A well-known sports columnist, who used to reside in Kansas City, tweeted out his top ten list of all-time favorite TV shows. His list inspired me to think about which shows are the best for guys, in a television environment where programming focused on men is limited given the impact that sports has against this crowd.
Here's my top 10 list:
1. Sons of Anarchy. Are there better shows on TV? For sure--but no show is as consistently violent as this one, yet based in complex male-male and mother-son relationships that have been termed "Shakespearean."
2. Justified. This FX drama is better than its cable brother in the number one spot but is a little less of a pure dude drama given the female appeal of Timothy Olyphant (U.S. Marshall Raylan Givens.)
3. Mad Men. What guy doesn't, at some level, want to be Don Draper?
4. Homeland. Yeah, I know, there is the complicated relationship between Nicholas Brody and Carrie Matthison but what is more masculine than the CIA trying to find then capture or kill terrorists?
5. The Sopranos. You can't keep what may have been the best serial drama ever off of this list, can you?
6. Game of Thrones. Season three of this award-winning drama begins tomorrow night--it's the darkest show on television.
7. 24. Jack Bauer...need I say more?
8. The Wire. Gritty, raw, authentic, profane--an unbelievable show.
9. Southland. This TNT police drama, set in Los Angeles, is one of the best shows no one knows.
10. Entourage. Don't forget, this show was appointment viewing among young males when it was on the air.
Yes, there are shows who deserve to be on this list, e.g., Breaking Bad, but aren't here simply because I haven't seen enough to grade them versus these 10.
There you have it--the ten best recent shows for dudes...fire away!
I agree with this for the most part. Entourage is too low. I'd even move that up to number two. In college and the last year it aired after college, it was a main stay in my dude homes.
ReplyDeleteHonestly, never watched any of these shows except 24.
ReplyDelete24 at No. 7? Dude! Just the pace alone has to have it at the top! :)
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