The Sopranos vs The Wire

**The Fly** · 24/12/2008, 1:30 AM

Critical opinion would place both as the greatest dramas ever made for TV and I agree. The Sopranos comes out on top for me but which do you think is better?

(there's only one way to find out..............fffffiiiiiiight!)

**Neish** · 24/12/2008, 9:53 AM

The wire for me but there is not too much in it. The Wire was more real life and challenged some of the american institutions ie schools politics and media

**Dodge** · 24/12/2008, 9:59 AM

Well we're guessing at real life as not many of us know too much about the Baltimore city machinations. However it does feel real. Big fan of both, but the Sopranos wins for me. Luckily we don't have to choose and can watch DVDs of both.

**Docboy** · 24/12/2008, 10:08 AM

Would have to go for The Sopranos myself although it's close. Just finished watching The Wire, loved the characters, and have started back to series 1 in North Jersey. Both worthy of the title...

**Neish** · 24/12/2008, 12:11 PM

Originally Posted by Dodge

Well we're guessing at real life as not many of us know too much about the Baltimore city machinations. However it does feel real. Big fan of both, but the Sopranos wins for me. Luckily we don't have to choose and can watch DVDs of both.

Its not just an attack on baltimore it attack on the whole american society which puts up a front of being thw world leader on equality fairness and justice but the reality is very similar to how the wire show it

**Dodge** · 24/12/2008, 3:57 PM

I didn't take it as an attack on Baltimore. I was just saying that if we take it that Baltimore is a metaphor for the US, or even the world, there are bits that are overplayed. Meaning its not 100% realistic.

No problems there as real life is boring. Most who have seen both will agree that they are both worthy winners

**Neish** · 24/12/2008, 10:40 PM

Originally Posted by Dodge

I didn't take it as an attack on Baltimore. I was just saying that if we take it that Baltimore is a metaphor for the US, or even the world, there are bits that are overplayed. Meaning its not 100% realistic.

No problems there as real life is boring. Most who have seen both will agree that they are both worthy winners

Who said it was 100% realistic. I was only suggesting the the wire showed what goes on behind the scenes of the pollished american establishment. And how people with good intentions often get corrupted by the systems or get fed up with their lack of progress due to the corruption of others

**Dodge** · 25/12/2008, 1:59 AM

Yeah we're having a stoopid arguement over linguistics

basically, Wired = top, top show

**shakermaker1982** · 28/12/2008, 10:47 AM

The wire for me and by some distance. The Soprano's is my second favourite show of all time but a few too many filler episodes for my liking. Ok I understand we couldn't have Pine Barrens every week but Tony losing it with Dr Melphi did start to lose its appeal after the 4th series.

I'm in need a fix for a top class show to replace the two of em. Generation kill looks promising but I think we'll only see 1 series. Any ideas?

**Neish** · 28/12/2008, 4:06 PM

Originally Posted by shakermaker1982

I'm in need a fix for a top class show to replace the two of em. Generation kill looks promising but I think we'll only see 1 series. Any ideas?

If you havn't seen OZ its definitive viewing (my fav show after the wire and sopranos) if your into si-fi get Battlestar Galactica what I watching now

**The Fly** · 29/12/2008, 3:59 PM

Other contenders for the title, after asking others their opinion, are The Shield and The West Wing. Got the box set of the West Wing at Xmas and will give it a go.

Shakermaker - try Mad Men, it's a quality drama. It concentrates of the advertising business on Madison Avenue in New York in the 1950's. It's written by some of the writers who worked on The Sopranos. Good dialogue and good acting. It's not as 'masculine' a show as The Sopranos or The Wire but is definately worth a go.

**Docboy** · 30/12/2008, 1:14 PM

Originally Posted by The Fly

Other contenders for the title, after asking others their opinion, are The Shield and The West Wing.

Was given The Shield by a pal having just finished The Wire and I have to say they're world's apart in terms of the quality of both storyline and acting. Probably something to do with the fact that quite a few of the cast from The Wire seem to have played characters fairly similar to their own. I'd steer clear of The Shield.

**Neish** · 30/12/2008, 7:32 PM

Originally Posted by Docboy

I'd steer clear of The Shield.

Watching season 1 at present its no where near as good as The Wire but not a bad show

**town73** · 30/12/2008, 9:57 PM

Another new show on at the moment which isn't too far off both The Wire and The Sopranos - Underbelly.

It's a 13-part show based on real events in the 1995 to 2004 gangland war in Melbourne. It's on FX UK on Monday nights. It screened in all States in Australia except Victoria because of a court injunction.

**Burny89** · 30/12/2008, 10:18 PM

You should check out 'Crash' with Dennis Hopper

**Closed Account 2** · 02/01/2009, 1:06 PM

Originally Posted by Neish

If you havn't seen OZ its definitive viewing (my fav show after the wire and sopranos) if your into si-fi get Battlestar Galactica what I watching now

Agree with Oz, I first watched it in the UK about 7-8 years ago, it's gripping drama but also one of the most brutally violent things you can watch on tv.

Originally Posted by shakermaker1982

The wire for me and by some distance. The Soprano's is my second favourite show of all time but a few too many filler episodes for my liking. Ok I understand we couldn't have Pine Barrens every week but Tony losing it with Dr Melphi did start to lose its appeal after the 4th series.

I'm in need a fix for a top class show to replace the two of em. Generation kill looks promising but I think we'll only see 1 series. Any ideas?

I think Pine Barrens is probably the finest episode of any serialised show ever on tv. It's wonderfully shot, and should look great if they ever port that series to HD media.

I would recommend Band of Brothers if you can get a hold of it, another great mini-series. Also if you like comedy I'd recommend Curb Your Enthusiasm or, to a lesser extent, the last few series of Seinfeld.

**jebus** · 03/01/2009, 1:37 PM

Sopranos for me, although the Wire is a really good show.

At the moment I'm going through Dexter and I'd recommend it to anyone looking for a new show to watch. There's three series at the moment and there's a fourth in the pipeline. Basically it's a show about a forensics officer who is also a serial killer, catch is is that he is a murderer, but he has been trained to only kill people who deserve it

Band of Brothers I'm hoping everyone has seen by now, if not do so before the follow series set in the Pacific during WW2 comes out at the end of this year

Oz was great, loved it back in the day, although I have to say it gets a bit too ridiculous at times in the last 2 seasons, still good mind

**RonnieB** · 04/01/2009, 2:56 PM

The Wire for me, check out Brotherhood as well a very good show, got through three seasons of it over the xmas. Checked out underbelly and stopped after episode six it failed to hold my attention.

**Pike B** · 07/01/2009, 6:29 PM

The Sopranos, even though its what Dodge voted for.. shudder...

**SaucyJack** · 07/01/2009, 6:55 PM

The Wire for me, loved the Sopranos, but the NJ accents of Carmela and Dr.Melfi were insufferable., and if it's not on the deceased thread, "Johnny Cakes" committed suicide a couple of weeks back http://tv.msn.com/tv/article.aspx?ne...1&affid=100055

Have started watching Dexter, really like it.