The Sopranos vs The Wire vs Breaking Bad

[Roobs321]

Of these modern US 1 hour dramas, post-Oz, I would rank them in terms of favouritism;

1. The Wire
2. Mad Men
3. Breaking Bad
4. Six Feet Under
5. Treme
6. The West Wing (only first 3 seasons though, apparently it degrades after the Sorkin exit, so may drop when I finally try to complete it)
7. The Sopranos
8. Oz

All of the above are absolutely brilliant. I have also seen S1 of Boardwalk Empire, which I loved just about equally to The Sopranos (with some more historian-stimulation personally).

I watched S1 of Game of Thrones a few years ago, but it just wasn't my preference. It's a decent season, better than just about anything on FTA, but I'd never watch it alone, so I don't really get the craze. Almost all my friends and family are madly in love with it, which is slightly irritating. To me, it's the sort of thing I might have loved from 12-15yo, but that type of story doesn't appeal to me very much anymore. I don't mind The Newsroom, but find something like Homeland nauseatingly unrealistic.

Still yet to try the likes of Deadwood, The Shield, House of Cards, etc, in no rush.

Pre-Oz, Homicide: Life on the Street is my personal favourite of all-time, and I also love Hill Street Blues.

 

[Roobs321]

I tried watching Deadwood. My parents and I share a pretty similar taste in TV and they loved it. That and Game of Thrones never gripped me... I just prefer things to be about people. And a bit of a modern, realistic perspective is what I tend to value a bit more.

I really, really need to watch Oz. Seems harsh and cold and heavy. I have another fortnight of uni break, so two and a half seasons of the Wire and Oz is what I need to do until then.

Same her, GoT never particularly appealed to me. Shame, because I love a lot of the main cast from their other work (particularly Dance, Gillen, Dinklage, etc.).

Oz was my first genuine HBO show. Whenever the HBO intro appears, I always feel the Oz theme about to start. It is HIGHLY addictive, so be prepared for that (although after seeing a few of the other shows mentioned, maybe that would be diluted).

 

[Roobs321]

As good as Breaking Bad is, it had some unrealistic and OTT moments. That doesn't make it bad, but it makes it not for me. It's also a bit... plastic? It seems a bit shallow, shiny, and Hollywood in places. I just wanted some mothegooses and campaigners thrown in, because that's how people talk. And I wanted characters to not be caricatures

Also, I love the way the Sopranos and The Wire are shot. The tones, the cinematography... The Sopranos has those deep, dark colours and palettes that show it as almost filmic. While the Wire could be shot on something cheap. It's crisp and clear but there's nothing moody like there is for the Sopranos, and that actually works really well – it shows it as it is, which is what the Wire's all about. And for me, I just didn't find the way Breaking Bad looked was as interesting. It was a good demonstration of the barren landscape and that side of America, but I dunno.

Whilst I would agree with the comparison, as you allude to BrBa is ambitious in different ways to the other two and its like comparing apples and oranges. To me, The Wire and BrBa represent pinnacles of their respective ambitions.

Comparatively it might feel more 'plastic' because it's more oriented towards the visual form and the medium than the other two. For me, BrBa is skillfully referential to a lot of cinema history, it's a real cineaste treat in how it wears and subverts its influences. Despite portraying a very contemporary and relevant story, it doesn't attempt realism in the way the others do, I guess it wasn't really going for that. It is certainly more cinematic than the other two. Both styles have their merits, and given the background of David Simon, they were always going to be pursuing very different approaches. BrBa always has an undercurrent of dark humour as well, it's certainly self-aware.

I also appreciated that it did something different by depicting Albuquerque. I adore the east coast cities, but here it was a fresh and inspired perspective which marries up well with many of the influences.

 

[Lion for Life]

I watched S1 of Game of Thrones a few years ago, but it just wasn't my preference. It's a decent season, better than just about anything on FTA, but I'd never watch it alone, so I don't really get the craze. Almost all my friends and family are madly in love with it, which is slightly irritating. To me, it's the sort of thing I might have loved from 12-15yo, but that type of story doesn't appeal to me very much anymore.
.

As per the bolded, I don't think the craze over GoT is about the fantasy aspects of the show more than the political/social intrigue, it is this quest for power at all costs that is the most compelling.

 

[DIG]

Already said on this thread that I preferred BB to The Wire . Both outstanding though, particularly just how audacious and ambitious they are.

I haven't seen much of Sopranos yet.

Of the others mentioned in this thread, I thought Game of thrones season 4 was outstanding.

