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'The Sopranos' is the best-written TV show, says the WGA

'The Sopranos' was chosen as the best-written TV show ever in a recent ranking by the Writers Guild of America. 'The Sopranos' aired from 1999 to 2007.

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Abbot Genser/HBO/AP
'The Sopranos' stars James Gandolfini (r.) and Vincent Curatola (l.).
  • By Molly Driscoll Staff Writer

The Writers Guild of America chose the HBO series “The Sopranos” as the best-written television series ever, the WGA announced on Sunday.

The guild had selected a list of what it considered the 101 best-written TV shows of all time. “Seinfeld,” the NBC sitcom often called the show “about nothing,” earned the number two spot on the WGA list. Meanwhile, the show that earned the highest spot on the list which is currently still on television was AMC’s “Mad Men.”

Numbers three, four, and five on the list went to “The Twilight Zone,” “All in the Family,” and “M*A*S*H,” respectively.

“At their core, all of these wonderful series began with the words of the writers who created them and were sustained by the writers who joined their staffs or worked on individual episodes," Chris Keyser, who is president of the Writers Guild of America West, and Michael Winship, who is president of the Writers Guild of America East, said in a joint statement. "This list is not only a tribute to great TV, it is a dedication to all writers who devote their hearts and minds to advancing their craft.”

“The Sopranos” was the newest show in the top five, having debuted in 1999, while “Zone” was the oldest, having hit the air in 1959.

“Sopranos” followed mobster Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini), who lived in New Jersey with his wife Carmela (Edie Falco) and tries to succeed at his job while also keeping his family happy.

The rest of the top ten list included “The Mary Tyler Moore Show,” which came in at number six, as well as “Mad Men,” which took the number seven spot. “Cheers,” “The Wire,” and “The West Wing” came in at numbers eight, nine, and 10, respectively.

The rankings were determined by voting by WGA members which took place online.

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