I'd say Weeds definitely deserves to be on that list…

The only three dramas I watch right now are "24" "Breaking Bad" and "Reaper" (I did not even know where the CW was on my cable box until that came on).

I've also started watching "The Sopranos" after the end of the show. God, what a masterpiece. Best TV series ever.
I wish I could see more quality TV like this (I'm also a huge fan of "Six Feet Under" and "Dexter"), but sometimes the amount of episodes gets on my nerves… What about my DVDs that I haven't watched yet? Anyway, I agree with you that the "TV sucks" line of thought is just silly.

TV has definitely taken over in terms of quality these days. Too bad Deadwood isn't around anymore. It's PHENOM. Some of the best writing I've ever come across on TV. Sadly, it's incomplete.

The TV Sucks thing I think used to be true. It mostly did for a while. HBO and other cable network shows changed that and the major networks responded.

You've made a great list, David. It includes a few I wouldn't recommend, but that's the way of lists like these. Thought I'd offer some additions.

"ROME." (2005-2007) This HBO drama earned the distinction of "most expensive television production in history," and it shows: Ancient rome has never felt more alive and contemporary. Addictive, edge-of-your-seat stories. My understanding is that Rome could have gone beyond its two seasons but was killed because of its cost.

"True Blood" (2008, HBO). From the creator of Six Feet Under, this is not your grandad's vampire.

Cable channels are offering several excellent dramas anchored by strong actresses who've had careers in film:
"Damages," featuring Glenn Close, is on FX.
"The Closer," featuring Kyra Sedgwick, is a crime drama on TNT.
"Saving Grace," starring Holly Hunter, also airs on TNT.
"In Plain Sight," with Mary McCormack, is on USA.

Occasionally the Big-Four network channels produce a great show but allow their highly paid executives to murder it prematurely. To wit:

"Firefly" had a 13-episode season. FOX aired the episodes in a radically confusing, shuffled order and then blamed the show for not attaining its ratings targets. Watch Firefly on DVD in the order intended by the creator, then see the motion picture "Serenity," which is an extended episode of Firefly and brings a semblance of closure to the series. (How often is a "failed" TV series turned into a major motion picture? None other comes to mind.)

"Jericho" is a tense, claustrophobic post-apocalyptic drama set in a small town in the western U.S. Suspicion, paranoia, terrorism, evil corporation, raw struggle for survival, you name it. CBS canceled Jericho after a 22-episode season that left fans hanging. In response to an unprecedented campaign by fans, the network served up a 7-episode second season that provided moderately satisfying "closure" to the story. You won't be disappointed.

Some people don't believe quality drama can exist within the science-fiction genre. They haven't seen Battlestar Galactica or this gem of a series…

"The 4400," USA channel, 2004-2007. Don't be put off by what initially seems like the story of 4400 alien abductees who've returned earth. The story is much smarter than that. Besides being sci-fi, it's also a solid drama that had a four year run on the teevee.

Two good sci-fi dramas that didn't survive past their first seasons are "Invasion" (ABC, 2005-2006) and "Surface" (NBC, 2005).

The U.K. produces boat loads of high-quality, compelling television. Like HBO and Showtime, British TV favors shorter seasons (called "series" there). Some series I've recently seen and recommend:

Life on Mars (BBC, 2006-2007). This is the original, and it's superb.
Robin Hood (BBC, 2006-present). A smart, fun re-imagining of the classic tale.
Wallander (BBC, 2008). 3-part drama based on the best-selling crime novels by Henning Mankell.
Wire in the Blood (ITV, 2002-present) Psychological thriller murder mysteries.

Everything I've mentioned is on DVD, but the first thing you should do is run, don't walk, to see The Wire. IMHO it beats The Sopranos for "Best TV Series Ever." BTW, Alias jumps the shark after season three. You are warned. :-)

@dre: "Sadly it's incomplete" – So true, one of the worst things to happen to a TV show is when you get into it and they cancel it before completing the series. Just imagine if "Lost" had been canceled after the first or second season.

I don't actually watch a ton of TV, but one TV on DVD series that was sent to me for review was "Invasion" and I loved it… too bad only one season.

I was the same way with TV, now with all the TV on DVD I cant get enough of it, just finished watching Dexter and I think its one of the best TV shows iv ever seen :). Hoping and give Deadwood a watch soon once I can get my hands on it and iv also got "Invasion" sitting over on my shelf wich has yet to be watched.

