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

So, I turned on season 17 of law and order svu, because why not.

Am I missing something? I feel like these episodes all build a really cool crime and story, but then there is never any climax. There was an episode about police corruption, which ended after they the cops got charged. It seems like they all end with the arrest, and don't show the conclusion. I'm getting so frustrated with it.

Has svu always been like this? I remember watching regular law and order back in the day. The 2nd half of the show was always the legal part, and where all the cool shit got hammered out. Doesn't seem to be the case with svu

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Originally Posted by JKDS

Has svu always been like this? I remember watching regular law and order back in the day. The 2nd half of the show was always the legal part, and where all the cool shit got hammered out. Doesn't seem to be the case with svu

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I had no idea that the show went 17 seasons. If that's the case, I've probably seen less than 20% of episodes, but yeah, I had the same problem. "regular" law and order was way better in my opinion, because of that 2nd half legal shit. Sam Waterston was the nads.

I got caught up on Homeland. I'm pretty sure it's just a bad show that rewards binge watching, which seems to be a common tactic nowadays that fools people into thinking shows are good.

Can someone explain homeland to me? This is what I see pretty much every episode:

Carrie: "Hey there casual acquaintance, how about you do this extremely risky and possibly illegal favor for me"

other guy: "but national security....but chain of command....but ethics.....but.....

Carrie: "But I need it!! It's the only way I can get what I want!!"

Other guy: "ooooohhhh, ok"

And then she proceeds to run off on some crazy tangent that jeopordizes the mission and causes all kinds of unnecessary suspense that takes away from the hugely satisfying "good guys chasing bad guys" dynamic.

Despite receiving so many bold favors, she really doesn't' seem to give a shit about anyone but herself. She never repays these favors, and yet everyone keeps bending over backwards for every one of her "crazy schemes". WTF, she's not even that hot.

So should I watch westworld or was it over-hyped?

Also Adventure Time >>>>>>>>>>>>> I find it a hard sell because when I first started watching it I thought it was crap but I genuinely can't overstate how great it is. Obviously any 11 minute episode show has some throwaway episodes and I don't remember the point where it becomes GOAT to get people into it but I've never known a cartoon do so much.

The lich king episodes are godly, Marceline is great, The Ice King goes from one of the most annoying characters to one of the most fleshed out beautifully rewarding characters I can think of in a cartoon.

westworld is overhyped and worth watching.

pilot is goat pilot that ever goated. rest of show has...problems...that are sort of unavoidable, yet it's still good. there is room for s2 to fix those problems.

preacher is better

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Originally Posted by wufwugy

westworld is overhyped and worth watching.

pilot is goat pilot that ever goated. rest of show has...problems...that are sort of unavoidable, yet it's still good. there is room for s2 to fix those problems.

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I like that answer and will watch it as a result. I think when I go into stuff thinking it's going to be great and it doesn't resonate straight away I kind of give up.

Yeah, having watched s01, +1 on that being a solid answer.

Leah Remini's Scientology series is very solid. It's not entirely fair to put it up against Louis Theroux Scientology Movie but fwiw I got a lot more out of her series.

24 legacy put up a solid first episode.

Designated survivor is mega stupid and mega fun. A guilty pleasure show for sure.

Has anybody else watched Taboo yet on FX? I'm enjoying it so far very much.

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Originally Posted by Renton

24 legacy put up a solid first episode.

Designated survivor is mega stupid and mega fun. A guilty pleasure show for sure.

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As soon as I get a chance, I'm giving Designated Survivor a shot. Quite a number of people have recommended it to me.

THE EXPANSE is awesome

Also, BILLIONS

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Originally Posted by wufwugy

westworld is overhyped and worth watching.

pilot is goat pilot that ever goated. rest of show has...problems...that are sort of unavoidable, yet it's still good. there is room for s2 to fix those problems.

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What kind of "problems"?

I watched S1 and thought it was really good. It was kind of a fun little mindfuck and all the 'mysteries' buttoned up nicely in the end. I thought it was a really satisfying watch. I'm wondering why you think it was flawed?

