The Greatest TV Shows of All Time (Kinda): The Top 10

[Cadence]

B

It's almost as if there is a whole description in the OP about why comedies aren't included ...

and an entire additional post about the greatest comedies.

The Greatest TV Shows of All Time Part 2: HA HA! Comedy Illustrated

If you haven't seen it yet, then here is Part 1 - the Dramas. Oh, the DRAMA! You'd think that people would be understanding if you create a list of shows and put forth reasons for having the list exclusive (such as American shows, and no Comedies) given that you were only doing 10, but, of...

www.enworld.org

Seriously, at a certain point it's like ... why bother with words? it's not like people read them.

But you write so many... and there is so little time!

 

[Snarf Zagyg]

B

But you write so many... and there is so little time!

The food is terrible, and the portions are too big!

 

[Cadence]

The food is terrible, and the portions are too big!

The sweetest pie should be in the smallest slices. Well, not as small as the worst pie.

 

[Gladius Legis]

And yet you don't generally influence people to do good, by giving them examples of bad. Especially so when you show people profiting from the bad.

Well, clearly, The West Wing hasn't influenced anyone to do good, either.

 

[TheSword]

Well, clearly, The West Wing hasn't influenced anyone to do good, either.

I think maybe you miss the point. West Wing doesn’t portray the world as being ideal, world is pretty universally adversarial, it portrays the key characters optimistically… though they have their own flaws, priorities and personalities.

If your criticism of West Wing is that the characters aren’t venal enough, then I would say that is a feature not a flaw.

 

[Gladius Legis]

it portrays the key characters optimistically… though they have their own flaws, priorities and personalities.

If your criticism of West Wing is that the characters aren’t venal enough, then I would say that is a feature not a flaw.

It's a feature of an inherently flawed concept. Politicians being portrayed optimistically ruins my suspension of disbelief, especially when it's a show that clearly portrays a strong sense of verisimilitude otherwise.

And the dialogue, well, it's Aaron Sorkin. And all the preachy and didactic annoyance that implies.

 

[TheSword]

It's a feature of an inherently flawed concept. Politicians being portrayed optimistically ruins my suspension of disbelief, especially when it's a show that clearly portrays a strong sense of verisimilitude otherwise.

And the dialogue, well, it's Aaron Sorkin. And all the preachy and didactic annoyance that implies.

Ahh cool. You don’t like Aaron Sorkin, well that ok, and makes a lot more sense, as it is very much his work, for the first few seasons at least.

I think you probably need a greater sense of optimism to enjoy it. Though there are plenty of dishonest and mercenary politicians just not the key characters. It’s not their story he’s telling.

 

[DrunkonDuty]

The food is terrible, and the portions are too big!

Aw man. I heard this line just the other night. Cannot remember what I was watching. Human Resources?

I know, I know, you never confirm the sources of your quotes.

 

[Mallus]

I realize it's kinda new, but Station Eleven just vaulted into my Top 10.

 

[Mannahnin]

Aw man. I heard this line just the other night. Cannot remember what I was watching. Human Resources?

I know, I know, you never confirm the sources of your quotes.

It's a variant on a super old New York joke. Woody Allen quotes it in Annie Hall (1977):

“There's an old joke - um... two elderly women are at a Catskill mountain resort, and one of 'em says, "Boy, the food at this place is really terrible." The other one says, "Yeah, I know; and such small portions." Well, that's essentially how I feel about life - full of loneliness, and misery, and suffering, and unhappiness, and it's all over much too quickly.”​