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Favorite TV series?

WhiteSpongeWhiteSponge Registered User new member
Hey everyone! Although I'm new here, I'm always curious to know what TV series people are into.

Currently I'm finding Arrow to be one of the interesting ones :)

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Posts

  • HacksawHacksaw J. Duggan Esq. Wrestler at LawRegistered User regular
    edited January 2013
    I'm caught between Breaking Bad and The Shield.

    Carnivale gets an honorable mention because it was just so fucking out there and amazing, if brief.

    Hacksaw on
  • ThirithThirith Registered User regular
    At present:
    - Breaking Bad (the only non-HBO series I've found so far that's up there with the greats)
    - Treme
    - Fringe - obviously in a very different league, but pulpy fun nevertheless

    Much of the HBO portfolio:
    - The Wire
    - Six Feet Under
    - The Sopranos
    - Deadwood
    - Rome
    - Carnivale

    Other than that:
    - Buffy
    - Firefly
    - The West Wing
    - Veronica Mars (mostly for Kristen Bell and Enrico Colantoni)
    - Battlestar Galactica (the new one)
    - Twin Peaks (although it does suffer after the main mystery is 'resolved')

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    "Nothing is gonna save us forever but a lot of things can save us today." - Night in the Woods
  • emnmnmeemnmnme Registered User regular
    Deadwood was good stuff.

  • WhiteSpongeWhiteSponge Registered User new member
    Thirith wrote: »
    At present:
    - Breaking Bad (the only non-HBO series I've found so far that's up there with the greats)
    - Treme
    - Fringe - obviously in a very different league, but pulpy fun nevertheless

    Much of the HBO portfolio:
    - The Wire
    - Six Feet Under
    - The Sopranos
    - Deadwood
    - Rome
    - Carnivale

    Other than that:
    - Buffy
    - Firefly
    - The West Wing
    - Veronica Mars (mostly for Kristen Bell and Enrico Colantoni)
    - Battlestar Galactica (the new one)
    - Twin Peaks (although it does suffer after the main mystery is 'resolved')

    Fringe for me started as something mysterious and intriguing...

    however in this last season it has gotten all sad and dark ever since Henrietta died :(

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  • PhantoomPhantoom Registered User regular
    The Wire is the greatest television series ever. Hell, it is required viewing to deal with the major of Reykjavik.

  • ZealotZealot Registered User regular
    The Wire is easily the best show I've ever finished, but then again that list ain't long...

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  • ThirithThirith Registered User regular
    Fringe for me started as something mysterious and intriguing... however in this last season it has gotten all sad and dark ever since Henrietta died :(
    We're only up to S4, as they stopped showing the series on Swiss TV, so we're quite a bit behind.

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    "Nothing is gonna save us forever but a lot of things can save us today." - Night in the Woods
  • XaquinXaquin Right behind you!Registered User regular
    Since I don't get HBO, I pretty much watch Archer (hooray new season) and Arrow. Revenge is my guilty pleasure, though I wish it would get on with it.

  • phillerphiller Registered User regular
    So would this just be a TV free-for-all thread? Spoiler comments and stuff galore.

    Personally, my top TV series of all time come down to: The Wire, Lost, Friday Night Lights, and Arrested Development. They each tickle my fancy in very different ways, and I greatly enjoy rewatching from time to time.

    Breaking Bad's my on-air favorite, and is pretty much in my personal greats, but I still need to see how they stick the landing before I make it official.

    As for other stuff I'm into these days: Bob's Burgers, Archer, Justified, and Parks & Rec. There's a ton more, but they're either off the air, or have already ended/cancelled.

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  • InfamyDeferredInfamyDeferred Registered User regular
    edited January 2013
    Currently following:
    - Once Upon a Time
    - Archer
    - MLP
    - Doctor Who

    I watch on occasion and enjoy:
    - 2 Broke Girls
    - Scandal
    - Parks and Rec
    - New Girl

    I plan to follow once they start up again:
    - Gravity Falls
    - Game of Thrones
    - Community

    I'm thinking about starting sometime in the near future:
    - Adventure time
    - Arrested development (saw like half of season 1 already)
    - Avatar / Korra (I want to watch Avatar first so I know the characters / setting but I know how it ends so...)

