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Favorite TV series?

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  • HuuHuu Registered User regular
    Fawlty Towers.

  • ThirithThirith Registered User regular
    Honorable mentions:
    - Cracker (the UK original): Robbie Coltrane is just that enjoyable in this crime procedural. Seriously.
    - Prime Suspect: ... or if not Robbie Coltrane, then Helen Mirren. She makes it worthwhile, and in general the acting is great. The writing isn't bad either.
    - Kings: Unfinished, but if you're suffering from Ian McShane withdrawal, this is a pretty good form of treatment.

    A few of you have already mentioned a couple, but what about favourite mini-series?

    Some of my favourite ones:
    - Edge of Darkness: perhaps a bit dated, but Bob Peck as the grieving father looking for his daughter's murderers is fantastic, and the supporting cast is just as good.
    - State of Play: again, like most BBC drama, great cast; this one also has good writing and keeps things interesting until the very end.
    - The Lost Room: it's flawed and doesn't quite live up to its central idea, but it's still fascinating, fun, creepy and weird.

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    "Nothing is gonna save us forever but a lot of things can save us today." - Night in the Woods
  • MalkorMalkor Registered User regular
    oooh. Spaced. I forgot about that one. That was definitely great, I don't think there's minute of it that I don't like.

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  • MagicPrimeMagicPrime FiresideWizard Registered User regular
    - Breaking Bad
    - Doctor Who
    - Young Justice :(
    - Green Lantern Animated :(
    - Supernatural
    - Once Upon a Time

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  • ThirithThirith Registered User regular
    edited January 2013
    @Malkor: I could do without the clubbing episode (though I like Tyres) and without the Robot Wars one, but otherwise Spaced is a gem.

    Thirith on
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  • JoshmviiJoshmvii Registered User regular
    I've seen Luther mentioned in a couple lists in this thread, so instead of mentioning all the usual suspects that people are all talking about, I'll third Luther. It's on netflix instant, and there are only 10 episodes, but it's really good, and if you like The Wire then seeing more Idris Elba is always cool. I found it really compelling, and outside of The Wire, The Shield, etc. I'm usually not into cop stuff at all. It's kind of a british take on The Shield, with Luther being a bit of an anti hero. Anyway, watch it. =)

  • KalTorakKalTorak One way or another, they all end up in the Undercity.Registered User regular
    I really liked Idris Elba, but I couldn't really get into Luther as much as I wanted to. The red-headed evil genius woman really annoyed me, plus my brain just keeps bugging me about how there's apparently a serial killer every week.

  • AtomikaAtomika Live fast and get fucked or whatever Registered User regular
    You know what's definitely NOT my favorite TV series?

    The Following.


    Wow, what a piece of shit.

  • mcdermottmcdermott Registered User regular
    You know what's definitely NOT my favorite TV series?

    The Following.


    Wow, what a piece of shit.

    NO MAN DON'T YOU GET IT NEVERMORE IT'S FROM POE GUYS

    You should watch The Americans instead. We have a thread now and everything.

  • mcdermottmcdermott Registered User regular
    My DVR failed to record the second episode of The Following.

    I was fine with that. I considered giving it another chance, but I'm taking this as a sign.

  • enlightenedbumenlightenedbum Registered User regular
    I read Sepinwall and Fienberg's reviews and stayed the hell away. I take it a good decision?

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  • mcdermottmcdermott Registered User regular
    I read Sepinwall and Fienberg's reviews and stayed the hell away. I take it a good decision?

    On The Following? Yeah. Like, I wanted it to be good, and I tried to convince myself that maybe it could get good. But when my DVR missed the second episode, and I reflected a bit on the first...yeah, it's pretty much pure shit.

  • wanderingwandering Russia state-affiliated media Registered User regular
    Christopher Nolan's Following is pretty good though.

  • AtomikaAtomika Live fast and get fucked or whatever Registered User regular
    I wondered aloud while watching that abomination how it can be that a studio like Fox would be so willing to spend the undoubtedly huge sums of money it would take to get Kevin Bacon, James Purefoy, Natalie Zea, and Shawn Ashmore into a season-long contract only to not make sure the actual script and narrative isn't a huge pile of cliched junk.

    When this gets cancelled (and I'm pretty sure it will), this is going to be yet another example of asshat studios trying to frontload success by spending a lot of money on recognizable people and putting them in high-concept dramas but forgetting to actually make a watchable show.

