'Sopranos' listed best-written U.S. TV series, ahead of 'Seinfeld'

Seinfeld? I never really understood the admiration it received. Seems to me there are any number of cleverer and better written and acted shows over the past 10 to 15 years.

Seinfeld? I never really understood the admiration it received. Seems to me there are any number of cleverer and better written and acted shows over the past 10 to 15 years.

That's because everyone has a different opinion. How boring would life be if everybody liked all the same things?

Personally, I would have put "The Wire" ahead of anything else on that list, but I know many people would feel differently. ;o)

How can you compare The Sopranos and Seinfeld? The only truly valid comparison you could make is that they are different genres. One is a situational comedy, with the story changing EVERY episode, the other is an ongoing, for a number of seasons, story.

In any case, both were very well written (with the occasional Seinfeld being a flub and the odd Sopranos being a bore).

Indeed, different tastes are what makes the world. Simpsons. Frasier? Game of Thrones?

It always mystified me how Seinfeld was considered funny. It was like watching lead settle.

The Wire and Mad Men. Can't go wrong there.

I enjoyed watching The Sopranos for the most part, but found the series uneven. The Wire far exceeded it, in my opinion. Can't praise that show enough.

Seinfeld? The humor was much too obvious and almost annoying. There are far more laughs in any two shows of The Venture Brothers.

The Sopranos doesn't hold a candle to Game of Thrones. Scandalous.

Yes, Seinfeld was badly acted, but that's what makes it great.

I agree with smithinjapan though. It's a bit hard to compare a sitcom to a drama and ask which is best.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oi68hPMinAI

Classic. : )

Seinfeld was funny for its time, especially compared to a lot of the other comedic rubbish on TV. But Arrested Development is a much better written comedy IMO and should be ranked more highly.

I would rank the West Wing a bit higher also, at least for writing. Some of the plots became a bit more strained in later seasons, but the show's signature banter showcased some pretty solid writing talent.

The Wire should rank near the top of the list, given that it is just about the greatest television program ever made.

Seinfeld was crap.

A good list in my opinion. Big Sopranos fan and I absolutely agree with the Mr Browning when he says that “no show has been more responsible for TV’s storytelling renaissance." Shame about the way the show ended, but its influence is pretty undeniable. One of the few shows I felt no problem with buying all the box sets for.

I wonder why so many people seem to be posting negatively about Seinfeld. Like Sopranos, the influence Seinfeld had on its genre is staggering. Most of the stuff on big hit shows like Friends and The Big Bang Theory is Seinfeld inspired. Larry David is a genius.

Glad the wire was up there, best thing I've seen probably, on the boob tube.

Twin Peaks should be up there higher. It was revolutionary and changed the possiblitiies for TV shows in terms of not only content/ subject (scifi, fantasy, making it safe for x files and lost) but also how to tell a story and show relationships and dialog etc. I don't think anything since was ever the same again. Remember the Log Lady? The cop's quirky secretary? The cop who kept breaking down crying? The High School kids barking in jail?

I wondered about the simpsons, I love lucy, beaver.

I wouldn't put game of thrones above 100. It is entertaining and not badly done, but it has it's problems, is average.

Most of the stuff on big hit shows like Friends and The Big Bang Theory is Seinfeld inspired. Larry David is a genius.

Two more big Thumbs-Down. The French thought Jerry Lewis was a genius too.

For a genius comedy show, try Arrested Development or Barney Miller. In its day Get Smart was hilarious -- far more so than Lucy. (I considered Carol Burnett a far brighter comic star.)

'Sopranos' definitely, excellent series, altho recent HBO hits have raised the game quite a bit. Never could make it through a single ep of 'Seinfield', I was always mystified why anyone thought it funny, I felt embarassed for the lot of them.