    Don't follow any more, but have lifetime achievement awards in my heart:
    - The Simpsons
    - Futurama

    EDIT: I like mcdermott's idea below, so I'll do the same:

    Once Upon a Time: All fantasy characters actually existed in a parallel universe. The evil queen Regina works with The Dark One, Rumplestilskin, to enact a curse that wipes everyone's memory and places them in Storybrooke, Maine, in modern day. She's the mayor, the dwarves are janitors, Snow White is a teacher, etc. A woman with a questionable past finds a boy who ran away from home (the town), who claims he's her son. He is, but the queen is his legal guardian and despite her tendencies, does really care about him. I love the juxtaposition of some characters - "Did Mulan just threaten to murder Captain Hook?". Also has a really good way of weaving multiple plotlines together.

    Archer: See mcdermott's explanation, fucking hilarious.

    My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic: Good writing, likeable characters that are actually young adults starting their careers, a surprisingly vast amount of worldbuilding that puts them essentially in late 1800's America, and a knack for tugging heartstrings at opportune moments. I sincerely believe that it's the best possible cartoon one could make about magic pastel horses.

    Doctor Who: A supremely silly British sci-fi show about a time-travelling Time Lord, the last of his kind, and the hijinks him and his human travel companions get into trying to stop various alien evildoers. For all its campiness, the show also goes into serious mode from time to time and usually pulls it off.

    2 Broke Girls: While I can't call it Great Television, Max's "I'm so poor that ___" humor gets some laughs out of me.

    Scandal: A drama about a woman who is a lawyer, a Fixer in DC that people come to to help them get out of trouble, and she's also the President's mistress. Not nearly as intelligent as something like West Wing, but good for a lot of "oh snap" plot twists.

    Parks and Rec: Really funny show about the town government department of the same name, in a small town in middle america. Good characters, pretty good writing too.

    Gravity Falls: Cartoon about two twins, Dipper and Mabel, who get sent to their great uncle's Mystery Shack tourist trap in Gravity Falls, Oregon for the summer. They find a book detailing a bunch of supernatural findings in the town and the show has a surprising amount of continuity. Also, it's really funny.;Mabel may be one of my favorite characters on television.

    Game of Thrones: Very high-budget low-fantasy set in a fictional world of Westeros. Immense amounts of intrigue and plot twists, and lots of varied characters.

    InfamyDeferred on
  • XaquinXaquin Right behind you!Registered User regular
    oh, I forgot cartoons.

    Gravity Falls, Phineas and Ferb, Regular Show, and Adventure Time are all top notch cartoons.

  • FeralFeral MEMETICHARIZARD interior crocodile alligator ⇔ ǝɹʇɐǝɥʇ ǝᴉʌoɯ ʇǝloɹʌǝɥɔ ɐ ǝʌᴉɹp ᴉRegistered User regular
    Herman's Head.

    every person who doesn't like an acquired taste always seems to think everyone who likes it is faking it. it should be an official fallacy.

    the "no true scotch man" fallacy.
  • FeralFeral MEMETICHARIZARD interior crocodile alligator ⇔ ǝɹʇɐǝɥʇ ǝᴉʌoɯ ʇǝloɹʌǝɥɔ ɐ ǝʌᴉɹp ᴉRegistered User regular
    Not really, I just like to make Herman's Head jokes.

    (Though it wasn't bad!)

    every person who doesn't like an acquired taste always seems to think everyone who likes it is faking it. it should be an official fallacy.

    the "no true scotch man" fallacy.
  • GaddezGaddez Registered User regular
    Archer, Avatar, Avengers earths mightiest heroes, fire fly, babylon 5, Doctor who, Storage wars, Gargoyles.

    Those are the first ones that come to mind.

  • Namel3ssNamel3ss Registered User regular
    edited January 2013
    Arrested Development
    Archer
    Breaking Bad
    Deadwood
    Game of Thrones
    Homeland
    Rome
    Shameless
    The Sopranos

    Namel3ss on
    May the wombat of happiness snuffle through your underbrush.
  • mrt144mrt144 King of the Numbernames Registered User regular
    Always Sunny in Philadelphia
    The League
    The Wire
    Mad Men
    Luther
    Breaking Bad
    Star Trek TNG
    Firefly

  • DeadfallDeadfall I don't think you realize just how rich he is. In fact, I should put on a monocle.Registered User regular
    Always Sunny and Archer right now.

    Futurama literally got me through college.

