Where do you rank The Wire compared to all other series?

[#99HUGHgreen]

I tapped out of House of Cards after 2 seasons, but the first 2 were definitely pretty damn good. You could argue the famous death scene in Season 1 was as shocking as we have ever seen.

Have to agree that the first two seasons were the bes and that unexpected death scene just floored me. I didn’t want to watch it any more because I really liked thaf character, but I simply had to keep watching to see how the situation would resolve itself.

Another show where I loved it at first but then eventually grew tired of the whole... SPOILER... “bad people behaving badly.” It feels like a waste of time.

I don’t care if it is a criminal or a cop or a politician or a minister, priest or rabbi or a teacher or a accountant or lawyer or doctor or a boss or an employee or a bad parent. If a character is an A-hole, I want to know he or she is going to get what they deserve for being and A-hole.

 

[recruitsreadtheseboards]

Oh man the chick who was with the Drug Lord's brother was pretty compelling.

Narcos was fantastic. Narcos Mexico, just OK IMO. Not nearly as compelling of chara

 

[TheChair]

Through watching three seasons of Breaking Bad about six months ago, I just don’t get it really. Solid show but nothing all that special to me. My best guess is that it is something that meant more in the moment but I just look at it as a good show and nothing more.

With The Wire, I think it is something that you just have to say is on the list whenever the great TV shows are mentioned. Is it the best? 2nd? 5th? 10th? I don’t know, I just know that when you discuss the best shows on TV ever, it is on the list of things that you should review.

 

[recruitsreadtheseboards]

Seriously, most have been mentioned.

Series I am glad I watched and/or binged:
The Wire
Sopranos
Boardwalk Empire
Deadwood
Breaking Bad
Sons of Anarchy
Ozarks
Narcos/Narcos Mexico
Stranger Things (yes absolutely guilty pleasure and escape)
The Americans
True Detective Season 1
Band of Brothers
The Pacific (which might actually be better than the Band of Brothers)
Homeland
Billions
Chernobyl, which was like only 4 episodes but so fantastic I put it in my top 5!

 

[HailtoPitt]

Narcos was fantastic. Narcos Mexico, just OK IMO. Not nearly as compelling of characters.

True, Narcos is better but I still like Mexico it better than most stuff I try to watch. It's not done yet.

 

[thebadby2]

Ok...a few I forgot.

Watchmen was a masterpiece. 10 out of 10.

Also True Detective season 1. Skip the other seasons, but the first is outstanding as well.

Narcos on Netflix is great.

Ozark on Netflix is fabulous as well.

I know I'm in a minority on Ozark but I watched it as long as I could, and bagged it cold turkey after 2.5 seasons. Strong acting out of Bateman and Laura Linney, but the plot/story/writing was absurd and got more ridiculous by the episode. It's just my personal preference, but a drama set in reality should have some basis in reality. The hillbilly opium farmers, the cartel lawyer, the creepy FBI agent, and the trailer trash family were badly overcooked and completely implausible, absurd characters. Laughably bad. I don't remember which season 3 episode triggered it but when the episode ended my wife and I mutually agreed we were done with the show.

Peaky Blinders was great for 2 seasons but jumped the shark for me when Tommy went big time and moved into his mansion.

Agree with you on True Detective. Watch Season 1 twice, don't bother with 2 and 3. 2 was downright awful. 3 was just dull and boring as hell.

 

[HailtoPitt]

True Detective season one was... just.... sooooo good. WH and MM were just great in those roles.

 

[JD1976]

Through watching three seasons of Breaking Bad about six months ago, I just don’t get it really. Solid show but nothing all that special to me. My best guess is that it is something that meant more in the moment but I just look at it as a good show and nothing more.

With The Wire, I think it is something that you just have to say is on the list whenever the great TV shows are mentioned. Is it the best? 2nd? 5th? 10th? I don’t know, I just know that when you discuss the best shows on TV ever, it is on the list of things that you should review.

I can’t remember when Gus Fring and Saul enter the picture, but those were the best seasons of Breaking Bad for me. If you didn’t ride it out until the end, I would suggest doing so. Seasons 4 and 5 were the best for me.

 

[ratking17]

Better call saul was an overlook on my part. Fabulous show.

Deadwood was really enjoyable...the movie nailed the finish. It was great.

