Best Written TV Series Ever

[Guest FourAces]

From the writers guild here is the list:

The WGA's top 10 are as follow:

1. The Sopranos
2. Seinfeld
3. The Twilight Zone (1959)
4. All in the Family
5. M*A*S*H
6. The Mary Tyler Moore Show
7. Mad Men
8. Cheers
9. The Wire
10. The West Wing

Personally I would delete a few and add some. My list would look more like this:

1. LOST

2. Blue Bloods

3. Soap

4. 24

5.Modern Family

6. Maude

7.Bob Newhart Show

8. Rookie Blue

9. Seinfeld

10. The West Wing

I am sure I've forgotten about quite a few shows but this is what comes to mind at the moment. What would your list look like?

[AdamSmith]

10 is a good tight number. Lacking the discipline to do that, nonetheless here are a few more that at least I think make it into the top 25 or so, one way or another:

The Honeymooners

I Love Lucy

SCTV

Fernwood2night (c'mon)

The Carol Burnett Show (special notice to "The Family" skits & spinoff "Mama's Family" show)

Star Trek (TNG at least)

Sanford & Son (aww please "Naw, these are just the glasses I use to find my glasses" )

The Jack Benny Program

Dr. Who

Are You Being Served?

SNL (the early years)

South Park

The Simpsons

Twin Peaks (maybe?)

[Guest hitoallusa]

Star Trek (TNG) is my favorite on that list. I rarely watch TV but I found West Wing interesting saw a couple of episodes. I like Friends better than Seinfeld but not sure both shows are well written. It's just fun and interesting.

[wayout]

I think those three lists cover a lot of outstanding shows. I've seen most but not all (maybe 3/4 of them). My personal favorite has always been the West Wing. The only others that I would proffer that might be worthy of inclusion in an extended list are The Dick Van Dyke Show and Law & Order (the original series). I might even add Taxi, Frasier and Downton Abbey for consideration. A tad early, but Bates Motel may also be worthy, time will tell.

Everyone who knows me knows that I am HUGE fan of lists (especially best of and worst of lists).

[lookin]

Frasier, of course, especially during the Joe Keenan years.

[AdamSmith]

Also, if we can include short-run series, then def I, Claudius and Upstairs, Downstairs.

[TampaYankee]

These guys have it mostly wrong IMO. I grant them Cheers, TMTMS, MASH and All in the Family, in no particular order other that on the lower end.

I put The West Wing and The Practice (the precursor to Boston Legal) at the top followed by Boston Legal. The Good Wife belongs in the list somewhere.

Clearly, such a list is a matter of personal taste. Anything written by David E Kelly or Aaron Sorkin usually is excellent but may not always attract an audience. Such was the TNT master -- Monday Mornings, some terrific writing that explored some very practical medical dilemmas as well as abuses.

I haven't seen the Wire and some of the others so I may have missed the boat on those. Deadwood is excellent writing but probably over the head of many. I refer to is as exquisite tedium mired in nastiness.

To fill out the list is too hard to draw distinctions between, with at least 20 contenders with strong arguments in their favor.

I see Adam Smith mentioned The Carol Burnett Show. Clearly one of the best shows of all time. As far as entertainment probably the the real 'Show of Shows' by a nose. However, as great as the writing may have been much of the show was not written, only sketched and those crazy people picked up the ball, ran all over the field and always crossed the goal line for a touchdown. Thus I reserve the 'greatest writing' for shows at least 90% dependent on the writing.

[ihpguy]

ITA that The Good Wife is as good as any other hour-long episodic show. In the history of television, there have been so many well-written shows. Decades past, The Paper Chase with John Houseman for example.

More recent, the first half-season or so of Commander in Chief, the Geena Davis vehicle, created and partially scripted by the superb Rod Lurie, until the network changed show-runners as the script output was "supposedly" falling behind and ABC had to keep preempting episodes for no other reason. Makes it hard to achieve consistent ratings.

The first couple of years of Cybill need to be right up there. Cybill and Christine were a newer, upper-class version of Lucy and Ethel.

ITA on either Newhart or The Bob Newhart Shows.

IMHO Maude was way too preachy. Definitely M*A*S*H is one that needs to be downgraded.

[caeron]

Breaking Bad should be on that list.

[Guest EXPAT]

Two of the worst are from this season: The Following on Fox and Revolution on NBC. I was so extremely disappointed in both shows and the fact I wasted so much time watching them.

[Guest FourAces]

Another show that probably should be considered is Weeds. More the first few seasons ... they were well written and broke some new ground.

