Sticksboi05 Posted June 6, 2013 Share Posted June 6, 2013 The Sopranos was named the best-written show in televisionhistory by the Writers Guild of America, edging out an eclecticcollection of some of the most beloved and admired series. Membersof the Writers Guild of America, West (WGAW) and the Writers Guild ofAmerica, East (WGAE) voted online for the 101 Best Written TV Series,with David Chase’s iconic “family” drama topping Seinfeld, The Twilight Zone, All in the Family, and M*A*S*H*. “At their core, all of these wonderful series began with the words ofthe writers who created them and were sustained by the writers whojoined their staffs or worked on individual episodes,” said WGAWPresident Chris Keyser and WGAE President Michael Winship in a jointstatement. “This list is not only a tribute to great TV, it is adedication to all writers who devote their hearts and minds to advancingtheir craft.” http://insidetv.ew.com/2013/06/03/sopranos-seinfeld-wga/ 1. The Sopranos, HBOCreated by David Chase 2. Seinfeld, NBCCreated by Larry David & Jerry Seinfeld 3. The Twilight Zone (1959), CBSSeason 1 writers: Charles Beaumont, Richard Matheson, Robert Presnell, Jr., Rod Serling 4. All in the Family, CBSDeveloped for Television by Norman Lear, Based on Till Death Do Us Part, Created by Johnny Speight 5. M*A*S*H, CBSDeveloped for Television by Larry Gelbart 6. The Mary Tyler Moore Show, CBSCreated by James L. Brooks and Allan Burns 7. Mad Men, AMCCreated by Matthew Weiner 8. Cheers, NBCCreated by Glen Charles & Les Charles and James Burrows 9. The Wire, HBOCreated by David Simon 10. The West Wing, NBCCreated by Aaron Sorkin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larry Posted June 6, 2013 Share Posted June 6, 2013 Star Trek isn't in the top 10. This list sucks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GhostofSparta Posted June 6, 2013 Share Posted June 6, 2013 Star Trek isn't in the top 10. This list sucks. South Park is down in the 60s, tied with Everybody Love Raymond? I agree. I call shenanigans on this list! SHENANIGANS! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elkabong82 Posted June 6, 2013 Share Posted June 6, 2013 Agree to disagree on the list rankings. Not bad overall, but a bunch of disagreeables in there. Game of Thrones I would have a lot higher than 40 for example. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sherrardsd Posted June 6, 2013 Share Posted June 6, 2013 Agree to disagree on the list rankings. Not bad overall, but a bunch of disagreeables in there. Game of Thrones I would have a lot higher than 40 for example. I think it's better than a lot shows above it on the list but the writers guild probably considers the fact that it's adapted straight from already written novels. It's a great show but most of it isn't original stuff. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drtdrums Posted June 6, 2013 Share Posted June 6, 2013 Lists never work for me. This one is a great example. Half these shows wouldn't even make my list, and many seem to be mere nods to pop culture than actual writing. Firefly, for example, should be very high on the list (unless multiple seasons are required?). Twilight Zone would have been my #1, Simpsons my #2. One show I believe was better than at least three quarters of this list is the John Larroquette Show. The first season is one of the better sitcom seasons ever written, and that it has been buried and forgotten is criminal to those of us who care about these things. I'm not saying it *should* be on the list, since no one besides a few WGA folks would know what it was, but if the sole qualifier was the quality of writing, it would be the first or second sitcom on the list. Episode 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gtL88PGVGv4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CrabR Posted June 6, 2013 Share Posted June 6, 2013 I cant stand Seinfeld, no one in the family likes it. I do not know what people see in it. I would think breaking bad should be in there or I love Lucy as most of her stuff was classic. MTM was inspired by Lucy and the show, as was many other shows I would also say game of thrones expect it is taken from a book. If i go back and think one of the most addicting and well written shows when it came out was Mission Impossible. It was unique when it was aired, but like most shows after a few years it became predictable. If a show keeps me interested past 4/5 years then that is well written Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sikbug Posted June 6, 2013 Share Posted June 6, 2013 I cant stand Seinfeld, no one in the family likes it. I do not know what people see in it. I would think breaking bad should be in there or I love Lucy as most of her stuff was classic. MTM was inspired by Lucy and the show, as was many other shows I would also say game of thrones expect it is taken from a book. If i go back and think one of the most addicting and well written shows when it came out was Mission Impossible. It was unique when it was aired, but like most shows after a few years it became predictable. If a show keeps me interested past 4/5 years then that is well written Breaking Bad and I love Lucy are on the list. They hit on a lot of great shows, I don't agree with the placement of all of them, but they got in all the ones I think are the best. Oz at 101 is suspect, I almost forgot how good that show was. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zoony Posted June 6, 2013 Share Posted June 6, 2013 Best writing- I think that is a different category than best plot or best acting or best show or best circumstance. I think the best writing in the history of Television is the Wire. As for Breaking Bad, that is a good example of a show that has great acting, great theme, and a great plot, but really, sort of poorly written. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tulane Skins Fan Posted June 6, 2013 Share Posted June 6, 2013 I cant stand Seinfeld, no one in the family likes it. I do not know what people see in it. I would think breaking bad should be in there or I love Lucy as most of her stuff was classic. MTM was inspired by Lucy and the show, as was many other shows I would also say game of thrones expect it is taken from a book. If i go back and think one of the most addicting and well written shows when it came out was Mission Impossible. It was unique when it was aired, but like most shows after a few years it became predictable. If a show keeps me interested past 4/5 years then that is well written You and your family sound very dull. Just kidding. Honestly, I would have Seinfeld one. Sopranos toppled after about season three or four to me, but it was great for a while. I think its a solid list overall though. I won't complain about it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Special K Posted June 6, 2013 Share Posted June 6, 2013 How the hell The Wire was ranked down at #9 I will never understand. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheGreatBuzz Posted July 1, 2013 Share Posted July 1, 2013 Well for my $.02 I would have to say Law and Order should be in the top 10. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Warhead36 Posted July 1, 2013 Share Posted July 1, 2013 How exactly do you judge writing? Dialogue? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Evil Genius Posted July 1, 2013 Share Posted July 1, 2013 Ranking Buffy at #49 on this list shows that best writing is purely subjective. To me, it's an easy top 10 of the best written shows of all time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Koolblue13 Posted July 1, 2013 Share Posted July 1, 2013 The Simpsons should be much higher than #11. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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