Let's not go completely overboard! "The Sopranos" and "The Wire" are still the gold standard. "Breaking Bad" needs a few years to leave its mark on pop culture before it can truly compete.

 

 

I'd say it's up with them already, but it's hard to compare them to each other. Over time I think it will go down as the greatest. The influence on popular culture is already huge (GTAV for example) and can only grow as more and more people watch it. Genuinely is the best drama I have ever watched.

how do the rating translate. they confuse me. I.e what's a 1.0, 2.0, 3.0, 4.0 etc...

 

It's the Nielsen rating system. They use a method called statistical sampling and they have inserted technology into a selected number of TV sets across the country (all with approval, of course) in order to monitor who is watching what and the demographics of each audience. The 1.0 etc. is the estimated percentage of Nielsen households that had that show broadcasting on their TV. If you see something like 1.5/5 then that's 1.5% of TV sets broadcasting that show with a 5% share (the percentage of people/families watching the show). It also monitors audience retention (how many people finish one show and decide to keep watching the one that airs next) and DVR demand (not really important yet but it gives a good indication into what shows people are still interested in).

 

I think that's how it works. I could be wrong though!

The ratings we use on here are a percentage of every American between the age of 18 and 49 that was watching that programme at that time. When I get home tonight I'll post a thread explaining how the ratings work and the different measures used.