101 most popular English shows on television

Will and Grace (1998 TV series): Will and Grace is set in New York City and focuses on the relationship between Will Truman, a gay lawyer and his best friend Grace Adler, a Jewish woman who owns an interior design firm. Also featured are their friends Karen Walker, a rich socialite and Jack McFarland, a struggling gay actor/singer/dancer who has numerous other brief careers. The interplay of relationships features the trials and tribulations of dating, marriage, divorce and casual sex, as well as comical key stereotypes in Jewish culture.

Mike and Molly (2010 TV series): Mike, a Chicago police officer, meets fourth-grade teacher Molly at an Overeaters Anonymous meeting and they fall in love, thanks in part to their mutual love of pie and the desire to resist it. Both face challenges in their quest to lose weight – Molly from her slender sister and mother and Mike at the diner where he frequently eats. But having found each other, they still support each other as they try to achieve their goals, be it weight loss or Molly’s decision to quit teaching and pursue her dream as a writer.

Keeping up with the Kardashians (2007 TV series): This show focuses on the personal and professional lives of the Kardashian-Jenner family. Its premise originated with Ryan Seacrest, who additionally serves as an executive producer. The series focuses on sisters Kimm, Kourtney and Khloe Kardashian, It additionally places emphasis on their brother Rob Kardashian, their mother Kris Jenner, their step-father Caitlyn Jenner (then Bruce Jenner), half sisters Kendall and Kylie Jenner and Kourtney’s boyfriend Scott Disick.

2 Broke Girls (2011 TV series): The series chronicles the lives of 2 waitresses in their mid-20s: Max Black (Kat Dennings), the child of a poor working-class mother and an unknown father, and Caroline Channing (Beth Behrs), who was born rich but is now disgraced and penniless due to her father, Martin Channing, getting caught operating a Bernard Madoff-esque Ponzi scheme, The 2 work together at a Brooklyn diner, soon becoming roommates and friends while building towards their dream of opening a cupcake shop. Among those working with them at the restaurant are their boss, Han Lee (Matthew Moy); Oleg (Jonathan Kite), an upbeat but perverted Ukrainian cook; and Earl (Garrett Morris), a 75-year old cashier.

Heartland (2007 TV series): The series is based on the Heartland book series by Lauren Brooke. The show changes the settings from Virginia, USA (in the original novels) to the Alberta Rockies in Alberta, Canada. Heartland follows Sister Amy and Lou Fleming, Ty Borden and their grandfather Jack Bartlett through the highs and lows of life on a horse ranch in cattle country. The story details how, although Amy and Lou’s mother was killed in a car accident, they continue to keep their mother’s dream alive by healing abused and neglected horses through their family business. Amy (Amber Marshall) faces adversity, but she overcomes every obstacle that stands in front of her.

Desperate Housewives (2004 TV series): The main setting of the show was Wisteria Lane, a street in the fictional American town of ‘Fairview’ in the fictional ‘Eagle State’. The show followed the lives of a group of women as seen through the eyes of a dead neighbor who committed suicide in the very first episode. The storyline covers 13 years of the women’s lives over 8 seasons. They worked through domestic struggles and family life while facing the secrets, crimes and mysteries hidden behind the doors of their surface – beautiful and seemingly perfect suburban neighborhood. The show featured an ensemble cast headed by Teri Hatcher as Susan Mayer, Felicity Huffman as Lynette Scavo, Marcia Cross as Bree Van de Kamp and Eva Longoria as Gabrielle Solis. Brenda Strong narrated the show as the deceased Mary Alice Young, appearing sporadically in flashbacks or dream sequences.

Ugly Betty (2006 TV series): The series focuses on the life of wannabe writer Betty Suarez, a plain girl from Queens, New York City, who is sorely lacking in fashion sense. She is known to be bold, good-hearted, and naïve. She is abruptly thrust into a different world when she lands a job at Mode, a trendy, high fashion magazine based in Manhattan that is part of the publishing empire of the wealthy Bradford Meade. Bradford hires the inexperienced Betty as his womanizing son’s newest personal assistant to curb his habit of sleeping with his assistants. As time goes by, Betty and Daniel become friends and help each other navigate their individual professional and personal lives.

Sex and the City (1998 TV series): Set and filmed in New York City and based on the book of the same name by Candace Bushnell, the show follows the lives of a group of 4 women – three in their mid-30s and one in her 40s, who despite their different natures and ever-changing sex lives, remain inseparable and confide in each other. Starring Sarah Jessica Parker (as Carrie Bradshaw), Kim Cattrall (as Samantha Jones), Kristin Davis (as Charlotte York) and Cynthia Nixon (as Miranda Hobbes), this quirky TV show has multiple continuing storylines that tackled relevant and modern social issues such as sexuality, safe sex, promiscuity and femininity while exploring the difference between friendships and romantic relationships.

