Oh yeah, Rome–amazing stuff.
Looks like it!
How about a pact? All Wire fans send out an alert when something shows up that might be of similar quality. I’ll be subbing to HBO again when Simon’s new series starts. April 11 and there’s a teaser on this site.
It may amuse you to know that that episode caused a certain amount of yowling by the real life slashers.
Writers weren’t paying enough attention to the slashfic. Or the second line would be ‘I think that makes them like it better.’:o
I liked Deadwood too, the first season, anyway.
Got to recommend “The Shield” as well. Best writing I’ve seen season after season. Like it so much, I had to get it all on DVD. I’ve went through it 3 different times.
“Wincest” - oh my God, that’s too funny. If they didn’t want people noticing the homoerotic undertones, maybe they should have, I dunno, less of it. 
What would be the fun in that?
Do you live in our house? Agree with everything except Grey’s Anatomy, but never really gave the show a chance as not a big fan of doctor show - Royal Pains being an exception of sorts, but that is not a hospital drama.
Also, as others have mentioned:
Dexter
Southland (returning, but now on TNT starting in March)
Mad Men
Leverage
Shows no longer airing, but on DVD:
Wire
Six Feet Under
The Shield
Deadwood
Sopranos
Rome
Queer as Folk (yes, quite Gay, but very good)
Nothing to disagree with here. Two of my favorites seem to be not all that highly regarded:
Rescue Me - Denis Leary’s paean to New York fire fighters. He plays Tommy Gavin the most fucked up character on TV. The show features a superb ensemble cast and guest stars like Tatum O’Neal, Susan Sarandon, Marisa Tomei, Gina Gershon, Amy Sedaris and Michael J. Fox who all ended up with continuing roles. Ostensibly a drama, it features some of the best laughs on TV. Every episode has an aimless argument or conversation about some BS subject that feels like it is stolen from real life. I wonder how much of it is adlibbed. Starts off great, has one stupid season and then gets back on track.
Friday Night Lights - Peter Berg takes the opportunity to turn his movie into hundreds of hours of movie quality TV. Again a great ensemble cast featuring Kyle Chandler and Connie Britton as Coach Taylor and wife Tami playing the most realistic married couple on TV. The rest of the cast are just as good and the show is shot without rehearsal or much blocking. The camera crews have trained to follow the actors around as they play scenes. This gives the show an almost documentary feel. It manages to tell important stories without lapsing into soap opera and is often heartrending. Again starts great, has some silly plot lines in season 2 and then gets back on track. The just completed season 4 is only 13 episodes so the story telling is somewhat jumpy but it still packs a punch.
Definitely two of the best shows I have ever seen. Probably the only shows that I am watching now that I was watching 4 years ago. Oh no, Dexter and House qualify too.
“Dexter” for sure. Riveting.
I loved the first seasons of “Heroes” and “24,” which I saw courtesy of Netflix. (I haven’t watched subsequent seasons yet)
“The Tudors” is a great mix of drama and soap
None. None fun. 
I second the first season of both these shows. I had to stop watching Rescue Me when it got too dark for me to want to deal with in season three. Season two of Friday Night Lights isn’t actually bad, but it has one of the stupidest side plot arcs in recent television history and the show never got as good as it was in season one again. But the first seasons of both of the above shows are amazing.
Dexter has a similar problem of having such a brilliant first season that the following seasons just can’t compare up.
Mad Men is great. White Collar is fun and light.
Dollhouse was, I believe, widely misunderstood and I hope you will give it a second chance when season two is released on DVD.
Men of a Certain Age still has a few episodes left in its first season. Very good look at lives of ordinary (not cops, Romans or bikers) people.
About Sons of Anarchy. Depending on what you mean by “serious.” I enjoy the show a lot and have gotten several friends to watch it.
But it’s no serious look at outlaw bikers.
How about some British series? The Cops; Cracker, Danger UXB; I, Claudius; Prime Suspect; Reilly, Ace of Spies; The Singing Detective; Spooks (aka MI-5); State of Play; Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy and Upstairs, Downstairs are all good.
What do you folks think about adding Nip/Tuck? Yes, it frequently veers into the outrageous and absurd, but there also some wrenching stories.