JCC What's the best TV show of all time?

... did you actually watch the first 6 seasons of ER when John Wells was the showrunner and half the writing staff were doctors? And other people on the writing staff were people such as David Simon, creator of The Wire? Early ER was an incredibly realistic and socially conscious look at the medical and social issues facing urban America, along with the hardships of being a doctor and medical student in such an environment. These 6 seasons rate as some of the best TV drama of all time. The following 2 seasons are focused on different things, more personal aspects of characters' lives, but are just as good. Suffice it to say, I've seen enormous amounts of television, and no matter what, whenever I come back to the first 8 seasons of ER, it still remains my favorite show of all time.

Now, best is an impossible thing to measure, though. I don't believe in comparing shows that are completely different or in different genres. There are probably a dozen shows past and present that I could list out as among the best that television has to offer:
ER
M*A*S*H
BSG
Lost
The West Wing
The Wire
Friday Night Lights
Arrested Development
The Thick of It
Frasier
Game of Thrones (so far),
Breaking Bad (so far)
Mad Men (so far)
The Office (UK and probably seasons 2-6 of US)
Sherlock (so far)
early Law and Order (as far as police procedurals go)..

But even this list is only going to be shows that are both great and which I personally liked. And mostly these shows can't be compared to one another.

 

I'm tempted to say append The Thick of It to my list too but its getting too long

 

Nice job, Kendra, you made me spit my gum across my office.

 

Three's Company.

 

Then what the frak are you waiting for? Get on it!

I've read so much gushing praise about The Wire here I guess I should give it a try. But as luck would have it, damn nearly useless Netflix doesn't carry it.

 

Oh well, I can't think of any other possible way to watch it.

 

I dithered on whether to put it on my list at first, but then I just pictured Malcolm Tucker's enraged eyes and felt that he would reach through from the world of fiction into ours and eviscerate me with his words if I forgot to include it.

 

Someone loaned me the first season Wire dvds. It's really good.

 

While there have certainly been many other good shows listed so far

 

im genuinely pretty shocked that you of all people have never seen the wire

 

I had never even heard of the Wire until Knight-writer told me he was genuinely shocked that I of all people had never seen it.

 

...did you actually watch any of the episodes of 'Emergency!'?

 

Like the previously mentioned Emergency!, Adam-12, as it was the COPS before COPS was even thought of, despite the fact that it was scripted.

Barney Miller, as it was probably the most realistic police show ever out there, but beyond the genre, the stripped down, bare bones sarcasm worked on many levels.

If you like the Wire, then Unit is the military version. (accounting for the cable tv vs network tv limitations) The Unit broke barriers by at least attempting to show the effects on the family at home, although it fell into the over-drama trap at times. The Unit season 1 and 2 probably top notch, it faltered a bit, but season 4 regained some lost footing. I'd regard the pilot episode and the episode where they are at the remote supply depot as some of the finest television anywhere, all driven by Dennis Haysbert.

NBC's short-lived series Boomtown was excellent, especially with the completely non-linear, POV story telling of the first handful of episodes. This was abandoned in later ones in order to be more mainstream.

Michael Mann had an excellent series (also short-lived) based on his Robbery-Homicide division of detectives portrayed in the movie Heat. This show was what his updated Miami Vice movie should have been, but wasn't. Mann experimented with digital cameras before they were common, and it focused on a pre-messed up Tom Sizemore, whose legal/drug troubles doomed the show in real life. Sizemore was never the same.

Better Off Ted was heir apparent to Scrubs, and in many ways, was much better. (again, which all but assured it would be cancelled)

As for whats on the air currently, I can't get enough of the Cinemax/Sky joint venture called Strike Back and Tom Selleck is at the top of his game in the network series Blue Bloods.

 

the military version of the wire was generation kill. you know, because it was by the same people who made the wire

boomtown was pretty dope tho

 

Yeah, I'd give you that. But The Unit is more watchable as far as a "best shows of all time" list goes. I have many faults with GK.

 

Babylon 5

Sent from my Precious using Tapatalk 2

 

im willing to bet your problems with generation kill weren't the kind anyone who doesnt fellate the military semi-professionally would notice or care about

 

Great show. The Wire is on my to watch list, but I haven't gotten to it yet.

 

Jerry to George after the meeting, "what, what was with you and that artistic integrity?" "youre not artistic and you have no integrity!"

and Georges face he makes is just amazing. Couldn't cast that show any better than they did. Jason played one of TV's most iconic characters, top 3 id say.

 

lol, here it is....

 

Back when we were doing the JCC's Favorite TV Shows, I got a PM out of the blue from a shocked KnightWriter, asking why The Wire had been left off my list. KW is pretty hardcore when it comes to The Wire.

 

I'm surprised he hasn't shown up already in here, as a matter of fact.

 

Better Off Ted is definitely one I considered including. As far as comedies go, it's definitely in my top 10 of all time. Though I definitely prefer dramas.

I've seen a bit of it, though I'd never claim to be an expert. And I'm not trying to take anything away from that show at all. I was simply saying that downplaying how great early ER was ludicrous. I said nothing at all about Emergency! itself.

 

Game of Thrones, while good, doesn't belong anywhere near this list.

Basically, the only 3 entrants that are even mildly acceptable other than The Wire (the correct answer) are Breaking Bad, Mad Men, and The Sopranos.

LOST and Babylon 5 people? Are you freaking kidding me?

 

whoever said netflix is worthless clearly doesn't realize that all 162 episodes of magnum p.i. are available to watch instantly!