Emmy’s Top Dramas

In the mercurial world of television fame can be fleeting. Last year’s hot series can jump the shark before you know it, and few shows or stars truly pass the test of time.

That said, the Emmys can be pretty stingy when it’s time to throw around top honors. Over the past 10 years, only five different series managed to claim the award for Best Drama.

Looking for trends?

Lawyers did pretty well for a while there. So did politicians. The mob had a nice run, too. Even an extraordinarily good looking band of plane crash survivors enjoyed a different kind of moment in the sun.

Here’s the list of Emmy’s favorites, with our two cents on each of the winners:

2007: The Sopranos. There was some debate about whether the show had overstayed its welcome, but Tony and Co. faded to black in style.

2006: 24. A nod to a different kind of TV drama and the resiliency of the inestimable Jack Bauer.

2005: Lost. You either get it or you don’t. Either way, the show is unlike anything network TV has seen — even if you have to watch it twice to figure out what the heck is going on.

2004: The Sopranos. This was an overdue honor for one of HBO’s finest hours.

2000-03: The West Wing. At its peak, this was one of TV’s top ensemble casts and best-written dramas — whether you cared for the politics or not.

1998-99: The Practice. Tales of the innerworkings of a Boston law firm eventually spawned the also critically-acclaimed Boston Legal.

Source: Emmys.org