Out of that list, Breaking Bad. Otherwise, Game of Thrones by a long shot.

Im on episode 2 season 2 of Breaking Bad. Im enjoying it quite a bit but I really dont see what all the fuss is about. It's well written/acted sure, but so far it's not in same league as Sopranos/Wire/Deadwood

@Lobster_Ear said:

I felt I could have stopped watching The Wire at any time

Unlike most of the shows listed, The Wire actually requires you to stick with it for an extended period of time to get something out of it.

I was watching The Sopranos through my teenage years. Loved that show. Started watching it again, still holds up. I think Tony Soprano is the greatest character in a drama ever.

So many HOLY SHIT moments just come out of nowhere in that show, killing off main characters, some great dark comedy and some great music, crazy dream sequences. it was defiently the highest standard of acting on TV up until that point and the greatest portrayal of a family to date, you truly got to see his kids evolve though their teenage years, from Anthony Soprano Jr being the happy fat kid to a skinny man with a bag around his head trying to kill him self in the pool.

The Sopranos, because the other three wouldn't have existed without it.

I chose The Wire. It was really hard to decide between that or The Sopranos.

The Sopranos, because the other three wouldn't have existed without it.

Deadwood.

I feel the Sopranos is the best in the past 25 years, but Breaking Bad is certainly my favorite.

@atomic_dumpling: Twin Peaks was quite silly though, it never felt "real" like these shows do. And it only had one good season.

Out of that list I have only seen Breaking Bad and only half way through season 2. My personal pick, although not on the list is Six Feet Under.

I watched the first episode of the Wire and didn't like it at all. Anyways, the only one of those four that I kind of like is Breaking Bad.

@ninjakiller: I tend to disagree as I felt the characters of The Sopranos got deeper the more it went on plus Steve Buscemi showing up in season 5 wqs great. So many characters had dramatic changes during the duration of that show, just a split second and everything you thought you knew about them changed. Like the situation that happened between Tony and Christopher during the final season. As much as it didnt have the greatest ending, I thought the last season of The Sopranos was tense with a capital T, everything Tony had relied on changed, those last couple of episodes are on the edge of your seat suspense.

Breaking Bad. I like Mad Men, but meh. Gotta go with Hisenberg!

Oz beats all of these shows.

Mad Men should not even be on this list, especially not at number one.

@Harkat said:

Why can't I pick The Cape?

lol

well my vote was Friday Night Lights, but it lost to Breaking Bad early which would be my 2nd choice

@MarkWahlberg said:

@whyareyoucrouchingspock said:

@Soapy86 said:

I would put Battlestar Galactica above all of those except Breaking Bad.

I'd deffo put it at the top alongside "the wire" and "breaking bad".

Deep Space 9 was also a great show (from the makers of BSG).

Well, the category is Drama, not sci fi. Otherwise BSG would clearly win. Or maybe X Files.

That's kind of a weird way to categorize things, but okay.

Mad Men is all about the setting\time. Everything else about that show is boring.

Breaking Bad only watched the first season and it was all right, got the 2nd season waitng to be watched and I just cant be bothered.

Personally Buffy, but from that list Mad Men because it is probably the best show on tv at the minute.

@atomic_dumpling said:

@whyareyoucrouchingspock said:

@Lobster_Ear said:

I felt I could have stopped watching The Wire at any time

Unlike most of the shows listed, The Wire actually requires you to stick with it for an extended period of time to get something out of it.

As does Fringe, by the way. On the other hand, that well is clearly drying up. I doubt a fifth season would do the show any good. Look what happened to the X-Files …

I have never watched this show. If it's from the makers of Lost it will probably be shit piled on shit, piled on random shit, piled on shit.

Then we will find out it was a magical plug hole.

I have never watched this show. If it's from the makers of Lost it will probably be shit piled on shit, piled on random shit, piled on shit.

Then we will find out it was a magical plug hole.

If Breaking Bad's final season is half as good as any of the other season then it will take it hands down. Last season of The Wire was whack.

Life on Mars duder.

I'm going to answer for none of the above and put my vote for the Korean drama "Coffee Prince". And yes, I'm serious.

Don't forget Twin Peaks

The Wire is the right answer. Mad Men is an enthralling exercise in style that turned into shlocky anti-progressive wish fulfillment. The Sopranos is a close second, and Breaking Bad is very fun to watch and always engaging but a little insulting to these other more artistic shows.

Of the shows in their bracket? Lost. I haven't seen any of the four in the poll.

I have yet to finish out the entirety of Breaking Bad on Netflix because I really ended up just hating Walt and couldn't find a reason to watch the show beyond that after a certain point. The decisions he made just made me not give a fuck anymore.

