WGA/TV Guide: 101 Best Written TV Series Of All Time
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S5's a bit of an anchor.
Chuck Norris
Banned
Lost > Deadwood?
Ok
Ok
Well, this is a list compiled by the Writer's Guild of America. That's like making the bet that every writer that worked on the show is in the union.
Fake edit: Oh, hey, I'm not the first dickhead to mention that.
toastyToast
Member
Season 4 is so much better than anything on that list it hardly matters. Season 5 was pretty good outside of McNulty's bullshit and the paper. Marlo's rise was some crazy shit
Macmanus
Member
Second biggest shocker of that list right under Deadwood not being top 5.
It's a poorly written show, so don't be surprised when people say "it's poorly written" and criticize it for showing up on lists of well written shows. It was a fun show. Like how The Walking Dead is also fun - and poorly written. The two are separable. You can like a thing whilst acknowledging the writing isn't top tier.
Admiral Bone to Pick
Banned
How many of those shows are well written from a dialogue standpoint? One where character interactions feel organic to some extent? And no, I'm not talking about the occasional badass line here and there. Actually well written, creative dialogue that feels real.
Because of the "great" shows I've watched, most of them lack this.
Because of the "great" shows I've watched, most of them lack this.
That would have more to do with the actor and the director and your personal view of the material. You can only glean so much with regards to that from a screenplay.
Evolution_1ne
Banned
in no particular order sure, I agree with this list
crackhead_bob
Member
Six Feet Under is a better show than The Sopranos imo for a variety of reasons. Better acting top to bottom, better writing, and themes that fit more cohesively within the framework of the entire series.
I'll say this: If Six Feet Under and The Sopranos were prized canines, I would compare Six Feet Under with a retired greyhound racer: sleek, elegant, dignified and understated even after its years on the track have ended.
The Sopranos reminds me of the pitbull people adopt from puppy mills. It looks fine and perfectly normal for the first few weeks after you've taken it in. But after awhile, the cracks become apparent. It shits on your carpet, destroys your furniture, and sometimes bites the nose off your 6 year old kid before you a swell of buyer's remorse sets in. Sometimes people concede that they've bought a lemon while others remain obstinate, praising its merits while ignoring its more questionable qualities.
Fans praise The Soprano's dream sequences as innovative as if other shows have never tackled these conventions in their storytelling. The fact is, lots of shows have used dream sequences. Six Feet Under featured them periodically too, and they were just as effecting at probing into the psyche and motivations of their characters as fans of The Sopranos often tout the show for doing.
As far as season 6 goes, David Chase spent two and a half years writing what would amount to a steaming turd of a final season. 20 episodes and all he has to show for it is a bowl of onion rings. I honestly wouldn't mind the ending so much if he'd have attempted to resolve some of the more pressing angles he had seemingly set up. What about the issue with Carlos possibly testifying? Chase pressed that issue considerably all throughout the last season and nothing came of it, short of a passing mention in the final scene. Oh well, I guess he felt that Gay Vito and AJ's panic attacks were more compelling ideas to pass on to the viewers. And the way Chase decided to bookend Dr. Melfi's relationship with Tony was also lame. A licensed therapist, who's well read on all the DSM classifications of mental pathology comes to the realization that her client is a sociopath and decides to drop him as a client on account of coming to that revelation, which conveniently happens to occur without any lengthy buildup.
I'll say this: If Six Feet Under and The Sopranos were prized canines, I would compare Six Feet Under with a retired greyhound racer: sleek, elegant, dignified and understated even after its years on the track have ended.
The Sopranos reminds me of the pitbull people adopt from puppy mills. It looks fine and perfectly normal for the first few weeks after you've taken it in. But after awhile, the cracks become apparent. It shits on your carpet, destroys your furniture, and sometimes bites the nose off your 6 year old kid before you a swell of buyer's remorse sets in. Sometimes people concede that they've bought a lemon while others remain obstinate, praising its merits while ignoring its more questionable qualities.
Fans praise The Soprano's dream sequences as innovative as if other shows have never tackled these conventions in their storytelling. The fact is, lots of shows have used dream sequences. Six Feet Under featured them periodically too, and they were just as effecting at probing into the psyche and motivations of their characters as fans of The Sopranos often tout the show for doing.
As far as season 6 goes, David Chase spent two and a half years writing what would amount to a steaming turd of a final season. 20 episodes and all he has to show for it is a bowl of onion rings. I honestly wouldn't mind the ending so much if he'd have attempted to resolve some of the more pressing angles he had seemingly set up. What about the issue with Carlos possibly testifying? Chase pressed that issue considerably all throughout the last season and nothing came of it, short of a passing mention in the final scene. Oh well, I guess he felt that Gay Vito and AJ's panic attacks were more compelling ideas to pass on to the viewers. And the way Chase decided to bookend Dr. Melfi's relationship with Tony was also lame. A licensed therapist, who's well read on all the DSM classifications of mental pathology comes to the realization that her client is a sociopath and decides to drop him as a client on account of coming to that revelation, which conveniently happens to occur without any lengthy buildup.
