re: Bates Motel is freaking fantastic

Some other shows that impress me along similar lines:

The Wire
Arrested Development
Six Feet Under
The Increasingly Poor Decisions of Todd Margaret
Curb Your Enthusiasm

Most of those are comedies. Outside the Wire, there aren't many action-dramas that are so tightly executed keeping up the pace and a clear vision. Unfortunately he typical m.o. in American tv is to try and make the show last forever. Even the Sopranos languished around at times. Bates is great for a lot of reasons but in part because it wasn't approached that way