The Sopranos, The Wire, CSI: Las Vegas, CSI: Miami or CSI:NY?

Also Starring LeVar Burton · 28-07-2007 1:41am #1

Could I get some opinions on the above shows? I'm trying to decide what new shows to start watching out of the mentioned 5.
My favourite shows have been Oz, Prison Break, LOST, 24, Heroes, Doctor Who, Torchwood, Robin Hood, Shameless, Skins, Firefly, Buffy & Angel.
Do you have to see CSI:Las Vegas before watching CSI:Miami or CSI:NY?
Can The Sopranos or The Wire be compared to Oz in any way (since they're all HBO dramas)?
Can anyone name any other shows that I might enjoy based on the favourites I've mentioned?

28-07-2007 1:46am

The wire is the best of the bunch. The most realistic, gritty and believable cop show ever made. Lots of Oz cast members in it too. I can't recommend The Wire enough.
The Sopranos is damn good but not as good as the wire imo! Also have you ever seen Deadwood-another class HBO show.
I can't stand any of the CSI shows myself, pop fluff and style over substance as far as I'm concerned, but each to their own.
Watch the wire.

Also Starring LeVar Burton · 28-07-2007 1:53am

Thanks nialler.
Haven't seen Deadwood either. What's it about?

28-07-2007 1:57am

CaptainNegative wrote:

Thanks nialler.
Haven't seen Deadwood either. What's it about?

Its kind of a western set in the town of Deadwood, loosely based on real events of the time. Ian McShane is class in it as the ruthless saloon owner Al Swearengen.
http://www.hbo.com/deadwood/?ntrack_para1=leftnav_category0_show9

Also from HBO is Rome. They only made two series of this and its some of the best tv I have ever seen.
http://www.hbo.com/rome/?ntrack_para1=leftnav_category0_show7

tvnutz · 28-07-2007 8:11am

Forget CSI,load of crap really. All polished up hollywood glitz BS.

The Wire is the best of the lot,even better than the Sopranos IMO,which obviously is worth watching at some stage if you have never seen it! Deadwood is also very good.

ixoy · 28-07-2007 11:08am

'The Wire' - easy easy choice (and that's 3 for 3 from us posters now as well!).

Like tvnutz said, CSI is Hollywood glamour whereas 'The Wire' is almost a polar opposite - "way down in the hole", in the dirt but with such heart as a result and such... bleh I won't go on about it too much this time. Oh and the CSI shows are pretty much separate and each episode is mostly stand alone, so you pick up at any time pretty much.
Back to infinitely superior shows - 'The Wire' is not like 'Oz' however. 'Oz' is very gory but not exactly steeped in realism (well p'raps S1 was but not after that) and 'The Wire' is basically one story per season whereas 'Oz' is more episodic. One thing they do have in common is that both explore the darker size of people - 'Oz' obviously in that it's mostly scum, but 'The Wire' devotes an equal time between the investigating cops and the criminals they're tracking.

Based on your tastes - and I'll say I watch all your shows bar 'Robin Hood' - I'd say try out BSG, if you haven't, 'Rescue Me', and 'Medium' as well.

28-07-2007 12:09pm

I'd recommend Rescue Me too. Great show. So funny and serious at the same time, excellent cast. Good stuff.

godtabh · 28-07-2007 12:14pm

ixoy wrote:

'The Wire' - easy easy choice (and that's 3 for 3 from us posters now as well!).

4 from 4 now.

The Wire is class. You want watch a better cop show (any show) any where.

ixoy wrote:

'The Wire' is basically one story per season

In saying that all 4 season are connected so you'd have to watch it from the start. Each season takes on a theme (probably a better way to describe it than a story.)

I watch CSI:NY the odd time if I'm flicking and there is nothing on. But its still crap. Better than the other ones.

If your gona watch Rescue Me (defo do that) watch the Job before hand. Its a cop version of Rescue Me and I think its better

Attractive Nun · 28-07-2007 3:21pm

I won't weigh in on the Wire VS the Sopranos debate, because I've only just started watching the Wire (4 or 5 episodes into the first season). Most reviews of the Wire I've seen seem to rank it slightly above the Sopranos (and often as the best drama/show on television - maybe ever), and from what I've seen so far it's great so it's definitely a good idea to watch that.

I have, however, seen every episode of the Sopranos and it's by a distance my favourite show ever. The writing, the acting, the huge number of themes explored - unbelievably good. Watch it.

aequinoctium · 28-07-2007 5:07pm

the sopranos is always great

CSI Miami is always a good laugh too - i like it

Nailz · 29-07-2007 12:13pm

The Sopranos all the way, it's the only one of the selection that interests me.

kevmy · 30-07-2007 9:09am

I haven't got around to watching 'The Wire' yet so can't compare it to 'The Sopranos' but IMO Sopranos is the best thing on television ever and in a strange way the most realistic show I've ever seen (especially in the array of confused emotions and dark humour we all have).

Rescue Me - very good

CSI: Vegas - pretty good - the rest not up to much (all you need to know of Miami you can see here http://ie.youtube.com/watch?v=_sarYH0z948)

BSG - definitely check it out

Also try The West Wing - the first 4 seasons rival Sopranos IMO but it's a completely different show and a lot of people don't like the style.

Double C · 30-07-2007 12:11pm

Either Soprano's or the Wire, or anything else apart from feckin CSI.

Or for a bit of humour try Entourage and Arrested Development.

slave1 · 30-07-2007 6:56pm

based upon what you seem to like I'd recommend Alias if you can get your hands on it, 5 seasons

gm1984 · 30-07-2007 7:51pm

This post has been deleted.

