TV Wars!

Trollheart · 10-16-2012, 08:34 AM

Nobody's done this yet, have they? I'd like to try and face off genres or subgenres against each other, and I'd like to start with cop shows, so here's a hard one to start with.

Hill Street Blues

vs

The Wire

Now, I know what you're going to say: The Wire wasn't a cop show, it just had cops in it. But in fairness, HSB was much more than a cop show too; it redefined, in many ways, what TV drama was and could be, and almost introduced the idea of story arcs. So I think the two are relatively well matched.

Votes?

**Goofle** · 10-16-2012, 08:48 AM

Not seen the former, but The Wire wins of course.

LoathsomePete · 10-16-2012, 09:14 AM

I've only seen a few episodes of Hillstreet Blues but I'm still voting for The Wire because it's the fucking Wire. I get everything I don't get from network TV police procedural plus a whole lot more.

The Wire - 2
Hillstreet Blues - 0

Honestly I think you should have picked something like... I dunno NYPD Blue or maybe Homicide: Life on the Street, something that's a little closer to what Hillstreet Blues was and not putting it against a premium cable show that has a bigger budget and less restrictions.

FRED HALE SR. · 10-16-2012, 09:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LoathsomePete

I've only seen a few episodes of Hillstreet Blues but I'm still voting for The Wire because it's the fucking Wire. I get everything I don't get from network TV police procedural plus a whole lot more.

The Wire - 2
Hillstreet Blues - 0

Honestly I think you should have picked something like... I dunno NYPD Blue or maybe Homicide: Life on the Street, something that's a little closer to what Hillstreet Blues was and not putting it against a premium cable show that has a bigger budget and less restrictions.

Hillstreet Blues was very well done for the time period, but it can't hold a candle to The Wire.

The Wire -3

Hill Street -0

Trollheart · 10-16-2012, 12:36 PM

Bah, you philistines! "The Wire" wouldn't exist if it hadn't been for shows like "Hill Street Blues" pushing back the boundaries of what was seen as cop drama, and just drama in general. A trendsetter and still relevant today, with some pretty big stars getting their start in it. At the time, it was the ONLY show to watch. Set the bar, now of course they all think they're the dog's bollocks. But without HSB they would be nothing! You hear me? NOTHING!!

The Wire --- 3
HSB --- 12,591 (Okay then, 1!)

And Goofle, make it your business to see HSB: you'll be amazed, really.

**Goofle** · 10-16-2012, 12:47 PM

Have you watched The Wire all the way through? Slightly hypocritical of me to assume you would prefer it I suppose.

And it is about what's the best, not any other factor

LoathsomePete · 10-16-2012, 12:50 PM

The problem is you still think of The Wire as a cop show when it really isn't. Sure it has cops in it and they do cop things, but they also do very un-cop things like blind a 14 year old in one eye, drink and drive, falsify evidence, and alter corpses. Just like how they show longshoremen smuggle stuff through their docks, politicians doing backdoor deals that fuck over other people, inner city schools struggle with small budgets and a student body with no real desire to become anything, and a news paper struggling to stay relevant in an age where any fool with a blog can call themselves a journalist. It's a show about people and how they affect and learn from each other, while not even being fully aware of doing so.

I'll agree with you that Hillstreet Blues was a very revolutionary show for its time and definitely set the foundation for what the police procedural drama should be, putting it against The Wire is like putting the Los Angeles Laker's record against the New York Yankee's record and trying to see which team is better. They're in completely different parks in what they set out to do.

As I said, Hillstreet Blues is better compared to the shows that took more obvious inspiration from it like your CSI's, your NCIS's, your Law & Orders, your Blue Bloods, your NYPD Blue's.

Given a choice between a pretty progressive albeit obscure cop show from the early '80's that has launched A LOT of crap, and a show that is widely touted as the best show that has ever been on TV, is it any wonder you've got 3 people saying The Wire?

FRED HALE SR. · 10-16-2012, 01:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LoathsomePete

The problem is you still think of The Wire as a cop show when it really isn't. Sure it has cops in it and they do cop things, but they also do very un-cop things like blind a 14 year old in one eye, drink and drive, falsify evidence, and alter corpses. Just like how they show longshoremen smuggle stuff through their docks, politicians doing backdoor deals that fuck over other people, inner city schools struggle with small budgets and a student body with no real desire to become anything, and a news paper struggling to stay relevant in an age where any fool with a blog can call themselves a journalist. It's a show about people and how they affect and learn from each other, while not even being fully aware of doing so.

I'll agree with you that Hillstreet Blues was a very revolutionary show for its time and definitely set the foundation for what the police procedural drama should be, putting it against The Wire is like putting the Los Angeles Laker's record against the New York Yankee's record and trying to see which team is better. They're in completely different parks in what they set out to do.

As I said, Hillstreet Blues is better compared to the shows that took more obvious inspiration from it like your CSI's, your NCIS's, your Law & Orders, your Blue Bloods, your NYPD Blue's.

Given a choice between a pretty progressive albeit obscure cop show from the early '80's that has launched A LOT of crap, and a show that is widely touted as the best show that has ever been on TV, is it any wonder you've got 3 people saying The Wire?

