1. The Wire
2. Sopranos
3. Game of Thrones
4. Mad Men
5. Breaking Bad
Take off Game of Thrones and you legit have the Mount Rushmore of TV. Game of thrones is in my top 10, but the final season alone drops it far.
And I'm angry at the rest of you who included it. Game of Thrones should have been the greatest TV show of all time, but Douche Bag and Douche Bag Weiss decided to suck at writing after the material from the books ran out. The last 3 seasons were comically bad - and their unwillingness to extend the show to tell the story correctly (HBO offered them as many seasons as they wanted) will make me mad for the rest of my life.
My Top Ten In Order:
1. Breaking Bad
It was the first drama series where the showrunner knew the ending of the story. And it felt like it. There were no plot holes, no plot lines left undeveloped and probably the hardest thing to do - a truly satisfying ending.
2. The Wire
Just. Amazing. Every episode, every season (including the port season). Just masterful storytelling.
3. Sopranos
First Anti-Hero. Ushered in the age of great television
4. Mad Men
What heterosexual male DIDN'T want to be the best parts of Don Draper? Just an enriching character driven drama. And Christina Hendricks is my hall pass, so there's that.
5. Peaky Blinders
Cillian Murphy is one of the greatest actors of all time.
6. Ozark
Jason Bateman is masterful as man who just wants out.
7. Luther
Idris Elba with his natural accent. I had no idea one of the greatest potrayals of an American gangster was British. He's just as good on the other side of the law as a cop.
8. Succession
Anti Wealth-porn. What a messed up family that I love to see shift in and out of chaos every week
9. Vikings
You could tell after season 1 that the showrunners had more money. Ragnar Lothbrok is one of my favorite characters ever.
10. game of thrones
The first four seasons alone are worthy of being the greatest TV show of all time. But the battle scenes and the cinematography keep the show in my top ten.
Just outside my top ten (in no order)
House of Cards
Sons of Anarchy
Spartacus
The Crown
Better Call Saul