No Right Answer: Best TV Drama Ever

[leviadragon99]

Hmm... well I did enjoy Dexter even if it did fall into the trap of a formula, but I do think the end of the most recent (last?) season was fairly bullshit... not to spoil, but it really threw his whole "trying to become human" arc under a bus.

Breaking Bad on the other hand... I just can't get into, while Dexter is about a monster trying to become human, BB from what I hear is about a good man becoming a monster, which while fascinating, is just kind of depressing.

 

[Adam Jensen_v1legacy]

Farscape!

Frell yeah!

I'm backing this up as well. And I give all of you exactly 200 microts to admit it before I crash this place into a Gammak base!

Farscape is not just the best TV show, it's also the coolest sci-fi show ever. Crichton was completely aware that his life turned into a sci-fi adventure. So every time he got a chance he'd spit out some classic sci-fi reference that no one around him could possibly understand. It was so awesome to watch.

Justified.

Walter White wouldn't have lasted 10 days in Kentucky.

No one leaves Harlan alive. He'd be one of those villains that die at the end of the season.

 

[Lvl 64 Klutz]

I have to laugh reading through this thread. I've no interest in Dexter, but I find it humorous that folks are in complete disagreement over which seasons were "good" and which were "bad." Sounds like everyone was watching the show for different reasons.

I also feel like this thread can't end without a shout-out to BBC's "Robin Hood" series. It was short, and season 2 took a bit of a dip, but Seasons 1 and 3 were flat-out astounding. The show didn't try to outlive itself either. 3 seasons, fantastic ending, and that was it. If you haven't seen it and you love Robin Hood as a character, I highly recommend it. My favorite television drama, hands down.

 

[BlindChance]

God no, Skyler's just a poor man's Carmela Soprano.

Maybe, but I'm not trying to argue Breaking Bad over The Sopranos.

More seriously, well, she's clearly a riff on a pretty well established character type of the criminal family matriarch. I kind of like Skyler a bit more than others, though, in that we get to see her start of darkness, and she's also kind of one-foot on either side of it, too. Carmela may be likewise shifting in her level of loyalty, but her reasons for those loyalty shifts are very different to Skyler's. Both characters may be cut from the same cloth, but I think it's a mistake to compare them too closely ? Skyler's a much more ambivalent criminal... even to the end... than Carmela is.

 

[Therumancer]

The clear winner was Farscape, right from the beginning it scored infinite points and no more needed to be said.

(I myself am a major Farscape fan)

To be honest I was cheering for Dexter to win, and kind of though it would because well.. it seems Kyle almost never wins. Either way this seems to have been one of the more evenly matched episode as far as the two contenders, well done.

 

[manitoublack]

I've just re-watched Battlestar Galactica and have to say that it'd still be my top pic. Yes it's Sci-Fi but as a Space Opera/Drama it's almost without peers. It's still holding up very well 10 years on. It has a great cast, excellent character development, very high production values, intriguing and well developed plot/lore and probably the best sound score ever recorded for TV. Yes it only got 4 seasons, but that meant it didn't over stay its welcome, something I get the feeling Dexter and definitely SG1 did. Get on Youtube and search for 'All along the Watchtower BSG' and tell me it doesn't get you in the mood to watch it all again.

I enjoyed Caprica more than most I suspect, and was disappointed to see it only get 1 season.

I'd put Farscape a close 2nd to BSG.

Regards
Jordan

 

[Strazdas]

Farscape!

I loved farscape but as far as drama goes Babylon 5 beats it every day.

[HEADING=3]OBVIOUSLY THE WIRE. Come ON, guys![/HEADING]

there are people who dont like the wire. you know, like me. i thought it was crap.

Granted i only saw first 3 episodes of breaking bad, but there was plenty of healthcare bashing in it.

 

[A3sir]

How the hell did you pick Dexter? I watched Dexter beginning to end when it aired. Dexter was NOT required viewing and it doesn't outdo other shows. This is the reason I don't watch no right answer. The guys don't seem to have any idea about what is in the topics they choose.

 

[Robot Number V]

Farscape!

I loved farscape but as far as drama goes Babylon 5 beats it every day.

[HEADING=3]OBVIOUSLY THE WIRE. Come ON, guys![/HEADING]

there are people who dont like the wire. you know, like me. i thought it was crap. I'll assume you've ran into plenty of superfans who looked at you as if you were the devil after you said you didn't like it, and I'll assume that's where your reaction is coming from. So I just want to say that I am not one of those fans. I really don't care if people don't like the things I like. Nothing is for everyone.

Granted i only saw first 3 episodes of breaking bad, but there was plenty of healthcare bashing in it.

