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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Mel O&#039;Drama" data-source="post: 128857" data-attributes="member: 23">In choosing my twenty, the two questions I asked myself were how profound an impact each series had me when first watching, and also if I would enjoy watching every episode of the show again. This is what was left...Cagney & Lacey (1982-88)Intelligently written. Beautifully crafted. An eye for detail. An iconic theme tune. And an off-screen story as intriguing as the show itself.Knots Landing (1979-93)The casting (a fascinating hodgepodge of theatrical luvvies, hipsters, film stars, singers, new talent and damned good actors). The intricate writing . The evolution and exploration. Prime time soap at its finest and with many more layers besides.Peyton Place (1964-69)A very different animal from both the book upon which its based and the previous big-screen adaption. Taking the emotional intelligence from Grace Metalious's characters, concentrating it and then allowing the characters to just do their thing gave screen magic. All these years later it still looks wonderful - the early episodes very noir-ish - and the dialogue feels more truthful and contemporary than any number of series that followed it.The Gentle Touch (1980-84)Gritty. Brutal. Beautiful. The series was hailed as a forward step for feminism, but it never feels knowing and is rarely played that way on screen. The haunting theme captures the tone of the show perfectly, and even the caffeine-boosted version has something unsettling about it.One Tree Hill (2003-12)This was a real surprise when I discovered it a couple of years ago after it was recommended here on the forum. Each episode, I warmed to the show a little more with its character-driven heart and later clever plot turns. A few seasons in it was responsible for my biggest TV shock: a twist that came out of the blue and gave me a physical reaction that meant I was entirely invested. OTH introduced one of the most fascinating and complex TV characters I've ever encountered who I started off really disliking, but the darker he got the more empathy I felt for him. The ending of the series is easily one of the most satisfying and rewarded my perseverance through those early days when I thought this was just another teen drama.Keeping Up Appearances (1990-95)Patricia Routledge takes her "Kitty" to the next level, performing surrounded by reliable character actors all giving their all to Roy Clarke's material. It's (arguably) not art, but it's one of the easiest things to watch and rewatch.Last Of The Summer Wine (1973-2010)It began before I was born and ran for almost four decades - the world's longest-running sitcom. And it's only this year I've finally got round to watching it in its entirety from the beginning. Roy Clarke writes wonderfully and captures the last of a dying breed. The very best British character actors of "a certain age" work as part of an ever-growing ensemble to create something unique, special and hugely underestimated. Cartoony and formulaic on the surface (all wrinkled stockings, "Oh, Howard"s and "My Barry"s), But equal parts philosophy and cynicism run through the heart of the series in the attitudes of the main triad as surely as the River Holme makes its way through the town in which they live. British phlegm is the order of the day, but the series' and characters' soft underbellies are exposed through connections to others. Death and grief are treated as facts of life - to be neither schmaltzed up nor ignored. And that includes the deaths of the ageing actors as much as the characters they play, which brings a very meta element to the series at the time. Just this week I've watched the characters say their goodbyes to Compo, as actor Bill Owen was dying of cancer. The funeral that followed was as much a tribute to the love amongst the cast as it was about the community onscreen. A last farewell to Bill Owen. How can one not be moved by a scene in which battleaxe Ivy, on the day of Compo's funeral, looks at a photograph of her late husband Sid with love on her face, knowing that it's also a little acknowledgement that actress Jane Freeman misses the late actor who played her screen partner. The feature-length episodes are a treat, but one can guarantee that each episode will give a taste of the great outdoors and some breathtaking Yorkshire scenery.Incidentally, this series earns bonus points for every frame from start to finish being unique to the episode. There are no generic opening and closing titles. Instead the credits play out over a sequence shot just for the episode in question. Very impressive.Columbo (1968-78)Although I properly discovered Peter Falk's detective with the launch of the slightly more patchy revival series in the late Eighties, it's the original run on NBC that remains the most flawless jewel in the crown. A clever premise that turns the standard "whodunit" formula on its ear. And a very impressive revolving door of guest killers. Real quality.Happy Ever After/Terry & June (1974-87)Because June Medford is basically June Fletcher who is pretty much June Whitfield. And Terry Medford is a less letchy version of Terry Fletcher who is actually a goofier version of Terry Scott. And all six of them are wonderful.Ever Decreasing Circles (1984-89)I love myself an underdog. This is a series I didn't get at all when I was a child. Back then it seemed boring and safe and not even a little bit alternative. But great writing will out, and my adult self was so ready to enjoy Bob Larbey's wonderful dialogue when I really made the effort to watch this series. On the surface it's about nothing much really. This one is all about what's going on underneath. And it's a lot.I must also give a mention to two other great Larbey series that very nearly made it in: The Good Life and As Time Goes By.The Galton And Simpson Playhouse (1977)A nice little treat I discovered on DVD some years back. Written as a series of TV pilots, each featuring a well-known face or two. The Leonard Rossiter vehicle I Tell You It's Burt Reynolds will appeal to anyone who wonders how on earth we managed before IMDb.Futurama (1999-2013)Clever, funny, timeless and loaded with big guest-stars. The revival - while unnecessary - continued the consistent greatness despite my reservations.Will & Grace (1998 - )Repeating myself here, but...  Clever, funny, timeless and loaded with big guest-stars. The revival - while unnecessary - continued the consistent greatness despite my reservations.Howards’ Way (1985-90)Very eighties and terribly British, Howards' Way was what Sunday nights were all about when I was young. It got more glam as the series went on, but was strong enough to begin with. Very watchable with some great cliffhangers and wonderfully incestuous goings on. But the trick here was that it felt quite gentle and leisurely despite all the twists. Rewatching it a few years ago, I got to one of the latter series and started to boggle at all the different ways the characters were related to one another through all the bedhopping, births, marriages, remarriages and parental revelations. The scenery is wonderful, and I've visited some of the locations many times - at first out of novelty, and then because I fell in love with the area itself.Miss Marple (1984-92)It's perfection and it stars Joan Hickson. No further explanation should be required.Sons And Daughters (1982-87)When it was good it was the best. With this kind of casting, who needs a big budget. Early Home and Away and Neighbours were both contenders for my Top Twenty but I've chosen to treat each series here as a whole and, as with all long-running serials there has been just too much dross and filler over the years. With a finite series like this, even the dross and filler becomes slightly legendary with the passage of time.Are You Being Served? (1972-85)Another example of casting being king.George & Mildred (1976-79)Its predecessor Man About The House is probably edgier. Father, Dear Father, from the same team, is at least as funny. But this is first sitcom that clicked with my very young self in its later years (or quite possibly even repeats). So in it goes.Dallas (1978-91)If this had ended four years earlier it would certainly have been at the top of this list. But it didn't. So it isn't.Wonder Woman/The New Adventures Of Wonder Woman (1975-79)My grown-up self wanted to include one of the Kenneth Johnson series. Or even 1966's Batman. But my five year old self would never forgive me if it wasn't included here. This was my entrée to appointment TV and back then I was of the opinion that this was my "favourite tv series of all time", so it certainly qualifies here.</blockquote>

Verification: Who played JR Ewing?