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***Official TV sitcoms and Series recommendation thread***

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  1. #1

    Default ***Official TV sitcoms and Series recommendation thread***

    We don't have one and since I have basically given up on TV for the last 4 years since finding poker, I want to catch up on the newer breeds of great TV series. I am finally getting caught up on the movies I have missed watching only the blockbusters and would love to catch up on some TV too.

    I have seen most of the sitcoms that have come before 2006 but shows like Lost, The Wire, Heroes, Entourage have all gone under the radar. Start me up, and obviously they would need to be torrented because I am unable to watch Hulu and other sites in Canada.

    Gonna get the Wire and probably Entourage to start unless otherwise told not to bother.
  2. #2
    WTFBBQPWNage shows:

    Dexter

    Sc-fi shows:

    Firefly (1 season)
    Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles (2 seasons)

    Funny shows:

    Big Bang Theory (in it's 4th season)
    It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia (5 seasons so far)
    Curb Your Enthusiasm (7 seasons - I hated Seinfeld, but this was great. Seasons 1-3, 7 are the best, middle seasons are meh)
    Some days it feels like I've been standing forever, waiting for the bank teller to return so I can cash in all these Sklansky Bucks.
  3. #3
    Im currently dl'ing all 5 seasons of the wire right now.. 33 gigs!

    The Shield is good.

    Curb your enthusiasm is a must.

    Im a fan of lost, have watched every episode, Im sure others wont feel the same.

    Entourage is good ldo.

    Big Love was surprisingly good imo.
    You-- yes, you-- you're a cunt.
  4. #4
    got a request: Movies to watch when stoned.

    Watched avatar 3d stoned today @ the cinema, was pretty awesome
  5. #5
    Anybody who says Wire and Entourage should be foregone should themselves be foregone

    Wire is pretty much the greatest show of all time, and you'll realize why as you get into it

    As far as dramas go

    Carnivale
    Rome
    Six Feet Under
    Firefly
    Dexter

    are all pretty much at the very top. I would personally wait for Dexter to finish the series before watching because that always makes the whole experience better.

    Carnivale was canceled prematurely because viewers are dumbasses, but had it been finished it would beat out Wire as best ever (its second season conclusion however was a strong conclusion for the story). It is basically a super unique gigantic fantasy novel put onto the screen, and you gotta wanna stick it out because there is a shitload of backstory and buildup just like you find in large novels. For example: the first 8 or so episodes are largely buildup to revealing some of the real plot and reasons behind what the story and world. I do believe though that anybody with an imagination and sense of awesomeness who watches the full two seasons of Carnivale will know it to be amazing. The show is seriously a step above most everything else. Brother Justin is probably the greatest character of all time. I literally get chills thinking about it. Carnivale may be the darkest and most mysterious show put out to date

    Rome is l.do. It got canceled prematurely as well, but because it was very hard to make. HBO went all out with it, and the product was some of most entertaining fiction. Lucius Vorenus probably qualifies as the most badass character I've seen (even moreso than Omar from Wire). A selling point should be that they're making a movie

    Firefly was also canceled prematurely, but the show was the epitome of exciting. I honestly have no clue why it was canceled other than people are seriously fucking stupid and would rather jack off to Everybody Loves Raymond while their dog shits behind the sofa. A selling point for Firefly is that they thought every show was their last so they gave it their all. A sad moment for cinema when it was canceled. Easily one of the best shows of all time. They also made a great movie, and I've heard a sequel in the works

    Six Feet Under is what could be described as a pure drama. Very awesome show, like VERY awesome, but not in any gimmicky kind of way. It's just a drama about characters and goes through five seasons of further developing and changing characters and story. The show is literally about nothing but a family's life, yet it's about as gripping as it gets, and I've always remembered the final scene as being the perfect ending. By the time the series ends, you feel like you literally know the characters

    Another mention could be Twin Peaks. I haven't seen it, but it is the only top rated series I have not seen, and is likely also very awesome