    This pile of crap probably had a great pitch meeting. That's how high-concept shows get their foot in the door. To bad no one at those meetings ever seems to ask, "Okay, but what are episodes 2-12 going to be about?"

  • jefe414jefe414 "My Other Drill Hole is a Teleporter" Mechagodzilla is Best GodzillaRegistered User regular
    Picked Supernatural back up after a few years off. Season 4 sure starts of with a bang.

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  • JoshmviiJoshmvii Registered User regular
    The Following is a perfect example of why people who actually want to make good TV go to F/X, AMC, HBO, etc. It's a horribly written piece of garbage. Just awful.

  • nexuscrawlernexuscrawler Registered User regular
    Joshmvii wrote: »
    The Following is a perfect example of why people who actually want to make good TV go to F/X, AMC, HBO, etc. It's a horribly written piece of garbage. Just awful.

    Its a good example of a show that couldn't been solid if it wasn't on a network that insisted on treating it's viewers like retards

  • mcdermottmcdermott Registered User regular
    Joshmvii wrote: »
    The Following is a perfect example of why people who actually want to make good TV go to F/X, AMC, HBO, etc. It's a horribly written piece of garbage. Just awful.

    Its a good example of a show that couldn't been solid if it wasn't on a network that insisted on treating it's viewers like retards

    HEY GUYS I GET IT NOW NEVERMORE IT'S FROM EDGAR ALLEN POE HE WROTE THE RAVEN

  • mcdermottmcdermott Registered User regular
    This pile of crap probably had a great pitch meeting. That's how high-concept shows get their foot in the door. To bad no one at those meetings ever seems to ask, "Okay, but what are episodes 2-12 going to be about?"

    Exactly. I had a bit of a worry about this after watching The Americans, enough so that I broke my usual "no previews" rule and watched the "this season on" portion at the end.

    Which helped.

    But The Following? Ugh.


    And season four of Supernatural was pretty amazing, yeah.

  • gjaustingjaustin Registered User regular
    This pile of crap probably had a great pitch meeting. That's how high-concept shows get their foot in the door. To bad no one at those meetings ever seems to ask, "Okay, but what are episodes 2-12 going to be about?"

    So, basically, Awake.

    Great concept for a movie, terrible concept for a television show.

  • mcdermottmcdermott Registered User regular
    gjaustin wrote: »
    This pile of crap probably had a great pitch meeting. That's how high-concept shows get their foot in the door. To bad no one at those meetings ever seems to ask, "Okay, but what are episodes 2-12 going to be about?"

    So, basically, Awake.

    Great concept for a movie, terrible concept for a television show.

    While I'm not on the "ZOMG BRITISH SEASONS" bandwagon, I think we could use more miniseries. "Shows" that are written and intended as 6-12 episode runs, period, no follow-on seasons. I think The Following could have been great as one of those. But episode one clearly set up the intent to crank out 22 episodes of bullshit for the next 5 years, no thanks.

  • nexuscrawlernexuscrawler Registered User regular
    mcdermott wrote: »
    Joshmvii wrote: »
    The Following is a perfect example of why people who actually want to make good TV go to F/X, AMC, HBO, etc. It's a horribly written piece of garbage. Just awful.

    Its a good example of a show that couldn't been solid if it wasn't on a network that insisted on treating it's viewers like retards

    HEY GUYS I GET IT NOW NEVERMORE IT'S FROM EDGAR ALLEN POE HE WROTE THE RAVEN

    We was talking to all the FBI agents who failed 8th grade English class

  • mcdermottmcdermott Registered User regular
    Like, I don't mind getting 22 episodes of Castle or even Supernatural* a year, but the broadcast networks really suffer from the need to fill 22 episodes of every series, and with the intent to run them long enough to syndicate.

    * - Probably still better at 12.

  • mcdermottmcdermott Registered User regular
    edited February 2013
    mcdermott wrote: »
    Joshmvii wrote: »
    The Following is a perfect example of why people who actually want to make good TV go to F/X, AMC, HBO, etc. It's a horribly written piece of garbage. Just awful.

