No, that would be The Wire.

The Sopranos, then Mad Men.

I really liked how the show reflected the 60's and 70's.

Dark maybe?

Though admittedly I haven't finished it yet, I've still got a few seasons to go, I've never really understood why Mad Men is sometimes hailed as the greatest tv show of all time. I'm certainly not disputing that it's good. It is. But I'd be hesitant to throw it's name in with the other modern shows that are claimed as the greats. Which I guess would be the likes of The Wire, The Sopranos, Breaking Bad, The Shield, Six Feet Under, Game of Thrones until the last season and possibly Succession if it keeps it up. All of those shows enthralled and entertained me more than Mad Men does.

I do acknowledge that I might just not get it. That there are layers, subtexts and depths that simply go over my head and it's just not a show that completely clicks with me. I watch something like The Wire and I frequently experience moments of being blown away by some big revolutionary deconstruction of society or something of that ilk. But with Mad Men I find those moments are few and far between which I find frustrating seen as it is in the ideal position to provide a similar kind of deconstruction of the advertising industry. Which it does do but I don't feel it really capitalizes on to the extent that it should.

But as I said I may just be missing something and if someone wanted to explain it's artistic merit I would be interested. Maybe point out some of it's moments of brilliance as examples and the point these moments articulate, the theme explored, etc. Or just generally what it did for you. I may then have a deeper enjoyment of the few seasons I have left to go.

@JustinJackFlash said:

Though admittedly I haven't finished it yet, I've still got a few seasons to go, I've never really understood why Mad Men is sometimes hailed as the greatest tv show of all time. I'm certainly not disputing that it's good. It is. But I'd be hesitant to throw it's name in with the other modern shows that are claimed as the greats. Which I guess would be the likes of The Wire, The Sopranos, Breaking Bad, The Shield, Six Feet Under, Game of Thrones until the last season and possibly Succession if it keeps it up. All of those shows enthralled and entertained me more than Mad Men does.

I do acknowledge that I might just not get it. That there are layers, subtexts and depths that simply go over my head and it's just not a show that completely clicks with me. I watch something like The Wire and I frequently experience moments of being blown away by some big revolutionary deconstruction of society or something of that ilk. But with Mad Men I find those moments are few and far between which I find frustrating seen as it is in the ideal position to provide a similar kind of deconstruction of the advertising industry. Which it does do but I don't feel it really capitalizes on to the extent that it should.

But as I said I may just be missing something and if someone wanted to explain it's artistic merit I would be interested. Maybe point out some of it's moments of brilliance as examples and the point these moments articulate, the theme explored, etc. Or just generally what it did for you. I may then have a deeper enjoyment of the few seasons I have left to go.

It may be more subjective. I liked the show The Sopranos, but it was based on a real organized crime outfit, albeit a less popular one, so the degree of creativity is different when there is original material to massage that not many people can say "I don't remember that like that". Mad Men did entwine its plots with real historical events (an Ali fight, Kennedy assassination, King assassination, landing on the moon, etc.), but showed craft in how it wove the characters/stories around those events that "everyone knows something about".

I don't usually engage such "the best" conversations in many areas (sports, movies, etc...) People like what they like, and don't like what they don't like. Sure, we can "learn" and "gain appreciation" with insights (for example, I've got a list of movies Haters Gotta Rate that made me respect actors I generally don't like).

What we are capable of recognizing are those shows that end up mentioned in the conversation more than others. Is Mad Men or The Wire the best? Not sure, but they are in the conversation. What about The Dukes of Hazzard, The A-Team, or ALF? I don't think anyone's going to be taken seriously nominated any of those.

So, there is a reasonably objective short list of great shows - beyond that is likely more personal preference than anything objective.