While not quite as well-known as its movie equivalent, IMDb does have a Top 250 list for TV shows. It's a list of shows that's as simple as it sounds and functions the same way as the IMDb Top 250 movie list. Based on the ratings given by the individual users of IMDb, TV shows are given an overall average rating, with the highest 250, all earning a spot in the ever-changing list.
No one will ever be 100% satisfied with a list based on ratings from millions of individual users, but there are still some jarring omissions from the Top 250 TV show list in question. There are plenty of great shows among the 250, but plenty of classics you'd expect to see are nowhere to be found. These shows are essential viewing for TV fans, but for whatever reason, they don't make it into IMDb's Top 250.
'Veep' (2012 - 2019)
While Julia Louis-Dreyfus's best-known show (Seinfeld) is in the IMDb Top 250 TV shows list, her second most well-known show (Veep) isn't. As far as political comedies go, it has to be one of the best in recent memory, showing Selina Meyer's disaster-filled stint as Vice President of the United States—and beyond—in uncomfortably hilarious detail.
For as great as Louis-Dreyfus is in the lead role, the supporting cast of detestable but hilarious characters all add a great deal to the show, and the writing throughout its seven seasons is often perfect. With an 8.4/10 average rating on IMDb, it's close to the Top 250 but can't quite make it in.
'Scrubs' (2001 - 2010)
Most sitcoms that run for almost a decade do not sustain their quality nearly as well as Scrubs did. The less said about the weird half-length Season 9 (that was also a spin-off, but not really), the better. Season 8 provides an excellent finale for J.D. and the main cast and is the logical endpoint.
From Season 1 to 8, this medical dramedy is by and large great, with surprisingly few weak episodes and no seasons that stand out as being bad overall. It kept its voice (and its core cast) for eight years and nearly 200 episodes, but for IMDb's viewers, that wasn't enough for it to be Top 250-worthy.
'Buffy the Vampire Slayer' (1997 - 2003)
While it might look dated nowadays, given its low budget and age, Buffy the Vampire Slayer was revolutionary television back in the late 1990s and early 2000s. It was a show with characters who changed dramatically throughout seven seasons and pitted its fantastic cast against supernatural and mundane challenges, making it unbelievable/exciting, and relatable all at once.
Maybe the less-than-amazing special effects, quip-heavy humor, and recent allegations about what happened on set have soured the series for some, and that's understandable. There's still a lot to love about Buffy, and its 8.3/10 rating suggests most who've rated it are fans, even though such a rating isn't high enough to get it on the Top 250 list.
'24' (2001 - 2010)
24 is a show that feels of its time. Some of its content and politics can be pretty all over the place, with parts of the show that feel progressive by 2000s standards and other parts that...aren't so much. Couple that with some ridiculous twists and the fact that it may have run a season or two long, and sure, it's far from a perfect show.
But when 24 was at its best, there was nothing else like it, and nothing since has come close to matching its intensity and addictive nature. By setting each season of the show in real-time, covering 24 hours in 24 episodes, the suspense and momentum were constantly building, making it a show that's hard to stop once started. And many of its seasons are incredibly plotted, action-packed, and well-acted, which should surely be enough to make it one of the 250 best shows of all time.
'Girls' (2012 - 2017)
While Girls isn't for everyone, it's hard not to admire its brazenness and uncompromising nature. It paints an unromanticized, uncomfortable, sometimes sad, but often funny look at surviving your 20s, focusing on four young women who have their once close friendships continually challenged throughout six seasons.
With a rating of 7.4/10 on IMDb, it's nowhere near making it into the Top 250 TV shows. Some may find the show too much, especially because it doesn't shy away from graphic content and frank discussions about mature topics. However, it's also very authentic and excellently written, and even if the characters aren't likable, they are compelling, making for a six-season run that's remarkably consistent and entertaining.
'Lost' (2004 - 2010)
Lost comes from the same era as 24, where seasons of television shows were generally 20+ episodes, and plot twists, shocking moments, and cliffhangers were non-stop. Now that most TV shows don't have ad breaks anymore, this style of TV show feels dated, but for its time, few shows hooked viewers as well as Lost could.
It all started with a monumental pilot that arguably got the show off to too strong a start, though some episodes throughout its first three seasons were comparable. The last three seasons were messier, and the show became more than just plane crash survivors living on an island. But in all the chaos, there were still thrills and crazy plot twists to enjoy, and as an essential classic of 2000s TV, Lost should be in the Top 250.
'M*A*S*H' (1972 - 1983)
There's a bias towards newer shows regarding the IMDb Top 250 TV shows, far more than is the case for the IMDb Top 250 movie list. As such, a classic dramedy like M*A*S*H gets left out, mainly because it covers a mostly forgotten war that happened over 70 years ago and itself celebrated the 50th anniversary of its pilot episode in 2022.
Some jokes don't work by modern standards. Some content doesn't fly today, either. It's not a perfect show, but there are also approximately 250 episodes, so the fact that most of them are very good is impressive. Its combination of comedy and drama was groundbreaking, its feature-length finale is a near-masterpiece of a conclusion, and it experimented with TV conventions in numerous iconic episodes. For its importance in TV history, M*A*S*H's exclusion from the IMDb list stings a little.
'Banshee' (2013 - 2016)
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There's not much to say about Banshee besides it's very fun, very violent, and very underrated. It ran for a solid four seasons and followed an ex-con who travels to a mysterious, dangerous town and assumes the identity of its murdered sheriff for reasons that become clearer as the show goes on.
It's a show that could be messy and aggressive, but it knew what it was and delivered a great deal of satisfying action and pulpy, neo-Western-style entertainment. For its merits, it still has an 8.4/10 rating on IMDb, though it isn't quite highly rated enough to be in the Top 250.
'O.J.: Made in America' (2016)
Without a doubt, the greatest crime-related documentary miniseries in recent years (it's not even a competition), O.J.: Made in America is the definitive look at the life—and highly-publicized trial—of O.J. Simpson. It uses Simpson's story to explore numerous social and political issues that have plagued the U.S.A. in recent decades, providing an in-depth look at Simpson and aspects of the country.
It has a rating of 8.9/10 on IMDb, which should put it in the Top 250...but IMDb seems to count it as a movie instead of a miniseries. While it runs for almost eight hours and is split into eight parts, it also won an Oscar for Best Feature Documentary, so its exclusion from the TV list is because of unusual circumstances.
'Angel' (1999-2004)
A Buffy spin-off that's almost as good as its parent show, Angel nevertheless lives in Buffy's shadow. It ran for two seasons less than Buffy and had a slightly lower average rating on IMDb (7.9/10).
It's essential viewing for any Buffy fans, though, and given it sometimes rivaled that show in the quality; it's similarly deserving of joining the IMDb Top 250. It may not have got its due in its day - and continues to be underrated - but at least its rating is still good, and it continues to have its fans.