The Shield should be on here somewhere. I don't know that there has been an anti-hero like Vic Mackey. For network TV, it was groundbreaking at the time. And an unbelievable cast (Chiklis, Goggins, CCH Pounder, Glenn Close for a season or so, Anthony Anderson and Forest Whitaker both in a couple of truly memorable guest spots). Based on some true events as well.
It's as good as any of the HBO big boys (with the exception of maybe The Sopranos) with network constraints.
The Americans is considered by many, including critics, to be the best TV show ever. And I’ll add Sons of Anarchy to that list. Note: You really need to watch Justified. It’s addictive.
I've never seen the Americans, but it does look interesting, so I'll check it out. I hesitate to fully trust critical reception because a lot of culture writing has just turned into glorified PR for studios and labels. Ted Lasso received unanimous critical praise (at least early on), and I never thought it was that interesting of a show.
I remember liking Sons of Anarchy and enjoying it back in the day. It'd definitely be on my list if I expanded it to 50 shows. Judging by the reactions in the comments section, I may do a Redux end-of-year version, albeit much more condensed than this one.
The Americans is the best show I’ve ever seen. FX takes a lot of chances and produces some extremely inventive programming. You won’t be disappointed in The Americans.
Love this list, and love seeing Deadwood so high (it usually doesn’t get the love it deserves). Only nit is Justified should be on here somewhere. At least an honorable mention. It was an amazing show.
Haven't seen it, so my list is skewed towards what I've personally seen. There's just too much to watch. I'm still playing catch-up with "Severance" and if it keeps up on this trajectory, it could easily be a top 15 show.
Since you love Deadwood, you should definitely give Justified a try. It’s not one for one by any means, but there’s clearly some influence (Timothy Olyphant stars in Justified, and I think I counted 12 or 13 common actors between the two shows). Love your list again though. If I was doing one, it would have so many of the shame shows - Deadwood, Sopranos, Atlanta, Twin Peaks the Return, Curb, etc.
Here’s my standard disclaimer about Justified when I recommend it to people: The pilot episode is fantastic and essential. It’s pretty much word for word from the Elmore Leonard short story that the show is based on. From there, they have about a 3 episode run that is just okay, where they’re kind of doing a bad guy of the week format. Around episode 5 of season 1 though, they figure out it’s better to go with serialization and to put a heavy focus back on Boyd Crowder (featured in the pilot, and played to absolute perfection by Walton Goggins). That’s really when the show takes off. So if you think it’s just okay in the early going, be patient with it, because it does get so much better.
David Simon talking about the Wire as a Greek tragedy (while the Sopranos is the archetypal Shakespearean tragedy) is always why those two shows need to be 1&2 on any list
There's certainly a case to be made for it. My top 7 shows are all pretty close. Given the influx of recommendations of shows to watch, I'll end up doing an end-of-year redux, and I think I'll tier them out instead of ranking them.
It's amazing. I slightly docked it points because while Seasons 1, 3, and 4 are as good as anything ever recorded for TV, Season 2 is somewhat of a lull (though it does move the plot along so I don't hold it against it too much) and Season 5 doesn't end the show on the strongest note.
Don't get me wrong, I still love it, but it's just not quite as consistent as the shows I put above it.
That’s the joy of so much good TV…Breaking Bad and Mad Men done nothing for me, never watched an episode of Lost and that’s ok! I’ve also watched Parks & Rec and Community in full about 15 times without ever loving it less!
The peaks of Parks & Rec are as good as anything that has come out of network sitcoms. My only issue is the bookend seasons are just nowhere near as good. But that and Community would easily be on my list if I expanded it to 50 shows.
On first read, I thought the list was excellent. But I thought that Better Call Saul maybe deserved a place on the main list, rather than a honourable mention. So I went through it again, and all of the shows that I could conceivably have suggested were less good I had either a) not seen, or, b) acknowledged as superior/different enough to agree to disagree on. So, damn. Well done.
It's a good show! I had to make some tough calls for sure. Honestly, when I'm done with Severance, and as new seasons come out, that could easily be in the Top 25 as well.
I love it. Only thing that prevented it from cracking the top 25 was the creator leaving and them making a forgettable 4th season without him. Otherwise, one of the best satires of race relations in Bush- and Obama-era America.
