Summer Project.
The idea behind this blog was always practice. I want to be a better writer, and I want to be a better critical writer, and I am madly, passionately enthusiastic about television. Logically, those things intersect at a blog about television.
But there’s more that goes into TV criticism than just watching a lot of TV, you have to have some sort of foundation to build on, and increasingly I’ve been feeling like, if I ever want to be taken seriously as a television critic, I need to build up that foundation. So this summer, as the scripted television season dies down (mostly), I’m going to take on a viewing project.
I’ve narrowed my list to three possible options, and I’d like you to help me pick!
- The Sopranos: The series is iconic, and from everything I’ve read, a lot of current television storytelling owes a debt to this show.
- The Simpsons: I’ve seen episodes, as well as the movie, but so much comedy traces back to Springfield and I don’t really have a working knowledge of the world. (I probably wouldn’t make it through the whole series, but I could at least make a dent.)
- The Wire: It’s largely considered to be the greatest drama series of the last decade, and I can easily get my hands on the complete series on DVD.
So opinions? Whatever I choose to watch will probably come up in posts to East Cupcake, so drop me a comment.
East Cupcake 
I vote Simpsons.
All are amazing, but I'm going with The Wire.
The Wire!
I'd go with the Wire or the Sopranos, though I'm leaning more toward the latter.
I know exactly where you are coming from on this, only with film. I'd go for The Sopranos.
The Wire is absolutely compelling. Watching the first episode is like being dropped into another world with a different language.
I vote The Wire. My best friend and her husband have been working through it season by season for a while now, and they absolutely love it. She's been on my case to sit down and watch it too (I'm in the same boat as you, foundation-wise).can't wait to read about your summer journey!