The BEST CBS shows of all time
Every CBS show, ranked
We've compiled the average episode rating for every CBS show to compile this list of best shows!
#1 - Grammy Awards
The Grammys is an awards show that honors the achievements of the members of the professional music recording industry through a voting system. The members of the Recording Academy vote on who they think is most deserving of an award in 108 categories as specified by the academy. Each year the awards are presented during a live telecast that was begun in 1971 by ABC, but has since been televised by CBS after they bought it in 1973. They were initially known as the Gramophone Awards this is because the trophy itself is a golden gramophone but later they became the Grammys.
View Episode Rankings#2 - Beakman's World
Beakman's World is an educational children's television show. The program is based on the Universal Press Syndicate syndicated comic strip You Can with Beakman and Jax created by Jok Church.
View Episode Rankings#3 - The Last Don
Sprawling Mario Puzo novel about an Italian family of gangsters draws the inevitable comparison to "The Godfather", but does find its own direction. Headed by Don Domenico Clericuzio (Aiello), the family executes a rival gang on the night of the Don's daughter's wedding, including her new husband, the son of his rival. Unfortunately the daughter (Alley) gets pregnant and the repercussions of the night drift into the future. Spanning 1964-1985, the series jumps forward with the growing up of the grandson (Cochrane) who has grown ruthless and scheming. A co-rival in the family is a nephew (Gedrick) who has been raise to take his father's (Mantegna) place in the family as a hitman and has established his place by assassinating a man who killed a Senator's daughter. However, he is proven to not be ruthless enough and moves into the family's casino business in Vegas. When the nephew falls in love with a beautiful actress (Hannah), everything is set in place for the grandson to set up a coupe to take over the family.
View Episode Rankings#4 - Cadillacs and Dinosaurs
Cadillacs and Dinosaurs is the brainchild of Mark Schultz, who originally created the series in comic book format under the title Xenozoic Tales in the year 1986. The television series came to be through the marketing of Marvel Comics, when (years later) the company had acquired the rights to the property and attempted a revival of the popularity it once held in comic format. The series followed the exploits of survival-savvy garage mechanic Jack Tenrec, (who had a passion for restoring classic car shells, mainly those of Cadillacs) and his often-reluctant companion, the lovely foreign ambassador Hannah Dundee (who hired Jack as a liason while she attempted to create clear communication between her land and the modern civilization) as they confronted serious issues facing the futuristic environment that they (and the rest of humanity) had come to inhabit alongside many dinosaurs that were long thought to be extinct. Jack, leading his crew (a band of ecological freedom fighter
View Episode Rankings#5 - M*A*S*H
The 4077th Mobile Army Surgical Hospital is stuck in the middle of the Korean war. With little help from the circumstances they find themselves in, they are forced to make their own fun. Fond of practical jokes and revenge, the doctors, nurses, administrators, and soldiers often find ways of making wartime life bearable.
View Episode Rankings#6 - Wanted: Dead or Alive
A Civil War veteran with a sawed-off rifle as a holstered weapon makes a living as a bounty hunter in the Wild West of the 1870s. Wanted: Dead or Alive originally aired in Black and white on CBS. The pilot aired on the series "Trackdown" in March 1958. Bounty hunter Josh Randall was unlike any bounty hunter, he usually gave half or all of his reward money to good causes. He was a gentlemen and very respectful of the elderly. He was a man of few words and seemed to lack emotion but he was adept at using his gun, not an ordinary gun but a .44-.40 sawed-off 1892 Winchester carbine which he had on his "Mare's Leig", BUT the cartridges in his belt were .45-.70! His catch phrase in almost every episode was "Let's Go" which he spoke softly and sounded more like les goo. A treasure one not to be missed, especially to see Mr. Cool himself, Steve McQueen.
