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

I think it has something to do with three long-running, high-caliber dramas having reached the end of their runs during the last 12 months: AMC’s “Mad Men” and FX’s "Sons of Anarchy" and “Justified.” And shortly before they left us, AMC’s “Breaking Bad” – a show regarded by many people as one of the best of all time – wrapped its five-season run.

It’s hard to remember a time when these shows didn’t come to mind when answering two common questions people generally ask of each other: “What are your favorite television shows?” and “Which shows do you think are the best on television?” The answers to these two queries aren’t always the same, and I’m certain that critics, bloggers and episode re-cappers are asked these questions more than other folks. But it seems as though certain quality dramas from the 2000s were always top of mind.

“Mad Men” (2007-2015) and “Breaking Bad” (2008-2013, pictured above) will surely endure on Best Shows of All Time lists for years or decades to come. I’m less certain about “Justified” (2010-2015), though I think it belongs in their company. “Sons of Anarchy” (2008-2014) is a bit of a stretch, but there is no denying its quality or its enduring popularity during its seven-season run.

These shows came along late in the same decade (2000-2010), as did CBS’ “The Good Wife” (2009), another outstanding drama and one that is still with us. When I think about it, “Good Wife” represents the last blast from a decade of drama that by any definition deserves to be labeled the best for the genre.

During those ten years, in addition to the shows mentioned above, the ultra-fine dramas on television included NBC’s “The West Wing” and HBO’s “The Sopranos” (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 “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” here, which started on The WB in 1997 and concluded on UPN in 2003.

And then came what is in hindsight a game-changing onslaught: HBO’s “Six Feet Under” (2001-2005), Fox’s “24” (2001-2010), HBO’s “The Wire” (2002-2008), FX’s “The Shield” (2002-2008) and “Nip/Tuck (2003-2010), ABC’s “Boston Legal” (2004-2008) and “Lost” (2004-2010, pictured above), Syfy’s “Battlestar Galactica” (2004-2009), Fox’s “House” (2004-2012), HBO’s “Deadwood” (2004-2006), Showtime’s “Dexter” (2006-2013), “Friday Night Lights” (pictured below), which began on NBC in 2006 and ended on DirecTV in 2011 and "Damages," which began on FX in 2007 and ended on DirecTV in 2012. It is worth noting that two of the finest limited series of all time, HBO’s “Band of Brothers” (2001) and “The Pacific” (2010), belong to that period, as well, as does Syfy's profoundly ambitious "Taken" (2002).

This is not to suggest that there weren’t significant dramas on television before “The West Wing” and “The Sopranos” came along. There was surely an immediate run-up to the launch of the new millennium Golden Age back in the Nineties, which included NBC’s “Law & Order,” "I'll Fly Away," “ER” and “Homicide: Life on the Street”; CBS’ “Picket Fences”; Fox’s “The X-Files” and ABC’s "Twin Peaks," "China Beach," “NYPD Blue” and “The Practice.”

Further, there are several similarly strong dramas on television right now, including HBO’s “Game of Thrones” (2011), Showtime’s “Homeland” (2011), FX’s “The Americans” (2013), Netflix’s “House of Cards” (2013) and “Orange is the New Black” (2013), USA Network’s “Mr. Robot” (2015) and AMC’s “Better Call Saul” (2015). AMC’s “The Walking Dead” (2010) and HBO’s “Boardwalk Empire” (2010-2014) fit squarely in this decade. So, for that matter, does "Justified" (2010-15), though for me it feels more like a show from the previous decade than the current one. And then there are those destined-to-be-historic recurring limited series: FX’s “American Horror Story” and “Fargo” and ABC’s “American Crime.”

But 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 “The West Wing,” “The Sopranos,” “24,” “The Wire,” “The Shield,” “Lost,” “Battlestar Galactica,” “Mad Men,” “Breaking Bad,” “Mad Men” and “Friday Night Lights”?

I think not. It’s a bit like trying to compare any other decade of American filmmaking with the Seventies. In cinema, no other period comes close.

Speaking 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 pre-chewed by committee. Sadly, even the indies aren’t so hot.

It’s not as though television dramas have declined in quality. Fine dramas are everywhere one looks, and I’m sure I have neglected to include a few here.

But I’m thinking this might be more of a Silver Age than a Golden one. It’s time to stop lumping all of today’s quality dramas together with those from the last decade, because as good as they are collectively they can’t compare to what came before. That’s not necessarily a bad thing. It’s just the way it is.

I'm reminded of the old Steven Wright joke: "You can't have everything. Where would you put it?" Similarly, a period of profound greatness for television drama or anything else can’t last forever, or else it wouldn’t be so distinctive, would it?

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