    If you like fun stuff just go with Wire, Firefly, Dexter, and Rome. If you also enjoy psychological intrigue and deeper themes, add in Carnivale and Six Feet Under and probably Twin Peaks
  6. #6
    Friday Night Lights
    Big Bang Theory
    Burn Notice
  7. #7
    bigred's Avatar
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    LOL OPERATIONS
  8. #8
    bode's Avatar
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    Wire, Lost, How i met your mother
    eeevees are not monies yet...they are like baby monies.
  9. #9
    Ya Dexter and Friday night lights were both recommended in the past from non FTR people, of which has no merit whatsoever.
  10. #10
    Halv's Avatar
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    A couple ldo's that haven't been mentioned:
    Arrested development
    Band of brothers

    Also, watch the first season of Heroes only, after that it sucks. Don't watch the last seasons of Entourage either.
  11. #11
    I watch TV for fun, not to be too deep and analyze the writing, acting, etc... I watch stuff like Monk, Burn Notice, House, the Office, Scrubs, and other silly stuff because I enjoy them and I don't care if that doesn't make me as the people who reference the Wire, Dexter, and Mad Men seem to think they are. I'm not calling anyone out here but I see a lot of elitism going on in reference to cable TV shows, and that's pretty laughable in itself.
  12. #12
    flomo's Avatar
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    i just want to be entertained. i don't watch to expand my mind or horizons. i take drugs for that.

    the office, sopranos, jersey shore, always sunny

    lol certainly doesn't take any deep thinking for that show

    entourage is excellant ldo
    I don't know what seasons of 24 you've seen but I really liked 3-5.
    House and the office are both good and arrested development seasons 1-2 are very good as well.
  13. #13
    Weeds
    Da Ali G Show
    My Name is Earl
    East Bound and Down
  14. #14
    wire and entourage are a good start
    mad men, seasons 1-3-5 of 24 r excellent, 30 rock

    sopranos is my fav though
    Nine to five is how to survive - I ain't trying to survive / I'm trying to live it to the limit and love it a lot //

    Can offer RB deals on most sites, PM me.
  15. #15
    BankItDrew's Avatar
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    The Office - Only TV series I own
    Lost - Have begun watching this week and am on S.1 E.14
    Boston Legal - Started watching yesterday, some of the best writing I've ever seen
    My Name is Earl - Original comedy
  16. #16
    watch Dragon's Den on CBC for entertaining business reality and, yeah, Dexter is a must and Big Love is good.
  17. #17
    flomo's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by flomo
    i just want to be entertained. i don't watch to expand my mind or horizons. i take drugs for that.

    the office, sopranos, jersey shore, always sunny

    lol certainly doesn't take any deep thinking for that show

    entourage is excellant ldo
    I don't know what seasons of 24 you've seen but I really liked 3-5.
    House and the office are both good and arrested development seasons 1-2 are very good as well.
    wrong button bro
  18. #18
    kmind's Avatar
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    Freaks and Geeks
    The Wonder Years
  19. #19
    I can't believe no one has mentioned Modern Family yet. It is absolutely as funny as, if not funnier than, Big Bang Theory.
    Poker is easy, it's winning at poker that's hard.
  20. #20
    bode's Avatar
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    +1 to arrested development, the office, and always sunny.
    eeevees are not monies yet...they are like baby monies.
  21. #21
    Chuck, Arrested Development, Lie to Me, Curb your Enthusiasm, The Wire, Lost, The Office, Dollhouse.

    If you haven't watched The Wire yet that is a must. It is by far my favorite TV show ever.
  22. #22
    Quote Originally Posted by kmind
    Freaks and Geeks
    Shit, I always forget about this show

    It's a pretty great one. Why is it that the best ones are nearly always canceled prematurely?
  23. #23
    it'd weird wuf because I love all your shows but watched 1.5 eps of firefly and hated it. I even share your hatred of CBS comedies/shows in general.

    twin peaks season 1 is worth watching for sure, around the middle of season 2 they went off the reservation a bit. I still liked it but most people probably wont. Make sure you spin the movie too.

