Deadwood, The Wire, Six Feet Under, The Sopranos, The West Wing and the first nine or ten seasons of The Simpsons the magical prime of television in my honest opinion, a true supreme six, like a holy trinity doubled up...forgive the rambling.
Deadwood
Well it seems to have been three seasons and out with the possibility of a couple of feature length tail enders for the dirtiest, grandest show the small screen ever saw and though such a sad ending is not befitting of something so magically macabre it keeps perfectly with the no frills "wants me to tell him something pretty" nature of the show. The language, blending the beauty of the bard, the brutality of Webster and the cuss filled filth of the old west is without comparison on the small or big screen. The performances from head to toe are an absolutely perfect rogues gallery of freaks, sadists, monsters, whores, tormented souls with the odd decent person scattered here and there for good measure...and then there's Ian McShane. I'll delve further another time but right now all that needs to be said is there ain't nothing else like it, this ain't John Ford, this ain't Sergio Leone, it's an all together different beast. Not for the faint of heart, but if you can stomach it, watch it.
The Wire
This is not just another cop show, this is not just another show about life in the hood. This is a one of a kind show with some of the finest writing and structuring around. More than once the show has been described as a visual novel and the description is not far wrong. It began simply enough probing in detail the landscape of the Baltimore drug scene, the folks embroiled in it and the men and women spending their time combatting it. It was a perfectly put together base from which to launch and in subsequent seasons its creators built upon it turning The Wire into one of the finest most detailed and gloriously rewatchable social commentaries you're ever likely to behold. It takes patience because this really is a slow burner, I wouldn't exactly nominate any single edition for a greatest episode of television ever award because it's dedication is to the whole, there's no regard for the casual viewer here. You're not going to find anything like this in The Shield, or any of the other pretenders or lesser evolved forms of the game.
Six Feet Under
A meditation on life and death, a study on family, on friendship, on relationships, parenthood, childhood, good, bad everything under the sun. The two shows above are both unique creations of the mighty HBO and this is in the same boat. Glorious performances, a dark, at times twisted yet human direction and writing that treads the line between the comedic and dramatic with precise perfection. Yes I do believe it lagged somewhat in the second and particularly fourth season but it never got dull, never became anything less than captivating and rarely if ever has a television series recovered from a slump to achieve the stunning power of this shows final season. Not here the slow burn of the above two shows, Six Feet Under pummels us with moment after moment of happiness, of sadness, of melancholy, something that'll bring a tear to our eye, nostalgic of a time long gone or dream of the possibilities of a future with endless roads to walk or laugh like there's no tomorrow. This is special, it's life & death on screen.
The Sopranos
Everyone knows about the gangsters, the girls, the guns, the sex, the violence. We all know about the wicked cool teenage boys who watch this show because it's hip. What I love more than anything else is the way David Chase flipped it all on it's head in season 6 by revolving the majority of the show around surreal dream worlds and homosexuals. Said elements had reared their heads before but not to the full extent they did this time, and the brilliance with which the show was acted, written and directed was not enough to turn off those hip kids and weed out before the end the fans of cool gangsta television from those who could appreciate one of the finest most magnificently made shows in history. From the start it has maintained near cinematic production values and approaching 40 James Gandolfini and Edie Falco emerge as two of the finest actors in America today surrounded by a wonderful supporting cast. This is a magnificent show, it's time is coming to an end, watch it...do it for the right reasons.
The West Wing
Television writing at its finest, the creation of a magical wit. The levels of information packed in, the drama, the laughs (broad and refined) the beautiful prose laid down time and again. In it's first sour seasons this was the absolute peak of network television. Being network TV this doesn't have the cinematic possibilities of the shows above yet over it's near 6 month seasons they managed to time and again nail captivating, complex television on a regular basis. The dip in form on the exit of Sorkin and Lowe hit the show hard but much like Six Feet Under it regained a fair deal of it's composure in it's passing of the torch final season.
Yet for me it's all about those first 4 years. The writing was perfect banter seamlessly mixed with political know how. The acting is top notch, no Brando's or Bette Davis' in sight but the near endless dialogue nailed at a lightning pace in takes longer than the MTV generation has ever allowed is far above the level of amateurs. It's funny, it's moving, leave your politics at the door, immerse and enjoy.
The Simpsons
What can you say about this show that hasn't already been said? It transcends animation, it is not a kiddies show yet both kids and adults can watch it happily alone. At it's prime there was nothing else like it and though the show has been on a rapid decline since late '98 to a point where you're lucky to get a single good laugh in an episode nowadways the absolute magic of the first half of it's run can never be forgotten. Some of it's finest stories and moments have achieved without question modern classic status (Sideshow Bob and the rakes anyone?) Yet it always balanced the comedy with passionate heart (Lisa's first word) and wonderful yet never overly-serious brains (Itchy and Scratchy and Marge). There have been imitators and attempted successors to the crown but nothing comes close to this show at it's best. Were it not for the horrendous second half of it's existence it may quite easily top this list. I won't say SEE IT because I'm sure you already have, but I will say go out and spend your money on seasons 1 to 9 and revel in it's genius till the end of days...and Homer Simpson is God.