I think Law and Order and CSI also put Hill Street to shame honestly. I liked HSB but Law and Order has one of my alltime favorite characters in a drama Mccoy. CSI is also leaps and bounds above Hill Street. Didn't Ricky Schroeder star in HSB? That alone drops it down below LAO AND CSI.

Trollheart · 10-16-2012, 01:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Goofle11

Have you watched The Wire all the way through? Slightly hypocritical of me to assume you would prefer it I suppose.

And it is about what's the best, not any other factor

I haven't actually; I liked season one, a lot, but when they changed the location I got confused and a little annoyed, and eventually as the episodes kept piling up and I felt no inclination to watch them I just deleted them. I'm sure I'd probably get into it again if I gave it a chance, but with 32 episodes (and counting!) of "Supernatural" to catch up on, not to mention "Hell on wheels", season 2 of "Homeland", all of "Lost girl", "Once upon a time", "Unforgettable", "Being human", "Sinbad", "Teen wolf", "The Newsroom", season 2 of "The Borgias", season 3 of "Boardwalk empire", season 2 of "Romanzo criminale" and a dozen other shows, I doubt I'd ever get the time!

Trollheart · 10-16-2012, 01:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FRED HALE SR.

I think Law and Order and CSI also put Hill Street to shame honestly. I liked HSB but Law and Order has one of my alltime favorite characters in a drama Mccoy. CSI is also leaps and bounds above Hill Street. Didn't Ricky Schroeder star in HSB? That alone drops it down below LAO AND CSI.

Shouldn't you be preparing your entry for "Guess the movie", instead of making silly statements like that?

Pah! I deride your CSI: not fit to lick HSB's boots!

10-16-2012, 08:34 AM	#1 (permalink)
Trollheart Born to be mild Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: 404 Not Found Posts: 26,970	TV Wars! Nobody's done this yet, have they? I'd like to try and face off genres or subgenres against each other, and I'd like to start with cop shows, so here's a hard one to start with. Hill Street Blues vs The Wire Now, I know what you're going to say: The Wire wasn't a cop show, it just had cops in it. But in fairness, HSB was much more than a cop show too; it redefined, in many ways, what TV drama was and could be, and almost introduced the idea of story arcs. So I think the two are relatively well matched. Votes? __________________ Trollheart: Signature-free since April 2018

10-16-2012, 09:14 AM	#3 (permalink)
LoathsomePete Cardboard Box Realtor Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Hobb's End Posts: 7,648	I've only seen a few episodes of Hillstreet Blues but I'm still voting for The Wire because it's the fucking Wire. I get everything I don't get from network TV police procedural plus a whole lot more. The Wire - 2 Hillstreet Blues - 0 Honestly I think you should have picked something like... I dunno NYPD Blue or maybe Homicide: Life on the Street, something that's a little closer to what Hillstreet Blues was and not putting it against a premium cable show that has a bigger budget and less restrictions. __________________ Last.FM 101 Albums That May Not Change Your Life, But I Really Like And You Might Too

10-16-2012, 12:36 PM	#5 (permalink)
Trollheart Born to be mild Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: 404 Not Found Posts: 26,970	Bah, you philistines! "The Wire" wouldn't exist if it hadn't been for shows like "Hill Street Blues" pushing back the boundaries of what was seen as cop drama, and just drama in general. A trendsetter and still relevant today, with some pretty big stars getting their start in it. At the time, it was the ONLY show to watch. Set the bar, now of course they all think they're the dog's bollocks. But without HSB they would be nothing! You hear me? NOTHING!! The Wire --- 3 HSB --- 12,591 (Okay then, 1!) And Goofle, make it your business to see HSB: you'll be amazed, really. __________________ Trollheart: Signature-free since April 2018

10-16-2012, 12:50 PM	#7 (permalink)
LoathsomePete Cardboard Box Realtor Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Hobb's End Posts: 7,648	The problem is you still think of The Wire as a cop show when it really isn't. Sure it has cops in it and they do cop things, but they also do very un-cop things like blind a 14 year old in one eye, drink and drive, falsify evidence, and alter corpses. Just like how they show longshoremen smuggle stuff through their docks, politicians doing backdoor deals that fuck over other people, inner city schools struggle with small budgets and a student body with no real desire to become anything, and a news paper struggling to stay relevant in an age where any fool with a blog can call themselves a journalist. It's a show about people and how they affect and learn from each other, while not even being fully aware of doing so. I'll agree with you that Hillstreet Blues was a very revolutionary show for its time and definitely set the foundation for what the police procedural drama should be, putting it against The Wire is like putting the Los Angeles Laker's record against the New York Yankee's record and trying to see which team is better. They're in completely different parks in what they set out to do. As I said, Hillstreet Blues is better compared to the shows that took more obvious inspiration from it like your CSI's, your NCIS's, your Law & Orders, your Blue Bloods, your NYPD Blue's. Given a choice between a pretty progressive albeit obscure cop show from the early '80's that has launched A LOT of crap, and a show that is widely touted as the best show that has ever been on TV, is it any wonder you've got 3 people saying The Wire? __________________ Last.FM 101 Albums That May Not Change Your Life, But I Really Like And You Might Too