Well, obviously there are people who don't like the Wire. I don't seem to recall every denying that, or even implying otherwise. I'll assume you've ran into plenty of superfans who looked at you as if you were the devil after you said you didn't like it, and I'll assume that's where your reaction is coming from. So I just want to say that I am not one of those fans. I really don't care if people don't like the things I like. Nothing is for everyone.
And about Breaking Bad...sorry, but it just isn't about health care. They make several things VERY clear right from the start:

1. Walt was perfectly capable of getting better care IF HE WANTED IT, thanks to his rich friends.

2. Walt didn't want better care because he'd rather die on his own terms. He was afraid that getting treatment would only draw his death out and make the whole thing worse for everyone.

3. He goes into the meth business to pay for his children's education. He even calculates exactly how much he'll need for two college educations. He is NOT doing it for any kind of health care.

Anyway, I would honestly like to hear what "health care bashing" you saw in the show, as I can't recall any. I'm legitimately asking what, specifically, you are talking about.

 

[Strazdas]

Well, obviously there are people who don't like the Wire. I don't seem to recall every denying that, or even implying otherwise. I'll assume you've ran into plenty of superfans who looked at you as if you were the devil after you said you didn't like it, and I'll assume that's where your reaction is coming from. So I just want to say that I am not one of those fans. I really don't care if people don't like the things I like. Nothing is for everyone.

Im glad you are not one of those people. Your post i was quoting however made you look like one.
your point number 4 and the part i quoted implied that the wire was the only obvious choice because it somehow is the only choice when talking about best drama, when such is not the case for everyone.

As for breaking bad, like i said i only saw first 3 episodes (and then my cousin gave up since i pretty much predicted everything that was going to happen so it was no fun for him), so i dont know how much the story moves away in the future, but in those three episodes the main crysis was that he got Cancer that he could not cure because messed up health care system does not even provide actual healthcare and wants him to pay for it, essentially forcing him into dealing drugs, which turns him into a murderer. Its not direct exposition of characters bashing healthcare, but it was the underlining cause of a chemistry teacher turning into a murderer, which could have been avoided had healthcare system worked.

 

[Dollabillyall]

Best TV drama ever... and it's Breaking Bad (legit choice) versus DEXTER? Fucking Dexter?? I only have one way of reacting to this... and I pray to God that you understand wtf I am saying:

Ok fudge it ima rant anyway.
This show is used in universities to give examples and explain complex theories about true workings of society. Dexter is a easy-consume shitshow that barely anyone will remember five years from now. Dexter has pretty much no deeper layer. Gives you barely anything to consider.
Everyone goes nuts about BB bashing the healthcare system... My candidate does so much more than just bash. Bashing is easy. What is hard is to take something that is easy to bash and then show many different freaking sides making you both want to hate it and be apologetic at the same time. That is art. That is social commentary. That is a show worth watching.

 

[Lawnmooer]

Ehh...

Whilst I enjoyed Dexter, it did have a lot of bad moments (Pretty much every season finale was just the worst thing ever). I mean, I enjoyed the first half of Season 1, season 4, 5, 6 and the tolerated season 2 and season 7. But everything else was just bad (I barely made it through season 3... In fact I skipped half of it when it became apparent that nothing interesting was going to happen)

As far as Breaking Bad goes, it was pretty good. I didn't like the second half of the final series much (With the whole Hank vs Walter stuff) but I guess there's not much that could be done for a finale that'd be workable...

Other good TV Dramas:

Game of Thrones

Vikings (Currently one of my favorite shows, really looking forward to season 2)

The Wire - I admit, I'm still getting into this, nearly at the end of the 1st season... But it gets a lot of admiration and does have potential to be very engaging.

 

[Beliyal]

Now, I watched and really enjoyed both, but come on, there's no competition here. Dexter was good but it's already "just another decent show I once watched" (and I only finished it a few days ago). Breaking Bad is in a whole different class. That show, particularly the last few episodes, was an event.

I'm not sure I'd watch it all over again, but Breaking Bad was astonishingly good television. Dexter, while fun, just isn't.

This pretty much sums up my thoughts on these shows.

I watched Dexter first and found it quite enjoyable at some points, and less enjoyable at other points. I even liked most of season 8, but that ending killed it. Then I decided to give Breaking Bad a try, even though it doesn't even remotely fall into any category of things I might like. As I watched, I was constantly being retroactively reminded how much Dexter actually isn't good at all. I mean, it's alright, but compared to something like Breaking Bad? Almost hilariously incompetent with handling characters and plotlines. Breaking Bad was superb in all aspects and I devoured all five season in, like, three weeks. An amazing cast and acting, no plot left unexplained or handled outside the screen, all characters consistent and their development works in regard to what is happening and everything wraps up marvelously, unlike in Dexter where it ends with an absolutely unnecessary soap opera type drama. That ending soured the entire series for me because it was so stupid, as if the writers wanted to shock us for nothing other than pure shock value. And none of the characters, other than Dexter and Deb, were ever even remotely important. After watching Breaking Bad, I'm convinced that Dexter would've worked much better if it was less seasons and if they caught him eventually. And I actually expected season 8 to be with Dexter being discovered, but nope. Same old plot and we get an ending that doesn't really give any feeling of conclusion or actual development for characters that I just watched for 8 seasons.