View Episode Rankings#7 - Tom and Jerry
This is all the Tom and Jerry shorts, from 1940 to 1967. The first 114 are from the Hanna-Barbera era (1940 – 1958), the next 13 are from the Gene Deitch era (1960 – 1962), and the last 34 are from the Chuck Jones era (1963 – 1967).
View Episode Rankings#8 - The Weird Al Show
The Weird Al Show included "Weird Al" Yankovic, The Hooded Avenger, Madame Judy, J.B. Toppersmith, and Al's pet, Harvey the Wonder Hamster. The show was educationally based, but it did have a lot of Al's very weird humor, and some guest stars and musical acts.
View Episode Rankings#9 - Hunted (US)
On Hunted, nine teams of two people attempt the nearly impossible task of disappearing and evading capture for 28 days in a 100,000 square mile region in the southeastern United States. If they succeed, each of the nine pairs will win a grand prize of $250,000. But it's not going to be easy disappearing in today's hyper-connected digital world.
View Episode Rankings#10 - Northern Exposure
Dr. Joel Fleischman graduates from Columbia University medical school thanks to a scholarship from the state of Alaska. Though he was promised a placement at the large hospital in Anchorage, he is instead whisked away to the tiny town of Cicely, where he must work off his education debt as the local General Practitioner. The location is remote, the people are weird and quirky, and all Joel wants is to return to New York.
View Episode Rankings#11 - The Twilight Zone
The Twilight Zone was a popular American anthology series. The series was a collection of various tales that range from the tragic to the comedic. They may be scary or just thought-provoking. Most episodes have unexpected endings and a moral lesson. But, no matter what, it's "a journey into a wondrous land, whose boundaries are that of the imagination."
View Episode Rankings#12 - The Dick Van Dyke Show
Considered to be one of television's classics, "The Dick Van Dyke Show" centers on the personal and professional lives of Rob Petrie, a writer for the fictional "Alan Brady Show". The non-stop laughs revolved around Rob's relationships with with fellow writers Buddy Sorrell and Sally Rogers, and producer Mel Cooley. At home, we also got to chuckle (and sometimes cry) over Rob's antics involving his wife, son, and neighbors.
View Episode Rankings#13 - Snagglepuss
Despite being a mountain lion, Snagglepuss is a rather sophisticated individual who merely seeks to better himself and his living situation. He lives in a damp and dark cavern, which isn’t too comfortable for someone of his standing. Unfortunately for him, life isn’t always fair for a mountain lion and he has to constantly ward off hunters, and some people refuse to talk to him because they’re afraid that he’ll eat them, not that he would do such a thing. Through it all, Snagglepuss’ life is one bizarre twist after another, and even though he’s a swell guy, the civilized world seldom wants anything to do with him.
View Episode Rankings#14 - The Abbott and Costello Show
Bud and Lou are unemployed actors living in Mr. Fields’ boarding house. Lou’s girlfriend Hillary lives across the hall. Many situations arise leading to slapstick and puns.
View Episode Rankings#15 - Tour of Duty
As the first television drama series about the Vietnam War, Tour of Duty focuses on a single platoon of young U.S. soldiers through their one-year tour of combat duty in Vietnam during the late 1960's. While their own country is rocked by a massive anti-war movement, these young men find themselves thrown into combat in Southeast Asia, where they face enemy troops they can not see and sometimes can not kill. They also face their own fears, as they struggle in a hostile environment just to keep themselves and their fellow soldiers alive. Terence Knox, Kevin Conroy, Stephen Caffrey, Joshua Maurer, Steve Akahoshi, Tony Becker, Eric Bruskotter, Stan Foster, Ramon Franco and Miguel A. Nunez, Jr. star as the infantrymen who represent diverse racial, cultural and philosophical backgrounds but must ultimately depend on one another to get through the war alive.
View Episode Rankings#16 - This is America, Charlie Brown
"This Is America, Charlie Brown" sets the familiar "Peanuts" characters into scenes of American history: on the Mayflower, at the signing of the Constitution, at Kitty Hawk with the Wright Brothers, on the NASA space station, etc.
