66 replies to this topic

[yank_eh]

Currently, my wife and I wading thru the Entourage DVD's because we dont have HBO. We're about midway thru season two and enjoying it immensely.

A friend of mine, with whose taste in film and TV I usually agree, recently recommended Entourage to me. I watched the first episode and it didn't really do anything for me. I laughed maybe once or twice and wasn't really interested in the story.

What is it that you like about the show? Does it get better? Am I missing something?

[BethR]

Monk

Has Monk been canceled? I thought it just started a new season? My wife likes this one better than I do (I liked it more before they replaced Sharona M-m-m-my Sharona ...), but I get a little weary of the murder "mysteries" which are paper thin. Shalhoub is a joy to watch in the role, though.

New episodes of Monk are running now on USA, and continue to be a pleasure. I find myself liking Natalie as well or better than Sharona.

The new USA show that follows, Psych, co-stars Dulé Hill ("Charlie" on The West Wing) and he shines as straight man to his fake-psychic detective partner, Shawn (James Roday). I admit to enjoying Medium--mostly for the family dynamic and for the performances by Patricia Arquette and Jake Weber--but this sendup of psychics is a lot more fun.

[BethR]

Agree with Alan about The Closer, except that Kyra Sedgwick's accent seems to be sliding over into parody. She could use a coaching session with an actual Georgian. Otherwise, she's great and so is the rest of the cast.

[Plankton]

Heck, I never watch TV, aside from the NHL Playoffs, 'cause I'm Canadian. Actually, this is my first post in this section. But anyway, I have THREE all-time favourite shows. Two are quite old, the other is quite ... odd. Please forgive me:

Monty Python's Flying Circus
Fawlty Towers
Spongebob Squarepants


Go ahead and stone me for that last one. But I really do like it.

I think I'll just leave now ...

[jon_trott]

Uh...

COPS? Hehehe. This was true up until fairly recently, I admit with chagrin.

House. This is, however, getting thin for me. Great idea, but how long can they go w/ it?

CSI - I loved this show when it first came on... along with the rest of the American public. But it, too, is getting thin. VERY thin. I'm not sure I'll continue tracking it.

Judging Amy -- both my wife and I's favorite show, which is probably why they CANCELLED it a while back.

CNN -- Because I believe as long as I'm going to torture myself with television, why not get a double-dose?

TMC (Turner movie channel).... not a "show", though. Same with Sundance and IFC, I guess. Maybe a thread called "favorite TV channel"? Hehehehe.

Blessings,
jon

[Rich Kennedy]

Yeah. I saw the one where an Arizona Minuteman went to live with Mexican illegals for a month in L.A. I was very impressed with the context and that show, though matchups teased at the end of the show were not a draw. The Babe was not impressed overall, sadly.

[Greg P]

A friend of mine, with whose taste in film and TV I usually agree, recently recommended Entourage to me. I watched the first episode and it didn't really do anything for me. I laughed maybe once or twice and wasn't really interested in the story.

What is it that you like about the show? Does it get better? Am I missing something?

Yeah it gets better. Rent the first season and watch a couple episodes per night-- it's a blast. But chances are, if you have no interest in young Hollywood or the business side of the entertainment industry, you probably wont enjoy it.

Season two began a little flat-footed, but warmed up considerably mid-season. My wife and i have enjoyed it so much we're considering getting HBO again, just so we can watch season three.

[Anders]

What is it that you like about the show? Does it get better? Am I missing something?

Yeah it gets better. Rent the first season and watch a couple episodes per night-- it's a blast. But chances are, if you have no interest in young Hollywood or the business side of the entertainment industry, you probably wont enjoy it.

Season two began a little flat-footed, but warmed up considerably mid-season. My wife and i have enjoyed it so much we're considering getting HBO again, just so we can watch season three.

Agreed. I LOVED entourage and ended up watching the first two seasons in a mere two weeks. The Aquaman storyline is fantastic. And this is also one of the few shows where I appreciate the celebrity cameos, because they serve the story by making it seem more real.

[yank_eh]

Spongebob Squarepants

I'm with you Plankton; I love the Squarepants! It should have been on my list.

Yeah it [Entourage] gets better. Rent the first season and watch a couple episodes per night-- it's a blast. But chances are, if you have no interest in young Hollywood or the business side of the entertainment industry, you probably wont enjoy it.

That might be my problem. I couldn't care less about young Hollywood and business. I like shows for the stories and the people.

I LOVED entourage and ended up watching the first two seasons in a mere two weeks. The Aquaman storyline is fantastic. And this is also one of the few shows where I appreciate the celebrity cameos, because they serve the story by making it seem more real.

I might give it one more shot, watch a couple more episodes.

What about the cameos in Curb Your Enthusiasm? They worked pretty well I thought.

