First Impulse: Empire Magazine's Top 50 TV Shows

British film magazine "Empire" is reportedly a great read and a fun monthly overview of the movie scene. I rarely do much more than leaf through it at the bookstore because for us Yanks it costs about 10 bucks. It got my attention, though, by posting (albeit in irritating fashion by requiring separate clicks for each entry) its list of the Top 50 TV Shows of All Time.

Not having the patience nor the finger strength to look at the entire article, I focused on the top 10. Let me tell you, if this is representative of the entire list--and, wait a minute, even if it ISN'T, because after all, it's the freaking Top 10--methinks the chaps at "Empire" should stick to the movie scene.

What really jumps out at me is the lack of any show that aired before 1989. In the whole wide history of television, no program is good enough to make it to (or near) the top of this all-time ranking? That right there renders the whole thing suspicious. I love arguments and lists like this, but I wasn't so interested in the Top TV Shows of the Last 15 Years. Was there any attempt at historical context and perspective during the compilation?

It's always good to see props for "The Wire," and I can't dispute the brilliance of series like "The Sopranos" and "The Simpsons" at their peak, but "The West Wing" at number 4? Are these brits THAT fascinated by our political process? If so, blimey. And that explains a lot, frankly.

I realize it's useless to argue with the cult of Buffy, and I won't dis the "X-Files," but those shows seem too high as well, even given that "Empire" seems to tilt towards coverage of genre movies. It feels way too soon to put "Lost" and "24" at 5 and 6, respectively, especially given the lackluster seasons each recently presented.

"Friends" at number 7 seems high, but, hey, I like the show, and someday when it doesn't feel so overplayed (if?) it may seem worthier of a high ranking.

And the lone Brit series in the top 10? I expected something like "The Office," a programme that fits into the apparent time frame of reference and one I'd feel comfortable, even just a few years after it ended, placing in an "All-Time" list. But, no, "Empire" goes with "Spaced," a show I wanted to love, given the presence of Simon Pegg, but one I just didn't take to.

So I pretty much discredit this whole list. Perhaps there's a joke or some hidden factor that is explained in the print version, but it's not apparent online. I gave this list one more chance by picking a number at random (well, not so random--it's my birthday) and clicking on its entry. Number 22 is "The Shield." Case closed. This list is meaningless.