CP knows TV better than WGA

[Baby Lee]

I am perfectly content for this to get moved to Media Center, or go nowhere whatsoever, but heck it's the offseason.

WGA has ranked all time TV writing.

http://api.viglink.com/api/click?for...13708054611639

They lump together variety shows, comedies, fake news, dramas, and mini-series.

I have some germinal, but pretty vociferous, beefs with this ranking, and would welcome gauging CP interest in working towards a forum consensus on re-ordering and replacing shows.

Ideally, there would be controls for how well participants defend their sumissions, how well they are acquainted with the material they opine on, and how much community support they gather. There might be a way to measure 'likes' and 'dislikes' of submissions and give sub-arguments a 'rep' that affects how much traction/weight they are given.

Ideally, over time we would gather data to create our own top 101. With a lot of healthy discussion, reminiscence, education, and debate along the way.

Partially out of coding/social media niavete, and more in at least the initial wish to not weigh in too quickly with my own beefs, I'd cede control of the discussion and tabulation to interested parties. Though I'd be amenible to assisting in any record keeping, rudimentary organization of the endeavor that would arise.

Disqus.

[Stewie]

My favorite Barney Miller conversation of all time was in regards to anarchy in the streets.

Yemana: What does anarchy mean?
Dietrich: It's when everyone runs around doing whatever they want.
Yemana: OH! Like the Jets!

[blaise]

Frasier should be higher than All In the Family or Cheers. I never watched mush West Wing. That Sorkin style is too annoying for me. South Park's writing surpassed the Simpson's, I believe.

As far as Friends - I can see how people don't like the show, but the writing is very good, in my opinion.

And to save you the "you mean smart?" joke about Sorkin. No, that's not what I mean.

MASH loses points for me because it became this self righteous whiny vehicle for Alda.

[keg in kc]

Debating what belongs where aside, it's amazing to me how much of the list is comprised of shows from the last 20 years. It'll be interesting to think back on this in 30 years. We may well be in the golden age of television right now.

[Baby Lee]

Originally Posted by milkman

Didn't we already cover this ground with Rain Man's polls a few months ago?

That will prove a valuable reference, but it was an elimination tournament, and didn't focus on writing.

Originally Posted by keg in kc

Debating what belongs where aside, it's amazing to me how much of the list is comprised of shows from the last 20 years. It'll be interesting to think back on this in 30 years. We may well be in the golden age of television right now.

One thing I'd love to see is elder statesmen or afficianados of classic TV touting seminal developments from before we youngsters were watching.

[Rain Man]

Originally Posted by Stewie

My favorite Barney Miller conversation of all time was in regards to anarchy in the streets.

Yemana: What does anarchy mean?
Dietrich: It's when everyone runs around doing whatever they want.
Yemana: OH! Like the Jets!

I don't remember that line.

[Rain Man]

Originally Posted by keg in kc

Debating what belongs where aside, it's amazing to me how much of the list is comprised of shows from the last 20 years. It'll be interesting to think back on this in 30 years. We may well be in the golden age of television right now.

My suspicion is more that recent shows more accurately reflect national moods, attitudes, and tastes. I bet 50 years from now the past two decades won't have any more shows than earlier decades.

[Baby Lee]

Originally Posted by Rain Man

My suspicion is more that recent shows more accurately reflect national moods, attitudes, and tastes. I bet 50 years from now the past two decades won't have any more shows than earlier decades.

Maybe it's growing up segregated from late 70s to mid 80s TV almost totally. But I sense a trend of early groundbreaking TV [Lucy, Andy Griffith], socially conscious sitcoms in the mid70s [mostly in retrospect, I mean the gave the TV to Goodwill when I was in the 1st grade], such as AitF, One Day at a Time, Mray Tyler Moore.

Then there was a huge dip in overall quality. sitcoms didn't recover until Cosby, drama until L.A Law, OK maybe Moonlighting.

The Sopranos, with the season arc and the anti-hero just plain blew everything WIIIDDDDEE open, and drama has been reaping the rewards ever since. Seinfeld did the same for elevating the sitcom beyond just quality traditional sitcoms to innovations in the form.

And of course CABLE, and coming on strong the opportunities to hone craft in podcast, streaming shows, and sponsored streaming content such as Hulu Plus and Netflix, makes the debate akin to whether travel REALLY is easier on an 8-lane Interstate than Route 66.

With islands of outliers, there is a clear trend to suggest that there is vastly more quality TV then ever at present.


Even in the muddling middle, I'd submit that say a Castle would fare better critically than say Hart to Hart, in any era [unless it was an era so traditional that it'd suffer for modern frankness and sexuality].

[blaise]

The thing I always liked about Seinfeld was that there was no attempt at anything other than comedy. No special episode. No tender moment. Ne message. Just comedy. It's the first one that I remember taking it to that extreme.

[Baby Lee]

Originally Posted by blaise

The thing I always liked about Seinfeld was that there was no attempt at anything other than comedy. No special episode. No tender moment. Ne message. Just comedy. It's the first one that I remember taking it to that extreme.

There was a 1-2 episode 'will they, wont they' very subtly hinted at between Jerry and Elaine early on. Quickly snuffed.

[cosmo20002]

Originally Posted by blaise

Frasier should be higher than All In the Family or Cheers. I never watched mush West Wing. That Sorkin style is too annoying for me. South Park's writing surpassed the Simpson's, I believe.

And to save you the "you mean smart?" joke about Sorkin. No, that's not what I mean.

Posting this mostly because I think it will annoy you that you agree with me.

I CAN'T STAND that Sorkin writing. I would like to like that Newsroom show on HBO, but I just find the dialogue so grating. The phony quick-fire back-and-forth way the people talk to each other, like they are a comedy team knowing they are setting up the other one for the next quick witty line.

[blaise]

Originally Posted by Baby Lee

There was a 1-2 episode 'will they, wont they' very subtly hinted at between Jerry and Elaine early on. Quickly snuffed.

There was also a little theme song that was snuffed out.

[blaise]

Most of the sitcoms from the 80's, if you watched them now, would be more tame than most of Nickelodeon or Disney's original programming.

[cosmo20002]

Originally Posted by Rain Man

My suspicion is more that recent shows more accurately reflect national moods, attitudes, and tastes. I bet 50 years from now the past two decades won't have any more shows than earlier decades.

Plus the people who put together the lists are always going to be of a certain age group and are naturally going to be more familiar with and have more affection for the shows they grew up on.

[Baby Lee]

Originally Posted by cosmo20002

Posting this mostly because I think it will annoy you that you agree with me.

I CAN'T STAND that Sorkin writing. I would like to like that Newsroom show on HBO, but I just find the dialogue so grating. The phony quick-fire back-and-forth way the people talk to each other, like they are a comedy team knowing they are setting up the other one for the next quick witty line.

Let's not forget Studio 60, the absolute funnest TV show ever to snark on.

"IN A FIELD IN AFGHANISTAN!!!"


Newsroom - 'Bigfoot is trending on The Facebook' or some shit like that.

[BlackHelicopters]

WKRP was under rated