The flaws are more apparent if you watched it a week at a time. I watched every episode twice while waiting for the next. I can't speak for the wuf, but my main criticism would be that the characters motivations aren't all that clear. Why are William and Dolores so crazy for each other? Why do Felix and Silverster help Maeve? Why does everyone enjoy rape so much? In the big picture those are little things that might get explained later on. Overall it's a very solid first season.

Those are it. Character motivations are overly confusing and often don't make sense.

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Originally Posted by wufwugy

Those are it. Character motivations are overly confusing and often don't make sense.

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Interesting. In the beginning I was expecting a sort of Jurassic Park. Nothing too deep. Just park full of robots go haywire and humans have to fight their way out. About halfway through I realized I was watching something else entirely. So I went back and re-watched the first five episodes. After that I felt I could follow things pretty easily.

I'll somewhat agree in regards to Felix, but I have a theory on that.

Spoiler: Show

Maeve was actually programmed to escape. I doubt whoever did that counted on Felix risking his job. My guess is Felix is a host too, and will be prominently featured in Samurai World

The only one who's motivations seemed dubious was Ford, but I think that was done on purpose, as part of the mind-fuck

Theory on why the people, particularly a main character or two, are presented as psycho rapist killers

Spoiler: Show

All the mean stuff Ed Harris has done to Dolores is probably him trying to "wake her up" or something. We'll learn more about how he's actually a good guy and why he thinks bad things need to be done.

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Originally Posted by wufwugy

Theory on why the people, particularly a main character or two, are presented as psycho rapist killers

Spoiler: Show

All the mean stuff Ed Harris has done to Dolores is probably him trying to "wake her up" or something. We'll learn more about how he's actually a good guy and why he thinks bad things need to be done.

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This is gonna get confusing if we keep using spoiler handles, so whoever is trying to avoid westworld spoilers, stop reading NOW.

I don't think Ed Harris is going to be in the second season. I think he's dead. And we never really saw him do anything too terrible to Dolores. And if he did, it was out of anger. Not to 'wake her up'. He got pissed on his second trip to the park and saw Dolores in her 'loop' with another dude. That's when he realized it was all fake, went berserk, and went on a 30 year mission looking for something 'real'.

They made it seem like his motivation was long lost love for Dolores, but he was really just looking for a game with 'real stakes'. Clementine's shotgun gave him his wish.

Freaks and geeks is over. My life feels a little more empty than it did before.

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Originally Posted by rong

Freaks and geeks is over. My life feels a little more empty than it did before.

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Thought you'd died. Loved that when I watched it around the time I was 17ish. Glad to hear it actually holds up, may watch it again as it's on netflix.

edit - Apparently I made basically this exact post last time. You took a long time to watch that.

Yeah shit got in the way. Kinda split the season in to two parts with a few months in between. I think it may be my favourite series ever. Acting is great, so many amazing characters, really nails being a teenager. I felt a genuine melancholy when it finished.

I have been back here several times over the last few months, but I pop in to the politics threads, read wuf's posts and close the tab in a fit of rage.

Has anyone seen Love season one or two (out earlier this month)? Thoughts on it?

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Originally Posted by Savy

Has anyone seen Love season one or two (out earlier this month)? Thoughts on it?

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I've watched both seasons. I really like it. The writing is great, it's funny, and the two main characters have good chemistry. Apatow clearly makes it a point to have characters that aren't one-dimensional or caricatured in any way -- the complexities of each character feel very authentic. It's refreshing to watch a show where it feels like the writers really understand different psychological types and what makes those people tick. The subtext in the dialogue is excellent (the kinds of things people say that are superficially unrelated to what they're really feeling/thinking).

edit: If you're one of those alfAlpha males that has a hissy fit over watching "beta males" on tv, I would say don't watch it, bc the main male character can be painfully nebbish. :rolleyes: Otherwise this show gets a high recommendation from me.

also, although it's been a year since i watched season 1, i'm fairly confident that season 2 was better.