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  • A Dabble Of TheloniusA Dabble Of Thelonius It has been a doozy of a dayRegistered User regular
    Currently (Including shows on break) -
    Homeland
    Supernatural
    Psych
    Parks & Rec
    Community
    Archer
    Justified
    Bob's Burgers
    Adventure Time
    Arrested Development
    Game of Thrones

    Olden Times -
    Pretender
    Quantum Leap
    Homicide : Life on the Streets
    The Good Guys
    Terriers
    Twin Peaks
    X-Files
    Home Movies

  • Eat it You Nasty Pig.Eat it You Nasty Pig. tell homeland security 'we are the bomb'Registered User regular
    The Wire is amazing. I could write paragraphs full of superlatives but like, just fucking watch it. It's brilliant. I was sold right from the intro:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Y3rVGW24wc

    I am enjoying Breaking Bad but trying to hold off on getting through S2; I don't want to get too into the later seasons until it's finished and I can watch it all at once.

    Archer is pretty great.

    Can I use this thread to say that I've never understood what the big deal about Battlestar Galactica is? On paper it should be right up my alley and I know lots of people like it, but I've watched I think about half of the 2000s era stuff and it just leaves me cold.

    hold your head high soldier, it ain't over yet
    that's why we call it the struggle, you're supposed to sweat
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  • MadCaddyMadCaddy Registered User regular
    Feral wrote: »
    Herman's Head.

    Was the show that came on before this Head of Class or Drexler's Class or something?

    And, uh, Platypus Man, er wait..

  • MalkorMalkor Registered User regular
    A lot of what people have posted are on any list that I'd put together.

    I'd add Farscape though. Love that shit.

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  • AtomikaAtomika Live fast and get fucked or whatever Registered User regular
    I've found the CBS network to be a shining example of the fact that I don't know everything.

    For the last decade or more, CBS has been America's #1 network almost the entire time, yet I have never followed a single program of theirs, nor do I know many people who do, and rarely do their shows get called out during awards season. They don't pander with gimmicky reality shows or games shows, and they aren't chasing the juggernaut music competition show market. In fact, the only gimmick I can accuse them of is how six of their top-rated evening dramas are essentially the same show with different casts set in different locales (the three CSIs, the two NCISs, and Hawaii 5-0).

    They just . . . trudge on. With millions of silent fans. And I don't know how they do it.

  • JoshmviiJoshmvii Registered User regular
    CBS does prime time comedy that the masses love(Two and a half men, Big Bang Theory, How I Met Your Mother), they have 48 hours, 60 minutes, Amazing Race, CSI shows, Survivor, Letterman, daytime shows that people who are at home during the daytime want to watch, etc.

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  • AtomikaAtomika Live fast and get fucked or whatever Registered User regular
    mcdermott wrote: »
    Also, I think CBS shows that there really is just a huge market for franchise procedurals, even if I'm not part of it. Do what you're good at, can't hate them for it. Also, I probably come off as hating procedurals, I don't. I just don't really care for most, and CBS's in particular.

    I'm not a huge fan of procedurals, or at least the kind the CBS is famous for making, i.e., a series of one-off stories where the bad guys are obviously evil, the good guys are white hats, and the status quo is returned to by the time the credits roll around.

    The Wire is the best procedural ever created, but largely because it's trying to tell a single unified story about the city of Baltimore in an episodic fashion. I can't stand shows like CSI and Law & Order; they seem tailor-made for people who don't like moral quandary.

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  • HacksawHacksaw J. Duggan Esq. Wrestler at LawRegistered User regular
    edited January 2013
    @mcdermott I can't believe you'd mention Justified without remembering where Walton Goggins got his start on FX. I am disappoint, sir.

    Hacksaw on
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  • HacksawHacksaw J. Duggan Esq. Wrestler at LawRegistered User regular
    mcdermott wrote: »
    Hacksaw wrote: »
    @mcdermott I can't believe you'd mention Justified without remembering where Walton Goggins got his start on FX. I am disappoint, sir.

    Well I wasn't listing old shows, duh. Obviously The Shield comes in pretty high, but I still put it somewhere below The Wire, Buffy, and Angel. Which may or may not be ridiculous, particularly with Buffy and Angel...but I just loved those shows.

    The Shield ranks below Buffy and Angel?

    Dead to me, McD.

    DEAD.

    TO.

    ME.

