Top 10 US TV Shows

30 Rock

Tina Fey and Alec Baldwin - two great reasons to watch this hilarious show!

Family Guy

Asbolutely genius! Sums it up in two words!

The Wire

Regarded by many as 'the best TV series ever made' The Wire is fantastic, but may well have bypassed a lot of viewers simply because it has been quietly building up a following over the past decade rather than exploding on to the scene in a blaze of hype. One of those rare police shows which tells stories from the point of view of the criminals as well as the cops, it really does live up to expectations. I urge you to check it out.

Curb Your Enthusiasm

Quite possibly the funniest American show ever made, if you haven't ever seen Curb Your Enthusiasm it's about time you did. Larry David, who steps into the spotlight here after making his fortune as the creator of Seinfeld, is a maddening character but it's impossible not to watch as he lurches from one awkward situation to the next, proving that life doesn't always go right even when you're as wealthy and influential as he is. The fly on the wall filming style and improvised script (which served as influences for The Office) just add to the fun.

Friends

This is one of the most amazing sitcoms, because whilst being funny and easy to watch, it also has some interesting storylines and loveable characters! The ULTIMATE!

Frasier

Cheers might have been the more popular choice here, but I always preferred Frasier, largely because it gave the best character from that series the chance to step into the limelight (let's face it Frasier Crane always got all the best one-liners in Cheers anyway). A great example of how to do a sitcom spin-off and make it even better than its predecessor.

Bones

Funny, sexy, thrilling, interesting! Need I say more?

The Simpsons

This isn't just the best show ever to come out of the US - it's probably the best show ever made anywhere. You just can't under-estimate the influence of The Simpsons and the way it has made its mark on popular culture (there can be very few people out there who can honestly say they've never seen it), to say nothing of the fact it's also brilliantly written. And it's still going - will it ever end? Hopefully not.

Desperate Housewives

Other US shows may come and go but Desperate Housewives has kept us enthralled for several years now and it just carries on being as entertaining as ever. Quite aside from the engaging characters and the 'all is not as it seems in cosy suburbia' undertones, this is one show that just keeps on coming up with the goods no matter how over-the-top or ludicrous some of its plot lines may be. Long may it continue.

The West Wing

Let's face it, there is a lot of trash on screens in the States but this show is a fine example of US ensemble drama at its finest, with a fantastic performance from Martin Sheen as President Bartlet. When US TV gets this kind of thing right they do it better than anybody else - not even UK dramas can compare.