THE 100 ALL-TIME GREATEST TV SHOWS CONT'D...

Stay Tuned continues to review Entertainment Weekly's list of the 100 All-Time Greatest Television Shows. Today we will highlight the shows occupying the #90-81 spots.

So without further ado, shall we begin the reminiscing?

#90 - Felicity

First let me say that my friend Courtney would be the ideal person to write a quick blurb about Felicity. Scratch that. She could write a whole review of the show and do an extraordinary job. She is the only person I know who has bought all the original DVD releases, watched every episode from front-to-back and back-to-front, and probably can recite the most important storylines presented in this college drama. Felicity premiered on the WB during a period when the network wanted to attract teenage viewers. Having success with other teen-centric shows like Dawson's Creek and Buffy the Vampire Slayer, the WB tried its hand with a show focused on the college experience and finding oneself in that environment. The premise of the series is Felicity following her high school love to college, which then evolved into the whole Ben vs. Noel see-saw for the run of the series. Probably the most buzzed about moments of the show was when Felicity cut off her long, curly locks. The media had a field day with it and viewers kept tuning in each week to see who Felicity would choose. Felicity became a role model for teenage girls and young women. She was relatable and realistic for those who were coming-of-age.

#89 - Mystery Science Theater 3000

MST3K is a personal favorite of Stay Tuned. The show's dry humor and wittiness was ahead of its time but it gained a substantial audience and loyal cult following over time. The premise of the series was to showcase horrible, cheesy movies and literally tear them down frame by frame. The host, Joel (and later Mike), is shot into space with robots Tom Servo, Crow, Gypsy, and Cambot, and is forced to watch movies sent to him by the mad scientists. The lot of movies watch over the 10-year run of the show were just plain terrible but listening to the quips and mockery from the space gang made them watchable and propelled MST3K to an enjoyable experience. We highly recommend the MST3K vs. Gamera DVD set that Shout! Factory released a few years ago. Listening to the MST3K poke fun at a giant flying turtle monster is priceless!

#88 - Perry Mason

Perry Mason is credited as being one of the most successful and longest-running series of all time. Raymond Burr wonderfully depicted the lead title's role, and despite having a few replacement actors in the role over the 30-year span of the series and TV movies, Burr is and forever will be our Perry Mason. The series episodes were based on real-life stories written by Erle Stanley Gardner and each hour was broken into two parts. The first part of the show featured the victim's homicide and the arrest of the suspect. The second part of the hour featured defense attorney Mason making a case for his client and usually proving the innocence of the suspect. In fact, Perry Mason never lost a case. Those he didn't win were declared mistrials, of course off-screen. Perry Mason set the precedent for future legal, police, and crime dramas in part for its gritty stories and dramatic use of camera movements and orchestra scores.

#87 - South Park

Undeniably a breath of fresh air when it premiered in 1997, South Park gained recognition for poking fun and parodying current pop culture, pushing the buttons on taboo subjects like religion and politics, as well as its liberal use of graphic violence (How many times has Kenny been killed?) and obscenities. The off-beat humor and cutout technique animation has been appealing audiences, young and old, for 16 years now and it shows no sign of throwing in the towel. Thanks to finding a home on Comedy Central, South Park was able to test the boundaries and air its content on cable TV, in contrast to other animated shows regulated on network TV. Most importantly, South Park paved the road for future animated sitcoms that followed similar off-color humor and satire...*ahem* Family Guy, American Dad, The Cleveland Show, Archer, Adult Swim, etc etc. South Park found a niche that would forever change the landscape of animation in primetime television.

#86 - 24

Jack Bauer was the man. Jack Bauer lived through it all. Jack Bauer could actually say "I've had a rough day" and it would be true. FOX's 24 introduced a unique formula to the action serial model by making one whole season happen in the span of 1 day...24 hours. Each season consisted of 24 episodes and each episode represented one hour Jack Bauer had to divert the planned assassination, nuclear bomb, biological warfare, or kidnapping that plagued a particular season. Every hour brought twists and turns that complicated the main protagonists and lead up to the climatic ending of the season. Apart from Jack Bauer, everyone else on the show was pretty much expendable. Viewers clearly saw the liberty writers had at killing off key characters when Bauer's wife, Teri, was shockingly killed minutes before her rescue in the show's first season. 24 had to incorporate the flash-forward technique between seasons, usually anywhere from 18 months to 3 years, before giving Jack another bad day. I mean, how many bad days could you have in a row, at least in Jack Bauer's world? The show's popularity remains to this day and FOX has already greenlighted a limited series return for the spring of 2014. The 12-episode return will still highlight one entire day but with the exclusion of several hours between each episode. More 24? We will definitely Stay Tuned!

