11 Peep Show 200 points [lower third-highest top score]

12 The Inbetweeners 199 points

13 Derry Girls 195 points

14 LOST 188 points

15 Gavin & Stacey 184 points

A sea of sitcoms have made it just outside the top 10, with LOST... lost between them all , so let's go through each of the sitcoms. Gavin & Stacey came to its final conclusion at Christmas just past - 2024 - as we said farewell to the characters with the resolution to the cliffhanger from the Christmas Special in 2019. Over three series and three specials, Gavin & Stacey gave us so much to love (that awkward one moment in the 2019 special aside, and James Corden at times). Derry Girls told the story it wanted to tell over its three series too, the standard for sitcoms. But the characters got the send-off they deserved, and over the course of the show we had so many laughs with them and took a step into life in the 90s during the final years of the Troubles. The Inbetweeners marked the start of fruitful careers for the group of boys we followed over, you guessed it, three series that went on to spawn a feature-film with a follow up that's... not really worth mentioning. This is a series the US tried to recreate but it flopped spectacularly and ended up being cancelled because The Inbetweeners, I think, is something that could only have been captured so brilliantly through the eyes and essence of British culture and comedy. And the one just missing out on the top 10 (by a matter of breaking a tie in points) is Peep Show. Unlike most sitcoms, Peep Show actually continued for nine series from 2003 to 2015, becoming Channel 4's longest-running comedy. As Chez put it in the 30 Day TV Challenge thread, Mark and Jeremy are two characters that are just not made for one another but it works wonderfully for the show. Despite continuing for much longer than your average British sitcom, Peep Show didn't tire and every season brings something new and magical and develops and deepens the characters' relationships even further.

10

Only Murders in the Building

200 points [higher third-highest top score]

Highest score: 46 (Paddington James)

American mystery comedy-drama series Only Murders in the Building has so far aired four seasons on Hulu / Disney+, with a season airing each year since 2021. Starring Selena Gomez, this show follows a group of people with a shared interest in true crime who start investigating murders and producing their own podcasts about the cases. The show has received much critical acclaim since its debut and the cast have all been nominated for several awards (with them all winning a Screen Actors Guild Award for it). Haven't seen this myself, but have seen it atop the Disney+ homepage many times so will need to check it out if BuzzJack holds it in such high regard.

9

Fawlty Towers

210 points

Highest score: 40 (Severin)

Fawlty Towers is one of those big classic sitcoms I've never seen other than quick glimpses while flicking through the channels, but from what I'm reading while doing my research to provide some adequate commentary, I'm amazed that a show with only 12 episodes in total (!) over two series that aired in 1975 and 1979 respectively has come top 10 here! Written by John Cleese and Connie Booth, Fawlty Towers was set in a dysfunctional hotel in Torquay and follows the staff attempting to run the hotel with lots of calamity involved. Seems like this is another one that got quite the mixed reaction initially but then went on to become beloved by many.

8

RuPaul's Drag Race

239 points

Highest score: 47 (Spiceboy, Scene)

Mother has arrived! Up next it's the original RuPaul's Drag Race (otherwise known as the US edition) which, last year, celebrated 15 years of being on our screens. Since 2009 there have been seventeen seasons of the main show, and this year we're in our tenth (!) season of All Stars, bringing back queens for their second, third or even FOURTH attempt at the crown. Drag Race has been a comfort for many over the years, with queens sharing their personal stories in the workroom and being the representation we so badly need on our TV screens at a time where drag, and the LGBTQ+ community more widely, continue to be marginalised. Other than that, we have queens serving fashion, high-camp, and so much more in challenges and on the runway every week!

7

Desperate Housewives

266 points

Highest score: 50 (Josh!)

