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The Best Guilty Pleasure TV Shows

Updated December 14, 2020 25.9k votes 1.2k voters 38.1k views1.3k items

List RulesTelevision series you hate yourself for watching -- but can't seem to quit. NO reality or game shows.

List of the best guilty pleasure TV shows, past and present, including sitcoms, dramas, reality shows, and game shows. These are the TV shows you won’t admit to watching -- even though you secretly do. Guilty pleasure television is addictive, and often horrible, but it never fails to draw in viewers. This list includes the TV shows you can’t stop watching, the greatest guilty pleasure TV shows of all time.

Why are we so ashamed to admit that we can’t get enough of these so-called guilty pleasure TV shows? Perhaps it’s because, deep down, we recognize that these ‘so bad they’re addictive’ TV programs are truly terrible. Guilty pleasure dramas take everything to the extreme, adding crazy plot lines revolving around forbidden love, backstabbing, or jealousy. Guilty pleasure sitcoms are so cheesy they’re funny. Guilty pleasure reality shows are usually, paradoxically, unrealistic and showcase the worst in human nature. But much like a train wreck, viewers can’t stop themselves from looking.

Some guilty pleasure TV shows have become so thanks to age. After all, millions of people watched “Full House” and “Beverly Hills, 90210” when they first aired -- but would you admit to watching them now? Even if you secretly do?

This list contains the best guilty pleasure television shows of all time. Although everyone has their own ideas about what should be labeled ‘guilty pleasure’ TV, it’s not hard to admit that these shows, while not the greatest examples of television, are one thing: addictive.

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Modern Family
Ed O'Neill, Sofía Vergara
Premiered: 2009
Genres (Tv): Sitcom, Mockumentary, Family, Comedy, Family Film
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The Simpsons
Dan Castellaneta, Nancy Cartwright
Premiered: 1989
Genres (Tv): Animation, Television comedy, Comedy, Family Film
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Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Sarah Michelle Gellar, Alyson Hannigan
Premiered: 1997
Genres (Tv): Supernatural, Horror, Comedy-drama, Teen drama, Action
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Once Upon a Time
Ginnifer Goodwin, Jennifer Morrison
Premiered: 2011
Genres (Tv): Drama, Mystery, Fairy tale, Comedy-drama, Fantasy
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Friends
Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox
Premiered: 1994
Genres (Tv): Sitcom
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American Horror Story
Connie Britton, Dylan McDermott
Premiered: 2011
Genres (Tv): Anthology, Horror, Supernatural
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Beavis and Butt-head
Mike Judge, Dale Revo
Premiered: 1992
Genres (Tv): Music video, Animation, Satire, Animated cartoon, Comedy
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The Vampire Diaries
Nina Dobrev, Paul Wesley
Premiered: 2009
Genres (Tv): Supernatural, Drama, Horror, Fantasy
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The Nanny
Fran Drescher, Charles Shaughnessy
Premiered: 1993
Genres (Tv): Sitcom, Comedy
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7th Heaven
Stephen Collins, Catherine Hicks
Premiered: 1996
Genres (Tv): Teen drama, Drama
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NCIS
Mark Harmon, Michael Weatherly
Premiered: 2003
Genres (Tv): Crime Fiction, Action/Adventure, Police procedural, Drama, Thriller
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Rugrats
Elizabeth Daily, Christine Cavanaugh
Premiered: 1991
Genres (Tv): Animation, Animated cartoon, Children's television series, Animated series
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I Dream of Jeannie
Barbara Eden, Larry Hagman
Premiered: 1965
Genres (Tv): Sitcom, Comedy, Fantasy
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Full House
Bob Saget, John Stamos
Premiered: 1987
Genres (Tv): Sitcom, Comedy
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The Golden Girls
Bea Arthur, Betty White
Premiered: 1985
Genres (Tv): Sitcom, Comedy
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The Suite Life of Zack & Cody
Cole Sprouse, Dylan Sprouse
Premiered: 2005
Genres (Tv): Sitcom, Teen situation comedy, Children's television series, Comedy
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The Dukes of Hazzard
Tom Wopat, John Schneider
Premiered: 1979
Genres (Tv): Action/Adventure, Drama, Adventure film, Comedy-drama, Comedy
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The Addams Family
John Astin, Carolyn Jones
Premiered: 1964
Genres (Tv): Black comedy, Sitcom, Comedy, Fantasy
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True Blood
Anna Paquin, Stephen Moyer
Premiered: 2008
Genres (Tv): Fantasy, Horror, Drama
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Charmed
Shannen Doherty, Holly Marie Combs
Premiered: 1998
Genres (Tv): Drama, Fantasy, Supernatural
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The Suite Life on Deck
Dylan Sprouse, Cole Sprouse
Premiered: 2008
Genres (Tv): Sitcom, Teen situation comedy, Children's television series, Comedy
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Married... with Children
Ed O'Neill, Christina Applegate
Premiered: 1987
Genres (Tv): Sitcom, Comedy
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Hannah Montana
Miley Cyrus, Emily Osment
Premiered: 2006
Genres (Tv): Sitcom, Teen situation comedy, Children's television series, Musical, Comedy-drama
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Celebrity Family Feud
Steve Harvey, Al Roker
Premiered: 2008
Genres (Tv): Game show
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The Magic School Bus
Lily Tomlin, Daniel DeSanto
Premiered: 1994
Genres (Tv): Animation, Children's television series, Educational television
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