#85 - Little House on the Prairie

Little House on the Prairie was a family western drama that focused on the Ingalls farm life in the late 1800's. The show's core focus was on the Ingalls' family life with the struggles and pitfalls related to the farm and/or neighbors in the background. Despite suffering through disastrous floods, failed crops, loss of livestock, and even the death of the family pet, Little House tried to end the story on a light note with a bright side moral of the story. The show also tackled serious issues such as blindness (daughter Mary loses her eyesight at the end of one season), adoption, racism, and alcoholism, as well as racier subjects like drug addiction and rape. If we were left with anything from watching Little House on the Prairie, it was that you could depend on family to get through all of life's hardships.

#84 - Family Ties

What do you get when two liberal hippies get married and have a family? You get a conservative, yuppy son like Alex P. Keaton. Family Ties introduced the world to the Keaton family, a family with 1960s ideals trying to raise their kids in the '80s. Parents Steven and Elyse encountered the challenges of generational differences while raising their three (later four) kids. While it is considered a sitcom, Family Ties often brought awareness of serious issues in that half hour each week. Drug abuse, child abuse, unexpected death, and alcoholism were just some of the topics the Keatons tackled over the show's seven year run, and we realized the realities Steven and Elyse faced through their rose-colored glasses.

#83 - Oz

Oz has the distinction of being the first hour-long dramatic television series produced by HBO. Unlike similar dramas presented on network TV, Oz depicted the grittiness and despair of living behind the bars of a maximum-security prison. Nicknamed "Emerald City," the Oswald State Correctional Facility emphasized the rehabilitation and correctional learning techniques applied to its inmates. In the background, however, the seedy prison life of drug trades and power plays, as well as the struggle between rival gangs, was the true highlight of the show. Oz took advantage of the cable TV outlet and offered frequent images of violence, deaths, nudity, and sex. With an ensemble cast in place, Oz also benefited from cameo and guest appearances from big-name talent at the time. Though it has been several years since it went off the air, Oz remains in high regard as no other drama since has matched or exceeded the creative and production values of the show.

#82 - Good Times

Good Times transplanted Florida Evans, the Findlay maid from Maude, to the inner-city projects of Chicago where she lived with her husband, three kids, and nosy neighbor Willona Woods. The Evans family faced obstacles and challenges each week as they tried to keep their heads above water (hehe...that's part of the theme song) while tackling the issues that plagued the African-American community living in city projects like racism, unemployment, poor health care, welfare, child abuse, drug abuse, alcoholism, and gang-related violence. Despite losing out in the end, the Evans always had each other to face the next hurdle that stumbled across the following week. Good Times was another show featuring an all African-American cast in lead roles and became another hit for Norman Lear. Much of the success was attributed to exposing the double standards and racism within the U.S. society at the time and the show became a cornerstone model for future black shows, in particular having a strong father present in the household. When James Evans was killed off the show, Good Times lost a fundamental piece that would never be recovered in spite of many creative efforts and it contributed to the show's eventual demise.

#81 - In Living Color

In Living Color helped usher the '90s with a return to skit comedy. Mostly parodic in nature, In Living Color offered a new and comical view of pop culture. Nothing was left unscathed from the humor of the ensemble cast. TV shows and movies were skewered, music videos re-written and hilariously sung, and who could forget the introduction of memorable characters like Homey D. Clown, Benita Butrell, Fire Marshal Bill, Hand-Man, and Wanda. Apart from poking fun at the latest entertainment, In Living Color also brought a refreshing view on the American political system as well as exposing the racial and social inequities of the '90s. The show constantly pushed the limits and its creators were often in a battle with the network over censorship of certain material, which wouldn't be considered controversial by today's standards. In Living Color also helped the hip-hop and R&B music scene by allotting time from the show for musical performances by up-and-coming and popular artists. While there has been a setback for a potential reboot, In Living Color has gained its place in television history for delivering topics such as racism, sexism, and human sexuality to viewers' living rooms.

Well that pretty much sums up the second tier of EW's all-time greatest TV shows list. While we may have different opinions for the actual placement of these shows on the list, we can't help but agree that each one of these shows deserves a place on this list. They were all fundamental stepping stones for future series in their genres and they have made a lasting impact not only in our society but also in our hearts and memories.

What do you remember most about these shows? Do you have a particular favorite one? Which one can you watch non-stop in rerun heaven? Share with us your thoughts in the Comments box below.

Remember to keep an out for the next chapter in this review, #80-71. Stay Tuned for further posts from our TV guru, Max Headblog!