Breaking Bad mops the floor with Dexter.

 

[o_d]

God no, Skyler's just a poor man's Carmela Soprano.

Maybe, but I'm not trying to argue Breaking Bad over The Sopranos.

More seriously, well, she's clearly a riff on a pretty well established character type of the criminal family matriarch. I kind of like Skyler a bit more than others, though, in that we get to see her start of darkness, and she's also kind of one-foot on either side of it, too. Carmela may be likewise shifting in her level of loyalty, but her reasons for those loyalty shifts are very different to Skyler's. Both characters may be cut from the same cloth, but I think it's a mistake to compare them too closely ? Skyler's a much more ambivalent criminal... even to the end... than Carmela is.

Well argued. And I do concede that I'm a little biased against Skyler because of how much I disliked her in the earlier seasons. Part of the reason for this is that I watched seasons of Breaking Bad and The Sopranos back to back; so season 2 Skyler who is simply frustrating to watch when paired next to a Walter White who is still trying to be a good guy, vs. Carmela whose concern over her marriage is justified given how amoral and complex Tony already is.
This is, I admit, a flaw in my part to judge Breaking Bad too harshly on its earlier seasons when it is, more than the other great shows, much more about being a single piece, rather than a series of individual seasons tied together.

 

[Robot Number V]

Well, obviously there are people who don't like the Wire. I don't seem to recall every denying that, or even implying otherwise. I'll assume you've ran into plenty of superfans who looked at you as if you were the devil after you said you didn't like it, and I'll assume that's where your reaction is coming from. So I just want to say that I am not one of those fans. I really don't care if people don't like the things I like. Nothing is for everyone.

Im glad you are not one of those people. Your post i was quoting however made you look like one.
your point number 4 and the part i quoted implied that the wire was the only obvious choice because it somehow is the only choice when talking about best drama, when such is not the case for everyone.

As for breaking bad, like i said i only saw first 3 episodes (and then my cousin gave up since i pretty much predicted everything that was going to happen so it was no fun for him), so i dont know how much the story moves away in the future, but in those three episodes the main crysis was that he got Cancer that he could not cure because messed up health care system does not even provide actual healthcare and wants him to pay for it, essentially forcing him into dealing drugs, which turns him into a murderer. Its not direct exposition of characters bashing healthcare, but it was the underlining cause of a chemistry teacher turning into a murderer, which could have been avoided had healthcare system worked.

No, see, that's what I'm trying to tell you. You really didn't watch enough of the show to make any solid judgements. I can guarantee you that you misunderstood what was happening. There is a part of the show (might be after the third episode) where the main character straight up says that he does not want treatment, because of the likelihood that he would just end up dying anyway. He tells his family that he believes treatment would only draw out his death, so that he would slowly grow more pathetic and weak before finally dying anyway.

Seriously. You are misunderstanding the show. This is probably because you only saw 3 episodes of it. I'm not saying you should go watch it or anything, that's entirely up to you. But as of right now, you have not seen enough of the show to really talk about it.

 

[viranimus]

Breaking Bad
Dexter

None of the Above.

Sorry to categorically disagree here but neither should really be considered.

Dexter started off as a great show but the series jumped the shark after it decided to keep going after the end of the Trinity season. Everything beyond that became a painful mockery of where the series came from, with each consequent season becoming more comical than the last and culminating with its final season spent by Dexter Morgan trying to deny the assessment of him only to end up finally agreeing with it.

Breaking bad was overhyped to begin with. It featured terrible pacing, dragging points out well beyond logical bounds, Jumped its own shark In its second season with Walts recovery and perhaps its biggest failing is being something terribly mundane and too believable that it all too easily could have been ripped from local police blotters and makeshifted together.

Now are either of these shows bad? Absolutely not. However to be considered the best TV drama ever when they were not even the best TV dramas on the air during their run, much less over a half century worth of television history. To name either of these the best is a pretty bad joke and fairly stern slap in the face to shows like The Sopranos, The wire, House of Cards, The Shield, The prisoner, Dallas, and so many many more to chose from that Neither Dexter or BB were even close to. Neither were bad. But a series that went on twice as long as it should have and a series that was always just a mid season replacement series that only had limited competition are not the hallmarks of what would be called best

 

[Living_Brain]

Speaking of TV shows, did they ever do a Friends vs Seinfeld video? Seems like something's ringing a bell but I don't remember.