  • Johnny ChopsockyJohnny Chopsocky Scootaloo! We have to cook! Grillin' HaysenburgersRegistered User regular
    edited January 2013
    I am enjoying Breaking Bad but trying to hold off on getting through S2; I don't want to get too into the later seasons until it's finished and I can watch it all at once.

    You are in for an absolute treat, sir. Seasons 1 and 2 are positively sedate compared with what's to follow.

    For me, Breaking Bad is one stuck landing away from beating out The Wire for "Best Show Ever". If Breaking Bad keeps what momentum it has and finishes strong, then it's the best. Full stop.
    Hacksaw wrote: »
    @mcdermott I can't believe you'd mention Justified without remembering where Walton Goggins got his start on FX. I am disappoint, sir.

    Cletus VanDamme got robbed at the Emmys, I tell you!

    I'm rewatching The Shield on Hulu+ right now. Man, I forgot how good it is. Those first three seasons seem slower than I remember, but then again maybe my standards changed since my first viewing. I'm looking forward to seeing how Season 5 holds up on a rewatch, because until recently that was my all-time favorite season of a TV show.

    Johnny Chopsocky on
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  • AtomikaAtomika Live fast and get fucked or whatever Registered User regular
    I am enjoying Breaking Bad but trying to hold off on getting through S2; I don't want to get too into the later seasons until it's finished and I can watch it all at once.

    You are in for an absolute treat, sir. Seasons 1 and 2 are positively sedate compared with what's to follow.

    For me, Breaking Bad is one stuck landing away from beating out The Wire for "Best Show Ever". If Breaking Bad keeps what momentum it has and finishes strong, then it's the best. Full stop.

    I think the only thing that may hurt The Wire in the long run was how the 5th season kind of just went out on a wimper. The big arc for that season with the newspaper and everything was just kind of underwhelming compared to how seasons 3 and 4 played out.

  • Nova_CNova_C I have the need The need for speedRegistered User regular
    My favorite ongoing TV shows:
    Mythbusters
    QI
    Castle
    Person of Interest

    Ongoing shows that I like to watch:
    Fringe
    Justified
    Top Gear (UK version is only version)

    My favorite cancelled TV shows:
    Lie To Me
    Firefly
    Alphas (Noooooooo!)
    Farscape

    Cancelled shows that I like to watch:
    Space: Above and Beyond
    X-Files
    The Pretender

    And a bunch I'm not remembering.

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  • HacksawHacksaw J. Duggan Esq. Wrestler at LawRegistered User regular
    mcdermott wrote: »
    I thought that might be your response, hacks.

    I'm gonna give you a sandwich then drop a grenade in your car. Just you wait.

  • Eat it You Nasty Pig.Eat it You Nasty Pig. tell homeland security 'we are the bomb'Registered User regular
    edited January 2013
    I am enjoying Breaking Bad but trying to hold off on getting through S2; I don't want to get too into the later seasons until it's finished and I can watch it all at once.

    You are in for an absolute treat, sir. Seasons 1 and 2 are positively sedate compared with what's to follow.

    For me, Breaking Bad is one stuck landing away from beating out The Wire for "Best Show Ever". If Breaking Bad keeps what momentum it has and finishes strong, then it's the best. Full stop.

    I think the only thing that may hurt The Wire in the long run was how the 5th season kind of just went out on a wimper. The big arc for that season with the newspaper and everything was just kind of underwhelming compared to how seasons 3 and 4 played out.

    yeah, I think in S5 they really tried to take on a much bigger issue than they could cover in 12 episodes or whatever it was, and it winds up all feeling rushed. The whole story arc with McNulty felt pretty fantastical too, compared to the rest of the series.
    I'm not a huge fan of procedurals, or at least the kind the CBS is famous for making, i.e., a series of one-off stories where the bad guys are obviously evil, the good guys are white hats, and the status quo is returned to by the time the credits roll around.

    The Wire is the best procedural ever created, but largely because it's trying to tell a single unified story about the city of Baltimore in an episodic fashion. I can't stand shows like CSI and Law & Order; they seem tailor-made for people who don't like moral quandary.

    CBS' success is the biggest evidence going for the existence of a 'silent majority.' The silent majority, it turns out, really loves police procedurals.

