Once upon a time people could only see their favorite shows on TV — and if they missed them, too bad! They’d have to wait for reruns (or wait for the invention of the VCR). Now, thanks to streaming, the problem is that there’s too much available content to choose from, including shows from overseas and shows from many decades ago.
To help people choose wisely, 24/7 Tempo has compiled a list of the best classic TV shows available to stream right now. The newest shows on the list date back to 1990, the year that saw the debut of classics such as “Law & Order” and “Twin Peaks” in the United States and “Jeeves and Wooster” and “Mr. Bean” in the United Kingdom.
By coincidence the No. 1 and No. 2 shows, “The Simpsons” and “Seinfeld,” both debuted in 1989. The oldest show, “I Love Lucy,” goes all the way back to 1951. (Whether through streaming services or on broadcast TV, these are the highest-rated shows you can watch today.)
There’s something here for every taste, from “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” to “Law and Order.” There are classic comedies such as “The Andy Griffith Show” and “I Love Lucy” and science fiction such as “The Twilight Zone” and two iterations of “Star Trek.” There’s educational fare too, including “Sesame Street” for kids and “Nova” for grown-ups. The stream is overflowing. (These are the most anticipated shows coming out in July.)
Click here to learn where you can watch the best classic TV shows right now.
Methodology
To determine where you can stream the best classic TV shows right now, 24/7 Tempo developed an index based on several measures from IMDb, an online movie database owned by Amazon, and the streaming guide Reelgood. The index consists of each movie’s IMDb user rating, the total number of audience votes on IMDb, and the Reelgood rating. Each measure was weighted equally. Only shows that have at least 1,000 IMDb votes, premiered in 1990 or earlier, and are available to stream on major services as of June 2021 were considered. Data was collected June 2021.
Information on debut year, average episode length, and cast came from IMDb. Information on principal streaming services for each series came from Reelgood and Decider, a pop culture website run by the New York Post. Where more than one service streams a series, the ones offering the most seasons or episodes are given. Seasons that have been announced or produced but not yet aired were not included. In the case of shows still running, the number of episodes will change. Note, too, that availability on various platforms changes frequently.
Ramayan (1987)
> How much TV: 1 season, 78 episodes
> Avg. episode length: 35 minutes
> Streaming service: Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime
> Starring: Arun Govil, Deepika Chikhalia, Sunil Lahri, Arvind Trivedi
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Bewitched (1964)
> How much TV: 8 seasons, 254 episodes
> Avg. episode length: 25 minutes
> Streaming service: Tubi TV (2 seasons), IMDb TV (2 seasons)
> Starring: Elizabeth Montgomery, Dick York, Dick Sargent, Agnes Moorehead
Roseanne (1988)
> How much TV: 10 seasons, 231 episodes
> Avg. episode length: 21 minutes
> Streaming service: Prime Video (1 season), Hulu (1 season), Hoopla (4 seasons)
> Starring: Roseanne Barr, John Goodman, Laurie Metcalf, Michael Fishman
Magnum, P.I. (1980)
> How much TV: 8 seasons, 162 episodes
> Avg. episode length: 48 minutes
> Streaming service: Roku
> Starring: Tom Selleck, John Hillerman, Roger E. Mosley, Larry Manetti
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Yes Minister (1980)
> How much TV: 3 seasons, 21 episodes plus 2 specials
> Avg. episode length: 60 minutes
> Streaming service: BritBox
> Starring: Paul Eddington, Nigel Hawthorne, Derek Fowlds, Diana Hoddinott
Jeeves and Wooster (1990)
> How much TV: 4 seasons, 23 episodes
> Avg. episode length: 55 minutes
> Streaming service: Acorn TV (2 seasons)
> Starring: Stephen Fry, Hugh Laurie, Richard Dixon, Robert Daws
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Malgudi Days (1987)
> How much TV: 4 seasons, 54 episodes
> Avg. episode length: 24 minutes
> Streaming service: Prime Video
> Starring: Master Manjunath, Girish Karnad, Vaishali Kasaravalli, Raghuram Sitaram
Nova (1974)
> How much TV: 47 seasons, 884 episodes
> Avg. episode length: 60 minutes
> Streaming service: PBS
