View Full Version : TV is good! Best written tv shows of all times
iris lilies
6-5-13, 9:06pm
http://www.eonline.com/news/425543/best-tv-show-ever-the-writers-guild-names-101-top-series-of-all-time-did-your-favorite-make-the-list
Here's a list of top 100 well written TV shows voted by the Writers' Guild in Hollywood.
Sopranos is #1, I suppose deserved. That is a fabulous series, that's for sure. Glad to see Deadwood on the list but further down at #32 than it deserves. I never watched West Wing but plan to put that in my winter tv que one of these years, that and Arrested Development.
I appreciate sharp writing. In comedies it is almost immediately apparent to me. Stupidly written things bores me immediately. Yet, I can think of some screamingly stupid (but not stupidly written?) comedies I laughed at such as Kath and Kim. Those women were a train wreck.
Speaking of women train wrecks I was pleased almost to tears to see my beloved Absolutely Fabulous on the list. I am amazed that the Hollywood writers gave this show distinction.
Downton Abbey seem too high (at 43) but then Downton IS original where all of the fabulous British tv series I think are brilliant are based on previously published material.
Comments that show a properly worshipful attitude toward tv are welcome on this thread!
My favorites of Hill Street Blues, NYPD Blue, Moonlighting, LA Law, Star Trek: The Next Generation, and Northern Exposure are all there.
The Storyteller
6-5-13, 9:28pm
While I can quibble with the list (Cheers in the top 10? Really?), I can't with the concept. There is a lot of crap on TV (has to be, when you consider the number of channels and hours to fill), but there is also great art. You just have to know what to watch and how to watch it.
With my Amazon Prime and Netflix, I'm finding I'm ironically spending most of my viewing time watching television series, as opposed to film.
What--no Cagney and Lacey? It did devolve into melodrama, but compared to Thirtysomething...Happy to see MASH, The Twilight Zone, Alfred Hitchcock, X-Files, and Frasier. I liked LA Law. The West Wing was excellent, too.
I agree with virtually everything on the list, except for the order. Here's my top 10 in the appropriate order:
Deadwood
Battlestar Galactica
Homicide, Life on the Street
Lonesome Dove
Band of Brothers
South Park
The Prisoner
The Twilight Zone
The Andy Griffith Show
Rowan & Martin's Laugh In
The Storyteller
6-5-13, 9:39pm
1. Deadwood
Can't really argue with that. Loved that show.
gimmethesimplelife
6-5-13, 9:43pm
Gotta say I beg to differ with this list.....I agree with the Mary Tyler Moore Show and Mad Men being in the top 10 - but Thirtysomething at #43??? Gotta put Thirtysomething higher than that, sorry. Also China Beach did not make the list and neither did Homefront. Maybe my tastes are not like the mainstream or most popular, but for writing quality alone Thirtysomething and Homefront and China Beach should all be high on this list IMHO anyway. Rob
treehugger
6-5-13, 10:23pm
I agree with virtually everything on the list, except for the order. Here's my top 10 in the appropriate order:
Deadwood
I loved Deadwood, and definitely think it is one of the best-written shows I have ever seen...until you get you to the third season that was allowed to peter out unsatisfactorily (*shakes fist at David Milch*). I believe this is why it doesn't make it higher in the list.
Kara
iris lilies
6-5-13, 11:36pm
I loved Deadwood, and definitely think it is one of the best-written shows I have ever seen...until you get you to the third season that was allowed to peter out unsatisfactorily (*shakes fist at David Milch*). I believe this is why it doesn't make it higher in the list.