    Others not I did not see in thread, more or less from best to less best

    Grey's Anatomy
    Breaking Bad
    Battlestar Galactica
    Damages
    Pushing Daises
    My so called life (note only about 12 eps but you must watch)

    Shows below here are flawed but have lots going for them if you like the genre and or actors or just need something to watch.

    Closer
    Saving Grace
    Desperate Housewives
    Alias
    Dead Like Me
    The 4400
    Gossip Girl
    Leverage
    Sons Of Anarchy
    The Tudors
    Rescue Me (Goes down hill around season 3 sh)

    def agree with Halv on Heroes, great start and they blew it. I would not bother. 4400 is very similar but they execute a bit better.
  24. #24
    Ragnar4's Avatar
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    Friday night lights season 3 kicks off tonight! go go go
    The Dunning–Kruger effect is a cognitive bias in which unskilled individuals suffer from illusory superiority, mistakenly rating their ability much higher than average. This bias is attributed to a metacognitive inability of the unskilled to recognize their mistakes
  25. #25
    Quote Originally Posted by GatorJH
    I can't believe no one has mentioned Modern Family yet. It is absolutely as funny as, if not funnier than, Big Bang Theory.
    This show is good, just only been on for 1 season, but Ed O'neill never disappoints and Julie Bowen is MILF of the Year imo.
  26. #26
    what about my post
  27. #27
    BankItDrew's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by ZwiFT
    got a request: Movies to watch when stoned.

    Watched avatar 3d stoned today @ the cinema, was pretty awesome
    get a life, pothead
  28. #28
    Quote Originally Posted by Ragnar4
    Friday night lights season 3 kicks off tonight! go go go
    OH YEA!!!!
    Poker is easy, it's winning at poker that's hard.
  29. #29
    bode's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by GatorJH
    Quote Originally Posted by Ragnar4
    Friday night lights season 3 kicks off tonight! go go go
    OH YEA!!!!
    wait, on cable, or direct TV? i thought NBC wasn't showing it until the summer or something?
    eeevees are not monies yet...they are like baby monies.
  30. #30
    One of the funniest UK shows of recent years, maybe of all time, is Peep Show.

    Doubt it's available other there and not sure how many would get it. Worth a look if you can though.
    - You're the reason why paradise lost
  31. #31
    rong's Avatar
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    Yeah peep show is pure awesomness. Not sure if it'll translate into yank tho, maybe a bit too dry, but then the office did.
    I'm the king of bongo, baby I'm the king of bongo bong.
  32. #32
    Yeah but they remade the Office.

    I can't see how a remake of the Peep Show is possible.
    - You're the reason why paradise lost
  33. #33
    Stacks's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by bigred
    DEXTER DEXTER DEXTER DEXTER DEXTER DEXTER DEXTER DEXTER DEXTER DEXTER DEXTER DEXTER DEXTER DEXTER DEXTER DEXTER DEXTER DEXTER DEXTER DEXTER DEXTER DEXTER DEXTER DEXTER DEXTER DEXTER DEXTER DEXTER DEXTER DEXTER DEXTER DEXTER DEXTER DEXTER DEXTER DEXTER
    This!

    Also:

    Weeds
    The Wire (Most Definitely.. First few season better than last few imo).
    Californication (Noone? Really?)
    OZ
    Band of Brothers (Definitely)
    Generation Kill (1 Season.. Not bad)
    Heroes (Why all the hate for Season 2+? I still think it's okay)
    The Office (This goes without saying)
    Lost (Now would be a good time to start, as the final season is going to kick off soon. Gets kinda repetitive, but kinda addictive wanting to know what's next).

