View Full Version : TV Best television drama of all time?
Karl Pilkington
10 Jun 2009, 12:55
Well?
Wire no contest. Anyone who votes for the Soprano's hasn't seen it.
DoubleO7
10 Jun 2009, 13:15
Skins series 1 and 2... ;)
Karl Pilkington
10 Jun 2009, 13:18
Wire no contest. Anyone who votes for the Soprano's hasn't seen it.
It's interesting. I loved the characters in the Sopranos and it was brilliantly made television that somehow made you give a shit about what happened to these murderers and drug dealers.
But The Wire just has such a strong message and it's delivered so brilliantly over 5 seasons. Just utter hopelessness for effective government at local level.
Seen both and loved both... I'd put Sopranos slightly ahead.
It's interesting. I loved the characters in the Sopranos and it was brilliantly made television that somehow made you give a shit about what happened to these murderers and drug dealers.
But The Wire just has such a strong message and it's delivered so brilliantly over 5 seasons. Just utter hopelessness for effective government at local level.
Both are A grade television, truly what drama for the masses should be. Well developed characters, plots, both get you emotionally involved but neither rely on that as the sole reason to watch. You know everyone bemoans the lack of quality on modern television, but the last 10 years have produced most of the best shows ever IMHO. We never saw the depth of a show like The Wire pre 2000 bar say Twin Peaks. Long live HBO
Karl Pilkington
10 Jun 2009, 14:10
Agree drew, the past ten years or so has had some real quality.
NorthBhoy
10 Jun 2009, 14:51
Deadwood.
TheColeTrain
10 Jun 2009, 15:18
I really can not seperate them, but probably the Sopranos by a bees dick, they are both so so good
Other shows worthy of inclusion in this list IMO are:
- West Wing
- Six Feet Under
- Deadwood
Karl Pilkington
10 Jun 2009, 15:32
Haven't seen much of Deadwood or 6FU but the West Wing is great, just not quite on the level with The Wire and Sopranos imo.
Oz would get a mention too.
I read the other day that season 6 of The Wire was going to revolve around growing tension between black and latino gangs in Baltimore. Would have been awesome to see how Marlo and Michael ended up throughout the ensuing war etc.
Abba Lonie
10 Jun 2009, 15:33
Picket Fences
SunKing
10 Jun 2009, 15:38
Picket Fences is one of my favorites.
As well as other DEK shows like Boston Legal & The Practice.
NorthBhoy
10 Jun 2009, 15:41
I'm all for a diversity of opinion and all that, but if don't bring your Picket Fences and The Practice nonsense into a thread reference The Wire, Deadwood, The Sopranos and Oz.
wally funk
10 Jun 2009, 15:54
the wire? the sopranos?
http://www.passingperception.com/wp-content/photos2008//october/_brewster.jpg
Admiral Afterworld
10 Jun 2009, 16:11
I must admit I am yet to see The Wire and have only seen a handful of episodes of The Sopranos :o so I can't really vote with honest knowledge.
I will contribute though by saying Battlerstar Galactica (the 2003+ series) was a great drama. Sci fi shows set in space have a (quite deserved) reputation of being tacky and weak but this show was neither of these, it took itself very seriously. It was excellent drama that focused so intently on the characters and their often dark exploits - not for the kiddies at all. As a visual production it was also first rate and from a musical standpoint the score worked wonderfully. If I had to list a bad point it's that the series finale was, well, less than great but it certainly didn't diminish from the excellence of the rest.
Cassius_Clay
10 Jun 2009, 16:14
Oz...
Karl Pilkington
10 Jun 2009, 16:27
Oz.
You know, the first time I saw Oz I was about 19 and flicking through channels, figuring that I might luck out and get some French pr0n movie or something like that. Anyway, flick it over to Oz, and there's the guy from Law and Order getting a bj and I'm like 'sweet, hardcore pr0n!' then two things happen:
1. I realise he's in prison, and he's getting a bj from a dude.
2. He breaks the guys neck at the point of climax.
Cut to me with shocked yet intrigued face.