    NBC's situation can be attributed to the fact that they're doing a lot of niche programming, I think. I mean Community and 30 Rock are great but I suspect they are only really appealing for the audience that enjoys that style of sketch-esque comedy. Lots of people would, apparently, rather watch Two and a Half Men.

    ed: also horrible mismanagement of, you know, everything

    Eat it You Nasty Pig. on
    hold your head high soldier, it ain't over yet
    that's why we call it the struggle, you're supposed to sweat
  • phillerphiller Registered User regular
    edited January 2013
    The Wire is amazing. I could write paragraphs full of superlatives but like, just fucking watch it. It's brilliant.
    Can I use this thread to say that I've never understood what the big deal about Battlestar Galactica is? On paper it should be right up my alley and I know lots of people like it, but I've watched I think about half of the 2000s era stuff and it just leaves me cold.

    Superlatives? Why not expletives? The show's made a whole scene out of an expletive, so why not follow suit.

    And on the subject of BSG, I was a huge fan of the series right until a little after the season 4 premiere. The S3 finale absolutely knocked me out, and yet the show absolutely eradicated any goodwill it had by the time the series ended. I think there's a lot of great episodes and moments, but it's ultimately bogged down by the need to overtly explain its mythology. Overall, interesting setting and concepts, but not the greatest execution. But hey, some people loved the finale, so I dunno.
    mcdermott wrote: »
    Yeah, Breaking Bad is the easy call for best show currently on the air as far as I'm concerned. Agreed that we have eight episodes left to see where it falls in history, but it'll likely be up there regardless.

    Also, for on-air, I highly recommend Justified. If you haven't given it a shot, you should, at least if it looks like it might even remotely be your cup of tea.
    Breaking Bad - I can't think of another example offhand where you get to watch a small set of characters develop this much over just a few seasons, while really exploring the depths of what separates "good" people from bad.

    Justified - First, to me it's a modern take on classic westerns. Also, Timothy Olyphant is the man. But also, it's nice to see a show that explores rural (and white) poverty and crime, by moving the setting out of the city and off into another region. It's also nice that it's a show that somehow (to me) manages to glamorize gun violence but then turn around and also highlight the absurdity of it. In later seasons in particular, the main character tends to (as mentioned in our Justified thread) end situations involving guns without any actual gunfire. Where lazier shows would just have everybody start shooting. Though yeah, they do some of that too...

    Archer - I love cheesy spy movies, and always have. Now take the joke density of Community, add guns and the dumbest secret agent ever, and animate it. So fucking funny.
    Breaking Bad has an incredible amount of goodwill for me, that I see very little that could derail my love for it. Unless the next eight episodes somehow turn into a bizarre Malcolm in the Middle prequel that explains how Walt turned into Hal. Actually, hmm.

    Justified is kind of a strange thing in television, I find. It's rather light and accessible for a drama in comparison to greats like say, The Sopranos, The Shield, Breaking Bad, etc. And yet, it's got such a clear vision of what it wants to be, and a startling confidence in being able to deliver that. Personally, I don't find it very high on my all-time favorites list, but it's so entertaining and interesting that it gets points purely by being a little different than the rest. Also it's a modern western that treats its good guys and bad guys with equal love.

    I like the idea that Archer could be a radio drama and still be just as entertaining, though I'm glad they didn't because the animation quality went up another notch this season it looks like. On that note, no one has brought up The Venture Bros. and that disappoints me.

    Homeland is also great, but this last season left me a bit wanting. But from what I've heard they're moving the series towards something like a John le Carre novel, which absolutely excites me and makes me hopeful that it can sustain itself past the Brody arc.

    philler on
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  • ReznikReznik Registered User regular
    Despite the fact that I know its quality is below that of other shows I watch and love, and it does things that frustrate the hell out of me, Supernatural is my all-time favourite show. I can re-watch it anytime, and generally enjoy it every week.

    I also enjoy Breaking Bad and Justified. Dexter and Sons of Anarchy to an extent, but they've really taken dives these past couple seasons. As far as cancelled/finished shows go, Buffy, Angel, Firefly, The Wire, Rome, and the lone comedy in my list is Arrested Development.

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  • pots+panspots+pans Registered User regular
    The Wire is my absolute favourite too, followed very closely by the Sopranos. Peep Show, Brass Eye, The Day Today, and Arrested Development are my favourite comedies. I like Parks and Rec also but I can see why some people find it a bit too saccharine.

    Have just finished the most recent series of Mad Men and am starting Deadwood for the first time.

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