TimeandTide

This, with GOT a very, very close second.

dolphinboy

Mad Men is by far the best show that I watch, but I'd like to say Once Upon A Time is excellent if you're into a little lighter fare.

GuessWho

Since the thread says right now, I'll vote with a show currently airing a summer season:

Dallas

davidh777

The Good Wife, though I really like GoT, Fringe, and Mad Men.

Groucho

As of right now, I'm the only vote for Homeland?!

mwbmis

Love the actors (especially what Danes and Patinkin are doing), but, for me, they outpace some of the storytelling.


I voted for Mad Men, but I did swear after I did it b/c there are other shows that are right there. This is kind of a golden age for hour long dramas.

Which Button?

Consistently it is Breaking Bad. Throughout four seasons it has constantly gotten better as it has gone along and that's a rare feat in television.

Personally, I'm tied between Homeland & Justified. Homeland was IMO the best new show of the season and Justified is incredible.

DJariya

I thought season 1 was fantastic and some of the best television last Fall. But, considering how season 1 ended and the new arc they are heading in season 2, I need to see it 1st before I can make a true assessment of it being one of the best serial shows on TV right now. It's a really challenging setup for them IMO. I trust the writers of that show and hope they blow me away again.

dolphinboy

Yeah, it probably would have more votes if it had at least 2 seasons or 3 as good as the first one.

I still consider Once Upon A Time "lighter fare" but it would probably still be my number #2 behind Mad Men. Homeland would be #3, but if I was the member of some academy, I'd definitely nominate Homeland over Once.

That said, I've never seen Game of Thrones and I couldn't stand Breaking Bad, which seems to be the top shows of most of my friends and many others love Boardwalk Empire, which I've also never seen.

Ayre

I doubt many would vote for Parenthood, but it is a Jason Katims project and the last season was very good.

Just after I pushed the vote button I noticed Fringe. I would have chosen it over Once Upon A Time.

There is has to be a huge difference between those that get premium channels over those that only get basic.

wendersfan

I've only watched Boardwalk Empire, Breaking Bad, Game of Thrones, Homeland, Mad Men, Treme, True Blood, and The Walking Dead. Of those, I would rank Breaking Bad, Homeland, Mad Men, and Treme very highly. Boardwalk Empire, Game of Thrones, and The Walking Dead are mediocre. True Blood is just terrible and I couldn't even finish the first season.

Red Dog

It's a clear #2 for me.

1. Mad Men
2. Homeland

Then Damages, Justified, Boardwalk Empire, and Boss in a group below those.

wishbone

I'll go with GoT but I have not seen many of these dramas. Boardwalk Empire has some good moments but it's okay as a series. Revenge turned out to be a much better serial than I would have initially thought.

superdeluxe

Game of Thrones. I think this upcoming season is going to be great fun with all the new characters.

I'm going to add another that was not listed on the poll, but would come in a close 3rd for me is Grimm. Once Grimm took off in that 2nd half of the season, it really was firing on all cylinders.

superdeluxe

There are so many good shows, I mean Sherlock holmes would have to be in the discussion as well I would think

DJariya

I didn't put Grimm on the list because I found it to be more of a Police procedural drama with some supernatural elements than an actual full fledged serial drama. However, the serial elements did take off more in the 2nd half of the season.

Shannon Nutt

If you didn't vote for Homeland, you either took the phrase "right now" literally, or you've simply never seen the show. Best series on TV by a mile.

RichC2

Breaking Bad followed by Game of Thrones

wendersfan

It's very good, but it's (IMO) a bit impractical to compare one season of it against, say, five seasons of Mad Men or four seasons of Breaking Bad.

devilshalo

With no premium cable channels that I subscribe to, that knocks a handful of that list out. And it's tough when some of these shows are not on TV right now. There's no holy shit I gotta watch it shows for me so I guess... it's a toss up between Suits and Burn Notice.

Dave99

little too early to say, but season 1 was outstanding. GoT for me, justified would be close, then boardwalk & dexter.

Shady12

1. Breaking Bad
2. Game of Thrones
3. Justified
4. Mad Men
5. Boardwalk Empire

Goat3001

I want to put Breaking Bad at the top but the extra enthusiasm I have for the show is because we just got a kick ass new episode last night. Taking a step back from that, Game of Thrones is really my favorite right now.

1. GoT
2. Breaking Bad
3. Mad Men
4. Dexter
5. Homeland

I expect Homeland to surpass Dexter this season, but I won't jump the gun on that just yet.

Hokeyboy

Of that list, I'd rank them as:

1. Mad Men -- by far above all competitors.
2. Game of Thrones
3. Boardwalk Empire
4. Walking Dead
5. True Blood

Although I'd put American Horror Story above Walking Dead, and Sherlock above Boardwalk Empire and maybe tied with Game of Thrones.

B.A.

Fringe