Over the course of eight seasons from 2004 to 2012 Desperate Housewives gave us some of the most compelling stories of the women that lived on Wisteria Lane. Each season gave us a new mystery to follow typically in the form of a 'killer of the season' vibe, or at the very least somebody that had a secret and was up to some shady shenanigans. In my opinion, the show only had one low point and that was season 7 where it felt like they had run dry with their storytelling and it was signalling the beginning of the end, but when you look back on the show now you can see that having that breathing space in season 7 allowed for them to tell an incredible storyline to wrap everything up in its eighth and final season. Bree, Susan, Lynette and Gabi you will never be forgotten. And if the rumours are true and we have a reboot of sorts on the way, let the hype begin!

6

Stranger Things

272 points

Highest score: 50 (-Jay-)

While we eagerly await the long-teased release of the fifth and final season of Stranger Things, we can bask in the glory that it's made it all the way into the top 10 here at 6th and can go back and re-familiarise ourselves with the story so far. There's also recently been a behind-the-scenes documentary released on Netflix that Jay assures me he will be the guinea pig for. Despite the sometimes longer than usual episode runtimes (something I personally can be quite averse to at the best of times with TV shows), and with more of the same guaranteed for season 5, Stranger Things is one of those shows where it's absolutely warranted and the story just... works and needs that time. Having taken us on a wild ride and made us fall in love with all of the characters on varying levels, Stranger Things has absolutely cemented itself as one of the all-time greats.

5

The Simpsons

276 points

Highest score: 50 (Mack.)

The GOAT of animated sitcoms, The Simpsons comes in 5th place here. A staple of Channel 4 repeats whenever they have nothing better to put on, and now being featured in Disney+'s extensive catalogue of things to stream, the show has spanned 36 seasons since 1989 with (at the time of writing this) 790 episodes having just concluded its thirty-sixth season yesterday. There's plenty life left in The Simpsons too as the show has been renewed through to its fortieth season; granting it even more records in the hall of fame I'm sure considering it already holds a fair few. The Simpsons is great, whether you're a mega-fan or not you've probably caught a fair few episodes out of order and been even slightly amused and invested at some point. It's not difficult to see how it's ended up so high here.

I didn't expect Fawlty Towers to make the top 10. It's certainly my favourite sitcom. I would have probably put Stranger Things in my top 5 but only watched the 4 seasons this year, after voting had taken place, as I've only recently got Netflix.

4

Big Brother UK

291 points

Highest score: 47 (Mack.)

32 places ahead of its UK counterpart, the civilian version of Big Brother comes in at #4. A BuzzJack staple that has always been a talking point, a big event when it comes around, and something we've all been thankful to have back after the Channel 5 era came to an end leaving a void. Big Brother has given us so much to love (and hate passionately x) over the years. Beginning on Channel 4, having Ultimate Big Brother to round that era off, moving to Channel 5 and going down the influencer route of having people who were already semi-in the spotlight come onto the show to give the drama that Channel 5 thought civilians clearly couldn't always give, to ITV now where it seems like (all things aside whether housemates are liked or not) we're back to where we should be with everyday people on the show bringing the drama! Who knows what they'll have in store for us later this year with ITV's third civilian series?

3

Game of Thrones

303 points

Highest score: 50 (Lukuzz)

Researching a lot of these shows that I haven't watched myself, it's intriguing just how many are considered 'one of the best of all time' but alas Game of Thrones is another held in such high regard and has a massive international fanbase. Over eight seasons from 2011 to 2019, Game of Thrones had the world captivated and who could forget the discourse online between those that were happy with the way it ended versus those that were up in arms? Despite having never seen a second of it, that dominated online discussions for quite some time. The fantasy series is an adaptation of the novels by George R R Martin and has won many awards. The main show has also given way to prequel series' - House of the Dragon which aired in 2022 and A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms which is due to be released in 2026.