    I've heard good things about:

    Breaking Bad
    Entourage
    Curb your Enthusiasm
    Friday Night Lights

    I'm thinking of watching some of those, but really not sure what they are about.

    Oh.. And +1 to Kmind for mentioning The Wonder Years. I downloaded all 6 seasons, and am watching an episode of Season 5 as I type this. Brings back memories, and it's a pretty neat feel good tv show. FUUUUUU to all who think I'm gay because of this.
  34. #34
    Quote Originally Posted by ZwiFT
    got a request: Movies to watch when stoned.

    Watched avatar 3d stoned today @ the cinema, was pretty awesome
    you stoned or high? I remember watching tropic thunder & hangover. scared the fuck out of me when I walked in the theatre. it was all dark and shit, the ceiling had these tiny little lights. damn that was scary shitt. But movie started and could not stop laffing. haha.

    ps. how I met ur mother is awesomeee
  35. #35
    oskar's Avatar
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    Nobody has mentioned True Blood yet?
    3rd season starting this year.

    When you start watching the first season you'll think you're watching a high production value porno with the porn cut out, but it gets a lot better very fast.

    And Trailer Park Boys.
    - Like The Office, only with the unemployed.
    The strengh of a hero is defined by the weakness of his villains.
  36. #36
    Quote Originally Posted by Ragnar4
    Friday night lights season 3 kicks off tonight! go go go
    Friday Night Lights Season 4 is like 8-10 episodes deep, been running on DirectTV, won't hit NBC til like April.
  37. #37
    Ragnar4's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by bigspenda73
    Quote Originally Posted by Ragnar4
    Friday night lights season 3 kicks off tonight! go go go
    Friday Night Lights Season 4 is like 8-10 episodes deep, been running on DirectTV, won't hit NBC til like April.
    Yeah I had mis-read NBC's announcements. That's my bad, sorry, SORRY EVERYBODY! MY BAD!
    The Dunning–Kruger effect is a cognitive bias in which unskilled individuals suffer from illusory superiority, mistakenly rating their ability much higher than average. This bias is attributed to a metacognitive inability of the unskilled to recognize their mistakes
  38. #38
    a500lbgorilla's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Warpe
    watch Dragon's Den on CBC for entertaining business reality and, yeah, Dexter is a must and Big Love is good.
    He means Shark Tank. Awesome show.
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  39. #39
    Quote Originally Posted by liqourmaster
    Quote Originally Posted by ZwiFT
    got a request: Movies to watch when stoned.

    Watched avatar 3d stoned today @ the cinema, was pretty awesome
    you stoned or high? I remember watching tropic thunder & hangover. scared the fuck out of me when I walked in the theatre. it was all dark and shit, the ceiling had these tiny little lights. damn that was scary shitt. But movie started and could not stop laffing. haha.

    ps. how I met ur mother is awesomeee
    high when watching avatar, usually i watch stoned tho
  40. #40
    Renton's Avatar
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    All the dramatic series I have watched in order of goodness (keep in mind these are every series i have watched completely, not counting sitcoms):

    1. Six Feet Under (5 seasons, concluded)

    The best show I have ever seen. Pretty much constantly amazing throughout the entire series.

    2. Sopranos (6-7 seasons concluded)

    Great show, became a little tired during the middle seasons but came back super strong with season 5 and on. Season 2 is probably the best.

    3. Lost (5 seasons, concluding 6th season about to begin)

    Very strong during seasons 1 and 2, then a little weak, its been back strong with season 5.

    4. 24 (7 seasons not concluded)

    You expect a show like this on network television to be terrible but its basically awesome, and remained awesome all the way into the 6th season. The 7th season was incredibly weak however, and the new season appears to grow out of it so I am not optimistic.

    5. House (5 seasons currently running)

    Once again I was skeptical of a network medical drama, but this show cares a lot about the characters and doesn't really have any glaring flaws, its just really entertaining.