Full House (1987 TV series): After news reporter Danny Tanner’s wife Pam is killed in a car crash by a drunk driver, he recruits his brother-in-law Jesse Katsopolis (an exterminator turned rock musician) and quirky best friend Joey Gladstone (who works as a stand-up comedian) to help raise his 3 daughters: D.J, Stephanie and Michelle in his San Francisco home. Over time, the 3 men as well as the children bond and become close to one another. In season 2, Danny is reassigned from his duties as sports anchor by his television station to become co-host of a local morning TV show ‘Wake Up, San Francisco’ and is teamed up with Nebraska native Rebecca Donaldson. Jesse and Rebecca eventually fall in love and get married in season 4. In season 5, Rebecca gives birth to twin sons, Nicky and Alex.

South Park (1997 TV series): South Park is an American adult animated sitcom created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone for the Comedy Central. The show follows the exploits of 4 boys: Stan Marsh, Kyle Broflovski, Eric Cartman and Kenny McCormick. The boys live in the fictional small town of South Park, central Colorado. The town is also home to an assortment of frequent characters such as students, families, elementary school staff and various other residents who tend to regard South Park as a bland and quiet place to live. Stan is portrayed as the everyman of the group; Kyle is the lone Jew among the group, and his portrayal in this role is often dealt with satirically. Stan is modeled after Parker, while Kyle is modeled after Stone. Stone and Kyle are best friends. Eric is a loud, obnoxious, manipulative, racist and obese literal psychopath and is portrayed as an antagonist and Kenny comes from a poor family, wears his parka hood so tightly that it covers most of his face and muffles his speech.

Two and a Half Men (2003 TV series): Chiropractor and single father Alan Harper lives in a beachfront house with divorced Internet billionaire Waden Schmidt, who bought the house following the untimely death of Alan’s brother, Charlie. As they acclimate to their living arrangement, the tightly wound Alan finds himself taking on a mentor role with Walden, whose lifelong dependence on being taken care of has left him a bit naïve. Despite his unsuccessful romantic history, Alan also tries to help Walden overcome his limited experiences with dating. Berta, a sharp-tongued, unapologetic housekeeper, is also featured in the series.

Family Guy (1999 TV series): Family Guy is an American adult animated sitcom created by Seth MacFarlane. The show revolves around the adventures of the Griffin family, consisting of father Peter Griffin, a bumbling yet well-intentioned blue collar worker; Lois, a stay-at-home mother and piano teacher who is a member of the wealthy Pewterscmidt family; Meg, their awkward teenage daughter who is constantly ridiculed and ignored by the family; Chris, their teenage son, who is overweight, unintelligent and a younger version of his father in many respects and Stewie, their diabolical infant son of ambiguous sexual orientation who has adult mannerisms and uses stereotypical archvillain phrases. Living with their family is their witty, sarcastic, anthropomorphic dog Brian, who drinks Martinis and engages in human conversation, though he is still considered a pet in many respects.

F.R.I.E.N.D.S (1994 TV series): This epic American TV sitcom has been created by David Crane and Marta Kauffman. Rachel Green flees her wedding day and seeks out childhood friend Monica Geller, a New York City chef. They become roommates, and Rachel joins Monica’s social circle of single people in the mid-20s: struggling actor Joey Tribbiani, business professional Chandler Bing, masseuse and musician Phoebe Buffay and newly divorced palentoloist Ross Geller, Monica’s older brother. To support herself, Rachel becomes a waitress at Central Park, a Manhattan coffee house where the group often hangs out, and when not there, the 6 are usually at Monica and Rachel’s nearby West Village apartment, or Joey and Chandler’s across the hall. The show depict the friend’s comedic and romantic adventures and career issues such as Joey auditioning for roles or Rachel seeking jobs in the fashion industry. The 6 characters each have many dates and serious relationships such as Monica with Richard Burke and Ross with Emily Waltham. Ross and Rachel’s intermittent relationship is the most often-recurring storyline: during the 10 seasons of the show they repeatedly date and break-up, even while Ross briefly marries Emily, he and Rachel have a child, Chandler and Monica date and marry each other, and Phoebe marries Mike Hannigan. Other frequently recurring characters include Ross and Monica’s parents in Long Island, Ross’ ex-wife and their son, Central Perk barista Gunther, Chandler’s ex-girlfriend Janice and Phoebe’s twin sister Ursule.

Glee (2009 TV series): This show focuses on the fictitious William McKinley High school glee club, New Directions, which competes on the show choir competition circuit while its disparate members deal with social issues, especially regarding sexuality and race, relationships, and learning to become an effective team. The initial 12-member cast included club director and Spanish teacher Will Schuester (Matthew Morrison), cheerleading coach Sur Sylvester (Jane Lynch), guidance counselor Emma Pillsbury (Jayma Mays), Will’s wife Terri (Jessalyn Gilsig). As the students find themselves, they also enjoy a respite from the harsh realities of life. Mr Schuester hopes to help the kids in every way he can, and also dreams of taking the group to nationals. As Schuester and the glee club pursue their goal, they face opposition from a conniving cheerleading coach, Sue Sylvester, who tries to sabotage the group at every turn.