[Anders]

What about the cameos in Curb Your Enthusiasm? They worked pretty well I thought.

I think so too. Also Larry David pops up in an episode of entourage as well, as he knows Ari. Definitely works into the "reality" angle both shows are playing.

Or maybe it's because they have some of the same producers.

[Crow]

Lately I've been getting into The 4400 quite a bit. Also I've been going through the DVDs for Sports Night and Sledge Hammer. I'm looking forward to season 2 of Lost to come out on DVD so I can catch up with all the rest of you folks. And every night, Steven Colbert rules!

[J.A.A. Purves]

Finished Running

1 - The Wire (HBO) 2002-2008
2 - Deadwood (HBO) 2004-2006
3 - The Sopranos (HBO) 1999-2007
4 - Sherlock Holmes (Granada) 1984-1994
5 - Freaks and Geeks (NBC) 1999
6 - Rome (HBO) 2005, 2007
7 - Moonlighting (ABC) 1985-1987
8 - Firefly (FOX) 2002
9 - Pushing Daisies (ABC) 2008-2009
10 - Carnivale (HBO) 2003-2004

11 - Sharpe (ITV) 1993-1997
12 - Hornblower (ITV) 1998-2003
13 - Columbo (NBC) 1968-2003
14 - Terriers (FX) 2010
15 - 24 (FOX) 2001-2010
16 - Bonanza (NBC) 1959-1972
17 - Get Smart (NBC) 1965-1969
18 - Buffy the Vampire Slayer (WB) 1996-2003
19 - Battlestar Galactica (SciFi) 2003-2009
20 - Blackadder (BBC) 1983-1989

21 - Black Books (Channel 4) 2000-2004
22 - Dollhouse (FOX) 2009-2010
23 - The Avengers (ITV) 1961-1968
24 - The IT Crowd (Channel 4) 2006-2010
25 - The Adventures of Briscoe County Jr. (FOX) 1993-1994

Still Running

1 - Boardwalk Empire (HBO) 2010-
2 - Sherlock (BBC) 2010-
3 - Treme (HBO) 2010-
4 - Mad Men (AMC) 2007-
5 - Downton Abbey (ITV) 2010-
6 - Louie (FX) 2010-
7 - Game of Thrones (HBO) 2011-
8 - The Simpsons (FOX) 1989-
9 - Justified (FX) 2010-
10 - The Daily Show (Comedy Central) 1999- AND The Colbert Report (Comedy Central) 2005-

Edited by Persiflage, 20 January 2012 - 01:35 PM.

[Anders]

Persiflage, on 20 January 2012 - 01:35 PM, said:

Finished Running

1 - The Wire (HBO) 2002-2008
2 - Deadwood (HBO) 2004-2006
3 - The Sopranos (HBO) 1999-2007
4 - Sherlock Holmes (Granada) 1984-1994
5 - Freaks and Geeks (NBC) 1999
6 - Rome (HBO) 2005, 2007
7 - Moonlighting (ABC) 1985-1987
8 - Firefly (FOX) 2002
9 - Pushing Daisies (ABC) 2008-2009
10 - Carnivale (HBO) 2003-2004

11 - Sharpe (ITV) 1993-1997
12 - Hornblower (ITV) 1998-2003
13 - Columbo (NBC) 1968-2003
14 - Terriers (FX) 2010
15 - 24 (FOX) 2001-2010
16 - Bonanza (NBC) 1959-1972
17 - Get Smart (NBC) 1965-1969
18 - Buffy the Vampire Slayer (WB) 1996-2003
19 - Battlestar Galactica (SciFi) 2003-2009
20 - Blackadder (BBC) 1983-1989

21 - Black Books (Channel 4) 2000-2004
22 - Dollhouse (FOX) 2009-2010
23 - The Avengers (ITV) 1961-1968
24 - The IT Crowd (Channel 4) 2006-2010
25 - The Adventures of Briscoe County Jr. (FOX) 1993-1994

Still Running

1 - Boardwalk Empire (HBO) 2010-
2 - Sherlock (BBC) 2010-
3 - Treme (HBO) 2010-
4 - Mad Men (AMC) 2007-
5 - Downton Abbey (ITV) 2010-
6 - Louie (FX) 2010-
7 - Game of Thrones (HBO) 2011-
8 - The Simpsons (FOX) 1989-
9 - Justified (FX) 2010-
10 - The Daily Show (Comedy Central) 1999- AND The Colbert Report (Comedy Central) 2005-

Solid list. Striking omissions from my vantage point would be ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT (FOX) 2003-2006, BREAKING BAD (AMC) 2008-, and (the most striking) THE PRISONER (ITV) 1967-68.

[Darren H]

Jeremy, have you watched Friday Night Lights? If not, based on your list (and the similarity of our tastes), I think you'd probably like it.

