Sopranos named best written show of all time
- Thread starter cycloneryan
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Hard to beat Deadwood....but Cheers, Mash, and dare I say Vikings are all good.
I mean. It’s Breaking Bad. And it’s not even really close.
Vikings needed to be on a non cable network. It's missing some of the brutality and language that's allowed on the streaming services.
I’ve tried twice. It just feels so dated. Same with the sopranos but that holds up better in my opinion.
I dont' agree. I think the last season of Breaking Bad and the 4 Season of Dexter are the two best seasons of any TV show in History. Dexter blew it after about season 5 and the ending was crap. Breaking bad has a lot of dull episodes. I thought the first 4 seasons were really good. The best thing they did was end the show so great that it made the whole series so much better.
Mash, Cheers, Seinfeld are the top 3 comedies and it's not close. Pick an order and it would be hard to argue.
I have not seen Game of Thrones yet and I have heard that is good writing.
- Mar 27, 2006
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I still haven't seen it. It's been on my list of shows to start for a long time, but I've never pulled the trigger
In no particular order. Seinfeld, Breaking Bad, Sopranos, game of thrones (ended badly but…) I liked Boardwalk Empire
- Mar 27, 2006
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11 years ago I picked the Venture Brothers. 3 seasons and a movie later, and I won't walk back my claim even an inch.
Just one of the absolute best written television shows ever. It's right up there with the big hitters like Breaking Bad and the Sopranos as far as I'm concerned. You can tell that the writers truly love the world that they created, because it just kept getting better. A lot of shows decline towards the end of their run. Not the Venture Brothers
I'd separate things out, especially writing, between 1/2 hour sitcoms and 1 hour drama series. Hard to compare the two. Seinfeld is easily the best-written sitcom of all time IMO.
Then for me it comes down to Deadwood and The Sopranos, and I'd probably give the nod to Deadwood. Ian McShane as Al Swearengen is probably the best character on a TV show I've ever seen. Al's bit of drunken dialogue with one of his girls at the Gem Saloon while she was "servicing" him in his room is so classic...
"The place where I found you is where this warrant's from. Could you believe that I may have stuck a knife in someone's guts 12 hours before you got on the wagon and we headed out for f*cking Laramie? No! Because I don't look f*cking backwards I do what I have to do and go on...... Woah woah woah, what, you got a stagecoach to catch or something? Slow the f*ck up..... "
Then for me it comes down to Deadwood and The Sopranos, and I'd probably give the nod to Deadwood. Ian McShane as Al Swearengen is probably the best character on a TV show I've ever seen. Al's bit of drunken dialogue with one of his girls at the Gem Saloon while she was "servicing" him in his room is so classic...
"The place where I found you is where this warrant's from. Could you believe that I may have stuck a knife in someone's guts 12 hours before you got on the wagon and we headed out for f*cking Laramie? No! Because I don't look f*cking backwards I do what I have to do and go on...... Woah woah woah, what, you got a stagecoach to catch or something? Slow the f*ck up..... "
I assume losely based on non-fiction isn't eligible??
My favorite show of all time is Band of Brothers then Mad Men
My favorite show of all time is Band of Brothers then Mad Men
oh damn, forgot about Band of Brothers, and The Pacific. Hmmmm......both all time great shows.
The Pacific is wildly slept on.. It's very, very good, just not 1st ballot HOF
I think because a lot of it is technology based.
Modems, pagers, pay phones, copy machines, old cars, etc.
It's one of my favorite shows ever.
Mad Men is so great. Don Draper is one of the coolest characters ever. This scene where he owns the beatnik is one of the best...
I still love the wire, have seen it all multiple times, but I don't think I would be able to get into it now watching it for the first time.
Similarly, I've never seen The West Wing, every time I try I just can't.
- Mar 27, 2006
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Some newer ones to add to the list, Succession has to be up there. It's fantastically written. And even though it's only had one season so far, Severance has some pretty great writing as well.
We are actually just now watching Breaking Bad. It is great. Just about 7 episodes from the end (thanks Scott Co Library system).
No one has mentioned Ozark yet. I liked that as well as the Wire or Boardwalk Empire. Or at least pretty close
No one has mentioned Ozark yet. I liked that as well as the Wire or Boardwalk Empire. Or at least pretty close
Boardwalk Empire is my all time favorite but I can't help but think what could have been if they'd have been given the full 12 episodes in the final season rather than the eight that HBO gave them. Felt ever so slightly rushed and another few hours would have tied a better bow on it without having to do the flash forward.
