http://www.slate.com/blogs/browbeat/2011/11/21/tv_s_new_ambition_probl em.html

Why new shows like "Boss" and "Hell on Wheels" are trying too hard to be the next "Sopranos" and "The Wire."

I don't think they've become too ambitious; I think that they've set the bar to a new level of quality. Shows like Breaking Bad, The Sopranos, The Shield and the recently-departed Men of a Certain Age have yet to be equaled by broadcast television.