True Detective brilliant, slightly let down by its ending.

Am also thoroughly enjoying Hannibal, surprised it hasn't been mentioned here yet.

And well, as for Deadwood, I just couldn't stand it, beautifully shot but bored me to tears, wish I hadn't stuck it out. Can appreciate why some would like it though.

 

[Roobs321]

Lion for Life
I am completely aware of that, but compared to other shows concerning power-play, it just didn't appeal to me. It's not like it's the first form of entertainment to tackle that age-old theme.

 

[rumply]

*cough cough Deadwood.

For mine it's a case of 'what could have been' when it comes to Deadwood - I love it anyway but recall recommending it to a friend & then getting a dismayed call about how it finished.

I think they were well into pre-production for Season 4 before it was cancelled & despite some great individual episodes, I felt it did lose it's way a bit in S3 & it would have been a real shame if S4 was a dog, so maybe it was better left where it was. But the first 2 seasons were outstanding & gets it into my top 5.


1. Sopranos (finished 8th or 9th rewatch earlier this year & can feel the niggle starting again)
....
2. BB
3. Six Feet Under
4. The Wire
5. Deadwood

 

[Norwood1878]

Sure the theatre company didn't lead to anything overtly substantial (might have if it went to a fourth season) but it was well worth having it just for Brian Cox as Jack Langrishe. His interactions with Al and with the company were pretty ******* terrific.

And I never felt that Deadwood suffered from having too many characters, or at least having characters that I wasn't interested or invested in. You could say that having those characters meant some other ones were left to a side for too long but I give it all the praise on having everyone adding something different to the Deadwood experience.

I don't necessarily agree that everything else on the others shows had a point, or if they did had a good point to make. The Sopranos did have it's moments where it could of passed for just any ordinary type of show, i.e Columbus Day, a lot of the stuff with AJ and Meadow. And the newspaper angle in The Wire was by far the least compelling story arc on the show.

Don't get me wrong though, I still rate the Wire as the best show I've ever seen and I've often interchanged Deadwood and The Sopranos as 2 and 3, but I think those three are at the top of the pantheon, and everything else is a touch below it.

There's no doubt the Sopranos has a couple of crappy filler episodes and to some extent some repetitive story lines, in fact some scenes are almost repeated verbatim between seasons that you really only pick up when watching the show marathon style.
I rank The Wire just a bees dick below the Sopranos for the simple reason that it raised the bar and showed us what television could be. Hard to believe it's been 18yrs since it first aired.

 

[Roobs321]

Yeah, on my first run through Sopranos the newly introduced 'season antagonist' storyline was already getting old in Season 2. I found it to be a high quality show, but the addictiveness of it wore out somewhat quickly, compared to other similar shows.

 

[Silent Alarm]

The Wire for me, the authorities tend to be pretty flat characters. It's the street where the deep personalities are teased out. Kima was annoying. I never liked her. She seemed like the stock lesbian cop and her 'work wins over everything' hard arsed attitude just seemed boring and insultingly Hollywood. But McNulty... man... what a character. Completely flawed, capable of some ****ed up s**t, but not a bad person – he struggled, he has issues, but the best thing about him was he was always there for his boys and he actually cared about his job, despite it seeming like he hated everyone there and the politics outweighed the satisfaction. He wasn't likeable but he was a good person. I liked those fragments.

I'm a melancholy person and find a lot of sadness in things that maybe aren't necessarily sad (I blame this on what my parents had me listening to), but the Wire had a real sadness behind it. I love listening to David Simon speak. He's an interesting dude and what he goes on about is really valid, especially since the issues he rose in that show ended up being shown brightly years afterward (GFC, Katrina, Obama et al). But I like that. There's a lot of hopelessness for the kids on the streets. I always found the trap and cyclical streets to be depressing. Like a white guilt. I always thought it was sad how all these people down the station didn't really have anything except for their jobs. They had average girlfriends, they drank too much at an age too old, they didn't respect their spouses, they self-destructed... they were tragic cases but they were real. It was probably a charmed life, they didn't die and they made money and had families, but it wasn't easy. They always had issues and they always struggled and with guys like McNulty, you always felt like he had this constant headache. That was real, adult life.