View Episode Rankings#17 - Person of Interest
An ex-CIA agent and a mysterious billionaire prevent violent crimes with the help of an all-seeing machine that can predict events before they happen.
View Episode Rankings#18 - The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson
"The Late Late Show" is a (very) late night talk show hosted by Craig Ferguson and airs after "The Late Show with David Letterman". Craig hosts many international guests along with Geoff Peterson, his robot skeleton B.F.F.
View Episode Rankings#19 - NCIS
Explore the inner workings of the government agency that investigates all crimes involving Navy and Marine Corps personnel, regardless of rank or position. Leading this team is NCIS Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs, a skilled investigator and interrogator who is smart, tough and willing to bend the rules to get the job done.
View Episode Rankings#20 - Lonesome Dove
Retired Texas Rangers Gus McRae and Woodrow Call are content to live out their remaining years in the tiny Texas town of Lonesome Dove. Then their old friend Jake comes to town, and tells them about the incredible opportunities for cattle ranching in Montana. Encouraged by this, Call convinces Gus and many other townspeople to go on a perilous cattle drive to Montana. Gus has another agenda though: his former sweetheart now lives in Nebraska, and he hopes for a second chance with her. As the drive goes on it takes on an epic scale, ultimately becoming what could well be called the central event in the lives of all involved.
View Episode Rankings#21 - The Muppet Show
The Muppet Show is a British-American television program produced by puppeteer Jim Henson and featuring Muppets. After two pilot episodes were produced in 1974 and 1975, the show premiered on September 5, 1976, and five series were produced until March 15, 1981, lasting 120 episodes. The program shows a vaudeville- or music hall-style song-and-dance variety show, as well as glimpses behind the scenes of such a show. Kermit the Frog stars as a showrunner who tries to keep control of the antics of the other Muppet characters (and his temper), as well as keep the guest stars happy. The show was known for outrageous physical slapstick, sometimes absurdist comedy, and humorous parodies. Each episode also featured a human guest star. As the show's popularity rose, many celebrities were eager to perform with the Muppets on television and in film.
View Episode Rankings#22 - I Love Lucy
Cuban Bandleader Ricky Ricardo would be happy if his wife Lucy would just be a housewife. Instead she tries constantly to perform at the Tropicana where he works, and make life comically frantic in the apartment building they share with landlords Fred and Ethel Mertz, who also happen to be their best friends.
View Episode Rankings#23 - The Good Wife
The Good Wife is a drama starring Emmy Award winner Julianna Margulies as a wife and mother who must assume full responsibility for her family and re-enter the workforce after her husband's very public sex and political corruption scandal lands him in jail.
View Episode Rankings#24 - Perry Mason
There are few actors so closely tied to a persona than Raymond Burr as Perry Mason. This long-running series was built upon Erle Stanley Gardner´s many novels about a brilliant defense lawyer and his staff, that solved many a crime with surprise witnesses and stern cross-examinations.It was the first mystery series to feature chalk or tape outlines to mark the spots where bodies were found. Filmed almost exclusively in the Los Angeles area, Raymond Burr had Gardner's seal of approval in the role. The cases were usually won by way of pivotal confessions of witnesses, solicited by Perry Mason (Burr's) surgeon-like examination or with last-minute, key evidence brought into the courtroom by private investigator, Paul Drake (William Hopper). Della Street (Barbara Hale), Perry´s faithful secretary, was always at Perry's side in the courtroom where hapless Hamilton Burger (William Tallman) was the Los Angeles District Attorney who never seemed to win. As to the myth that Perry Mason never lost, there were 2 episodes where it did occur... but you'll have to watch to find out.The show was revived in 1973-74, with other actors in the familiar roles (Monte Markham as Mason), and then again with the some of the original cast, in a string of feature length TV films from 1985 until Raymond Burr´s death in 1993.