[Jason Panella]

It's weird, seeing what I posted here almost six years ago.

It's hard for me to rank some shows, so I'm just going to put my favorite in alphabetical order.

The Adventures of Brisco County Jr.
Angel
Arrested Development
Battlestar Galactica (remake)
Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Community
Dollhouse
Due South
Firefly
Foyle's War
Game of Thrones
Homicide: Life on the Streets
Parks and Recreation
The Sandbaggers
30 Rock
The Wire

I loved what I've seen of some shows, but haven't seen enough to really add to the list (Caprica, Treme); there are some that I'm sure will be on my favorites list when I actually get around to them (Justified, Friday Night Lights, Breaking Bad, Mad Men); there are some shows that I like but have sort of fallen out of love with (Lost, 24, X-Files).

[Anna J]

Persiflage, on 20 January 2012 - 01:35 PM, said:

25 - The Adventures of Briscoe County Jr. (FOX) 1993-1994

Very fancy! A favorite in my household as well

[NBooth]

Persiflage, on 20 January 2012 - 01:35 PM, said:

Finished Running

1 - The Wire (HBO) 2002-2008
2 - Deadwood (HBO) 2004-2006
3 - The Sopranos (HBO) 1999-2007
4 - Sherlock Holmes (Granada) 1984-1994
5 - Freaks and Geeks (NBC) 1999
6 - Rome (HBO) 2005, 2007
7 - Moonlighting (ABC) 1985-1987
8 - Firefly (FOX) 2002
9 - Pushing Daisies (ABC) 2008-2009
10 - Carnivale (HBO) 2003-2004

11 - Sharpe (ITV) 1993-1997
12 - Hornblower (ITV) 1998-2003
13 - Columbo (NBC) 1968-2003
14 - Terriers (FX) 2010
15 - 24 (FOX) 2001-2010
16 - Bonanza (NBC) 1959-1972
17 - Get Smart (NBC) 1965-1969
18 - Buffy the Vampire Slayer (WB) 1996-2003
19 - Battlestar Galactica (SciFi) 2003-2009
20 - Blackadder (BBC) 1983-1989

21 - Black Books (Channel 4) 2000-2004
22 - Dollhouse (FOX) 2009-2010
23 - The Avengers (ITV) 1961-1968
24 - The IT Crowd (Channel 4) 2006-2010
25 - The Adventures of Briscoe County Jr. (FOX) 1993-1994

Still Running

1 - Boardwalk Empire (HBO) 2010-
2 - Sherlock (BBC) 2010-
3 - Treme (HBO) 2010-
4 - Mad Men (AMC) 2007-
5 - Downton Abbey (ITV) 2010-
6 - Louie (FX) 2010-
7 - Game of Thrones (HBO) 2011-
8 - The Simpsons (FOX) 1989-
9 - Justified (FX) 2010-
10 - The Daily Show (Comedy Central) 1999- AND The Colbert Report (Comedy Central) 2005-

It's astonishing (or perhaps not) how closely our tastes align. Of the twenty-five discontinued shows you list, five are absolute favorites of mine, two are "liked what little I saw," one is terrific, though not a favorite (Firefly), one is waiting for me to get around to it and the rest are on my to-see list. Here's how my list goes.

Discontinued:
The Avengers (1961-1968)
Sherlock Holmes (1984-1994)
Ellery Queen (1975-1976)
Star Trek: The Original Series (1966-1969)
Twin Peaks (1990-1991)
Carnivale (2003-2004)
The IT Crowd (2006-2010)
Blackadder (1983-1989)
That 70s Show(1998-2006)
The Saint (1962-1969)

Notable:

The Middleman (2008)--a fun idea killed before its time.
Ugly Betty (2006-2010)--I know, I know. Weirdly addictive.

Ongoing:

Sherlock--Easily among the best small-screen Holmeses.
Luther--Over the top and stylish.
Doctor Who--Once Moffat took over, the show made a huge leap in quality.
Misfits--like Heroes meets Skins, except better than either. Come to think of it,
Skins is entering its next season soon. It's trashy and soap-operatic as heck, but you won't find me complaining.

Notable
The Mentalist--jumped the shark in a major way after the most recent season finale. Once season four set about undoing the previous season's cliffhanger I lost interest.
NCIS--not good, necessarily, but pleasant.

To-be-watched:

The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (1964-1968)--midway through the first season. Love it, but I'll see how the campier episodes feel before I place it.

The Wire (2002-2008)--Picked up the whole series at a bargain a while back. Still haven't watched it.

Rome (2005-2007)--Incidentally, from the creator of The Mentalist.

Boardwalk Empire

Edited by NBooth, 20 January 2012 - 03:50 PM.