Grey’s Anatomy (2005 TV series): Grey’s Anatomy is an American romantic medical TV drama series that focuses on a group of doctors at Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital in Seattle, including several who began their careers at the facility as interns. One of the doctors and the show’s namesake, Meredith Grey, is the daughter of a famous surgeon. She struggles to maintain relationships with her colleagues, particularly the hospital’s one-time chief of surgery, Richard Webber, due to a pre-existing relationship between them – Webber and Meredith’s mother had a personal relationship when Meredith was young.

Bones (2005 TV series): The show focuses on the alliance between forensic anthropologist Dr Temperance ‘Bones’ Brennan and FBI Special Agent Seeley Booth. Brennan is the central character and team leader of the fictional Jeffersonian Institute Medico-Legal Lab, a federal institution that collaborates with the FBI, mirroring the real life relationships between the FBI and the Smithsonian Institution. Set in Washington D.C, the show revolves around solving Federal legal cases by examining the remains of humans of murder victims. In addition to the murder cases featured in each episode, the series explores the backgrounds and relationships of its characters. An important ongoing dynamic between Brennan and Booth is their disagreement about science and faith. The series is also known for its dark comic undertones to lighten the gravity of the show’s intense subject.

The Vampire Diaries (2009 TV series): This TV series is developed by Kevin Williamson and Julie Plec based on the popular book series of the same name written by L.J.Smith. The series follows the life of Elena Gilbert (Nina Dobrev), a teenage girl who falls deeply in love with a 162-year old vampire named Stefan Salvatore (Paul Wesley). Their relationship becomes increasingly complicated as Stefan’s vicious, malevolent and mysterious older brother Damon Salvatore (Ian Somerhalder) returns with a plan to wreack havoc on the town, seeking revenge against his younger brother for turning him into a vampire against his will. Because Elena resembles their past love Katherine Pierce, Damon also falls in love with Elena. The series is set in the fictional town of Mystic Falls, Virginia, a town charged with supernatural history since its settlement of migrants from New England in the late 19th century. Additional story lines revolve around the other inhabitants of the town, most notably Elena’s younger brother Jeremy Gilbert (Steven R.McQueen), her best friends Bonnie Bennett (Kat Graham) and Caroline Forbes (Candice Accola), and their mutual friends Tyler Lockwood (Michael Trevino) and Matt Donovan (Zach Roerig). The town’s politics are orchestrated by descendants of the original founding families, all comprising a ‘Founder’s Council’. They guard the town from vampires, warewolves, witches and ghosts.

Orange is the new Black (2013 TV series): This TV series is created by Jenji Kohan. The story revolves around Piper Chapman (Taylor Schilling), a woman living in New York City, who is sentenced to 15 months in a women’s federal prison called Litchfield Penitentiary. She has been convicted of transporting a suitcase full of drug money to her now former girlfriend Alex Vause (Laura Prepon), an international drug smuggler. The offence had occurred 10 years prior to the start of the series, and in that time Piper had moved on to a quiet, law-abiding life and so her sudden and unexpected arrest disrupts her relationships with her fiancé and family. In prison, Piper is reunited with Alex (who named Piper in her trial, resulting in her arrest) and they re-examine their relationship and deal with their fellow prisoners. The show often shows flashbacks of significant events from various inmates’ pasts. As the story continues, the focus on Piper lessens, so that many inmates form an ensemble cast with many concurrent plot themes.

Seinfeld (1989 TV series): This popular American TV sitcom ran for 9 seasons on NBC from 1989 to 1998. It was created by Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld, the latter starring as a fictionalized version of himself. Set predominantly in an apartment in Manhattan, New York, features Jerry’s friends and acquaintances, best friend George Costanza (Jason Alexander), former girlfriend Elaine Benes (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) and neighbor across the hall Cosmo Kramer (Michael Richards) and how this bunch deal with the absurdities of everyday life.

The Big Bang Theory (2007 TV series): This American sitcom is created by Chuck Lorre and Bill Prady, both of whom serve as executive producers on the show along with Steven Molaro. The show is primarily centered on 5 characters living in Pasadena, California: Leonard Hofstadter and Sheldon Cooper both are physicists at Caltech and share an apartment; Penny, a waitress and an aspiring actress who later becomes a pharmaceutical representative and lives across the hall. Leonard and Sheldon’s similarly geeky and socially awkward friends and co-workers-aerospace engineer Howard Wolowitz and astrophysicist Raj Koothrappali. Geekiness and intellect of the 4 guys is contrasted for comic effect with Penny’s social skills and common sense. Over time, supporting characters have been promoted to starring roles: Bernadette Rostenkowski, Howard’s girlfriend (later his wife), a microbiologist and former part-time waitress alongside Penny.