#46

Peacemaker

Who would have thought that giving a TV show to John Cena as the DC “villain” Peacemaker was a good idea? Well, James Gunn did. And he was 100% right.

John Cena had appeared as Peacemaker in The Suicide Squad, a film directed by James Gunn in the DCEU. He was impressive in the film and he wound up with the show. There were low expectations for the HBO Max show. It far exceeded anything that I expected.

John Cena gave his best performance since coming to Hollywood to be an actor, leaving behind his job as a WWE Superstar. The secondary characters, many from The Suicide Squad too, were all fantastic.

Other cast included Jennifer Holland, Freddie Stroma, Danielle Brooks, Steve Agee, Robert Patrick, Nhut Le, and Frank Grillo. Season one included a great performance from Chukwudi Iwuji as Clemson Murn.

What is impressive with peacemaker is the first season featured a story about “Project Butterfly” which dealt with mind controlling aliens. Season two was dealing with the multiverse and was a lot of character development. The fact that the show could give us two very different seasons, both very effective, is a testament to the show and the creatives behind it.

The show caught the attention of the fans with a choreographed dance sequence as the show’s opening credits that blew everyone away. Season one used the song “Do Ya Wanna Taste It” by Wig Wam and season two changed the song to “Oh Lord” by Foxy Shazam.

#47

The Jeffersons

Well they’re a movin’ on up.

One of the most successful spin offs of all time is next on our list. The Jeffersons was spun off from All in the Family where George and Louise Jefferson moved from being neighbors of the Bunkers to the East Side in a deluxe apartment in the sky.

George had become a successful dry cleaner, leading to the move.

George Jefferson was a loud and brash black man, who could be obnoxious. But we still loved him because, dep down, we understood the struggle and we knew that he was a good man who loved his wife. Louise aka “Weezie” was a strong woman who was not afraid to throw it right back at George. This central relationship was the key to the show.

Not to say that there were not other great secondary characters on the show. Florence was the wise-mouthed maid who bantered with George at ever minute. Friends and neighbors, The Willis family were a interracial couple and direct neighbor Mr. Bentley was Kramer, before Kramer.

Sherman Hemsley and Isabel Sandford led the ensemble cast that included Marla Gibbs, Roxie Roker, Franklin Cover, Paul Benedict, Mike Evans, Ned Wertimer, and Berlinda Tolbert.

The show covered many themes, but race/prejudice was at the front. Much like Archie Bunker, George had many of these negative traits directed toward white people. George called them “honkies” and he constantly made comments to Tom and Helen. However, when the cards were down, George ditched his own prejudices and came through.

Legend Norman Lear created the show and it ran for 11 seasons on CBS.

#48

Hardcastle and McCormick

Drive! Push it to the floor til the engine screams….

That is the first line of the theme song for one of the underappreciated 1980s TV shows that appeared on ABC for three seasons. Many may not remember this show, but I remember being a big fan of it.

Hardcastle and McCormick is the story of a retired judge who was on a mission to find and capture those cases that got away from his court on technicalities. In order to do that, Hardcastle recruited a felon, McCormick, who he thought was a decent person. The pair solved criems and searched for the bad guyd.

The show starred three main characters. Brian Keith played Jusdge Milton Hardcastle, Daniel Hugh Kelly played Mark McCormick and the COYOTE was the car.

The COYOTE-X was invovled in the pilot episode and became a staple of the show. The car was involved in chases every episode and was so cool that even I, who is not a huge fan of cars, loved it.

I am sure this show may not hold up as much if I watched it today, but my young teenage self loved this show.

#49

The Tick (2001)

Spooooooooooooooon!!!!!!!!!!

“He is the big, blue “I am the wild blue yonder. The front line in a never-ending battle between good and not-so-good. Together with my stalwart sidekick, Arthur, and the magnanimous help of some other folks I know, we form the yin to villany’s malevolent yang. Destiny has chosen us. Wicked men, you face The Tick.“

Based on the NEC comic book and the animated series that followed, ths was the first attempt to bring The Tick into the live action superhero world. FOX brought the show to TV, making it a Seinfeld-like show. The network did not have much confidence in the show as they bounced it around the schedule and hardly promoted it.

