The Best Current Dramatic TV Shows TV Programs

The Best Current Dramatic TV Shows

original ranker TVs Frank  Ranker
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The best dramatic shows of all time took us back in time, allowed us to visit far away lands and most of all, pulled at our heart strings as we watched our favorite characters deal with the highest of highs and the lowest of lows. While some of the best shows on TV have been off for years (Mad Men, we're looking at you) others like Breaking Bad, Fringe, Boardwalk Empire and Game of Thrones kept us interested, toyed with our emotions and certainly kept our DVRs busy as we followed along with the dramatic story lines.

As with previous years, many of the best, most acclaimed and Emmy Award-winning drama series from 2011 came from networks like CBS, ABC, NBC and FOX while others were only available from basic cable stations like AMC and FX. Even others were limited to those with the pay channels like HBO and Showtime. Regardless of network, these series got us interested and kept us hooked to all the action throughout the year.

The best drama series of all timeprovided a bit of something for everyone. Sci-fi and horror lovers had plenty of options like Terra Nova and American Horror Story while those looking for courtroom dramas could choose from the likes of The Good Wife and The Defenders.

There were plenty of shows for the ladies as well with the likes of Desperate Housewives returning for its final season and new shows like Hart of Dixie airing. Not to leave the gory shows out of the picture, there were several options for those liking bloods and guts with Dexter and True Blood making the list.

Of course there were also plenty of new shows, including remakes of old shows like a reboot of the Charlie's Angels franchise and the return of Hawaii Five-0, as well as plenty of old favorites who returned for another seasons like the NCIS and CSI franchises.

So whether you're a fan of the warm and fuzzy dramas or the hard-hitting crime shows or any in between, one or another of the best dramatic series of 2011 is sure to keep you crying, cheering or simply entertained.
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  1. 1
    Up 513
    Down 183
    Donald Sumpter, Maisie Williams, Harry Lloyd More
  2. 2
    Up 452
    Down 209
    RJ Mitte, Aaron Paul, Bryan Cranston More
  3. 3
    Up 407
    Down 208
    Lauren Cohan, Andrew Lincoln, Danai Gurira More
  4. 4
    Up 275
    Down 196
    Damian Lewis, Diego Klattenhoff, Morena Baccarin More
  5. 5
    Up 323
    Down 213
    Julie Benz, Colin Hanks, James Remar More
  6. 6
    Up 210
    Down 200
    Kelly Macdonald, Greg Antonacci, Steve Buscemi More
  7. 7
    Up 233
    Down 186
    Erica N. Tazel, Jacob Pitts, Raymond J. Barry More
  8. 8
    Up 237
    Down 193
    David McCallum, Cote de Pablo, Mark Harmon More
  9. 9
    Up 120
    Down 37
    Seamus Dever, Ruben Santiago-Hudson, Nathan Fillion More
    added by: AriqFakhri
  10. 10
    Up 197
    Down 186
    James Caviezel, Taraji P. Henson, Michael Emerson More
  11. 11
    Up 205
    Down 197
    Ally Walker, Titus Welliver, Kim Coates More
  12. 12
    Up 102
    Down 123
    Rich Sommer, Michael Gladis, John Slattery More
  13. 13
    Up 130
    Down 148
    Peter Cambor, Barrett Foa, Linda Hunt More
  14. 14
    Up 89
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    Lana Parrilla, Eion Bailey, Robert Carlyle More
  15. 15
    Up 116
    Down 176
    Silas Weir Mitchell, Dave Giuntoli, Bree Turner More
  16. 16
    Up 169
    Down 175

    American Horror Story

    Sarah Paulson, Clea DuVall, James Cromwell More
  17. 17
    Up 175
    Down 192
    Kevin Alejandro, Chris Bauer, Kelly Overton More
  18. 18
    Up 80
    Down 94
    Bruce Campbell, Alex Carter, Paul Blackthorne More
  19. 19
    Up 103
    Down 171
    Chris Noth, Michael J. Fox, Matt Czuchry More
  20. 20
    Up 79
    Down 114
    Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Misha Collins, Rob Benedict More
  21. 21
    Up 90
    Down 73
    Mark Gatiss, Lara Pulver, Rupert Graves More
    added by: IsabelBaker
  22. 22
    Up 95
    Down 165
    Robert Newman, Jennette McCurdy, Michaela McManus More
  23. 23
    Up 63
    Down 77

