Your Top 10 Dramatic Series

[ClifSpliffy]

of course, NCIS Los Angeles, absolutely rules. needed to be mentioned in it's own post.

now, that's an A team.

 

[ClifSpliffy]

aaacccckkkk! forgot an all time fave!


the original. accept no substitutes. i like saying 'whoh, fat.' lol.
sometimes, when annoyed by the question, i like to say that my name is kam fong.

 

[storrsroars]

Solid all the way through: Sopranos, Breaking Bad, The Wire (although Jimmy got comically bad), Hill St. Blues, Deadwood, Orange Is the New Black
Still going strong: Peaky Blinders, Black Mirror
Brain Candy: 24, any GoT episode with no dragons and lots of Peter Dinklage.

After 5 years, I think the only 2 shows I'd add to my tier 1 would be Better Call Saul and Ozark.

Peaky Blinders just misses as it started straining credulity in later seasons, but the acting remains top-notch. Tom Hardy remains brilliant in this. Homeland suffered the same fate regarding credulity. I'd like to add Mindhunter, but with only 2 seasons, it doesn't speak to sustained excellence (albeit an arbitrary cutoff as Deadwood only had 3). And as far as individual seasons go, S1 of Brockmire would be a top 10. Unfortunately the first episode was so damned good it could only go down from there. And it mostly stopped being funny and became just weird in later seasons.

There are a bunch of others I watched all the way through: GoT, Ms. Maisel, Narcos, Stranger Things, House of Cards, The Crown, among them, where I wouldn't do a rewatch. I probably should go back and restart Justified. I don't even recall why I dropped it the first time as I recall thinking it was solid.

 

[ClifSpliffy]

this is good, too.

subtitle 'the art of the con.'

 

[Dogdeacon]

I really liked Better Call Saul, but I cannot fathom ranking it ahead of Breaking Bad. Breaking Bad created both the universe and the 'juice' that allowed the producers/writers/showrunners to make Better Call Saul. The latter had much fuller character development and considered the world in a deeper way - great!
Breaking Bad though was non-stop riveting entertainment and brought the cliffhanger/escape to an all-time high. I don't need to evaluate based on liking Kim Wexler & Jimmy McGill better than Walter White & Jessie Pinkman or the complexities of the character arc. There may never be a prequel as good as Better Call Saul, its the best in my opinion, yet like any prequel it simply doesn't exist without the original.

 

[CL82]

Band of Brothers - by a wide margin. It was excellent television.

Reacher - True (er) to the books than the movies this was a breath of fresh air for fans of the novels. Fast paced and exciting with strong supporting characters.

Game of Thrones - Plot twists and unexpected character deaths made this water cooler tv.

Burn Notice - It was unique in its approach of a burned spy. Michael’s competence and matter of fact voice overs explaining the how’s and why’s have it a vaguely documentary feel. I recently watched it and it still holds up great. It faded a bit at the end as it searched for new conspiracies but the series finale was excellent.

 

[Chin Diesel]

I really liked Better Call Saul, but I cannot fathom ranking it ahead of Breaking Bad. Breaking Bad created both the universe and the 'juice' that allowed the producers/writers/showrunners to make Better Call Saul. The latter had much fuller character development and considered the world in a deeper way - great!
Breaking Bad though was non-stop riveting entertainment and brought the cliffhanger/escape to an all-time high. I don't need to evaluate based on liking Kim Wexler & Jimmy McGill better than Walter White & Jessie Pinkman or the complexities of the character arc. There may never be a prequel as good as Better Call Saul, its the best in my opinion, yet like any prequel it simply doesn't exist without the original.

Isn't the original dependent upon the prequel?

 

[Dogdeacon]

Isn't the original dependent upon the prequel?

I remain surprised that they elected to give away a lot of the ending in BBad in the final season of BCS. Not much has been said about this, but Br Ba is nearly completely spoiled if future viewers watch every season of Saul first. I'm obviously personally fine with this having seen Br Ba first AND I think they would have had to majorly sacrifice the BCS narrative if they set out to assiduously avoid any spoilers to Br Ba, it would have been close to impossible. And that happens to further define why BCS can't trump Br Ba because it heavily relies on the ensuing narrative drama.

