The really great TV thread

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JRod
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The really great TV thread

Post by JRod »

As mainstream TV turns into either murder shows or gameshows or celebrity shows I thought it would be nice to talk about good TV. Aside from the show threads we have. I know two or three shows I've watched because of a DSP recommendation.


Friday Night Lights - not that same old crap on TV. I came into this show this season, so it's a bit late. The only thing that bothers me is sometimes they try to make the Disney endings instead of more realistic but probably not a crowd pleaser conclusions to a storyline.

Life on Mars - Someone either Scoop or PK, maybe someone else brought up this show. It's pretty damn good. It's about a cop that travels back in time (you aren't quite sure why he's there) to 1973. It's got smart writing, good drama and has some really funny moments. It re-runs on BBC America or you can get on DVD (and torrent).

The Shield - The final season is coming up in April. I can't wait. This show is probably the hardest f'n show, I've seen in a while.

Battlestar Galactica - A great show but lost a bit of steam last season but even then it's probably one of the best sci-fi dramas crafted. Sci-Fi often gets a bad rap because of the crap shows that try to be Star Trek knock-offs, but BSG is a quality, even realistic for a Sci-Fi show.
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Post by Naples39 »

I don't really try to watch any show regularly, but there are 3 shows I will sit through if I catch them on;

Rescue Me
House
Lost

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Post by Jackdog »

The Wire
Rescue Me
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Post by dougb »

JackDog wrote:The Wire
Rescue Me
Jack I salute your excellent taste in shows! :D

I'll add The Office (British and American versions) and Robot Chicken.

Best wishes,

Doug
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Post by warnerwlf98 »

I haven't watched much current TV in the past few years. Instead, I've been living in the 50's and 80's, and in England.

Rawhide
Have Gun Will Travel
Gunsmoke (the half hour episodes in the 50s)
Allo' Allo'
Red Dwarf

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Post by Inuyasha »

Anything on the History Channel
The Wire
Flight of the Conchords
Lost....I guess... :?

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The British Office is the dogs bollocks....I love Ricky Gerv

Post by Macca00 »

I absolutely love Dexter but it may not be everyone's cup of tea (and it fits into the 'murder show' category that JRod mentioned). Damn those murder shows. :)

Also enjoyed Californication (again, probably not everyone's cup of tea), Life on Mars, Flight of the Conchords, and anything on the Food Network. :)
Last edited by Macca00 on Tue Feb 05, 2008 8:55 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Post by RobVarak »

30 Rock- Best comedy writing on TV. Yeah, I'm lookin' at you Office!
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Post by Airdog »

Been watching a ton of Dexter - great show.
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Post by JohnnytheSkin »

RobVarak wrote:30 Rock- Best comedy writing on TV. Yeah, I'm lookin' at you Office!
Blasphemy...that title belongs to 'Arrested Development'.

Some niche shows I liked in the last year (both on HBO):

John from Cincinnati
Tell Me You Love Me

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Post by RobVarak »

JohnnytheSkin wrote:
RobVarak wrote:30 Rock- Best comedy writing on TV. Yeah, I'm lookin' at you Office!
Blasphemy...that title belongs to 'Arrested Development'.

Some niche shows I liked in the last year (both on HBO):

John from Cincinnati
Tell Me You Love Me
Is there some alternate universe where AD is still on the air? LOL

And you lose all credibility by speaking favorably of the Show Which We Shall Not Name, which killed off Deadwood.
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Post by dbdynsty25 »

Friday Night Lights has went into the sh*tter this year. Why the hell are we seeing volleyball every week, but no football? They definitely are looking for ratings rather than staying true to the show.

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Post by JohnnytheSkin »

RobVarak wrote:
JohnnytheSkin wrote:
RobVarak wrote:30 Rock- Best comedy writing on TV. Yeah, I'm lookin' at you Office!
Blasphemy...that title belongs to 'Arrested Development'.

Some niche shows I liked in the last year (both on HBO):

John from Cincinnati
Tell Me You Love Me
Is there some alternate universe where AD is still on the air? LOL

And you lose all credibility by speaking favorably of the Show Which We Shall Not Name, which killed off Deadwood.
Of course it's still not on (unless you count the rumored movie). I was only objecting to the title of "Best Comedy Writing on TV", unless you only meant NOW, LOL.

And JfC was a very good show that HBO (and Milch) willingly put to rest way too early. I never thought HBO would be so beholden to viewers when they air the same damn movies weekly and STILL have 'Sex and the City' re-runs On Demand.

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Post by pk500 »

"Breaking Bad" -- AMC (superb new dark comedy-drama)
"Friday Night Lights" -- NBC (have watched every episode since its inception, although it has slipped a bit this season)
"Dream Team" -- SkyTV via Fox Soccer Channel (my guilty, soapy pleasure)
"Mad Men" -- AMC (the most atmospheric, well-written show on TV. Season 1 is over, in reruns. Season 2 will start in June or July)

I'm catching up on "The Wire" via the torrents. On Season 3 now. Sheer brilliance in every aspect of writing and acting.

