Ilov80s
Footballguy
As a show, True Detective just is not the best everCorrect Answer
True Detective Season 1 and it's not close.
As a show, True Detective just is not the best everCorrect Answer
True Detective Season 1 and it's not close.
Too busy out there tweeting signs of restaurants.How is this possible?
God, please no.Someone should really do an update of The White Shadow.
Real tough call between Mad Men and The Wire. I gave the slight edge to Mad Men because the last season of the Wire was a bit disappointing. Thrones fell off once they got past the books. It has turned into all style and no substance- like a medieval superhero movie. The Sopranos were fantastic and deserve credit for creating the environment where all these other shows could flourish but the Sopranos had some stretches where it struggled a bit. Breaking Bad was really fun "page turner" but some of the dialogue and acting was laughably bad (looking at you Tuco) and Ididn't think it was very deep.
That's a decent show as long as you have it on mute.IM SURE THERES A TWO BROKE GIRLS MARATHON OUT THERE FOR YOU SOMEWHERE
Don't have HBO/Showtime and didn't get in at the beginning of Madmen or Breaking Bad so decided not to come into in the middle. Some day when I have time and want to search them out I will get them done.How is this possible?
I have gone back and watched some of the reruns and quickly remembered why I loved that show.Hill Street Blues
I'm going to throw The Twilight Zone out there. The acting was hit or miss, but really top notch writing.
If you liked NYPD Blue, then you are going to see a familiar face. The actor that played Sipowitz (sp) played basically the same character on Hill Street. In fact, he used the same Chicago accent on NYPD Blue that he used on Hill Street.NYPD Blue....need to check out hill street blues. Havent seen that.
I think Twilight Zone is probably the best television series ever. But it's not a drama (which is the subject of this thread), it's a sci-fi anthology. The original Star Trek is probably the second best television series ever (for me) but, again it's really sci-fi more than drama.I'm going to throw The Twilight Zone out there. The acting was hit or miss, but really top notch writing.
the car chases in season 4 are epic.I just couldn't get past the first season of MM. It's so sloooooooow. Should I give it another try knowing that it picks up?
I found season one of The Wire to be pretty good on my first viewing, but not an all-time great. My appreciation for it increased markedly on subsequent viewings when I better understood everything that was going on.Watching The Wire for the first time currently, and I am just about to finish S1. It's great so far.
Right up there with S3 when Don hijacks that plane and then jumps to escape revealing he was real DB Cooper or S10 when Manson's crew tries to kill Megan but Bert Cooper fights them off with a magical 17th century Samurai sword.the car chases in season 4 are epic.
Yep. I’ve watched it three times all the way through now and I’ve liked it more with each rewatch.It’s honestly better on rewatch. Little things like catching that Cheese (method man) is Randy’s dad pop up that you didn’t notice at first.
I'd throw a mention to Deadwood as belonging in the conversation.
Weird. As in I’m weird because I liked season one of the Leftovers far better than two and three.Very hard to name a clear cut winner. For me I group them in tiers when assessing on an "all time" basis.
The penthouse level for me: The Wire, Breaking Bad, Mad Men, The Leftovers.
First three are relatively chalk. I still feel like outside of critics the Leftovers doesn't get the respect it deserves. I can understand to an extent, the first half of season 1 is admittedly uneven. Add in the oppressively bleak tone of season 1 and I can see how people might've chosen to watch something else. It's a shame because season 3 of the Leftovers can go toe to toe with any TV season ever. I hesitate to throw around haughty words like "masterpiece" but if the shoe fits.
This would be in my top 5. I don't care what the definition of "TV drama" is.Lonesome Dove
Wait, what?!It’s honestly better on rewatch. Little things like catching that Cheese (method man) is Randy’s dad pop up that you didn’t notice at first.