View Episode Rankings#25 - The Archie Show
Inspired by the beloved comic book series, The Archie Show chronicles the adventures of America's favorite redhead and his hip friends Betty, Veronica, Reggie and Jughead, plus their mascot Hot Dog. Watch as they sing, dane and laugh their way through the ups and downs, hits and misses of being teenagers. Every Episode of the popular series features an original song and dance by the Grooviest band in Riverdale and accross the USA!
View Episode Rankings#26 - The Unit
The Unit is a covert Special Forces team that does not exist. Their cover is the 303rd logistical studies group. They are assigned covert military operations by the President and never get credit for their actions. Their wives are also a tight group protecting their husbands. They protect their husband’s secrets and maintain their cover.
View Episode Rankings#27 - The Mentalist
When mentalist Patrick Jane insults a vengeful serial killer, Red John, his loved ones are brutally killed. Faced with the horrifying consequences of misusing his gift for observation and misdirection, Jane lends his skills to the California Bureau of Investigation, all the while hoping that his connections within the CBI will give him the opportunity to track down and revenge himself upon Red John.
View Episode Rankings#28 - The Honeymooners
The Honeymooners, one of the most influential situation comedy television series in American history, depicts the sincere attempts of two men attempting to better their lives, and the ensuing frustrations when their schemes to strike it rich inevitably backfire.
View Episode Rankings#29 - How I Met Your Mother
A father tells his children, through a series of flashbacks, the journey that he and his four best friends undertook, which would lead him to meet their mother.
View Episode Rankings#30 - Worst Week
Worst Week follows the life of a young couple as they make their way through married life and deal with their soon-to-be in-laws.
View Episode Rankings#31 - The Big Bang Theory
A woman who moves into an apartment across the hall from two brilliant but socially awkward physicists shows them how little they know about life outside of the laboratory.
View Episode Rankings#32 - The Price Is Right
"Come on down!" The Price Is Right features a wide variety of games and contests with the same basic challenge: guess the prices of everyday (or not-quite-everyday) retail items. Contestants begin by being called from the audience to play a preliminary pricing round. That winner joins the host on stage for a different pricing game. After three contestants have played, they each spin a big wheel, hoping to get as close to $1 as possible. The two highest winners of that round advance to the "Showcase Showdown", where prizes often include cars and exotic trips. A trio of models presents the prizes. The show was originally hosted by Bill Cullen on NBC (1956-63) and ABC (1963-65). However, it was the genial, ageless Bob Barker who really sold viewers on the show which began on CBS in 1972. When Barker retired in 2007, Drew Carey stepped in to ably fill his shoes.
View Episode Rankings#33 - The Carol Burnett Show
A variety / sketch comedy show starring Carol Burnett, Harvey Korman, Vicki Lawrence, Lyle Waggoner, and Tim Conway. It originally ran on CBS from September 11, 1967 to March 29, 1978 for 278 episodes, and originated from CBS Television City's Studio 33 (known today as the Bob Barker Studio). The series won 25 prime time Emmy Awards, and in 2007 was listed as one of Time magazine's "100 Best TV Shows of All Time."
View Episode Rankings#34 - The Andy Griffith Show
Down-home humor and an endearing cast of characters helped make The Andy Griffith Show one of the most beloved comedies in the history of TV. The show centered around widower Andy Taylor, who divided his time between raising his young son Opie, and his job as sheriff of the sleepy North Carolina town, Mayberry. Andy and Opie live with Andy's Aunt Bee, who serves as a surrogate mother to both father and son. Andy's nervous cousin, Barney Fife, is his deputy sheriff whose incompetence is tolerated because Mayberry is virtually crime-free.