> Starring: Jay O. Sanders, Craig Sechler, Lance Lewman, Will Lyman
The Joy of Painting (1983)
> How much TV: 31 seasons, 403 episodes
> Avg. episode length: 30 minutes
> Streaming service: Hulu (6 seasons)
> Starring: Bob Ross, Steve Ross, Dana Jester, Peep
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The Carol Burnett Show (1967)
> How much TV: 11 seasons, 279 episodes
> Avg. episode length: 60 minutes
> Streaming service: IMDb TV (31 seasons), Tubi TV (30 seasons)
> Starring: Carol Burnett, Vicki Lawrence, the Ernie Flatt Dancers, Harvey Korman
The Honeymooners (1952)
> How much TV: 1 season, 39 episodes
> Avg. episode length: 30 minutes
> Streaming service: Prime Video
> Starring: Jackie Gleason, Art Carney, Audrey Meadows, Joyce Randolph
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Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood (1968)
> How much TV: 31 seasons, 896 episodes
> Avg. episode length: 30 minutes
> Streaming service: PBS Kids (Prime Video) (6 seasons)
> Starring: Fred Rogers, Betty Aberlin, David Newell, Joe Negri
DuckTales (1987)
> How much TV: 4 seasons, 101 episodes
> Avg. episode length: 23 minutes
> Streaming service: Disney+
> Starring: Alan Young, Russi Taylor, Terence McGovern, Chuck McCann
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1987)
> How much TV: 10 seasons, 193 episodes
> Avg. episode length: 23 minutes
> Streaming service: Prime Video
> Starring: Cam Clarke, Barry Gordon, Rob Paulsen, Townsend Coleman
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The Andy Griffith Show (1960)
> How much TV: 8 seasons, 249 episodes
> Avg. episode length: 30 minutes
> Streaming service: Prime Video
> Starring: Andy Griffith, Ron Howard, Don Knotts, Frances Bavier
Blackadder (1983)
> How much TV: 4 seasons, 24 episodes plus 3 specials
> Avg. episode length: 30 minutes
> Streaming service: Hulu, Prime Video
> Starring: Rowan Atkinson, Brian Blessed, Elspet Gray, Tim McInnerny
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Law & Order (1990)
> How much TV: 20 seasons, 456 episodes
> Avg. episode length: 45 minutes
> Streaming service: Peacock Premium (8 seasons)
> Starring: Jerry Orbach, Jesse L. Martin, Dennis Farina, S. Epatha Merkerson
The Golden Girls (1985)
> How much TV: 7 seasons, 180 episodes
> Avg. episode length: 30 minutes
> Streaming service: Hulu
> Starring: Bea Arthur, Betty White, Rue McClanahan, Estelle Getty
MacGyver (1985)
> How much TV: 7 seasons, 139 episodes
> Avg. episode length: 48 minutes
> Streaming service: Paramount+
> Starring: Richard Dean Anderson, Dana Elcar, Bruce McGill, Robin Mossley
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Red Dwarf (1989)
> How much TV: 12 seasons, 74 episodes
> Avg. episode length: 30 minutes
> Streaming service: BritBox
> Starring: Chris Barrie, Craig Charles, Danny John-Jules, Robert Llewellyn
Alfred Hitchcock Presents (1955)
> How much TV: 7 seasons, 268 episodes
> Avg. episode length: 25 minutes
> Streaming service: Peacock
> Starring: Alfred Hitchcock, Harry Tyler, John Williams, Patricia Hitchcock
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Sesame Street (1969)
> How much TV: 51 seasons, 4,561 episodes
> Avg. episode length: 55 minutes
> Streaming service: HBO Max (50 seasons)
> Starring: Jim Henson, Frank Oz, Caroll Spinney, Jerry Nelson
The Wonder Years (1988)
> How much TV: 6 seasons, 115 episodes
> Avg. episode length: 22 minutes
> Streaming service: Hulu
> Starring: Fred Savage, Dan Lauria, Daniel Stern, Alley Mills
Married…with Children (1987)
> How much TV: 11 seasons, 259 episodes
> Avg. episode length: 22 minutes
> Streaming service: Hulu
> Starring: Ed O’Neill, Christina Applegate, Katey Sagal, Amanda Bearse
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I Love Lucy (1951)
> How much TV: 6 seasons, 181 episodes
> Avg. episode length: 30 minutes
> Streaming service: Hulu, Paramount+
> Starring: Lucille Ball, Desi Arnaz, Vivian Vance, William Frawley
Columbo (1971)
> How much TV: 10 seasons, 69 episodes
> Avg. episode length: 100 minutes
> Streaming service: Peacock, IMDb TV
> Starring: Peter Falk, Mike Lally, John Finnegan, Bruce Kirby
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Agatha Christie’s Poirot (1990)
> How much TV: 24 seasons, 70 episodes
> Avg. episode length: 100 minutes
> Streaming service: BritBox, Acorn TV
> Starring: David Suchet, Hugh Fraser, Philip Jackson, Pauline Moran
