented factual accuracy and emotional impact
- All shows pushed creative and moral boundaries while becoming massive, enduring hits that influenced subsequent generations
Expert answers to Best Rated Tv Shows Of All Time The List You Need queries
What makes a TV show the "best rated" of all time?
IMDb's Top 250 TV shows list ranks by a formula including the number of ratings each show received and the value of ratings from regular users, requiring at least 10,000 user ratings and 5 episodes for TV series. Shows must be available to watch in the US and have at least 50,000 votes for comprehensive lists.
Which show actually changed television the most?
The Sopranos is widely considered the show that changed television most, as it was the first to break all rules and still become a massive enduring hit, establishing the antihero template used by Mad Men, Breaking Bad, The Wire, Deadwood, and Game of Thrones. Critics note it redefined high-quality television by pushing creative and moral boundaries along with audience expectations.
When did the Golden Age of Television begin?
The Golden Age of Television is widely considered to have begun with The Sopranos premiere on January 10, 1999, which introduced the complex antihero protagonist and legitimized television as an artistic medium comparable to film. Breaking Bad's 2008 debut further redefined TV's Golden Age with cinematic storytelling.
Are miniseries included in best TV show rankings?
Yes, IMDb's Top 250 TV shows list includes both TV series and TV miniseries, requiring miniseries to receive ratings from at least 10,000 users. This is why Chernobyl (2019, 5 episodes) and Band of Brothers (2001, 10 episodes) rank among the highest-rated shows despite their limited episode counts.
How do streaming services affect TV show ratings?
Streaming services guarantee video immortality, allowing shows like The Sopranos to gain new currency with millennial and Gen Z audiences decades after their finale. During the 2020 pandemic, quarantine drove viewers to finally watch prestige shows on their lists, with The Sopranos' popularity skyrocketing as people used streaming platforms.
