Top Dramas
01. The Wire
Channel: HBO
Okay, I understand to some people that this may be cliche and you are sick of people praising this show, but the fact is it's deserved. The Wire is the best dramatic series I have ever seen and i've seen (and loved) The Sopranos, Deadwood, Mad Men (The Big Four).
I remember when i first got into this show. It was June 2007, the month of my finals and high school graduation. That month was great. It involved me watching all 4 seasons of the show, and studying like crazy for finals. The Wire was locked into my brain so much that I ended up using a situation in the show as an example for the English written final. It's an engrossing show, and anything else said about the show has been said much better by everyone else.
Now I want to address something that has been said a lot for this final season. Season 5 is the worst season. There is no such thing as "worst" for The Wire, it's least favorite. Also the Baltimore Sun storyline in this season was really great. I personally found it to be as enjoyable as any other situation the show has thrown us into. I mean, it's tough to top the school storyline in season 4 because those kids are amazing and heartbreaking. This newspaper storyline was just as beautifully done as anything else in the shows history.
Sure, the show hasn't won an Emmy, but oh well. The word is clearly out on the series, and this will be a show that will live for many years and decades to come as the gold standard of what you can do on television.
02. Mad Men
Channel: AMC
Notice how in The Wire writeup how Mad Men was listed in the Big Four? It's the only show currently on the air, and it isn't premature to say it. This is the new heir to the great dramatic series throne. People didn't catch on last season when it first aired, but once the word came out and it won award after award Mad Men fever hit. It's the first original series to ever air on AMC, and it is a great calling card to have for the channel especially when you also have the great Breaking Bad.
I don't know what else to say about this show besides SEE IT SEE IT SEE IT. When you start to see Jon Hamm and other cast members cast in everything, you know why.
03. LOST
Channel: ABC
The only network drama to make it onto the top 5. That shows you how good it is. As much as people try to bash it, and think that Lindelof/Cuse have no idea what they are doing, they are loving it secretly. What other sci-fi show are they watching on network TV? Heroes? HA! Tim Kring is awful.
People can throw their X-Files and Twin Peaks comparisons at LOST for thinking it will end like those shows did, but it won't! LOST has probably the best writing staff on television. You've got Lindelof/Cuse, you've got Drew Goddard (who is off this season shooting The Cabin In The Woods), and you've got comic book god and MVP Brian K. Vaughan. Those are guys who clearly know what they are doing.
04. Breaking Bad
Channel: AMC
The best new show of the year. Vince Gilligan (The X-Files) has created such a terrific show and Bryan Cranston is the best he has ever been (which is saying a lot) as Walter White. Due to the Writers Strike, the full order of episodes didn't get shot and we were only left with 7 episodes instead of 9. The show returns this March with a full 13 episode order, and I really can't wait to find out what happens next.
Bryan Cranston won the Emmy this year for Best Actor for his work, and while some people may be sad that Jon Hamm wasn't awarded for Mad Men, I think it worked out perfectly. With Mad Men's win in Best Drama, and Cranston winning it shows that AMC is in the big leagues now. They are a very strong 2/2 for original series', and it's a streak that should hopefully continue for a while now.
05. Sons of Anarchy
Channel: FX
The second best new series behind Breaking Bad. Kurt Sutter (The Shield) created this great show on the Sons of Anarchy motorcycle club (or SAMCRO, Sons of Anarchy Motorcycle Club Redwood Original). It's a great premise for a series and the cast for this thing is just amazing. Ron Perlman, or as some of you may know him as Hellboy, is great in this as he is in everything else. Katey Sagal from Married With Children and Futurama gives an Emmy worthy performance, and Charlie Hunnam from Undeclared is the lead. I am at this very moment making my way through The Shield (on Season 1!), and with Sutter being an alum from the writing staff over there it shows that he studied under Shawn Ryan, creator of The Shield. Just like Matthew Weiner, creator of Mad Men, studied under David Chase, creator of The Sopranos.
This season was absolutely great, and got better as it went along, and I hope more people decide to check it out when it returns for Season 2. With The Shield gone, it's now the new heir to FX.
Honorable Mentions:
Friday Night Lights (DirecTV 101/NBC)
- Sure, season 2 pretty much sucked, but Season 3 has been amazing! Just as good as the first season. With Julie now becoming a cast member on 90210, that kinda puts the show in jeopardy, but i'm hoping it continues on. This new run of DirecTV episodes has proven that they still got it.
Generation Kill (HBO)
- A great mini-series from David Simon and Ed Burns from The Wire. Based on Rolling Stone reporter Evan Wright's book on the Iraq war, it's the truest and greatest piece of reporting that has come out of this war. I suggest that everyone check it out.
Dexter (Showtime)
- The season is still going on, but it's been really fun. Jimmy Smitts is a great addition for however long he lasts in the series. The last episode aired is even one of my favorite Dexter eps ever. Any thought of this show having lost it should be wiped away now.
Comedy series could maybe come tomorrow? who knows. Part 2 of albums on Monday.