Greatest US TV Dramas - your Top Five/Ten

[Uncle Leo]

The Wire
Sopranos
ER
Mad Men

I haven't really watched any others extensively enough to comment on them. Does Game of Thrones count as American? Because so far so very bloody good.

 

[palexander]

No particular order...

1) X-Files
2) Sopranos
3) The Wire
4) Breaking Bad
5) Simpsons
6) Millenium
7) Lost
8) The US Office
9) Curb Your Enthusiasm
10) Terminator: Sarah Connor Chronicles

Toss up for 10th!

Boardwalk Empire - superb, but only 1 season so far.
Game Of Thrones - brilliant so far, but only 7 episodes so not really fair to judge it against others on the list
First season of Prison Break was amazing, then massively nose-dived.
Arrested Development - Only just got round to watching it and think it is genius!

Went for Sarah Connor in the end as after a bit of a soggy start, it matured into a really cool series and was cancelled too soon IMO.

 

[Beefy]

No it isn't. A "very bad" TV show wouldn't have a cult following, last over 40 years and have all the cream of acting and writing talent working on it.

I on the other hand, was simply bored sh*tless by The Wire. Treme ****ed all over it.

Plenty of bad things have cult followings.

I'm talking about the new Doctor Who stuff anyway. The old show was good back in the day for what it was and what it was competing with. If the new one floats your boat nowadays then fair enough. I think it's cheap, poorly written, poorly acted (in the whole) and the whole thing comes up as amateurish in comparison to the polished stuff coming out of the America (not that they can't produce some nonsense as well).

 

[MK Shrimper]

Plenty of bad things have cult followings.

I'm talking about the new Doctor Who stuff anyway. The old show was good back in the day for what it was and what it was competing with. If the new one floats your boat nowadays then fair enough. I think it's cheap, poorly written, poorly acted (in the whole) and the whole thing comes up as amateurish in comparison to the polished stuff coming out of the America (not that they can't produce some nonsense as well).

Two that stick in the mind: The Family from the Tennant incarnation. Incredibly well written, how the Doctor turned from caring, loving John Smith back into the cold Doctor within a heartbeat. And the one written by Neil Gaiman in the recent series when the Tardis became a woman.

Agreed there's been too much Dalek, I'm not a fan of the bloody Cybermen, but on the whole it's must see TV, at least in my house and 7M others.

 

[Rudi Luftwaffe]

Riptide.
Thunder in paradise.
Cagney and Lacey
Little house on the prairie.
BJ and the bear.

 

[TrueBlue]

1. Sopranos
2. sopranos
3. sopranos
4. sopranos
5. sopranos
6. sopranos
7. sopranos
8. sopranos
9. sopranos
10. Lost

 

[Rudi Luftwaffe]

40+ years, huge following. It's one you'd lose. :whistling:

A huge following comprised of children and nerds on the periphery of society.

 

[canveyshrimper]

Top American TV drama?The Prisoner with David Jansen.No contest really.

Or even The Fugitive. :smile:

The Prisoner being top British TV and starring Patrick McGoohan.

In no particular order.

24
The Wire
The West Wing
The High Chapparal
Dexter

 

[Rudi Luftwaffe]

Jinny Sac is so fat that when she goes camping the bears have to hide their[\B] food.

 

[Yorkshire Blue]

No it isn't. A "very bad" TV show wouldn't have a cult following, last over 40 years and have all the cream of acting and writing talent working on it.

I on the other hand, was simply bored sh*tless by The Wire. Treme ****ed all over it.

Drewe Broughton has a cult following.

 

[BILLERICAY BLUE]

The West Wing first, the rest nowhere....

Including this, which I think was one of the best season endings of any show.....

[video=youtube;uaUPDYXQUtw]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uaUPDYXQUtw[/video]

 

[Clinton Baptiste]

Breaking Bad by far the best drama Ive ever watched. Mentions for Prison Break, Generation Kill, Burn Notice and X files. Lost disappeared up its own arse and went on for too long but was good for the first 3 seasons.

 

[davewebbsbrain]

The Invaders
Chips
BJ and the Bear
Hill Street Blues
X-Files
Invasion
Hawaii Five 0 (the original)
Fantasy Island

 

[Rudi Luftwaffe]

Was The Invaders a Quinn Martin production?

 

[MK Shrimper]

Hill Street Blues

Good call. Also St. Elsewhere was superb, and who could forget the 80's TV Cheese of Knight Rider/Airwolf/A-Team.

 

[davewebbsbrain]

Was The Invaders a Quinn Martin production?

I don't know but it was a brilliant programme and Roy Thinnes played the part so well.

 

[Tangled up in Blue]

Or even The Fugitive. :smile:

The Prisoner being top British TV and starring Patrick McGoohan.

In no particular order.

24
The Wire
The West Wing
The High Chapparal
Dexter

Doh that's what I meant to say.And obviously I was thinking of Mcgoohan's excellent British TV series too.

 

[Uncle Leo]

Good call. Also St. Elsewhere was superb, and who could forget the 80's TV Cheese of Knight Rider/Airwolf/A-Team.

If you have fond memories of The A-Team (as I did), don't re-watch it. It's not aged well.

 

[canveyshrimper]

If you have fond memories of The A-Team (as I did), don't re-watch it. It's not aged well.

I used to love the A Team, but purely for George Peppard's impenetrable disguises. :unsure:

 

[sufc_tom]

1) CSI: New York
2) CSI: Las Vegas
3) CSI: Miami
4) NCIS
5) NCIS: LA