HFBoards Ranks: Greatest HBO Shows of All-Time (RESULTS ARE IN)

[chicagoskycam]

SFU is still my clear #2.

 

[FLYLine27*]

If for example, your favorite show wasn't included in the original poll, then you'd be voting for your 2nd, or 3rd or 4th etc favorite show to be #1, which means that it is undeservedly getting more votes than it should, and could affect the final results if it is close.

Fair point. Either way, i expect the top 8 in this to be very similar to way he is doing it. I'll send mine in tonight.

 

[Individual 1]

I tried watching SFU but I just gave up mid way into the second season I find basically every character to be unlikable. I also find Nate, Claire, Brenda/Billy and their parents, Parker, and Gabe are all taken to such an extreme that is just makes the whole show unrelatable and frustrating to watch.

 

[Caps Circle]

REMINDER: Send in your lists! Thank you to the following users who have sent me lists so far:

Ser Woof
Spawn
HanSolo
Matt19Oilers
tacogeoff
Diamondillium
kingsholygrail
Playerwinner
Zeppo

 

[Soliloquy of a Dogge]

I tried watching SFU but I just gave up mid way into the second season I find basically every character to be unlikable. I also find Nate, Claire, Brenda/Billy and their parents, Parker, and Gabe are all taken to such an extreme that is just makes the whole show unrelatable and frustrating to watch.

Interesting. I can understand your point of view, though it cuts the other way for me.

Six Feet Under approaches its main characters as deeply flawed individuals, makes no apologies about it, and as such, it takes longer to feel attached to them and understand them. I don't think you have to like them or find them relatable, per-say, to appreciate that their flaws are intrinsic to who they are as human beings. The first couple seasons are a slow burn and the development of these characters doesn't happen over the course of a few episodes or even a season though.

Ruth's overbearing self-righteousness, Claire's naivety and obnoxiousness as a teenager trying to find herself, Nate; always searching, never content to compromise and live with what life has given to him, Billy's bipolar disorder... by the end of the series, as a viewer, it feels like you know the Fisher family -- their personalities and imperfections growing on you as much as the characters have grown themselves. There's not one singular moment you can point to when they evolved because it's a gradual transformation that is paced astonishingly well. There's no doubt that their imperfections are taken to the extreme from time to time, though I mostly found this to be the case with the Chenowith family. The show does delve into their dysfunctional history later on which explains the eccentricities of those characters.

The reason why SFU resonates deeply and is in my opinion, as genuinely human and relatable as a drama gets, is because it's brutally real in its depiction of human nature and doesn't sugarcoat anything. Its basic premise is an introspective exploration of human mortality and an unflinching portrayal of everything life and death entails. I've never had a show take me through the gamut of emotions, from the highest highs to the lowest lows, it did. SFU has its bumps along the way, becomes cliched sometimes and has a few cringe-worthy developmental moments in its middle seasons like any other show but just like its flawed characters, it makes the show more endearing. If you ever do re-visit the series, the series finale, considered one of the greatest series finales ever conceived, is transcendent...

 

[Soliloquy of a Dogge]

I agree, SFU is IMO, the 2nd best show HBO has ever made. I like it more than Game of Thrones, Deadwood, The Sopranos, Rome etc. Only The Wire is ahead.

And I was also tempted to put Westworld on my list, but didn't. I think a show needs at least one completed season to really deserve to be in consideration.

If Deadwood hadn't prematurely ended, it would near the top of my list alongside The Wire and SFU as well. The third season while solid, felt truncated and clumsy compared to the previous two IMO.

Always struggle with placing The Wire and SFU against each other even though The Wire is superior and the gold standard for television in terms of the depth of its writing, complexity of its characters, dialogue and narrative. I happened upon SFU during a time of personal loss though and watching it was a cathartic experience that helped me through a rough period, so I'm sentimental about it. Usually end up ranking them 1a and 1b.

 

[Shareefruck]

I think that Six Feet Under is a very powerful show that resonates very deeply, but I also don't think the execution of the overarching seasons is very tight or focused. It meanders and wanders aimlessly quite often, only to win you back in the end with beautiful isolated moments and fully developed characters that grow on you like family.

 

[Soliloquy of a Dogge]

I think that Six Feet Under is a very powerful show that resonates very deeply, but I also don't think the execution of the overarching seasons is very tight or focused. It meanders and wanders aimlessly quite often, only to win you back in the end with beautiful isolated moments and fully developed characters that grow on you like family.

Yeah, that's a perfect way of putting it. The aimless meandering popped up somewhat regularly over the course of the 3rd and 4th seasons especially as the show changed gears and introduced new narratives.

 

[McOilers97]

I think that Six Feet Under is a very powerful show that resonates very deeply, but I also don't think the execution of the overarching seasons is very tight or focused. It meanders and wanders aimlessly quite often, only to win you back in the end with beautiful isolated moments and fully developed characters that grow on you like family.

I can probably agree with that, the show does meander a fair bit in the middle especially. I do think that the meandering makes for a pretty true-to-life experience though; most of us can probably say that our lives "meander" or feel a bit "aimless" at times. And for me, the show being so powerful means that I give it some latitude in other areas, because at the end of the day, I remember it most for the emotional ride rather than the plot.