The Addams Family (1964)
> How much TV: 2 seasons, 64 episodes
> Avg. episode length: 30 minutes
> Streaming service: Tubi TV, Pluto TV
> Starring: John Astin, Carolyn Jones, Jackie Coogan, Ted Cassidy
Quantum Leap (1989)
> How much TV: 5 seasons, 97 episodes
> Avg. episode length: 60 minutes
> Streaming service: NBC.com
> Starring: Scott Bakula, Dean Stockwell, Deborah Pratt, Dennis Wolfberg
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Cheers (1982)
> How much TV: 11 seasons, 275 episodes
> Avg. episode length: 22 minutes
> Streaming service: Hulu, Peacock, Peacock Premium, Paramount+
> Starring: Ted Danson, Rhea Perlman, John Ratzenberger, George Wendt
The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air (1990)
> How much TV: 6 seasons, 148 episodes
> Avg. episode length: 22 minutes
> Streaming service: HBO Max
> Starring: Will Smith, James Avery, Alfonso Ribeiro, Tatyana Ali
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M*A*S*H (1972)
> How much TV: 11 seasons, 256 episodes
> Avg. episode length: 30 minutes
> Streaming service: Hulu
> Starring: Alan Alda, Wayne Rogers, Loretta Swit, Jamie Farr
The Prisoner (1967)
> How much TV: 1 season, 17 episodes
> Avg. episode length: 50 minutes
> Streaming service: Tubi TV
> Starring: Patrick McGoohan, Angelo Muscat, Peter Swanwick, Peter Brace
Mystery Science Theater 3000 (1988)
> How much TV: 12 seasons, 217 episodes
> Avg. episode length: 92 minutes
> Streaming service: Netflix, FuboTV, Philo, AMC Premiere (73 episodes each)
> Starring: Joel Hodgson, Michael J. Nelson, Trace Beaulieu, Kevin Murphy
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The Muppet Show (1976)
> How much TV: 5 seasons, 120 episodes
> Avg. episode length: 30 minutes
> Streaming service: Disney+
> Starring: Jim Henson, Frank Oz, Richard Hunt, Dave Goelz
Doctor Who (1963)
> How much TV: 26 seasons, 862 episodes
> Avg. episode length: 45 minutes
> Streaming service: HBO Max
> Starring: William Hartnell, Patrick Troughton, Jon Pertwee, Tom Baker
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Dragon Ball Z (1989)
> How much TV: 9 seasons, 291 episodes
> Avg. episode length: 24 minutes
> Streaming service: Funimation
> Starring: Jôji Yanami, Kyle Hebert, Masako Nozawa, Sean Schemmel
Star Trek: The Original Series (1966)
> How much TV: 3 seasons, 79 episodes plus 2 specials
> Avg. episode length: 50 minutes
> Streaming service: Netflix, Hulu, Prime Video, Paramount+
> Starring: William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, DeForest Kelley, Nichelle Nichols
Monty Python’s Flying Circus (1969)
> How much TV: 5 seasons, 45 episodes
> Avg. episode length: 30 minutes
> Streaming service: Netflix
> Starring: Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle
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Mr. Bean (1990)
> How much TV: 1 season, 15 episodes
> Avg. episode length: 25 minutes
> Streaming service: Prime Video, Hulu, BritBox
> Starring: Rowan Atkinson, Robin Driscoll, Matilda Ziegler, Matthew Ashforde
Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987)
> How much TV: 7 seasons, 178 episodes
> Avg. episode length: 44 minutes
> Streaming service: Netflix, Hulu, Prime Video, Paramount+
> Starring: Patrick Stewart, Brent Spiner, Jonathan Frakes, LeVar Burton
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The Twilight Zone (1959)
> How much TV: 5 seasons, 156 episodes
> Avg. episode length: 51 minutes
> Streaming service: Hulu, Paramount+
> Starring: Rod Serling, Robert McCord, Jay Overholts, Vaughn Taylor
Twin Peaks (1990)
> How much TV: 3 seasons, 48 episodes
> Avg. episode length: 50 minutes
> Streaming service: Showtime (via Prime Video), Hulu (2 seasons), Paramount+ (2 seasons)
> Starring: Kyle MacLachlan, Michael Ontkean, Mädchen Amick, Dana Ashbrook
Seinfeld (1989)
> How much TV: 9 seasons, 180 episodes
> Avg. episode length: 22 minutes
> Streaming service: Hulu
> Starring: Jerry Seinfeld, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Michael Richards, Jason Alexander
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The Simpsons (1989)
> How much TV: 32 seasons, 706 episodes
> Avg. episode length: 22 minutes
> Streaming service: Disney+ (31 seasons), FX (24 seasons)
> Starring: Dan Castellaneta, Nancy Cartwright, Harry Shearer, Julie Kavner
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