12 shows enter the ring, but only one can be crowned champion. We brought together a panel of The Courier writers to battle it out and ultimately decide who will bring the smackdown and take the title of Best TV Drama.
We gathered in a secret room from which no one could leave until the judging was completed, to debate and fight to the death to decide which of the shows should be awarded the title of Best TV Drama. Choosing which shows made it into the judging process was a difficult decision. We decided on choosing shows which had either finished its run (The Wire) or was established enough to be considered (Doctor Who), all mainly stemming from the 21st Century (with the exception of Twin Peaks) because, otherwise, we would have more shows than we know what to do with. Downton Abbey was a bit of a wildcard but, due to its almost world wide popularity, it was an obvious addition. Regrettably, this meant many shows were missed out including the likes of Homeland and 24. Now was to decide how exactly to pick who faced who. In a highly scientific process, we put the names of all 12 shows into a pot, which was named The Pot of Destiny by nobody, and picked out two shows at random. Now we have our shows, our judges and our “system”, let the battle commence!Round 1: Breaking Bad Vs. The Sopranos
We kick off the proceedings in style. We don’t mess around in our
judging. No one is safe (even though the first round was picked entirely
at random). Debate kicked off with those in camp Breaking Bad
feverishly defending its originality, its grittiness and most of all,
it’s rock solid science (which has apparently been confirmed as
definitely rock solid by someone on the panel). The Sopranos
camp were equally as defensive with discussion of its groundbreaking
dream sequences (they have talking fish in them!) as well as the fact
that, without The Sopranos, Breaking Bad would
probably never exist. In the end, the similarity of a certain bath tub
sequence in Breaking Bad to something in 1997’s Lee Evans slapstick
masterpiece MouseHunt, gives the edge to The Sopranos. The Sopranos takes the first round, but not without a fight.
Not content with taking down the titan of our time, Breaking Bad, the veteran, The Sopranos, pops up again for the second round, this time facing David Lynch’s mindbending soap opera Twin Peaks. The Sopranos was feeling a bit tired after the first bout, so much of the second round belonged to Twin Peaks. Following similar arguments to The Sopranos in the previous round (that, without Twin Peaks, much of modern television would not exist) as well as picking up on the fact that it is often batshit insane, Twin Peaks looked to be leading the round. The phenomenon that surrounded it was of much discussion, leading us to discuss what it would have been like in the age of the internet and fans discussing theories more freely ala Lost. In the end, however, it was let down by the fact it had such an awful lull in the second series, in which it basically became Dallas but with David Duchovny in drag, and the threat of cancellation by the end forcing the writers to wrap it up as quickly as possible. The Sopranos took the punches but was too sturdy on its feet. An announcement that The Sopranos taught one panelist how to cook Italian food was the KO it needed. Twin Peaks only had cherry pie and damn good coffee.
Two entirely different competitors here, allowing The Sopranos to have a little break before its next bout. Round 3 was perhaps the most equal fight of the entire competition, despite the two shows being almost entire opposites. Things didn’t look too strong for Lost to begin with. Much was said about there being too much hype surrounding it, that ultimately let it down, as well as a dip in quality in the middle and an awful finale to the show. The problem of throwaway characters, particularly a certain couple named Nikki and Paulo, also allowed The West Wing to get a blow in. However, as discussion went on, we all found ourselves naming moments and characters we really loved, with general consensus being that Benjamin Linus could potentially be one of the best characters of the 21st Century. The West Wing was considered much less well known than Lost, but made up for it in witty and poignant dialogue, courtesy of a Mr Aaron Sorkin, that made it much more accessible for a show about politics. Points were made too that no character is merely filler and each one has a role to play, even if some romantic subplots were really bad. Plus, The West Wing has Martin Sheen in its corner, which is always a winner. Unfortunately for Lost, the fact it was, at times, so incohesive and packed with filler episodes was too much to ignore. The West Wing took this fight by a whisker.
