The BEST NBC shows of all time
Every NBC show, ranked
We've compiled the average episode rating for every NBC show to compile this list of best shows!
#1 - Gimme a Break!
Nell Carter stars as the housekeeper for a recently widowed police chief and his three daughters.
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#2 - Minions
All new mini-movies from the creators of Despicable Me and Despicable Me 2. The Minions are small, yellow, cylindrical, creatures who have one or two eyes. They are impulsive creatures with little self-control, but with a wide-eyed wonder and odd innocence that endears them to viewers and makes them relatable. They can be pesky when they are doing weird interactions with other people, animals, or objects. Minions have standard English names. Unlike most other criminal masterminds and their usual doctrine of abusing their henchmen, Gru gets along famously with his minions. He genuinely seems to like them and even shows appreciation for their hard work and support. He even seems to know each of them by name.
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#3 - The Pink Panther Show
The Pink Panther Cartoon Collection contains the theatrical Pink Panther shorts as well as other cartoons such as 'The Inspector' and 'The Ant and the Aardvark'. This whole thing began in 1963, when Blake Edwards needed an opening sequence for his film, The Pink Panther, so he commissioned David H. DePatie and Warner Brothers cartoon director, Friz Freleng to make one for it. The opening sequence turned out to be more popular than the movie itself, so United Artist commissioned DePatie-Freleng Enterprises to make Pink Panther cartoons for theaters. In 1969, due to the success of the cartoon, NBC started airing The Pink Panther Show along with another DFE theatrical cartoon... The Inspector It was based on the Inspector Clouseau character. The Inspector was a clumsy French detective who bumbles everything up. It ran in theaters from December 1965 thru February 1969. There were total of 34 theatrical shorts.
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#4 - The West Wing
A glimpse into presidential politics in the nation's capital as it tells the stories of the members of a fictional presidential administration. These interesting characters have humor and dedication that touches the heart while the politics that they discuss touch on everyday life.
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#5 - Midnight Caller
Follows Jack Killian, a San Francisco cop who accidentally killed his partner. After leaving the police force, he ended up the host of a late-night radio talk show--with a penchant for getting involved with the problems of his listeners.
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#6 - Emergency!
Emergency! is a reality-based show that takes a good look at what goes on in the daily lives of the fire department and hospital work, and everyday life-and-happenings. The series focuses on two locations: LA Fire Station 51 with paramedics John Gage and Roy DeSoto, and Rampart General Hospital with Doctors Kelly Brackett and Joe Early and Nurse Dixie McCall. Another work of Jack Webb's Mark VII Limited, the show was based on the paramedic program that started in Los Angeles, California in 1969. Produced in cooperation with the Los Angeles County Fire Department and Department of Hospitals, it is well-regarded for its realism. Senator Alan Cranston actually praised the show for informing the public about the value of funding such programs!
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#7 - SCTV Network 90
After a successful Canadian run as Second City TV on Global and SCTV on CBC, the cast packed up and moved to America (theoretically) when NBC offered them a timeslot under the title SCTV Network 90. With them, they brought their unique, quirky characters, their personalities, and the shows they had appeared on. Dick Blasucci had begun writing for the cast in their second series, SCTV, and joined them here, serving as a recurring straight man for the characters. Tony Rosato and Robin Duke wrote scripts at the beginning of the show as they had before, until quickly leaving to write and perform for Saturday Night Live. The appeal of SCTV Network 90, however, doesn't only come from the writing, but from the sheer wit of its legendary stars.
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#8 - Seinfeld
Jerry Seinfeld is a very successful stand-up comedian, mainly because the people around him offer an endless supply of great material. His best friend is George Costanza, a bald, whiny loser who craves the kind of success Jerry has but is never willing to do what it takes to get it. Jerry’s neighbor Kramer often barges into his apartment and imposes onto his life. In the second episode Jerry’s former girlfriend Elaine Benes comes back into his life, and the four of them are able to form a friendship together. The episodes were rarely very plot-heavy, focusing more on mundane conversations and situations that could be found during everyday life in New York.
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#9 - The Alfred Hitchcock Hour
A continuation of the dramatic anthology series hosted by the master of suspense and mystery. When the series "Alfred Hitchcock Presents" was revived in 1962, the name was changed but the format stayed fairly true to the original. In each episode, viewers would be strung along with the story, never knowing which way the final twist would turn.
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#10 - Dateline NBC
Dateline presents in-depth coverage of news stories. Rather than just reading news reports, as most news shows do, the reporters for this show research their subjects and interview the people closely involved to create an informative work of investigative journalism.