Created by EYG Hall of Famer Ben Edlund, The Tick was a loving parody of superheroes and their tropes. It starred Patrick Warburton, in a great bit of casting, as The Tick. The show also had David Burke as Arthur, Liz Vassey as Captain Liberty and Nestor Carbonell (who would go on to be Richard on LOST) as Batmanuel.

There was more emphasis on character and dialogue than action, so some Tick fans found it less exciting than the animated show despite Edlund stating that this show was closer to the concept of the comics.

The show only broadcast 8 of the 9 episodes created and was canceled because of budget reasons. Still, this very short series was an awesome breath of fresh air and gave us another, some times more adult, look at The Tick.

The Tick will appear again during this Top 100.

#50

The Boys

Kicking off the top 50 is the Amazon Prime hit, The Boys. The Boys is one of the most graphic, shocking, envelope-pushing shows on any network.

Yet, it is not just about the shocks. It is about the characters, and that is why this show succeeds.

Homelander is one of the most complex villains on television today, a mass of insecurities and poor choices. He is also one of the most powerful beings in the Boys world.

The supes are anything but authentic in this world. They are some of the worst people but are seen by the public as heroes. Of course, a big part of that is Vaught and its propaganda crusade to make them look great.

The very first episode set the tone for the series. I’ll never forget the moment when Hughie held hands with his girlfriend on the sidewalk (she was on the street) and a blur of speed flew past, leaving Hughie with nothing but two bloody stumps of arms. That was supe A-Train and it started Hughie’s arc for that season.

Then, in season three we got the episode called “Herogasm.”

This show never skimps on the blood or gore, but does not depend on it.

Antony Starr, who plays Homelander, not receiving an Emmy nomination yet is a crime. He leads a cast filled with talented people including Karl Urban, Jack Quaid, Erin Moriarty, Jenson Ackles, Karen Fukuhara, Tomer Capone, Chase Crawford, Giancarlo Esposito, Simon Pegg, Cameron Crovetti, Jesse T. Usher, and an army of cameos and guest stars.

Season five of the show will be the final season and will drop in 2026.

#51

WWE Smackdown

“So, what do you want to talk about?“-Cody Rhodes.

I am a lifelong professional wrestling fan. I mostly watch the WWE. One of the shows that provide that fix for me is Friday Night Smackdown.

Smackdown has been all over the place. It was on the CW, UPN, Syfy, FOX among others. It is currently on the USA Network for two hours Friday nights.

The show was named after a line used by “The Rock” who would say that he was going to lay the Smackdown on someone’s candy ass. The Rock would refer to Smackdown as “The Rock’s Show.”

However, it became more than just The Rock’s show over the years. Smackdown was the main show for the Bloodline, one of the best storylines the show ever had with Roman Reigns as the Tribal Chief leading his family in a power struggle with the good guys.

Smackdown has been seen as the 2nd tier show, behind Monday Night RAW, but there were many times where Smackdown exceeded its sibling show.

“If you smell…. what the Rock is cookin’!”

We are half way home. 100-51. Tomorrow, we start the top 50.

#52

Ms. Marvel

The MCU always seem to do a great job casting their characters, but one of the competitors for best casting of all time has to be Iman Vellani as Kamala Khan, aka Ms. Marvel.

The young girl is such a perfect Kamala Khan and she brings that amazing youthful energy to the project, full of joy and wonder.

I am going to echo what a lot of people have said about Ms. Marvel. The best part of the show, outside of Iman Vellani, is the family unit that is in place around Kamala. There is not one scene of this show that involves Kamala’s aprents, brother or friends that does not hit. Now, the villains and superhero parts of the show are not as strong for sure. I am not as down on this aspect of the show as others, but I can’t disagree that it does not reach the heights of the family.

