Sunday Off-Topic: Favorite TV Shows
by John Sickels on Jan 24, 2010 12:54 PM EST
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PrintThis popped into my mind last night as a good off-topic post where people can share something non-baseball related about each other, but hopefully not get into something controversial.
What are your favorite non-baseball TV shows of all time?
Looking at my own list (below), almost all of them are things I loved in my childhood and had some sort of impact on the kind of person I became.
1) Star Trek: The Original Series, the adventures of USS Enterprise NCC-1701, no bloody A, B, C or D. Some of my earliest memories are watching this show in afternoon reruns after preschool. It definitely had an impact on the person I became, not just making me into a geek, but impacting my ethical, political, and social development as well. Kirk was an early hero (along with others below), but as I got into adolescence and my sense of alienation from the rest of society grew, I identified more and more with Spock.
2) Beavis and Butt-head: It was crude and rude at first, but by the middle of the series Mike Judge and his writers found a terrific balance between toilet humor, Three Stooges slapstick, and relatively sophisticated social satire. It was brilliant and incredibly funny and, for me at least, it never gets old. Hehehehhhehehhehhehehehe.
3) Hogan's Heroes: Another show that was often misunderstood. As with Star Trek, I watched this every day in reruns as a kid. Colonel Hogan was sort of a funnier version of Captain Kirk, always finding a way to outsmart the opposition, charismatic and intelligent but with touches of humanity. I've been watching the show again in reruns the last couple of months, and am now finding all kinds of touches that went over my head as a kid. The writers put all kinds of accurate or semi-accurate historical references into the scripts that i didn't understand then, but understand now. Example: a throwaway line in one episode about Sergeant Schultz being a Social Democrat, not a Nazi...that goes a long way towards explaining why Hans always looked the other way and "knew nothing, saw nothing" about what the prisoners were doing. This is the only 1960s sitcom that I find remotely watchable nowadays.
4) The CBS Evening News with Walter Cronkite: When I was a little kid, I would demand to sit in front of the TV and eat dinner while watching the evening news. And it HAD to be the CBS Evening News! I credit Cronkite with instilling in me a strong interest in current affairs, politics, and history.
5) Gunsmoke: I haven't watched this in 25 years....but I remember that watching Gunsmoke was a weekly ritual in my house, and that Matt Dillon was the fourth member of the "strong male TV presence" that impacted my young mind along with Kirk, Hogan, and Cronkite. TV Land has been showing Gunsmoke and I think I may start picking up the show again to see how it holds up.
6) The Mary Tyler Moore Show: In retrospect, Mary Richards was my first crush. This was another show we never missed in our family. This show, along with MASH and WKRP in Cincinnati are the only 70s sitcoms that I remember fondly.
7) M*A*S*H: I guess I just liked the military-themed sitcoms, and interestingly many of the people who worked on Hogan's Heroes later worked on MASH. The show was a sex-themed farce at first, found a great balance between humor and social relevance in the middle, then got way too preachy towards the end. It went on a few years too long, but it was a terrific show. I guess that Hawkeye Pierce was another hero. Pierce, Kirk, Hogan, Dillon, Cronkite...the television heroes of my youth apparently.
8) Star Trek: Deep Space Nine: Sisko kicked ass. Simply a great series, much better than The Next Generation.
9) Battlestar Galactica: the reboot, not the original, which had a few good moments but was cheesy even by 70s standards. The reboot probably took the "gritty" and "dark" to excessive lengths at times, but overall this was a show that I never missed.
10) The Daily Show with Jon Stewart: The only program currently on TV that I make a point of watching.
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Favorite TV Show
Right now is Pawn Stars on History. It’s a blend of american history, treasure hunting, and humor. Love it…
This
great show
How do I tell my kid brother about Desmond Jennings? (he loves the Rays)
"He's a cross between Carl Crawford and Justin Upton with B.J. Upton's upside"
by SteveHoffmanSlowey on Jan 25, 2010 12:39 AM EST up reply actions
I can't wait until it finally ends and everyone realizes how little sense its been doomed to make for the last few seasons
That said, I’ve seen every episode and will watch every episode of the new season. Its like crack. Part of me can’t stand it, but I can’t stop watching either.
