When The Pitt debuted on HBO Max last year, you’d be forgiven for not expecting much. Noah Wyle, once a household name on ER, starring in another medical drama smelled like unoriginal nostalgia bait. But once viewers checked it out, The Pitt emerged as a spectacular show, and it’s not hyperbole to say that it may have passed ER in quality in less than two seasons. After its debut batch of episodes, The Pitt won three Emmys, including for Outstanding Drama Series. With its compelling stories and fascinating characters, which include Wyle’s Dr. Michael “Robby” Robinavitch and Katherine LaNasa‘s Dana Evans, The Pitt will only get better.

There have been many great dramas over the decades that one could argue are superior to The Pitt. Everyone was just talking about Succession and Better Call Saul a few years ago. Game of Thrones once captivated the world. Mad Men put AMC on the map as more than a movie company, and Dexter was so good that viewers rooted for a serial killer. Still, only three shows were so perfect that they are forever better than The Pitt.

1

‘Breaking Bad’ (2008–2013)

AMC became a respected home for TV dramas thanks to the aforementioned Mad Men, but it’s not the best series the network has ever released. That distinction goes to Breaking Bad. On the surface, it’s a show that seemingly shouldn’t have worked. Bryan Cranston, the guy from Malcolm in the Middle, is going to play a drug dealer? What?! And that’s exactly why it was a success. Vince Gilligan, already well established thanks to The X-Files, took risks and went big with a type of show no one had ever seen before, but has been copied so many times since.

Cranston is Walter White, a high school science teacher with cancer, who gets sucked into the world of making meth with Jesse Pinkman (Aaron Paul), his former student. Walter White is the perfect anti-hero. He is a man with nothing left to lose, so he goes all in for a life of crime, where he can leave his mark. Cancer and a boring job have ruled Walter’s life. The drug operation allows him to take his power back and be in control.

Breaking Bad didn’t make a single misstep over its five seasons. It’s more than just another edgy show about drug dealers — it’s a character study, with Walt’s confidence growing with each success until he becomes the intimidating Heisenberg. He’s a man of action and always needs more power. His dynamic with Jesse, a man both funny and heartbreakingly tragic, is the best in the series, but Breaking Bad also has phenomenal performances from Anna Gunn, Dean Norris, Giancarlo Esposito, and Bob Odenkirk, among others. Breaking Bad has some of the most tense and smartest writing ever seen. Many great TV shows are not sure how to end, but Breaking Bad stuck the landing with a fitting finale that wrapped everything up properly with an unforgettable last scene.

2

‘The Wire’ (2002–2008)

Image via Nicole Rivelli / © HBO / Courtesy: Everett Collection

Despite airing on HBO, The Wire was not a rating juggernaut. It unfortunately went unseen by many during its initial run, growing over time into a cult hit and now an all-time classic. Created by David Simon, The Wire is uninterested in being your usual type of over-the-top drama. It lives in a dark and gritty realism, with each season covering one part of a struggling Baltimore, diving deep into the flaws of the city and its government, where lines are blurred between heroes and villains.

One season of The Wire might cover the Baltimore drug trade, another the city government, and another examining the role the media plays. Each season switched it up, keeping audiences on their toes with the unexpected, yet never slipping in quality thanks to writing and acting that seek to dig deep into the powerful messages The Wire wants to convey, going for a slower burn if necessary instead of depending on one twist after another.

The Wire is a series steeped in corruption, where those who are supposed to do good only do harm and hurt those underneath them. The center of attention changes with the season, but what Simon and company are saying never does. So many phenomenal actors brought the series to life. Names like Dominic West lead the first season, with appearances from Idris Elba and a very young Michael B. Jordan. However, it’s unanimous on who the best character is. Omar Little, played by the late Michael K. Williams, is one of the most intriguing characters ever created. He could have been just another stereotype of a Black criminal, but Omar is different. He sets his crimes on the worst of people. He’s a smart, respectful, and lonely man, wearing his heart on his sleeve as a gay man in a world that doesn’t accept his kind of love. He’s there over the seasons, a guiding light in the chaos.

3

‘The Sopranos (1999–2007)

Image via ©HBO/Courtesy Everett Collection

The Sopranos is the epitome of cool, and in the 2000s, millions were obsessed with David Chase‘s hit HBO show. Audiences have always been suckers for great mob films. The contrast of the thrill of violence and the destruction it brings to its anti-heroes is a simple way to create compelling characters. The Sopranos ran for six seasons, taking the viewer straight into the heart of a New Jersey mob, where seemingly every week, anyone could die.

Many characters do die in The Sopranos, but it’s not a clone of other mob stories, where all that matters is shootouts, deaths, and cool one-liners. It’s something more vulnerable because of its lead. Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini) is a mob boss with feelings he tries to hide so deeply that it gives him tremendous anxiety, leading to episodes of a seemingly strong man tortured and broken in front of his therapist, Dr. Jennifer Melfi (Lorraine Bracco). Tony is violent and unfaithful to his wife, Carmela (Edie Falco), but his family is still everything to him. Cross them, and he will destroy you, yet he’s not above breaking and showing his fear, such as a poignant scene after his son, A.J. (Robert Iler), attempts to take his own life.

The Sopranos is filled with badass characters the audience wants to live through. We know they’re bad, but they’re so well crafted that we can’t get enough. The series has its share of twists, betrayal, intrigue, and did we mention death? Don’t get too close to any of them, because they could get whacked at any time. If Breaking Bad is said to have a perfect series finale, The Sopranos has taken a lot of grief over the last two decades for its quick cut to black. It was the perfect ending, though — one where anything was possible. Twenty years later, fans are still discussing it and dissecting what it means. The Sopranos took tropes and turned them on their head as the boldest and most riveting TV drama of all time.