The Disney + show brought its characters to the big screen in The Marvels and even had one guest star on Daredevil: Born Again (Mohan Kapur guest starred as Yusef Khan, Kamala’s father).

Kamala was revealed to be the first mutant in the MCU as they used the X-Men animated theme as a creative way to give out that information.

The Ms. Marvel was fun and energetic, filled with some of the most creative backgrounds in the MCU. I do hope we get more Kamala Kham as the MCU moves along.

#53

The Rookie

This is the second show in the Top 100 to star Nathan Fillion. He was Malcolm Reynolds in Firefly (#72) and now he is John Nolan in The Rookie, a police drama on ABC.

John Nolan is a middle aged man who decided that he wanted to change his life and become a police officer for the LAPD. As a forty + year old, being a rookie is a challenge and John faced everything imaginable.

The Rookie has gone through a lot of different side characters and has developed into more than just Nathan Fillion’s show, but he is still at the center of the show after seven seasons.

Other actors appearing on The Rookie include:  Alyssa Diaz, Richard T. Jones, Titus Makin Jr., Mercedes Mason, Melissa O’Neil, Eric Winter, Afton Williamson, Mekia Cox, Shawn Ashmore, Jenna Dewan, Tru Valentino, and Lisseth Chavez.

What I like the most about the character of John Nolan is how compassionate he is. He goes out of his way in an attempt to try and aid anyone that is placed in front of him, including the criminals he is dealing with. That kind of reminds me of one of the main reasons why, as a youth, I was attracted to Spider-Man.

The show has also found a huge success in the romance between Lucy Chen and Tim Bradford. Tim started as her training officer, but after she moved past rookie status, the pair became a couple worth rooting for.

The Rookie is scheduled to return for an eighth season. The show does some very creative episodes designed to keep the originality alive.

#54

Frasier

“Tossed Salad and Scrambled Eggs”

The character of Frasier is one of the longest running characters on TV, appearing first on Cheers, and then his own spin off, Frasier.

Frasier moves back to his home in Seattle with his father and brother. His brother, Niles, is like a carbon copy of Frasier, and you wouldn’t expect a pair of characters who are so much the same to work, but it does. It does tremendously well.

Kelsey Grammar and David Hyde Pierce are amazing together, becoming perhaps the most similar brothers on TV.

The storyline between Niles and his father’s physical therapist Daphne became one of the major ongoing storylines for the run of the series.

Frasier ran on NBC for 11 years.

#55

The Golden Girls

Thank you for being a friend….

It may not be “cool” to like this show, but I don’t care. The Golden Girls were some of the best episodes of TV you’ll ever find.

The cast of this show is the first reason it was so great. Bea Arthur, Rue McClanahan, Estelle Getty and the incomparable Betty White had so much chemistry that you could sit and what them eat cheesecake and be totally entertained… and there were many episodes where that was exactly what we did.

The writing on the show was extremely brilliant as well. It was not enough that they gave us some of the best characters on TV, but they provided them with great words and plotlines.

It may seem like it is just four old women in a Miami house, but this was four rousing characters that were as relatable as you are ever going to find. Four women, who had had plenty of success outside of The Golden Girls, find their perfect scene partners with each other.

Consistently funny… the Golden Girls deserve this spot on the list.

Picture it… Sicily… 1913…

#56

Wednesday

The Netflix original series, Wednesday, has a lot going for it. Jenna Ortega stars as the titular character and she does an incredible job of taking the character from the Addams Family and placing her into a new situation…school.

The series is full of wild characters. One of the best is Wednesday’s roommate, Enid. The contradiction between these two characters is so apparent, yet it only seems to strengthen the bond between them. In fact, during season two, when there was distance between Wednesday and Enid, the show did not feel as enjoyable.

The first season felt more concise and interwoven. Season two, while still fun, felt like several separate stories that got wrapped up quickly.