Kara
Well, it did end realistically as the Sheriff character in real life ran for office and lost. All of those main characters were loosely based on real people.
iris lilies
6-5-13, 11:39pm
Gotta say I beg to differ with this list.....I agree with the Mary Tyler Moore Show and Mad Men being in the top 10 - but Thirtysomething at #43??? Gotta put Thirtysomething higher than that, sorry. Also China Beach did not make the list and neither did Homefront. Maybe my tastes are not like the mainstream or most popular, but for writing quality alone Thirtysomething and Homefront and China Beach should all be high on this list IMHO anyway. Rob
Rob, the Thirtysomething sereis was finally released on dvd a couple of years ago. I had been anxiously waiting for that. But it did not age well. I watched a couple of episodes and then lost interest.
Jane, I was wondering about Cagney & Lacey myself. I loved that show.
What--no Cagney and Lacey? It did devolve into melodrama, but compared to Thirtysomething...Happy to see MASH, The Twilight Zone, Alfred Hitchcock, X-Files, and Frasier. I liked LA Law. The West Wing was excellent, too.
So, does that make it top 100, or was it only top ten for the decade?
So, does that make it top 100, or was it only top ten for the decade?
Seeing as how I wasn't invited to help compile the list, I guess it's moot.
Simpler at Fifty
6-6-13, 10:04am
@Tradd I was a Northern Exposure fan too. Love that show.
Looking down this list and reading the comments has given me an epiphany of sorts. I realized DW is a complete television snob and a bully of the highest order. We get to watch cooking shows, home improvement shows, her beloved House on DVD (thank God it didn't score any higher than #74), Frasier reruns or one of the three other shows she likes (Parenthood, Modern Family and Castle). She will occasionally pacify me with an episode of Star Trek, TNG and I can always get her to watch Northern Exposure with me as long as its not from the last season, but other than that she is an evil ruffian.
The only time I've seen the Sopranos is late at night when she's in bed. Makes me feel like I'm sneaking deviant porn (which may explain my interest in the show). I've never even seen a commercial for Deadwood and Mad Men has never flashed on our screen. Well my friends, its time for a little revolution. Time to face this tyrant and demand my South Park! Wish me luck.
...
The only time I've seen the Sopranos is late at night when she's in bed. Makes me feel like I'm sneaking deviant porn (which may explain my interest in the show). I've never even seen a commercial for Deadwood and Mad Men has never flashed on our screen. Well my friends, its time for a little revolution. Time to face this tyrant and demand my South Park! Wish me luck.
We've got your back.
Have to go back and get some Odd Couple episodes.....used to love that show. The movie's one of my favorites too. Something for everybody on this list, and naturally great fodder for arguments :D
The Storyteller
6-6-13, 1:40pm
Well, it did end realistically as the Sheriff character in real life ran for office and lost. All of those main characters were loosely based on real people.
Exactly. Would have loved to see them get George Hurst, and you could feel the actors (through their characters) itching to do just that. But fact is, they didn't.
I think that's one reason why I'm so satisfied with Justified. Seeing sheriff Seth Bullock finally get the bad guys.
gimmethesimplelife
6-6-13, 1:54pm
@Tradd I was a Northern Exposure fan too. Love that show.Yes, yes, yes! That show was high quality and incredible also....Rob
My fav TV shows are-
M*A*S*H
Hill Street Blues
Cagney & Lacey
The Mary Tyler Moore Show
All in the Family
Can you tell the era in which I last watched TV? ;)
Well, it did end realistically as the Sheriff character in real life ran for office and lost. All of those main characters were loosely based on real people.
Yeah, I know the main characters were loosely based on real people, but I still think the show runner (Milch) left the series in the lurch (he had another series to promote) and didn't develop the 3rd season very well. I don't even mind some ambiguity, nor do I always need to see the good guys win, but I do prefer at least some closure at the end of a series, and I don't remember getting that. Now, I admit I could be remembering this wrong, but I don't think I will rewatch since there are too many other good shows to spend my time with. :)
Kara
Have to go back and get some Odd Couple episodes.....used to love that show. The movie's one of my favorites too. Something for everybody on this list, and naturally great fodder for arguments :D
That's my favorite sitcom of all time! My library has the complete series on DVD and at least once a year I'll borrow them all. Even though I can say every line along with them, they still crack me up every time.