    6. Dexter (4 seasons not concluded)

    This show is not without flaws. The constant spoonfed voiceover narration and the campy concept kind of annoy me, but the show has been JUST good enough to keep me watching it. The new season with John Lithgow was quite awesome though.

    7. Oz (6 seasons concluded)

    Oz is also flawed, but you have to give them more credit than other shows because they basically originated the pay-cable serial drama. Very entertaining show, and every season is consistently pretty good.

    8. True Blood (2 seasons, not concluded)

    I loathe the whole vampire pop culture with all my heart, and I only watched this show because it was written by Alan Ball (Six Feet Under and American Beauty). It however sucks a dick. It has its moments, but basically it sucks a dick.

    9. Breaking bad (2 seasons, not concluded)

    Season 1 was great, Season 2 a massive disappointment.

    10. Prison Break (4-5 seasons concluded)

    Worst show I have ever seen in my life. The first couple of seasons were ok, and pot-committed me to watching the last 2. Stay far away from this piece of shit.
  41. #41
    Quote Originally Posted by Renton
    10. Prison Break (4-5 seasons concluded)

    Worst show I have ever seen in my life. The first couple of seasons were ok, and pot-committed me to watching the last 2. Stay far away from this piece of shit.
    QFMFT

    On that note, Weeds was a good show for seasons 1, 2 and part of 3. After that it went to shit, so bad that I actually dropped it from my tvtorrents RSS feed.
    Some days it feels like I've been standing forever, waiting for the bank teller to return so I can cash in all these Sklansky Bucks.
  42. #42
    I am watching the wire for the 3rd time through now, and am still looking forward to watching it again
  43. #43
    Oz ends on the finale of the 3rd season. Seriously, if you stop watching once season 3 is over it'll be fantastic; after that it gets lame. Season 3 finale is a good enough ending too

    Sopranos has Paulie and Silvio. Nuff said really
  44. #44
    true blood is so hit or miss, when it's on it's pretty fucking awesome
  45. #45
    Renton's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by wufwugy
    Oz ends on the finale of the 3rd season. Seriously, if you stop watching once season 3 is over it'll be fantastic; after that it gets lame. Season 3 finale is a good enough ending too

    Sopranos has Paulie and Silvio. Nuff said really
    thats the one with adebisi and said right
  46. #46
    true blood has potential but I thought the main plot this season (can't remember if it was 2 or 3?) was really dumb and mostly an excuse for T&A. Next season I'm expecting mermaids who never wear tops battling dinosaurs.

    I was so bored after season 2 of prison break I tanked the season pass as it was airing the finale so as not to forget how terrible it was.
  47. #47
    bode's Avatar
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    i forgot about six feet under renton. def. one of the best shows i have ever seen, but i think if you watch the wire it will be the second best show on your list.
    eeevees are not monies yet...they are like baby monies.
  48. #48
    Quote Originally Posted by Renton
    Quote Originally Posted by wufwugy
    Oz ends on the finale of the 3rd season. Seriously, if you stop watching once season 3 is over it'll be fantastic; after that it gets lame. Season 3 finale is a good enough ending too

    Sopranos has Paulie and Silvio. Nuff said really
    thats the one with adebisi and said right
    Yes, that's the season that concludes the whole thing between them
  49. #49
    Quote Originally Posted by drmcboy
    true blood has potential but I thought the main plot this season (can't remember if it was 2 or 3?) was really dumb and mostly an excuse for T&A. Next season I'm expecting mermaids who never wear tops battling dinosaurs.
    next season is def. werewolves, I got the TB Season 1 DVD set for the holidays, watched it in 2 days, good stuff. This season was all about the weird Maenad chick and the queen Vampire was a pretty big letdown as well. However, Godric was awesome as is Eric, Jason, and the preachers wife (nomnomnom)
  50. #50
    just watched curb your enthusiasm for the first time last night. good show.
  51. #51
    rong's Avatar
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    What's so good about the wire. On the strength of this thread I got my hands on the first series of it, I just watched episode one and was so bored I didn't even finish it. I then tried Dexter, which was better, but still not great.

