Peaks Fans Top 10 TV shows

[Jerry Horne]

Jerry Horne – Better Call Saul rated higher than Breaking Bad? Interesting, I can understand it. Why do you rate it higher?

They are very close. Perhaps I'm giving Saul the edge because it's current and still unfolding. Or perhaps it has the edge when it comes to characterization and pacing. I fully admit that once it's over, it could drop out of my top 10. Let's see if they go with the tragic ending I think it deserves.

[Mr. Reindeer]

I'm surprised I'm the only one with Black Mirror in their top 10

Love Black Mirror. Only real complaint is Brooker needs to lay off the cross-referencing to old episodes. I thought “Striking Vipers” and “Smithereens” from the newest mini-season were both terrific, although I seem to be in the minority.

[Agent Earle]

Agent Earle – You liked the last season of GOT? A masterpiece. Yet you hate Season 3 of Peaks. You like going against the grain it seems. You enjoyed that in the end of GOT they just decided to give the iron throne to Bran the broken in a meeting? All the fighting was leading up to that climax? I for one was loving when the dragon lady went ”mad” and took the Throne for herself. When they showed the dragon’s wings behind her I was yelling YES YES!!!....It was what I wanted since the start of the show but then they just give the throne to Bran In a lame meeting. I loved Arya aswell but I didn’t like what they did with the night king either. Arya just jumping out of nowhere. Like come on, they could of at least had her wear another face and trick the night King. I thought Arya was gonna kill Cersei not the Night King. Why do you think the last season is a masterpiece?

Well, I felt it was beautifully poignant that after 7 seasons worth of furious brawl, they should hand over the regency to a kid in a wheelchair via a peaceful sit-down. From the meta perspective, it went completely against the grain and deserves to be commended for it - no-one would anticipate such conclusion (the same way no-one would anticipate the "conclusion" of The Sopranos). But I feel this development made sense from the story's point of view as well: everybody was tired from years-long fighting and weary from all the despair, bloodshed and destruction, so having the issue resolved peacefully - through a "lame meeting", as you put it - was a sensible thing for them to do.

To have Arya not kill Cersei was, to me, also against the grain and anticlimactic, and I loved it all the more for it - after all, I'm a sucker for a show/movie to go against common expectations and do the opposite of what would be deemed as "normal/fair" in the "mainstream" (granted, that doesn't match at all with my dislike of TP S3, which is a lexicon definition of anticlimactic and going against the grain ...). Plus I loved it that the show had the audacity to give Jaime and Cersei, the de facto irredeemable villains of the show, sort of a honorary send-off, so tragic that it made even their warped romantic love for each other a little more acceptable. Agreed, having Arya to just "jump out of nowhere" and assassinate the night king was the sole point of disbelief for me - especially since they had two seasons worth of build-up towards her immitation gimmick -, but I'm not letting such minor stuff taint my over-all impression with how the show wrapped up all the stuff it set up during the years it was on.

[Mr. Reindeer]

I’m super curious to see how the show ending of GoT lines up with the books once they’re written. I got the sense that Bran would spend the rest of his life in Bloodraven’s cave in the books. I’m fine with where all the characters ended up, my main issue was that a lot of it didn’t feel earned/built up to properly. To be fair to Benioff & Weiss, when they took the job, they had every reason to believe GRRM would provide them with an ending to adapt, and they got shafted when he fell so far behind. I wouldn’t want to have been in their shoes, and they ended up with a pretty impossible task. I also get the sense that GRRM fed them a few broad strokes but wasn’t super forthcoming/helpful. But I really got the sense by the last season that they were just racing to the finish line to be done with it. That being said, I think all the toxic hatred being directed at them online, and the petition to redo the season, are completely uncalled for and out of bounds.

[TwinsPeak]

Agent Earle – You liked the last season of GOT? A masterpiece. Yet you hate Season 3 of Peaks. You like going against the grain it seems. You enjoyed that in the end of GOT they just decided to give the iron throne to Bran the broken in a meeting? All the fighting was leading up to that climax? I for one was loving when the dragon lady went ”mad” and took the Throne for herself. When they showed the dragon’s wings behind her I was yelling YES YES!!!....It was what I wanted since the start of the show but then they just give the throne to Bran In a lame meeting. I loved Arya aswell but I didn’t like what they did with the night king either. Arya just jumping out of nowhere. Like come on, they could of at least had her wear another face and trick the night King. I thought Arya was gonna kill Cersei not the Night King. Why do you think the last season is a masterpiece?

Well, I felt it was beautifully poignant that after 7 seasons worth of furious brawl, they should hand over the regency to a kid in a wheelchair via a peaceful sit-down. From the meta perspective, it went completely against the grain and deserves to be commended for it - no-one would anticipate such conclusion (the same way no-one would anticipate the "conclusion" of The Sopranos). But I feel this development made sense from the story's point of view as well: everybody was tired from years-long fighting and weary from all the despair, bloodshed and destruction, so having the issue resolved peacefully - through a "lame meeting", as you put it - was a sensible thing for them to do.