2

Friends

304 points

Highest score: 50 (Spiceboy, Scene)

Pipped to the post and just one (!) point ahead of Game of Thrones in second place is Friends (or F.R.I.E.N.D.S however you want to style it x), the American sitcom series that is undoubtedly the biggest and one that will go down in history as the GOAT. Universally loved - and ignored by those that simply cba with it - Friends ran for ten seasons from 1994 to 2004 and saw us follow the lives of the core friend group as they made their way through life in Manhattan. Unfortunately not all of them are still with us; the untimely passing of Matthew Perry means that a reunion is probably something Friends fans aren't going to see anytime soon despite a reunion of sorts happening. Regardless, with easier access to the show on streaming thanks to Netflix, going back to your favourite episodes and reliving all the laughs is at our fingertips. I did actually check the show out from start to finish when it was added to Netflix after initially never understanding the hype having seen a few episodes here and there, and I still don't to be honest but it wasn't bad viewing. David Schwimmer will forever be one of the most annoying people ever to me.

1

Doctor Who

482 points

Highest score: 50 (JosephBoone, ElectroBoy, Calum, Chez Wombat)

And there we have it! A whole 178 points ahead of Friends in second place, BuzzJack's Ultimate TV Show is... Doctor Who!

Since returning to our screens in 2005 with Russell T Davies at the helm, the show has aired fifteen series (the fifteenth currently airing under the guise of season 2), has had three show-runners (RTD, Steven Moffat and Chris Chibnall, and now back to RTD again), seven main doctors - Christopher Eccleston, David Tennant as both the tenth and fourteenth Doctors, Matt Smith, Peter Capaldi, Jodie Whittaker and now Ncuti Gatwa, some sneaky Doctors introduced to the show in the form of the War Doctor portrayed by the late John Hurt and the Fugitive Doctor by Jo Martin most recently. As well as giving us magical adventures through time and space and so many companions for the audience to relate to and take us on that journey with the Doctor, since returning we've also been treated to several spin-offs including Torchwood, The Sarah Jane Adventures, Class, and The War Between the Land and the Sea due to air either late 2025 or in 2026.

And while most of us are familiar with NuWho more-so than the Classic era of the show from 1963 to 1989, let's not ignore that's where it all began and paved the way for the Doctor Who we love and hold so dear in our hearts today. From William Hartnell all the way to Paul McGann and everything else in between with specials, features outside the show that keep the actors with the Whoniverse at their very core, and so much more there's something to enjoy for everyone taking a trip down memory lane and going back to find another favourite Doctor. I myself have been making my way through the Pertwee era recently as a fan of his and the one I'm most drawn to of all the classic Doctors.

Not long now until we head into the two-part finale of season 2 with Wish World and The Reality War concluding Ncuti Gatwa's second season in the role, so plenty more for us to enjoy with the return of yet another classic villain, a classic companion from the very beginning of the show, and more. Let's GO!

Love Heartstopper and The Traitors being so high up already! Stranger Things and LOST are among my other favourites to appear, and of course, it's the perfect winner, there's no show like it because nothing could ever compare <3

Thanks for hosting Calum!!

Great to see Doctor Who top this poll. My own vote for it was mainly based on the classic series which I grew up with but the new version can be very good now and then. Stranger Things would have finished in 2nd place if I had watched it before the voting took place.

Thanks Calum for adding up the scores.

Well that top 2 sums up my growing up! I did figure DW would win given it's consistent discussion on here, for a show I ranked as my number 1, I do feel I'm more critical of it than a lot of shows but I think it's just expectation management. It was ultimately the show that got me into Sci-Fi and by far the show I've been watching the longest. I thought my interest was fading but the visit to the 20th NuWho anniversary reignited my love for it and I do think the show has taken some good upwards turns this time. Long may it continue to regenerate x (I've not quite got round to the classic series yet, but will get there x)

I've seen the whole time over many times and can quote it verbatim in some instances, it's great comfort TV, though it is difficult watching after Matthew Perry's death </3

Most of the top 10 that I know is worthy and I've been meaning to watch Fawlty Towers for some time now, shame it's taken off Netflix. Some other great British sitcoms just outside the top 10 and 20 like Peep Show and The Thick of It, and glad to see Breaking Bad and Lost in the top 20 too, the former got gradually better and the latter gradually worse but the highs for both were pretty high.

Many thanks for the great work that went into this, Calum!