I've already watched them both, season one when it came out. I remember season one being pretty crap in all honesty but season two seemed to get better as it went on and was quite enjoyable.

Yeah, I'm not sure if i would have given the same response if you asked last year but I just finished the second and was impressed by the writing. It's an easy show to watch, if you're looking for something to relax to in the evenings over dinner.

I love how Homeland wrote this entire season with the assumptions that (1) Hillary would win and (2) Trump/Alex Jones/Limbaugh/Deplorables would act evil in response.

http://i.imgur.com/Iz6gLHV.jpg

Ben Stein is to intellectuals what a Mars Attacks alien in a wig is to women. What's going on with the finger? What a klutz.

Is Homeland any good? I remember I thought the first season was ok, but I have almost no recollection of it. I need something new to watch. All I can contribute to this thread is to say with confidence that The OA is shit.

Weird. I meant to post that in the shitposting thread. Oh well.

Ben Stein sucks, but truth is truth.

Homeland is good, but you have to get over some of how it sucks to like it.

Started watching freaks and geeks on netflix, first watched it years ago, and I can confirm it is awesome. I was slightly worried that I really fancy Linda Cardellini but she's 24 in it so happy days.

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Originally Posted by oskar

Ben Stein is to intellectuals what a Mars Attacks alien in a wig is to women. .

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i lol'ed.

i rewatched Freaks and Geeks last December.. I would do things to Harris Trinsky and I don't feel bad about it. That show is really great. Jason Segal kind of seems like he's laughing at the script while performing it, but it works so well.

has anyone here watched Mozart in the Jungle? I think it's fucking fantastic.

also, new curb your enthusiasm is coming out this year. :)

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Originally Posted by aubreymcfate

also, new curb your enthusiasm is coming out this year. :)

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wut?omg!

Rick and Morty Premier is out, Better Call Saul Season 3 started. GoT continues this summer. What a year to be alive!

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Originally Posted by oskar

Rick and Morty Premier is out

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But the season doesn't start till Summer? :/

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Originally Posted by wufwugy

Homeland is good, but you have to get over some of how it sucks to like it.

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It was too much for me. I just HATED the main character so much. What an annoying cunt.

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Originally Posted by Savy

But the season doesn't start till Summer? :/

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=36qLcMmmtaE

Enjoyed the finale of Line of Duty on the BBC this week. Also watched Prime Suspect 1973, which is a decent enough watch for Brits.

Has anybody else watched 13 Reasons Why on Netflix? It showed a lot of promise, but I'm now 4 episodes in and it seems to have run out of steam.

Fargo season 3 is already 3 episodes in!

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Originally Posted by oskar

Fargo season 3 is already 3 episodes in!

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How has this not been news?

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Originally Posted by The Bean Counter

Has anybody else watched 13 Reasons Why on Netflix? It showed a lot of promise, but I'm now 4 episodes in and it seems to have run out of steam.

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Exactly the same experience. Probably not gonna finish it.

I managed to finish it but yeah, could and should have been half as long.

The Leftovers seems good.

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Originally Posted by BankItDrew

Exactly the same experience. Probably not gonna finish it.

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It does pick up again and was decent enough, but the ending was a bit disappointing. Probably worth finishing, but I wouldn't rush to do it.

The show does do a good job of though is to make me miss being young again.

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Originally Posted by bean

The show does do a good job of though is to make me miss being young again.

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This sentence is so bad I can't really figure out what you intend to say.

^^ Must have changed my mind halfway through typing. I meant that it makes me miss the simplicity of being a teenager whose sole focus is a crush, yet I don't miss being a teen overall.

Is anyone watching Fargo? I can't care about anything in that show. The only relateable character is the police chief. Why is everyone so stupid? What's up with the comic book villain guy? I put off watching last weeks episode until today and I'm not sure if I'll continue. I liked the first two seasons and I normally like this type of stuff but this season isn't doing it for me. There's that scene in the precinct's bathroom where the police woman is taking a shit and then tries to shake the police chiefs hand, continues to loudly talk about her sex life and then leaves having served no purpose to the story... That's this season in a nutshell for me.

