This is considered as if you're about to watch the show right now. In other words, I don't care that NYPD Blue was groundbreaking in its day; we're still comparing it directly with The Wire.
This is just the size of my pantheon - Lost certainly isn't the worst show I've ever watched.
1. Arrested Development
2. The Wire
3. It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia
4. Freaks and Geeks
5. Friday Night Lights
6. Six Feet Under
7. Parks and Recreation
8. Breaking Bad
9. Seinfeld
10. Mad Men
11. Veronica Mars
12. Flight of the Conchords
13. Party Down
14. Misfits
15. The Office (US)
16. Community
17. Louie
18. 30 Rock
19. Heroes
20. Terriers
21. Game of Thrones
22. The Comeback
23. The West Wing
24. Modern Family
25. Chuck
26. The Inbetweeners
27. Dexter
28. Queer as Folk (UK)
29. Curb Your Enthusiasm
30. Entourage
31. My So-Called Life
32. South Park
33. How I Met Your Mother
34. Andy Richter Controls the Universe
35. Slings and Arrows
36. Chappelle's Show
37. Firefly
38. Men of a Certain Age
39. United States of Tara
40. Downton Abbey
41. Better Off Ted
42. Lost
1. The Wire
2. Band of Brothers*
3. Firefly
4. The Sopranos
5. Angel
6. Six Feet Under
7. Friends
8. Buffy The Vampire Slayer
9. Top Gear
10. It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia
11. The Shield
12. Arrested Development
13. Dexter
14. Seinfeld
15. How I Met Your Mother
16. Fawlty Towers
17. Oz
18. Breaking Bad
19. The Office (UK)
20. Generation Kill*
21. Game of Thrones
22. House
23. The Pacific
24. Battlestar Galactica
25. Sons Of Anarchy
*Mini-series. If they don't count, #24 and #25 are Justified and Family Guy, respectively.
Sorry my list is so recent-heavy. My exposure is limited by my age.
I'm about to catch up on The Wire and Breaking Bad on Netflix, so my list may change soon.
Twin Peaks
Battlestar Galactica
The Sopranos
Lost
The Daily Show
The Simpsons
Star Trek: The Next Generation
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Seinfeld
Yes Minister/Yes Prime Minister
South Park
The Prisoner
Community
The Colbert Report
Band Of Brothers
Star Trek: The Original Series
House
The Office (US)
Parks and Recreation
Roseanne
Stargate: SG1
Dexter
Nova
24
West Wing
Family Guy (Pre cancellation ONLY)
Six Feet Under
I've tried a few episodes of some of the older acclaimed television series (i.e. I Love Lucy, All In The Family, M*A*S*H, The Mary Tyler Moore Show) to see what the fuss is all about and I find them to be rather mediocre, if not wholly disappointing. I think I can fairly confidently say none of those 4 would be in my top 25 if I'd seen them completely.
I just started watching Breaking Bad and The Wire, definitely add them both to my list.
For BB I saw the first two episodes when it started then just kind of lapsed, I think because something else was on at the same time. But episode 3 is when it really becomes spectacular.
The Wire is awesome, if slightly below hype. The writing is great but the cops are a little cliche.
Last night's Breaking Bad just made the show move up 5 spots on my list.
Also, I don't really agree with your assessment of The Wire.
1x01-1x05 - Mildly impressed.
1x06 - Things click and it's genius.
1x07-1x12 - Brilliant.
2 - Bit of a disappointment but still better than just about anything on TV
3 - Oh my god this is so fucking genius I can't believe some people stopped watching in season 2 because this is the best thing that ever existed ever.
4 - Where can they go from here? Oh. There. Awesome!
5 - See 4.
Not a big watcher of TV shows these days with 95% of what I watch being sports but some of my favourites over the years:
The Simpsons
The Wonder Years
Fawlty Towers
The Office (UK)
Bottom
Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em
Saturday Night Live
Friends
Cheers
Frasier
Seinfeld
House
Bones
MASH
Boston Legal
Freaks And Geeks
Home Improvement
Blue Heelers
Criminal Minds
Never been a huge fan of dramas - they generally require more attention than I can usually be bothered giving...