Ok everyone, now that we have filled out the bracket, it’s time to vote for the best show in television! We are going to vote round by round starting with the first round in the Drama and Comedy regions. List all your choices in the matchups for that region, so for this first round, you need to pick your favorite in each of the eight matchups. You will have until midnight on Wednesday to vote in both threads. I’m going to do a write-up of each matchup in the beginning of each thread (I was going to include video clips of each show as well, but Rivals limits you to 5 youtube clips in a poast), which will also culminate in my vote for the matchups. Lets get to it.
#1 seed Breaking Bad vs. #16 seed The X-Files
The interesting thing about this matchup is that we might not have Breaking Bad without The X-Files, at least not in the form we all know. Breaking Bad creator Vince Gilligan was a writer for The X-Files, and in one of the episodes he wrote, Bryan Cranston plays an antagonistic role that the viewers can’t help but be drawn to. This pairing eventually led to Cranston playing Walter White in Breaking Bad.
#8 seed True Detective vs. #9 seed Better Call Saul
Season 1 of True Detective is one of the greatest things that has ever been put on television, and not just because of one memorable scene with Alexandra Daddario. Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson had terrific chemistry, and with a story that kept viewers guessing, it was must see television. However, season 2 was widely considered a major disappointment and has left the future of the show in doubt. Meanwhile, Better Call Saul has proven to be a worthy successor to one of the greatest shows ever, telling us the backstory on a number of characters in the Breaking Bad universe.
#4 seed The Walking Dead vs. #13 seed Game of Thrones
In a heavyweight battle of the two highest rated shows on cable, we pit walkers vs. white walkers. The Walking Dead is a fun show, and certainly one of the most talked about shows on television. It has had a lot of behind the scenes inconsistency, but they are in the era of the longest tenured showrunner, and that has led to more consistent storytelling.
#5 seed Band of Brothers vs. #12 seed Stranger Things
This is a tough matchup because it pits a very interesting “genre” television show vs. one of the most realistic and gritty depictions of war in any medium. It’s also a pretty fair matchup since Stranger Things has only had one season so far to pit against the miniseries Band of Brothers.
#3 seed The Sopranos vs. #14 seed Mad Men
This is another matchup that pairs shows with a shared heritage. Mad Men creator Matthew Weiner was a writer for The Sopranos, and he learned how to write one of television’s most known anti-heroes in Don Draper by helping create the story of the most well known one, Tony Soprano. Mad Men explores the 60s through the world of advertising and has a stellar cast to help bring these vibrant characters to life.
#6 seed The Wire vs. #11 seed Sons of Anarchy
The only reason I can figure that The Wire is a 6 seed is because not enough people have seen The Wire. This show is one of the most nuanced depictions of crime, law enforcement, our schools, government, media, and numerous other intertwined aspects of life in a major city in America. Sons of Anarchy focuses on motorcycle gangs, and features a number of actors in roles that are departures from what they had been previously known for.
#7 seed Lonesome Dove vs. #10 seed Daredevil
This is a tough one for me, because I’m a big fan of the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe, and Daredevil was a major part of expanding that universe because the grit that was present in that show was a welcome change to the MCU. It also features some of the best fights I’ve ever seen on television.
#2 seed Justified vs. #15 seed 24
Raylan Givens vs. Jack Bauer. Two of the best gunslingling badasses on television pitted head to head. 24 was pretty revolutionary, with its real time stakes, and Jack having to save the day over and over. However, after about season 5, the show kind of started to become stale for me, and while I still love it, I thought it ran out of gas toward the end. On the other hand, Justified really seemed to get better as we went. There isn’t a wasted moment, the dialogue stays as sharp as ever, and one of the edges it has in this matchup is that the roster of characters is strong from top to bottom.
#1 seed Breaking Bad vs. #16 seed The X-Files
The interesting thing about this matchup is that we might not have Breaking Bad without The X-Files, at least not in the form we all know. Breaking Bad creator Vince Gilligan was a writer for The X-Files, and in one of the episodes he wrote, Bryan Cranston plays an antagonistic role that the viewers can’t help but be drawn to. This pairing eventually led to Cranston playing Walter White in Breaking Bad.
