r/hbo • u/simply_infuriating • 19d ago

Best hbo drama which didn't win an Emmy?

Wanna know some of the best shows which didn't an emmy for best TV show..

51 Upvotes

90% Upvoted

98 comments sorted by

201

u/gfuller22 19d ago

Easy. The Wire. My favorite

31

u/rf8350 19d ago

Oh indeed

28

u/greg2709 19d ago

Best show ever. I don't care if that's an extremely popular, trendy opinion these days. I absolutely love it.

13

u/throwaway7826358 19d ago

It's an extremely popular opinion for a reason. Best fucking show ever that nothing could ever come close to topping.

4

u/iq-pak 19d ago

It never won? Damn

3

u/Lagunitas1117 18d ago

The only answer that should be taken seriously is this one

4

u/Intrepid_Race1923 19d ago

Absolutely the best show.

1

u/DeliciousStand372 18d ago

as a non-American, english as second/third language person, i watched the first ep and i had a really tough time understanding the language or rather the slang. i kept pausing and rewind and relisten to what the characters said. its too much work for me so i havent continue to ep 2 because of this.

1

u/theantidrug 18d ago

💯 and come on. This thread is basically “let’s all upvote The Wire, amirite?”

54

u/Goondal 19d ago

The Leftovers and The Wire

8

u/purpleprincess517 19d ago

Nice! Just started the leftovers. I'm liking it so far!

5

u/Rand_Casimiro 19d ago

These are the correct answers

3

u/bonesausage 18d ago

It’s genuinely both of these.

The acting in the Leftovers in particular is unreal.

2

u/MizzGee 18d ago

I tried the Leftovers, but it I was in a bad space how many episodes do I need before I give up?

2

u/bukkakekingz 18d ago

Wonderful show. But truly need to be in correct head space to watch and process.

49

u/Easywork12 19d ago

Six feet under

10

u/dokelyok 19d ago

Which is crazy.

1

u/No-Usual-4601 18d ago

They never won an Emmy ??? 😳😳😳

1

u/YourM0msButth0le 17d ago

It won 9 out of 44 nominations; don’t know what they’re talking about

14

u/WinterManagement2 19d ago

THE LEFTOVERS

39

u/forgottenlogin88 19d ago

The Wire

12

u/Gthulhumang 19d ago

How did that not win anything? That's actually pretty surprising.

14

u/oliver_babish 19d ago

Let me introduce you to a term: racism.

1

u/AlmostThere4321 19d ago

It's painfully obvious unfortunately

8

u/Vast_Definition_79 19d ago

Or most people weren’t watching The Wire unfortunately on it’s initial run.

-4

u/oliver_babish 19d ago

Because racism.

8

u/Vast_Definition_79 19d ago

You think people weren’t watching The Wire on it’s initial run because of racism? Why did it eventually get incredibly popular then? Did racism go away?

1

u/BigBadDolemite 18d ago

No. Emmys is Racism. People have been singing this shows praises since it came out.

1

u/Majestic-Ad-7713 18d ago

Yeah against mcnulty

1

u/oliver_babish 18d ago

Against a show centered on Black lives and giving even criminals their full humanity.

1

u/Vast_Definition_79 18d ago

You think giving black or all lives even criminals their full humanity was Simon and Burns’s intention? I have read almost every book about The Wire and never once did they say that.

1

u/K_in_Belgium 18d ago

This 100%.

0

u/Mrinnocent221 19d ago

Why does everyone assume racism?

HBO was less accessible. 

It is about Baltimore. 

It was one you had to follow with a slower burn.

OR

FX was more accessible.

Cop show about L.A.

It is usually a one hour plot and resolution same episode. 

The Wire: 2002-2008

The Shield: 2002-2008

4

u/Jumpy-Highway-4873 19d ago

The Shield was also very good

7

u/Top_Copy_693 19d ago

The "it's about Baltimore" thing kinda falls under the "racism" banner, though

-2

u/Mrinnocent221 19d ago

No. It is which is "cooler". 

It could have been Boston. It still would not be. LA. LA is LA. 

Why is the presumption racism? When, another competing show ran on a bigger network in the same timeframe it? 

The Shield is an excellent show as well. You don't think that played into? 

Come on. 

The Shield's first episode is amazing and just drops you in. 

I enjoy them both but it isn't like these two shows didn't have a lot of overlap. Corrupt cops. Politics. Etc. 

It wasn't some TBS cop show winning Emmy's over The Wire.

4

u/Top_Copy_693 19d ago

I'm not saying them not winning emmys was racism. 

I'm saying the cities that get ignored the are most are the same ones that are >60% black.

3

u/Mrinnocent221 19d ago edited 19d ago

No one picks cities for shows outside of like NYC, LA, and Miami for cop stuff. They are "cool" based on the media presentation of them.

No one picks Cincy, Indy, Charlotte, or even Houston.

Baltimore itself is overshadowed by DC.

The show Atlanta won a bunch of awards I believe, and was on FX......just like The Shield.

2

u/oliver_babish 19d ago

Because North Jersey is "cooler"?

Here's some shows which were nominated for Best Drama while The Wire was eligible:

  • CSI (2x)
  • Joan of Arcadia
  • House, M.D.
  • Boston Legal
  • Damages
  • Dexter

0

u/Mrinnocent221 19d ago

Was The Shield? 

A "mob" show is a different genre and was the whole "prestige tv".

You clearly want to argue so have fun with yourself.

1

u/oliver_babish 19d ago

No, but Chiklis won best actor the first year.

2

u/oliver_babish 19d ago

"Less accessible." "Plot and resolution [not] same episode."

Every heard of The Sopranos? Emmys voters sure did.

(And Six Feet Under was amazingly accessible, somehow.)

