101 Best-Written TV Series Ever

Newser ^ | 06/03/2013 | By Evann Gastaldo

[Responsibility2nd]

(Newser) – Still reeling from last night's episode of Game of Thrones? Need to take a break and watch a different, but also well-written, TV show? Then the Writers Guild of America's list of the 101 best-written television series arrives just in the nick of time. Here's the top 10:

1.The Sopranos
2.Seinfeld
3.The Twilight Zone
4.All in the Family
5.M*A*S*H
6.The Mary Tyler Moore Show
7.Mad Men
8.Cheers
9.The Wire
10.The West Wing

Click for the complete list. (Game of Thrones doesn't show up until spot No. 40.)
 

[workerbee]

Now you’re just being cynical. What you call self-parody was really innocence. And the voice-overs were supposed to be innocent — like the reading of an 11 yr old, 1960s boy’s diary. That was the whole point. The perspective is what made the series.

[Oztrich Boy]

"Close to half of the 101 Best Written TV Series aired within the last decade. Not coincidentally," viewers have short memories so we are going with recent unless they were really popular. Also TV is A Merrycan so no British unless they have been shown on the major networks and were really really popular.

So no Brit shows like Doctor Who, Doc Martin, New Tricks or Sherlock

Also not reccognising Babylon 5, Veronica Mars, How I Met Your Mother, or Castle for some reason

[Jack Hammer]

Yes, Minister; Yes, Prime Minister; MI-5; The Sandbaggers????

This list - as most lists - is bogus.

[mfish13]

The Andy Griffith Show. Not in. Come on....

[reg45]

That’s the point. Corporal Klinger WANTED to be thrown out of the Army so that he could go home. And that was the “Catch 22” - to borrow another military book title - if you pretend to be crazy in order to get out of the army, then you obviously cannot be crazy.

[reg45]

“The Jack Benny Program” and “Burns and Allen” should both have made the list. No profanity or foul language and you will laugh your socks off.

[jmacusa]

“Barney Miller'' was a well written show.

[reg45]

You can watch “Monk” on the CLOO cable channel.

[SMGFan]

Wow, Buffy belongs in top 10 for you?. When did you start watching BTVS? Yes to Angel as well

Just didn't like Firefly much. I did watch all of Veronic Mars, ( met Kristen & with Hayden Panettierre Nov 2007) but never saw Sons of Anarchy.

[camle]

figures. babylon 5 shows the weakness and futility of groups like the united nations in stopping war and harm to innocents. it also shows the indomitable human spirit that preservers despite the certainty of defeat

[Future Snake Eater]

I'm guessing some of the inherent conservatism of the X-files counted against it.

Maybe it was the horrible last few seasons that pulled it down the list?

[Future Snake Eater]

Sort of. Jerry Seinfeld and, in particular, Larry David are big lefties and it showed in some of their comedy, but I love “Seinfeld” regardless. Larry David’s show on HBO, “Curb Your Enthusiasm” is even better than “Seinfeld” IMO.

[namvolunteer]

Isis
I Dream of Jeannie
Wonder Woman
Charlie’s Angels
Xena - Princess Warrior
Benny Hill
Get Smart
WKRP
Gilligan’s Island
Sabado Gigante

[reg45]

bingo

[mupcat]

You can watch “Monk” on the CLOO cable channel.

Thanks reg45, I think you can also see it on "Hulu". I'll check.

[davemac.439]

Quote;GeronL
“Best written” as judged by liberals (who always inject politics)?
End Quote:

Worst for that is “Star trek Next Generation”, at the end of every episode, all the main characters would get together and “Discuss” “The Moral” of the story and what they had learned from the experience.

I hate shows that are supposed to entertain but end moralizing.

[chae]

Buffy fan since Season one. Even saw the movie when it was in theaters the first time around.
Veronica Mars is the best, most under~rated show ever! My favorite scene is where Logan beats up the police car, and he gets put in the same cell as the 2 rapist guys and the last shot on that episode was Logan getting ready to fight. The movie is officially a go, they got Kristen and Jason Routing, and Enrico Colantoni signed up. I heard that the guy who played Dick is signed up too. Here’s hoping we get to see Wallace, Mac, and Weevil.
Got to meet James Marsters at a comic~con and turned into a 12 year old girl meeting Justin Bieber. I met Claire Kramer, Mercedes McNab, Julie Benz, Charisma Carpenter, and Nicholas Brendan there too. It was
a blast. Again, Joss Whedon rules.
Sons of Anarchy, basically Hamlet on motorcycles. Clay has turned totally evil, but the way Ron Perlman plays him, I almost want him to win! And Gemma, well, the Queen reigns!

[GeronL]

lol Yes. It didn’t happen on every episode, sometimes they just played cards.

[Veto!]

Had to look up Wlad....scary brute. What in the world is she doing with him? Whirring sound is my mind re-evaluating Hayden.

As for the whales, that’s ok with me. I’m supporting wild horses.

[TontoKowalski]

A new show, so probably not worthy of this list... YET.

Longmire on A&E. The second season is just underway, but Season 1 is available on Netflix on demand.

A modern day crime Western, set in Wyoming. The sheriff is a fantastic character, moral and smart. Definitely worth a look.