The Sopranos Kneecap Competition to Top WGA’s 101 Best Written TV Series
HBO’s The Sopranos topped the list of 101 Best Written TV Series chosen by the Writers Guild of America, West and Writers Guild of America, East. TV Guide Magazine hosted an event for the unveiling of the WGA’s 101 Best Written TV Series on June 2.
In addition to The Sopranos, HBO had three other series among the Top 20: The Wire (No. 9), Six Feet Under (No. 18) and The Larry Sanders Show (No.20). NBC also had four series among the Top 20; Seinfeld (No. 2), Cheers (No. 8), The West Wing (No. 10) and Hill Street Blues (No. 15).
Mad Men (No. 7), The Simpsons (No. 11),Breaking Bad (No. 13), Arrested Development (No. 16), The Daily Show With John Stewart (No. 17), Saturday Night Live (No. 25), Curb Your Enthusiasm (No. 30), Modern Family (No. 34), Game of Thrones (No. 40), Downton Abbey (No. 43), Homeland (No. 48), The Colbert Report (No. 50*), The Good Wife (No. 50*), South Park (No. 63), Dexter (No. 66*), The Office (US) (No. 66*), Justified (No. 86), Boardwalk Empire (No. 93) and Louie (No. 101) are the TV series currently on air to make the list.
See the full list of the WGA’s 101 Best Written TV Series after the jump and tell us which shows you think deserved to be on the list and which shows you would have cut from the list.
* denotes a tie
1. The Sopranos – HBO
2. Seinfeld – NBC
3. The Twilight Zone (1959) – CBS
4. All in the Family – CBS
5. M*A*S*H – CBS
6. The Mary Tyler Moore Show – CBS
7. Mad Men – AMC
8. Cheers – NBC
9. The Wire – HBO
10. The West Wing – NBC
11. The Simpsons – FOX
12. I Love Lucy – CBS
13. Breaking Bad – AMC
14. The Dick Van Dyke Show – CBS
15. Hill Street Blues – NBC
16. Arrested Development – FOX
17. The Daily Show with Jon Stewart – COMEDY CENTRAL
18. Six Feet Under – HBO
19. Taxi – ABC
20. The Larry Sanders Show – HBO
21. 30 Rock – NBC
22. Friday Night Lights – NBC
23. Frasier – NBC
24. Friends – NBC
25. Saturday Night Live – NBC
26. The X-Files – FOX
27. Lost – ABC
28. ER – NBC
29. The Cosby Show – NBC
30. Curb Your Enthusiasm – HBO
31. The Honeymooners – CBS
32. Deadwood – HBO
33. Star Trek – NBC
34. Modern Family – ABC
35. Twin Peaks – ABC
36. NYPD Blue – ABC
37. The Carol Burnett Show – CBS
38. Battlestar Galactica (2005)
39. Sex & the City – HBO
40. Game of Thrones – HBO
41. The Bob Newhart Show *TIE – CBS
41. Your Show of Shows *TIE – NBC
43. Downton Abbey *TIE – PBS
43. Law & Order *TIE – NBC
43. thirtysomething *TIE – ABC
46. Homicide: Life on the Street *TIE – NBC
46. St. Elsewhere *TIE – CBS
48. Homeland – SHOWTIME
49. Buffy the Vampire Slayer – WB
50. The Colbert Report *TIE – COMEDY CENTRAL
50. The Good Wife *TIE – CBS
50. The Office (UK) *TIE – BBC
53. Northern Exposure – CBS
54. The Wonder Years – ABC
55. L.A. Law – NBC
56. Sesame Street – PBS
57. Columbo – NBC
58. Fawlty Towers *TIE – BBC
58. The Rockford Files *TIE
60. Freaks and Geeks *TIE
60. Moonlighting *TIE – ABC
62. Roots – ABC
63. Everybody Loves Raymond *TIE – CBS
63. South Park *TIE – COMEDY CENTRAL
65. Playhouse 90 – CBS
66. Dexter *TIE – SHOWTIME
66. The Office (US) *TIE – NBC
68. My So-Called Life – ABC
69. The Golden Girls – NBC
70. The Andy Griffith Show – CBS
71. 24 *TIE – FOX
71. Roseanne *TIE – ABC
71. The Shield *TIE – FX
74. House *TIE – FOX
74. Murphy Brown *TIE – CBS
76. Barney Miller *TIE – ABC
76. I, Claudius *TIE – PBS
78. The Odd Couple – ABC
79. Alfred Hitchcock Presents *TIE – CBS
79. Monty Python’s Flying Circus *TIE
79. Star Trek: The Next Generation *TIE – SYN
79. Upstairs, Downstairs *TIE – PBS
83. Get Smart – NBC
84. The Defenders *TIE – CBS
84. Gunsmoke *TIE – CBS
86. Justified *TIE – FX
86. Sgt. Bilko (The Phil Silvers Show) *TIE – CBS
88. Band of Brothers – HBO
89. Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In – NBC
90. The Prisoner – CBS
91. Absolutely Fabulous (UK) *TIE – BBC
91. The Muppet Show *TIE – SYN
93. Boardwalk Empire – HBO
94. Will & Grace – NBC
95. Family Ties – NBC
96. Lonesome Dove *TIE – CBS
96. Soap *TIE – ABC
98. The Fugitive *TIE – ABC
98. Late Night with David Letterman *TIE – CBS
98. Louie *TIE – FX
101. Oz – HBO