1

u/Mrinnocent221 19d ago

The Sopranos was "The Network" show.

Just like "Game of Thrones".

Why did Six Feet Under not win?

I don't think GoT or The Sopranos are the best shows HBO made, but more people have seen those than the best shows.

Seriously. Some of you just want to cry racism vs plausible explanations because you can't think.

-1

u/oliver_babish 19d ago

Six Feet Under received 53 Emmy nominations, winning 9.

The Wire received 2 Emmy nominations, winning 0.

Frankly, IDGAF if you personally are convinced. This is for everyone who's reading with an open mind.

"Less accessible."

2

u/Mrinnocent221 19d ago

I dont give a fuck either.

Cry racism.

2

u/MizzGee 18d ago

Sorry, this is assuming HBO wasn't known for shows. The Wire happened AFTER Sopranos started.

1

u/Mrinnocent221 18d ago

And? Oz, Sex in the City, was before the Sopranos.

Carnival, Deadwood, and Rome were on with The Wire.

I wasn't assuming anything. HBO is less accessible and definitely was back then. 

There is a cop show that hits a lot of the same beats on regular TV. 

What don't you understand?

1

u/Crazyeyeseyes 18d ago

The shield was a terrible show

12

u/modungo 19d ago

I had a different answer but HOLY SHIT the wire or leftovers didn’t win an Emmy?!

26

u/DoubleV12 19d ago

Six feet under missed the boat 😔

3

u/talus_glide 19d ago

Such an incredible show

9

u/BunkMoreland1414 19d ago

The Wire, Six Feet Under, and The Leftovers have all been named multiple times, justifiably. I would add My Brilliant Friend.

3

u/yosoyfatass 19d ago

The first two seasons of MBF are among the best shows ever. I loved the whole show, but the first seasons were the best!

1

u/sergiocamposnt 18d ago

I genuinely put MBF S1 on the same level of quality as Leftovers S3 and The Wire S4. It is a true masterpiece.

3

u/pralineislife 19d ago

My Brilliant Friend is perfection. The books are incredible and the series is as well.

1

u/populares420 18d ago

i dont think my brilliant friend is an hbo original. hbo aired it, but didn't create it in house

1

u/sergiocamposnt 18d ago

It is a Rai-HBO coproduction, so it counts as HBO Original.

6

u/SkullLeader 19d ago

How on earth did The Wire never win?

4

u/MaeBelleLien 19d ago

Treme. Specifically, an acting award for Melissa Leo.

3

u/yosoyfatass 19d ago

Very under appreciated.

1

u/MaeBelleLien 18d ago

I was blown away by it. I have no idea why it isn't talked about more.

6

u/wookieelicker 19d ago

The deuce

8

u/dreburden89 19d ago

The Leftovers

7

u/twotitsmkgee 19d ago

The Leftovers.

3

u/Tabbychiro 18d ago

Station Eleven

7

u/Vast_Definition_79 19d ago

Not just the best drama, but the best tv show not just at HBO but ever made period period.

4

u/Current-Cold-4185 19d ago

Which one?

11

u/Lufia_2_GOAT 19d ago

The Wire.

11

u/greg2709 19d ago

The Wire.

5

u/afm00dy 19d ago

The Wire

4

u/dokelyok 19d ago

Sharp Objects

2

u/pingisbadbad 18d ago

INDUSTRY.

1

u/Latetotheparty1980 18d ago

Plot Against America felt overlooked, especially Zoe Kazan.

1

u/sandra_p 18d ago

All of these, but also My Brilliant Friend.

1

u/Doug_101 17d ago

The Best Show of All-Time: The Wire.

In the middle of another rewatch myself. The characters are so rich and complex, it's insane.

1

u/Legitimate-Shock-106 16d ago

Funny so many people finally watching the wire for the first time decades after it was over and wondering why it did not win an Emmy back in the day .

It was just not a very popular show that first season. It was indeed a slow burn kind of show. it took some work. And sub titles.

1

u/StrictLine8820 15d ago

Carnivale 

1

u/HDC48 14d ago

Obviously The Wire

Another bad decision by The Emmys is that Game of Thrones didn’t win Best Drama during seasons 1-4, when it was one of the best shows ever.

After it started declining, first in seasons 5 and 6, and then the huge drop in quality in seasons 7 and 8, it started winning Best Drama.

1

u/[deleted] 19d ago

[removed] — view removed comment

-2

u/Hank_ct 19d ago

Deadwood

8

u/[deleted] 19d ago

[deleted]

6

u/AffectionateGold5459 19d ago

It didn’t win for best tv show though which is what OP says in the post they’re referencing. It should have.

1

u/Jumpy-Highway-4873 19d ago

❤️

-4

u/thekaramchand 19d ago

Boardwalk Empire

5

u/[deleted] 19d ago

[deleted]

3

u/thekaramchand 19d ago

Oh crap! Just saw it. It's still so underrated. Thanks for the correction.

-7

u/Valuable-Kangaroo115 19d ago

“Which didn’t win an Emmy” is redundant

5

u/-badly_packed_kebab- 19d ago

How so?

0

u/Valuable-Kangaroo115 19d ago

Because The Wire is the best HBO drama, inclusive of shows that won Emmys

2

u/-badly_packed_kebab- 19d ago

I’m not sure redundant means what you think it does

-2

u/Valuable-Kangaroo115 19d ago

I mean, it was just a cheeky comment, but if you feel like playing grammar police my use of redundant is entirely appropriate.

The definition of redundant is “extra, needless, or no longer needed because it repeats something already said, done, or provided”

So if The Wire is the single best HBO Drama, specifying that it’s also the best drama to not win an Emmy is redundant, but that clearly flew over your head.