Let me try this again. Does the show evolve from the, "hey, back in the day men were misogynistic #######s and everyone smoked anywhere they pleased" shtick? After about 3 episodes of that I think the point was hammered home.Right up there with S3 when Don hijacks that plane and then jumps to escape revealing he was real DB Cooper or S10 when Manson's crew tries to kill Megan but Bert Cooper fights them off with a magical 17th century Samurai sword.
LOL sorry for busting your balls. Yes there is what I consider the best acting and character development of any show. Suspense, not really.Let me try this again. Does the show evolve from the, "hey, back in the day men were misogynistic #######s and everyone smoked anywhere they pleased" shtick? After about 3 episodes of that I think the point was hammered home.
I'm not an action guy. I like good acting, character development, and suspense.
It’s never outright said, but they make a point to let you know that Cheese and Randy both have the last name Wagstaff, which would also make Randy a relative to Prop Joe with a parallel to Randy trying to sell candy and such at the school and run a business.Wait, what?!
I've never caught that before.
This is my answer too. As good as the Wire is, it just didn't have that "OMG WHAT IS GOING TO HAPPEN NEXT HOW CAN I POSSIBLY WAIT UNTIL NEXT WEEK" thing going for it like BB and Sopranos had.Dismayed to see no Six Feet Under option, but oh well.
For me, it is aways a photo finish between Breaking Bad and The Sopranos. I will go with BB simply because it ended better (taking the final seasons of both in totality).
None of those others in the poll are close to BB or Sopranos.
This is especially true for Season 2 which way too many people say they hate. It’s true that the first time through that season is such a shock to the system that it’s hard to power through it (“why do I care about the docks? Why isn’t there more Avon and Stringer? Get Zig off the screen!”).I found season one of The Wire to be pretty good on my first viewing, but not an all-time great. My appreciation for it increased markedly on subsequent viewings when I better understood everything that was going on.
Choosing between Sopranos and the Wire is impossible for me.
Sopranos is the Beatles of tv. it changed everything. Also, Gandolfini's performance in that series is the best acting that has ever graced the small screen. Cranston is second as White, but a distant second IMO.
The Wire, at its peak, is the highest quality tv that has ever been made. Also has the best rewatchability. But season 5 was a let down for sure.
I also love the other three shows and would have this same top 5. GOT could be the most fun tv ever. I know that if all 5 of these shows had new episodes recorded on my PVR, I would watch GOT first.
Is the Wire on any streaming, hulu, etc. I have never seen it. It may be in this thread but I dont want to go back through it.This is especially true for Season 2 which way too many people say they hate. It’s true that the first time through that season is such a shock to the system that it’s hard to power through it (“why do I care about the docks? Why isn’t there more Avon and Stringer? Get Zig off the screen!”).
But so many little things were set up in season 2 that end up paying off big time in later seasons that makes the re-watch truly rewarding.
Amazon PrimeIs the Wire on any streaming, hulu, etc. I have never seen it. It may be in this thread but I dont want to go back through it.
I can only imagine what Lost would have been like if it started 10 years later. In my world it was a phenomenon - it took water cooler talk and theories to a whole new level that I honestly hadn’t seen before or since. Yes, the last season left a lot to be desired but there’s no doubt that during seasons 2-4 I don’t think I’ve ever anticipated watching a show like I did Lost.listening to podcasts and theories, and then seeing how it all ended. I’ve got the same experience with GoT but on crack. There will be an entertainment aspect of my life missing once that goes because I consume tons of content around it. I’ve watched multiple YouTube videos dissecting the trailer, listen to podcasts, etc... and will do so after every episode through til the end. It’s a very communal viewing experience for me and I enjoy it a great deal. That wasn’t really a thing for something like the Wire which is a better show, but doesn’t have the same fun factor.
Don't get me wrong, I think they're all excellent, but season three was by far my favorite (and by far the most lauded by the critics I read, whatever that's worth).Weird. As in I’m weird because I liked season one of the Leftovers far better than two and three.
