The Monkey
The Freeman
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There seem to be a consensus that these four TV shows have been the very best of the past 10 years.
The West Wing.
[finished 1 year before the Sopranos, '06, both began in '99]
Yeah, I know other shows are contenders as well (Rome also comes to mind), but those articles narrowed it down in what me seemed to be a good way.The West Wing easily compares with Mad Men and The Sopranos. I've seen much less of the other two.
The Wire is hardcore realist fiction with relentless dedication to authenticity and very overt themes etc. Breaking Bad is a bit more fantastic (although still realistic to some degree, but it's more Dexter than The Wire in terms of deus ex machina, etc) and its themes and intentions are a lot more difficult to pin down. I think Breaking Bad is a work of art, I love all of the subtle symbolism and use of visual themes and wonderful cinematography, but The Wire is art too, and in a totally different way.Out of the four, I split my vote between The Wire and Breaking Bad. I can't vote as a result. The Wire is far more deep and intricate than Breaking Bad, but there's just something so wonderful about Breaking Bad.
Okay, Ennui, you've sold me. I'm going to start watching The Wire.
Out of the four, I split my vote between The Wire and Breaking Bad. I can't vote as a result. The Wire is far more deep and intricate than Breaking Bad, but there's just something so wonderful about Breaking Bad.
I have never seen Mad Men, and The Sopranos was not really all that deep though it was great.
, and The Sopranos was not really all that deep though it was great.
What about the therapist, Melfi? She's rather sympathetic. As is Carmela, especially in season 4-5. But I agree with you on most male characters. I wanted Tony to die a painful death all the way through. What bothered me somewhat about the Sopranos is that you rarely see the effects that their crimes have on ordinary people. It's almost as if the writers wanted you to side with the mobsters, which is a highly disturbing thought.if it wasn't for the fact that the sopranos does an amazing job at making you despise every character in the show, it would likely be my favourite. it's because of that that i find it difficult to watch as much as the wire because there is always someone to get behind which every season and every re-watch. sopranos is just solid hate from start to finish with the only redeeming character probably being one of the fbi agents, and even he is a malicious asshole when you get down to it.
Yeah really. Dexter is great and super entertaining and I've watched every new episode of it the night it aired since the start of Season 3... but it's not even close to the same level as the other stuff discussed in this thread from a thematic, artistic, aesthetic or just plain writing standpoint....lastly, get that ****ing Dexter shit out of here are you goddamn serious
What about the therapist, Melfi? She's rather sympathetic. As is Carmela, especially in season 4-5. But I agree with you on most male characters. I wanted Tony to die a painful death all the way through. What bothered me somewhat about the Sopranos is that you rarely see the effects that their crimes have on ordinary people. It's almost as if the writers wanted you to side with the mobsters, which is a highly disturbing thought.
It's true, but I don't see it having the appropriate effect. I know it's hardly a scientific survey, but when you watch YouTube videos from the Sopranos, the comments are highly favourable to the crime family. The video of the particular incident you were walking about, Patsi hitting the black construction worker, had the highest rated comment saying "that ****ing n*gger had it coming". I know I must sound like an idiot, but it strengthens the impression I have that the Sopranos never made the audience feel for the victims of organized crime. The Wire never had that problem, and Breaking Bad also highlights the horrors of drug abuse in later seasons (even though that's hardly it's main purpose).i would count melfi and carmela as some of the worst culprits, personally, and esp. when you start to consider them as a sort of one and the same. they both put up with an obvious life of crime for their own self-indulgent benefits, which is disgusting. i'll admit that when carmela gets some balls to walk out on tony it's a bit of a win, but not much.
as for the ordinary people, i'd have to disagree with you there too. for the life of me i can't think up a coherent list of people affected by the various families, but there is a lot of collateral that takes hits. i'm talking boyfriends and girlfriends, family members, business, shop keepers... actually i just thought of some immediate examples though i can't be as specific as i'd like for memory reasons: the landscape surveyor who gets beat up alot, that family gardening company who get forced into doing a different neighbourhood and some families yards for free, a construction worker who says he's going to call the cops when a fight breaks out only to get severely beaten up in the process, that stripper at the 'bing who was with ralphie, who he then killed outside! there's a shit ton of flak for the everyman, it's horrible.
"Rome" in the US. "Sherlock" in the UK.