The 20 Best TV Dramas of My Lifetime

Last week, I posted my list of the 20 best TV sitcoms of my lifetime.  Today, we look at TV dramas. The majority of the shows on this list are from the last decade.  The Sopranos took TV dramas to a new level, and at this point, I expect every new series on HBO and Showtime to blow me away.  We are spoiled by the amount of quality shows on TV right now. 

I thought the breakdown of networks with shows on my list was interesting: HBO (6), Showtime (3), AMC (3), Fox (2), FX (2), BBC America (1), The CW/UPN (1), NBC (1), and ABC (1).  AMC, which has only aired eight original, scripted series in its history, has more shows on the list than CBS, ABC, and NBC combined.

I should mention that I've never seen Lost, 24, Oz, or The Shield so they are not on the list.  I really wanted Dawson's Creek in my top 20, but it barely missed the cut.  Sorry, Dawson.

 

20 Best TV Dramas (I will not give away any spoilers in my rankings.)

20. Big Love: The first of six HBO shows on the list.  Polygamist compounds, sister wives, Mormon hardware stores -- this show had it all.

19. Orphan Black: I highly recommend this BBC America series.  The first season just ended, and all of the episodes are on demand.  10 episodes were good enough to make this list.  Worth watching.



18. The Walking Dead: I did not expect to like a zombie show, but The Walking Dead is entertaining and suspenseful.  I'm not sure how many more seasons it can go because there are only so many more places the group can hide.

17. The Tudors: Very entertaining historical fiction.  A poor man's Game of Thrones, and I mean that as a compliment.

16. Boardwalk Empire:  I've always liked Steve Buscemi in supporting roles, but he excels in the lead role in Boardwalk Empire.  If you like the Sopranos, you should be watching this series about mobsters set in Atlantic City during the Prohibition period.

15. Damages: The pilot episode is as good as any pilot I've ever seen.  Glenn Close was born to play Patty Hewes.  Had some great guest stars in Ted Danson, Martin Short, and John Goodman, among others.

14. Six Feet Under:  Morbid subject matter, but it was a very good show.  Michael C. Hall was good as a supporting character before landing the lead role in Dexter.  The show also launched the career of Rainn Wilson, better known as Dwight from The Office.

13. Veronica Mars: Kristen Bell has been in some bad movies so if you haven't seen Veronica Mars, then you probably don't realize that she's a good actress.  From 2004-2007, Veronica was the most bad ass female character on TV.  The movie -- fully funded by generous fans of the TV program through a kickstarter -- comes out in 2014.

12. The O.C.: The unlikely duo of brooding Ryan and nerdy/funny Seth made for one of the best bromances in TV history.  It had better looking girls, more interesting parental figures, and funnier dialogue than 90210, but it couldn't maintain its excellence for more than two and a half seasons (out of four total seasons).  At its best, it was better than 90210.  At its worst, it was worse than One Tree Hill.  This week marks the 10-year anniversary of the series premiere, and that is not all depressing.



11. Dexter: I've binge-watched all 8 seasons of Dexter over the last three months, and I like it much more than I expected.  The show is dark and light-hearted at the same time.  Dexter's dark passenger doesn't overshadow the strong supporting cast.

10. Beverly Hill, 90210:  The benchmark for high school and college TV dramas.  The college years (despite the ridiculous fact that everyone from West Beverly High enrolled at Cal U) put BH9er slightly ahead of The O.C.  Pregnancy scares, prom night hookups, house party fires, acoustic guitar serenades, peach pie, and sideburns.  Lots of sideburns.  What more can you ask for from a teen drama?



9. The Americans: Very impressive first season -- impressive enough to make my top 10 after only one season.  Felicity (Keri Russell) is amazing in her role as a KGB spy living in America -- never saw that coming and it makes me wonder if I need to go back and watch Felicity.  The performances of Russell of her husband/colleague on the show are so compelling that I actually find myself rooting for the KGB instead of the Americans.

8. The Wonder Years: I referenced this in a post a few years ago, but writer Chuck Klosterman once wrote, "The Wonder Years was the only TV program that allowed me to be nostalgic at the age of seventeen."  In my case, The Wonder Years made me nostalgic at age 10.  Winnie Cooper was, without a doubt, my first crush. 

7. Mad Men: Mad Men can be slow at times, but it is well-written and well-acted.  If not for Bryan Cranston in Breaking Bad, Jon Hamm would have several Emmys for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series.  Peggy (Elisabeth Moss) is underrated as a lead actress as well.

6. Game of Thrones: Winter is coming.  Sometimes it's hard to keep up with all the characters in Game of Thrones -- luckily there are many great characters because the writers are not scared to kill off anyone.

5. Homeland:  Angela from My So-Called Life (Claire Danes) is excellent as a CIA agent.  15 years ago, no one could have predicted that Keri Russell and Claire Danes would be the best actresses on TV in 2013.  I'll be interested to see what happens in season 3 (starting September 29) given the interesting events that ended season 2.

4. Friday Night Lights:  Clear eyes, full hearts, can't lose.  Coach and Tami Taylor were the best married couple in dramatic TV history.  The show took a risk by bringing in a whole new set of high school characters in season 4 (rather than follow the high school graduates to college), and for the most part the risk paid off.  Please watch this show.  Texas forever.   



3. The Sopranos: Damn, the late James Gandolfini was good as Tony Soprano.  The Sopranos deserves a lot of credit for revolutionizing original programming on the premium channels.  It wasn't HBO's first original series, but no prior HBO drama series had garnered the critical acclaim or lasted as many seasons as The Sopranos.  On this list, there are six HBO series and three Showtime series, and all of them were created after The Sopranos.



2. Breaking Bad:  The final half-season starts on August 11 -- that makes me excited and sad at the same time.  Walter White is one of the most interesting characters in TV history.  A high school chemistry teacher gets cancer and decides to team up with a former student to sell meth to provide for his family after his death.  In the first few seasons, we, as viewers, root for Walt to get out of trouble and make money for his family.  I would expect that most viewers are now rooting against Walt.  The following three things are certain for the final season: Walt, Jr. will eat breakfast onscreen, Marie will wear purple, and Walt will die.  What a tremendous show.



1. The Wire:  The most compelling drama series of my lifetime.  The Wire allowed viewers to follow many different perspectives, including those of law enforcement agents, attorneys, drug dealers, politicians, port workers, teachers, homeless people, and journalists.  I have trouble choosing my 10 favorite characters on the show -- there were no weak links in the cast.  The acting felt authentic, and that is not usually the case in shows that deal with poverty, drugs, and the police.  The series inexplicably did not win a single Emmy award, but being named #1 on this list must be some consolation.