The people have spoken, and they think season one of True Detective is a 9.0. That figure, out of 10, comes from the average score critics and users gave it on Metacritic. It’s more impressive than it sounds: I looked through the Metacritic scores (more reliable than IMDb; also, it combines professionals and fans) for every season of nearly three dozen HBO shows, and True Detective‘s 9.0 doesn’t place in the top-ten.
Here’s every series I looked at:
Shows searched for: Arli$$, Band of Brothers, Big Love, Boardwalk Empire, Bored to Death, Carnivàle, The Corner, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Da Ali G Show, Deadwood, Eastbound & Down, Enlightened, Entourage, Extras, Flight of the Conchords, Game of Thrones, Girls, How to Make It in America, In Treatment, The Larry Sanders Show, Mr. Show, The Newsroom, Oz, Rome, Six Feet Under, The Sopranos, Summer Heights High, Tell Me You Love Me, Tenacious D, Treme, True Blood, True Detective, and The Wire
Before we take a look at the 10 “greatest” HBO seasons, one note: for a season to be included, it had to have at least five total reviews between critics and users (which means a random Oz season is still eligible). Remember, these aren’t the seasons I think are the best; rather, they were voted by THE INTERNET, though for the first time ever, online mass opinion is correct, and number one deserves its ranking.
10. Deadwood — 9.3 (season two)
9. The Wire — 9.35 (season two)
8. Six Feet Under — 9.5 (season five)
7. Oz — 9.55 (season two)
6. The Sopranos — 9.55 (season two)
5. The Sopranos — 9.55 (season four)
4. The Sopranos — 9.6 (season three)
3. The Larry Sanders Show — 9.6 (season three)
2. The Wire — 9.65 (season three)
1. The Wire — 9.7 (season four)
So there you go: the people have spoken, and they love Oz more than True Detective?
