hbo dramas

Nerve has a list of 15 HBO dramas, ranked from 15th to 1st. After I eliminate the three I never watched (John from Cincinnati, Carnivale, and In Treatment), I’m left with my own list of twelve, which I present here without comment (since I’ve written a billion words about most of these shows on this blog already).

1. The Wire (#1 on the Nerve list)
2. Deadwood (#5)
3. The Sopranos (#2)
4. Treme (#13)
5. Rome (#10)
6. Game of Thrones (#6)
7. Boardwalk Empire (#3)
8. Six Feet Under (#7)
9. Oz (#4)
10. True Blood (#9)
11. Big Love (#8)
12. K Street (#15, i.e. last)

The biggest different in our rankings is Treme. I admit I’m always surprised to find that many critics don’t rank Treme as highly as I do. Nerve says it can be “pretty boring”. The show with the largest difference in the opposite direction is Oz, which they placed above Deadwood! I’d give Oz credit for being the first HBO drama, and it was indeed pretty good … there’s no shame in ranking below eight series as good as the above, and if you asked me again tomorrow, I might move it up one space.

Of the series that are still in production, Treme is unlikely to go any higher, since the Big 3 are set in some pretty strong stone. Game of Thrones could easily move up over time … if nothing else, another strong season would put it ahead of Rome, which was a bit more frivolous. Boardwalk Empire and True Blood seem to be about where they belong. But I liked all of these shows except K Street … HBO has a pretty good record in dramas. (And Luck has only been around for one episode, but based on that premiere, it’s somewhere in the middle of the pack.)

The most important thing, of course, is that The Wire is at the top. Any other choice would be silly.

Comments

[Charlie Bertsch]

I am savoring the first season of Treme. It may lack the narrative impact of some of the other shows on the list, but it's doing something different, which makes me appreciate it all the more.

(Let me thank you, while I'm at it, for getting me to sample many of these shows, despite not having HBO or much time or inclination to follow series. I watched The Wire later than almost anyone I know, but I didn't love it any less. And you somehow managed to avoid spoilers, for which I'm extraordinarily grateful).

[Steven Rubio]

Keith Law, who is something of a Renaissance man of our times ... was with the Prospectus back in my day, worked in the Blue Jays front office, now works as an analyst for ESPN, but he also has a personal blog where we find he's a foodie, a literature aficionado, music fan, and, since he's always been a writer and analyst, he has interesting things to say about all of them ... he's now working his way through The Wire. I think he's up to Season Four. It's fun to see his perspective.

Glad you're liking Treme. You might keep an eye out for my Karen Sisco Award winners as they become available, since they are underrated series that only lasted a season, and thus can be fit into a full schedule without having to commit a year and a half to watching them.