1. M*A*S*H

' M*A*S*H' is an acronym for Mobile Army Surgical Hospital and this comedy-drama series was the first original spin-off series adapted from the 1970 feature film of the same name. The show followed the ups and downs of surgeons Benjamin Franklin "Hawkeye" Pierce (Alan Alda) and Trapper John McIntyre (Wayne Rogers) and their medical team who have been posted during the Korean War.

It ran for 11 seasons and the finale 'Goodbye, Farewell and Amen' and pulled in an astonishing 105 million viewers. An urban legend claims that - in the days when it wasn't possible to pause or rewind televisions - New York recorded the highest water usage at one given time in the city's history because so many people had waited until the end to go to the restroom.