Writers Guild of America, West (WGAW) has announced its list of the 101 best-written TV shows in history, topped by the television drama about the family of Italian-American Mafia, “The Sopranos.” The series received six “Emmy” statuettes for the best script.
The list has been compiled taking into account the vote of all the members of the Guild, who are forced to choose their favorites from the English-speaking TV shows released over the past seven decades. As a result, the top ten of the ranking included such TV series as “Seinfeld,” “The Twilight Zone,” “All in the Family”, M*A*S*H, “The Mary Tyler Moore Show,” “Mad Men” (the only one currently going on TV) , “Cheers”, “The Wire” and “The West Wing.”
By the way, the list has already been criticized: some sources claim that not all members of the WGAW took part in the survey, and some of the results were falsified. However, the majority of critics do not have any complaints concerning the ranking. WGAW President Chris Keyser and WGAE President Michael Winship believe that the key to a good show is the script, so the list really includes the best sitcoms in the history of cinema:
“At their core, all of these wonderful series began with the words of the writers who created them and were sustained by the writers who joined their staffs or worked on individual episodes. This list is not only a tribute to great TV, it is a dedication to all writers who devote their hearts and minds to advancing their craft.”
According to the Writers Guild of America, the “101 Best-Written TV Shows in History” ranking contains TV shows of various genres, ranging from large-scale TV dramas and sitcoms to the format of a talk show. The list even included “Late Night with David Letterman” and children’s program “Sesame Street” as well as such iconic projects as “Twin Peaks,” “Sex and the City,” “House M.D.,” “The X-Files” and many others.
The best of the best, that is the top 12 TV shows’ list, looks as follows:
1. “The Sopranos”
2. “Seinfeld”
3. “The Twilight Zone” (1959)
4. “All in the Family”
5. “M*A*S*H”
6. “The Mary Tyler Moore Show”
7. “Mad Men”
8. “Cheers”
9. “The Wire”
10. “The West Wing”
11. “The Simpsons”
12. “I Love Lucy”