PS. I have also enjoyed Recue me and Entourage as of late.

David,

Great article. You're right on about 'the Sopranos.' The shows really need to be seen multiple times to be fully appreciated for the great work it is.

Check out this astonishing piece on the ending. Just read Part 2 of the essay linked below to fully understand the depth and beauty of ‘the Sopranos’. Actually you should read the whole the thing but Part 2 is really a moving elegy to the show.

What is most impressive is that the writer has crafted a rather exhaustive critique of the conclusion of the final episode, while also providing a larger contextual view, of which the ending is a piece.

The writer also offers an analysis of the final scene and the sequence of shots that I havent read elsewhere. The essay also contains a fascinating look at the Kevin Finnerty coma dreams, the connection between Phil and Tony in the final season and of course, the meaning of those ducks and how they relate to the final scene.

What it expresses more than anything else is that David Chase created one of the great works of art of the last century. Reading this I want to watch the whole series again.

http://masterofsopranos.wordpress.com/the-sopranos-definitive-explanation-of-the-end/

Totally agree with Deadwood. That show was brilliant in every way. The only thing I don't like is that it's done.

On DVD TV shows are so much better, I just can't stand seeing only one episode and then having to wait a whole week for what happens next. Especially with shows like Lost.

I don't think there's that much more quality TV now. In quantity perhaps but there's sooo much more TV now and the percentage of quality shows remains somewhat the same. 10-20 years ago you didn't have to sift thru masses of reality shit to find something worthwile.
It depends on how you look at it. More quality TV? Yes, but there's also more crap.

Looking back there wasn't that much quality shows but at the time some where good and did give you enjoyment. They where right for that time and the age you where then.
Miami Vice for instance now looks silly but back then it was great television.
What will we say about the great shows from now when we're 20 years further?

@rattler76:

I don't disagree that 95% of teevee is worthless poo. That's why I specifically made the case for Dramatic Television, which is better than it's ever been and there have been well over a dozen shows in the last decade that have transcended their TV roots. Sure TV Dramas have been around since the Cop Shows and Westerns of the 50s, but only in the last 25 years — more or less beginning with Hill Street Blues — has the format really tried obtain a level of artistic integrity. And while there were plenty of great, arguably brilliant at times, dramas during the 90s (a few of which I listed in the editorial), I don't think the nut was cracked until The Sopranos. And when a show reaches that level of quality (such as Sopranos, Deadwood, Breaking Bad and Lost), it's like a great film which will hold up just as well 30 years from now. There is a difference between "Great TV" and "Art." (although if a show reaches the level of art it also Great TV). For example, 24 is Great TV, but I wouldn't go as far as calling it art (however, I think Great TV shows such as 24 or Alias do exhibit several cinema-like and character-driven elements that makes them better and gives them a longer shelf life than their 80s counterpoints such as MacGyver or Miami Vice).

So I think 20 years in the future we'll be looking back at the 1st decade of the 2000s as the decade when Dramatic TV was legitimatized as a serious art form.

@rattler76: Most of them will seem quaint, dated, silly, or boring, of course, but I think the serialized shows like "The Sopranos," "The Wire," "Lost," even "24," will fare better than episodic shows like "House." A single, grand, sweeping story vs. a set of 40-minute shorts, each one self-contained with a different central conflict resolved. Would you agree?

Would "Pushing Daisies" really be a drama…???I think it was meant to be a comedy

p.s. you should write one of these on comodies

@mikey cylwer: I did go back and forth on including Pushing Daisies. It's a show that works with so many tones. And while it definitely has a quirky comedic visage, I think there is a sincere dramatic approach taken with the characters and their relationships. Plus it's just a brilliant show and I'll do a shout-out for it any chance I get.

As for comedies: Admittedly I'm still purposely keep myself out of the loop on the majority of them. Not that I think there is less value in comedies (I believe South Park and The Chapelle Show and older Simpson's have artistic integrity in terms of satire). I just don't have the time to watch the large amount of movies that I do plus ALL teevee. I'm more inclined towards dramatic television therefore that's what I give my time towards. Although I catch the occasional episode of Scrubs or 30 Rock and they are fantastic.