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#11 - Passions
Passions follows the lives and loves, and various romantic and paranormal adventures of the residents of Harmony. Storylines center around the interactions among members of its multi-racial core families as well as the supernatural including town witch Tabitha Lenox.
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#12 - Third Watch
The series tells the stories of the members of the 55th Squad – police, firefighters, and paramedics who work the "third watch" between 3 pm and 11 pm in New York City.
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#13 - The Office (US)
A mockumentary on a group of typical office workers, where the workday consists of ego clashes, inappropriate behavior, and tedium.
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#14 - Friends
Rachel Green, Ross Geller, Monica Geller, Joey Tribbiani, Chandler Bing and Phoebe Buffay are six 20 something year-olds, living off one another in the heart of New York City. Over the course of ten years, this average group of buddies goes through massive mayhem, family trouble, past and future romances, fights, laughs, tears and surprises as they learn what it really means to be a friend.
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#15 - Life (2007)
Complex, offbeat Detective Charlie Crews returns to the force after serving time in prison for a crime he didn't commit. Crews' new lease on life has provided him with a Zen-like outlook, peace of mind and no need for vengeance, an attitude which can be challenging to maintain when someone he cares about is threatened -- or when he is investigating the mystery surrounding the murder he was falsely accused of.
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#16 - Scrubs
Scrubs focuses on the lives of several people working at Sacred Heart, a teaching hospital. It features fast-paced dialogue, slapstick, and surreal vignettes presented mostly as the daydreams of the central character, Dr. John Michael "J.D." Dorian.
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#17 - Brotherly Love
Joe Roman has come by his self-reliance naturally. His parents divorced when he was little, and his dad”a race car driver”remarried and focused primarily on his new family with his young wife Claire. Joe spent his childhood on the move with his mother, venturing out on his own when he was just 15. A year after his father's fatal accident, Joe returns to Philadelphia to collect his share of his Dad's estate, a car customizing business. His reunion with Claire and his half brothers is a little rocky. Despite her best efforts, Claire is struggling to keep the business afloat. Fifteen-year-old Matt, tormented by a number of teen crises both real and imagined, harbors a lot of resentment toward Joe. And Andy, a wildly imaginative seven-year-old, can't quite hide his need for a father figure. It doesn't take long for Joe to realize how much he's needed, so he accepts Claire's offer to move in and work in the family business. Downstairs in the garage, Joe works alongside
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#18 - Parks and Recreation
The series follows Leslie Knope, the deputy head of the Parks and Recreation department in the fictional town of Pawnee, Indiana. Knope takes on a project with a nurse named Ann to turn a construction pit into a park, while trying to mentor a bored college-aged intern. However, Leslie must fight through the bureaucrats, problem neighbors, and developers in order to make her dream a reality, all while with a camera crew recording her every gaff and mishap.
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#19 - Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip
A fascinating look behind the scenes of Studio 60, a fictional sketch-comedy series on the NBS broadcast network. Problem is the series seems to be going down the tube fast. Everyone involved with the late-night dud seems to have one problem or another, including the current Executive Producer, who just had an on-air mental meltdown, and time is running out fast. Enter the networks Chairman of the Board, a new network president looking to make her mark on the net. Her answer is move is to bring in a pair of fresh-faced writers to try and save the series. Will it work?
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#20 - Alfred Hitchcock Presents
Alfred Hitchcock Presents (1955-1962) was a mystery and suspense anthology hosted by the master of suspense himself - Alfred Hitchcock. Each episode stands alone, delving into horror, comedy, suspense, and the supernatural.
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#21 - Freaks and Geeks
Two unique groups of teenagers deal with life in high school during the 1980s. Lindsay Weir rebels and begins hanging out with a crowd of burnouts, the "freaks," while her brother Sam Weir navigates a different part of the social universe with his nerdy friends, the "geeks."
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#22 - Chuck
A regular 26-year-old everyman has his life thrown into disarray after his friend, a CIA agent, sends him an e-mail that results in the world's secrets becoming embedded in his mind.
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#23 - Crime Story
Chicago police lieutenant Mike Torello (Dennis Farina) wages an epic battle against organized crime in Michael Mann's arresting combination of cops and robbers, prime time soap, and film noir. Like Eliot Ness and the Untouchables, Torello and his Major Crimes Unit (MCU) have a formidable opponent in Ray Luca (Anthony Dennison), a young, ambitious thug who'll do whatever it takes to claw his way to the top.