The lightweight but experienced Saturday nighter Doctor Who went up against Scandanavian Dark Destroyer The Killing in this face off in a stark contrast of styles. Doctor Who showed its camp, almost playful popular appeal while throwing in a few sinister episodes here and there, particularly in the form of the introduction to the Weeping Angels, Blink. The Killing, on the other hand, was dirty and gritty, getting as much blood out as possible. It felt like quite an unfair battle, as Doctor Who is very much for its audience of those just sitting down with the family after their dinner. The Killing had been so influential in the future output of BBC4 and, in some senses, popularised subtitles on British TV. The popularity of The Killing led to the explosion of such shows as Spiral, a gritty French detective drama that feels like Law & Order with a shot or five of espresso, and Wallander. In this regard, and the fact that Moffat’s decision to throw twist upon twist at Doctor Who just to see what stuck led The Doctor into some stupid directions, meant The Killing took this round. You can’t fault their jumpers really!
Downton Abbey came into this competition as a sort of wildcard. We didn’t hold much hope for the Yorkshire-bred aristocrats. The similarities to Upstairs Downstairs let down in the originality stakes. Much like Doctor Who it relied too much on capturing that tired, post-Sunday roast crowd that just want something nice to watch. It did have a few hefty punches in the form of Maggie Smith’s performance, providing a much needed respite from the routine soap opera style stories. Mad Men, on the other hand, had a stylish flourish to it. Sure it was drunk and had probably just come from getting off with someone not their wife, the look inside the world of advertising in Cold War America is too interesting to pass up on. Witty dialogue and likeable (but also loathable) characters really makes Mad Men stand out. Plus, with Alison Brie on your side it’s hard not to take the round. Mad Men wins it, almost unanimously.
Mad Men had a relatively easy first round, against the altogether too soapy Downton Abbey, but things weren’t going to be so easy, now we’re in the latter stages of the competition. It has its merits, of course, with some excellent storylines, diverse range of great characters and stacks and stacks of style; there’s a reason why it’s the show that made AMC a channel to really watch for original programming in the US. But there was something about The West Wing that set it apart. They both have engaging and witty dialogue, nearly anything that comes from Roger Sterling’s mouth is…well…sterling, but Aaron Sorkin’s magic touch pushes The West Wing just ahead. Much was said about how Mad Men was very much style over substance, preferring to show off beautiful suits and gorgeous locations. The West Wing focuses a lot on the politics but it doesn’t shove it in your face. Mad Men is clear which side many characters fall on, with the Republicans being a little villainous. The West Wing lets you make your own mind up. Of course, you can’t really falter Mad Men for that, seeing as it is set in the 50s/60s, an entirely different time period but, ultimately, Sorkin’s touch on The West Wing just edges as the deciding vote sways in President Jed Bartlet’s direction.
As we went into this round, we could feel the room getting a little bit chillier. Unfortunately, our Scandanavian jumpers were not helping to fight the predicted destruction of The Killing by the first appearance of our star fighter, The Wire. Even after the spirited performance against Doctor Who, The Killing camp faltered against The Wire, mainly because everyone was unanimous that The Wire truly was a fantastic show. Both are impressive in scope, with The Killing not only focusing on those trying to investigate the murder like any CSI series but also taking into account the lives of the families, the school friends and even the politicians affected by it, and The Wire basically looking at everyone (and I mean everyone) at least marginally affected by the Baltimore slums. It was decided that the scope of The Wire, covering everyone from the drug dealers, to the police, to the media, far triumphed over that of The Killing. Cozy jumpers aren’t going to save you this time!