Mad Men is a show that I've watched all of, but I essentially look at it and say "well, there's not much different on here than General Hospital except for, ya know, it's the 60s". People like to think the writing is excellent, but it just makes me realize that more people should watch General Hospital and see that the writing isn't that different after all. I enjoy watching Mad Men, although I thought Season 4 was pretty shit until the last three episodes or so.

I have not seen The Wire, as I just don't have the time to give it the attention that I've been told (multiple times by many people) that it deserves in order to appreciate what it does. One day...

The Sopranos was cool, but it's a situation where I look at it in the whole and say "it had its low valleys more often than I wanted for my tastes".

In all honesty, my pick would be The X-Files...and that's not an option...so fuck that list. My other two options would be Battlestar Galactica or Law & Order: SVU. If there is anyone that objects to Law & Order: SVU, I have to say this: what the fuck is wrong with you as a human being, good sir or ma'am?

Breaking Bad is my favorite but I haven't seen The Wire. I've only heard fantastic things about it. Definitely will be watching it at some point in the future.

I'm going with Breaking Bad. I don't think it's had a bad batch of episodes, at least I don't remember. I really wish the Wire was on Netflix, though.

Breaking Bad has one leg in a pulp/popcorn past. That is not a charge you could lay at the door of any of these other shows.

Mad Men is my favourite show on now but Breaking Bad is a close second.

I have yet to see the wire

The Wire.

I've only watched Breaking Bad...

@jakkblades said:

The Wire is the right answer. Mad Men is an enthralling exercise in style that turned into shlocky anti-progressive wish fulfillment. The Sopranos is a close second, and Breaking Bad is very fun to watch and always engaging but a little insulting to these other more artistic shows.

Breaking Bad best character developments i'v seen in a show. It's about being repressed and unfulfillment and what exploring what happens when the character becomes drunk on it. It executes it wonderfully with a natural organic sense of development than something ham fisted and forced. I don't see why it's less artistic. What it does, it does well.

Best of all time? Deadwood. Current best? Sons of Anarchy.

Where is the Friday Night Lights option?

@Morrow said:

Where is the Friday Night Lights option?

i know so underrated

As great as Friday Night Lights is, it will unfortunately forever have the taint of season 2. No fault of the show, but still a taint on an otherwise fantastic show.

I've only seen Mad Men and I love that show. I should watch Breaking Bad sometime, though.

Breaking Bad is the most overrated show ever. There is no reason to like that show from season 3 onward.

The Wire is amazing, it exceeded the enormous hype I had for it before I watched it. It's crazy how many great characters that show had and even with the slow pacing, I was never bored with it. It was always leading to something amazing and I thought the show always had something important to say.

Season 4 is as good as entertainment gets. It was great throughout.

I have no interest in watching the other 2.

i only saw the first season of the wire, while it was amazing, the first bit of the 2nd season made me lose interest pretty quick. though ive been told season 2 sucks and everything else is amazing, so ill probably go back and watch it. wish it was on netflix.

the sopranos is pretty great. it was standard mafia type stuff.

Mad Men i can't get into, like i'll watch it and see that its well written and very well acted. but every single character is a self-absorbed douchebag that treats everyone else like shit. especially Don. constantly cheats on his wife. treats people like shit. and im supposed to like this guy? he just comes off as a douchebag being a douchebag. ive seen the first two seasons and i can't remember a single likable character. i hated everyone.

i'm going to have to go with Breaking Bad though. that show is simply amazing. i love it to death though.

EDIT- reading the thread i see alot of people saying twin peaks. im actually watching that on netflix now. its good but feels VERY dated. like extremely dated.

The Sopranos, no question.

Looking at the bracket: why did they put Six Feet Under in the first round against Sopranos? Man, that's harsh. Six Feet Under would be my 2nd choice.

Wire is pretty awesome as well. Mad Men is overrated. Like really overrated. And Breaking Bad is nothing more than a cool show.

Oh, and in a time where endings are being discussed exhaustively, both Six Feet Under and Sopranos have amazing endings. Here, Six Feet Under takes the cake. Such a beautiful ending.

Breaking Bad and The Wire are both so excellent, but in the end, The Wire gets it. The first four series are flawless, and the fifth is still better than almost all tv out there.

I don't really get the love for Breaking Bad. I'm saying The Wire.

@ez123 said:

Breaking Bad is the most overrated show ever. There is no reason to like that show from season 3 onward.

Why? If you're going to make a statement like that, explain yourself.

I see no Lovejoy, or The Sweeny, or Minder, or Sherlock, or Pride and Prejudice, or Midsummer Murders, or Life on Mars, or Auf Wiedersehen Pet, or Boys from the Blackstuff, or Shameless, or Doc Martin, or Kingdom or Inspector Morse.

i've never seen Breaking Bad, but i only found the other 3 to be marginally and occasionally enjoyable. sad, sad choices.