    Neither were anywhere near as entertaining as either Lost (only watched first 3 series), 24 (watched series 1-6), Heroes or Trueblood.

    I really want a new series to get into but I'm struggling to find anything. Prison break is pretty rubbish, concept is good but acting is awful.

    Also, I think someone mentioned band of brothers, I only watched a few of those but they were fantastic. Not really suitable for me and the mrs though, and I don't watch tv on my own, that's time I could be playin poker.
    I'm the king of bongo, baby I'm the king of bongo bong.
  52. #52
    Yeah the TB stuff with the vampire culture, and the anti vampire stuff is very cool, hopefully they feature that next season
  53. #53
    Dead Like Me
  54. #54
    Quote Originally Posted by DanAronG
    What's so good about the wire. On the strength of this thread I got my hands on the first series of it, I just watched episode one and was so bored I didn't even finish it.
    You were probs waiting for something dramatic to happen.

    One of the things I personally love about The Wire is the little moments of deepness you get in it, the little metaphors, the moments of contemplation, the symbols, etc.

    FWIW it took me 5 episodes to really get it
  55. #55
    Everyone who tried to tell me to watch it on 2p2 told me I wasn't going to enjoy the 1st season of the wire. So, I never watched it.
  56. #56
    Halv's Avatar
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    1st season is good. 2nd can go either way, it's a bit different/unexpected. 3rd and 4th are goot. 5th sucked when I watched it week by week, but wasn't that bad when I did a marathon rewatch. Still not as good as 1-4 tho.

    --

    Anyone mention Psych yet?
  57. #57
    just watched the first episode of the wire.

    Im def hooked.
    You-- yes, you-- you're a cunt.
  58. #58
    psych is great, as are a lot of the USA shows like burn notice, monk, white collar, etc...
  59. #59
    I forgot about curb your enthusiasm. best comedy out there imo
  60. #60
    Quote Originally Posted by bigspenda73
    psych is great, as are a lot of the USA shows like burn notice, monk, white collar, etc...
    Ive never watched any of these shows.. but they all look terrible from the commercials I see on them. Esp burn notice and white collar.
  61. #61
    yeah I got through about 10 minutes of burn notice and could not stand the tone. Actually have disc 1 of monk from netflix right now, we'll see. Also hated the pysch commercials, plus I could not see Charlie from West Wing in a role like that.

    Oh yeah, west wing is good, couple seasons are a little meh toward the back but worth watching. better for liberals.
  62. #62
    Halv's Avatar
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    Love burn notice.

    Of course, anything with Bruce Campbell in it is gonna be awesome.
  63. #63
    they're fun shows, interesting and don't take themselves too seriously, my kind of stuff. Burn notice is great, idk how you could watch 10 minutes and not like the tone, the tone is a badass dude chilling in Miami doing crazy shit for friends of friends. He kicks it with his homie Bruce Campbell and blows shit up, good stuff.
  64. #64
    my wife loves Burn Notice but, meh, I'm not a fan. the pace of the whole show just doesn't reel me in, and then they do all of those weird fast paced cut scenes like CSI: Miami is so good at, but it just doesn't work for me on that show for some reason. it's not painful to watch or anything, it's actually decent I guess, but just not must-see-TV for me.

    LOST is the only series I watch (and have watched from the beginning). I'm looking forward to February.....If you have the time, I'd definitely recommend going back and watching the first five seasons, you won't be disappointed.

    Check out Eastbound and Down, too (you might have to rent, go on Netflix, or check it out whenever they replay it on HBO). Fucking hilarious.


  65. #65
    your wife once again proves she married way down the talent pool
  66. #66
    lol, you might be right.

    I guess I also got into Fast Forward, too. I can't say I love the show (it is pretty damn cool though), but I started watching it when it came out because I thought it had a cool storyline, and I'm in so deep I'll probably follow it until the end. The execution of the storyline isn't the best at times, but it's still pretty entertaining.

