This was published 12 years ago
Michael Idato's best-written TV shows
Michael Idato shares his picks (which may be vastly different to yours).
1/16
David Chase's peerless American Mafia drama "The Sopranos" set the bar for HBO's drama portfolio.Credit:
2/16
Matt Groening's animated series "The Simpsons" has been a backdrop for American cultural life for two decades.Credit:
3/16
"Bewitched": Sol Sak's all-time masterpiecefamily sitcom about a witch and her mortal husband.Credit:
4/16
"Frontline": Working Dog's excoriating examination of the state of Australian (commercial) TV journalism.Credit:
5/16
"The Office": Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant's excruciatingly brilliant comedy about a dysfunctional office manager.Credit:
6/16
"Doctor Who": Britain's iconic science-fiction series about a mysterious time traveller known as The Doctor. Pictured is most recent Doctor Matt Smith.Credit:
7/16
Scandi noir: Danish police procedural "The Killing" has reinvented crime drama.Credit:
8/16
Australia's ground-breaking prison drama "Prisoner" (pictured) was recently rebooted into the excellent "Wentworth".Credit:
9/16
"Arrested Development": Mitchell Hurwitz's gorgeous farce about a dysfunctional, wealthy American family.Credit:
10/16
Ian David's crime masterpiece "Blue Murder" set a benchmark for Australian drama in the '90s.Credit:
11/16
From left: John Clarke, Gina Riley and Bryan Dawe of "The Games", a razor-sharp satire of the 2000 Sydney Olympics.Credit:
12/16
"Dad's Army": Jimmy Perry's much-loved comedy masterpiece about the men of Britain's Home Guard.Credit:Getty Images
13/16
"Dallas": Television's greatest soap opera, about the rich but unhappy Texas oil dynasty, the Ewings.Credit:
14/16
"Roseanne" was the gold standard of American sitcom in the '90s, from comedian Roseanne Barr.Credit:
15/16
David Lynch's sensual, stylish murder mystery "Twin Peaks" brought arthouse cinema to network TV.Credit:
16/16
Australia's salacious, world-leading sex-and-sin soap opera "Number 96" exploded TV taboos in the '70s.Credit: