Best dramatic series of all time (1 Viewer)

[jdoggydogg]

You have to be with Boardwalk Empire.

Nope.

There have been 4 episodes. Good lord.

You should have included Band of Brothers.

Loved Band of Brothers. But I was thinking that miniseries deserved a separate list.

 

[jdoggydogg]

Top 5

The Sopranos

Deadwood

NYPD Blue

Life on Mars

Northern Exposure

I admit I've only seen a little of this show out of context, but it looked awful to me.

 

[scoobygang]

Looking at some of these lists, I've missed out on some really good television. There's not a single network or cable program being broadcast right now that I watch with any regularity. I loved The Sopranos, but I watched the whole thing on DVD -- never saw a regularly-broadcast episode. And I just now finished Season 1 of The Wire on Directv. The point about cable dramas being completely different from network dramas makes a lot of sense. A lot of the stuff that makes what I've seen so good would never fly on network television.

It's almost unfair to compare them, but I also think both forms produce their strengths and weaknesses.One thing people don't consider about the difference between even basic cable and pay cable series is the difference between having to structure a script around ad breaks and not having them. A episode of the wire can be anywhere from 53 to 57 minutes. An episode of Law and Order has to be 48. Like clockwork. Network shows can't really afford a lot of indulgence, so when one operating under those constraints manages to be thoughtful, interesting, or just different I think it deserves more credit.I think even good cable dramas can get into the habit of overusing nudity or profanity. Or of just letting scenes meander too long, because they can get away with it.

 

[jdoggydogg]

Although it suffered greatly in later seasons, 24 would be on my list.

Also, Dead Like Me, Freaks & Geeks and Carnivale.

While the second season of Carnivale isn't as essential as the first, that show was pure, unfiltered art. Brilliant.

 

[videoguy505]

Although many probably haven't seen it, Wire in the Blood should be on - if not at the top of - the list.

First season was amazing.Later on, wheels kind of fell off.

 

[Officer Pete Malloy]

Top 5

The Sopranos

Deadwood

NYPD Blue

Life on Mars

Northern Exposure

I admit I've only seen a little of this show out of context, but it looked awful to me.

Northern Exposure was quirky but pretty solid...at least for the first few seasons. And for its time it was pretty original.

 

[K8!]

Dragnet

Bonanza

Gunsmoke

Mission Impossible

The Untouchables

Hawaii 5-0

Rockford Files

Hill Street Blues

St. Elsewhere

L.A. Law

Missing the cut Dallas, Star Trek, The Avengers, Perry Mason

 

[jdoggydogg]

5. Dexter (Potential to move up)9. The Tudors10. Homicide

Interesting. Dexter is really cool, but I think it's more campy fun than great drama. The Tudors is awesome, but sometimes I think I'm the only one that loves the show. Homicide??? How could I forget that. I need to revise my list...

 

[zamboni]

St. Elsewhere deserves some consideration here.

 

[jdoggydogg]

Miami Vice

Good show, although I think time won't be friendly to this zeitgeist.

 

[jdoggydogg]

1. West Wing

2. Hill Street Blues

3. Mad Men

4. Twin Peaks

5. LA Law

6. ER

7. LOST

8. X-Files

9. Battlestar Galactia

10. Band of Brothers

that is all I got. I haven't seen the Wire or seen enough of the Sopranos to put it on the list

edited to add last three listed

Dude!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Get on it.

 

[videoguy505]

DragnetBonanzaGunsmokeMission ImpossibleThe UntouchablesHawaii 5-0Rockford FilesHill Street BluesSt. ElsewhereL.A. LawMissing the cut Dallas, Star Trek, The Avengers, Perry Mason

Thank you. For some reason I was feeling like the TV Drama was invented in 1988.

 

[jdoggydogg]

10. Angels in America

Wow. I thought this was total ####. But in your defense, this was a widely praised show.

 

[jdoggydogg]

In before someone mentions The Shield. I don't think that show is very good

Then you must not have watched seasons 5 and 7.

No. Are those the essential seasons?

 

[jdoggydogg]

Also an honorable mention to John from Cincinnati. I know everyone else hated it, but I really wanted it to continue. I thought it was really intriguing and I wanted to see it develop. Oh well.

Fascinating. I don't love the show, but I do think it was gutsy.

 

[Daywalker]

Think "The Wire" is the best by considerable margin.

Never understood the love for Deadwood. Boring and ugly to look at.

 

[mon]

10. Angels in America

Wow. I thought this was total ####. But in your defense, this was a widely praised show.

11 Emmys. Loved watching Pacino. Some thought he was overacting, but I thought he was at the top of his game.

 

[jdoggydogg]

1. Breaking Bad2. Deadwood3. Mad Men

Will you marry me?

 

[Workhorse]

I can't believe that I'm the first person to mention "The Twilight Zone".

 

[Parasailer]

1. Northern Exposure

2. Deadwood

3. Six Feet Under

4. The Waltons

5. Dead Like Me

6. Brothers & Sisters

7. Carnivale

8. Dexter

9. Rescue Me

10. Angels in America

Honorable mention:

Men of a Certain Age, Weeds, Sopranos, Moonlighting, Twin Peaks, My So Called Life, Hill Street Blues

Very underrated show. It got canceled way too soon.

 

[IvanKaramazov]

One thing people don't consider about the difference between even basic cable and pay cable series is the difference between having to structure a script around ad breaks and not having them. A episode of the wire can be anywhere from 53 to 57 minutes. An episode of Law and Order has to be 48. Like clockwork. Network shows can't really afford a lot of indulgence, so when one operating under those constraints manages to be thoughtful, interesting, or just different I think it deserves more credit.

I almost mentioned this point earlier. I would add that it makes for a more immersive experience when the whole episode runs without commercial interruption.

 

[biggamer3]

damn, just saw this thread after bumping my HBO best ever thread. This one is better IMO

 

[Officer Pete Malloy]

I can't believe that I'm the first person to mention "The Twilight Zone".

Damn. That's good. Probably one of the best.

 

[wikkidpissah]

Ol' Fart alert -

1. Hill Street Blues

2. West Wing

3. Cracker (BBC)

4. Rockford Files

5. Perry Mason

6. Twin Peaks

7. Mad Men

8. Sopranos

9. Columbo

10. (tie) Peter Gunn, Mission Impossible, Alias, Lost, Kung Fu, Wiseguy

Havent seen The Wire intentionally cuz i've been working on something my editor thinks is similar & dont want it cross-pollinating just now.

 

[scoobygang]

I can't believe that I'm the first person to mention "The Twilight Zone".

I don't love TZ, but I was just arguing to my wife that it would be really groundbreaking to bring back the anthology show.For instance, I surpisingly liked that fake oral history of "World War Z" that came out a few years ago. I think that would make a better zombie show as an anthology series (here's a show on the canine corps, here's one on the diver units, here's one on the feral children) with an occassional repeating plot that followed a main character 3 or 4 times a season than doing The Walking Dead.

 

[wikkidpissah]

10. Angels in America

Wow. I thought this was total ####. But in your defense, this was a widely praised show.

11 Emmys. Loved watching Pacino. Some thought he was overacting, but I thought he was at the top of his game.

Behind only Lonesome Dove as the best thing ive ever seen on television. Didnt include any miniseries or anthology shows (Playhouse 90 Hitchcock, TZ) in my list, though, cuz i didnt think that was the point.

 

[joffer]

1. Hill Street Blues2. West Wing

 

[whoknew]

Also an honorable mention to John from Cincinnati. I know everyone else hated it, but I really wanted it to continue. I thought it was really intriguing and I wanted to see it develop. Oh well.

Fascinating. I don't love the show, but I do think it was gutsy.

I mean, it was totally out there. And I definitely didn't get everything that was going on. I'm quite sure that there was a ton in there and I missed a lot of it. But I think it was really well done and wished it had been given at least one more season to develop. But like you said - it was gutsy and just didn't appeal to almost anyone, I guess.

 

[scoobygang]

I can't believe that I'm the first person to mention "The Twilight Zone".

I don't love TZ, but I was just arguing to my wife that it would be really groundbreaking to bring back the anthology show.For instance, I surpisingly liked that fake oral history of "World War Z" that came out a few years ago. I think that would make a better zombie show as an anthology series (here's a show on the canine corps, here's one on the diver units, here's one on the feral children) with an occassional repeating plot that followed a main character 3 or 4 times a season than doing The Walking Dead.

This is also my idea for a cable continuation of the Whedonverse. Tales of the Slayers/Tales of the Vampires (already being done as comics) as an anthology series. Have Gellar, Boreanaz, or Marsters show up one or two times a season.

 

[jdoggydogg]

"The West Wing" (up to the point where Sorkin left and all the characters turned into pod people)

I used to love this series, and I remember the moment it started to suck: Alison Janey has a new boyfriend (Mark Harmon). He's like a White House bodyguard. Anyway, in one single episode, Alison meets, starts dating Harmon, and he gets killed near the end in some stupid robbery he just happens to intervene in. That was the first time in the show where I thought, "That was really stupid," and it seemed to get worse after that.

 

[AhrnCityPahnder]

Miami Vice

Good show, although I think time won't be friendly to this zeitgeist.

Probably not, and I haven't rewatched any of the eps since they originally aired....but this was some damn good TV when I was a young teenager.

 

[videoguy505]

"The West Wing" (up to the point where Sorkin left and all the characters turned into pod people)

I used to love this series, and I remember the moment it started to suck: Alison Janey has a new boyfriend (Mark Harmon). He's like a White House bodyguard. Anyway, in one single episode, Alison meets, starts dating Harmon, and he gets killed near the end in some stupid robbery he just happens to intervene in. That was the first time in the show where I thought, "That was really stupid," and it seemed to get worse after that.

That was four episodes. "Enemies Foreign & Domestic", "The Black Vera Wang", "We Killed Yamamoto", and "Posse Comitatus". I highly recommend the episode from the second season, "Somebody's Going to Emergency, Somebody's Going to Jail". Might be one of my favorite hours of TV in 10 years.Edit: yes, his death was stupid. So was the Governor Ritchie opponent arc, which hit bottom in "Posse Comitatus". A weak end to the third season, which was otherwise strong (but not up to what season 2 accomplished).

 

[scoobygang]

Miami Vice

Good show, although I think time won't be friendly to this zeitgeist.

Probably not, and I haven't rewatched any of the eps since they originally aired....but this was some damn good TV when I was a young teenager.

Season 1 holds up really well, I think.

 

[Officer Pete Malloy]

Ol' Fart alert -

1. Hill Street Blues

2. West Wing

3. Cracker (BBC)

4. Rockford Files

5. Perry Mason

6. Twin Peaks

7. Mad Men

8. Sopranos

9. Columbo

10. (tie) Peter Gunn, Mission Impossible, Alias, Lost, Kung Fu, Wiseguy

Havent seen The Wire intentionally cuz i've been working on something my editor thinks is similar & dont want it cross-pollinating just now.

A guy I work with has like 5 of the first seasons of Columbo on DVD. He lent me a couple. Younger people might not appreciate just how different this show was when it first came out. Some of the plots are a little silly but Columbo basically invented the formula that Law and Order, CSI etc use today.

 

[Rebirtha]

Incredible Hulk would also likely hit my list.

 

[Fullback Fro]

Roots

 

[wikkidpissah]

Ol' Fart alert -

1. Hill Street Blues

2. West Wing

3. Cracker (BBC)

4. Rockford Files

5. Perry Mason

6. Twin Peaks

7. Mad Men

8. Sopranos

9. Columbo

10. (tie) Peter Gunn, Mission Impossible, Alias, Lost, Kung Fu, Wiseguy

Havent seen The Wire intentionally cuz i've been working on something my editor thinks is similar & dont want it cross-pollinating just now.

A guy I work with has like 5 of the first seasons of Columbo on DVD. He lent me a couple. Younger people might not appreciate just how different this show was when it first came out. Some of the plots are a little silly but Columbo basically invented the formula that Law and Order, CSI etc use today.

I have a similar feeling toward Columbo that I do with psychedlic music hits of my early teens. I know theyre corny, but a nostalgic bliss runs through me when i take them in. Watching Jack Cassidy or Patrick McGoohan or Robert Culp ham it up as the "un"-ham hunts down the flaw in their "perfect" crime whither came their ruin just gives me a perfectly un-self-conscious ####-eating grin.

 

[Officer Pete Malloy]

Ol' Fart alert -

1. Hill Street Blues

2. West Wing

3. Cracker (BBC)

4. Rockford Files

5. Perry Mason

6. Twin Peaks

7. Mad Men

8. Sopranos

9. Columbo

10. (tie) Peter Gunn, Mission Impossible, Alias, Lost, Kung Fu, Wiseguy

Havent seen The Wire intentionally cuz i've been working on something my editor thinks is similar & dont want it cross-pollinating just now.

A guy I work with has like 5 of the first seasons of Columbo on DVD. He lent me a couple. Younger people might not appreciate just how different this show was when it first came out. Some of the plots are a little silly but Columbo basically invented the formula that Law and Order, CSI etc use today.

I have a similar feeling toward Columbo that I do with psychedlic music hits of my early teens. I know theyre corny, but a nostalgic bliss runs through me when i take them in. Watching Jack Cassidy or Patrick McGoohan or Robert Culp ham it up as the "un"-ham hunts down the flaw in their "perfect" crime whither came their ruin just gives me a perfectly un-self-conscious ####-eating grin.

It seemed like Culp and Cassidy were in every 4th episode.

 

[PatsFanCT]

I could watch reruns of Starsky and Hutch, Baretta & Kojak ever day and never get bored.

 

[Carver]

Incredible Hulk would also likely hit my list.

This might crack my top 15 of personal favs.

 

[jdoggydogg]

BTW, I'm sure this thread is just a ploy to drag out "The Wire - best show in the history of television" crowd.

No. I am very interested in people's opinions - even if the lists are radically different than mine.

 

[Carver]

Can I just list 10 of the best ABC Afterschool Specials?

If you could actually pull that off without googling... id be impressed greatly.

The Boy Who Drank Too Much (Scott Baio)The Girl Who Played on the Boys Baseball Team (Jodie Foster)The Day My Kid Turned PunkI Was a HS NarcThe Girl With The Giant Boobs (I made that one up but they should have done one like that)Dinky Hocker Shoots Smack (Wendi Jo Sperber)MY Parents are Deaf (Rosanne Arquette)My Mom's Having a BabyPinball Orphans (Kristi McNichol)Something Something Duffy Moon

Office Pete... you sir, are one lying sunnavabiotch.

 

[Officer Pete Malloy]

Can I just list 10 of the best ABC Afterschool Specials?

If you could actually pull that off without googling... id be impressed greatly.

The Boy Who Drank Too Much (Scott Baio)The Girl Who Played on the Boys Baseball Team (Jodie Foster)

The Day My Kid Turned Punk

I Was a HS Narc

The Girl With The Giant Boobs (I made that one up but they should have done one like that)

Dinky Hocker Shoots Smack (Wendi Jo Sperber)

MY Parents are Deaf (Rosanne Arquette)

My Mom's Having a Baby

Pinball Orphans (Kristi McNichol)

Something Something Duffy Moon

Office Pete... you sir, are one lying sunnavabiotch.

Some of the titles might be a bit off but...Troof

That's what I do.

 

[jdoggydogg]

imo, it's impossible to compare network dramas to cable dramas. Network drama's do not have anywhere near the artistic freedom of cable drama's. A cable drama is often a mini movie with a much better story arc, better sets, better production. TV dramas need to be formulatic (is this even a word, probably not) due to the networks needs to finish them in a certain time span, play over certain months, and first and foremost, be popular to a much wider audience so that it can sell advertising. That's just the way it is. Sopranos could take 2-3 years between 12 episode seasons. Grey's Anatomy does not have that luxury.Soooooooo, in short, if you need to separate comedies from dramas, I think you need to further separate free television to pay television

Interesting. But I disagree. I think it's telling that Fox passed on The Sopranos. That says a lot to me about network television. Networks cater to the lowest common denominator much of the time, and that doesn't exactly help make for a great show.

 

[dennis.moore]

Boomtown.

Wasn't close to the best, but it was good IMO.

 

[DanJ]

In the Boardwalk Empire thread, I asserted that BE is already poised to be one of the best shows ever. kupcho1 pointed out my hyperbole and asked if it wasn't too soon to make that call. Since I am a guy that often types without thinking, I'm glad he asked it. I'll post a list based on categories - since it's hard to compare comedies with dramas.

Best dramatic series of all time:

1. The Wire

2. The Sopranos

3. Deadwood

4. Breaking Bad

5. Mad Men

6. Six Feet Under

7. Boardwalk Empire

8. Hill Street Blues

9. Oz

10. Twin Peaks

Honorable mentions:

NYPD Blue

Rome

Thirtysomething

Law and Order

All in the Family*

* I know that All in the Family was sold as a comedy, but that show did drama better than most drama series

Never watched The wire before. I'll have to check it out.what about The West Wing? not as good as Law and Order?

 

[jdoggydogg]

A lot of the stuff that makes what I've seen so good would never fly on network television.

Yes. But that is a conscious choice by the network executives. If you look at a great show like "Homicide: Life on the Streets," here's a gutsy, original show that - by some miracle - NBC took a chance on and flourished for several seasons.

 

[northern exposure]

Ol' Fart alert -

1. Hill Street Blues

2. West Wing

3. Cracker (BBC)

4. Rockford Files

5. Perry Mason

6. Twin Peaks

7. Mad Men

8. Sopranos

9. Columbo

10. (tie) Peter Gunn, Mission Impossible, Alias, Lost, Kung Fu, Wiseguy

Havent seen The Wire intentionally cuz i've been working on something my editor thinks is similar & dont want it cross-pollinating just now.

Robbie Coltrane played Dr. Eddie Fitzgerald a forensic psychologist with no redeeming qualities. Similar premise to Gregory House's character.I'd include Prime Suspect with Helen Mirren in a top ten drama list as well.

 

[Officer Pete Malloy]

Boomtown.Wasn't close to the best, but it was good IMO.

Not sure if I could rank it since it wasn't on that long but it should have never been canceled.

 

[DanJ]

Sopranos

Wire

Breaking Bad

Six Feet Under

X-Files

Carnivale

Rescue Me

Dexter

Miami Vice

The Shield (jdoggy, hai)

Lost had potential in its early seasons to be here, but overall, no.

House -- same. started out awesome. meh these days.

I'd rate the original Twilight Zone higher than X-Files.