Spooks came in as another wildcard. Again, much hope wasn’t held for this plucky spy drama but a spirited performance made it seem as though, for a while, it might topple the titan that is The Sopranos. Once the topic of Spooks came up, almost everyone had something to say showing that it really is a stalwart British drama that never really dipped in quality throughout its entire run. Everyone could point to a moment they really enjoyed; usually the death of a main character showing that no one in the show was really safe (a pretty ballsy move for the writers). But coming up against The Sopranos, it seemed to falter. The ultimately poor characterisations focusing more on the explosions and twists, lets it down against a show entirely devoted to family relationships. Much of the problem with Spooks is that it often reuses many plot lines, beyond the series arcs which, again, when coming up against someone like The Sopranos with emotive and original storylines. It took us 7 rounds, but we finally have our first round of judges abstaining, showing how much the people do quite like Spooks. Ultimately, however, The Sopranos sends Spooks to sleep with the fishes.
The West Wing is right back out into the ring after its close shave with Mad Men in the last round. Unfortunately, it’s up against the 4 round survivor, The Sopranos. The debate was focused very much focused on the characters here. Both have a vast array of characters, none of which are really ignored. The West Wing gives plenty of screen time to the assistants, such as Donna Moss, as well as to those movers and shakers such as Toby Ziegler. The Sopranos gives as much focus to those being used by the Mafia as to those doing the shaking down. Each character is given as much focus as the next, in both shows, and no one is really wasted. No one is introduced if they aren’t of some importance. The debate brought out that, with The West Wing, everyone had a favourite character, be it CJ Cregg aka Flamingo or Jed Bartlet, Mr President itself. However, the fact that The Sopranos had no great single character did not work to its detriment as it might do elsewhere. Without one, something might not feel right, but they’ve brought together a cast which all gel well and it’s the strength of this cast that sees The Sopranos take this round.
It has taken 10 rounds for everyone’s favourite high school ghoul butt-kicker, Buffy Summers, to emerge from the Pot of Destiny. And it couldn’t have had a worse time. Had it cropped up against something like Doctor Who or Lost, there is a chance it would’ve wiped the floor with the competition. But coming up again something as big as The Wire is not an easy task. Think David and Goliath but the rocks in the sling are just eggs; he’s not going down easily and he’s going to make a mess, but Goliath will still probably crush him. Discussion focused mainly on how groundbreaking it was. Much like most of Joss Whedon’s work, it takes a tired genre (in this case horror) and adds a new, often unlikely, element to breathe life into it. Buffy somehow successfully mixed horror with John Hughes-esque teen angst. With each monster being a metaphor for some aspect of teenage life, it showed a girl with already too much on her plate in life taking on the burden of killing monsters. Alongside this, courtesy of Whedon’s scripts, Buffy’s dialogue has spawned much of popular 90s slang, something not to be scoffed at. But despite the spirited performance from Buffy The Vampire Slayer it still was, after all, up against The Wire. It was a battle of language; Whedonisms against The Wire’s street slang. In the end, the meticulous attention to detail that was present in The Wire’s street slang, in its attempt to truly capture life on the Baltimore streets, really set it apart. The Wire is through to the final!
So we’ve finally reached the final. After 10 rounds of totally scientific match ups and some often heated (but not quite to the point of fisticuffs) debate, we’re here. I think most of the judges had money on either or both getting to the final (unless both were picked out in the same round earlier on in the competition) so it was no surprise that the final contained the two juggernauts that pretty much dominated the competition. But now, here we are; the immovable object meets the unstoppable force. A battle of equals. Opinions intensified as we really got down to the nitty gritty of what makes these shows fantastic. The needle swung one way and then the other as consensus shifted with each person that spoke in favour of either one. There was no negative debating here; everyone understood that both The Sopranos and The Wire were fantastic shows worthy of their place in the final. Now it was a case of just seeing which one just edges ahead of the other. In each area we explored, both shows seemed to be on par. Both had excellent casts, great storylines, each portraying a section of America as realistically as possible. It really was a tough battle between the two. What swayed the vote, ultimately, was the sheer scale of The Wire. With so many characters to cover, and so many areas of society, The Wire does a lot and, in that regard, should be applauded for its guts in doing so. However, it does a lot and it does it all so well. Where many other shows may faulter with the sheer scale, no one part of The Wire feels like a weak link. Smaller characters are as good as the main characters and all the different sneak peeks into different sections of society weave together so perfectly to create tapestry of life that holds no punches. It isn’t afraid to delve right into the deepest, darkest sociopolitical themes in order to get a more realistic picture. This is not to criticise The Sopranos, that also has a fantastic set of characters and storylines, allowing us an insight into immigrant culture in America as well as American family life, but The Wire just does so much more. It’s a tough, tough battle but David Simon’s HBO smash hit, The Wire, takes the crown as The Courier’s Best TV Drama, not that it’s all that bothered.
