mjmooney Posted October 7, 2013 VT Supporter Share Posted October 7, 2013 (edited) The Guardian's top 50 television dramas of all time What do you imagine a TV critic's ultimate viewing pleasure to be? A five-season box-set marathon of The Wire, quite possibly? A drama that digs into the power games of Washington (The West Wing)? You'd be surprised. It seems, at the Guardian at least, they are far more likely to enjoy a beautiful, costumed saga about 1920s aristocrats or a gritty tale about growing up as a lesbian in mid-70s Lancashire. To find out what the Guardian's TV writers really think is the best TV drama ever made, we asked Nancy Banks-Smith, Sam Wollaston, Lucy Mangan, Sarah Dempster, Mark Lawson, Grace Dent and Richard Vine to rate, and then debate, what they consider the greatest ever series. The overall winner was The Sopranos, the compelling tale of New Jersey mobsters created by David Chase. They almost all raved about this show, praising it as an original, absorbing and affectionate study of complicated family values. But it only made the top spot by a fraction. Their second favourite was Brideshead Revisited, the 1981 ITV adaptation of Evelyn Waugh's novel about religion, nobility and paisley dressing gowns. The Wire – HBO's widely praised series about Baltimore – attracted plenty of praise, but only ranked at No 14. Mad Men, the tale of 60s New York ad men, made the No 4 slot, just behind Our Friends in the North, an epic 1996 BBC2 series that traced the fates of four people across several decades. Here's an interesting thing, though: ahead of some great US drama that has attracted such praise and attention in the last 10 years – The West Wing, Six Feet Under, Buffy the Vampire Slayer – comes a raft of British drama from the 1980s. A Very Peculiar Practice, Talking Heads, The Singing Detective, Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit, Boys From the Blackstuff – these are among the "national treasure" series that have seared themselves into our critics' imaginations. "BBC4 and UK Gold should be repeating them but instead they're playing Coast 24 hours a day and bloody Silent Witness," complained Grace Dent. To reach their verdict, the writers compiled a longlist. There was no period restriction, but the dramas had to be series (or serials) rather than one-offs. They marked the titles out of 20 and we averaged the scores, discounting any series that failed to attract at least four voters on the basis that these were the hobby horses of fanatics – not the greatest TV of all time. At this stage, A Very British Coup, Edge of Darkness and Tenko went by the wayside. Of course there were disagreements. No one had a bad word to say about The Sopranos, but Richard Vine, TV editor of the Guide, still feels that The Wire was "richer". Mark Lawson thought The Sopranos "exceptionally well written" but considers both The Wire and The West Wing more radical and daring. Grace Dent however thought The Wire "a slog" in parts and said the acclaim had made it "socially painful" for people to admit they weren't wild fans. "It's incomprehensible to lots of people." Sam Wollaston, meanwhile, was appalled with Brideshead's rating. "I can't believe it did so well. It is very slow and has really dated." He preferred The Jewel in the Crown (No 27). Coronation Street, beloved of soap fans Banks-Smith and Dent, only made it to No 26, having received lukewarm assessments from the rest. "I'm not surprised – rather like Jonathan Ross, it has outlived its usefulness," said Banks-Smith. But she added: "Its saving grace is its humour – it preserves it like salt." Dent was outraged by the decision to rank Grange Hill (No 50; Lawson's verdict: "pioneering") above Sex and the City (No 51), calling the sniffy response to New York's It-bag ladies "snobbery and sexism". She voted highly for The Sopranos, but said: "Just goes to show that you can twaddle on about the same old themes for six series and if you're a man it's profound and if you're a woman you're vacuous." Wollaston thought the Hollywood playboy comedy Entourage ("fantastic fun") was underrated, while Dempster couldn't understand the lack of support for C4 trilogy Red Riding: "It felt immediately like a classic piece of TV and has one of the best ensemble casts of the last 10 years. It is absolutely magnificent." Did they get it right? Charles Sturridge, Bafta-winning director of Brideshead Revisited, is "delighted" to be in "honourable company" with The Sopranos. Linking the top four dramas, he says: "They are confidently and powerfully drawn worlds made by groups of committed programme-makers. It doesn't have to be expensive – if something is crucial to people, they will watch it." The list in full: 1. The Sopranos2. Brideshead Revisited 3. Our Friends in the North 4. Mad Men 5. A Very Peculiar Practice 6. Talking Heads 7. The Singing Detective 8. Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit 9. State of Play 10. Boys From the Blackstuff11. The West Wing 12. Twin Peaks 13. Queer as Folk 14. The Wire 15. Six Feet Under 16. How Do You Want Me? 17. Smiley's People 18. House of Cards 19. Prime Suspect 20. Bodies21. Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy 22. Buffy the Vampire Slayer 23. Cracker 24. Pennies From Heaven 25. Battlestar Galactica 26. Coronation Street 27. The Jewel in the Crown 28. The Monocled Mutineer 29. Clocking Off 30. Inspector Morse31. This Life 32. Band of Brothers 33. Hill Street Blues 34. The Prisoner 35. St Elsewhere 36. The L Word 37. The Shield 38. Brookside 39. 24 40. The Twilight Zone41. Pride and Prejudice 42. Red Riding 43. Oz 44. The Street 45. The X-Files 46. Bleak House 47. The Sweeney 48. EastEnders 49. Shameless 50. Grange Hill Guardian Edited October 7, 2013 by mjmooney Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
villa4europe Posted October 7, 2013 Share Posted October 7, 2013 queer as folk > the wire all dayer... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coda Posted October 7, 2013 Share Posted October 7, 2013 I wonder where them Guardian bitches would put Breaking Bad. I agree with their number one and I'd put Band Of Brothers a lot higher. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjmooney Posted October 7, 2013 VT Supporter Share Posted October 7, 2013 The ones I've seen from the above list in bold (with the exception of the soaps, I enjoyed them all to varying degrees): 1. The Sopranos 2. Brideshead Revisited 3. Our Friends in the North 4. Mad Men 5. A Very Peculiar Practice 6. Talking Heads 7. The Singing Detective 8. Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit 9. State of Play 10. Boys From the Blackstuff 11. The West Wing 12. Twin Peaks 13. Queer as Folk 14. The Wire 15. Six Feet Under 16. How Do You Want Me? 17. Smiley's People 18. House of Cards 19. Prime Suspect 20. Bodies 21. Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy 22. Buffy the Vampire Slayer 23. Cracker 24. Pennies From Heaven 25. Battlestar Galactica 26. Coronation Street 27. The Jewel in the Crown 28. The Monocled Mutineer 29. Clocking Off 30. Inspector Morse 31. This Life 32. Band of Brothers 33. Hill Street Blues 34. The Prisoner 35. St Elsewhere 36. The L Word 37. The Shield 38. Brookside 39. 24 40. The Twilight Zone 41. Pride and Prejudice 42. Red Riding 43. Oz 44. The Street 45. The X-Files 46. Bleak House 47. The Sweeney 48. EastEnders 49. Shameless 50. Grange Hill Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wainy316 Posted October 7, 2013 Share Posted October 7, 2013 Woeful list. How can Eastenders be in the top 50 anything? 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
legov Posted October 7, 2013 Share Posted October 7, 2013 I have about 4 episodes of the Sopranos left. Really can't wait to see how it all ends up. You haaave to lend me your copies someday. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
villa4europe Posted October 7, 2013 Share Posted October 7, 2013 seems to me like they are trying too hard to get British shows on there Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjmooney Posted October 7, 2013 VT Supporter Share Posted October 7, 2013 I like the list. Sure, there are some oddball choices in there, but it's refreshing to see some of the older British productions getting some credit - in the face of the current received wisdom that non-HBO drama doesn't exist. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Designer1 Posted October 7, 2013 VT Supporter Share Posted October 7, 2013 Good to see Boys from the Blackstuff and Oranges are not the only fruit on there. Both fantastic. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leemond2008 Posted October 7, 2013 Share Posted October 7, 2013 The highlighted are ones that I have watched at some point or another 1. The Sopranos2. Brideshead Revisited 3. Our Friends in the North 4. Mad Men 5. A Very Peculiar Practice 6. Talking Heads 7. The Singing Detective 8. Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit 9. State of Play 10. Boys From the Blackstuff11. The West Wing 12. Twin Peaks 13. Queer as Folk 14. The Wire 15. Six Feet Under 16. How Do You Want Me? 17. Smiley's People 18. House of Cards 19. Prime Suspect 20. Bodies21. Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy 22. Buffy the Vampire Slayer 23. Cracker 24. Pennies From Heaven 25. Battlestar Galactica26. Coronation Street 27. The Jewel in the Crown 28. The Monocled Mutineer 29. Clocking Off 30. Inspector Morse31. This Life 32. Band of Brothers 33. Hill Street Blues 34. The Prisoner 35. St Elsewhere 36. The L Word 37. The Shield 38. Brookside39. 24 40. The Twilight Zone41. Pride and Prejudice 42. Red Riding 43. Oz 44. The Street45. The X-Files 46. Bleak House 47. The Sweeney48. EastEnders 49. Shameless 50. Grange Hill Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PieFacE Posted October 7, 2013 VT Supporter Share Posted October 7, 2013 Coronation Street better than Oz? Really????????? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BOF Posted October 7, 2013 Moderator Share Posted October 7, 2013 Ones I've watched at least 1 episode of in my life. Surprisingly few actually.4. Mad Men14. The Wire15. Six Feet Under22. Buffy the Vampire Slayer23. Cracker26. Coronation Street30. Inspector Morse32. Band of Brothers33. Hill Street Blues40. The Twilight Zone45. The X-Files48. EastEnders49. Shameless50. Grange Hill Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillyShears Posted October 7, 2013 Share Posted October 7, 2013 Nice to see someone has actually heard of Bodies. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coda Posted October 7, 2013 Share Posted October 7, 2013 Vince Gilligan said his favourite programme is The Twilight Zone. I watched a few of the modern episodes years ago but I'm guessing that list refers to the original series. Might give them a watch. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjmooney Posted October 7, 2013 VT Supporter Share Posted October 7, 2013 (edited) Good to see Boys from the Blackstuff and Oranges are not the only fruit on there. Both fantastic. Agreed. And it may be a specialist choice since I work at a university, but "A Very Peculiar Practice" deserves its rating. It may have looked like absurdly exaggerated parody, but it was surprisingly close to reality (and got Andrew Davies banned from his old campus at Warwick Uni). Edited October 7, 2013 by mjmooney Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CarewsEyebrowDesigner Posted October 7, 2013 Share Posted October 7, 2013 No 'I, Claudius'. Pssh. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjmooney Posted October 7, 2013 VT Supporter Share Posted October 7, 2013 No 'I, Claudius'. Pssh. Have you read the book? I was hugely impressed by Graves' "Goodbye to All That", and rushed to read Claudius. Massively disappointed. Gave up quite quickly. The TV series was indeed excellent, though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CarewsEyebrowDesigner Posted October 7, 2013 Share Posted October 7, 2013 It's on the list, as is his Selected Poems which has just been released (well a new revised edition). But yeah, why 'I, Claudius' didn't make the list and 'Red Riding' (which I liked well enough, but it wasn't great) or 'Shameless' made it... And some of the choices are clearly picked on impact rather than quality. Grumble grumble grumble. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ponky Posted October 7, 2013 Share Posted October 7, 2013 The ****?Where's Neighbours and Home and Away on that list? 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maqroll Posted October 7, 2013 Share Posted October 7, 2013 Boardwalk Empire is better from last year, some great episodes so far. Jeffrey Wright has become one of my favorite actors, he's fantastic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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