Sam - Great job, and appreciate the thoughtful response forum as well. Especially like some of suggestions for “another look” at some not included this round, especially “The Americans”, “The Shield”. But most important— you make some great points as to how TV networks tend towards killing their great shows by focusing on ever-lower “mush for the masses” death spirals. That, and “zombie clones” of originals make me want to howl! Thx again for your forum— food for thought.
Glad you appreciated it! I'm going through the suggestions and watching some more shows, so there will definitely be a follow up later this year. Instead of ranking them, I'll be doing them in tiers, because that's a more helpful rubric to analyzing shows. Stay tuned!
Great calls on sopranos and deadwood, but I never understood the breaking bad love. It’s entertaining and looks good but in terms of characters it’s basically a kids show
It's just a straightfoward and entertaining show that doesn't try to be anything more. I also have a lot of respect for "El Camino" because it just does what it needs to do, which is tie up some loose ends and peace out.
I could understand people putting it lower for shows like "The Wire" or "Curb", but it's still a top-tier show.
Any list that has Six Feet Under as an “honorable mention” below White Lotus is just wrong on its face. Look I like a lot of these shows on here and have fond memories of many of them (not the execrable “You” or the overwrought and overwritten “White Lotus”). But the issue is that TV - even in its “Golden era” is a vastly inferior medium to film. It’s meant to be episodic and unending - which is why almost every TV narrative arc ends without satisfying the audience. Outside of the Sopranos, Twin Peaks - yes Six Feet Under and maybe Mad Men and Breaking Bad, absolutely none of these shows stuck the landing. There are like 5 good TV shows in history period.
I have "Six Feet Under" just because it's been a while since I've seen it, but I do plan on rewatching it in the coming months. By no means is this list cemented--"Severance" can definitely creep up the rankings when I finish the second season.
I get why people would be turned off by "You." It's definitely extra and everything is cranked to the max. But I enjoy it because it skewers all the romcom tropes and matches their absurdity by flipping them on their head. And its satirization on NYC and LA yuppie culture is painfully accurate.
And final point, I'm with you on TV being an inferior medium than film and novels as well, for the reasons you listed and what I went over in my intro. That's really my point: There are a lot of above-average to good shows, but not many that are amazing. If I stretched this list out to 50 shows, shows 50-15 would be good to very good, 15-6 would be great, and the top 5 would be classic.
Maybe the best overall review of The Sopranos (my favorite all-time show) I’ve ever read; you nailed everything that was funny, thrilling, sad, deplorable, and gripping about the show in just a few paragraphs. Nicely done!
As you know, I'm not a fan of television due to the inefficiency of the storytelling. I've only seen the entirety of eight of the shows on this list, and for my money only "Peaking Blinders," "The Wire," and "Deadwood" merited their entire run. I even found "Breaking Bad" and "Mad Men" far too long.
Alas, that's my issue, and your summation of the genre and individual show analyses are just superb. Really good stuff.
One show to consider, if you haven't seen it, is "Oz" on HBO. It's semantic, but some people consider it to be the progenitor of prestige TV since it predated "The Sopranos" and proved you could do insane shit on television and people would watch it. I binged four seasons in 2016 and then tapped out because it was too bleak. You read that right. Too bleak for me...in 2016.
On a final note, I watched "Shogun" on FX last year and thought it was pretty dang good. The set design and performances make it worth a look, though it's by no means perfect. Might've deserved an honorable mention.
Totally can see the arguments for Breaking Bad and Mad Men for being too long. I have a lot of respect for Succession for not caving into the pressures of stretching out longer than it needed to.
I've had Oz on my to-watch list for a while now, and also have heard the same things you said about it being the genesis of prestige TV. I've seen a few episodes of Shogun and did think it was good, but there's just too much stuff to watch!
The Shield should be on here somewhere. I don't know that there has been an anti-hero like Vic Mackey. For network TV, it was groundbreaking at the time. And an unbelievable cast (Chiklis, Goggins, CCH Pounder, Glenn Close for a season or so, Anthony Anderson and Forest Whitaker both in a couple of truly memorable guest spots). Based on some true events as well.
It's as good as any of the HBO big boys (with the exception of maybe The Sopranos) with network constraints.
That's one I haven't gotten to. I remember it being big when it was running. There's just too much to watch!
Only so many hours in the day!
The Americans is considered by many, including critics, to be the best TV show ever. And I’ll add Sons of Anarchy to that list. Note: You really need to watch Justified. It’s addictive.
