3. Seinfeld
The now-legendary "show about nothing", Seinfeld is a series that requires (almost) no introduction. Featuring comedian Jerry Seinfeld as himself, his self-titled show was created by himself and Larry David (who'll feature later on this list) with the edict "no hugs, no lessons learned", and boy are we glad it was. Over the nine seasons it aired, Seinfeld was mercilessly cruel to its characters, which included George Constanza (Jason Alexander), Elaine Benes (Julia Louis Dreyfus) and Cosmo Kramer (Michael Richards), each more self-obsessed and petty than the last. Indeed, the characters rarely learned anything, with George regularly getting into relationships with women he should have been grateful to be with then self-sabotaging to the point of agony and getting into fights with (among others) severely ill children and homeless former gym teachers. For the viewers at home, their misery was our pleasure, and while Seinfeld's acting ability always left a little to be desired, the razor-sharp writing and deftly-plotted stories more than made up for that.