The 100 Best TV Shows of All-TIME

"First, I apologize. I know I left some of your favorite shows off this list. How do I know that? Because I left some of my favorite shows off this list. The happy and unfortunate fact is that there are far more than 100 great shows, and more created every year. Lists are incredibly important: they are how we define what matters to us, what we want entertainment and art to do, what we expect of our culture."
TIME TV critic James Poniewozik

Sex and the City

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The Naked City, indeed. This HBO comedy, based on the columns of Candace Bushnell, divided women into four archetypes: preppy Charlotte, sardonic Miranda, assertive (in and out of bed) Samantha and neurotic narrator Carrie. In truth, there was always more talking than headboard bumping on SATC, and that was always the point. You came for the—well, coming—and you stayed for the banter, the analysis of what society expects from single (and married) women, the Big-vs.-Aidan arguments and the friendship. Contrasting the glamour of upscale Manhattan life with the mundane hard work of committing and coupling, SATC, struck the right balance of fantasy and realism—just like a good relationship.

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