A great read (Article on television's "best"/"greatest" drama)

[[wcip]Angel]

For the last couple of months, the online publication Vulture has featured a "battle of dramatic television" by knockout, ending the finale with two impressive contestants: The Wire and The Sopranos.

http://www.vulture.com/2012/03/drama-der...ymag_press

I don't know if there are any fans of those two shows here, but I thought I'd just show this. In my opinion, this is one of the most expertly written analyses of these shows' popularity I've seen. I enjoyed the article immensely, not just because it features my two favourite TV shows, but also for its depth, focus and clarity. I've never seen a review like this.

As for the winner, choosing between the two is as difficult for me as it was for the author of the article.

For those of you who have followed both shows, what do you think of the article and its outcome?

[Jester]

For those of you who have followed both shows, what do you think of the article and its outcome?

As someone who has never watched a full episode of The Sopranos, but who is a devoted fan of The Wire, I thought it was an interesting read. There are a couple shows I like better than The Wire (Breaking Bad, Firefly), but I can certainly see the argument that it is, full out, the greatest show ever.

Having not seen The Sopranos, I can't judge on relative merits. But the key issue seems to be the balance of consistency and scope. What show has tackled something (or things) as large as The Wire, pulled it off with precision and grace, never disappointed while it was good, and retired before it had to be put down? Firefly stands out in my mind as incredible, but at least part of that is a function of being killed before it could diminish in quality. Joss, for all that he is My Master Now, has never pulled off a consistent show that arced gracefully - Dollhouse is as close as it gets. But The Wire pulls it off. Maybe Breaking Bad will as well. Here's hoping.

-Jester

[kandrathe]

Firefly stands out in my mind as incredible, but at least part of that is a function of being killed before it could diminish in quality. Joss, for all that he is My Master Now, has never pulled off a consistent show that arced gracefully - Dollhouse is as close as it gets. But The Wire pulls it off. Maybe Breaking Bad will as well. Here's hoping.

I find that I'm more interested in giving shows a chance if their main writer is someone like Joss Whedon, or Alan Ball does a good job sometimes. Whedon has more tenacity, and a more complete vision of his series. I find Ball's quality ebbs as the series progresses and he is often done after the first season.