I saw Deadwood and liked it but was disappointed at the ending. Glad The Wire made the top ten. I thought Downton Abbey was OK but Upstairs Downstairs was much better written (and didn't have the big budget for fancy locations). As a Jersey girl, I'm embarassd to say Ive never seen an episode of The Sopranos. Also glad that I, Claudius made the list as well and surprised that Band of Brothers wasn't rated higher.
iris lilies
6-6-13, 11:57pm
I agree with virtually everything on the list, except for the order. Here's my top 10 in the appropriate order:
Deadwood
Battlestar Galactica
Homicide, Life on the Street
Lonesome Dove
Band of Brothers
South Park
The Prisoner
The Twilight Zone
The Andy Griffith Show
Rowan & Martin's Laugh In
I've seen episodes of Homicide Life on the Streets but cop and lawyer shows all kind of blended together in my head until The Wire. I had to try The Wire a couple of times before I got hooked. I used subtitles to understand the dialog. Omar Little is one of the greatest tv characters ever. All of the cops are interesting.
The Prisoner was a favorite in my youth. Is NO. 6 in charge of the compound/island?
The Prisoner was a favorite in my youth. Is NO. 6 in charge of the compound/island?
I believe #2 was in charge. Patrick McGoohan was #6.
I am not a TV watcher but am really enjoying 'the new to me' series about Toronto detectives around 1900 called "Murdoch".
Ponderosa was a lovely show as were many others - Matlock, Hercule Poirot, Columbo... - that had the air of fantasy that I enjoyed/needed at that time. Who were the mystery solvers like Jessica or "the plane, the plane"? (frustrating trying to think back to their names).
OK. Where is Forever Knight? :D
iris lilies
6-7-13, 10:33am
I believe #2 was in charge. Patrick McGoohan was #6.
Well, one interpretation of this:
Prisoner: Where am I?
Number Two (not identified as yet): In the village
Prisoner: What do you want?
Two: Information.
Prisoner: Whose side are you on?
Two: That would be telling.... We want information...information...information!
Prisoner: You won't get it!
Two: By hook or by crook, we will.
Prisoner: Who are you?
Two: The new Number Two.
Prisoner: Who is Number One?
Two: You are Number Six.
Prisoner: I am not a number; I am a free man!
Two: [Laughter]
It's that the 3rd line from the bottom, the answer to Who is Number One?
YOU are, Number 6!!! (Meaning Number 6 is in charge)
I know that's not a standard interpretation, however. It's just interesting, and I've never gone back to watch The Prisoner with that point of view to see if it holds water.
Alan have you tried The Wire? It's even gritter than Homicide Life on the Street.
Gingerella72
6-17-13, 2:52pm
Buffy The Vampire Slayer made the list, yayyyyyyyyyy!!!!!! :) My favorite show of all time.
Alan have you tried The Wire? It's even gritter than Homicide Life on the Street.
I've seen a few episodes. My wife went through the entire series during a Netflix binge over a week or so time span. It seemed pretty good but I never had the opportunity to really get into it.
But that reminds me, one of the actors, Idris Elba, starred in the BBC series Luther, which was another that she became infatuated with and I came to enjoy after she had gone through the first season or so. It's highly recommended if you have the opportunity.
.
Prisoner: Who is Number One?
Two: You are Number Six.
What an interesting interpretation! My memory isn't long enough to speculate on its accuracy, but something to explore if I ever stumble upon the right venue.
It confuses me why anyone would invest one minute of their day in a short life on TV.
It confuses me why anyone would invest one minute of their day in a short life on TV.
No need to be confused, everyone likes to be entertained and these days there are lots of entertainment opportunities for even the simplest of us to enjoy.
I've always wondered if people who reject TV also reject books, music or plays as time wasters. I could do without them all, but I'm not sure I'd want to.
SteveinMN
6-23-13, 12:30pm
It confuses me why anyone would invest one minute of their day in a short life on TV.