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#24 - Late Night with Conan O'Brien
"Keep Cool My Babies!" Smart-alecky, ribald and whimsical, "Late Night with Conan O'Brien" rose to become a critical darling and dorm favorite after a rocky start in 1993. There are many recurring characters (including Triumph the Insult Comic Dog, Vomiting Kermit, Eyeballs O'Shaughnessy, NASCAR-driving gun-toting Jesus, Masturbating Bear) and comedy bits (including New State Quarters, What in the World, Celebrity Survey, Actual Items, Conan Hates My Homeland) that entertain us night after night. New episodes air Tuesday through Friday, with reruns on Mondays and occasional breaks where reruns air all week long. It airs weekdays at 12:37 a.m. ET/PT. (Simulcast in HDTV) Next-day encores air on CNBC at 7pm ET.
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#25 - Ed
Ed Stevens is a contracts lawyer at a high-profile New York City firm. Around the same time he splits with his wife (she slept with a mailman), he makes a single error in punctuation when going over a contract; and because of the resulting financial loss to the firm, he's fired. Despondent, he heads back to his (small) hometown of Stuckeyville -- 'Anytown', USA. There he realizes he's been missed by a lot of friends whom he's missed; and he sees Carol, the girl he'd adored in high school. Swept up in roiling emotions, Ed buys the local bowling alley on a whim, moves to Stuckeyville, and determines to win Carol's heart. His horizons broaden as he settles once more in Stuckeyville, and the series itself settles into a charming, funny, often serious slice-of-life series focused not solely on Ed but on the lovable ensemble cast of people who live and work with him in Stuckeyville.
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#26 - Hannibal
Both a gift and a curse, Will Graham has the extraordinary ability to think like his prey—he sees what they see, feels what they feel. But while Graham is pursuing an especially troubling, cannibalistic murderer, Special Agent Jack Crawford teams him with a highly respected psychiatrist – a man with a taste for the criminal minded – Dr. Hannibal Lecter.
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#27 - This Is Us
A heartwarming and emotional story about a unique set of triplets, their struggles and their wonderful parents.
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#28 - The Life and Times of Grizzly Adams
An innocent man, James Adams, runs away and hides from the law in the wilderness, where he befriends a grizzly bear and helps passers-by in the forest. This show was set in the 1850s, and could be easily described as one of the most original shows of all time. Besides taking care of the bear, Adams will help people who need his help, and in the meantime, he'll have to hide from the bounty hunters who are looking for him. Adams also makes friends with Mad Jack, an old trader; and Nakuma, a Native American; both Nakuma and Mad Jack will help Adams.
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#29 - The Golden Girls
Four previously married women live together in Miami, sharing their various experiences together and enjoying themselves despite hard times.
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#30 - Banacek
Peppard played Thomas Banacek, a suave, Polish-American freelance investigator based in Boston, who solved seemingly impossible thefts (see locked room mystery). He then collected from the insurance companies 10% of the insured value of the recovered property. One of Banacek's verbal signatures was the quotation of strangely worded yet curiously cogent "Polish" proverbs. -- WikiPedia
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#31 - The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show
Rocky and Bullwinkle began life in the 1950's television show, The Frostbite Falls Review. It was created by Jay Ward and Bill Scott. Their names in that show were Rocket J. Squirrel and Canadian Moose. The Frostbite Falls Review was not very successful so Rocky and Bullwinkle became the stars of their own show, Rocky and His Friends. The show was co-created by Alex Anderson and premiered on November 29th, 1959 on ABC. Added to the cast were Boris and Natasha, two Pottsylvanian spies. The show also featured various segments; Peabody's Improbable History, Fractured Fairy Tales, Mr. Know-It-All, and Aesop and Son. In 1961, the show moved to NBC and was renamed The Bullwinkle Show. It ran for three seasons and was canceled in 1964. ABC ran reruns until 1974, when the show then entered syndication.
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#32 - Frasier
After many years spent at the "Cheers" bar, Frasier moves back home to Seattle after his policeman father Martin Crane gets shot in the hip on duty. After Martin struggles with living alone after the incident, he moves in with Frasier in his luxury apartment at the Elliot Bay Towers along with his dog Eddie. Hired by Frasier, Daphne Moon also moves in as Martin's personal physiotherapist. Also living nearby is his younger brother Niles Crane, who is also a Psychiatrist.
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#33 - NewsRadio
"NewsRadio" showcases the hilarious antics of the whimsical #2 news radio station in New York City. The corral of characters are eccentric and witty, and they surprise each other with their back-and-forth banter. Their workplace humor also supplies an abundance of laughs amidst this unlikely bunch of colleagues.