^I guess you didn't finish the episode, she comes up again in the end.

Anyway, definitely the weakest season so far, the first 2 were awesome. I guess the biggest reason is none of the characters are relatable, you just don't really care what happens to them.

I guess I zoned out when Ewan McGregor let comic book villain guy invite himself for dinner. McGregor's character makes William H Macy in the original Fargo look like an alpha male jock.
Vince Gilligan writes some over the top bullshit, but he makes it work. The wanna be criminal in Season 1 of Better Call Saul who drives a pimped out Hummer to the meet is not a believable character but he's not sold as one. He's just a plot device and the hummer is a punch line. In Fargo it's the car dealer who drives an H2 as a company vehicle but it's not presented as an obvious joke. It almost seems like the writers are trying to be clever making a car dealer drive the dumbest vehicle money can buy. For me this just breaks the 4th wall with a sledgehammer.

At least BCS is as good as it can possibly be. I don't have anything bad to say about that show, except that I'm going to be really upset about whatever plans the writers have for Kim.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ttk0gc00fiQ

I'm about halfway through the final season of Bloodline.

If every single member of this family doesn't end up dead, or in jail, then this entire show is a crime against television

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Originally Posted by BananaStand

I'm about halfway through the final season of Bloodline.

If every single member of this family doesn't end up dead, or in jail, then this entire show is a crime against television

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I finished it. None of them died

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Originally Posted by BananaStand

I finished it. None of them died

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Why would you spoil a show like that? I don't care because I intend on watching none of it but it's just bad etiquette.

Master Of None season two is really good, got a slight Louie vibe to it but with a younger (more annoying less likeable) generation. I don't really like Aziz but still think it's very good.

This has really made me want to rewatch Louie.

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Originally Posted by Savy

Why would you spoil a show like that? I don't care because I intend on watching none of it but it's just bad etiquette

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Characters remaining alive at the end hardly qualifies as a spoiler.

However, if I'm wrong about that, then I'm still not sorry. If anyone is discouraged from watching this show because of something I did, then I've done my duty.

This entire series is dog shit. Once in a while it would tease you with some compelling dramatic events. Like they would make you think that something is about to happen, and then it never does. It just drags on and on and on for like 40 episodes, and then everyone lives.

You're welcome.

Spoiler: Show

Alternatively you could have just added spoiler tags to your post.

Spoiler: Show

You idiot.

Jesus, you guys have some pretty liberal standards for what counts as a spoiler.

Saving Private Ryan
Mars Attacks
The Empire Strikes Back
Free Willy
Kill Bill
Death of a Salesman

I guess these should all be changed to

Some story about Private Ryan
Beings from Mars do something
The Empire has weighed its retaliation options; results pending
Willy
Bill
and Let's find out of this Salesman is mortal.

How about the Shawshank Redemption? With the word "Redemption" in the title, did you really think that Andy was just gonna hang out with Morgan Freeman for a while and then die?

Don't bother watching any of these movies now. Ruined by spoilers.

Is anyone else watching House of Cards? Season 5 started on Monday.

I just started watching season 5, but fully expect to see Francis Underwood jumping over a shark tank on water-skis any time now.

Not finishing Bloodline now.

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Originally Posted by BankItDrew

Not finishing Bloodline now.

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All because I took one for the team. You're welcome

Netflix's GLOW was good

Downward Dog - I had a little search for Wilfred before posting this which I watched years ago. This is kind of Wilfred but without the weird psychological element that was going on in that. I'd say Wilfred was better but then after reading Wufs comment about it not being that funny I think that is true but ti made me realise this isn't really funny either.

It's decent.

I also read some comments about newsroom, which was on around the same time, I quite enjoyed series one overall but it was really preachy and did become unbearable.

Suits I started watching really late, maybe around the starting point of the 2nd to last series and I dont get how a show that started out being so funny, nice witty dialogue with great characters, especially female characters become such a formulaic awful piece of shit with basically the whole female cast reverted from strong women to repetitive bitchy moaners. The biggest thing that annoyed me however was how well they developed the character of Louis only to bury him into a joke character.