Davedubh · 31-07-2007 10:58am

CaptainNegative wrote:

Could I get some opinions on the above shows? I'm trying to decide what new shows to start watching out of the mentioned 5.
My favourite shows have been Oz, Prison Break, LOST, 24, Heroes, Doctor Who, Torchwood, Robin Hood, Shameless, Skins, Firefly, Buffy & Angel.
Do you have to see CSI:Las Vegas before watching CSI:Miami or CSI:NY?
Can The Sopranos or The Wire be compared to Oz in any way (since they're all HBO dramas)?
Can anyone name any other shows that I might enjoy based on the favourites I've mentioned?

The wire has a lot of the actors who were in oz,and its a top notch show.

adox · 31-07-2007 5:14pm

I`d recommend The Shield - another cop show which is fantastic.

Also check out Millennium.Its some of the best tv I have ever seen and seems to get mostly overlooked.

ixoy · 31-07-2007 6:22pm

adox wrote:

Also check out Millennium.Its some of the best tv I have ever seen and seems to get mostly overlooked.

Good recommendation there. Admittedly it lost its way a little with S3 (which I still enjoyed) but the first two seasons are very powerful. S1 is extremely bleak, making "The Wire" seem positively Barney-like in comparison at times, whereas S2 is a bit more whimsical but also with a great arc being built up.

Oh and fantastic theme tune that also gets overlooked too often!

Buttons_sb · 04-08-2007 7:17pm

Well I love the CSI shows, Miami is probably the cheesiest though, but Las Vegas is the best for sure.
You dont need to watch them all to know whats going on.

From the shows you've mentioned you like, i think Greys Anatomy would be good for you. All my friends who like the show like the shows you watch aswell.

Wertz · 04-08-2007 7:41pm

Deleted User wrote:

The wire is the best of the bunch. The most realistic, gritty and believable cop show ever made. Lots of Oz cast members in it too. I can't recommend The Wire enough.
The Sopranos is damn good but not as good as the wire imo! Also have you ever seen Deadwood-another class HBO show.
I can't stand any of the CSI shows myself, pop fluff and style over substance as far as I'm concerned, but each to their own.
Watch the wire.

QFE

I thought I was the only one who held contempt for the CSI series....over polished nonsense, cookie cutter plots and annoying theme music/visual style.

Another vote for the Wire.
I'd probably like the Sopranos but I never got into it...

godtabh · 04-08-2007 8:42pm

Wertz wrote:

QFE

I thought I was the only one who held contempt for the CSI series....over polished nonsense, cookie cutter plots and annoying theme music/visual style.

Another vote for the Wire.
I'd probably like the Sopranos but I never got into it...

The only thing I like about CSI is the theme music and the shy girl in CSI:NY.

I'm the same with Sopranos. Never got into it.

Might buy a few of the series when they start going cheap.

tvnutz · 04-08-2007 10:44pm

Ye you got to love those Who songs!

And that shy one from CSI NY is pretty damn fine

Wertz · 05-08-2007 9:50am

Hey, I'll not argue that there aren't some great looking women in those CSI shows...in fact I can't recall seeing anything approaching ugly....which is kind of my point. It's all a little too perfect. Everything has to be photogenic and in it's place, just like their forensic evidence. Some people may lap that up, just not my thing...

Boston · 05-08-2007 9:55am

Whats the first two doing being associated with the last three? In fact whats the wire doing being associated with any of them, they are put childish distractions when compared to the wire.

I notice no mention of The Shield, whats up with that.

tvnutz · 07-08-2007 12:53am

I just caught an episode of the Wire there on FX, Episode 3 of Season 1 and it made me decide to throw on the dvd and watch the next few episodes and again I have to say I don't think I am exaggerating when I saw it is the best tv show ever made. When people ask about it, I also tend to mention the first few episodes are rather slow and you have to keep going for the whole season or at least mid-way through for it to really get going.

This may be true when watching for the first time, I seem to remember feeling that way myself,but just watching episode 3 again it has that brilliant scene where

D'Angelo is teaching Wallace and Bodie how to play chess and basically relating it to their own lives and everyday situation. "The King stay the King yo". Brilliant scene.

Then you have the fourth episode with two great scenes, both showing the humour aspect of the show.

The first scene is Herc trying to get a desk in a room through a narrow door, with Carver, McNulty and Daniels eventually giving him a hand from either side only to find out that they were both pushing it from either side and therefore it wasn't moving an inch. Then of course there is the brilliant scene with McNulty and Bunk in a 5 minute plus scene explaining how a murder happened by only using variations of the F word. Brilliant.

I have a 20,000 word thesis due next week but I am watching the Wire!

It is that good folks! You want a show to watch out of that list or any list, this is it!

adox · 07-08-2007 9:50pm

I`m still contemplating if I should buy season 2 or not.I didnt really enjoy season 1 all that much to be honest,although its a while since I watched it.

godtabh · 08-08-2007 9:31am

adox wrote:

I`m still contemplating if I should buy season 2 or not.I didnt really enjoy season 1 all that much to be honest,although its a while since I watched it.

Season one/two of what>

If its the Wire you must have watched a different season one than every one else! I thought season 2 was the weakest but its still good

ixoy · 08-08-2007 10:03am

kearnsr wrote:

Season one/two of what

Well we both know it couldn't be 'The Wire'! Whilst, I respect opinion in most cases, I have an utter inability to be able to understand criticism of 'The Wire'