Top 50 TV Dramas

[Temis the Vorta]

I'd hesitate to compare anything with less than 20 episodes in the same list as regular series which need to go on for many seasons. Could Spielberg have maintained Band of Brothers at the same level of quality if he'd have tackled the whole war and done four or five seasons?

Twin Peaks is a good example - terrific first season, then it fell off a cliff. If one great season is all you need, then why not put Heroes and Prison Break on the list, too?

 

[Bob The Skutter]

^But that's surely part of what makes these things great. Knowing how much to tell and when to stop?

 

[Temis the Vorta]

Okay, look at it this way: if you were doing a contest for writing, would you lump short stories in with novels? They're two different forms, with different expectations, strengths and weaknesses. A short story concept stretched to novel length is bad; a concept better explored in a novel that is squashed into a short story is also bad.

Or, an even better example: why not compare TV series with movies?

A TV series is an attempt to tell a story at as great a length as possible. This is not for artistic reasons of course, it's to maximize profit, but that's a given across the board, since we're talking about products made by corporations.

In the end, I'm much more impressed by a series like The Wire or Sons or Anarchy or even the much-maligned Lost that keeps a high level of quality going for years on end, than I am by even the most brilliant of miniseries, like Band of Brothers, which I know Spielberg threw shitloads of money at, so why wouldn't it be good?

Mostly, I'm impressed by the effort to keep me entertained for years on end. That sort of effort on my behalf is very likely to win my loyalty. If a premise can't be maintained for years, then why didn't they choose a different premise to begin with, one that would serve my interests better?

 

[Greg Cox]

Pleasantly surprised to see Buffy listed, but no Dexter?

 

[CorporalCaptain]

I agree with Temis the Vorta that the list compares apples and oranges.

As I understand it, the key difference between a miniseries and a regular series [to use North American terminology], is that every episode of a miniseries is unconditionally ordered and paid for before any episode airs. On the other hand, episodes of regular series are ordered in blocks, as the series is continually renewed. Even if the story arcs are unresolved in a regular series, if the series is not performing as hoped, either in ratings or prestige, it will be cancelled. On the other hand, miniseries cannot, at least generally, be cancelled based on performance, as far as I know. The worst that can happen for a miniseries is that a series growing out of it will not be picked up.

The key distinction is thus that the function of a series is to be renewed as long as possible.

 

[Orac Zen]

Like most lists of that type, they have a short memory. For US TV, you can make a pretty effective dividing line between "before Hill Street Blues" and "after Hill Street Blues." If breaking ground and depth of influence are any criteria, that show should be near the top instead of in the bottom half.

QFT. Hill Street Blues pioneered a lot of things that have since been taken completely for granted in serial TV. Ranking it at 33 is laughable, but to each their own - these sorts of lists are always highly subjective, after all.

Six Feet Under should be ranked higher, too. JMHO.

 

[Bob The Skutter]

I agree with Temis the Vorta that the list compares apples and oranges.

As I understand it, the key difference between a miniseries and a regular series [to use North American terminology], is that every episode of a miniseries is unconditionally ordered and paid for before any episode airs. On the other hand, episodes of regular series are ordered in blocks, as the series is continually renewed. Even if the story arcs are unresolved in a regular series, if the series is not performing as hoped, either in ratings or prestige, it will be cancelled. On the other hand, miniseries cannot, at least generally, be cancelled based on performance, as far as I know. The worst that can happen for a miniseries is that a series growing out of it will not be picked up.

The key distinction is thus that the function of a series is to be renewed as long as possible.

Well British TV, practically everything is finished before it's on the air. So whether it's a returning series or not all 6, 8, 13 episodes will be in the can before they start airing it.

To me the point of a series shouldn't be "To be renewed as long as possible." but to tell the story it sets out to tell. With new stories being told if it continues. I know that's not what it is from a business perspective, but I don't give a shit about the business. So a TV series can be great whether it's 6 episodes or 100 episodes.

 

[CorporalCaptain]

To me the point of a series shouldn't be "To be renewed as long as possible." but to tell the story it sets out to tell. With new stories being told if it continues. I know that's not what it is from a business perspective, but I don't give a shit about the business. So a TV series can be great whether it's 6 episodes or 100 episodes.

In a procedural drama, there is no such thing as the story that was set out to be told; the story changes from episode to episode. Star Trek was just such a show, that had only one two-parter. Cast and setting remain the same, but there are no story arcs.

 

[byron lomax]

It's a shame Homicide: Life on the Street doesn't make the list, though it never made the impression it could have in the UK. It's a massive influence on The Wire and HBO drama in general. Though I do like Oz, which shares the same creator, H:LOTS was a lot better. A series which featured episodes such as "Three Men and Adena" and "Every Mother's Son" should be high in the top 50.