Round 2: Twin Peaks Vs. The Sopranos
Not content with taking down the titan of our time, Breaking Bad, the veteran, The Sopranos, pops up again for the second round, this time facing David Lynch’s mindbending soap opera Twin Peaks. The Sopranos was feeling a bit tired after the first bout, so much of the second round belonged to Twin Peaks. Following similar arguments to The Sopranos in the previous round (that, without Twin Peaks, much of modern television would not exist) as well as picking up on the fact that it is often batshit insane, Twin Peaks looked to be leading the round. The phenomenon that surrounded it was of much discussion, leading us to discuss what it would have been like in the age of the internet and fans discussing theories more freely ala Lost. In the end, however, it was let down by the fact it had such an awful lull in the second series, in which it basically became Dallas but with David Duchovny in drag, and the threat of cancellation by the end forcing the writers to wrap it up as quickly as possible. The Sopranos took the punches but was too sturdy on its feet. An announcement that The Sopranos taught one panelist how to cook Italian food was the KO it needed. Twin Peaks only had cherry pie and damn good coffee.
Round 3: The West Wing Vs. Lost
Two entirely different competitors here, allowing The Sopranos to have a little break before its next bout. Round 3 was perhaps the most equal fight of the entire competition, despite the two shows being almost entire opposites. Things didn’t look too strong for Lost to begin with. Much was said about there being too much hype surrounding it, that ultimately let it down, as well as a dip in quality in the middle and an awful finale to the show. The problem of throwaway characters, particularly a certain couple named Nikki and Paulo, also allowed The West Wing to get a blow in. However, as discussion went on, we all found ourselves naming moments and characters we really loved, with general consensus being that Benjamin Linus could potentially be one of the best characters of the 21st Century. The West Wing was considered much less well known than Lost, but made up for it in witty and poignant dialogue, courtesy of a Mr Aaron Sorkin, that made it much more accessible for a show about politics. Points were made too that no character is merely filler and each one has a role to play, even if some romantic subplots were really bad. Plus, The West Wing has Martin Sheen in its corner, which is always a winner. Unfortunately for Lost, the fact it was, at times, so incohesive and packed with filler episodes was too much to ignore. The West Wing took this fight by a whisker.
Round 4: Doctor Who Vs. The Killing
The lightweight but experienced Saturday nighter Doctor Who went up against Scandanavian Dark Destroyer The Killing in this face off in a stark contrast of styles. Doctor Who showed its camp, almost playful popular appeal while throwing in a few sinister episodes here and there, particularly in the form of the introduction to the Weeping Angels, Blink. The Killing, on the other hand, was dirty and gritty, getting as much blood out as possible. It felt like quite an unfair battle, as Doctor Who is very much for its audience of those just sitting down with the family after their dinner. The Killing had been so influential in the future output of BBC4 and, in some senses, popularised subtitles on British TV. The popularity of The Killing led to the explosion of such shows as Spiral, a gritty French detective drama that feels like Law & Order with a shot or five of espresso, and Wallander. In this regard, and the fact that Moffat’s decision to throw twist upon twist at Doctor Who just to see what stuck led The Doctor into some stupid directions, meant The Killing took this round. You can’t fault their jumpers really!
