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The Best TV Shows on CBS

Every CBS Show Ranked From Best To Worst

A broadcaster of distinction, CBS has aired more than 20 shows between 1951 and 2015. Premiering in 1951 and 1952, I Love Lucy and I've Got a Secret are among CBS’s most celebrated shows. Peruse our comprehensive roster of CBS’s top shows, encompassing over 20 distinct series as of March 2025.

  • I Love Lucy
    I Love Lucy (1951)7.9

    Cuban Bandleader Ricky Ricardo would be happy if his wife Lucy would just be a housewife. Instead she tries constantly to perform at the Tropicana where he works, and make life comically frantic in the apartment building they share with landlords Fred and Ethel Mertz, who also happen to be their best friends.

  • Hawaii Five-0
    Hawaii Five-0 (2010)7.8

    Steve McGarrett returns home to Oahu, in order to find his father's killer. The governor offers him the chance to run his own task force (Five-0). Steve's team is joined by Chin Ho Kelly, Danny "Danno" Williams, and Kono Kalakaua.

  • I've Got a Secret
    I've Got a Secret (1952)7.7

    A panel tries to determine a contestant's secret: something that is unusual, amazing, embarrassing, or humorous about that person.

  • NCIS
    NCIS (2003)7.6

    From murder and espionage to terrorism and stolen submarines, a team of special agents investigates any crime that has a shred of evidence connected to Navy and Marine Corps personnel, regardless of rank or position.

  • In the Heat of the Night
    In the Heat of the Night (1988)7.5

    In the Heat of the Night is an American television series based on the motion picture and novel of the same name starring Carroll O'Connor as the white police chief William Gillespie, and Howard Rollins as the African-American police detective Virgil Tibbs. It was broadcast on NBC from 1988 until 1992, and then on CBS until 1995. Its executive producers were Fred Silverman, Juanita Bartlett and Carroll O'Connor. TGG Direct released the first season of the series to DVD on August 28, 2012.

  • Judging Amy
    Judging Amy (1999)7.5

    Judging Amy is an American television drama that was telecast from September 19, 1999, through May 3, 2005, on CBS-TV. This TV series starred Amy Brenneman and Tyne Daly. Its main character is a judge who serves in a family court, and in addition to the family-related cases that she adjudicates, many episodes of the show focus on her own experiences as a divorced mother, and on the experiences of her mother, a social worker who works in the field of child welfare. This series was based on the life experiences of Brenneman's mother.

  • Touched by an Angel
    Touched by an Angel (1994)7.2

    Monica, an angel, is tasked with bringing guidance and messages from God to various people who are at a crossroads in their lives.

  • Chicago Hope
    Chicago Hope (1994)7.2

    Chicago Hope is an American medical drama television series, created by David E. Kelley. It ran on CBS from September 18, 1994, to May 4, 2000. The series is set in a fictional private charity hospital in Chicago, Illinois. The show is set to return in the fall of 2013 on TVGN in reruns.

  • Leave It to Beaver
    Leave It to Beaver (1957)6.9

    Leave It to Beaver is an American television situation comedy about an inquisitive and often naïve boy named Theodore "The Beaver" Cleaver and his adventures at home, in school, and around his suburban neighborhood. The show also starred Barbara Billingsley and Hugh Beaumont as Beaver's parents, June and Ward Cleaver, and Tony Dow as Beaver's brother Wally. The show has attained an iconic status in the US, with the Cleavers exemplifying the idealized suburban family of the mid-20th century.

  • The Amazing Race
    The Amazing Race (2001)6.9

    This reality competition sees teams embark on a trek around the world to amazing destinations where they must compete in a series of challenges, some mental and some physical. Only when the tasks are completed will they learn of their next location. Teams who are the farthest behind will gradually be eliminated as the contest progresses, with the first team to arrive at the final destination winning the race and the $1 million prize.

  • The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson
    The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson (2005)6.8

    The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson is an American late-night talk show hosted by Scottish American comedian Craig Ferguson, who is the third regular host of the Late Late Show franchise. It follows Late Show with David Letterman in the CBS late-night lineup, airing weekdays in the US at 12:37 a.m. It is taped in front of a live studio audience from Monday to Friday at CBS Television City in Los Angeles, California, directly above the Bob Barker Studio. It is produced by David Letterman's production company Worldwide Pants Incorporated and CBS Television Studios. Since becoming host on January 3, 2005, after Craig Kilborn and Tom Snyder, Ferguson has achieved the highest ratings since the show's inception in 1995. While the majority of the episodes focus on comedy, Ferguson has also addressed difficult subject matter, such as the deaths of his parents, and undertaken serious interviews, such as one with Desmond Tutu, which earned the show a 2009 Peabody Award.