"All energy flows according to the whims of the great magnet
What a fool I was to defy him"
-HST
by Mark Himmelstein on Jan 24, 2010 1:31 PM EST up reply actions
A friend of mine has told me to NOT watch Lost because he doesn't want me to suffer like him and other Lost fans
www.zekeishungry.com
by thejd44 on Jan 24, 2010 1:47 PM EST up reply actions
I'd second that advice
At least wait until it ends. I really expect the worst. Its going to be like Star Wars Episode One bad, except there isn’t even much of a chance it makes more sense than that. If it finishes and there are still hoardes of “Losties” attending conventions every year, then maybe I’d say give it a chance, if only for its relevance to contemporary pop culture. I strongly expect to fizzle out in short order though, if it hasn’t already (hint: it kind of has).
"All energy flows according to the whims of the great magnet
What a fool I was to defy him"
-HST
by Mark Himmelstein on Jan 24, 2010 1:54 PM EST up reply actions
?
I, obviously disagree. Regardless of how they wrap up the show, the concept/characters and first 3 season are so amazing that it is worth watching simply for that.
I thought the second season was pretty awful, it added nothing to anything except a bunch of useless characters that wind up getting killed off anyway
The only episodes that really mattered were the first and last. The first and third seasons were pretty great, but part of it was the tension of the build-up to something bigger. Problem is, it just turned out to be way over-complicated and lacking in the actual “deep” allegorical content that the show constantly hints at.
"All energy flows according to the whims of the great magnet
What a fool I was to defy him"
-HST
by Mark Himmelstein on Jan 24, 2010 2:01 PM EST up reply actions
From what I've been told
It’s as if they write the show on napkins 10 minutes before shooting the next episode without any real direction or plan.
www.zekeishungry.com
by thejd44 on Jan 24, 2010 2:08 PM EST up reply actions
I thought a friend of mind described it pretty , or at least part of it
Its just kind of a mish-mash of different philosophies and symbols from a huge array of different cultures. The problem is it isn’t really cohesive or consistent in anyway, its just referential. So anyone who watches it is bound to get at least some of the obscure references it makes, and since they’re generally towards something smart and interesting, it makes people feel smart and interested. But in the end, they really just kind of seem arbitrary and not really necessary to anything the show is trying to do or say.
"All energy flows according to the whims of the great magnet
What a fool I was to defy him"
-HST
by Mark Himmelstein on Jan 24, 2010 2:19 PM EST up reply actions
Oooh, but I love shows that reference obscure things!
Maybe I’ll have to watch it after all.
www.zekeishungry.com
by thejd44 on Jan 24, 2010 2:40 PM EST up reply actions
Yup, that's pretty much it.
I’ve seen every season except for the most recent one. I wanted to catch up before the new season starts, but every time I watch it now, I can’t stop laughing. The show takes itself way too seriously. It really hasn’t been the same since Charlie left.
"In fact, it is pretty widely acknowledged that people who don’t are up to 50% less intelligent than those who do." Chilango, in "the God thread"
by LongLiveLangerhans on Jan 24, 2010 4:28 PM EST up reply actions
Lost
Having three kids, I don’t get to watch prime time often. A friend loaned me Lost seasons 1 & 2 and I finished both in less than a month. It’s totally a soap opera for men, I can barely watch one episode without squeezing in one or two more. At least my workouts in the basement last longer.
"Ninety percent I'll spend on good times, women and Irish Whiskey. The other ten percent I'll probably waste."
The Wire
Watching the Wire has made it really hard for me to watch any other current TV. I’m kinda into Dexter now, but it’s nowhere near as good as the Wire. The characters, the narrative, the honesty- love it.
by philadelphiacub on Jan 24, 2010 1:33 PM EST reply actions
+1
On both Dexter and The Wire
Others:
It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia
Seinfeld
Curb Your Enthusiasm
The Office (UK)
Arrested Development
Dollhouse
Rome
Arrested Development is my favorite show ever.
Its been said a million times before, but they really shouldn’t have cancelled it.
What you fail to understand in your joyless myopia is that baseball is the key to life-- the Rosetta Stone, if you will. If you just understood baseball better all your other questions your, your... the, uh... the aliens, the conspiracies they would all, in their way be answered by the baseball gods.
yeah
Yeah, Arrested Development was great.
by John Sickels on Jan 24, 2010 1:42 PM EST up reply actions
Mine too
I’m really praying for the movie, apparently they might let Ron Howard write it or direct it or something. Its amazing how such an unsuccessful show has generated such a huge following, not to mention created so many careers (Jason Bateman, Will Arnet, and of course, Michael Cera)
"All energy flows according to the whims of the great magnet
What a fool I was to defy him"
-HST
by Mark Himmelstein on Jan 24, 2010 2:23 PM EST up reply actions
I thought Dollhouse was pretty bad in its first season and most of the second
But the last eight episodes or so, since its return in December, has been as good as anything on television right now.