    Its a good example of a show that couldn't been solid if it wasn't on a network that insisted on treating it's viewers like retards

    HEY GUYS I GET IT NOW NEVERMORE IT'S FROM EDGAR ALLEN POE HE WROTE THE RAVEN

    We was talking to all the FBI agents who failed 8th grade English class

    Like, half the Agents were convinced the killer just really, really didn't like Paramore.

    Thank god Kevin Bacon was there to make the connection for them!

    mcdermott on
  • AtomikaAtomika Live fast and get fucked or whatever Registered User regular
    mcdermott wrote: »
    Like, I don't mind getting 22 episodes of Castle or even Supernatural* a year, but the broadcast networks really suffer from the need to fill 22 episodes of every series, and with the intent to run them long enough to syndicate.

    * - Probably still better at 12.

    The problem is everyone at the major nets are still looking for some kind of perpetual money machine, but also looking for something engaging with easy appeal. It's damn hard to make those overlap, since people want to see stories and networks want the same thing over and over again in perpetuity.

    Networks should demand to see an endpoint in the pitch meeting, and be okay with only ever having between 12-48 episodes of any given show. Even BSG, great and linear as it was, had a good four or five filler episodes.


    I would love to see a major network commit to maxi-series, where you get 10-12 episodes to tell a complete story. That way, you could actually make a lot of good books into quality TV.

  • mcdermottmcdermott Registered User regular
    edited February 2013
    mcdermott wrote: »
    Like, I don't mind getting 22 episodes of Castle or even Supernatural* a year, but the broadcast networks really suffer from the need to fill 22 episodes of every series, and with the intent to run them long enough to syndicate.

    * - Probably still better at 12.

    The problem is everyone at the major nets are still looking for some kind of perpetual money machine, but also looking for something engaging with easy appeal. It's damn hard to make those overlap, since people want to see stories and networks want the same thing over and over again in perpetuity.

    Networks should demand to see an endpoint in the pitch meeting, and be okay with only ever having between 12-48 episodes of any given show. Even BSG, great and linear as it was, had a good four or five filler episodes.


    I would love to see a major network commit to maxi-series, where you get 10-12 episodes to tell a complete story. That way, you could actually make a lot of good books into quality TV.

    BSG had more than four or five filler episodse, IIRC. And they had a lot of episodes that were like 50% or more filler. You could have cut an entire season off that show. And yet, it's still one of the better shows out there when it comes to that, which is the point.

    How many maxi-series, as you're calling them, have ever even aired on a broadcast network? Specifically 10-12 episode series that were never intended to be more, rather than series that get canceled and hastily concluded. I'd even settle for series that were clearly intended for single 22-episode seasons. I can really only think of the one (Day Break), but have there been others?

    EDIT: I'm not even positive on that one, though I'm nearly positive it was being marketed as a "mini-series" prior to the pilot airing. Aside from that one, I can only think of shorter, 4-5 episode mini-series.

    EDIT: And while my repeatedly mentioning it may imply some level of quality...it's because it was (seemingly) unique, not because it was particularly good.

    mcdermott on
  • Page-Page- Registered User regular
    Someone should tell them that being able to crank out 12 episodes and then immediately turn that into modestly priced dvd (or download ) sales will probably work for them better than hoping for syndication when they're all so worried that the internets and tivo are going to ruin them anyway.

    They already have "The Complete Series" as a marketing term for shows they can, so why not turn that into something people would actually look for?

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  • AtomikaAtomika Live fast and get fucked or whatever Registered User regular
    The 10th Kingdom is the only maxi-series I can recall in my entire lifetime.

  • nexuscrawlernexuscrawler Registered User regular
    Really better of pitching that to the premium channels . the networks are looking for 100 eps so they can cash checks forever on syndication. Even a good DVD run is nothing compared to selling their reruns to TBS for the next 20 years

  • AtomikaAtomika Live fast and get fucked or whatever Registered User regular
    Really better of pitching that to the premium channels . the networks are looking for 100 eps so they can cash checks forever on syndication. Even a good DVD run is nothing compared to selling their reruns to TBS for the next 20 years

    And isn't that the point of all great works? To make enough copies of it so you can sell it to your subsidiary corporations so they can use it to sell infomercials to unemployed stoners at 3 AM?

  • enlightenedbumenlightenedbum Registered User regular
    mcdermott wrote: »
    gjaustin wrote: »
    This pile of crap probably had a great pitch meeting. That's how high-concept shows get their foot in the door. To bad no one at those meetings ever seems to ask, "Okay, but what are episodes 2-12 going to be about?"