As for this matchup, X-Files fans may want to believe that this show can take down Heisenberg and company, but Breaking Bad earns my vote here.
#8 seed True Detective vs. #9 seed Better Call Saul
Season 1 of True Detective is one of the greatest things that has ever been put on television, and not just because of one memorable scene with Alexandra Daddario. Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson had terrific chemistry, and with a story that kept viewers guessing, it was must see television. However, season 2 was widely considered a major disappointment and has left the future of the show in doubt. Meanwhile, Better Call Saul has proven to be a worthy successor to one of the greatest shows ever, telling us the backstory on a number of characters in the Breaking Bad universe.
While it may not have reached the peaks of season 1 of True Detective, Saul’s consistency gives it the edge in my mind. I’m voting Better Call Saul.
#4 seed The Walking Dead vs. #13 seed Game of Thrones
In a heavyweight battle of the two highest rated shows on cable, we pit walkers vs. white walkers. The Walking Dead is a fun show, and certainly one of the most talked about shows on television. It has had a lot of behind the scenes inconsistency, but they are in the era of the longest tenured showrunner, and that has led to more consistent storytelling.
However, Game of Thrones has known what kind of show that it wants to be since day 1, and I think it regularly surpasses Walking Dead in acting and writing. I give the nod to Game of Thrones.
#5 seed Band of Brothers vs. #12 seed Stranger Things
This is a tough matchup because it pits a very interesting “genre” television show vs. one of the most realistic and gritty depictions of war in any medium. It’s also a pretty fair matchup since Stranger Things has only had one season so far to pit against the miniseries Band of Brothers.
While I loved the retro feel of Stranger Things and think that Eleven is one of the most fascinating characters on television today, I just can’t give it the nod over Band of Brothers. Band of Brothers wins my vote.
#3 seed The Sopranos vs. #14 seed Mad Men
This is another matchup that pairs shows with a shared heritage. Mad Men creator Matthew Weiner was a writer for The Sopranos, and he learned how to write one of television’s most known anti-heroes in Don Draper by helping create the story of the most well known one, Tony Soprano. Mad Men explores the 60s through the world of advertising and has a stellar cast to help bring these vibrant characters to life.
But in a matchup against the show that redefined television, I have to go with Tony and The Sopranos.
#6 seed The Wire vs. #11 seed Sons of Anarchy
The only reason I can figure that The Wire is a 6 seed is because not enough people have seen The Wire. This show is one of the most nuanced depictions of crime, law enforcement, our schools, government, media, and numerous other intertwined aspects of life in a major city in America. Sons of Anarchy focuses on motorcycle gangs, and features a number of actors in roles that are departures from what they had been previously known for.
I’m voting for The Wire here.
#7 seed Lonesome Dove vs. #10 seed Daredevil
This is a tough one for me, because I’m a big fan of the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe, and Daredevil was a major part of expanding that universe because the grit that was present in that show was a welcome change to the MCU. It also features some of the best fights I’ve ever seen on television.
However, Lonesome Dove, with its outstanding cast (including Robert Duvall and Tommy Lee Jones in some of their best work), terrific writing and directing, and enduring appeal is the one that I’m going to vote for.
#2 seed Justified vs. #15 seed 24
Raylan Givens vs. Jack Bauer. Two of the best gunslingling badasses on television pitted head to head. 24 was pretty revolutionary, with its real time stakes, and Jack having to save the day over and over. However, after about season 5, the show kind of started to become stale for me, and while I still love it, I thought it ran out of gas toward the end. On the other hand, Justified really seemed to get better as we went. There isn’t a wasted moment, the dialogue stays as sharp as ever, and one of the edges it has in this matchup is that the roster of characters is strong from top to bottom.
I think the clock runs out on Jack this time, I’m voting for Justified to move on.
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