  • 60 Minutes
    60 Minutes (1968)6.7

    America's popular television News magazine in which an ever changing team of CBS News correspondents contribute segments ranging from hard news coverage to politics to lifestyle and pop culture.

  • CBS News Sunday Morning
    CBS News Sunday Morning (1979)6.6

    The sparkling notes of a trumpet fanfare and the familiar logo of the sun alert viewers that it's time for CBS's Sunday morning staple. Journalist Jane Pauley helms the show, taking over hosting duties from Charles Osgood, who spent 22 years on the job. A morning talk show, this program airs at a different pace and focuses much of its attention on the performing arts. After a quick update of the day's news and national weather, correspondents offer longer-length segments on a variety of topics, from architecture to ballet to music to pop culture to politics.

  • My Three Sons
    My Three Sons (1960)6.5

    A widower and aeronautical engineer named Steven Douglas raises three sons with the help of his father-in-law, and later the boys' great-uncle. An adopted son, a stepdaughter, wives, and another generation of sons join the loving family in later seasons.

  • The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
    The Late Show with Stephen Colbert (2015)6.5

    Stephen Colbert brings his signature satire and comedy to The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, the #1 show in late night, where he talks with an eclectic mix of guests about what is new and relevant in the worlds of politics, entertainment, business, music, technology, and more. Featuring bandleader Jon Batiste with his band Stay Human, the Emmy Award-nominated show is broadcast from the historic Ed Sullivan Theater. Stephen Colbert, Chris Licht, Tom Purcell, and Jon Stewart are executive producers. Barry Julien and Denise Rehrig serve as co-executive producers.must watch

  • Late Show with David Letterman
    Late Show with David Letterman (1993)6.3

    Late Show with David Letterman is an American late-night talk show hosted by David Letterman on CBS. The show debuted on August 30, 1993, and is produced by Letterman's production company, Worldwide Pants Incorporated and CBS Television Studios. The show's music director and band-leader of the house band, the CBS Orchestra, is Paul Shaffer. The head writer is Matt Roberts and the announcer is Alan Kalter. Of the major U.S. late-night programs, Late Show ranks second in cumulative average viewers over time and third in number of episodes over time. The show leads other late night shows in ad revenue with $271 million in 2009. In most U.S. markets the show airs at 11:35 p.m. Eastern/Pacific time, but is recorded Monday through Wednesday at 4:30 p.m., and Thursdays at 3:30 p.m and 6:00 p.m. The second Thursday episode usually airs on Friday of that week. In 2002, Late Show with David Letterman was ranked No. 7 on TV Guide's 50 Greatest TV Shows of All Time. CBS has a contract with Worldwide Pants to continue the show through 2014; by then, Letterman will surpass Johnny Carson as the longest tenured late-night talk show host.

  • The Price Is Right
    The Price Is Right (1972)6.1

    "Come on down!" The Price Is Right features a wide variety of games and contests with the same basic challenge: Guess the prices of everyday (or not-quite-everyday) retail items. 

  • The Merv Griffin Show
    The Merv Griffin Show (1962)5.6

    The Merv Griffin Show is an American television talk show, starring Merv Griffin. The series ran from October 1, 1962 to March 29, 1963 on NBC, September 20, 1965 to August 15, 1969 in first-run syndication, from August 18, 1969 to February 11, 1972 at 11:30 PM ET weeknights on CBS and again in first-run syndication from February 14, 1972 to September 5, 1986.

  • The Late Late Show with James Corden
    The Late Late Show with James Corden (2015)5.4

    Once Craig Ferguson retires, James Corden will be taking over The Late Late Show. The show is a late night talk show that interviews celebrities and has its own bits. And of course, it's all hosted by James Corden.

  • The Secret Storm
    The Secret Storm (1954)3.7

    The Secret Storm is a soap opera which ran on CBS from February 1, 1954 to February 8, 1974. The series was created by Roy Winsor, who also created the long-running soap operas Search for Tomorrow and Love of Life. Gloria Monty of General Hospital fame was a longtime director of the series. Like most CBS Soap Operas of the time such as The Guiding Light and As the World Turns The Secret Storm was filmed, and later taped, in New York at the CBS Broadcast Center on West 52 Street.