[RA1]

TY-

Interesting that you mention the Show of Shows which featured Sid Caesar, Imogene Coca, Carl Reiner and many others. One of the outstanding "features" of this was the fact that a LOT of what Sid Caesar did was ad lib and the others just added on, also ad lib.

Therefore, was it a great show because of the writing or because of the performances? I think the answer is in the description.

Early TV was amazing. Now I almost exclusively watch sports and the like.

Best regards,

RA1

[AdamSmith]

TY's point about Improv is well taken. As is RA1's similar point that performance is as important as the writing.

Here a slightly different slant -- a whack at the 50 most influential shows ever, courtesy the U.K. Daily Mail: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2311378/The-50-TV-shows-time-After-experts-named-influential-shows-guru-goggle-box-say-left-stonking-classics.html

... which list reminds that our lists above could also have included Fawlty Towers, Brideshead (swoon), arguably Python ...

[RA1]

I think the Show of Shows was live which must have thrown the producers and writers into conniptions early on (and maybe later also). I admit I did not read TY's last sentence very carefully and did not mean to make the same point although I think I mainly just fleshed it out a bit.

I need to stop drinking before breakfast.

Best regards,

RA1

[AdamSmith]

Yeah, producing a live show with all that unpredictability must have been hair-raising.

As for your other point, I can agree with stopping drinking before breakfast, so long as one resumes immediately afterward.

[TotallyOz]

For me, it would be:

1. Dexter

2. The Sopranos

3. Breaking Bad

4. Weeds

5. Game of Thrones

6. Boston Legal

7. The Good Wife

8. Oz

9. The Golden Girls

10. Bevis and Butthead

[Guest zipperzone]

I would add Thirty Something from the late 80s

[TampaYankee]

TY-

Interesting that you mention the Show of Shows which featured Sid Caesar, Imogene Coca, Carl Reiner and many others. One of the outstanding "features" of this was the fact that a LOT of what Sid Caesar did was ad lib and the others just added on, also ad lib.

Therefore, was it a great show because of the writing or because of the performances? I think the answer is in the description.

Early TV was amazing. Now I almost exclusively watch sports and the like.

Best regards,

RA1

Yes, those shows (Carol too) were made by the performers, the quips, the glance, the pause, the comeback, the occasional pratfall at the right instance. They were all master showmen. They might have been known only as master writers had they remained behind the curtain but their talent was too big to be contained behind the curtains or by the writing..

[AdamSmith]

10. Bevis and Butthead

Thank you!! I agree 1000%.

But so few seem to like them -- or at least admit to it. I wonder if you, I and Letterman might be their biggest remaining fans. He thought they were the funniest thing on TV in their day.

[TotallyOz]

Thank you!! I agree 1000%.

But so few seem to like them -- or at least admit to it. I wonder if you, I and Letterman might be their biggest remaining fans. He thought they were the funniest thing on TV in their day.

I have a lot of physicists in my family and everyone of them LOVE Bevis and Butthead. They think it would be at the top of the list. LOL

I have met many a people to love them.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cFQZmCuhiP8

[Guest EXPAT]

I think The Big Bang Theory is very well written. I'm convinced it will be known as one of the classic comedies one day if not already.

[AdamSmith]

IMHO Maude was way too preachy. Definitely M*A*S*H is one that needs to be downgraded.

P.S. Agree completely. Couple years ago I caught a few M.A.S.H. episodes on one of the rerun channels, and was surprised how tedious they seem now. One of those series great in its time that has not aged well.

[RA1]

To state the obvious: Programs that are fresh when they first appear generally raise previously "tender" topics and have historical and usually additional contexts. Sooner or later that concept must become moldy and the writers and producers reduce to "developing" the characters. No matter how well we "like" the characters, that too has a limited life. These kinds of things tend to take anachronisms to new and different levels, don't they? Would a Tale of Two Cities be a well written book if we were not able to "ignore" various historical artifacts contained therein?

Best regards,

RA1

[Guest FourAces]

. A tad early, but Bates Motel may also be worthy, time will tell.

Everyone who knows me knows that I am HUGE fan of lists (especially best of and worst of lists).

I agree about Bates Motel. It has a awesome start but needs a few seasons to be considered

[Guest zipperzone]

I think The Big Bang Theory is very well written. I'm convinced it will be known as one of the classic comedies one day if not already.

It might be well written but I find it predictable and boring. Any sitcom with a laugh track gets a channel change from me.