Affeinvasion
Member
They put the wrong star trek.
firehawk12
Subete no aware
The list is ruined by Lost and BSG being on it. 
DS9 is always neglected, even though it was far better written than TNG.
Dr_Boris_Goltz
Banned
My personal list would be something along the lines of...
1. The Wire
2. Deadwood
3. Seinfeld
4. Arrested Development
5. Simpsons S3-S8
6. Rome
7. The Sopranos
Dexter is NOT a well written show. Lost was fun to watch but is also not a well written show.
Edit: Six Feet Under S1 and S5 should be mentioned as well... Everything in between is a little too unrealistic.
1. The Wire
2. Deadwood
3. Seinfeld
4. Arrested Development
5. Simpsons S3-S8
6. Rome
7. The Sopranos
Dexter is NOT a well written show. Lost was fun to watch but is also not a well written show.
Edit: Six Feet Under S1 and S5 should be mentioned as well... Everything in between is a little too unrealistic.
Trent Strong
Banned
The Shield should be much higher.
Only if you don't count almost the entire second season.
The Dutch Slayer
Member
West Wing ONLY at 10 pffffff at least top 3 material :/
Ventilaator
Banned
That Deadwood placement is objectively incorrect.
Rug Monkey
Member
Not just comedy (where's Coupling!) ... the idea that Lost (apart from a very few episodes it was obvious they were winging it from Season 2 on, and not in a good way)) is better written than Cracker, Boys from the Black Stuff, Prime Suspect or Pennies From Heaven just invalidates the list IMHO
questionmark
Member
Glad to see Justified on the list, though it should have been much higher up. But no In Treatment? For shame.
Seems like this list was compiled through a survey of people in the union. You could probably fit the number of American writers that have heard of those shows in a broom closet.
It was an online vote of WGAW and WGAE members.
OrlanisWorks
Banned
Meh.
My personal opinion: Lost may not have been the greatest writing, but I find it to be one of the most interesting plots I have ever watched. I have yet to see another show on cable/non-prem do what they did, probably why I haven't liked any show involving Abramms after Lost.
Crime-dramas are typically the worst written shows on television. You name it; Castle, NCIS, The Glades, Blue Bloods, etc. To think Lost is written worse then them is to think Ender's Game is worse written then Twilight.
Rant over.
My personal opinion: Lost may not have been the greatest writing, but I find it to be one of the most interesting plots I have ever watched. I have yet to see another show on cable/non-prem do what they did, probably why I haven't liked any show involving Abramms after Lost.
Crime-dramas are typically the worst written shows on television. You name it; Castle, NCIS, The Glades, Blue Bloods, etc. To think Lost is written worse then them is to think Ender's Game is worse written then Twilight.
Rant over.
childplease
Banned
Lost being in the list turns the list to shit.
The Incarnation
Member
No Babylon 5, no Tour of Duty. That's some bullshit. Is there any Sci-fi on that list.
Oh BSG.. Good show, poorly written.
Oh BSG.. Good show, poorly written.
dead souls
Member
The lack of In Treatment is ridiculous, especially considering that so many poorly written series made the list.
Hari Seldon
Member
Twilight Zone shits all over everything else.
I can understand people not liking the ending of LOST, but please.... "The Constant"? "Through The Looking Glass"? "Greatest Hits"? That's some of the finest writing I've ever seen on television. In terms of scope and mythology, LOST is one of the most ambitious shows ever written, along with Twin Peaks, The X-Files, Battlestar Galactica, Fringe, and The Game of Thrones. I really don't get the hate here. Desmond and John Locke's episodes were remarkably well written.
LOST took a LOT of risks --- some may not have worked --- but it sure had more heart and passion behind it than many of these "Top 101" shows like Will & Grace and Sex & The City.
LOST took a LOT of risks --- some may not have worked --- but it sure had more heart and passion behind it than many of these "Top 101" shows like Will & Grace and Sex & The City.
The Return of
Banned
I just can't get into Mad Men at all. I should give it another shot
Plinko
Wildcard berths that can't beat teams without a winning record should have homefield advantage
Agreed. I absolutely HATED the last season (aside from the brilliant finale) but that doesn't discount the brilliance of the earlier seasons.
Just had to +1 this. You totally nailed it, OrlanisWorks. I actually hate LOST Season 6, but in terms of writing a creative puzzle-like story with a heavily layered mythology arc --- very, very, very few successful shows have even /attempted/ to do what LOST did. I'll never understand the outright hate for a series as unique as LOST, in a landscape that is so over saturated with cop shows, doctor shows, and lawyer shows.
dorkimoe
Member
It deserves to be in the top 10, It kept you insanely hooked for 6 seasons. Just because you probably didnt understand the ending doesnt mean it shouldnt be on there
replace mad men with breaking bad
It's not necessarily that it has the best writing EVAH, but that more people voted on it. If Gamasutra did what the sister guilds did for game developers, GTA 3 might come out on top. That doesn't make it the best game of all time, though.
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