I don't think any television show has gone that far before. I was warped for life after that.
Admiral Afterworld
10 Jun 2009, 16:33
Oh and I must hasten to add Breaking Bad! Only two seasons (one very short) have been so far but it's top notch. Some of the episodes are just awesomely depressing :p
Definitely The Wire, it has a depth unmatched by any other TV drama. I'd put Deadwood and Oz ahead of The Sopranos.
SunKing
10 Jun 2009, 17:10
If sci-fi is included I'll throw in The X-Files & Deep Space 9.
As to the ones mentioned haven't seen them so can't vote. The Sopranos does have a killer theme song though:)
rocker_oz33
10 Jun 2009, 17:21
l cant comment to much as l just starting watching the wire from the start and have started OZ has well,but damages looked good but only one season
ExTasDeeMan
10 Jun 2009, 17:27
Mad Men or West Wing for mine.
Wahooti Fandango
10 Jun 2009, 18:13
Does the British version of Life on Mars count as a drama? It was brilliant.
Seen both, Sopranos just.
Not far behind is Shameless, special mention for the 1st series of 24
From what I've seen
The Wire> The Sopranos> Lost:p> 6FU
>=by the tiniest bit.
Lost, subject to take 1st place after final season.
The Wire.
The 'State of Play' mini series rates a mention.
Not strictly a TV series, but the mini-series "Band of Brothers" was tv of the highest quality.
Another +1 for Star Trek: Deep Space Nice, just finished watching the whole series, and it is brilliant. Not Wire or Deadwood in 'quality' but it's fantastic none the less.
Mr Shankly
12 Jun 2009, 10:01
The Wire for me, just shading Deadwood. Agreed that the past 10 years have produced some of the finest TV ever. Good times to be a couch potato.
Barry Zuckercorn
12 Jun 2009, 13:35
edit: double post
Barry Zuckercorn
12 Jun 2009, 13:36
Does the British version of Life on Mars count as a drama? It was brilliant.
Yes! :thumbsu:
The US version is absolute shit!
Jeffers
12 Jun 2009, 15:21
Skins series 1 and 2... ;)
+1
Seconded.
DoubleO7
12 Jun 2009, 15:23
+1
Seconded.
It should be added to the poll, IMHO. :)
I just started going through The Wire again this week, gotta say it is a little easier to get my head around the 2nd time since they throw about 15 main characters at you right from the get go and I can actually follow who they are.
Jeffers
12 Jun 2009, 15:38
It should be added to the poll, IMHO. :)
Absolutely. Totally engaging series.
Absolutely Adore Cassi (and Hannah Murray the actress that plays her)
It should be added to the poll, IMHO. :)
Probably not a bad idea, I don't remeber one being done before. Always seem to have ones like this here with one or two titles. What would the list be?
The Wire
Sporanos
Deadwood
Twin Peaks
Band of Brothers
Rome
Mad men
Would be my list. Put some ideas down and we'll run a seperate poll.
I just started going through The Wire again this week, gotta say it is a little easier to get my head around the 2nd time since they throw about 15 main characters at you right from the get go and I can actually follow who they are.
This was a major problem in Generation Kill. It's a lot like the wire but it done over only 7 eps. And they contimually refer to characters by like 15 different names, nicknames and call signs.
Karl Pilkington
12 Jun 2009, 16:18
The Wire was funny, character wise. At first I just assumed McNulty was the 'main' character, which was good because I liked the character (can't believe the guy who played him is British - did an excellent job imo) but the more the series went on, you realised the characters were completely secondary to the setting and the story/politics of it all.
I still maintain that Omar is one of the best characters of all time though. Just amazingly acted and portrayed, and had great material to work with.
And Snoop is one of the most ice cold villains in any show I've ever watched, with no redeeming qualities whatsoever (At least Marlo and Avon were clearly all about power, and respected 'the game', Avon obviously cared for his family etc, and Marlo was all about his rep). She was just a very nasty, efficient killer, but in the scene where Michael kills her, and she says "How my hair look Mike?" and he replied "You look good, girl" and pulls the trigger, I still managed to feel sorry for her.