    Suits

    James Morrison, Gina Torres, Meghan Markle More
  24. 24
    Up 56
    Down 75
    Kevin Doyle, Hugh Bonneville, Brendan Coyle More
    added by: IsabelBaker
  25. 25
    Up 59
    Down 85

    The Following

    Natalie Zea, Nico Tortorella, Kevin Bacon More
  26. 26
    Up 71
    Down 75
    Peter Davison, Elisabeth Sladen, Billie Piper More
  27. 27
    Up 28
    Down 26
    Owain Yeoman, Tim Kang, Amanda Righetti More
  28. 28
    Up 36
    Down 40
    Jonathan Adams, Emily Deschanel, John Francis Daley More
    added by: john1111
  29. 29
    Up 88
    Down 147
    Harry Endo, Scott Caan, Masi Oka More
  30. 30
    Up 91
    Down 162
    Louise Lombard, Eric Szmanda, Wallace Langham More
  31. 31
    Up 13
    Down 30

    Chicago Fire

    Merle Dandridge, Jesse Spencer, Taylor Kinney More
    added by: JenniferM.Collins
  32. 32
    Up 46
    Down 72
    Gabriel Mann, Christa B. Allen, Amber Valletta More
    added by: LennyDiWilliams
  33. 33
    Up 15
    Down 8
    No image

    NCIS:LA

    added by: cfletcher4956
  34. 34
    Up 28
    Down 50

    House of Anubis

  35. 35
    Up 19
    Down 42
    Dulé Hill, Kirsten Nelson, Sage Brocklebank More
    added by: tvranker98
  36. 36
    Up 97
    Down 176
    Ian Somerhalder, Nina Dobrev, Steven R. McQueen More
  37. 37
    Up 17
    Down 29

    Elementary

    Lucy Liu, Aidan Quinn, Jonny Lee Miller
  38. 38
    Up 16
    Down 30

    Scandal

    Katie Lowes, Henry Ian Cusick, Columbus Short More
    added by: lonjagger
  39. 39
    Up 17
    Down 30
    Willie Garson, Hilarie Burton, Tiffani Thiessen More
    added by: Micha FDY
  40. 40
    Up 65
    Down 150
    Billy Campbell, Annie Corley, Joel Kinnaman More
  41. 41
    Up 4
    Down 9
    No image

    Burn Notice

    added by: cfletcher4956
    #1 ranked cable television program last 6 years. Drama-action/adventure-romance-comedy
  42. 42
    Up 39
    Down 121
    Peter Krause, Craig T. Nelson, Monica Potter More
  43. 43
    Up 9
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    No image

    Revolution

    Tim Guinee, Anna Lise Phillips, Billy Burke More
  44. 44
    Up 10
    Down 27

    Nikita

    Xander Berkeley, Devon Sawa, Shane West More
  45. 45
    Up 2
    Down 19
    Mary McDonnell, G. W. Bailey, Raymond Cruz More
    added by: LaurelVanHorn
  46. 46
    Up 55
    Down 121
    Donnie Wahlberg, Will Estes, Andrew Terraciano More
  47. 47
    Up 7
    Down 19

    Rookie Blue

    Charlotte Sullivan, Travis Milne, Peter Mooney More
    added by: JenniferM.Collins
  48. 48
    Up 32
    Down 52

    House of Cards

    Robin Wright, Kevin Spacey, Corey Stoll More
  49. 49
    Up 52
    Down 113
    Rachel Bilson, Scott Porter, Tim Matheson More
  50. 50
    Up 6
    Down 18

    Falling Skies

    Ryan Robbins, Mpho Koaho, Colin Cunningham More
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