But at the same time, there was some endearing aspects about that: the way true soldiers battled through and stayed loyal. A lot of white people kind of furrow their brows when I say that. But that's who they are. That's the life they have and it's the culture White America has given them. Like Wee-Bey. He stayed loyal, he was one trusted mother*er and he kept the faith – the game gave him the cushy life for a while, and he knew he had to do his time. That's some true, real s**t there. The other kind of related thing is when D'Angelo gets done. Bodie's in that flower shop and he goes something like "yeah, he did himself, kind of a weak fellow when you think about it. We was never close, just worked together, but he was still my fellow, you know?" D'Angelo wasn't loyal, but he was ethical, in the end. But Bodie still sent him off. That's what you do for your real, truest boys, no matter what they do.

The other ones I think about a lot are those Sobotkas. Man. The way he showed the loss of industry and the decay of the working class was heavy s**t. My family on all sides grew up fairly poor up until a generation ago, but up until me no one was university educated. They worked on wharfs in England and Freo and I always saw something about that as tangible... like somehow that season just spoke to me even though I'm a middle class, uni-attending kid who's barely worked a day of hard labour in his life. I just thought it spoke something so sad. Those ports meant things to families. It was an identity. And the way they showed Frank slowly losing it, and realising it was all going, was amazing – slow and subtle but still pretty big. I always liked Nick too. That scene in the park when they're drinking after Ziggy gets locked up is depressing... some shithole swing, some shithole park, some shithole area in a dying town... drinking and depressed. There was something realistic about the way people are there. But those two, Frank and Nick, always looked after everyone else – they were the kind of people you don't really see a lot of, and the kind of people the working classes were always supposed to be. Frank died trying to do the right thing.[/spoiler]

 

[Silent Alarm]

As per the bolded, I don't think the craze over GoT is about the fantasy aspects of the show more than the political/social intrigue, it is this quest for power at all costs that is the most compelling.

This is interesting, but maybe I find that too hard to engage with because the people are too hard to engage with? I know they are still people. They still think and have traits that are indicative of everyone. Interesting way to put it though.

 

[djrossie16]

Didn't think Game of Thrones would have entered my top bunch. But the last season was arguably my favourite season of television ever. For me it was breathtaking television.
Three shows that have put forth "top 10-15 potential" in their opening seasons are Les Revenauts, True Detective and Fargo.

 

[Roobs321]

SA, if you like David Simon, his books are great as well. I remember really enjoying Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets (inspiration for the TV show) and The Corner (one of a few early inspirations for a lot of the Wire). I think you are at the prime age for The Wire. I remember in the 08/09 summer I was just turning 20 and was completely and utterly obsessed with this show, bought lots of books, got into David Simon's other work, etc. Ultimately though, The Wire was just a starting point for me in the David Simon universe. It might be the crown jewel in many ways, but you should check out his other stuff down the line as well.

 

[DIG]

The Wire for me....
...The other ones I think about a lot are those Sobotkas. Man. The way he showed the loss of industry and the decay of the working class was heavy s**t. My family on all sides grew up fairly poor up until a generation ago, but up until my parents no one was university educated. They worked on wharfs in England and Freo and I always saw something about that as tangible... like somehow that season just spoke to me even though I'm a middle class, uni-attending kid who's barely worked a day of hard labour in his life. I just thought it spoke something so sad. Those ports meant things to families. It was an identity. And the way they showed Frank slowly losing it, and realising it was all going, was amazing – slow and subtle but still pretty big. I always liked Nick too. That scene in the park when they're drinking after Ziggy gets locked up is depressing... some shithole swing, some shithole park, some shithole area in a dying town... drinking and depressed. There was something realistic about the way people are there. But those two, Frank and Nick, always looked after everyone else – they were the kind of people you don't really see a lot of, and the kind of people the working classes were always supposed to be. Frank died trying to do the right thing.[/spoiler]

Man what a post.

Season 2 resonated with me also, having been involved in closing down a manufacturing plant in Melbourne while 175 people including me ultimately got retrenched. For the ones who'd been there long term it was just so hard to take.

It was the empty factory floors at the end of it all which was just so eerie after decades of noisily pumping out products non-stop. The Wire was obviously different but those desolate shots of the dying industrial areas really struck a chord with me, along with the personal element.

 

[Showbags]

Game of Thrones is a good show but imo doesn't count in any list of greatness in terms of tv because it is based on the SOI&F books (this is just my personal opinion as I had already read the books before the show came out so don't get to experience the suspense or drama that bandwagon jumpers watching the tv series get to experience).

Hopefully when the show overtakes the books (which is almost certain, going by the glacial pace that GRRM writes) it will make the show more enjoyable from a suspense point of view.

We will see whether the show stands on its own two feet when it is detached from the books.

