# The Best TV Series Ever **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 14, 2007, 5:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-tv-series-ever/422654 "2007-10-14T05:36:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Oslo\_Ostragoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/a9a28c/32.png) [@Oslo\_Ostragoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oslo_Ostragoth)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2007, 5:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-tv-series-ever/422654/1 "2007-10-14T05:36:43Z")
I have now seen the first 5 episodes of **Deadwood**. If I were on an Emmy nominating committee, I would put them first at everything. Casting. Directing. Script. Cinematography. Soundtrack. Lead actor. Supporting actor (multiple nominations). What else can I nominate this for? ---
**Author:** ![AuntiePam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@AuntiePam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuntiePam)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2007, 6:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-tv-series-ever/422654/2 "2007-10-14T06:05:47Z")
I thought this was going to be about **The Wire** , but Deadwood’s close enough. More awards? Costumes, set design, make-up, special effects (especially the guy Trixie shot in the first episode), best blow job monologues, best use of a head in a box. The first season is particularly awesome. If you have trouble deciphering any of the dialogue, transcripts are [here](http://members.aol.com/chatarama/). After the first few episodes, screen shots are included. Milch also put together a gorgeous Deadwood book, but it has spoilers for the second and third seasons. ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2007, 6:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-tv-series-ever/422654/3 "2007-10-14T06:08:34Z")
Never seen _Deadwood._ Gonna have to nominate _Star Trek: The Next Generation._ Then, of course, _Futurama_, as well as every _Law and Order_ ever made. I’m not a real big watcher of TV, though. We don’t actually have broadcast television of any sort in this house. I find that generally even the greatest shows are not worth sitting through commercials for. Upon preview: Sorry, misread the intent of the OP. Deadwood does sound interesting to me, just from what I’ve read about it on this board. ---
**Author:** ![EllisDee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellisdee/32/4531_2.png) [@EllisDee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EllisDee)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2007, 9:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-tv-series-ever/422654/4 "2007-10-14T09:03:08Z")
[QUOTE=Oslo Ostragoth] What else can I nominate this for? [/QUOTE] Greatest season finale episode ever for the first season’s finale. You’re in for a treat. ---
**Author:** ![Lust4Life](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ecc23a/32.png) [@Lust4Life](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lust4Life)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2007, 10:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-tv-series-ever/422654/5 "2007-10-14T10:18:20Z")
Rome. ---
**Author:** ![bob\_loblaw](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/f19dbf/32.png) [@bob\_loblaw](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bob_loblaw)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2007, 11:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-tv-series-ever/422654/6 "2007-10-14T11:36:09Z")
best ever? i’d nominate for top three, in order : arrested development, futurama, the office (british version) if you are talking long running (at least appx. a decade) only, i’d nominate law & order {the original series, no spin-offs} the simpsons & seinfeld. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2007, 11:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-tv-series-ever/422654/7 "2007-10-14T11:50:41Z")
_The Dick Van Dyke Show_, of the early 60s, was brilliantly scripted, amazing cast, & had real art in its sets & directing. Its humor was witty & sophisticated (how often can you say that about a TV series?), and Rob & Laura Petrie showed a real passion for each other, breaking the sterile mold of TV marriage (even if the censors _did_ require twin beds). It was a truly great show, & I believe that they decided to end the show after 5 seasons, rather than let it go stale. That would make them the first TV show to do that. ---
**Author:** ![RikWriter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/49beb7/32.png) [@RikWriter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RikWriter)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2007, 12:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-tv-series-ever/422654/8 "2007-10-14T12:00:39Z")
Deadwood is IMHO the best TV series I’ve ever seen. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2007, 12:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-tv-series-ever/422654/9 "2007-10-14T12:26:06Z")
The original \*Twilight Zone \*or _Star Trek: TNG._ ---