How a show that probably had 50+ major characters over 5 seasons, manages to express such depth in so many of them still blows my mind. Best show ever.
And Snoop is one of the most ice cold villains in any show I've ever watched, with no redeeming qualities whatsoever (At least Marlo and Avon were clearly all about power, and respected 'the game', Avon obviously cared for his family etc, and Marlo was all about his rep). She was just a very nasty, efficient killer, but in the scene where Michael kills her, and she says "How my hair look Mike?" and he replied "You look good, girl" and pulls the trigger, I still managed to feel sorry for her.
I didn't even realise that Snoop was a girl until this moment. She doesn't look at all feminine and the way she acts is hard core.
Karl Pilkington
12 Jun 2009, 17:10
I didn't even realise that Snoop was a girl until this moment. She doesn't look at all feminine and the way she acts is hard core.
Yeah, she was ghetto as hell. Interestingly, she is a real person (i.e. teh character's name and nickname are the same as the actors name and real name) and she was basically playing herself, personality wise (obviously not a drug dealing kill in real life though).
The Wire had so many perfectly chosen character actors.
Chris Partlow and Michael Lee (and Omar obviously) killed more people than Snoop. But there was just something really scary about a young girl being such a ruthless killer, and the way she was portrayed, that made her scarier. Partlow and Michael Lee had the molestation angle, and Omar had his principles. But Snoop was just a soldier, did everything without question and did it very coldly. But somehow it was really sad when she died.
TheColeTrain
12 Jun 2009, 18:08
Yeah, she was ghetto as hell. Interestingly, she is a real person (i.e. teh character's name and nickname are the same as the actors name and real name) and she was basically playing herself, personality wise (obviously not a drug dealing kill in real life though).
The Wire had so many perfectly chosen character actors.
Chris Partlow and Michael Lee (and Omar obviously) killed more people than Snoop. But there was just something really scary about a young girl being such a ruthless killer, and the way she was portrayed, that made her scarier. Partlow and Michael Lee had the molestation angle, and Omar had his principles. But Snoop was just a soldier, did everything without question and did it very coldly. But somehow it was really sad when she died.
I felt the exact same when Proposition Joe was killed, I loved him, he was awsome
Karl Pilkington
12 Jun 2009, 18:18
I felt the exact same when Proposition Joe was killed, I loved him, he was awsome
Watching Prop Joe get shot was like watching Michael Corleone get shot. He was so clever the whole way through, was strange to see him killed off.
How a show that probably had 50+ major characters over 5 seasons, manages to express such depth in so many of them still blows my mind. Best show ever.
It is all to do with plot depth and the methodical pacing of it throughout each season. Unlike most television drama these days where plots are basically episodic in nature (plus small amount of time allocated to overlapping season storylines), each season of The Wire was basically just a really long episode.
They had the luxury of allocating the first 3-4 episodes each season to relevant back story, environment setup and character setup. Pretty much no television series these days has that luxury, both in terms of pacing and attention to detail.
It is a bit like reading a Tom Clancy novel where the first 300 pages are slow, very detailed, and disjointed with seemingly little correlation to each other. By the end each point of view comes together brilliantly, and the value of the earlier detail and meticulous setup come into its own.
NitroFan
13 Jun 2009, 12:40
The Wire. Sorry to repeat what has been said 50 times already, but easily the best TV show ever.
The Corner, a mini-series made by the same people, is also fantastic.
fishguts
13 Jun 2009, 13:16
24...
No contest :)
West Wing second.
Noddy Holder
13 Jun 2009, 18:13
Six Feet Under
Jonesy1987
14 Jun 2009, 22:40
1. The Shield
2. Deadwood
3. Oz
4. Breaking Bad
Bomber32
14 Jun 2009, 22:47
1. The Sopranos
2. Lost
3. West Wing
DeadlyAkkuret
14 Jun 2009, 22:55
Sopranos
The Wire (haven't finished watching)
Oz
Six Feet Under (Best for drama & humour)
Third Watch (Great character chemistry)
In no particular order.
legend166
15 Jun 2009, 20:11
Band of Brothers.
bullish23
16 Jun 2009, 04:57
West Wing for me. The dialogue in that show is pure brilliance.
