Since the ‘90s,Terrence Winterhas been one of the most sought-after movie and television writers in the business. The talented storyteller even has an Oscar nomination to boast of for his work inThe Wolf of Wall Streetand an Emmy win forThe Sopranos. Winter enjoys experimenting with several genres, though he has mostly leaned toward crime stories in recent years.
So far, he has provided his writing services for 10 different TV shows, and while they are all very entertaining, they aren’t all created equal. Some have little flaws that are hardly noticeable while others probably could have benefited from a little more polishing. Here is how all the writer’s small screen projects rank against each other.
10Flipper (1995 – 2000)
It takes a lot of creativity to extract 87 episodes out of a premise about dolphin research, yetFlipperdoes that. The show — which is a revival of a ‘60s drama of the same name — centers around the meticulous Dr. Keith “Bud” Ricks, who studies dolphins together with his team at the Bal Harbour Research Institute located in the Florida Keys.
The science-related plots are all fascinating and to add a little more spice, Winter and the rest of the writing team dump in a number of wholesome friendship arcs. Still, there is never a true sense of adventure hence modern-day viewers are likely to get bored while following the weekly quagmires of Bud and his team.
Stream it on Starz TV
9The Cosby Mysteries (1995)
After the massive success ofThe Cosby Show, NBC felt it wise to make a police series starring Bill Cosby. The actor’s character actually goes by the name Guy Hanks here, yetThe Cosby Mysterieswas selected as the more appropriate title. Given Cosby’s off-set controversies, the show has aged rather poorly, but the work done by Winter and the rest has to be acknowledged.
Compared to otherpopular detective dramas and police procedurals, The Cosby Mysteriestrails far behind because the lead actor is simply not convincing enough as a lawman. Worse still, so much effort is put into trying to make Guy Hanks similar to Cosby’s sitcom character (perhaps as a way to maintain a sense of familiarity). He has hilarious encounters with his girlfriend and a rather awkward relationship with his daughter.
8Sister, Sister (1994 – 1999)
Sister, Sister
Sister, Sisteris a fun sitcom about the twins Tia and Tamera, who reunite many years later after being separated at childbirth. Both were raised by adoptive parents and when they finally learn about each other, all kinds of dramatic moments pop up. The show was nominated for many awards during its run, including four Emmys, so it’s slightly superior to other offerings in its genre.
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Though he enjoys taking viewers to dark places, Winter knows how to make everyone laugh too and projectslike The SopranosandThe Wolf of Wall Streetare proof of that. Here, the jokes fail to land sometimes, but they are still palatable. After all, this was the ‘90s, when there wasn’t an over-saturation of comedy productions hence the humor police hadn’t put the touchstone too high.
Stream it on Hulu
7The Great Defender (1995)
The television landscape is populated withgreat legal drama seriesandThe Great Defenderfits in that category. It isn’t part of the cream, mostly because it’s way too short compared to projects it is competing with, but it’s somewhere close. The show only lasted one season, hence it has little content to judge it with. Nonetheless, it’s fascinating in many ways.
Here the lawyer, Lou, operates out of his apartment and has hired his mother as his secretary and receptionist. Despite the frugal nature of his operations, he wins many cases. And Winter’s episodes are some of the best ones because they feature complex criminals, including his favorite kind — mobsters
6Vinyl (2016)
Vinylis one of theessential shows about the music industryas it shows how poor management and a failure to adapt can ruin careers. It also has former Rolling Stones frontman, Mick Jagger, as one of the producers, so all the notes and chords hit home. The series chronicles the life of record company president, Richie Finestra, as he attempts to survive in the rapidly evolving ’70s music business.
It’s worth noting thatVinylwas created by Martin Scorsese, and it’s easy to see why he brought Terrence Winter back on writing duties. The two had so much success together inThe Wolf of Wall Street. Well, somehow the HBO series tries to imitate that particular series, especially when it comes to debauchery, but it fails because of too many superfluous subplots. Even so, few modern shows match it when it comes to visuals and costume design.
Stream it on Max
5Diagnosis: Murder (1993 – 2001)
Diagnosis: Murderis a spinoff of the popular ’80s detective seriesJake and the Fatman. Interestingly, it had a longer run than its parent show. For the offspring, the focus is on Dr. Mark Sloan, who enjoys investigating crimes more than treating patients. The work is never too hard for him because he has his son, Detective Steve Sloan, as a sidekick.
Terrence Winter joined the writing team in Season 6 and even though he was a little late to the party, he was a key reason why the CBS production remained fresh and exciting. Many of his episodes stand out, specifically one where a groom plots to murder his bride’s wealthy father and frame her mother so that they can inherit all the money and be set for life.
Stream it on Pluto TV
4Tulsa King (2022 – Present)
Tulsa King
The actor plays a recently paroled Cosa Nostra capo who decides to head to Tulsa, Oklahoma, to take advantage of the region’s untapped crime potential. The series is still underrated, but its quality matches that of many great mob movies and TV shows. Part of this has to do with the fact that Winter has written 90% of the episodes.
Stream it on Paramount+
3Boardwalk Empire (2010 – 2014)
Boardwalk Empire
Boardwalk Empireis another underappreciated mob tale about the Prohibition Era. Rather than go the easy route by granting the era’s A-list gangsters like Al Capone and Charles “Lucky” Luciano all the spotlight, the show restricts them to supporting roles. The stage is mainly left for Nucky Thompon, a corrupt Atlantic City treasurer and politician who is in bed with the mafia.
Terrence Winter’s role was bigger here as he was not only the chief writer but also the showrunner. He also got Martin Scorsese to direct the series premiere, and it’s here that their beautiful relationship was formed. Overall, Winter’s solid scripts are complemented by great dialogue, period-appropriate costumes, and endless violence that fits the genres.
2Xena: Warrior Princess (1995- 2001)
Xena: Warrior Princess
Great spinoffs always have the potential to surpass the original andXena: Warrior Princessdid exactly that in the ‘90s. Born out ofHercules: The Legendary Journeys, the fantasy action show went on to acquire a cult following thanks to its depiction of a strong female warrior and a weekly serving of some of the best fight sequences ever seen on television.
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Buy it on Apple TV+
1The Sopranos (1999 – 2007)
It’s while working onThe Sopranosthat Terrence Winter truly established himself as an industry heavyweight. The HBO drama follows Tony Soprano, a modern-day New Jersey mob boss who isn’t interested in celebrity status like John Gotti or Al Capone. On a daily basis, he finds himself dealing with various issues that range from his own mental health to provocations by members of New York’s Lupertazzi crime family.
Winter wrote 29 out of the 86 episodes. He was also the person behind the show’s best episode, “Pine Barrens,” where the mobsters Paulie and Christopher find themselves stranded in the New Jersey Pine Barrens while chasing a Russian criminal who owes Tony money. Overall,The Sopranosis a total delight. Years after it ended, there hasn’t been any other series like it, and there probably never will be.
