I'm a huge fan of Rob Thomas, the TV Writer/Creator. One of his other dramas is further up the list, and one of his comedies made my list there. Here, we get a show that had so much of the heart of Veronica Mars (spoiler!), but with such an inane presence - basically zombie-ism is real, but can be controlled as long as you eat brains, but eating brains gives you temporary personality traits and memories of the deceased - so of course the local Seattle coroner uses their role to eat brains, but also help solve crimes. Yes, this is absurd, but it worked - mostly because of the heart of the show, and great performances from Rose McIver, Rav Kuhle, and a great "Spike from Buffy" impression by David Anders. The show took a big leap at the end of Season 3 by exposing Zombie-ism to the world. It was a necessary turn to avoid being stale, but if anything the show wasn't able to do as well touching on larger issues that it tried to at the end. Still a show that deserves credit for taking a crazy premise, delivering it with heart, and making it work.
19.) Men of a Certain Age (TNT)
Arguably you could say this was a comedy, and there's a few other picks on the drama list that you can argue fall into that category (and vice-versa), but what made Men of a Certain Age good is the dramatic heart and moments that centered the show. Well that and the great, dramatic acting by Scott Bakula, Andre Braugher and (yes) Ray Romano himself. Romano's dramatic chops were a revelation - amplified by the fact he gave his character the least comedic storylines to work with. It was a small show, and it only lasted two years, but it was a beautiful show nonetheless.
18.) The Gilded Age (HBO)
While I wish this show was even better, because it goes under the hood of such an interesting time in America, I can't deny that it is still nearly great. The acting of Carrie Coon, Morgan Specter, Cynthia Nixon, and so many others, is just so on point. The great interplay of new money vs. old is as fun here as it is on any of the great British shows showcasing similar eras. While I do wish the dramatic plots were a bit more meaningful than the sow social politicking that makes up much of the show, there's many other shows for which I can say the same thing about not being dramatic enough. The show is beautiful shot and the sets are truly great - it makes that old era of New York look so fascinating, so stark to what it looks like today - even if the show goes to great lengths to say that the problems facing society are all quite similar.
17.) Orange is the New Black (NETFLIX)
Putting House of Cards aside (and boy do I wish we could), this was NETFLIX's OG original content show, and it remains maybe one of their best, or at least biggest swings. Let's showcase something truly underground - the plight of female prisoners. We've had Oz, we've had shows featuring male criminals - but so few that showed the other side of things. And it told that story really well. Yes, it probably did way too much to make Piper a lead when her story wasn't all that interesting relative to so many others, but overtime it realized this and did well to turn it into more a true ensemble show, along with a great storyline highlighting the dangers of privatizing policing. It told a story normally untold, and while there were a few too many dalliances with soap drama, it remained a compelling show to the end.
16.) The Deuce (HBO)
Here's another show about a very untold part of America - the rise of pornography in parallel wth the changing nature of the sex work industry. I think if anything I underrated it at the time, because it wasn't The Wire. No show will be - even if the creator is the same. But it did have some of the right elements - from establishing a tone to itself in about thirty seconds of opening with Thunder Thighs, to of course all the returning actors. But more than anything, it had David Simon's amaizng attention to detail, to showing small moments as carefully as big dramatic ones. If anything, the biggest gap between this and The Wire is those big dramatic moments - it might fall on that the dueling James Franco characters at the center (the McNulty of The Deuce universe) just wasn't as effective, even if I do think he generally is a compelling actor. Maggie Gyllenhall's character, or Emily Meade's characters were the real stars of the show, even if they both ended with depressing conclusions. But depressing is kind of the point at the end of the day.
15.) Stranger Things (NETFLIX)
It's weird I don't have this higher, because I've admitted I still find the show very satisfying. Yes, they take way too long between seasons. Yes, some of the child actors have grown into, well, simply not all that great adult actors. But then again, at its best - be it nearly the entirety of its groundbreaking first seasons, the concluding run in its second season, and the mythology and escapes to the underground in its fourth season - few shows are better at their best. I don't think any show in my drama rankings is as highly variable in quality as Stranger Things. But again, what it does do well it does really well. The way its crafted enough realistic horror and mythology around the underground is great - while yeah it's a bit of the same well over and over again, there was a plan and a logical expansion in it season to season (much like say John Wick peeling back layers of its fake underworld). The more adult characters, or older teen (e.g. Natalia Dyer's, Joe Keery's and Maya Hawke's characters), ahve all been crafted in compelling, badass ways. It portrayed the best of Winona Ryder. Even if the final season is a dud - and it this point the children are hilariously not children in age - I'll remember the incredible moments, and Running Down That Hill, and DemeDogs, adn all of it.
