TV: Ranking of the Best HBO Shows of All Time - #2

[sully1410]

If we are truly being Objective..then where is Sex and the City? It is one of the greatest HBO shows of all, doing well in awards and nominations and veiwership.

I realize that there probably isn't a soul here that watched it...but it would a fallacy for us to say that it wasn't a "great show" by most metrics other than our eye test.

 

[Shareefruck]

I think the opposite. A show that initially snags your interest doesn't always hold it.

I think that's more like the contrapositive of what I said (which doesn't contradict it) and not the opposite.

 

[KallioWeHardlyKnewYe]

If we are truly being Objective..then where is Sex and the City? It is one of the greatest HBO shows of all, doing well in awards and nominations and veiwership.

I realize that there probably isn't a soul here that watched it...but it would a fallacy for us to say that it wasn't a "great show" by most metrics other than our eye test.

This isn't really an objective discussion or issue though, is it? I don't see it that way, certainly not purely that way.

Plus, I don't think I'm going out on a limb to say this board isn't Sex and the City's demographic.
That said, I have no shame in saying I've seen every episode and generally liked it. But that is a show that definitely has not aged well.
(I'm definitely a Miranda BTW).

I'd give it a vote over something like True Blood.

 

[sully1410]

I think that's more like the contrapositive of what I said (which doesn't contradict it) and not the opposite.

Cool. I learned a new word.

 

[KallioWeHardlyKnewYe]

I mean, I don't think you completely discount a measure like ratings, but it needs to be balanced with other assessments. Just because something is popular doesn't mean it's good. Seems like this comes up every year around Oscar discussions.

If popular equaled good, McDonald's would be considered the best restaurant in the world.

 

[Oscar Acosta]

Poll needs Oz and Curb Your Enthusiasm. Would have voted either over what I did.

 

[Soliloquy of a Dogge]

I mean, I don't think you completely discount a measure like ratings, but it needs to be balanced with other assessments. Just because something is popular doesn't mean it's good. Seems like this comes up every year around Oscar discussions.

If popular equaled good, McDonald's would be considered the best restaurant in the world.

And the Toronto Maple Leafs would be considered not only a real National Hockey League team, but the best one...

 

[BenchBrawl]

The Sopranos was much more popular than The Wire, certainly more accessible, and features an incredible character as the face of the show, so I would agree with you that it will likely be seen as more "iconic." That being said, I think it's much more flawed than The Wire. Lots of extraneous subplots and filler (especially in the later seasons as Kallio said), the same type of villain (Richie, Ralphie, Frank) thrown in to create conflict with Tony, and one of the worst TV characters of all-time in A.J. Soprano. Still a great show (Gandolfini's performance is as good as it gets), but I think it's a tier below the all-time greats.

I agree the Sopranos had weak and useless subplots, but The Wire was also flawed but nobody wants to talk about it.

There was no true strong character in The Wire in the Tony Sopranos sense.Everybody thinks Omar Little is such a great character, but just take out the fact he was gay and he's already a lot less complex, and they didn't explore any of the difficulties he had as an homosexual.He was just gay and that was it.Put a woman instead of his boyfriend in all the scenes where he's seen having a romantic moment and his character just got less interesting for a lot of people.Sure he's a cool character anyway and pretty bad ass, but he's not that well developped.His homosexuality gave the illusion of depth.

The same is true of almost all Wire character.

 

[YWGinYYZ]

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