Breaking Bad is one of my favorite shows ever. Several other favorites of mine are The Sopranos, The Wire, and The Shield. All were great series. Mad Men is pretty close, but isn't finished yet, so I'll reserve judgment for now. JMHO.

If you liked the others I mentioned, you will definitely like The Wire. Great show for binge watching, too. Very similar to Breaking Bad in many ways (e.g., excellent writers, very deep character development, complicated story arcs).

Another great show that ended far too early, IMO, was Deadwood (HBO). I teared up when I first learned that it was not being renewed after only three seasons. Al Swearengen is one of the most memorable characters on cable television.

The sneak peak trailer called "No Parking", where Saul first meets Mike, is even better!

I thoroughly enjoy Game of Thrones, and I'm not really into the fantasy genre. My 22-yr-old son and I watch it together live on Sunday nights every time a new episode airs. (That is a very rare occurrence in our three-TiVo household.) I will, however, readily admit that the series is a "slow burn", so you probably need to watch all the way through the end of the first season to really get hooked.

The biggest problem with critiquing Game of Thrones as a television series is that it is still in production, and the book series upon which the television series is based (A Song of Ice and Fire) is still being written. Given the age of George R.R. Martin -- the 66-yr-old author of the books -- and how long the series has been in development (18 years), there is a very real possibility that he may pass on before the books are finished, and if the source material is incomplete, the long-term impact of the TV series could be greatly diminished.

I can say one thing with confidence, though. IMHO, several individual episodes of Game of Thrones (e.g., And Now His Watch is Ended, The Rains of Castamere) are every bit as memorable to me as some of the best episodes of The Wire (Middle Ground, Final Grades), The Sopranos (College, Pine Barrens), and Breaking Bad (Ozymandius).

Glad you enjoyed The Wire. I thought you would. Hard to argue with anything on that list (content or ranking order).

What's next on your hit list?

In addition to the ones you've already mentioned, some of my other favorites are (listed in no particular order):

Dramas
--------------
Firefly
Deadwood
Boardwalk Empire
Game of Thrones
Mad Men
The Newsroom
American Detective
Suits
House of Cards
Rome
The West Wing
Band of Brothers
Friday Night Lights
NYPD Blue
Lonesome Dove
Justified*

*Only 1/3rd of the way through this one, but like it a lot so far.

Sitcoms
------------
Friends
Seinfeld
Cheers
Frasier

Dramedy (Drama/Comedy)
--------------------
M*A*S*H (hard to categorize, but definitely needed to be mentioned)

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Al Swearengen (aka "Swedgin") approves.

al-swearengen.jpeg

The Wire's biggest problem is that Season 5 was weaker than some of the previous seasons, so the series didn't end on a high note.

Breaking Bad ended on a high note, with "Ozymandias" being the best episode of the entire series, and some critics would argue, was one of the best episodes in television history. ("Ozymandias" was Episode 14 of the final season, and the first episode of the 3-episode series finale.)

I loved Idris Elba in The Wire, and I started watching Luther specifically for that reason. But it has some dark, twisted shit in it. I stopped watching about 4-5 episodes in. Just couldn't handle the dark undertones. If anybody got farther than that, and can tell me that it got better, I'd be willing to give it another shot.

Yeah, it was weird for me seeing Jesse Plemons play Todd Alquist (evil bad) in Breaking Bad after watching him play Landry Clarke (Saccharine good) for several years in Friday Night Lights.

I'm glad I mentioned Friday Night Lights. I don't watch much network television. I typically gravitate to cable TV (AMC, FX) and especially the premium channels (HBO), but FNL was so damn good that I felt I had to mention it. The cast is incredibly talented, too. I'm really happy to see that recommendation resonating here, because you guys seem like discriminating viewers with relatively high standards.

Slightly off-topic, I saw Clint Eastwood's "American Sniper" this afternoon, starring Bradley Cooper. Awesome flick! One of the best movies I've seen in a theater in a long time.

We tried to see it last night, but the evening shows were all sold out, so we bought tickets 2 hours in advance of today's mid-day matinee. That show also sold out, be we got in, because we purchased tickets in advance. This flick is blowing up January box office records, with $90M on the first weekend. When you go, consider buying tickets in advance of showtime, due to high demand.

Alright, Teekee. I just watched Mad Dogs, and it looks very promising! You, my friend, have good taste! So when is the next episode?

Television critics assessed the show a little differently...

Metacritic ratings - Friday Night Lights:

Season 1 - 78
Season 2 - 88
Season 3 - 83
Season 4 - 87
Season 5 - 82

http://www.metacritic.com/tv/friday-night-lights

No doubt! The whole "Hamsterdam" saga that unfolded throughout Season 3, and then Season 4, starting with Snoop visiting the hardware store to buy a nailgun, and ending with "Final Grades" as the season finale, one of the best episodes of the entire series. Those were both great seasons!

http://www.businessinsider.com/the-walking-dead-the-wire-cast-2014-10

I always watch shows with subtitles on, but especially The Wire. Otherwise, I'd never understand a single word uttered by Snoop! Kind of like playing GTA IV on a mission with Little Jacob. Subtitles are required! LOL

Felicia "Snoop" Pearson is a fascinating character and actress (also named Felicia Pearson). Stephen King called her character "perhaps the most terrifying female villain to ever appear in a television series." Needless to say, the actress' own bio reads like a script From The Wire (e.g., troubled childhood; prison time for second-degree murder). Interestingly, she met Michael K. Williams, who played Omar Little, in a Baltimore club, and he invited her to come to the set one day. He introduced her to the writers and the producers, and after a subsequent audition, she was offered a role in the series. Amazing story!

LOL. I agree with a lot of those opinions that you postulated.

Early reviews from critics are quite good.

Hang in there. IMO, Season 4 is probably the finest season in the entire series, but you need to see the entire story arc to fully appreciate it.

I like what I've seen so far. It's definitely got potential. Too early to judge, though, as the story is just unfolding. Mike has barely been introduced, and Tuco just appeared at the very end, but will play a more prominent role tonight.

After tonight's episode, you should be able to draw some early conclusions about quality, since this is a 2 episode premiere. AMC understandably used TWD as the lead-in on Sunday night to maximize viewers on the new series premiere, and they probably also want to use the 2nd episode tonight to establish the new Monday night time slot.

FYI, the entire first season of Mad Dogs is now available on Amazon Prime. I just binge watched it this weekend, and the entire season is just as awesome as the pilot. Highly recommended!