14.) Pose (FX)
I always liked the symmetry of Pose and The Deuce running more or less in parallel, both exploring seedy, untold times in America. While The Deuce focused on the heterosexual sex explosion, Pose went towards the LGBTQ community in the 1980s to early 1990s. This is not a happy time for that community, with HIV/AIDS starting to spread and wreak havoc, to still the incredible stigma anyone in that community had to face (and yes, far worse than compared to now). But Pose didn't back down from the darkness, but also celebrated the beauty. Those amazing scenes at Balls, filled with resplendent costumes, and names, and dances, and vibes. The incredible performances of all the leads - Billy Porter got the most headlines, but the actresses playing Blanca and Elektra, competing house leaders, were jsut as good. So was really every character. There were a few hiccups - like the weird Season 1 storyline following the white couple with the husband questioning his sexuality, but generally it focused on that community, the heart and soul at the center of it, and didn't shy away from the pain and loss within it too. Yes, after a while the final season of death after death and goodbye after goodbye was as draining as it was impactful, but this community deserved that level of affection. Other than maybe People v OJ - this is Ryan Murphy's masterpiece to me.
13.) The Bear (FX)
Yeah, I'm calling it a drama/ I don't care if it won Best Comedy at the Emmys twice. I don't care that it is definitely a funny show. This show is only great (and it definitely is great) because of how dramatic, crazy, anxious, heart pounding it is at its best. No show maybe ever has showcased yelling better than this one. Any interaction between Carmy and Cousin. Any time Oliver Platt's Uncle gets into the mix, or Abby Elliott. The entirety of that Christmas flashback episode. The Bear is unparalleled at what it does well. It also showcased a love of cooking, a care of ingredients, at an almost Chef's Table level. Yes - it's third seasoin was way too up its own ass (if I wrote this a year ago - The Bear is probably a few spots higher)- losing a bit of it sense of self on what made ig reat. I'm hopeful that that was a off season and it returns to its roots - the interplay of teh characters, not the parade of famous chef's and celebrities moonlighting as various roles. In other words, I want my guest stars to be the Gillian Jacobs and Jon Bernthal's, not the Daniel Bolouds. Anyway, enough complaining. The Bear at its best is magical - see me giving it my #1 show of 2023 nod for its second season, something I believe it whole heartedly desrves, and hopefully something it can reach again.
12.) Better Call Saul (AMC)
May seem low, but recognize that there a whole lot of amazing dramas to hit the air over the years. I don't see this as a shot at Better Call Saul, though I imagine many people who did watch it will be surprised how far ahead of it I have Breaking Bad. Anyway, Better Call Saul to me was 95% the technical marvel that Breaking Bad was, with about 80% the heart. This is not meant to discredit Better Call Saul, but more continue to say let's put some respect on Breaking Bad's name. Anyway, back to this - it is a testament to the show that it could bring back a whole lot of Breaking Bad characters even outside of Saul & Mike, but keep it that its most memorable characters are all pretty much new creations, from Nacho to Chuck to Lalo to Howard to of course Kim. It created new characters that were as complex, as brilliantly written and acted as so many of those in the main show. The series was also still shot so inventively, so creatively, so beautifully. The only thing keeping it from being slightly higher is that it lacked the furios drama of Breaking Bad. It lacked those Holy Shit moments aside from a couple (the raid on Salamanca mansion, the deaths of Lalo and Howard). Also I still question it keeping the last four episodes to gray Gene Takovic world. But in the end, it is stunning taht Better Call Saul worked so well, and I'm so grateful that Vince Gilligan didn't let it be a 30-minute comedy like he initially designed. It worked better as an extension of Vince's genius.
11.) Veronica Mars (WB)
Here's a hot take - of maybe any show I've ever watched that featured a season-long "whodunit", I don't know if any show was ever better than Veronica Mars's first season story-arc of who killed Lily Kane. Few shows were so crafty, so smart, so exacting at giving small detail after small detail in such a patient, impressive way. Veronica Mars balanced "case of the week" and "season-long arc" better than most. Oh and it also happened to be one of the best exposes of high school ever. What Veronica Mars did - combining high school politics and romance, and neo-noir in such flawless fashion, is just an amazing feat. It had some great actors at the heart of it, with the incredible performance by Kirsten Bell at the center of it. She was able to combine being lovable, spunky, smart, bitchy, popular and switch it up even within episodes. Some of the other characters were also so expertly drawn and performed. This also featured one of the best parent-child teen age relationships ever, as nothing was more earnest and hoenst than the relationship between Keith and Veronica. Had this show gone on for a couple more seasons, it probably swaps places with the other high-school girl drama show to come. I'm never at all embarrassed to extoll the brilliance of this show. It was a masterpiece - probably the best high school show I've ever seen.