 

[Mr Meeseeks]

SA, if you like David Simon, his books are great as well. I remember really enjoying Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets (inspiration for the TV show) and The Corner (one of a few early inspirations for a lot of the Wire). I think you are at the prime age for The Wire. I remember in the 08/09 summer I was just turning 20 and was completely and utterly obsessed with this show, bought lots of books, got into David Simon's other work, etc. Ultimately though, The Wire was just a starting point for me in the David Simon universe. It might be the crown jewel in many ways, but you should check out his other stuff down the line as well.

Clockers isnt a bad book, I may be wrong but I think TW was based on it. i read it soon after finishing TW to try and fill the void.

Quality post from Silentalarm. It was the depth in characters who in themselves had so much depth that made TW stand out so much. I read somewhere that David Simon said detective Syndor was the only character that was morally clean by the time the show ends, that says a lot.

Season 4 is coming near to an end atm here in the UK, I've been loving it for what is now the third time, by far the best season for me. Tragic.

 

[Mr Meeseeks]

I've given GoT a real go. Twice. I googled the family trees and read over each episode on wiki to get what was going on. Couldnt get into it. Its just too far fetched for me.

I just dont see it as much different than so many other fantasy serials, just with a huge budget and excellent marketing.

 

[Rod Stroker]

Of the choice of the 3, Sopranos > BB > The Wire

I'd have Boardwalk Empire ahead of The Wire, possibly even ahead of BB. For me it's the best show that is currently still airing.

 

[Red Black and Blue]

I've given GoT a real go. Twice. I googled the family trees and read over each episode on wiki to get what was going on. Couldnt get into it. Its just too far fetched for me.

Dragon's/Magic aside the whole show is based on true events that George RR Martin has hand picked from all over history.

 

[TheFreshBanana]

Of these modern US 1 hour dramas, post-Oz, I would rank them in terms of favouritism;

1. The Wire
2. Mad Men
3. Breaking Bad
4. Six Feet Under
5. Treme
6. The West Wing (only first 3 seasons though, apparently it degrades after the Sorkin exit, so may drop when I finally try to complete it)
7. The Sopranos
8. Oz

All of the above are absolutely brilliant. I have also seen S1 of Boardwalk Empire, which I loved just about equally to The Sopranos (with some more historian-stimulation personally).

I watched S1 of Game of Thrones a few years ago, but it just wasn't my preference. It's a decent season, better than just about anything on FTA, but I'd never watch it alone, so I don't really get the craze. Almost all my friends and family are madly in love with it, which is slightly irritating. To me, it's the sort of thing I might have loved from 12-15yo, but that type of story doesn't appeal to me very much anymore. I don't mind The Newsroom, but find something like Homeland nauseatingly unrealistic.

Still yet to try the likes of Deadwood, The Shield, House of Cards, etc, in no rush.

Pre-Oz, Homicide: Life on the Street is my personal favourite of all-time, and I also love Hill Street Blues.

Just finished West Wing this morning.

I honestly didn't really notice Sorkin's absence, I only found out around Season 6/7 that he had actually left after Season 3 (or 4?) and thought the show was still really good.

 

[Roobs321]

That's great news, thanks It's been 2.5 years since I last watched (up to end S3), so one of these days I might just buy the complete series and watch from the beginning again.

Recently got into In Treatment, wonderful show. Might also be one of the best pieces of casting I have ever seen, no one else is more suited for that type of role than Byrne.

 

[djrossie16]

Recently got into In Treatment, wonderful show. Might also be one of the best pieces of casting I have ever seen, no one else is more suited for that type of role than Byrne.

I liked that show a lot. Many memorable exchanges. And some excellent performances from a diverse cast. Really enjoyed seeing Bryne play "cat and mouse" with some of the key players in the show. He really was in his element here.

 

[Sozabarus]

The Wire wins it for me, hands down the best show I've ever seen. All three shows are brilliant, and I think if Mad Men finishes strongly it deserves to be mentioned alongside them.

My Top 5:
1 The Wire
2 Breaking Bad
3 The Sopranos
4 Mad Men
5 Six Feet Under/Oz

Also enjoyed The Shield and am a fan of Boardwalk Empire but don't think they're even close to the 'big 3'.

 

[Silent Alarm]

I cannot enjoy Mad Men. Just seems such a tryhard show, so self-serious, so intent on saying something, but it's just s**t. It's just dull.

 

[rumply]

I cannot enjoy Mad Men. Just seems such a tryhard show, so self-serious, so intent on saying something, but it's just s**t. It's just dull.

Yep, never got the appeal