But Snoop was just a soldier, did everything without question and did it very coldly. But somehow it was really sad when she died.
**** that, rj. She should have had her tits cut off for torturing Butchie.
crows98
16 Jun 2009, 15:33
Only half way thought season 4 of the Sopranos but i am giving another vote to The West Wing and 6 Feet Under.
The Sopranos is good but IMO the other 2 are far superior. I have not seen the Wire
Karl Pilkington
16 Jun 2009, 16:38
Only half way thought season 4 of the Sopranos but i am giving another vote to The West Wing and 6 Feet Under.
The Sopranos is good but IMO the other 2 are far superior. I have not seen the Wire
The Wire is the greatest tv show of all time imo. Seriously, go watch it. but don't be worried i you don't "get" it til about half way through season 1, at which point you will be completely addicted to it.
crows98
16 Jun 2009, 16:44
The Wire is the greatest tv show of all time imo. Seriously, go watch it. but don't be worried i you don't "get" it til about half way through season 1, at which point you will be completely addicted to it.
I don’t doubt that. I love the Sopranos and have all 7 season but just don’t have time to watch it. So getting time to watch The Wire is near on impossible.
I will take your recommendation and that will be next on the list – i don’t know who watches TV anymore, just buy a DVD box set. :thumbsu:
AndSmithMustScore
16 Jun 2009, 17:59
Shameless.
The Maguire family are a 1000 times more convincing as a criminal family than that over the top, hollywood stereotyped tripe that are the Soprano family.
Paddy Maguire >>>>>>>> Tony Soprano
rocker_oz33
16 Jun 2009, 19:44
The Wire. Sorry to repeat what has been said 50 times already, but easily the best TV show ever.
The Corner, a mini-series made by the same people, is also fantastic.
I'll have to check that out l looked it up and it has Sean nelson in it,l thought he was great in the movie fresh
Fuzzy Wuzzy Bear
16 Jun 2009, 20:29
I really think when It's over House will be right up there. I thought it had jumped but the finale twist saved it.
Panthera Leo!
3 Jul 2009, 18:07
Neither!
The Fugitive! (The Original)
JoondalupJ
19 Jul 2009, 21:19
Well?
Sopranos/Deadwood/Rome magnificent all. I've heard The Wire is brilliant but have yet to see it.
JoondalupJ
19 Jul 2009, 21:23
Does the British version of Life on Mars count as a drama? It was brilliant.
The British Life on Mars was the best it was great .
footylover18
23 Jul 2009, 03:06
Very hard to split these two series. I'd put The Wire just ahead but it's close.
footylover18
23 Jul 2009, 03:11
I still maintain that Omar is one of the best characters of all time though. Just amazingly acted and portrayed, and had great material to work with.
And Snoop is one of the most ice cold villains in any show I've ever watched, with no redeeming qualities whatsoever (At least Marlo and Avon were clearly all about power, and respected 'the game', Avon obviously cared for his family etc, and Marlo was all about his rep). She was just a very nasty, efficient killer, but in the scene where Michael kills her, and she says "How my hair look Mike?" and he replied "You look good, girl" and pulls the trigger, I still managed to feel sorry for her.
How a show that probably had 50+ major characters over 5 seasons, manages to express such depth in so many of them still blows my mind. Best show ever.
Agree with your call on Omar. That scene of him in the courtroom where he tells the lawyer that he's no different is one of the great scenes ever.
The British Life on Mars was the best it was great .
IMHO it was destroyed by its ridiculous ending just as the US version was but for different reasons.
Chadwiko
23 Jul 2009, 09:16
The West Wing.
Best Television Drama of all time by a country mile.
Fusilli Jerry
23 Jul 2009, 15:20
The Shield.