Same reasons people waste precious minutes of their days on music. Or books. Or painting. Or running longer distances in less time.
Being dismissive of an entire medium based on the presence of some low-quality examples is, IMHO, just another form of bigotry. And I say that as someone who does not watch much television at all.
Was I just reading too fast or was original Law & Order not on the list. What??
Seems you're easily confused. The basic concept is that different people can have different tastes and hobbies without any of them being wrong.
It confuses me why anyone would invest one minute of their day in a short life on TV.
Do you read? Is it different than reading? Or going to a movie?
What an interesting interpretation! My memory isn't long enough to speculate on its accuracy, but something to explore if I ever stumble upon the right venue.
The Prisoner is available on Crackle, I finally watched from it from beginning to end a few months ago.
leslieann
6-24-13, 10:26am
The OP delightfully directed only positive TV comments to this thread....there are lots of other views on the boards.
I have only recently fallen into tv watching again after about 15 years of abstention, and this is only because we have netflix (canadian version). So now I have this lovely list of well written shows to look for! Thanks!
If you take of the programs that are only available on cable and those that have been off air for ten or more years it leaves a pretty short list for those of us who hold out with just antenna TV. I suppose there is some sort of commentary to be offered based on that. Fortunately, those of us with poor man's cable (Netflix) can still enjoy the current good ones and the golden era. My list would be slightly different, but I could pretty much agree. The apogee of the regular broadcast TV era for me was Northern Exposure. I have not a glimmer of how The Simpsons made the list.
I went years without TV and even sported a "Kill Your TV" bumper sticker at one time. Any more I consider TV just another form of media art and documentation that has a few gems and a lot of low value noise. Thank goodness for us cable-less watchers for PBS.
... I have not a glimmer of how The Simpsons made the list.
I went years without TV and even sported a "Kill Your TV" bumper sticker at one time. Any more I consider TV just another form of media art and documentation that has a few gems and a lot of low value noise. Thank goodness for us cable-less watchers for PBS.
I think that's a sensible view. And the Simpsons has some of the best writing on TV; I don't watch it often but when I do I really appreciate it.
SteveinMN
6-25-13, 10:06pm
And the Simpsons has some of the best writing on TV; I don't watch it often but when I do I really appreciate it.
The Simpsons probably is my favorite show. These later seasons have not been anywhere near as good as the older ones (perhaps all the snark has been mined). But it was very well written and the thing I loved most is that absolutely nothing was sacred to them. Not even themselves.
AmeliaJane
6-26-13, 9:00am
I can sympathize with the argument that times are tough for antenna watchers (which I am)--I do think that the cable networks are much more sympathetic homes for the niche-y, well-written dramas and that the networks, in trying for the bigger numbers, go broader. I was looking through my Hulu favorites list (some of which really are just entertainment) and really Once Upon a Time (of which I thought the first season was stronger) and Parks and Recreation were the only two that I would hold out as "well-written." I also really like Parenthood and Nashville for the acting, but Parenthood's writing is inconsistent and Nashville's is pretty utilitarian.
On the other hand, the accumulation of strong cable or older shows is so large that you could spend quite awhile working your way through it on DVD. I still have about 75 episodes to go of Gilmore Girls. I never seem to be short of things to watch, but my standards may not be as high as some either.
Can't say I disagree violently with that top 10 list. Those are all well written solidly entertaining shows. Never got into Sopranos but can't argue about its cultural impact and hope to fit in a binge watch Someday if it ever gets to Netflix instant play. My personal favorite of all time is The Wire, so I would put that in the #1 spot. Would also move X-Files and Six Feet Under up to my top ten and move down Twilight Zone and Cheers, and West Wing though I did really like all of them. Glad Mash & MTMS both made top ten, fond memories of youth and all.
Wish tv sit coma would just get rid of laugh track altogether though. Particularly false annoyin and jarring on MASH when you watch re-runs.
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