I've never seen the Americans, but it does look interesting, so I'll check it out. I hesitate to fully trust critical reception because a lot of culture writing has just turned into glorified PR for studios and labels. Ted Lasso received unanimous critical praise (at least early on), and I never thought it was that interesting of a show.
I remember liking Sons of Anarchy and enjoying it back in the day. It'd definitely be on my list if I expanded it to 50 shows. Judging by the reactions in the comments section, I may do a Redux end-of-year version, albeit much more condensed than this one.
The Americans is absolutely worth your time. It is strong beginning to end.
The Americans is the best show I’ve ever seen. FX takes a lot of chances and produces some extremely inventive programming. You won’t be disappointed in The Americans.
Love this list, and love seeing Deadwood so high (it usually doesn’t get the love it deserves). Only nit is Justified should be on here somewhere. At least an honorable mention. It was an amazing show.
Haven't seen it, so my list is skewed towards what I've personally seen. There's just too much to watch. I'm still playing catch-up with "Severance" and if it keeps up on this trajectory, it could easily be a top 15 show.
Since you love Deadwood, you should definitely give Justified a try. It’s not one for one by any means, but there’s clearly some influence (Timothy Olyphant stars in Justified, and I think I counted 12 or 13 common actors between the two shows). Love your list again though. If I was doing one, it would have so many of the shame shows - Deadwood, Sopranos, Atlanta, Twin Peaks the Return, Curb, etc.
Damn, didn't realize there's that much crossover! Now, I'll have to add it to the list.
Here’s my standard disclaimer about Justified when I recommend it to people: The pilot episode is fantastic and essential. It’s pretty much word for word from the Elmore Leonard short story that the show is based on. From there, they have about a 3 episode run that is just okay, where they’re kind of doing a bad guy of the week format. Around episode 5 of season 1 though, they figure out it’s better to go with serialization and to put a heavy focus back on Boyd Crowder (featured in the pilot, and played to absolute perfection by Walton Goggins). That’s really when the show takes off. So if you think it’s just okay in the early going, be patient with it, because it does get so much better.
David Simon talking about the Wire as a Greek tragedy (while the Sopranos is the archetypal Shakespearean tragedy) is always why those two shows need to be 1&2 on any list
There's certainly a case to be made for it. My top 7 shows are all pretty close. Given the influx of recommendations of shows to watch, I'll end up doing an end-of-year redux, and I think I'll tier them out instead of ranking them.
The Wire is why the television was invented
It's amazing. I slightly docked it points because while Seasons 1, 3, and 4 are as good as anything ever recorded for TV, Season 2 is somewhat of a lull (though it does move the plot along so I don't hold it against it too much) and Season 5 doesn't end the show on the strongest note.
Don't get me wrong, I still love it, but it's just not quite as consistent as the shows I put above it.
That’s the joy of so much good TV…Breaking Bad and Mad Men done nothing for me, never watched an episode of Lost and that’s ok! I’ve also watched Parks & Rec and Community in full about 15 times without ever loving it less!
The peaks of Parks & Rec are as good as anything that has come out of network sitcoms. My only issue is the bookend seasons are just nowhere near as good. But that and Community would easily be on my list if I expanded it to 50 shows.
On first read, I thought the list was excellent. But I thought that Better Call Saul maybe deserved a place on the main list, rather than a honourable mention. So I went through it again, and all of the shows that I could conceivably have suggested were less good I had either a) not seen, or, b) acknowledged as superior/different enough to agree to disagree on. So, damn. Well done.
It's a good show! I had to make some tough calls for sure. Honestly, when I'm done with Severance, and as new seasons come out, that could easily be in the Top 25 as well.
I'm that guy who watched all the major HBO shows, besides Deadwood. Gotta fix that ASAP.
Do it! The show's a masterpiece.
It's far more underrated than it should be. It's absolutely up there with the best shows.
Glad to see "Boondocks" as an honorable mention; I found it astounding.
I love it. Only thing that prevented it from cracking the top 25 was the creator leaving and them making a forgettable 4th season without him. Otherwise, one of the best satires of race relations in Bush- and Obama-era America.
Sam - Great job, and appreciate the thoughtful response forum as well. Especially like some of suggestions for “another look” at some not included this round, especially “The Americans”, “The Shield”. But most important— you make some great points as to how TV networks tend towards killing their great shows by focusing on ever-lower “mush for the masses” death spirals. That, and “zombie clones” of originals make me want to howl! Thx again for your forum— food for thought.
