Recently Channel 4 ran another of those interminable list programmes for the best dramas. You know the sort of things – The Top X Best Ys. Exactly the sort of programme that they were going to stop showing.
Now, for all I know, this was a really well made programme, thoroughly researched and hand-crafted by a production team who really cared about the programme they were making.
I don’t know, because I didn’t watch it.
But, out of curiosity, I did want to know who won.
It was The Sopranos.
Undoubtedly, The Sopranos is a fine piece of contemporary television, and certainly among the best programmes being made. There is a strong argument that it’s not as good as it was, but I don’t doubt that it belongs in the top 50. I notice that the current Vanity Fair features the programme on the cover of its current issue.
I can’t find the list on the Channel 4 website, but here’s a link to someone else who collated the list on the Digital Spy forums.
As you can see, The Sopranos came out number one. A Channel 4 programme top of a Channel 4 list. The same thing happened with The Simpsons in a similar “Best Comedy” list. Still – somebody had to win, and discounting the likelihood of Five winning, chance would suggest a one in four probability. And the list was put together by some industry people rather than an ignorant general public who’d have probably named Footballers Wives or something as the best. Obviously, we don’t know quite how many people in the Channel 4 Overseas Acquisitions department got to vote, but nonetheless, by hook or by crook, it’s number one.
All this is a long way around for me to ask why, if this is the best television drama series of all time, is Channel 4 running the new, and final, series at 11.35pm at night? Yes, I know that E4 or More 4 has shown it already, but many more people will see it on C4. Well – they would if it wasn’t going out at 11.35pm.
Looking at the rest of the list:
#2 Boys From The Blackstuff – Ran just after the 9 O’Clock News.
#3 Edge of Darkness – Ran at 9pm on BBC2 for several evenings with a swift BBC1 repeat
#4 The Singing Detective – Ran at 9pm on Sunday evenings as I recall
#5 Cathy Come Home – Don’t know for sure, but suspect it ran in the post 9 O’Clock News Wednesday Play slot
#6 The West Wing – (Not sure this belongs so high up the list) Ran initially on, oops, Sky One at 9pm. Then moved to C4 where it got moved around to such an extent that they, er, stopped showing it altogether. Hmm. Anyone notice a pattern?
#7 Cracker – 9pm ITV
#8 Our Friends in the North – 9pm BBC2
#10 Heimat – I believe 8/9pm on BBC2 before sequels were “relegated” to BBC Four
You get the picture.
Incidentally, “Shameless” at number 24? A programme that became a pastiche of itself after the first series? Above such programmes as Brideshead Revisited, Dr Who, The Prisoner, Jewel in the Crown, Band of Brothers etc? I admire Paul Abbott a great deal, but it’s not that good.