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.