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 - Cannon
Frank Cannon is a tough, middle-aged, portly ex-cop turned private eye. A gourmet, with expensive tastes, he mostly took cases at a substantial fee so he could afford indulging in personal luxuries. He was a shrewd investigator, dedicated, clever and despite his bulk, was not afraid of getting physical if he had to.
View Episode Rankings#2 - The Bugs Bunny Show
The Bugs Bunny Show is an Animated television anthology series hosted by Bugs Bunny, that was mainly composed of Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies cartoons released by Warner Bros. between August 1, 1948 and the end of 1969. The show originally debuted as a primetime half-hour program on ABC in 1960, featuring three theatrical Warner Bros. Cartoons with new linking sequences produced by the Warner Bros.
View Episode Rankings#3 - 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#4 - 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#5 - 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#6 - Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman
Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman was a show that focused on Dr. Mike, a woman doctor in a time when that was unheard of. It started with her journey to Colorado Springs to be the town's physician after her father's death in 1868. The show focused around the town that she loved, treated and it also focused on the three children, Matthew (Chad Allen), Colleen (Erika Flores, later Jessica Bowman) and Brian Cooper (Shawn Toovey), whom she had to raise after their mother died from a rattle snake bite. In the later years, the show focused on Dr. Mike and Sully (Joe Lando) who got married and had a daughter towards the end of the shows successful run.
View Episode Rankings#7 - 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#8 - Salem's Lot
Writer Ben Mears, a former resident of Salem's Lot, returns to the town of his childhood haunted by his fascination with the Marsten House, a sinister old mansion that overlooks the small town. Both entranced by and fearful of the house, Ben attempts to rent it, but finds that another new arrival has beat him to the property; the mysterious Richard Straker. Ben's belief that the house is inherently evil and attracts evil men is soon vindicated as the town is struck by a series of mysterious deaths. From the novel by Stephen King.
View Episode Rankings#9 - Shazam!
A teenager named Billy Batson and his adult companion, Mentor, travel around in an RV helping people in need. Billy has been given the power to turn into Captain Marvel by the elders, Solomon, Herculese, Atlas, Zeus, Achillese and Mercury. Every episode the elders would contact Billy and give him a cryptic warning about something he will encounter. Billy would ultimately realize the meaning of the elder's advice and transform into Captain Marvel to help someone in need. Oh Elders, fleet and strong and wise, appear before my seeking eyes.
View Episode Rankings#10 - 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#11 - Nash Bridges
Fun-loving San Francisco Police Department investigator Nash Bridges is part of the elite Special Investigations Unit. He tackles crime using his keen sense of humor and charm. Joe Dominguez comes out of retirement to become Bridges' wisecracking yet more rule-abiding partner.
View Episode Rankings#12 - 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#13 - 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#14 - 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#15 - 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#16 - 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#17 - 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#18 - 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#19 - 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#20 - 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#21 - 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#22 - 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#23 - Pee-wee's Playhouse
Each show, Pee-wee Herman comes to his wonderful playhouse where anything can happen. Whether it be screaming at the secret word, entertaining friends like Cowboy Curtis and Ms. Yvonne, or enjoying animation clips presented by the King of Cartoons or the stories of the claymation girl, Penny; there's always lots of fun things to do.
View Episode Rankings#24 - 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#25 - 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#26 - NCIS
NCIS (Naval Criminal Investigative Service) is more than just an action drama. With liberal doses of humor, it’s a show that focuses on the sometimes complex and always amusing dynamics of a team forced to work together in high-stress situations. From murder and espionage to terrorism and stolen submarines, these special agents investigate all crimes with Navy or Marine Corps ties.
View Episode Rankings#27 - 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#28 - Tales from the Darkside
Tales from the Darkside is a 1980s American anthology horror TV series created by George A. Romero. Debuting in October 1983 with a pilot episode and then being picked up for syndication in September 1984, the show ran for 4 seasons through July 1988. Each episode, aired originally by Tribune Broadcasting late at night, was an individual short story that often ended with a plot twist. The series' episodes spanned the genres of horror, science fiction, and fantasy, and some episodes featured elements of black comedy or more lighthearted themes.
View Episode Rankings#29 - The Class
A group of 20-somethings are linked through attending the same third-grade class. An impromptu reunion begins on the 20th anniversary of the day they all met --and each is wondering if they'll have anything in common. Some are eager to show off, some want to rekindle old playground crushes, but most just want to satisfy their curiosity.
View Episode Rankings#30 - Moonlight
Moonlight follows Mick St. John, an immortal vampire and private investigator and his struggle to exist after he was bitten 60 years ago by his vampire bride on their wedding night. It also follows his internal torment as he falls in love with one he should not, one who is mortal named Beth, a news reporter, as well as his dealings with the woman who made him a vampire, his sire Coraline.
View Episode Rankings#31 - 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#32 - 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#33 - 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#34 - 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#35 - 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#36 - 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#37 - Bull (2016)
Dr. Jason Bull is the charming and cocky founder of successful trial consulting firm Trial Analysis Corporation, where he and his team of experts employ psychology, human intuition and high-tech data to understand jurors, lawyers, witnesses and defendants, and construct effective narratives to help their clients win.
View Episode Rankings#38 - The Munsters
At 1313 Mockingbird Lane, Mockingbird Heights, lived one of America's strangest sitcom families, The Munsters. Strangest looking, that is, for beneath Herman's Frankensteinian facial features, Lily's vampiric visage, Grandpa's Dracula countenance and Eddie's Wolfman looks, lurked possibly the sweetest and most sensitive sitcom family ever to grace the small-screen. This, of course, was the nub of the series: that a family so weird could overcome the everyday problems of modern living - and the fact that people ran away from them, screaming - by their generosity, gentleness and belief in traditional American values.
View Episode Rankings#39 - The Huckleberry Hound Show
The Huckleberry Hound Show is an animated TV series about a blue dog with a Southern drawl and a fondness for the song "My Darling, Clementine." Three segments were included in each episode: one featuring Huckleberry Hound, another starring Yogi Bear and his sidekick Boo Boo, and a third with Pixie and Dixie and Mr. Jinks, which starred two mice who in each short found a new way to outwit the cat Mr. Jinks. Every episode had him playing the part of a different profession, from police officer to lion tamer to medieval knight. The one thing that remained constant was Huckleberry's unruffled persistence to triumph over his opponent no matter how often he was outsmarted, outfought or fell victim to his own failed plans.
View Episode Rankings#40 - Back to the Future
The time travelling adventures of Doc Brown, his family, and his friend, Marty McFly.
View Episode Rankings#41 - 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#42 - 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#43 - 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#44 - 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#45 - 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#46 - The Bob Newhart Show
Bob Newhart is Dr. Robert Hartley, a Chicago psychologist living with his schoolteacher wife Emily. Complicating life for the serene, stammering doc was his neighbor, Howard, a flighty navigator; and Bob's coworkers, dentist Jerry and flippant receptionist Carol. The humor was gentle, sophisticated and, at times, wonderfully surreal.
View Episode Rankings#47 - Wisdom of the Crowd
A Silicon Valley tech icon takes crowdsourcing to the next level. Driven by trying to find his daughter’s killer, he creates a platform for people around the world to submit and evaluate evidence for criminal investigations. He launches a new company with a staff of specialists, passionate experts who sometimes work outside the confines of the law, ultimately revolutionizing crime solving in the Bay Area.
View Episode Rankings#48 - 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#49 - 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#50 - 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.
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