The best TV dramas of all time?
Liz Anderson 12:01pm
Sad readers may remember that I have a thing about lists. And the Guardian has just published its top 50 TV dramas compiled by its critics. Of course, there is much both to agree and disagree about. It will be no surprise that The Sopranos comes in at number one (with The Wire coming in at 14 and The West Wing at 11).
I reckon my number one, though, would be Mad Men (4), but I can’t jib at Brideshead Revisited (the 1981 version) in the number two slot. I would have put The Jewel in the Crown (27) higher up, and A Very Peculiar Practice (5) further down - perhaps in the 40s. And I think I would have found room for Midsomer Murders and, if Brookside can come in at 38, then Casualty should be there, too.
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Danko
January 14th, 2010 1:07pm Report this commentIf "Shameless" had finished in Season Three I expect that would have come far higher.
"State of Play" should have been in the top five and "Tinker Taylor" should also be up there in the top five. It should certainly be well above "Smileys People".
As for the Sopranos I can't argue with that. A classic TV show.
Polly Gamma
January 14th, 2010 1:35pm Report this commentIf you're at the stage of resorting to Midsommer Murders when you're putting your feet up (been there)a cure I recommend is NCIS on DVD from series 1 all the way through to 6.
Nicholas Hallam
January 14th, 2010 3:06pm Report this commentHave you watched Brideshead (1981 version) recently? I did and it isn't nearly as good as I remembered. I suppose it couldn't fail to be faithful to the book given that large sections consist entirely of Jeremy Irons reading the text against a background of Geoffrey Burgon's overblown score.
My favourites would be "The Jewel in the Crown", "I Claudius" and "Mapp and Lucia"
Robert Pattz
January 15th, 2010 8:59am Report this commentWe have different views in rating our own favorite best TV dramas. Of course, Sopranos and Mad Men will always on my list. I really love these two TV dramas, itâ™s like the mirror of what true life is. 24 also includes in my list even thou its quite list in Guardian selection. It made me wonder if Netflix have the full season of the recent Mad Men since I heard they will be returning with a new season this March. I just want to refresh some of their unforgettable episodes. Anyway, whatever TV drama others put on the TOP it is still our free choice to select what is our favorite. We just need to respect other opinions to avoid misinterpretations. Canâ™t wait to see Mad Men again!
Mark Catterall
February 12th, 2010 3:44pm Report this commentWhere is Edge of Darkness, the landmark 1985 BBC series starring Bob Peck? Perhaps the finest TV drama ever, and yours for obscenely little money on dvd if you shop around.
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