Maybe you could watch every season but the last of Saul (or more specifically you switch to Br Ba the moment the switch to Saul occurs as Kim dumps him?) and then all of Br Ba, El Camino and finish off with the last season of BCS. Could be an interesting project to try and splice together the two shows in a chronological & no major spoilers box set.

 

[superjohn]

After 5 years, I think the only 2 shows I'd add to my tier 1 would be Better Call Saul and Ozark.

Peaky Blinders just misses as it started straining credulity in later seasons, but the acting remains top-notch. Tom Hardy remains brilliant in this. Homeland suffered the same fate regarding credulity. I'd like to add Mindhunter, but with only 2 seasons, it doesn't speak to sustained excellence (albeit an arbitrary cutoff as Deadwood only had 3). And as far as individual seasons go, S1 of Brockmire would be a top 10. Unfortunately the first episode was so damned good it could only go down from there. And it mostly stopped being funny and became just weird in later seasons.

There are a bunch of others I watched all the way through: GoT, Ms. Maisel, Narcos, Stranger Things, House of Cards, The Crown, among them, where I wouldn't do a rewatch. I probably should go back and restart Justified. I don't even recall why I dropped it the first time as I recall thinking it was solid.

You should watch Halt and Catch Fire if you haven't already and Rectify, two of the best shows I've ever seen.

Succession and some other HBO shows not mentioned are really good but I find that not many people have seen the two above shows I named and that's a shame.

Watching Snowfall currently and it's pretty damn good.

 

[storrsroars]

You should watch Halt and Catch Fire if you haven't already and Rectify, two of the best shows I've ever seen.

Succession and some other HBO shows not mentioned are really good but I find that not many people have seen the two above shows I named and that's a shame.

Watching Snowfall currently and it's pretty damn good.

I watched most of H&CF, mostly because of Mackenzie Davis. It was mostly good, but I didn't think great. I know I've seen at least one episode of Rectify. Can't recall why it didn't take, so I'll take another look. I don't sub to any premium channels, so anything there I'll wait until it hits Prime/Netflix/Hulu.

 

[superjohn]

I watched most of H&CF, mostly because of Mackenzie Davis. It was mostly good, but I didn't think great. I know I've seen at least one episode of Rectify. Can't recall why it didn't take, so I'll take another look. I don't sub to any premium channels, so anything there I'll wait until it hits Prime/Netflix/Hulu.

Might want to give Snowfall a try on Hulu. I'm on season 3 and it's a lot of fun.

Rectify is a real slow burn. I wasn't sure it was for me in the beginning but stuck with it and was blown away. It's unlike anything else I've seen on television.

 

[dvegas]

Anyone remember "The Following" that was on Fox about 10 years ago for 3 seasons? Kevin Bacon and James Purefoy. It was about a crazy cult, I can't believe it was on network TV. Nuts, although it fell off in the last season. I love Breaking Bad and Ozark, but The Following was another level of depravity.

The Following - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

 

[87Xfer]

Sopranos
Breaking Bad
GoT
The Wire
6 Feet Under
Sons of Anarchy
Dexter
Mad Men
Deadwood
Tied: Fargo / Ozark

 

[Deadrody]

You should watch Halt and Catch Fire if you haven't already and Rectify, two of the best shows I've ever seen.

Succession and some other HBO shows not mentioned are really good but I find that not many people have seen the two above shows I named and that's a shame.

Watching Snowfall currently and it's pretty damn good.

I would second Halt and Catch Fire. Absolutely oustanding.

 

[WestHartHusk]

You should watch Halt and Catch Fire if you haven't already and Rectify, two of the best shows I've ever seen.

Succession and some other HBO shows not mentioned are really good but I find that not many people have seen the two above shows I named and that's a shame.

Watching Snowfall currently and it's pretty damn good.

Going to third this. I actually think I watched that show because of an earlier @nelsonmuntz suggestion in this thread.

 

[nelsonmuntz]

Rewatching Narcos and Narcos:Mexico. I missed a lot the first time I watched this show, probably because of all the subtitles. This show is truly brilliant, and one of the best shows ever made. The characters are so well written and acted, and the show does a great job linking all the relationships through the six seasons.

One of the most amazing things Narcos does is give so many of the characters depth and uniqueness when there are so many characters in the show. The show also does a great job of building suspense, which is hard when we can look up how it ends anytime we want.

