Alright, we have made it through the first round, and now we proceed to the round of 32! We are going to be voting for the Drama and Comedy regions first again. List all your choices in the matchups for that region, so for this round, you need to pick your favorite in each of the four matchups of the region. 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, which will also culminate in my vote for the matchups with a spoiler warning. Lets get to it.
#1 seed Breaking Bad vs. #9 seed Better Call Saul
How often do we see a matchup in a tournament that matches a coach vs. their pupil? That’s what we have here, Breaking Bad going against its spinoff, Better Call Saul. Better Call Saul has helped expand the Breaking Bad universe, giving backstory to a number of fan favorite characters while telling a compelling story about a man’s descent into morally ambiguous and criminal territory (sound familiar?). However, if not for the success of Breaking Bad, there would be no Saul Goodman and no spinoff about him.
#5 seed Band of Brothers vs. #13 seed Game of Thrones
Here is the most stylistically different matchup in the region. We see a true story about Easy Company and their actions in WWII vs. a series that has giants, dragons, and ice zombies. Band of Brothers is a captivating miniseries that draws viewers in with its thrilling, brutally honest portrayal of war and the men who served. Game of Thrones is a show that keeps viewers on the edge of their seats with twists and turns, killing off major characters at the drop of a hat.
#3 seed The Sopranos vs. #6 seed The Wire
This is a knock down, drag out battle of gladiators. On the one hand, you have The Sopranos, considered the father of the current riches of dramatic series out there, led by the prototypical anti-hero, Tony Soprano, played by the incomparable James Gandolfini. On the other, you have The Wire, a show that delves deep into the interconnectedness of aspects of inner city life, carried by a deep bench of characters who intersect with each other in fascinating ways.
#2 seed Justified vs. #7 seed Lonesome Dove
Here we pit an actual western vs. a modern day western. Justified follows a lawman that wears a cowboy hat and is quick on the draw against whatever unseemly characters are fool enough to go toe to toe with him. Lonesome Dove follows two former lawmen that wear cowboy hats as they move cattle from Texas to Montana while getting into scuffles with a number of threats along the way. Both feature a colorful cast of characters in memorable roles.
#1 seed Breaking Bad vs. #9 seed Better Call Saul
How often do we see a matchup in a tournament that matches a coach vs. their pupil? That’s what we have here, Breaking Bad going against its spinoff, Better Call Saul. Better Call Saul has helped expand the Breaking Bad universe, giving backstory to a number of fan favorite characters while telling a compelling story about a man’s descent into morally ambiguous and criminal territory (sound familiar?). However, if not for the success of Breaking Bad, there would be no Saul Goodman and no spinoff about him.
While I do think Saul stands on its own two feet as a terrific show, I can’t give it the nod here over the show that sired BCS. Breaking Bad has my vote.
#5 seed Band of Brothers vs. #13 seed Game of Thrones
Here is the most stylistically different matchup in the region. We see a true story about Easy Company and their actions in WWII vs. a series that has giants, dragons, and ice zombies. Band of Brothers is a captivating miniseries that draws viewers in with its thrilling, brutally honest portrayal of war and the men who served. Game of Thrones is a show that keeps viewers on the edge of their seats with twists and turns, killing off major characters at the drop of a hat.
This is a tough matchup, but the deciding factor for me is the numbers game. Game of Thrones has as many great episodes as Band of Brothers and then even more. I’m voting for Game of Thrones.
#3 seed The Sopranos vs. #6 seed The Wire
This is a knock down, drag out battle of gladiators. On the one hand, you have The Sopranos, considered the father of the current riches of dramatic series out there, led by the prototypical anti-hero, Tony Soprano, played by the incomparable James Gandolfini. On the other, you have The Wire, a show that delves deep into the interconnectedness of aspects of inner city life, carried by a deep bench of characters who intersect with each other in fascinating ways.
Each one would be worthy to advance in this matchup, and while it kills me to pick against one this early, I have to give my vote to The Sopranos because of the overall influence it has had on television.
#2 seed Justified vs. #7 seed Lonesome Dove
Here we pit an actual western vs. a modern day western. Justified follows a lawman that wears a cowboy hat and is quick on the draw against whatever unseemly characters are fool enough to go toe to toe with him. Lonesome Dove follows two former lawmen that wear cowboy hats as they move cattle from Texas to Montana while getting into scuffles with a number of threats along the way. Both feature a colorful cast of characters in memorable roles.
In the end, I have to follow the same logic I did for another matchup in the region, and go with the show that I enjoyed more episodes of. I’m giving Justified the nod.