View Episode Rankings#35 - 60 Minutes
60 Minutes has been on the air since 1968, beginning on a Tuesday, but spending most of its time on Sundays, where it remains today. This popular news magazine provides both hard hitting investigations, interviews and features, along with people in the news and current events. 60 Minutes has set unprecedented records in the Nielsen's ratings with a number 1 rating, five times, making it among the most successful TV programs in all of television history. This series has won more Emmy awards than any other news program and in 2003, Don Hewitt, the creator (back in 1968), was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Emmy, along with the 60 Minute correspondents. Added to the 11 Peabody awards, this phenomenally long-lived series has collected 78 awards up to the 2005 season and remains among the viewers top choice for news magazine features.
View Episode Rankings#36 - Code Black
In the new medical drama Code Black, Angels Memorial Hospital is the busiest ER in the nation. A "code black" occurs when there are more patients than resources, and you’re either praying for a miracle or performing one.
View Episode Rankings#37 - The New Scooby-Doo Movies
Following a successful run of Scooby-Doo, Where Are You?, The New Scooby-Doo Movies was the first of many reincarnations of the lovable talking hound's show. To boost the already increasing popularity of the series, each episode of The New Scooby Doo Movies featured a guest star -- ranging from celebrities like Sonny and Cher and Monkees frontman Davy Jones to characters from other Hanna/Barbara cartoons like Josie and the Pussycats and Speed Buggy. The format basically stayed the same -- the most notable change being that each episode doubled in size from a thirty minute episode to sixty minutes. Scooby and the gang still found themselves foiling the bad guys in rubber masks like in the original series, but this time around the guest stars would help out and be another source of comedic hijinks. This series ran for two seasons with a total of 24 episodes and has had a long life in syndication. There is a lot of confusion surrounding the official titles of the episodes, whic
View Episode Rankings#38 - C.O.P.S.
"C.O.P.S. - Central Organization of Police Specialists. Fighting crime in a future time,... protecting Empire City from Big Boss, and his gang of crooks. C.O.P.S.!" "It's crime fighting time!" In 1993, CBS picked up the syndication of this show, it was renamed "Cyber C.O.P.S."
View Episode Rankings#39 - Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Distinctly different from the grim, violent, and dark MIRAGE comics from which the Turtles originated, this version of the franchise has remained the longest running, and most memorable, version of all. Four turtles fall into the sewers and are befriended by Hamato Yoshi a Japanese man sent to New York who was forced to live in the sewers. One day he sees a strange green glow which transforms the four turtles into human-like creatures. Hamato (now Master Splinter) changes into a giant rat from the green glow and teaches the turtles the skills of the ninja as they team up with Channel 6 news reporter April O'Neil to battle against Yoshi's arch enemy Shredder and Krang, an alien warlord from Dimension X.
View Episode Rankings#40 - The Bugs Bunny Show
View Episode Rankings#41 - Eleventh Hour (US)
Dr. Jacob Hood, is a brilliant biophysicist and Special Science Adviser to the FBI who is brought in to investigate crimes of a scientific or paranormal nature that other agents may be unable to solve. Hood is the government's last line of defense, and it is his mission to keep scientific advances out of the hands of those with nefarious intentions. Special Agent Rachel Young, of the FBI's executive protection detail, is assigned to protect Hood. Both Dr. Hood and Special Agent Young are assisted by Special Agent Felix Lee.
View Episode Rankings#42 - The Beverly Hillbillies
The Beverly Hillbillies is among the most successful comedies in American television history, and remains one of the few sitcoms to involve serial plotlines. It centered around Jed Clampett, a simple backwoods mountaineer who becomes a millionaire when oil is discovered on his property and then moves his family to Beverly Hills. The fish-out-of-water farce ran for nine seasons.