Another show very worthy of catching on the torrents is "Trailer Park Boys." One of the three funniest shows I've ever seen on TV, right there with the BBC version of "The Office" and "All in the Family."

Take care,
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Post by wco81 »

Most of the HBO and Showtime shows. Like Weeds, it's a bit more heavy than Entourage but otherwise fun.

In Treatment is good. More like a play but well-written and acted. There's only dialog to see how the characters are portrayed. I'd compare it to some of the dialog in Glengarry Glen Ross. The characters aren't all macho salesmen but the characters joust verbally and reveal themselves despite themselves.

But it probably won't get the ratings and a really daring concept -- episodes Mon. thru. Fri, for 9 weeks -- will probably be discredited and won't be attempted again.

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Post by Jared »

The Wire is the only TV show I watch regularly nowadays...and it is probably the best show I've ever seen.
Last edited by Jared on Wed Feb 06, 2008 12:35 am, edited 1 time in total.

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Post by MUTTS »

I miss:

St Elsewhere
Sports Night
Mind of the Married Man


All the f***ing reruns on but never something I want to watch.

Tony

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Post by JRod »

Macca by murder shows, I meant CSI or Law and Order. Cable usually does a better job.


Good catch Rob, Tell me you love me is pretty good.

Is Dexter coming to the network? I saw a few ads for them.


I actually watch more PBS than anything. Frontline, Bill Moyers sometimes. I love Nova, and American Experience. Plus I'm a sucker for some of the BBC/English shows that come over.
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Post by XXXIV »

I like Entourage...Light,funny and relaxing...

The Office and Family Guy are good too...

I miss Cheers :P

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Post by ScoopBrady »

I don't have Showtime but a friend of mine kept bugging me to check out Dexter. I downloaded Season 1 about 2 weeks ago and have since watched all 12 episodes of that and downloaded Season 2. I'm already 3 episodes through that all in less than two weeks. I didn't think I'd be able to see Michael C. Hall as anyone other than David but he is brilliant as Dexter. I highly, highly recommend this show. I heard CBS is going to show season 1 because of the strike. I have no idea how the hell they can televise this show and do it justice.

I watched Season 1 of The Wire but never kept up with it. I thought it was decent but nothing special. Now you guys have me wishing I had kept with it. How many seasons have they done now and did they get better than the first one?
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Post by Jared »

The fifth (and final) season of The Wire is on the air right now. As for the seasons...well, I really liked the first season, so my opinion might be a little different from yours. The second season focuses on the dockworkers in Baltimore, so the story line is a bit different from season 1. I really liked season 2, but for some it is their least favorite (possibly because it doesn't focus on the streets as much).

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Post by Macca00 »

FYI - it seems that network Dexter is going to be significantly butchered (pardon the pun) - they have to shorten the episodes to fit an hour time slot and also have to cut out the content not suitable for network tv (swearing, nudity, and some gore). I can't imagine it'll do the original episodes justice.

Scoop & Rob - glad to find someone else who digs the show!

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Post by greggsand »

Macca00 wrote:FYI - it seems that network Dexter is going to be significantly butchered (pardon the pun) - they have to shorten the episodes to fit an hour time slot and also have to cut out the content not suitable for network tv (swearing, nudity, and some gore). I can't imagine it'll do the original episodes justice.

Scoop & Rob - glad to find someone else who digs the show!
I saw a commercial after the super bowl for Dexter where they made it look a CSI-type show. LOL

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Post by pk500 »

Jared wrote:The fifth (and final) season of The Wire is on the air right now. As for the seasons...well, I really liked the first season, so my opinion might be a little different from yours. The second season focuses on the dockworkers in Baltimore, so the story line is a bit different from season 1. I really liked season 2, but for some it is their least favorite (possibly because it doesn't focus on the streets as much).
When I started watching Season 2, I couldn't stand the storyline. I missed the streets. But the season ended up being compelling as hell. I think David Simon could write about bubble-gum wrappers and make it compelling.

Take care,
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Post by webdanzer »

Dexter has been my favorite show since my wife and I flew through the season 1 dvd's starting on the first day they came out. My good buddy gameseven was on top of the series since it's Showtime inception (He gave it props here in '06), and so I grabbed the series ASAP. I was not disappointed, and Season 2 was fantastic as well. Great show.

I'm still excited for Battlestar Galactica's final season as well, though I think the show has pretty much gotten progressively worse since the first season. It's still a very good show, but I think the best stuff was early on.

Count me as a House fan too. I'm amazed that such a formulaic show can keep me coming back to it, but it's because of the writing. The banter on the show is simply fantastic, most of all because it's believable as coming from highly intelligent folks, and generated on the spur of the moment as a response to another character's comment. (unlike the stuff coming from Aaron Sorkin or Joss Whedon, for example, who are constantly praised despite writing dialogue simply to deliver political manifestos or to set up an overly complicated punchline. Bah, I'm getting off tangent here, but these two guys are so often praised and far too often their characters suffer under the ego of their writers. Anyway...)

I've also loved what I've seen of the Wire, but I never managed to catch a good long string of shows. I'm going to have to do that.

Oh, and American Gladiators, of course.

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