Best Classic TV Shows Now Available to Stream

The sitcom about a group of men and women who are stranded on an island following a shipwreck produced numerous memorable characters, including Gilligan, the Skipper, the Professor, Ginger, and Mary Ann. Surprisingly — in light of its cultural impact — the series only ran for three seasons.

“Bewitched” follows the lives of Darrin Stephens (played by Dick York and later Dick Sargent) and his wife, Samantha (Elizabeth Montgomery). While Darrin is a standard human man, Samantha is a witch who — despite her best efforts and her husband’s wishes — often uses her powers. The show ran for eight seasons, over which time it won three Emmys.

The laid-back and easy-to-watch sitcom set in the mythical North Carolina town of Mayberry starred Andy Griffith as the single parent of a boy, played by eventual movie director Ron Howard. Other beloved characters included Don Knotts as Barney Fife and Frances Bavier as Aunt Bee. “The Andy Griffith Show” was a consistent hit during its run and has a 94% approval score among audiences on Rotten Tomatoes. It was hugely popular over its eight-season run and was the top-ranked show on television during its final season.

The groundbreaking comedy “M*A*S*H” follows the experiences of members of a mobile army surgical medical hospital during the Korean War. The show premiered in 1972 and steadily built a following and was on the air for 11 years. The final episode aired on Feb. 28, 1983, and during the final six minutes, viewership peaked at 121.6 million. The final season of “M*A*S*H” holds a 100% Freshness score among Rotten Tomatoes critics.

Golden Globe-winning series “The Wonder Years” follows young Kevin Arnold (Fred Savage) in a coming-of-age story during the 1960s and the early 70s, as told from Kevin’s point of view as an adult. Having originally aired on ABC, the entire six-season series can now be streamed on Hulu.

After several years as a recurring sketch on “The Jackie Gleason Show,” “The Honeymooners” began airing as a sitcom that would eventually become one of the most enduring television comedies of all time. Jackie Gleason played the ever-aspiring bus driver Ralph Kramden, with Audrey Meadows as his long-suffering wife Alice and Art Carney as the loopy neighbor Ed Norton. The 39-episode series is rated 8.6 out of 10 among IMDb users.

“That ’70s Show” was a coming-of-age sitcom about teenagers growing up in the 1970s in Wisconsin. The Emmy Award-winning show made stars out of its young cast, among them Topher Grace, Ashton Kutcher, and Mila Kunis. The sitcom is rated 8.1 out of 10 among IMDb users. It holds a 75% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes.

Teenage Buffy Summers (Sarah Michelle Gellar) is tasked with leading a team of demon-slayers in this series that mixes comedy, drama, and action. The entire series is available on Hulu for subscribers, and episodes can be purchased on other platforms, including Amazon Video.

First airing in 1998, “Will & Grace” was among the first widely watched sitcoms on television to feature central gay characters. The show about a gay man and his straight female friend was a hit, earning 18 Emmy Awards and 91 nominations over its run, which included an 11 year hiatus beginning in 2006. The final episode of the final season aired on April 23 of this year.

“The Jeffersons” was a spinoff sitcom of the hit series “All in the Family.” The show is about an African American family whose successful dry-cleaning business allows them to move out of a working-class neighborhood in Queens to a luxury apartment in Manhattan. The series won two Emmy Awards during its 11-season run and is remembered for its exuberant theme song “Movin’ On Up.”

“I Dream of Jeannie” is a zany 1960s sitcom about an American astronaut whose life is turned upside down when he finds a bottle containing a female genie. Larry Hagman, who would later gain even greater television fame for his role as the ruthless oil baron J.R. Ewing in the primetime soap opera “Dallas,” was the astronaut, and Barbara Eden played Jeannie. Users on IMDb gave the show 7.4 out of 10.

Actor/comedian Carol Burnett hosted the comedy-variety series that was among the most successful in television history, winning eight Golden Globes and 25 Emmy Awards. The sketch comedy format featured the talents of Burnett, Tim Conway, Vicki Lawrence, and Harvey Korman. “The Carol Burnett Show” has a Rotten Tomatoes audience score of 100%, and IMDb users gave it 8.8 out of 10.

The multi-talented Will Smith, who had already launched a career as a rapper when the show was released, successfully transitioned to the small screen in this sitcom. Smith played a street-savvy young man from West Philadelphia who runs afoul with local toughs and is sent by his mother to live with rich relatives in California. On Rotten Tomatoes, 93% of audiences liked the show, which is also remembered for its infectious theme song rapped by Smith. “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” has a rating of 7.9 out of 10 among IMDb users.