Basically if you ever start watching it now it's really good for a bit, then season 2/3 goes pretty bad (the whole company angle bit) then it picks up for a bit and then it goes downhill.

Has anyone kept up with Adventure time? I was never a fan and the first couple of seasons are fairly meh but wow does that shit become great. I can't think of a better show that takes characters who start off being pretty meh (Ice King) and give them such a well developed back story to the point they become some of the best characters on TV.

It does peak a little around season 4/5 with the whole Lich King angle but that peak is so high it's amazing. Bar a fairly meh start my only real issue with it is there are slightly too many throw away episodes but this is probably only the case because some episodes are so good. And they are only 11 minutes long so not every episode can be gold.

Unfortunately I lost track of it during series 8 but knowing that 9 is the last I should put some effort into catching up.

edit - Apparently me getting drunk and saying how great adventure time is is a thing. Sorry.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h-jfLIssw0E

Tim and Eric's Bedtime Stories is back on!
Mike Tyson Mysteries looks pretty cool:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4yxr0qvrp_g

Billy Bob Thornton was in a new Amazon series last year. Goliath. Looks like it didn't do too great, but a 2nd season is in production anyway.
Only two more episodes to go on Rick and Morty. I desperately need some new shit to get excited about.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-AeANz2ndM8

Ken Burns documentary on The Vietnam War is airing on PBS right now. It's on par with all of Ken's other stuff, which means it's pretty good. It can get kinda long winded and drawn out at times but overall it does a good job of blending history, politics, and personal stories into a narrative that is really compelling.

The one he did on WW2 was better though

Mike Judge back on the TV again! (read in a southern accent)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X2-zL7aLbrI

mike does silicon valley, holmes. it's very goat

Narcos on Netflix is good if you're into gratuitous violence and T&A against a backdrop of almost historical events.

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Originally Posted by MadMojoMonkey

Narcos on Netflix is good if you're into gratuitous violence and T&A against a backdrop of almost historical events.

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I thought there was too much drama between the DEA agent guy and his wife. It was totally unbelievable, and a pretty major distraction. It's not like they had kids and they were struggling to keep their family together. She hated being there, he was a total prick, all she had to do was leave. Instead, I think that they want us to feel bad for this woman who is supposedly "trapped", but could really buy a plane ticket and move on with her life at any time.

The final scene of season one was so far fetched and cheesy, that it ruined any interest I had in the show.

It's no reason to stick with the show if you didn't like it, but FWIW the wife does pick up and leave in the 2nd season.

I don't really remember that being such a big part of the show. I gave up during season two as my time to watch tv whilst doing nothing diminished so anything with subtitles went out of the window. I mostly enjoyed it though.

Rick & Morty season 3 was pretty great.

South parks new season is pretty good. Has Tweak going crazy over trumps tweets

Anyone watching MINDHUNTER?

"mike does silicon valley, holmes. it's very goat "
Marathoned the first season yesterday. That season alone contains enough movie pitches to keep Adam Sandler working for another hundred years. I love that something as simple as 'Jared is late' gets blown out into an epic adventure that gets about 45 seconds screentime. Every other show would have milked an idea like that for an entire season. And there's a couple dozen more of those. Tore my heart out that Christopher Evan Welch, the guy that played Peter Gregory died before the second season. That was such a great character. He had a small part in Synecdoche which I would say is my favorite movie if I had to pick one. There are some amazing character actors floating about hollywood.
Tales from the Tour Bus - is really a traditional interview centric documentary animated by Mike Judge. The editing and animation is outstanding. If I had one criticism I feel like the first episode should have been the last, and I'm pretty sure it was a studio decision to put it first. Watch the first one last.

Confession Tapes on Netflix is a must see imo. Watch people get tricked or buckle under the pressure and confess to horrible crimes they didn't commit, then get convicted with no other evidence. Juries are fucking retarded imo.