    My wife DVR's CSI: Las Vegas and CSI: Miami, and I think the Miami version is better. She does the NCIS shows too, but the original is better and Los Angeles sucks.


    also, spenda, I edited my comments about Burn Notice before I saw your reply. I didn't mean to shit all over it, I mean I've probably sat and watched a good 8-10 episodes.....just doesn't totally do it for me, though.


  67. #67
    well if his chick was hotter (or he hooked up with other hot chicks) it would have just about everything I need. Don't worry about shitting on it, I understand it's not the most well-executed/written/acted show there is, and I'm ok with that.
  68. #68
    Halv's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by spenda
    your wife once again proves she married way down the talent pool
    Quote Originally Posted by UG
    My wife DVR's CSI: Las Vegas and CSI: Miami, and I think the Miami version is better.
    Waaaaaaaaay down.
  69. #69
    i watch very little on tv that isn't comedy, and i'm going to mention a few things that no one else even came close to consider mentioning, so maybe this post can just be ignored altogether:

    The Office-the only show on this list that is best watched chronologically because the story line's actually essential to a lot of the comedy

    Scrubs- another storyline heavy comedy, but you'll laugh if all you do is watch the reruns

    Always Sunny- any episode from any season is gold.

    Home Movies- best show that no one's heard of, imo.

    Aqua Teen Hunger Force- obviously my taste really differs from everyone else here if i'm the first person to have mentioned this show

    Tim and Eric- super-fucking-weird/cutting edge humor. if you're into it, it's hilarious; otherwise you will probably come back asking me what the fuck i just had you watch.

    Moral Orel- i have a feeling this could become wuf's new favorite show.

    happy to see my so-called life got a shout out, but that show's well before 2006. i guess you've realized by now that i'm a college-aged rerun whore
  70. #70
    BankItDrew's Avatar
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    I've watched a dozen episodes of Home Movies, pretty sure my life will one day become like John McGuirk's. Funny show... Moral Orel is also a very funny animation but I've never gone out of my way to watch it.
  71. #71
    Quote Originally Posted by DanAronG
    What's so good about the wire. On the strength of this thread I got my hands on the first series of it, I just watched episode one and was so bored I didn't even finish it. I then tried Dexter, which was better, but still not great.
    You can't do this. People like to say that they only watch stuff for the instant gratification, but you simply cannot do that. If that was categorically acceptable then nobody would have ever read Lord of the Rings or Count of Monte Cristo or Grapes of Wrath or any novel that that blows out the shallow, myopic, one-trick-pony stuff that modern westerners have been trained to prefer.

    The difference is that a show like CSI (which is way more popular than Wire) uses as little detail as possible to catch audiences, but a show like The Wire does everything it can to go beyond that and capture things like art and timelessness and thematic elements and real character and story development. The difference is that what most people like is essentially cartoons or comic strips for adults. Shows like The Wire and Dexter and every other top rated show by those who know film are more like novels. They go into much detail, and almost always are considered superior products by those who simply put in the time, just like novels compare to movies

    It's okay to not want to put in any time going beyond superficial gratification. Just letting you know that a show like the two you mentioned are ones made to NOT gratify superficially. If you plan on being captivated by one episode, you're doing it wrong. Just like if you plan on being captivated by the first 10 pages of a 500 page novel, you're doing it wrong

    One way of putting how not even close The Wire is better than the popular cop dramas like CSI and LnO is that those shows do one case per episode, whereas The Wire starts out as one case per season (but it goes even deeper than that). They're just not even in the same ball park. I mean the first episode of The Wire only has like 5-10% of all the main characters throughout the series.

