TV Article 'The Sopranos' and 'Seinfeld' top WGA's 'TV 101' list By Jeff Labrecque Jeff Labrecque Jeff Labrecque is a former senior editor at Entertainment Weekly. He left EW in 2018. EW's editorial guidelines Published on June 3, 2013 01:36PM EDT The Sopranos was named the best-written show in television history by the Writers Guild of America, edging out an eclectic collection of some of the most beloved and admired series. Members of the Writers Guild of America, West (WGAW) and the Writers Guild of America, East (WGAE) voted online for the 101 Best Written TV Series, with David Chase’s iconic “family” drama topping Seinfeld, The Twilight Zone, All in the Family, and M*A*S*H*. “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,” said WGAW President Chris Keyser and WGAE President Michael Winship 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.” Click below for complete list: 1. The Sopranos, HBO Created by David Chase 2. Seinfeld, NBC Created by Larry David & Jerry Seinfeld 3. The Twilight Zone (1959), CBS Season 1 writers: Charles Beaumont, Richard Matheson, Robert Presnell, Jr., Rod Serling 4. All in the Family, CBS Developed for Television by Norman Lear, Based on Till Death Do Us Part, Created by Johnny Speight 5. M*A*S*H, CBS Developed for Television by Larry Gelbart 6. The Mary Tyler Moore Show, CBS Created by James L. Brooks and Allan Burns 7. Mad Men, AMC Created by Matthew Weiner 8. Cheers, NBC Created by Glen Charles & Les Charles and James Burrows 9. The Wire, HBO Created by David Simon 10. The West Wing, NBC Created by Aaron Sorkin 11. The Simpsons, FOX Created by Matt Groening, Developed by James L. Brooks and Matt Groening and Sam Simon 12. I Love Lucy, CBS “Pilot,” Written by Jess Oppenheimer & Madelyn Pugh & Bob Carroll, Jr. 13. Breaking Bad, AMC Created by Vince Gilligan 14. The Dick Van Dyke Show, CBS Created by Carl Reiner 15. Hill Street Blues, NBC Created by Michael Kozoll and Steven Bochco 16. Arrested Development, FOX Created by Mitchell Hurwitz 17. The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, COMEDY CENTRAL Created by Madeleine Smithberg, Lizz Winstead; Season 1 – Head Writer: Chris Kreski; Writers: Jim Earl, Daniel J. Goor, Charles Grandy, J.R. Havlan, Tom Johnson, Kent Jones, Paul Mercurio, Guy Nicolucci, Steve Rosenfield, Jon Stewart 18. Six Feet Under, HBO Created by Alan Ball 19. Taxi, ABC Created by James L. Brooks and Stan Daniels and David Davis and Ed Weinberger 20. The Larry Sanders Show, HBO Created by Garry Shandling & Dennis Klein 21. 30 Rock, NBC Created by Tina Fey 22. Friday Night Lights, NBC Developed for Television by Peter Berg, Inspired by the Book by H.G. Bissinger 23. Frasier, NBC Created by David Angell & Peter Casey & David Lee, Based on the Character “Frasier Crane” Created by Glen Charles & Les Charles 24. Friends, NBC Created by Marta Kauffman & David Crane 25. Saturday Night Live, NBC Season 1: Writing Supervised by Walter Kempley, Harry Shearer; Written by: Ann Beatts, Chevy Chase, Tom Davis, Al Franken, Rosie Michaels, Garrett Morris, Michael O’Donoghue, Herb Sargent, Tom Schiller, Alan Zweibel 26. The X-Files, FOX Created by Chris Carter 27. Lost, ABC Created by Jeffrey Lieber and J.J. Abrams & Damon Lindelof 28. ER, NBC Created Michael Crichton 29. The Cosby Show, NBC Created by Ed Weinberger & Michael Leeson and William Cosby, Jr., Ed. D. 30. Curb Your Enthusiasm, HBO Created by Larry David 31. The Honeymooners, CBS Season 1 writers: Herbert Finn, Marvin Marx, A.J. Russell, Leonard Stern, Walter Stone, Sydney Zelinka 32. Deadwood, HBO Created by David Milch 33. Star Trek, NBC Created by Gene Roddenberry 34. Modern Family, ABC Created by Steven Levitan & Christopher Lloyd 35. Twin Peaks, ABC “Pilot,” Written by Mark Frost & David Lynch 36. NYPD Blue, ABC Created by David Milch & Steven Bochco 37. The Carol Burnett Show, CBS Season 1: Written by Bill Angelos, Stan Burns, Don Hinkley, Buz Kohan, Mike Marmer, Gail Parent, Kenny Solms, Saul Turtletaub; Writing Supervised by Arnie Rosen 38. Battlestar Galactica (2005), SYFY Developed by Ronald D. Moore, Based on the Series Battlestar Galactica Created by Glen A. Larson 39. Sex & the City, HBO Created by Darren Star, Based on the Book by Candace Bushnell 40. Game of Thrones, HBO Created by David Benioff & D. B. Weiss, Based on A Song of Ice and Fire by George R. R. Martin 41. (Tie) The Bob Newhart Show, CBS Created by David Davis and Lorenzo Music Your Show of Shows, NBC Season 1: Written by Mel Tolkin, Lucille Kallen, Max Liebman 43. (Tie) Downton Abbey, PBS Created by Julian Fellowes Law & Order, NBC Created by Dick Wolf thirtysomething, ABC Created by Marshall Herskovitz & Edward Zwick 46. (Tie) Homicide: Life on the Street, NBC Created by Paul Attanasio, Based on the Book Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets by David Simon St. Elsewhere, CBS Created by Joshua Brand & John Falsey, Developed by Mark Tinker / John Masius 48. Homeland, SHOWTIME Developed by Howard Gordon & Alex Gansa, Based on the Original Israeli Series Prisoners of War by Gideon Raff 49. Buffy the Vampire Slayer, WB Created by Joss Whedon 50. (Tie) The Colbert Report, COMEDY CENTRAL Season 1 writers: Stephen Colbert, Rich Dahm, Eric Drysdale, Peter Gwinn, Jay Katsir, Laura Krafft, Allison Silverman The Good Wife, CBS Created by Robert King & Michelle King The Office (UK), BBC Created by Ricky Gervais & Stephen Merchant For the rest of the WGA TV 101 list, click here.