Round 5: Upstairs Downstairs Vs. Downton Abbey
Downton Abbey came into this competition as a sort of wildcard. We didn’t hold much hope for the Yorkshire-bred aristocrats. The similarities to Upstairs Downstairs let down in the originality stakes. Much like Doctor Who it relied too much on capturing that tired, post-Sunday roast crowd that just want something nice to watch. It did have a few hefty punches in the form of Maggie Smith’s performance, providing a much needed respite from the routine soap opera style stories. Mad Men, on the other hand, had a stylish flourish to it. Sure it was drunk and had probably just come from getting off with someone not their wife, the look inside the world of advertising in Cold War America is too interesting to pass up on. Witty dialogue and likeable (but also loathable) characters really makes Mad Men stand out. Plus, with Alison Brie on your side it’s hard not to take the round. Mad Men wins it, almost unanimously.
Round 6: Mad Men Vs. The West Wing
Mad Men had a relatively easy first round, against the altogether too soapy Downton Abbey, but things weren’t going to be so easy, now we’re in the latter stages of the competition. It has its merits, of course, with some excellent storylines, diverse range of great characters and stacks and stacks of style; there’s a reason why it’s the show that made AMC a channel to really watch for original programming in the US. But there was something about The West Wing that set it apart. They both have engaging and witty dialogue, nearly anything that comes from Roger Sterling’s mouth is…well…sterling, but Aaron Sorkin’s magic touch pushes The West Wing just ahead. Much was said about how Mad Men was very much style over substance, preferring to show off beautiful suits and gorgeous locations. The West Wing focuses a lot on the politics but it doesn’t shove it in your face. Mad Men is clear which side many characters fall on, with the Republicans being a little villainous. The West Wing lets you make your own mind up. Of course, you can’t really falter Mad Men for that, seeing as it is set in the 50s/60s, an entirely different time period but, ultimately, Sorkin’s touch on The West Wing just edges as the deciding vote sways in President Jed Bartlet’s direction.
Round 7: The Wire Vs. The Killing
As we went into this round, we could feel the room getting a little bit chillier. Unfortunately, our Scandanavian jumpers were not helping to fight the predicted destruction of The Killing by the first appearance of our star fighter, The Wire. Even after the spirited performance against Doctor Who, The Killing camp faltered against The Wire, mainly because everyone was unanimous that The Wire truly was a fantastic show. Both are impressive in scope, with The Killing not only focusing on those trying to investigate the murder like any CSI series but also taking into account the lives of the families, the school friends and even the politicians affected by it, and The Wire basically looking at everyone (and I mean everyone) at least marginally affected by the Baltimore slums. It was decided that the scope of The Wire, covering everyone from the drug dealers, to the police, to the media, far triumphed over that of The Killing. Cozy jumpers aren’t going to save you this time!
Round 8: Spooks Vs. The Sopranos
Spooks came in as another wildcard. Again, much hope wasn’t held for this plucky spy drama but a spirited performance made it seem as though, for a while, it might topple the titan that is The Sopranos. Once the topic of Spooks came up, almost everyone had something to say showing that it really is a stalwart British drama that never really dipped in quality throughout its entire run. Everyone could point to a moment they really enjoyed; usually the death of a main character showing that no one in the show was really safe (a pretty ballsy move for the writers). But coming up against The Sopranos, it seemed to falter. The ultimately poor characterisations focusing more on the explosions and twists, lets it down against a show entirely devoted to family relationships. Much of the problem with Spooks is that it often reuses many plot lines, beyond the series arcs which, again, when coming up against someone like The Sopranos with emotive and original storylines. It took us 7 rounds, but we finally have our first round of judges abstaining, showing how much the people do quite like Spooks. Ultimately, however, The Sopranos sends Spooks to sleep with the fishes.