**Author:** ![Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hey_It_s_That_Guy)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2007, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-tv-series-ever/422654/10 "2007-10-14T14:50:30Z")
I tore through the entire first season of Deadwood on DVD, a couple months back. I loved every single moment of it, and desperately need to see Seasons 2 and 3 now. I would rank it among my top ten shows of all time, based on the strength of that first season. Buffy, Angel, Arrested Development, Deadwood, The Office (U.S.), Firefly, The Shield, Venture Bros., The Office (U.K.), and Scrubs. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Controvert](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/dec6dc/32.png) [@The\_Controvert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Controvert)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2007, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-tv-series-ever/422654/11 "2007-10-14T15:15:13Z")
I’m going to nominate _Stargate: SG1_. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2007, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-tv-series-ever/422654/12 "2007-10-14T15:19:25Z")
_Deadwood_ then _Six Feet Under_ for me. The latter was edgy, dark, funny and brilliantly acted. People who don’t like it say it’s because the characters were unlikeable; like I said, brilliant acting. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2007, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-tv-series-ever/422654/13 "2007-10-14T15:45:21Z")
_The Simpsons The Sopranos Deadwood Seinfeld The Andy Griffith Show The Larry Sanders Show_ ---
**Author:** ![flex727](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/258eb7/32.png) [@flex727](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flex727)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2007, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-tv-series-ever/422654/14 "2007-10-14T16:10:10Z")
[QUOTE=Bosda Di’Chi of Tricor] _The Dick Van Dyke Show_, of the early 60s, was brilliantly scripted, amazing cast, & had real art in its sets & directing. Its humor was witty & sophisticated (how often can you say that about a TV series?), and Rob & Laura Petrie showed a real passion for each other, breaking the sterile mold of TV marriage (even if the censors _did_ require twin beds). It was a truly great show, & I believe that they decided to end the show after 5 seasons, rather than let it go stale. That would make them the first TV show to do that. [/QUOTE] I love Deadwood, but you are right on the money here. There is no question that the original Dick Van Dyke show was the greatest TV series of all time. What’s amazing is that it is still just as funny today as it was in the 60s, not dated at all. They beat Seinfeld by 30 years with great self-referential humor, and probably still hold the record for the longest laugh by the studio audience (the episode where… Rob thinks he got the wrong baby from the hospital and discovers that the other couple is black). 158 episodes and I’m hard-pressed to come up with a clunker. ---
**Author:** ![lissener](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lissener/32/6139_2.png) [@lissener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lissener)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2007, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-tv-series-ever/422654/15 "2007-10-14T22:43:47Z")
[ol] [li]_The Singing Detective[/li][li]Buffy the Vampire Slayer[/li][li]Prime Suspect[/li][li]NYPD Blue[/li][li]The X-Files_[/li][/ol] ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2007, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-tv-series-ever/422654/16 "2007-10-14T22:46:30Z")
Another vote for _Dick Van Dyke_. It’s in a league of its own, and then follow the also-rans. ---
**Author:** ![Moriarty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/moriarty/32/49_2.png) [@Moriarty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moriarty)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2007, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-tv-series-ever/422654/17 "2007-10-14T22:54:54Z")
Why do I get the feeling I’m wasting my breath by mentioning Alf? (My vote is for Taxi and for Cheers) ---
**Author:** ![Purd\_Werfect](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e47c2d/32.png) [@Purd\_Werfect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Purd_Werfect)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2007, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-tv-series-ever/422654/18 "2007-10-14T23:16:33Z")
Arrested Development Battlestar Galactica (current version) Deadwood Cheers Simpsons Firefly Futurama M_A_S\*H ---
**Author:** ![PunditLisa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/4af34b/32.png) [@PunditLisa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PunditLisa)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2007, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-tv-series-ever/422654/19 "2007-10-14T23:24:25Z")
The Sopranos - brutal and funny; top notch writing Honorable mentions: Cheers The Office U.K. I Love Lucy Northern Exposure ---
**Author:** ![MandaJo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ac91a4/32.png) [@MandaJo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MandaJo)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2007, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-tv-series-ever/422654/20 "2007-10-14T23:35:56Z")
One of the most brilliant things about Deadwood is the way all the major charecters is a completely independent agent, with thier own agendas, loyalties, predjudices, priorities and intelligence level, and each of those things consistiently shapes how a charecter will act/react/interpret a given situation. Charecter is never undermined to make the plot come out right. I can’t think of another show that did this so well. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-tv-series-ever/422654.md?page=2)