The sitcom about four older women all living together as roommates in Miami, Florida, earned legions of fans over its seven season run. The show has a 91% approval rating from audiences on Rotten Tomatoes, and it won four Golden Globes over the years. Additionally, all four of the lead actresses — Bea Arthur, Betty White, Rue McClanahan, and Estelle Getty — won an Emmy for their work on the show.

The original series about intergalactic exploration, created by Gene Roddenberry, starred William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy. Though not a major hit when it appeared on television in the late 1960s, the 80-episode series went on to become a cultural icon, spawning several subsequent Star Trek television series, a movie franchise, and a generation of fans known as Trekkies. Users of IMDb gave the series a rating of 8.3 out of 10, and 88% of audiences on Rotten Tomatoes liked the series.

“The Mary Tyler Moore Show” tapped into the growing independence of American women during the 1970s with the character of television news producer Mary Richards. The sharply written and brilliantly cast series created by James L. Brooks and Allan Burns that ran for seven seasons took home 29 Emmy Awards, three Golden Globes, and spun off three series. “The Mary Tyler Moore Show” has a rating of 8.1 out of 10 among IMDb users.

White House drama “The West Wing” won two Golden Globes and 26 Emmy Awards during its seven seasons on air. Elevated by a cast, including Allison Janney, Martin Sheen, and Rob Lowe, the show is often counted among the best TV shows of all time.

Norman Lear created the African American version of “All in the Family” bigot Archie Bunker in the character of cranky junkyard dealer Fred Sanford (Redd Foxx), who seeks get-rich-quick schemes while trying to win the confidence and approval of his son. The series, based on the British show “Steptoe and Son,” was a consistent hit and ran for six seasons, earning a 100% audience approval score on Rotten Tomatoes.

The five-season series of tales of the macabre and the unexplained, which debuted in 1959, is the gold standard for thought-provoking and inventive television and retains a loyal following to this day. The Golden Globe and Emmy-Award winning series, hosted by master storyteller Rod Serling, has a Freshness rating among Rotten Tomatoes critics of 82%, and 96% of audiences enjoyed the series. IMDb users gave “the Zone” 9.0 out of 10.

“I Love Lucy” is considered to be the first great comedy in television history. Lucille Ball played the title character of a bandleader’s wife whose attempts at getting into show business cause mayhem. The show was groundbreaking for showing a pregnant woman on television for the first time (though the word pregnant was not used) and for using the three-camera system before a live audience. The Emmy Award-winning show has an audience score of 99% on Rotten Tomatoes, and IMDb users gave it 8.4 out of 10.

FOX’s sci-fi series “The X-Files” — about FBI special agents Fox Mulder and Dana Scully who are tasked with investigating the paranormal — originally ran from 1993 through 2002. At the time, the show won 15 Emmy Awards for numerous categories, including art direction, cinematography, and acting. The series returned for two seasons that aired in 2016 and 2018 thanks to demand from fans. The series in its entirety boasts a rating of 8.6 out of 10 on IMDb.

Although co-creators David Lynch and Mark Frost returned to the world of Twin Peaks for a 2017 revival, the original series’ two seasons stand alone as one of television’s most acclaimed shows. The sometimes surreal show is about an FBI agent who goes to Twin Peaks to investigate the death of beloved teen Laura Palmer and discovers a dark underbelly of the small town.

One of television’s most successful sitcoms, “Seinfeld” follows the lives of four neurotic New Yorkers. The series was among the top-rated television shows throughout its run, winning 10 Emmys in nine seasons. Its finale was the fourth-most viewed series-ending show of all time. “Seinfeld” has an 88% Freshness rating among critics on Rotten Tomatoes, and 95% of audiences liked the show. It holds a rating of 8.8 out of 10 among IMDb users.

With its 31st season about to conclude, “The Simpsons” is the longest-running scripted show in television history. The famously satirical cartoon is available to stream on numerous platforms, with the complete series available on both Amazon Video and Disney+. While many fans believe the show has declined in quality over the years, it still has an overall rating of 8.7 out of 10 on IMDb with more than 350,000 user votes.

The long-running sitcom about six twenty-something friends living in New York made stars out of all six actors. The show’s finale drew 52.5 million viewers in May 2004 and was one of the top-rated television series enders. Critics on Rotten Tomatoes gave it a Freshness rating of 78%, while audiences gave it more love, with a 95% score. IMDb users gave “Friends” a rating of 8.9 out of 10.