 

[Shareefruck]

I can probably agree with that, the show does meander a fair bit in the middle especially. I do think that the meandering makes for a pretty true-to-life experience though; most of us can probably say that our lives "meander" or feel a bit "aimless" at times. And for me, the show being so powerful means that I give it some latitude in other areas, because at the end of the day, I remember it most for the emotional ride rather than the plot.

Sure, to some degree that's true, but I would argue that it also occasionally meandered in ways that is not always necessarily relateable. It's more like there are large messy dramatic arcs that make it seem like the family is cursed with bad luck, and sometimes devolves into feeling like emotional-devastation-porn at times. I actually would have preferred if it toned it down a bit in the middle of the series.

 

[chicagoskycam]

Sure, to some degree that's true, but I would argue that it also occasionally meandered in ways that is not always necessarily relateable. It's more like there are large messy dramatic arcs that make it seem like the family is cursed with bad luck, and sometimes devolves into feeling like emotional-devastation-porn at times. I actually would have preferred if it toned it down a bit in the middle of the series.

But that's realistic as well. Families do go through periods like that - not everything tragic is spaced out, especially if they're a bit dysfunctional. It was a dark show at times but I wouldn't say everything ended in devastation either. It's just the emotional points really struck a nerve in SFU.

 

[Caps Circle]

BUMPing this for more ballots. Only have 10 so far, not enough for a good list.

 

[Shareefruck]

I hope people don't forget about Mr. Show.

 

[Caps Circle]

The deadline has passed, but I only got 12 ballots. I've decided to extend this through the weekend in case anybody else wants to participate.

Results will be posted starting Monday.

 

[Zeppo]

Maybe this helps.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_programs_broadcast_by_HBO

With only 12 lists I might be able to get In Treatment into the top 20 all by myself.

 

[Caps Circle]

That seems to be the end of that! Still ended up with just 12 ballots, which is a shame. However, we were still able to get a pretty good list of what seem to be the most popular shows.

Basically, the Top 11 were in a class to themselves, with significant dropoff after that. So I'll be counting down the Top 11. Until then, here are the other shows receiving votes:

1 Point: Generation Kill, John from Cincinnati, Veep
2 Points: The Pacific
3 Points: Ballers, Real Time with Bill Maher
4 Points: Mr. Show, Treme
5 Points: Hard Knocks, The Newsroom
6 Points: Entourage, In Treatment
8 Points: The Larry Sanders Show

All of the above received one vote. The following were on multiple ballots:

8 Points: The Leftovers
9 Points: The Night Of, Eastbound and Down, Carnivale, Flight of the Conchords
11 Points: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver
12 Points: Rome

Thank you to everyone who voted. Countdown of the Top 11 shows starts tomorrow.

 

[Diamondillium]

That seems to be the end of that! Still ended up with just 12 ballots, which is a shame. However, we were still able to get a pretty good list of what seem to be the most popular shows.

Basically, the Top 11 were in a class to themselves, with significant dropoff after that. So I'll be counting down the Top 11. Until then, here are the other shows receiving votes:

1 Point: Generation Kill, John from Cincinnati, Veep
2 Points: The Pacific
3 Points: Ballers, Real Time with Bill Maher
4 Points: Mr. Show, Treme
5 Points: Hard Knocks, The Newsroom
6 Points: Entourage, In Treatment
8 Points: The Larry Sanders Show

All of the above received one vote. The following were on multiple ballots:

8 Points: The Leftovers
9 Points: The Night Of, Eastbound and Down, Carnivale, Flight of the Conchords
11 Points: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver
12 Points: Rome

Thank you to everyone who voted. Countdown of the Top 11 shows starts tomorrow.

For a second I thought these were the final rankings.

 

[lud]

Oz is still best. O'Reilly,Schillinger,Adebisi,Said,Beecher,McManus > Soprano,Littlefinger,Omar Little,Swearenger...

 

[Shareefruck]

Boo, nobody else voted for Larry Sanders Show?

 

[Individual 1]

Surprised someone voted for The Night Of besides me

 

[Caps Circle]

Oz is still best. O'Reilly,Schillinger,Adebisi,Said,Beecher,McManus > Soprano,Littlefinger,Omar Little,Swearenger...

While I disagree with you, I was stunned that Oz was on none of the ballots... you should've sent one in

 

[Hasbro]

So I won't have a definitive ranking of where Mind of the Married Man stacks up to First and Ten?

 

[McOilers97]

Oz is still best. O'Reilly,Schillinger,Adebisi,Said,Beecher,McManus > Soprano,Littlefinger,Omar Little,Swearenger...

I liked Oz, but expected to like it more when I saw it a couple years ago. I think the pacing was a bit iffy to me, like the story-telling was done kind of awkwardly so that a character had 10 straight minutes to themselves and then flip to a different character. Not sure if that makes any sense, and maybe I need to watch again. The characters were great though, and obviously being the 1st scripted drama of the cable TV era is a pretty significant place in history.

 

[McOilers97]

Countdown of the Top 11 shows starts tomorrow.

So after looking at these lists, and knowing what people like, and what I voted for, the top 11 should be:

[spoil]Game of Thrones, The Sopranos, The Wire, Deadwood, Six Feet Under, Band of Brothers, Boardwalk Empire, True Detective, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Silicon Valley, and Westworld (I didn't vote for Westworld because the poll happened before S1 had ended, but I certainly would have it high up on my list now)[/spoil]

 

[Caps Circle]

All right, shows 11-9 being released NOW.