View Episode Rankings#43 - Jericho (2006)
When Jake Green returns to his Kansas small-town home Jericho, where his dad Johnston is mayor, everyone is preoccupied with petty private business and family matters, but that changes drastically after a completely unexpected explosion. It soon becomes clear there has been a nuclear attack, but neither by whom nor on which scale. Suddenly life in Jericho, and as the inhabitants gradually discover all over the disintegrating USA, becomes a more primordial struggle for survival, where unexperienced dangers, primitive as well as technological, have to be weighed against pressing primal needs, such as food, fuel and self-defense against plunderers, invaders and even each-other. Jake, whose private story like that of other main characters slowly becomes disclosed to us, proves extremely resourceful and a smart hero, while his father's mayoral authority and even that of the only available medical professionals is soon challenged and undermined, criminal potentials are tapped into by circumstances and good people must rise to the daunting occasion assertively or perish. Even when contact is made with neighboring surviving towns, desperate rivalry soon cancels out solidarity.
View Episode Rankings#44 - Hogan's Heroes
The exploits of five World War II prisoners in a German POW camp, 'Stalag 13' who, while "under the cover" of being typical prisoners of war, are really secretly doing their utmost to sabotage the German war effort through whatever means necessary. Col. Klink is very proud that no prisoner has ever escaped under his watch, not that they would want to. Suave, cool and smart, Col. Hogan takes advantage of Col. Klink and Sgt. Schultz's bravado and general cluelessness to carry out his missions.
View Episode Rankings#45 - Petticoat Junction
Rural sitcom revolving around a widow, her uncle and three daughters who run the Shady Rest Hotel along the Hooterville Cannonball railroad line.
View Episode Rankings#46 - The Phil Silvers Show
Classic military comedy set on the fictional Army base of Fort Baxter in Kansas and starred Phil Silvers as Sgt. Ernest Bilko, a fast-talking sharpster who would do anything to make an extra buck. Paul Ford co-starred as Colonel Hall, Bilko's harried commanding officer who often found himself stuck in the middle of Bilko's schemes.
View Episode Rankings#47 - CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
CSI is a crime drama in which the characters use cutting-edge forensic tools to examine the evidence to solve the case. Rather than asking 'whodunnit' (investigating witnesses/suspects), CSI explores the 'howdunnit'.
View Episode Rankings#48 - Still Standing
A working class couple in Chicago try to instill good values in their three kids, but their own past experiences often conflict with the lessons they try to teach to their children. Judy Miller is the attractive wife who was wooed by Bill when he duplicitously dated Judy's less attractive friend. Judy and Bill were both popular in high school, and they never outgrew that teenage mentality. Neither has the level of maturity to teach their kids right and wrong, often causing a role reversal between the parents and the children.
View Episode Rankings#49 - Elementary
Following his fall from grace in London and a stint in rehab, eccentric Sherlock escapes to Manhattan where his wealthy father forces him to live with his worst nightmare – a sober companion, Dr. Watson. A successful surgeon until she lost a patient and her license three years ago, Watson views her current job as another opportunity to help people, as well as paying a penance. Holmes resumes his work as a police consultant in New York City and Watson has no choice but to accompany her irascible new charge on his jobs. But Sherlock finds her medical background helpful, and Watson realizes she has a knack for playing investigator. With the mischievous Sherlock Holmes now running free in New York solving crimes, it’s simple deduction that he’s going to need someone to keep him grounded, and it’s elementary that it’s a job for Watson.
View Episode Rankings#50 - JAG
JAG is an adventure drama about an elite wing of officers trained as lawyers who investigate, prosecute and defend those accused of crimes in the military. Navy Cmdr. Harmon "Harm" Rabb, an ace pilot turned lawyer, and Marine Lt. Col. Sarah "Mac" MacKenzie, a beautiful by-the-book officer, are colleagues who hold the same high standards but find themselves clashing when they choose different routes to get to the same place. The unmistakable chemistry between them must be held at bay for professional reasons as they traverse the globe together with a single mission: to search for and discover the truth. Helping them with their mission is Navy Lt. Cmdr. Bud Roberts, a lawyer who proved his grit and determination when, after losing a leg in a land mine field while on a mission, fought back and became even better at his job.
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