Best TV drama ever?

[Anonymous]

Agree with Spranos as one of the top ever. Still haven't seen any of The Wire or more than the first two episodes of Breaking Bad, unfortunately, so can't compare those. I loved watching West Wing, but it wouldn't be at the top of the heap for me. Same with ER. Agree that the first season of True Detective was fantastic, and The Americans is exceptional. Really great TV, both of those. I also agree with a few PPs that Battlestar Galactica was really, REALLY good. If you've not watched it (I never would have if not for my husband, as I'd never gravitate toward a sci-fi show), you should. Definitely worth it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

You should definitely check out Buffy. One thing though-- it takes a while to get really good. The first season was okay, but from the second season on it was phenomenal. But don't skip the first season-- it sets up a lot of things that continue throughout the series.

Yes, it got better as it went along. I love it, even if I didn't love all of the earlier seasons. But one of the great things about the show is how it built up on early plotlines/details/character relations and traits, how things were connected throughout all 7 seasons, how things that showed up early on were not forgotten but dealt with consistently later on. It's an extremely well-written show with practically no discontinuity.

It jumped the shark with the introduction of Dawn and Tara. Two of the most annoying characters ever.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I know why True Detective isn't listed, but since the seasons will be totally stand alone I feel I can honestly say the first season is probably some of the best TV ever...

I have spoken with many fans of the Wire who agree...

True Detective was amazing but I don't think it's in the same category exactly. It's easy to be amazing for only eight episodes. What's harder is sustaining the amazing over 20ish episodes every year for years on end, as you see from a lot of the discussion here. See Lost as a prime example of something that was great in the beginning but eventually proved unsustainable over time. Others think that about Homeland and I think The Good Wife has totally lost its way. And while I mentioned ER as one of my candidates, there were definitely some stinker years/characters/storylines over its 15 seasons.

I don't disagree with you, but it will be interesting to see how multiple stand alone seasons hold up as a whole over time. I don't think you can count it out just yet- also HBO doesn't have 20+ episode seasons- they are typically 10-12 now, same with Netflix. Many people here are listing the Wire and the Sopranos...which only had 13 episodes a season.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Also, one of the best shows ever, in terms of writing, fully-fleshed consistent characters, feminist outlook, women-centered plots, and ground-breaking themes/subjects is … don't laugh … Buffy the Vampire Slayer. But that show straddled genres - comedy, campy horror, drama, coming-of-age story. All hail Joss Whedon!

I am with you. People may laugh, but it was incredibly witty. The dialogue still makes me laugh all these years later. And while I can barely watch it, "The Body" was absolutely one of the most powerful hours ever put on TV.

I also agree on Veronica Mars. Loved that show. Another very witty show

Battlestar Galactica was pretty damn powerful, too. While the finale was controversial, the topics it dealt with in most of the rest of its run were incredible. It was in the middle of the Iraq war and it was so obvious they were getting at ideas that we as a society were dealing with at that point in history.

I just finished up Firefly, and now I'm going through withdraw. It's a shame there were only 14 episodes (damn you Fox). Maybe I'll check out Buffy next

Wasn't there a Firefly movie? Called Serenity, I think?

Yup - watched that right after I saw the last episode.

[Anonymous]

I agree about Tara - she was freaking awful. I could not understand what the hell willow saw in her. Especially after oz.

Dawn was annoying when she was first introduced, but she did have her moments in season 7.

Season 7 made up for season 6.

I loved season 1-it was campy, but the wit was already there. The budget got better, and things changed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wire - first two seasons, slipped after that.

I liked seasons 3 and 4 much better. Couldn't stand season 2

I've watched all of The Wire. And I've watched Season 4 at least 3 times. My favorite of the 5 seasons.

I'm a teacher, and its accuracy is nearly perfect.

This, on all counts.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Agree with Spranos as one of the top ever. Still haven't seen any of The Wire or more than the first two episodes of Breaking Bad, unfortunately, so can't compare those. I loved watching West Wing, but it wouldn't be at the top of the heap for me. Same with ER. Agree that the first season of True Detective was fantastic, and The Americans is exceptional. Really great TV, both of those. I also agree with a few PPs that Battlestar Galactica was really, REALLY good. If you've not watched it (I never would have if not for my husband, as I'd never gravitate toward a sci-fi show), you should. Definitely worth it.

I liked the first two seasons, then I think it went off the rails. The cast was good but the writing was inconsistent; the finale a big let down.

[Anonymous]

Hill Street Blues
NYPD Blue
Sopranos
Mad Men
Law and Order
Law and Order SVU (gotta love Mariska!)
Law and Order Criminal Intent (Vincent D'Onofrio in the early episodes -- yum!)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wire - first two seasons, slipped after that.

I liked seasons 3 and 4 much better. Couldn't stand season 2

I've watched all of The Wire. And I've watched Season 4 at least 3 times. My favorite of the 5 seasons.

I'm a teacher, and its accuracy is nearly perfect.

This, on all counts.

I am currently binge watching The Wire. (Currently on season 3.) It.is.so.awesome!