    And it's not about watching actual good shows requires more brain power. It doesn't, it just requires patience. You know, the kind that you have when you read a novel longer than 200 pages and they had to build up the characters, story, and world instead of just cracking a knock-knock joke while an old guy farts on the cheeky intern and the laugh-track tells you when something funny happened.
  72. #72
    Don't get me wrong. I love instant gratification too. I require it often. I just wanted to point out that there exists television shows that do not adhere to that paradigm, but instead attempt to be like those super epic novels that we read when we were kids or something, and those novels always turned out to be WAAAAAAAY better than expected. The thing is that we just had to stick it out while the details built everything.

    Look at it this way, I don't know anything about any of the characters in 'normal' TV shows. There is no detail, no depth, no nothing. It's just a bunch of generic characters going on camera and doing nifty stuff and making happy for half hour to hour once a week. However, in novelesque shows, the opposite is true. I know more about Bubbs from The Wire or David from Six Feet Under than I do every single character in every single generic show I've ever seen combined. On top of that, the novelesque shows almost always have much better production and cinematic value than the stuff that caters to average audiences
  73. #73
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    GTFOOHWTBS You are a total TV snob.

    Fisrtly, I can soooo do that.

    Cos what exactly did I do? I said that esentially I thought the first episode was boring, and on the strength of that episode, I don't think I'm going to bother watching the rest.

    The first episode of a series needs to do something. Either entertain you, or entice you in with implications that something interesting is going to happen. This did neither. The main detective chap was kinda dull, the story was boring, it just looked like a typical flashy American TV drama that thought it's script was way better than it is.

    As for books, the first chapter of a book is hugely important. It sets the scene for the entire story. It doesn't have to be exciting, funny or clever. But it has to be something, make you feel something, even if all it makes you feel is that something good might come from the rest of it.

    The first episode of the wire did nothing for me. In this day and age, with so many drama series out there, why should I watch one that wasn't interesting to begin with. It's not enough for the end to justify the means when it comes to a drama series, its about the journey, and this journey started off real slow, like a train journey that never made it out of the station. Dexter seemed better, I have the first two series of that and I'm going to try and watch the second episode tonight, but the wire was simply dull.
    I'm the king of bongo, baby I'm the king of bongo bong.
  74. #74
    DanArong, you need to go back and start the series over. You havent even met Omar yet.. srsly, youre missing out imo.


    Also, on shows like burn notice, leverage, csi, ect. The thing I really hate is the color saturation and the camera movement. This probably sounds strange, but those two things alone completely turn me off. The color saturation is a pretty weird one.. these shows seem to employ really bright, vibrant and crisp colors, yet it somehow makes for an incredibly dull world. The camera movement Im talking about is the big swooping shots that are painfully overused. Its like they have no respect for photography.. they cant just offer a really sweet still shot, the camera has to be flying across the scene. So tilting.
    You-- yes, you-- you're a cunt.
  75. #75
    Quote Originally Posted by DanAronG
    GTFOOHWTBS You are a total TV snob.

    Fisrtly, I can soooo do that.

    Cos what exactly did I do? I said that esentially I thought the first episode was boring, and on the strength of that episode, I don't think I'm going to bother watching the rest.

    The first episode of a series needs to do something. Either entertain you, or entice you in with implications that something interesting is going to happen. This did neither. The main detective chap was kinda dull, the story was boring, it just looked like a typical flashy American TV drama that thought it's script was way better than it is.

    As for books, the first chapter of a book is hugely important. It sets the scene for the entire story. It doesn't have to be exciting, funny or clever. But it has to be something, make you feel something, even if all it makes you feel is that something good might come from the rest of it.

    The first episode of the wire did nothing for me. In this day and age, with so many drama series out there, why should I watch one that wasn't interesting to begin with. It's not enough for the end to justify the means when it comes to a drama series, its about the journey, and this journey started off real slow, like a train journey that never made it out of the station. Dexter seemed better, I have the first two series of that and I'm going to try and watch the second episode tonight, but the wire was simply dull.
    You misunderstood me. I was expressing how stuff works, you're expressing your preference.

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