alan ball went on to write six feet under which is another non-masterpiece classic of tv's golden age. very good, just not sopranos/the wire/breaking bad level
from then it was true blood. which started over-the-top great then turned into a preposterous cartoon. okay, maybe it was always a preposterous cartoon, i still enjoyed the earlier seasons.
hm, i wonder how the wire looks in retrospective. i'd like to rewatch it soon. classic? or masterpiece? (my money is on masterpiece)
eta: ricky's plastic bag was alan ball's plastic bag:
http://aaspeechesdb.oscars.org/link/072-23/
last: i also reeeeeeally love the first 3-4 seasons of the west wing, when sorkin was still involved. a tv show that ages well is a rare thing, but i'll willing to take refuge in it again regardless.