Has the “New” Golden Age of TV Drama Come to An End?

I think it has something to do with three longrunning highcaliber dramas having reached the end of their runs during the last 12 months AMCamp8217s amp8220Mad Menamp8221 and FXamp8217s quotSons of Anarchyquot and amp8220Justifiedamp8221 And shortly before they left us AMCamp8217s amp8220Breaking Badamp8221 amp8211 a show regarded by many people as one of the best of all time amp8211 wrapped its fiveseason runItamp8217s hard to remember a time when these shows didnamp8217t come to mind when answering two common questions people generally ask of each other amp8220What are your favorite television showsamp8221 and amp8220Which shows do you think are the best on televisionamp8221 The answers to these two queries arenamp8217t always the same and Iamp8217m certain that critics bloggers and episode recappers are asked these questions more than other folks But it seems as though certain quality dramas from the 2000s were always top of mindamp8220Mad Menamp8221 20072015 and amp8220Breaking Badamp8221 20082013 pictured above will surely endure on Best Shows of All Time lists for years or decades to come Iamp8217m less certain about amp8220Justifiedamp8221 20102015 though I think it belongs in their company amp8220Sons of Anarchyamp8221 20082014 is a bit of a stretch but there is no denying its quality or its enduring popularity during its sevenseason runThese shows came along late in the same decade 20002010 as did CBSamp8217 amp8220The Good Wifeamp8221 2009 another outstanding drama and one that is still with usamp160When I think about it amp8220Good Wifeamp8221 represents theamp160last blast from a decade of drama that by any definition deserves to be labeled the best for the genreDuring those ten years in addition to the shows mentioned above the ultrafine dramas on television included NBCamp8217s amp8220The West Wingamp8221 and HBOamp8217s amp8220The Sopranosamp8221 pictured at top and arguably the best drama series ever as most of its fans would assert Both series actually began life in 1999 but were still brand new at the dawn of this millennium I might even include amp8220Buffy the Vampire Slayeramp8221 here which started on The WB in 1997 and concluded on UPN in 2003And then came what is in hindsight a gamechanging onslaught HBOamp8217s amp8220Six Feet Underamp8221 20012005 Foxamp8217s amp822024amp8221 20012010 HBOamp8217s amp8220The Wireamp8221 20022008 FXamp8217s amp8220The Shieldamp8221 20022008 and amp8220NipTuck 20032010 ABCamp8217s amp8220Boston Legalamp8221 20042008 and amp8220Lostamp8221 20042010 pictured above Syfyamp8217s amp8220Battlestar Galacticaamp8221 20042009 Foxamp8217s amp8220Houseamp8221 20042012 HBOamp8217s amp8220Deadwoodamp8221 20042006 Showtimeamp8217s amp8220Dexteramp8221 20062013 amp8220Friday Night Lightsamp8221 pictured below which began on NBC in 2006 and ended on DirecTV in 2011amp160and quotDamagesquot which began on FX in 2007 and ended on DirecTV in 2012amp160It is worth noting that two of the finest limited series of all time HBOamp8217s amp8220Band of Brothersamp8221 2001 and amp8220The Pacificamp8221 2010 belong to that period as well as does Syfy39s profoundly ambitious quotTakenquot 2002This is not to suggest that there werenamp8217t significant dramas on television before amp8220The West Wingamp8221 and amp8220The Sopranosamp8221 came along There was surely an immediate runup to the launch of the new millennium Golden Age back in the Nineties which included NBCamp8217s amp8220Law ampamp Orderamp8221 quotI39ll Fly Awayquot amp8220ERamp8221 and amp8220Homicide Life on the Streetamp8221 CBSamp8217 amp8220Picket Fencesamp8221 Foxamp8217s amp8220The XFilesamp8221 and ABCamp8217s quotTwin Peaksquot quotChina Beachquot amp8220NYPD Blueamp8221 and amp8220The Practiceamp8221Further there are several similarly strong dramas on television right now including HBOamp8217s amp8220Game of Thronesamp8221 2011 Showtimeamp8217s amp8220Homelandamp8221 2011 FXamp8217s amp8220The Americansamp8221 2013 Netflixamp8217s amp8220House of Cardsamp8221 2013 and amp8220Orange is the New Blackamp8221 2013 USA Networkamp8217s amp8220Mr Robotamp8221 2015 and AMCamp8217s amp8220Better Call Saulamp8221 2015 AMCamp8217s amp8220The Walking Deadamp8221 2010 and HBOamp8217s amp8220Boardwalk Empireamp8221 20102014 fit squarely in this decade So for that matter does quotJustifiedquot 201015 though for me it feels more like a show from the previous decade than the current oneamp160And then there are those destinedtobehistoric recurring limited series FXamp8217s amp8220American Horror Storyamp8221 and amp8220Fargoamp8221 and ABCamp8217s amp8220American Crimeamp8221But as good as they all are as a group can the dramas mentioned above that began in this decade compete with the collective magnificence of those that defined television during the previous one Are they as profound as amp8220The West Wingamp8221 amp8220The Sopranosamp8221 amp822024amp8221 amp8220The Wireamp8221 amp8220The Shieldamp8221 amp8220Lostamp8221 amp8220Battlestar Galacticaamp8221 amp8220Mad Menamp8221 amp8220Breaking Badamp8221 amp8220Mad Menamp8221 and amp8220Friday Night Lightsamp8221I think not Itamp8217s a bit like trying to compare any other decade of American filmmaking with the Seventies In cinema no other period comes closeSpeaking of movies I continue to maintain as I have since the early Nineties that there is more satisfying entertainment of every kind to be found on television via broadcast premium cable basic cable and now streaming services than at any multiplex The movie industry as a whole continues to largely grind out digested sausage that has been prechewed by committee Sadly even the indies arenamp8217t so hotItamp8217s not as though television dramas have declined in quality Fine dramas are everywhere one looks and Iamp8217m sure I have neglected to include a few hereBut Iamp8217m thinking this might be more of a Silver Age than a Golden one Itamp8217s time to stop lumping all of todayamp8217s quality dramas together with those from the last decade because as good as they are collectively they canamp8217t compare to what came before Thatamp8217s not necessarily a bad thing Itamp8217s just the way it isI39m reminded of the old Steven Wright joke quotYou can39t have everything Where would you put itquot Similarly aamp160period of profound greatness for television drama or anything elseamp160canamp8217t last foreveramp160or else it wouldnamp8217t be so distinctive would itThe opinions and points of view expressed in this commentary are exclusively the views of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaVillageMyersBizNet management or associated bloggers

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Has the “New” Golden Age of TV Drama Come to An End?

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Ed Martin

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