The first of the truly great HBO comedies, it dared to play up, not down, Garry Schandling's obnoxed neuroses, Rip Torn's unsubtle unpleasantness, and Jeffrey Tambor's spectacular flaws.

What can be said about this show which hasn't already been said? As fine as any American drama ever produced, and one of the only television shows to ever deliver on its hype.

The best little show to ever come out of Canada, it was, in certain ways, the ultimate foil to Saturday Night Live. Whereas the SNL crew was constantly disbanding, changing, and waffling in quality, the SCTV people stuck together, delivery high-concept, outlandish, and subversive comedy for years.

Superlatives escape me. Simply the finest show ever created by a major network. Bar none.

Originally a product of Masterpiece Theatre, this is the only PBS production which can, in terms of quality, be considered comparable to Sesame Street. Patrick Stewart's performance as the vicious Sejanus is a knockout.

Though it was actually a popular show in its day, it is, in execution and conception, quite similar to Arrested Development. Very funny, very clever, and very, very satirical.

...and speaking of psychedelic, this creation by the Krofft brothers seems to, in spite of low production values, so-so acting, and some idiotic incidental dialogue, still stand up as a hilarious pop masterpiece.

One of the most successful shows ever produced, there are still all-too-many reasons to love Lucy, whose brilliant broad comedy was taught to her by none other than Buster Keaton.

Angry, brash, and violent. This is the only true translation of the punk movement to the small screen. (Note: watch out for cameos from Stephen Fry, Hugh Laurie, and Emma Thompson).

Grotesque and foul-mouthed, its too funny and totally unrelenting.

Splendid show from the creators of "The Simpsons," it might sound cliched, but the show was clearly cancelled before its time. To be fair, the series finale was splendid.

One of the most successful mid-'90s hipster, Gen-X shows, it clearly outstrips "Ren & Stimpy" in terms of pure quality. Plus, it has some pretty wonderful guests.

Seemingly made as a showcase for various standup comedians to show perform on camera, the show's strength lies in the relationship between Dr. Jonathan Katz and his 24 year old slacker son Ben, as it is one of the most clever, honest portrayals of a father-son relationship in American television history.

It may seem laughable to put such a seemingly silly show on this list, but, in actuality, the show's genius transcends it goofy dialogue and can be seen in the richly-drawn backdrops which clearly draw on the psychedlic mood so prevalent in the arts during 1967. It should be mentioned that the show's producer was the legendary adult animator Ralph Bakshi ("Heavy Traffic", "Fritz The Cat")

An interesting figure in early television, he was an intelligent on-screen personality with neither the self-love of Dick Cavett or the self-hate of Garry Shandling. How often do you actually see intelligent pundits on television nowadays?