The acting is awesome for the most part, and other than a handful of American actors, Diego Luna, and Michael Peña, I had never seen most of them before this show.

I think the first season, while excellent, is probably the weakest of the whole series. Season 2, 3 and all the seasons of Narcos: Mexico are incredible.

 

[storrsroars]

Glad to see Justified getting some love. I always thought that show deserved a lot more attention than it got.

I just finished it on Monday. It was enjoyable and a fun ride for the most part, but not sure it would make my top 10.

But it did give me a couple of lingering thoughts:
1) Elmore Leonard has had some success in translating his work to the screen. I wish that someone would finally give Carl Hiassen the same courtesy.
2) I wish I was married to, or divorced from, Natalie Zea.

 

[nwhoopfan]

2) I wish I was married to, or divorced from, Natalie Zea.

You're not wrong about that. She's remained fairly low profile. I think I saw she has something new coming out, can't even remember what it is.

 

[HuskyHawk]

I just finished it on Monday. It was enjoyable and a fun ride for the most part, but not sure it would make my top 10.

But it did give me a couple of lingering thoughts:
1) Elmore Leonard has had some success in translating his work to the screen. I wish that someone would finally give Carl Hiassen the same courtesy.
2) I wish I was married to, or divorced from, Natalie Zea.

I was more partial to Joelle Carter, but to each his own. Walton Goggins played one of the more memorable and fascinating characters ever, better version of Tony Soprano in some ways.

I'm not sure I've seen anything new I'd append to my list. Stranger Things would be the one candidate. I would note that my list on page one didn't include "mini series", which is how I'd categorize Band of Brothers. Otherwise it would top the list.

I tried The Wire and found it dated and boring. Couldn't get past an episode. Better Call Saul was similar, just didn't do anything for me in the first couple episodes so I quit it. I liked Breaking Bad. Mad Men was another I just didn't care for and dropped.

 

[storrsroars]

I was more partial to Joelle Carter, but to each his own. Walton Goggins played one of the more memorable and fascinating characters ever, better version of Tony Soprano in some ways.

Joelle got better looking and a bit less white trashy after her prison stay. But Natalie Zea could believably play a mom who hadn't had a good sleep in weeks and was holding and trying to quiet a screaming infant and still be sexy as hell.

I can't equate Boyd with Tony. I did enjoy the banter and relationship with Raylan, but Tony was rarely in a truly precarious situation with his life and he kept his key soldiers throughout. Boyd never had a Silvio, unless you count Johnny, who he disrespected. It was just a rotating cast of incompetent flunkies. And Boyd seemed to narrowly dodge death five times a season, which became almost comical.

 

[ColchVEGAS]

In no particular order.

The Wire
The Sopranos
Deadwood
Boardwalk Empire
Peaky Blinders
Breaking Bad
GoT
Narcos
Lost
Vikings

 

[HuskyHawk]

Joelle got better looking and a bit less white trashy after her prison stay. But Natalie Zea could believably play a mom who hadn't had a good sleep in weeks and was holding and trying to quiet a screaming infant and still be sexy as hell.

I can't equate Boyd with Tony. I did enjoy the banter and relationship with Raylan, but Tony was rarely in a truly precarious situation with his life and he kept his key soldiers throughout. Boyd never had a Silvio, unless you count Johnny, who he disrespected. It was just a rotating cast of incompetent flunkies. And Boyd seemed to narrowly dodge death five times a season, which became almost comical.

My comparison was different. Tony was a despicable, awful person, and yet you liked something about him. Boyd had that as well, somehow it was hard to hate him no matter how bad he was. Al in Deadwood was another one like that, and again an all time great character because of it.

 

[nelsonmuntz]

Rewatching Narcos and Narcos:Mexico. I missed a lot the first time I watched this show, probably because of all the subtitles. This show is truly brilliant, and one of the best shows ever made. The characters are so well written and acted, and the show does a great job linking all the relationships through the six seasons.

One of the most amazing things Narcos does is give so many of the characters depth and uniqueness when there are so many characters in the show. The show also does a great job of building suspense, which is hard when we can look up how it ends anytime we want.

The acting is awesome for the most part, and other than a handful of American actors, Diego Luna, and Michael Peña, I had never seen most of them before this show.