Glad you appreciated it! I'm going through the suggestions and watching some more shows, so there will definitely be a follow up later this year. Instead of ranking them, I'll be doing them in tiers, because that's a more helpful rubric to analyzing shows. Stay tuned!
Great calls on sopranos and deadwood, but I never understood the breaking bad love. It’s entertaining and looks good but in terms of characters it’s basically a kids show
It's just a straightfoward and entertaining show that doesn't try to be anything more. I also have a lot of respect for "El Camino" because it just does what it needs to do, which is tie up some loose ends and peace out.
I could understand people putting it lower for shows like "The Wire" or "Curb", but it's still a top-tier show.
Any list that has Six Feet Under as an “honorable mention” below White Lotus is just wrong on its face. Look I like a lot of these shows on here and have fond memories of many of them (not the execrable “You” or the overwrought and overwritten “White Lotus”). But the issue is that TV - even in its “Golden era” is a vastly inferior medium to film. It’s meant to be episodic and unending - which is why almost every TV narrative arc ends without satisfying the audience. Outside of the Sopranos, Twin Peaks - yes Six Feet Under and maybe Mad Men and Breaking Bad, absolutely none of these shows stuck the landing. There are like 5 good TV shows in history period.
I have "Six Feet Under" just because it's been a while since I've seen it, but I do plan on rewatching it in the coming months. By no means is this list cemented--"Severance" can definitely creep up the rankings when I finish the second season.
I get why people would be turned off by "You." It's definitely extra and everything is cranked to the max. But I enjoy it because it skewers all the romcom tropes and matches their absurdity by flipping them on their head. And its satirization on NYC and LA yuppie culture is painfully accurate.
And final point, I'm with you on TV being an inferior medium than film and novels as well, for the reasons you listed and what I went over in my intro. That's really my point: There are a lot of above-average to good shows, but not many that are amazing. If I stretched this list out to 50 shows, shows 50-15 would be good to very good, 15-6 would be great, and the top 5 would be classic.
Maybe the best overall review of The Sopranos (my favorite all-time show) I’ve ever read; you nailed everything that was funny, thrilling, sad, deplorable, and gripping about the show in just a few paragraphs. Nicely done!
Thank you! It's my favorite show so I had to do it justice.
Thanks, Sam. I have seen ten of your 25 so will keep an eye out for the others.
Which ones piqued your interest?
I will have to go back and look for the post again
Fucking fantastic piece, Sam. Bravo.
As you know, I'm not a fan of television due to the inefficiency of the storytelling. I've only seen the entirety of eight of the shows on this list, and for my money only "Peaking Blinders," "The Wire," and "Deadwood" merited their entire run. I even found "Breaking Bad" and "Mad Men" far too long.
Alas, that's my issue, and your summation of the genre and individual show analyses are just superb. Really good stuff.
One show to consider, if you haven't seen it, is "Oz" on HBO. It's semantic, but some people consider it to be the progenitor of prestige TV since it predated "The Sopranos" and proved you could do insane shit on television and people would watch it. I binged four seasons in 2016 and then tapped out because it was too bleak. You read that right. Too bleak for me...in 2016.
On a final note, I watched "Shogun" on FX last year and thought it was pretty dang good. The set design and performances make it worth a look, though it's by no means perfect. Might've deserved an honorable mention.
Totally can see the arguments for Breaking Bad and Mad Men for being too long. I have a lot of respect for Succession for not caving into the pressures of stretching out longer than it needed to.
I've had Oz on my to-watch list for a while now, and also have heard the same things you said about it being the genesis of prestige TV. I've seen a few episodes of Shogun and did think it was good, but there's just too much stuff to watch!
Succession really is awesome. One of the few pieces of mainstream media where the hype was justified.
Shogun starts a touch slow, is awesome in the middle, and then falters a bit at the end. All in all I'd say the full season's worth a look.
Enjoy Oz!
Agree on “Oz” - one of the original HBO great ones - and early Edie Falco, J.K. Simmons and the mayhem guy from the insurance commercials.
Justified, Bosch, Ozark, Sons of Anarchy, Vikings. Surprised Game of Thrones didn't get a mention in any context.
The Larry Sanders Show, HBO, 1992 to 98. It's funny but it also gets into some really deep and really human stuff. Great actors, great characters.
My list was contained to the last 25 years.
Oops! You're right. Sorry about that!