    So, basically, Awake.

    Great concept for a movie, terrible concept for a television show.

    While I'm not on the "ZOMG BRITISH SEASONS" bandwagon, I think we could use more miniseries. "Shows" that are written and intended as 6-12 episode runs, period, no follow-on seasons. I think The Following could have been great as one of those. But episode one clearly set up the intent to crank out 22 episodes of bullshit for the next 5 years, no thanks.

    Last Resort absolutely should have been a miniseries. Nuclear sub captain takes over small island in response to illegal order and plays game of nuclear chicken is not a sustainable premise. It could be a pretty fun 8 hours if you do it right and have Andre Braugher as said captain though.

    Self-righteousness is incompatible with coalition building.
  • enlightenedbumenlightenedbum Registered User regular
    I wondered aloud while watching that abomination how it can be that a studio like Fox would be so willing to spend the undoubtedly huge sums of money it would take to get Kevin Bacon, James Purefoy, Natalie Zea, and Shawn Ashmore into a season-long contract only to not make sure the actual script and narrative isn't a huge pile of cliched junk.

    When this gets cancelled (and I'm pretty sure it will), this is going to be yet another example of asshat studios trying to frontload success by spending a lot of money on recognizable people and putting them in high-concept dramas but forgetting to actually make a watchable show.

    This pile of crap probably had a great pitch meeting. That's how high-concept shows get their foot in the door. To bad no one at those meetings ever seems to ask, "Okay, but what are episodes 2-12 going to be about?"

    10 million viewers for each episode with almost no dropoff from episode one to episode two. It's around for a little while at least.

    Self-righteousness is incompatible with coalition building.
  • mcdermottmcdermott Registered User regular
    Like, who the fuck thought Silence of the Lambs: The Procedural was a good idea?

    Kill that person.

    Gruesomely.

    Sorry I'm jumping on making this the "The Following Sucks" thread, but seriously.

  • mcdermottmcdermott Registered User regular
    Also, kill everybody that watched the second episode.

    Gruesomely.

  • JoshmviiJoshmvii Registered User regular
    The Following is not a procedural, and if I recall, it's only having a 10 episode season. It's like Fox trying to do an HBO story, but the writers are just garbage.

  • mcdermottmcdermott Registered User regular
    edited February 2013
    Joshmvii wrote: »
    The Following is not a procedural, and if I recall, it's only having a 10 episode season. It's like Fox trying to do an HBO story, but the writers are just garbage.

    Ah, if the season is only ten episodes that helps.

    And I may have been exaggerating on the "procedural" end, but it certainly did not give the appearance (after the first episode and promos of the season to come) of a tighter serial, either.

    EDIT: 15 episodes, according to the wiki. And I'm assuming that's only because it's a midseason premiere, and that next season will be 20+ episodes.

    mcdermott on
  • mcdermottmcdermott Registered User regular
    Assuming there's a next season, and that all the viewers don't instead cut their own fucking eyes out.

  • chrisnlchrisnl Registered User regular
    I'm surprised to see only one mention of Suits. I generally like most of the USA original shows, but man Suits has such great character dynamics, it just goes above and beyond. I have no idea how accurate the lawyer stuff in it is, but from what I've heard it is about as accurate as you're going to get on TV.

    Seriously, more people should watch Suits.

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  • mcdermottmcdermott Registered User regular
    chrisnl wrote: »
    I'm surprised to see only one mention of Suits. I generally like most of the USA original shows, but man Suits has such great character dynamics, it just goes above and beyond. I have no idea how accurate the lawyer stuff in it is, but from what I've heard it is about as accurate as you're going to get on TV.

    Seriously, more people should watch Suits.

    I've never heard anything but good things on Suits, from several people. I just don't watch that many shows, and nothing else has dropped off to make room. I'm still working on Friday Night Lights and have convinced myself I'll catch up on Burn Notice, but honestly I barely keep up with what's currently on.

    Though I guess I did just start The Americans, so I'm a vicious liar. But that has no backlog, so...whatevs. ;)

  • enlightenedbumenlightenedbum Registered User regular
    Not enough people have mentioned FNL. It makes me sad.

    Self-righteousness is incompatible with coalition building.
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