Round 9: The West Wing Vs. The Sopranos
The West Wing is right back out into the ring after its close shave with Mad Men in the last round. Unfortunately, it’s up against the 4 round survivor, The Sopranos. The debate was focused very much focused on the characters here. Both have a vast array of characters, none of which are really ignored. The West Wing gives plenty of screen time to the assistants, such as Donna Moss, as well as to those movers and shakers such as Toby Ziegler. The Sopranos gives as much focus to those being used by the Mafia as to those doing the shaking down. Each character is given as much focus as the next, in both shows, and no one is really wasted. No one is introduced if they aren’t of some importance. The debate brought out that, with The West Wing, everyone had a favourite character, be it CJ Cregg aka Flamingo or Jed Bartlet, Mr President itself. However, the fact that The Sopranos had no great single character did not work to its detriment as it might do elsewhere. Without one, something might not feel right, but they’ve brought together a cast which all gel well and it’s the strength of this cast that sees The Sopranos take this round.
Round 10: The Wire Vs. Buffy the Vampire Slayer
It has taken 10 rounds for everyone’s favourite high school ghoul butt-kicker, Buffy Summers, to emerge from the Pot of Destiny. And it couldn’t have had a worse time. Had it cropped up against something like Doctor Who or Lost, there is a chance it would’ve wiped the floor with the competition. But coming up again something as big as The Wire is not an easy task. Think David and Goliath but the rocks in the sling are just eggs; he’s not going down easily and he’s going to make a mess, but Goliath will still probably crush him. Discussion focused mainly on how groundbreaking it was. Much like most of Joss Whedon’s work, it takes a tired genre (in this case horror) and adds a new, often unlikely, element to breathe life into it. Buffy somehow successfully mixed horror with John Hughes-esque teen angst. With each monster being a metaphor for some aspect of teenage life, it showed a girl with already too much on her plate in life taking on the burden of killing monsters. Alongside this, courtesy of Whedon’s scripts, Buffy’s dialogue has spawned much of popular 90s slang, something not to be scoffed at. But despite the spirited performance from Buffy The Vampire Slayer it still was, after all, up against The Wire. It was a battle of language; Whedonisms against The Wire’s street slang. In the end, the meticulous attention to detail that was present in The Wire’s street slang, in its attempt to truly capture life on the Baltimore streets, really set it apart. The Wire is through to the final!
Round 11 (The Final): The Wire Vs. The Sopranos
So we’ve finally reached the final. After 10 rounds of totally scientific match ups and some often heated (but not quite to the point of fisticuffs) debate, we’re here. I think most of the judges had money on either or both getting to the final (unless both were picked out in the same round earlier on in the competition) so it was no surprise that the final contained the two juggernauts that pretty much dominated the competition. But now, here we are; the immovable object meets the unstoppable force. A battle of equals. Opinions intensified as we really got down to the nitty gritty of what makes these shows fantastic. The needle swung one way and then the other as consensus shifted with each person that spoke in favour of either one. There was no negative debating here; everyone understood that both The Sopranos and The Wire were fantastic shows worthy of their place in the final. Now it was a case of just seeing which one just edges ahead of the other. In each area we explored, both shows seemed to be on par. Both had excellent casts, great storylines, each portraying a section of America as realistically as possible. It really was a tough battle between the two. What swayed the vote, ultimately, was the sheer scale of The Wire. With so many characters to cover, and so many areas of society, The Wire does a lot and, in that regard, should be applauded for its guts in doing so. However, it does a lot and it does it all so well. Where many other shows may faulter with the sheer scale, no one part of The Wire feels like a weak link. Smaller characters are as good as the main characters and all the different sneak peeks into different sections of society weave together so perfectly to create tapestry of life that holds no punches. It isn’t afraid to delve right into the deepest, darkest sociopolitical themes in order to get a more realistic picture. This is not to criticise The Sopranos, that also has a fantastic set of characters and storylines, allowing us an insight into immigrant culture in America as well as American family life, but The Wire just does so much more. It’s a tough, tough battle but David Simon’s HBO smash hit, The Wire, takes the crown as The Courier’s Best TV Drama, not that it’s all that bothered.
