Top 20 Television Shows of the Past Twenty Years

Who knew we could all love a serial killer so much? Dexter has really taken an interesting twist on the typical police crime drama genre of television and turned it on its head, making one of the key specialists in the homicide department .... well ... homicidal. Watching the show I have often wondered how they can keep it going season after season, but each season I am happily surprised to see that they have created new ingenious plot lines that keep the show moving forward while also keeping the writing fresh.

Friends was one of the first shows to portray a group of young twenty-somethings struggling with their regular day-to-day lives, without any silly gimmicks. While everyone has their favorite characters, each one brings something to the table, and they all are more complex than they first appear to be. Friends has really made it's way into our culture, and for years to come people will still be saying things like "oh, that's like that episode of Friends where ..."

A comedy about nothing? How could that possibly work? This show was comedic gold. GOLD!

This show was cancelled too soon! One two hilarious seasons following the Bleuth family, easily one of the most selfish and delusional families ever, as they struggle to regain their fortune and get their father out of jail. This show was bursting with clever dialogue, great cameos, and some of the most absurdly hilarious scenarios television characters have ever gotten themselves into.

As much as I love to hate on Lost, it really was an amazing show. Or maybe it just started off amazing. Lost made television exciting again, engaging the audience in thrilling creepy mysteries that you can't help but want to see more of. The only problem being that these mysteries were never solved. But I guess you can't have everything.

It's interesting that a cheesy film can be transformed into a high quality television series. They changed just about everything from the movie, for the better, and created some of the most addictive television around.

Each hour long show takes place in real time as we watch Jack Bauer try to save us from terrorists and political assassination plots. Brilliant and addictive.

Remember Craig Kilbourne? No one does. John Stewart really took this show to a new and hilarious level, mixing political news with comedic commentary.