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#34 - Star Trek
Space. The Final Frontier. The U.S.S. Enterprise embarks on a five year mission to explore the galaxy. The Enterprise is under the command of Captain James T. Kirk, who is assisted by First Officer Mr. Spock, from the planet Vulcan, and Chief Medical Officer Dr. Leonard 'Bones' McCoy. With a determined crew, the Enterprise encounters Klingons, Romulans, time paradoxes, tribbles and genetic supermen led by Khan Noonien Singh. Their mission: to explore strange new worlds, to seek new life and new civilizations, to boldly go where no man has gone before.
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#35 - 30 Rock
Liz Lemon, the head writer of a live variety program's life is turned upside down when brash new network executive Jack Donaghy interferes with her show, bringing the wildly unpredictable Tracy Jordan into the cast. Now its up to Liz to manage the mayhem and still try to have a life.
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#36 - Shogun
Richard Chamberlain stars as John Blackthorne, a 17th century British sea pilot in charge of a Dutch vessel. Shipwrecked off the coast of Japan, Blackthorne is in danger of being executed by the suspicious, reclusive Japanese hierarchy, but before long he has been accepted into the local culture. Accordingly, he begins to think of himself as Japanese, adopting the nation's customs and, while wearing the robes of a Samurai warrior, helping to defend the land against its enemies. The arrival of Blackthorne unfortunately arouses the interest of European empire-builders, who hope to add Japan to their holdings. Toshiro Mifune costars as Toranaga, a warlord who befriends Blackthorne, and Yoko Shimada appears as Mariko, the interpreter who eventually falls in love with the Englishman.
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#37 - Captain N: The Game Master
Kevin Keene, a teenager from Northridge, California, and his dog Duke are brought to another universe called Videoland, where Nintendo video games are real, to defeat the evil villianess Mother Brain. Mother Brian is trying to conquer Videoland. Kevin has been brought to defeat her, as foretold in an ancient prophecy. Kevin is given the title "Captain N: The Game Master." He and Duke join the N Team consisting of Princess Lana (the ruler of Videoland), Simon Belmont (the hero from "Castlevania"), Mega Man, Kid Icarus, and later Gameboy (a supercomputer that looks like a Game Boy system). The N Team goes up against the evil Mother Brain (the villianess from "Metroid") and her minions King Hippo (from "Punch Out"), the Eggplant Wizard (from "Kid Icarus"), Dr. Wily (from "Mega Man") and Count Dracula (from "Castlevania"). The forces of good and evil go up against each other and often find themselves in comical, hilarious situations. The Characters: The Good Guys: Kevin Keen
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#38 - Better Late Than Never
This hilarious fish-out-of-water comedy/reality show follows cultural icons Henry Winkler, William Shatner, Terry Bradshaw and George Foreman on their greatest adventure yet. Deciding it's Better Late Than Never, these four national treasures embark on the journey of a lifetime, traveling across Asia on their own with no schedule and no itinerary. The only "help" will come from Jeff Dye, a young, strong, tech-savvy comedian with an agenda of his own - who isn't above leading the men off track. Each stop is packed with hilarious cultural experiences, heartwarming spectacles and unexpected twists as our legends take on this unforgettable adventure.
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#40 - Boomtown
"The victims, the cops, the press and the politicians...each has their own perspective." Boomtown depicts crime in Los Angeles from the very different perspectives of the four groups most intimately involved in the pursuit of justice -- the police, the citizens, the politicians, and the media -- and artfully illustrates how they interconnect. Boomtown features Joel Stevens (Donnie Wahlberg, Band of Brothers) as an emotionally drained, dedicated detective; "Fearless" Bobby Smith (Mykelti Williamson, Forrest Gump) as Stevens' easy-going, daredevil partner; David McNorris (Neal McDonough, Minority Report) as a politically savvy and ambitious Deputy D.A.; Ray Hechler (Gary Basaraba, Brooklyn South) as a veteran patrol officer, and Tom Turcotte (Jason Gedrick, The Last Don) as a beat cop struggling to prove himself. Nina Garbiras (The $treet) stars as Andrea Little, a tough metro reporter whose private life is less than perfect and Teresa Ortiz (Lana Parrilla, Spin City) as a compassionate paramedic who has already seen too much suffering.
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#41 - Chicago P.D.
Detective Sergeant Hank Voight and his elite Intelligence Unit at the Chicago Police Department combat atrocious offences and bring criminals to justice.
