TV (The Book)

Y'all know I like my TV, so this was an easy purchase for me. TV (The Book) is essentially a lengthy annotated listicle in which long time critics Alan Sepinwall and Matt Zoller Seitz rank the top 100 television shows of all time. They were clear about their methodology and humble about their intentions - not so much to make the definitive list, but trying to make a definitive list because there just wasn't one out there the way there are established canons for all time great literature and films and such. "This is our list; we look forward to yours," they say. And that's nice. They also acknowledge the absurdity of "ranking television" from the get go, and how it's impossible to compare a laugh track three-camera 1980s sitcom to a 2000s political thriller or a 1960s western hour-long. I completely agree! I make little year-end lists all the time and I struggle with how to compare comedies to dramas and comfort viewing to slow burns.

The two of them each graded each show on a scale of one to ten across six categories: innovation, influence, consistency, performances, storytelling, and peak. Right away, anyone could argue that some of these factors are more important than others, or less quantifiable, but hey - again - this is their list. And they look forward to yours!

The top five shows all tied with scores of 112 out of 120 (hmm, convenient, no?) allowing Alan and Matt to begin their book with a back-and-forth on how to break that five-way tie. Here's how they shook that out:

1. The Simpsons

2. The Sopranos

3. The Wire

4. Cheers

5. Breaking Bad

Yep - Cheers. Again, this is their list. But they really do look forward to yours!

I liked this read just fine. It definitely contained some inconsistent logic - The Simpsons somehow escapes judgment for everything since Season 15 while other shows are withheld because later seasons diluted or diminished earlier ones - but that's fine. Less fine were the few typos and grammatical errors I found - just takes me out of the argument, you know?

Still, the more I think about this book, the more impressed I am that these two were able to come up with a top hundred. Even as I sit here, I'm not sure I've got a top five. A top four, sure - The Wire, The Sopranos, Breaking Bad, and Mad Men - but who's got that fifth spot? It's got to be either my favorite comedy or my fifth-favorite drama, but I'm coming up empty. Arrested Development? The Simpsons? Parks and Recreation? Friday Night Lights? Deadwood? Something else entirely?

Yeesh. Let's go with Arrested for now and say I'll revisit this later.

How about you - top five, anyone? I look forward to yours!