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Monday, June 3, 2013

WGA Chooses the 101 Best-Written TV Series of All Time; Do You Agree?

TV 101 WGA

Lists like this were made for debate, and boy, are people debating it. Last year the Writers Guild of America members were asked to pick 20 of the best-written TV series of all time. A independent group then tallied the entries and helped come up with the Top 101 list. The WGA unveiled the ranker on Sunday night at an event in Beverly Hills; because TV Guide Magazine was the media sponsor, I got to open the event with a few remarks before turning things over to moderator Merrill Markoe.

The top ten:
1. The Sopranos
2. Seinfeld
3. The Twilight Zone (1959)
4. All in the Family
5. M*A*S*H
6. The Mary Tyler Moore Show
7. Mad Men
8. Cheers
9. The Wire
10. The West Wing

Read the full list here.

The gathering attracted some hefty names, but the highlight was easily Carl Reiner and Norman Lear. We could have listened to them tell stories all night. Some pics:

TV 101 WGA
Living legends Carl Reiner and Norman Lear at WGA's 101 Best Written TV Series event. At 91, Reiner is sharper, wittier and faster than most comedians half his age. And at 90, Lear is remarkably spry as well. Can someone bottle their youthful energy?

TV 101 WGA
Gail Parent, Jim Brooks, Steven Bochco join Reiner and Lear on the panel to discuss TV of the '60s and '70s.

TV 101 WGA
Drama panel: Matt Weiner, Ron Moore, Gail Parent, Jim Brooks, Steven Bochco, Winnie Holzman, Vince Gilligan.

TV 101 WGA
Modern Family's Steve Levitan (far left) joins the panel to discuss comedy.

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