Dexter and homeland are good and enjoyable but not top 10 material in my opinion.

Someone mentioned money heist. Worst show ever. My wife loves it but I had to quit. It annoyed me too much.

 

[JD1976]

Deadwood was really enjoyable...the movie nailed the finish. It was great.

Deadwood is Top 5 for me. I get that some people can’t do period pieces — or more specifically Westerns — but that lasts not even an episode. So damn good. Many of the best individual acting performances in any series ever.

 

[Dan1911]

Wow. The devotion/obsession to a tv show is amazing. I know people who had to debrief after every Seinfeld/office/GOT/whatever.

I really don’t have any.

 

[Ski11585]

Seriously, most have been mentioned.

Series I am glad I watched and/or binged:
The Wire
Sopranos
Boardwalk Empire
Deadwood
Breaking Bad
Sons of Anarchy
Ozarks
Narcos/Narcos Mexico
Stranger Things (yes absolutely guilty pleasure and escape)
The Americans
True Detective Season 1
Band of Brothers
The Pacific (which might actually be better than the Band of Brothers)
Homeland
Billions
Chernobyl, which was like only 4 episodes but so fantastic I put it in my top 5!

Man. Putting the Pacific over BoB is bold. They’re just so different. I binged them both for the first time and hated the first couple episodes of The Pacific. I wanted it to be Brothers, but it’s not. Appreciated it so much more the second time through.

I know I'm in a minority on Ozark but I watched it as long as I could, and bagged it cold turkey after 2.5 seasons. Strong acting out of Bateman and Laura Linney, but the plot/story/writing was absurd and got more ridiculous by the episode. It's just my personal preference, but a drama set in reality should have some basis in reality. The hillbilly opium farmers, the cartel lawyer, the creepy FBI agent, and the trailer trash family were badly overcooked and completely implausible, absurd characters. Laughably bad. I don't remember which season 3 episode triggered it but when the episode ended my wife and I mutually agreed we were done with the show.

Peaky Blinders was great for 2 seasons but jumped the shark for me when Tommy went big time and moved into his mansion.

Agree with you on True Detective. Watch Season 1 twice, don't bother with 2 and 3. 2 was downright awful. 3 was just dull and boring as hell.

I’m with you. I completely respect and understand why people Like Ozark but I dropped it five episodes in and never looked back.

 

[HailtoPitt]

I think there is a third Band if Brothers series coming soon.

 

[recruitsreadtheseboards]

Man. Putting the Pacific over BoB is bold. They’re just so different. I binged them both for the first time and hated the first couple episodes of The Pacific. I wanted it to be Brothers, but it’s not. Appreciated it so much more the second time through.




I’m with you. I completely respect and understand why people Like Ozark but I dropped it five episodes in and never looked back.

But that is where exactly I was with the Pacific. The first time, I was like, okay, but BoB was better. But then watching it almost annually (feel like duty) it seems more character driven because they focused on fewer characters so you kind of got more of an insight into their experiences plus it was so much more intense if that was possible,. In fact, I just bought my dad Eugene Sledge and Bob Leckie's books for Father's Day because he is WWII aficionado. It connected with me more emotionally because there was little joy.

The two moments that stick with me are:
1) The iron hearted tough Gunny Sargent just breaking down in tears and physically as he gives Sledge his lighter realizing he is being taking out of the game.
2) Sledge breaking down after he gets home and was going bird hunting with his dad and just couldn't do it.

 

[thebadby2]

Deadwood is Top 5 for me. I get that some people can’t do period pieces — or more specifically Westerns — but that lasts not even an episode. So damn good. Many of the best individual acting performances in any series ever.

Deadwood was excellent and that weird uber artsy idea to do the show in iambic pentameter seemed like it could have been a disaster, but it just worked perfectly somehow.

 

[thebadby2]

Man. Putting the Pacific over BoB is bold. They’re just so different. I binged them both for the first time and hated the first couple episodes of The Pacific. I wanted it to be Brothers, but it’s not. Appreciated it so much more the second time through.




I’m with you. I completely respect and understand why people Like Ozark but I dropped it five episodes in and never looked back.

I’m with you on BoB versus the Pacific. I love well done WW2 stuff and they were both very well done. Enjoyed both very much But BoB was much more compelling and entertaining from my perspective.