4 ms·

Not even close. The only contender is Deadwood (RIP).

by spenuke 9y ago

tomjakubowski 9y ago
Surely The Sopranos is a contender as well. In my mind those three occupy a tier above all other television dramas.
- _asummers 9y ago
  Sopranos is in the tier JUST immediately below The Wire and Breaking Bad, for me. Amazing TV, but not quite at that extra-elite level. I have not yet watched Deadwood, and judging from these discussions, I should.
yannickt 9y ago
I would count both The Sopranos and Breaking Bad as contenders, personally.
- deleted 9y ago
  [deleted]
- jancsika 9y ago
  I think the Wire excelled at a more difficult game because the writing adhered to a kind of journalistic dogma that didn't allow for many of the tricks used in the storytelling of Breaking Bad or The Sopranos. Walt could blow up a room and not only survive, but convince a psychopathic drug dealer to do business with him by that very act. Tony Soprano could garner empathy and understanding by showing us his dream sequences. But The Wire gave its audience only what its characters said and did. Characters who-- by and large-- couldn't just "problem solve" their way out of their circumstances like Walt did so often.
  - DanBC 9y ago
    McNulty planting evidence in the Journalism season was such bullshit though.
    - balls187 9y ago
      How so? Season 5 is the most underappreciated season, but I've really started to appreciate it. McNulty has been a character who believes the ends justify the means. In Season 1, he falsifies that Sidner (iirc) was on the roof, thus allowing the police to admit phone tapped evidence. In Season 5, it shows how taking that mentality of by any means necessary can quickly spiral out of control.
ttoinou 9y ago
I stopped watching Deadwood in the middle of season 2 because the acting was so bad it didn't felt real (but I liked it apart from that) Oz is still one of my favorite tv show, it has so many good characters and the huit clos format (closed doors) is really perfect for focusing on them
lz400 9y ago
I think nobody really touches David Simon in TV. He's like Miyazaki in anime I feel. First it's him, then everybody else. The Wire, Treme, Generation Kill... it's just another level. On the next step below we'd have things like Man Men, Deadwood, The Sopranos, etc.
balls187 9y ago
I enjoyed deadwood, and I thought the story arc with The Comstock and George Hearst as a robber baron was going to have a huge payoff, but instead the series was cut short which is a huge shame. There is just enough foolery to make it easily tier 2 for me: Francis Wolcott's story arc, Olyphant's acting, Seth Bullock's attempt at morale highground. If folks aren't turned off by violence, profanity, and prostitution, it's definitely must watch tv.

Not even close. The only contender is Deadwood (RIP).

tomjakubowski 9y ago

Surely The Sopranos is a contender as well. In my mind those three occupy a tier above all other television dramas.

_asummers 9y ago
Sopranos is in the tier JUST immediately below The Wire and Breaking Bad, for me. Amazing TV, but not quite at that extra-elite level. I have not yet watched Deadwood, and judging from these discussions, I should.

yannickt 9y ago

I would count both The Sopranos and Breaking Bad as contenders, personally.

deleted 9y ago
[deleted]
jancsika 9y ago
I think the Wire excelled at a more difficult game because the writing adhered to a kind of journalistic dogma that didn't allow for many of the tricks used in the storytelling of Breaking Bad or The Sopranos. Walt could blow up a room and not only survive, but convince a psychopathic drug dealer to do business with him by that very act. Tony Soprano could garner empathy and understanding by showing us his dream sequences. But The Wire gave its audience only what its characters said and did. Characters who-- by and large-- couldn't just "problem solve" their way out of their circumstances like Walt did so often.
- DanBC 9y ago
  McNulty planting evidence in the Journalism season was such bullshit though.
  - balls187 9y ago
    How so? Season 5 is the most underappreciated season, but I've really started to appreciate it. McNulty has been a character who believes the ends justify the means. In Season 1, he falsifies that Sidner (iirc) was on the roof, thus allowing the police to admit phone tapped evidence. In Season 5, it shows how taking that mentality of by any means necessary can quickly spiral out of control.

ttoinou 9y ago

I stopped watching Deadwood in the middle of season 2 because the acting was so bad it didn't felt real (but I liked it apart from that) Oz is still one of my favorite tv show, it has so many good characters and the huit clos format (closed doors) is really perfect for focusing on them

lz400 9y ago

I think nobody really touches David Simon in TV. He's like Miyazaki in anime I feel. First it's him, then everybody else. The Wire, Treme, Generation Kill... it's just another level. On the next step below we'd have things like Man Men, Deadwood, The Sopranos, etc.

balls187 9y ago

I enjoyed deadwood, and I thought the story arc with The Comstock and George Hearst as a robber baron was going to have a huge payoff, but instead the series was cut short which is a huge shame. There is just enough foolery to make it easily tier 2 for me: Francis Wolcott's story arc, Olyphant's acting, Seth Bullock's attempt at morale highground. If folks aren't turned off by violence, profanity, and prostitution, it's definitely must watch tv.