Jenna Ortega led the cast which included Emma Myers, Christina Ricci, Hunter Doohan, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Evie Templeton, Luis Guzman, Moosa Mostafa, Isaac Ordonez, Billie Piper, Steve Buscemi, Georgie Farmer, Joy Sunday, Owen Painter, and Jamie McShane.

Special shout out goes to the recurring character of Fester Addams, played brilliantly by Fred Armisen. While I may not want a regular run from Fester, what the show has given us so far has been spot on.

The show is one of Netflix’s biggest hits and can be streamed on that platform.

#57

The Last of Us

Ellie and Joel. HBO Max’s hugely successful video game adaptation would have been higher on my list if I were doing this right after season one came to an end. However, season two, while still engaging and entertaining, did feel like a bit of a step down.

Big reason? Joel was murdered brutally in front of Ellie. While I am not opposed to major twists like that, one of the biggest part of the show was the relationship between Ellie and Joel. I do not think it was a coincidence that one of the best episodes of seoasn two was the flashback episode where we see Joel and Ellie on her birthday.

Still, there have been some amazing episodes of The Last of Us. Season one, episode 3, “Long, Long Time” is one of the best episodes of TV you could ever ask for. The episode focused on Bill and Frank, played by Nick Offerman and Murray Bartlett. It was a beautiful tale of love, loss and togetherness that earned Offerman an Emmy.

The show certainly knows how to pull the heartstrings, presenting the tragedies of life while still celebrating the small joys.

Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey are wonderful as the iconic video game characters. It was the absence of Joel in season that made things tougher.

I’m not sure how the idea of starting season three off by following Joel’s killer will go, but I’ll be there for it.

#58

Andor

Who would have guessed that the story of Cassian Andor, a secondary character in the Star Wars movie Rogue One, a show that no one was excited for or wanting, would turn out to be the best Star Wars TV show ever?

Whereas most of the Star Wars franchise feels as if it is based for kids, Andor is 100% Star Wars for adults. The storylines were deeper, the characters more flawed, and the stakes higher.

The stretch when Cassian was in prison in th emiddle of season one were some of the most compelling and fascinating storytelling of the entire run. Then, the brutal Ghorman massacre was frighteningly realistic for the genre.

Diego Luna starred as Cassian Andor and led the cast of outstanding acotrs which included Adria Arjona, Stellan Skarsgård, Alex Lawther. Faye Marsay, Ben Mendelsohn, Benjamin Bratt, Andy Serkis, Forest Whitaker, Denise Gough, Elizabeth Dulau, Kyle Soller, Genevieve O’Reilly, and Alan Tudyk.

What made it even more challenging was the fact that we knew Cassian’s fate. We knew he did not make it out of Rogue One, so why do we bother to give this character such an amazing back story? It takes the events of Rogue One and makes them even more tragic than before. The powerful final scene with Adria Arjona with her child, the child of Cassian Andor, was even more impactful.

Andor received several Emmy nominations and was universally commended for its work. Star Wars should follow this blueprint to move their franchise into the future.

#59

Squid Game

“Everyone is equal while they play this game. Here, every player gets to play a fair game under the same conditions”

These words are said by teh Front Man, the main antagonist for a show that pits a group of desperate men and women against one another in a series of games that, if you fail, will lead to your death.

This is Squid Game.

The Korean sensation hit Netflix a few years ago and became the must see show on the streamer. The fact that this show was one that you had no idea what might happen next appealed to a huge audience. Characters that you have grown close to were killed, some without much fanfare and twists kept coming.

This might have been higher up the list, but season three ended very poorly, in my opinion. However, it is a difficult and emotional path over the three seasons of shows that was compelling and thrilling.

Some of the games played were amazing. Red Light, Green Light, Jump Rope, Tug of War, Six-Legged Pentathlon and Hide and Seek were just some of the childhood games warped by the show.

Lee Jung-jae was our lead protagonist among the players. He became one of the top heroes of the show after starting out questionable.

Top notch performances and thrills every minute made Squid Game one of Netflix’s biggest hits.