[J.A.A. Purves]

Anders, on 20 January 2012 - 02:00 PM, said:

Solid list. Striking omissions from my vantage point would be ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT (FOX) 2003-2006, BREAKING BAD (AMC) 2008-, and (the most striking) THE PRISONER (ITV) 1967-68.

Thanks. I'm not sure I can come up with any good reason why, but I find it very difficult to find Jason Bateman or Michael Cera funny. Thus, I've never been able to make it through a single episode of Arrested Development. I've had, it seems, 20 different friends all tell me to watch Breaking Bad, it's on the to do list. And yes, if I had continued my personal list past 25, The Prisoner would have made it on there somewhere.

Darren H, on 20 January 2012 - 02:12 PM, said:

Jeremy, have you watched Friday Night Lights? If not, based on your list (and the similarity of our tastes), I think you'd probably like it.

Not yet, but from what I've heard, it does sound like I'd like it. It's nice to know there's a few good long running shows out there I haven't seen yet.

Jason Panella, on 20 January 2012 - 03:20 PM, said:

I loved what I've seen of some shows, but haven't seen enough to really add to the list (Caprica, Treme); there are some that I'm sure will be on my favorites list when I actually get around to them (Justified, Friday Night Lights, Breaking Bad, Mad Men); there are some shows that I like but have sort of fallen out of love with (Lost, 24, X-Files).

I know what you mean with 24, but a couple years later, after it finished running for 8 seasons, it does seem sort of like an epic now. For all the fun that is made of FOX, they dealt pretty intelligently with the tensions between keeping order and preserving freedom, between security and civil rights with the story of Jack Bauer. It's a show that I'm always going to remember the 2000s by. It could be pretty devastating at times, but then again it never would have existed were it not for 9/11.

Anna J, on 20 January 2012 - 03:27 PM, said:

Persiflage, on 20 January 2012 - 01:35 PM, said:

25 - The Adventures of Briscoe County Jr. (FOX) 1993-1994

Very fancy! A favorite in my household as well

Which reminds me that I completely forgot Jack of All Trades - a very very silly show, but one you'd probably like if you fondly remember Briscoe County.

NBooth, on 20 January 2012 - 03:49 PM, said:

It's astonishing (or perhaps not) how closely our tastes align. Of the twenty-five discontinued shows you list, five are absolute favorites of mine, two are "liked what little I saw," one is terrific, though not a favorite (Firefly), one is waiting for me to get around to it and the rest are on my to-see list.

Since you enjoy mysteries and crime stories, you really really need to get around to seeing The Wire sooner than later. It would be tremendous to read your take on it if it inspired you to do more writing on your website (which I'd bet it would). The others are worthy of being on your "to see" list, but it's hard to put into words the experience of finishing up five seasons of The Wire. We obviously don't see eye to eye on the occasional film or cultural debate topic, but given that we both love the Sherlock Holmes stories, our tastes would have to align somewhat.

[NBooth]

Persiflage, on 25 January 2012 - 12:03 AM, said:

NBooth, on 20 January 2012 - 03:49 PM, said:

It's astonishing (or perhaps not) how closely our tastes align. Of the twenty-five discontinued shows you list, five are absolute favorites of mine, two are "liked what little I saw," one is terrific, though not a favorite (Firefly), one is waiting for me to get around to it and the rest are on my to-see list.

Since you enjoy mysteries and crime stories, you really really need to get around to seeing The Wire sooner than later. It would be tremendous to read your take on it if it inspired you to do more writing on your website (which I'd bet it would). The others are worthy of being on your "to see" list, but it's hard to put into words the experience of finishing up five seasons of The Wire.

I've been trying to figure out what to follow up my watch-through of the Brett Holmes series with. Perhaps The Wire would be a good option.

Quote

We obviously don't see eye to eye on the occasional film or cultural debate topic, but given that we both love the Sherlock Holmes stories, our tastes would have to align somewhat.

Oh, yeah. I didn't mean my comment to come across as snarky as it reads now. It's just startling to find one's own tastes so closely mirrored. It's a definite encouragement to dig out my box-set of The Wire, and perhaps hunt down some of these other shows.

Edited by NBooth, 25 January 2012 - 12:17 AM.

[Justin Hanvey]

1. Lost #1 Favorite Show of All Time and probably always will be.

2. Star Trek The Next Generation...these were my heroes growing up, Data, Picard, Geordi, Worf...

3. The Walking Dead current favorite show on television followed closely by

4. Justified and Doctor Who. I just love everything about these two shows.

Rounding out with

Futurama, Dexter, Hell on Wheels, Farscape, Game of Thrones and now recently Falling Skies...with Big Bang Theory and Community as my favorite sitcoms.

Edited by Taliesin, 03 October 2012 - 08:04 PM.