Movies Gallery TV: All-Time Greatest, Nos. 50-26 ''Muppet Show,'' ''Survivor,'' ''Gilmore Girls,'' ''X-Files'' fall in this batch -- see where we rank 'em By EW Staff Published on July 11, 2013 05:40PM EDT Close 50. Survivor CBS/Jeffrey R Staab/Landov CBS, 2000-present Once upon a time, 16 strangers set off for a remote island to compete for a million dollars, and TV would never be the same. No show has changed television more over the past 20 years — for better or worse. Download it:AmazoniTunes 49. The Muppet Show Rex USA CBS, 1976-81 Simply the most sensational, inspirational, celebrational, and downright Muppetational variety show hosted by a frog ever made. Kermie and Piggy and their entertaining pals were — are — certifiable stars, and as funny and moving as their flesh-and-blood celebrity guests...often more so. Download it:Amazon 48. Friday Night Lights Bill Records/NBCU Photo Bank/Getty Images NBC, 2006-11 Centered on a Texas high school football team, Friday Night Lights offered an earnest look at the hardships of living in contemporary America. Though it seemed to always be on the brink of cancellation, it was kept alive by a small but passionate fan base, DirecTV — and Tim Riggins' hair. Download it:AmazoniTunes 47. The Rockford Files NBCU Photo Bank/Getty Images NBC, 1974-80 James Garner embodied one of the most likable private detectives on the small screen, breaking with then-standard tradition to present a debt-ridden PI who made mistakes but usually solved his cases. Download it:Amazon 46. The Rifleman Everett Collection ABC, 1958-63 Chuck Connors had the title role as Lucas McCain, a peaceable homesteader who carried a mean gun on this vivid Western. Its realistic tone was set by writers including film director Sam Peckinpah. Download it:Amazon 45. Gilmore Girls Everett Collection The WB, 2000-06; The CW, 2006-07 The magic realism of Stars Hollow, with its mother-daughter duo of Lorelai and Rory Gilmore, brought classic-film screwball comedy to prime time, courtesy of a zany cast and creator Amy Sherman-Palladino. Download it:AmazoniTunes 44. Frasier Everett Collection NBC, 1993-2004 Spinning off an erudite character like Cheers' shrink Frasier Crane and pairing him with an even more highbrow character (brother Niles) was a double down on top of a gamble. The payoff: five Emmys for Outstanding Comedy Series. Download it:AmazoniTunes 43. St. Elsewhere Everett Collection NBC, 1982-88 The gritty, brainy, darkly funny hospital drama propelled Denzel Washington, Mark Harmon, and Howie Mandel to fame, and turned the term snow globe into pop jargon for ''polarizing, unforgettable series finale.'' Download it:AmazoniTunes 42. Taxi Everett Collection ABC, 1978-82; NBC, 1982-83 In a most unlikely workplace setting (NYC taxi garage), the most unlikely collection of characters (ex-hippie! actor! boxer! immigrant mechanic played by...Andy Kaufman!) joined forces for a riotous blue-collar comedy that deftly blended wackiness, relatability, and heart. Download it:Amazon 41. Twin Peaks ABC, 1990-91 Short-lived yet deeply influential, David Lynch's surreal and subversive prime-time soap — centering on a strange Washington town — set new standards for artistic audacity and audience engagement. Download it:AmazoniTunes 40. The Real World Everett Collection MTV, 1992-present Yes, it's now devolved into a showcase for tragicomic hot-tub hookups for people with names like Trishelle. But the first several seasons of this groundbreaking reality series were compelling experiments in humanity that showed a generation what it meant to be young and gay/African-American/HIV-positive/conservative/alcoholic, and, most of all, real. Download it:AmazoniTunes 39. The Fugitive Everett Collection ABC, 1963-67 David Janssen's Dr. Richard Kimble, falsely accused of killing his wife, set off one of the greatest chase dramas ever. The Fugitive's series finale was TV's most watched episode to that date. Download it:Amazon 38. The Bob Newhart Show CBS/Landov CBS, 1972-78 A classic example of the workplace comedy, with Newhart as an affable straight-man of a therapist to a group of superbly nutty patients. Newhart was the best-selling stand-up-comic recording artist at that time; here, he found a vehicle for his deadpan genius. Having smart, no-nonsense Suzanne Pleshette waiting at home as his wife was a draw too. Download it:AmazoniTunes 37. Columbo NBC Photo Bank/Getty Images NBC, 1971-78; ABC, 1989-2003 Peter Falk brought the rumpled, deceptively addled detective to life, while creators William Link and Richard Levinson devised a novel format: reveal the killer to the viewer first, then watch Columbo solve what we already knew. Download it:Amazon 36. Maude Everett Collection CBS, 1972-78 A four-times-wed liberal loudmouth, Maude (Bea Arthur) stormed onto TV like she owned the place. The entire show, even the pivotal abortion story line, still holds up today — well, everything except Maude's ridiculous housecoats. Download it:AmazoniTunes 35. Hill Street Blues Everett Collection NBC, 1981-87 Producer Steven Bochco took the ensemble drama to new levels of intricacy with this large-cast, gritty-realist take on one of the oldest of TV genres, the cop show. Download it:AmazoniTunes 34. The Larry Sanders Show Everett Collection HBO, 1992-98 Instead of hosting a late-night talk show, Garry Shandling roasted one with a brilliantly awkward comedy that spotlighted the behind-the-scenes shenanigans of a neurotic host and his staff of enablers. Download it:AmazoniTunes 33. The Carol Burnett Show CBS/Getty Images CBS, 1967-78 Burnett led the funniest troupe in variety-show history. Come for that epic Gone With the Wind sketch, stay for the ''Family'' sketches and that Tarzan yell. Download it:Amazon 32. The Golden Girls Everett Collection NBC, 1985-92 Four old ladies lived together in Miami, sharing cheesecake and a thousand laughs on their lanai. Old gals weren't this hot again until...star Betty White made her grand comeback 25 years later. Download it:Amazon 31. M*A*S*H CBS Photo Archive/Getty Images CBS, 1972-83 Set during the Korean War, this thinly disguised Vietnam allegory featured irreverent Army medics making wisecracks amid postbattle carnage. Like nothing on TV before or since. Download it:Amazon 30. ER NBCU Photo Bank/Getty Images NBC, 1994-2009 Sure, there were compelling hospital dramas before ER. But did any of them mix adrenaline-pumping action with relationship drama as well as this show? And did any of them have George Clooney? Download it:AmazoniTunes 29. The X-Files David Grey/Fox Fox, 1993-2002 David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson as FBI agents investigating extraterrestrial oddities and assorted What the hell? launched an era of geek cool and mythology-mystery serials. Download it:AmazoniTunes 28. The Abbott and Costello Show Everett Collection Syndicated, 1952-54 Bud Abbott and Lou Costello did a show about nothing before Jerry Seinfeld, who has cited their rapid-fire dialogue and cartoonish characterizations as inspiration. Download it:AmazoniTunes 27. Monty Python's Flying Circus Everett Collection BBC, 1969-74 If you're like us — nudge-nudge, wink-wink, say no more — then you consider this sketch-comedy show the absolute pinnacle of absurdist British humor. Download it:AmazoniTunes 26. Prime Suspect (U.K.) ITV, 1991-2006 Until this Helen Mirren showcase, women weren't considered strong enough to carry a detective series, but Suspect's knotty mysteries and exploration of sexism in the workplace turned it into a can't-miss drama. Download it:AmazoniTunes