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#42 - Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In
Comedy duo Dan Rowan and Dick Martin host this fast-moving comedy series. Characters include Lily Tomlin's Ernestine the Operator, Arte Johnson's German soldier who finds everything "verrrrrry interesting" and Ruth Buzzi's feisty little old lady. Recurring sketches include Laugh-In Looks at the News and The Mod, Mod World.
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#43 - The High Chaparral
The show revolved around "Big" John Cannon (Leif Erickson), a rancher who lived in the Arizona Territory in the 1870s. He ran the ranch with his brother Buck (Cameron Mitchell) and son Billy Blue (Blue Boy) (Mark Slade). Blue Boy's mother Annalee (Joan Caulfield) was killed in the first episode by an Indian arrow, and John Cannon then married Victoria (Linda Cristal), the daughter of the powerful neighbouring rancher Don Sebastián Montoya, in what is initially a marriage of convenience. His marriage to Victoria Montoya brought her brother Manolito (Henry Darrow) into the picture, and he also came to live with the family. Cameron Mitchell had been offered the part of Buck following an airline flight to Tucson where he had sat next to the series originator and his wife.
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#44 - Chicago Fire
The lives of firefighters and paramedics working for the City of Chicago Fire Department at Fire Station 51, made up of Truck 81, Squadron 3, Ambulance 61, and Battalion 25.
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#45 - CHiPs
Lighthearted look at the adventures of two Highway Patrol officers in Los Angeles. The main characters are Jon Baker and Frank Poncherello, two motorcycle officers always on the street to save lives.
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#46 - The Good Place
Eleanor Shellstrop is an ordinary woman who, through an extraordinary string of events, enters the afterlife where she comes to realize that she hasn't been a very good person. With the help of her wise afterlife mentor, she's determined to shed her old way of living and discover the awesome (or at least the pretty good) person within.
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#47 - The Pretender
The Pretender is an American television series that aired on NBC from 1996 to 2000. The series starred Michael T. Weiss as Jarod, a genius and former child prodigy with the ability to become anyone he wants to be, i.e., to flawlessly impersonate anyone in virtually any line of work. Patrick Bauchau and Andrea Parker co-starred as Sydney, Jarod's childhood teacher and mentor, and Miss Parker, a childhood friend. They are both operatives for a mysterious organization called "The Centre", which took Jarod from his parents as a child and developed his special talents with the intention of making him one of their agents, while also using his brilliant intellect for their own evil purposes. After escaping from their custody, Jarod begins traveling the country, searching for clues to his true identity while posing as a doctor, police officer, attorney, or some other character who helps those in trouble. The Centre's directors are determined to return Jarod to The Centre to further their mysterious plan. A team of operatives, led by Miss Parker, attempts to find and capture The Pretender. Jarod's extreme intelligence combined with his childlike innocence create a memorable and endearing character that was popular with viewers.
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#48 - Parenthood
This contemporary re-imagining of the blockbuster 1989 film depicts the colorful and imperfect Braverman family: four grown siblings sharing the headaches, heartaches and joy of being parents. When Sarah Braverman, a financially strapped single mother, returns home to her parents and siblings in Berkeley, California after packing up her Fresno apartment and uprooting her two inconvenienced kids, Amber and Drew, she is greeted by her opinionated father, Zeek, and strong mother, Camille, who are privately dealing with their own marital issues. As Sarah is reunited with her siblings — sister Julia and brothers Crosby and Adam — all struggling with issues of their own, it's clear that the Braverman reunion is just what they need to face the everyday challenges of modern family life.
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#49 - The Virginian
The Virginian was the very first 90 minute western on prime-time television, and is about a man, only known as "the Virginian" who served as foreman on the Shiloh Ranch (owned in sequence by Judge Garth, the Grainger brothers, and Col. MacKenzie) in 19th century Medicine Bow, Wyoming. James Drury starred as the title character with the likes of Doug McClure, Lee J. Cobb, John McIntire, and Clu Gulager co-starring. It is in these settings that a variety of stories, much more based on character and relationships than the usual westerns, take place.
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#50 - Holocaust
This groundbreaking miniseries explores a decade in the lives of the members of an extended Jewish family and a German lawyer who becomes a Nazi officer. As the horrific events of the holocaust unfold, all will face unthinkable decisions and fates. Featuring a superb cast that includes Meryl Streep, James Woods, Ian Holm, Michael Moriarty, Joseph Bottoms, Tovah Feldshuh and Sam Wanamaker, the 1978 production won eight Emmys and two Golden Globes.
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