To have Arya not kill Cersei was, to me, also against the grain and anticlimactic, and I loved it all the more for it - after all, I'm a sucker for a show/movie to go against common expectations and do the opposite of what would be deemed as "normal/fair" in the "mainstream" (granted, that doesn't match at all with my dislike of TP S3, which is a lexicon definition of anticlimactic and going against the grain ...). Plus I loved it that the show had the audacity to give Jaime and Cersei, the de facto irredeemable villains of the show, sort of a honorary send-off, so tragic that it made even their warped romantic love for each other a little more acceptable. Agreed, having Arya to just "jump out of nowhere" and assassinate the night king was the sole point of disbelief for me - especially since they had two seasons worth of build-up towards her immitation gimmick -, but I'm not letting such minor stuff taint my over-all impression with how the show wrapped up all the stuff it set up during the years it was on.

Fair enough you like against the grain and the unexpected. I can see why. I'm not trying to convince you. I view it differently however. I'm not happy with hardly any of the characters endings. Cleganebowl was decent I guess but the rest of the characters I found very disappointing. Tyrion's character really fell off the last season or 2. The pacing changed for the worse the last 2 seasons. I think you can really tell where Martin ends and D & D take over as far as the story goes. It seemed rushed and without substance even tho they took a long time to make it. But I agree with Mr. Reindeer that the petition and hate are in poor taste. I like that Agent Earle likes the ending, I just didn't like it. I might be wrong but I think Earle likes that people don't like the ending. We don't need a remake of the last season because we get the books.

[TwinsPeak]

Jerry Horne – Better Call Saul rated higher than Breaking Bad? Interesting, I can understand it. Why do you rate it higher?

They are very close. Perhaps I'm giving Saul the edge because it's current and still unfolding. Or perhaps it has the edge when it comes to characterization and pacing. I fully admit that once it's over, it could drop out of my top 10. Let's see if they go with the tragic ending I think it deserves.

Very cool...Season 5: Feb 23 2020

[mtwentz]

It's hard for me to come up with a top 10, because I've watched very little television throughout the years. And I've almost never had cable. I have not seen Game of Thrones, Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul, Mad Men, The Sopranos, The Leftovers, The Wire, Six Feet Under, or most of the shows discussed here.

Over the course of my TV viewing life, here are the stnadouts I can think (not necessarily in any order):

Pre 1990s
Twilight Zone
All In The Family
Soap

1990s
Twin Peaks
Freaks and Geeks

2000s
Veronica Mars

2010s
The Good Place
Twin Peaks S3

I had lots of hopes for Lost, but ultimately found it too confusing and did not stick around for the last couple of seasons.

[Agent Earle]

MT, you're missing out, my man! You should look into chaging that ASAP.

Regarding GoT: I've never read the books, so judging how the show does or does not do justice to them was never my thing, but for what's worth, I never noticed the drop in quality when the show progressed on its own, ie. past what Martin wrote, in - what? - season 5, or 6?.. To me, it all felt like a cohesive whole (then again, I never noticed the drop in quality everybody said occured on Northern Exposure after Joshua Brand & John Falsey (RIP), the original showrunners, hit the road after S3, and David Chase, of all people, took over, so maybe my observational skills are off when it comes to these things; also, I wasn't out of my wits when dr. Fleischman left for New York at the back end of the last season - it always seemed like it was a natural progression of his storyline -, was fine with his replacements in the form of the new doctor and his wife, and would've happily stayed on board for 10 more seasons of that magical show).

[Audrey Horne]

One hour dramas are hard for me as all time favorites.... and hard to think of ones pre Peaks aside from fun Dallas and Dynasty... perry Mason?

The Dick Van Dyke Show
The Mary Tyler Moore Show
All in the Family
Cheers (Diane years)
Fawlty Towers
MASH

The writing in all the the above is unbeatable

Breaking Bad
Veep
For recents that never let me down.

Twin Peaks is my love, but it’s more the idea and potential. Cooper, Audrey and the first season is perfect TV to me.

I loved the Wire. Loved Mad Men until the finale, Sopranos kinda petered out for me last two spread out seasons, but certainly thought all these brilliant.

Love my Twilight Zone, Alfred Hitchcock Presents and Carol Burnett Show. For some reason I’m really into Two’s Company from BBC late 70’s. GOT I thought was a mess the last two seasons, but it had Diana Rigg so there’s that! And right now I’m always digging The Crown.

[John Justice Wheeler]

10. Banshee/The Affair/Boss
9. Red Shoe Diaries/Chromiumblue.com
8. Taxi
7. Get a Life
6. 24
5. Miami Vice
4. The Shield
3. Law & Order (original flagship show only, not the rest)
2. Twin Peaks
1. The Prisoner

[Agent Earle]

Can't believe I forgot - The Shield definitely belongs on my "Honorable mentions" list!

[dl_fan]

10. Derek
9. Portlandia
8. Carnivale
7. Broadchurch
6. Fargo
5. The IT Crowd
4. Fawlty Towers
3. Life on Mars (British, not U.S.)
2. SCTV
1. Twin Peaks

[ManBehindWinkies]

Completed shows
Twin Peaks
Twilight Zone
Breaking Bad
The Wire
Battlestar Galactica
Mad Men
Six Feet Under
The Prisoner
The Sopranos
Rectify

Current/active shows
Twin Peaks
Better Call Saul
Atlanta
Mr. Robot
The Expanse
Undone
Russian Doll
Watchmen
The Good Place
Rick and Morty
Master of None

[krishnanspace]

Also I forgot Death Note(The Anime) and I'm currently watching The Boys. Pretty good show where they explore the dark side of superheroes and how corrupt they are. I like how they explore capitalism and how superheroes are products and services. Warning though : There are graphic scenes depicting nudity and violence

[Jerry Horne]

I forgot The Mary Tyler Moore Show. Put that on my list.