Agree with all this except your take on Mad Men. The writing was so well done. They didn't have any tricks to rely on. Just character development, tension, and great performances.Right now i have breaking bad at the top because it had the best combination of compelling drama, pacing, character development and ending of any show in history. When season 4 ended you felt like you'd watched an all time great, then there was a season 5 and you were like ok i guess but why. And then you realize how necessary it was to the whole story.
Think about some of the iconic scenes. The broken plate. The talking pillow. Run. Ding ding. Spending bogdans dollar. I am the one who knocks. The bathroom scene. Tread lightly. I watched <spoiler>... so many incredible moments that were so totally different from each other.
Game of thrones gets second on my list but could have taken first after season 4 and could overtake it with a solid finale. I'm more excited for these final episodes than i have been for any television viewing in years. That has to count for something.
I need to watch Sopranos again, because it really was great, and it was ground breaking, and Gandolfini had one of the best acting performances in history. I put game of thrones ahead if it because GoT developed so many great characters so quickly. Sopranos was always the story of Tony and how other people were impacted by Tony. Breaking bad was similar but it went deeper into how it affected the people around him. Sopranos was more about how the people around Tony affected him.
The wire was great and each season was incredibly well constructed but i didn't connect with it as much as i do with the other shows. I was watching people do things in a situation i couldn't imagine myself in. I could imagine myself in Walter white's shoes. I couldn't imagine myself as omar or bunk. They were interesting characters doing interesting things. And i didn't feel that page turning suspense like the other shows. But it was incredibly well developed, insightful about things that were never really studied on tv before, and the main character wasn't even a person, it was a whole city. Awesome awesome show.
Mad men doesn't belong on this list. It was a good show that didn't really do anything groundbreaking. It was a cool period piece. The carousel episode was good. Hamm did a great job making Don Draper but i don't think they ever figured out what to do with him to make it interesting after the first couple seasons. There were a lot of interesting characters but after a while I just never really cared what happened to any of them, and there was never a single compelling conflict for them to overcome individually or as a group.
Mash deserves a mention, and it developed some great characters, but it didn't have the depth. Hawkeye wants to #### a nurse. Hawkeye vs burns. Hawkeye vs houlihan. Hawkeye vs surgery. Hawkeye doesn't want to carry a gun. Hawkeye doesn't want to be in Korea. Hawkeye likes koreans. There was a lot of surface level character development but the depth of the story was limited by the format and the fact that people missed episodes back then and couldn't just watch it on on demand later. It was the best show ever for a long time though.
S2 is great IMO and of course the highlight of the show is in S2.This is especially true for Season 2 which way too many people say they hate. It’s true that the first time through that season is such a shock to the system that it’s hard to power through it (“why do I care about the docks? Why isn’t there more Avon and Stringer? Get Zig off the screen!”).
But so many little things were set up in season 2 that end up paying off big time in later seasons that makes the re-watch truly rewarding.
The thing about The Walking Dead is that it's not good.Not saying I would vote it #1 but would The Walking Dead count? It's about as sci-fiey as GoT.
It's the odd show that didn't peak early. Didnt really get started until Season 3 imo, so in a sense it rewarded those who stuck by it.The thing about The Walking Dead is that it's not good.
I loved the short first season. The 2nd season I think was at a farmhouse for a very long time and then the next season was in a prison and there were people zombies as pets. It was just too much. I felt like I was watching a video game. I don't think I would ever try to jump back in. It's not my thing.It's the odd show that didn't peak early. Didnt really get started until Season 3 imo, so in a sense it rewarded those who stuck by it.
It definitely has flaws, most obviously its repetitiveness, but it has kept my attention. Not top 10 for me but solid to occasionally great.
It had a really cool premise and at least a couple great moments - the barn scene and Rick and Shane ending.The thing about The Walking Dead is that it's not good.
The Walking Dead is way better than The Wire.It had a really cool premise and at least a couple great moments - the barn scene and Rick and Shane ending.
Has gotten so bad though takes it way off the list.