I think the first season, while excellent, is probably the weakest of the whole series. Season 2, 3 and all the seasons of Narcos: Mexico are incredible.

Finished the rewatch: I would rank the seasons in the following order:

1) Narcos Season 2 - the sheer insanity of Pablo vs. everyone and all the corners the DEA cut and deals with the devil the DEA made make this the best season.

2) Narcos: Mexico Season 2 - the emergence of the plazas as a threat to Felix Gallardo as he betrays his allies was very interesting and builds up well. Neto and Rafa were great characters.

3) Narcos Season 3 - For all their alleged class and refinement, the Cali Cartel was as vicious as any of the Narcos, especially when they got dragged into a fight with the North Valley Cartel. I really liked how sharp the DEA was but still had trouble keeping up with Cali's chess moves.

4) Narcos: Mexico Season 1 - The rise of Felix Gallardo. This season does a great job portraying Felix, who was brilliant, but not loved or even really respected. The corrupt DFS Captain was a great character.

5) Narcos: Mexico Season 3 - Sinaloa vs. Tijuana was really interesting, especially because, as Felix knew, they should have been allies but turned into vicious enemies. Juarez's Amado was very well done and believable, but like everything in Mexico, no matter how powerful a Narco got, they couldn't get beyond the corruption of the Mexican elite like Hank. Some of this season is sad and hopeless, which accurately reflects the Drug War. My only complaint was there was not much about the Gulf Cartel, which became very important in real life during the 2000's. If they had added more Gulf this season would probably have been my second favorite season. The whole season feels like something important is missing from the story. There are enough allusions to the Gulf Cartel that it almost seems like they started to film that plot arc, then edited the Gulf out.

6) Narcos Season 1 - This season is still excellent, but it is my least favorite for two reasons: 1) Pablo is a bit of a super villain in this season which, while mostly true, makes the story a bit less dramatic, and 2) the first three or four episodes are a bit slow. It covers stuff that actually happened, but Pablo's political dreams were never realistic and just aren't that interesting compared to the rest of the story.

 

[Waquoit]

I thought Justified had an all-time last episode. As well as some all-time supporting characters like Wynne Duffy, Dewey Crowe and Ice Pick.

 

[CardiacAndre7]

Finished the rewatch: I would rank the seasons in the following order:

1) Narcos Season 2 - the sheer insanity of Pablo vs. everyone and all the corners the DEA cut and deals with the devil the DEA made make this the best season.

2) Narcos: Mexico Season 2 - the emergence of the plazas as a threat to Felix Gallardo as he betrays his allies was very interesting and builds up well. Neto and Rafa were great characters.

3) Narcos Season 3 - For all their alleged class and refinement, the Cali Cartel was as vicious as any of the Narcos, especially when they got dragged into a fight with the North Valley Cartel. I really liked how sharp the DEA was but still had trouble keeping up with Cali's chess moves.

4) Narcos: Mexico Season 1 - The rise of Felix Gallardo. This season does a great job portraying Felix, who was brilliant, but not loved or even really respected. The corrupt DFS Captain was a great character.

5) Narcos: Mexico Season 3 - Sinaloa vs. Tijuana was really interesting, especially because, as Felix knew, they should have been allies but turned into vicious enemies. Juarez's Amado was very well done and believable, but like everything in Mexico, no matter how powerful a Narco got, they couldn't get beyond the corruption of the Mexican elite like Hank. Some of this season is sad and hopeless, which accurately reflects the Drug War. My only complaint was there was not much about the Gulf Cartel, which became very important in real life during the 2000's. If they had added more Gulf this season would probably have been my second favorite season. The whole season feels like something important is missing from the story. There are enough allusions to the Gulf Cartel that it almost seems like they started to film that plot arc, then edited the Gulf out.

6) Narcos Season 1 - This season is still excellent, but it is my least favorite for two reasons: 1) Pablo is a bit of a super villain in this season which, while mostly true, makes the story a bit less dramatic, and 2) the first three or four episodes are a bit slow. It covers stuff that actually happened, but Pablo's political dreams were never realistic and just aren't that interesting compared to the rest of the story.

Narcos was amazing. I'm not even sure how I would rank them. I think Mexico was great too. Season 1 of Mexico was tremendous IMO. Gallardo was played to perfection.