Greatest Live-Action TV-Show Tournament

[Avaitor]

Dude, this isn't toonzone and you're not our professor.

[Dr. Insomniac]

*acts dejected that this will devolve into another "pick this or that" round with no elaboration*

[Avaitor]

Maybe we can write a little explanation. Maybe just a little one.

[Foggle]

In all seriousness, though, I'm fine with writing explanations for my final choices. But "short essay" will be impossible for me unless they're series I feel strongly about.

[Pharass]

Round 4, Match 2:

The Prisoner



Vs

Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy



Vs

The Twilight Zone



-----------------

The Prisoner: Tough choice between this one and Tinker, Tailor but in the end I decided to go with McGoohan's masterpiece. Personally, I think of The Prisoner as the ancestor to shows like Lost: It was a weird, enigmatic and utterly compelling show that was clearly a head of it's time and although there are some shows in this tournament that I like more, it's my opinion that out of the shows in this match, The Prisoner is the one most deserving to end up in the finale.

Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy
The Twilight Zone

I'm prepared to write something for my choice in the finals (not an essay though). You should be warned though that it will probably come of as me rambling more than anything else. At least, that's what most of my longer posts seem like to me.

[Dr. Insomniac]

The Prisoner - A powerful display of what defines identity in society
Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy - It's a great shame that people only remember Alec Guinness for that guy who awkwardly swang a lightsaber and not as George Smiley.
The Twilight Zone - While I admire it, I do feel that it holds your hand more than the above two shows. Rod Serling pretty much tells you what to think instead of allowing you to make sense of the stories for yourself.

[Avaitor]

The Twilight Zone
The Prisoner
Tinker, Tailor Solider Spy

[Spark Of Spirit]

The Twilight Zone
The Prisoner
Tinker, Tailor Solider Spy

Same.

Sorry, I don't like writing essays for games. 

[Dr. Insomniac]

Well, at least give reasons for why. We shouldn't let this devolve into those greatest threads at TZ.

[Avaitor]

I will for the final round.

[Spark Of Spirit]

I really like the first two a lot and think the third is merely okay. I mean, somethings I can go in-depth about, and others I can't.

[Foggle]

The Prisoner - One of the greatest stories ever broadcast on television. Beginning, middle, and end are all superb.
The Twilight Zone - Defines brilliant in terms of TV.
Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy - Definitely amazing, but not quite as perfect as The Prisoner or legendary as Twilight Zone.

That's pretty much the extent of what I can write about these.

[Pharass]

Results:

The Prisoner = 13 pts
Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy = 7 pts
The Twilight Zone = 10 pts

And now, the moment of truth. We're down to two shows and only one of them will be crowned the champion. Ladies and gentlemen, it's time for:

The Finale

The Wire



Vs

The Prisoner



----------------

Both these shows are magnificent in their own ways and deserve all the praise that has been heaped upon them over the years. However, in the end my vote for the greatest TV-Show goes to The Wire.

Ah, The Wire, truly one of the finest jewels in HBO's crown. For five seasons it invited us to Baltimore and allowed us to meet some of the richest, most complex characters ever to have graced the small screen: Freamon, McNulty, Omar, Bubbles and the rest are all characters who will never be forgotten by those who have made their acquaintance. Are there others shows worthy of being called the greatest? Definitely. Is The Wire worthy of this title? To quote, Mr. Little: "Oh, indeed."

Indeed it is.

[Dr. Insomniac]

I have once heard The Wire described as "Ghetto Shakespeare". And I thought, "Well, that's one way of putting it." Let's be honest. This is not an easy show to watch. You can't just pop in an episode and let it run while you make dinner, it's not like that. It's the kind of show that demands that you treat it with just as much respect as it does to you. And this is what it is: A series that absolutely refuses to talk down to you, to guide you, or to come up with the conclusions for yourself. Moral ambiguity's like a dime a dozen in this show, and it makes no doubts that you can figure it out yourself.

[Foggle]

I need to watch more than a little of The Wire before I can vote this time.