"Three home teams advance, and the fuckin' Jets" - Rex Ryan
Agreed
There were flashes during the first season and a half, but it has been phenomenal since the cancellation was announced.
The guy who plays Victor better get some work after this
He is a great actor. He did a spot on Topher, the voice the mannerisms were perfect.
"Three home teams advance, and the fuckin' Jets" - Rex Ryan
+1
Can’t wait for Treme, Simon’s new project.
Definitely
I’ll watch anything that man has a part in creating
"Three home teams advance, and the fuckin' Jets" - Rex Ryan
+1
I’ve only seen the first 2 seasons, and that’s only because I just started watching two weeks ago. And it’s already the best show I’ve ever seen.
Also, I noticed that just about everyone who included it on their list, happened to put it at the top of their list.
It’s incredible.
+1
This is far and away the best TV show I’ve ever watched. Like Valley, I’ve only made it through two seasons thus far, but I honestly find it difficult to watch any sort of TV shows after experiencing the unbelievable realism, strength of characters, and gravity of the story.
The best description I’ve heard is that “nothing really happens.” But everything happens. A total mind trip, and impossible to watch without thinking about how the world works and revisiting favorite scenes.
As an illustration of how good it is, it has caused me to post on this blog for the first time after lurking for over two years. Go figure, my first comment isn’t even baseball-related.
by muybienbien on Jan 25, 2010 12:58 AM EST up reply actions
Season Four is by far the best in my opinion
As spectacular as one, two, three and five are, season four is on another level itself.
"Three home teams advance, and the fuckin' Jets" - Rex Ryan
B5?
Curious to know what you thought of this show. It would seem to be right up your alley.
Addendum
I mention it because Babylon 5 had this bizarre “rivalry” with Deep Space 9. Both were fine but different shows and I never understood the conflict. In the age of video, watch both!
j michael straczynski basically contended that paramount took ideas from his show and made deep space nine with it. When JMS was pitching his ideas for B5 to the networks, he was giving them his show bible and scripts that he had done. After declining his project, paramount came out with deep space nine at the same time that B5 was starting to be produced.
here is a list of similarities between some of the setting and backstory elements between the two shows and there are quite a few, especially in the early seasons (SPOILER ALERT for those who haven’t watched both shows in their entirety):
http://tgm.firstones.com/wiki/Similarities_between_Babylon_5_and_Star_Trek:_Deep_Space_Nine
While it sure looks like paramount ripped off many of JMS’s ideas and setting ideas and put it into the trek universe, being a fan of both shows, I think that the two shows branched off and eventually got to the point where they became two distinct pieces of good sci-fi.
B5
I never really watched it. The episodes I saw I thought were very good, but I didn’t see much until the middle of the arc so it was hard to catch up.
by John Sickels on Jan 24, 2010 1:41 PM EST up reply actions
Yeah
the first 2 whole seasons are basically setup for the main arc of the series, which doesn’t really get going until about halfway through season 3. but it is awesome from there on out and doesn’t let up until the end of season 4.
I wonder how much overlap there'll be in these lists?
In no particular order other than when they popped into my head…
Black Sheep Squadron (Cheesy, but the first show that was MY program)
Battlestar Galactica (Both versions… the Moore version is far superior but the original Boomer was cool. That and the original created new swear words that I could use and not get in trouble for.)
WKRP (Original… Dr. Johnny Fever!)
Star Trek: DS-9
West Wing
Farscape
Quantum Leap
Buffy
Castle (I didn’t get to watch Moonlighting so I don’t care if Castle is a rip-off)
Life
MacGyver (Which led to me watching…)
Stargate
Mythbusters
The monster at the end of this blog.
Shows I watched my Dad
Fond memories: Black Sheep Squadron, Hogan’s Heros, CBS Saturday killer lineup (All in the Family, Bob Newhart, Mary Tyler Moore, Carol Burnett).
by slacker george on Jan 24, 2010 1:37 PM EST up reply actions
Finale of Quantum Leap
Had me bawling. What a perfect ending.
by slacker george on Jan 24, 2010 1:42 PM EST up reply actions
+1
there was a brief time around 1995 or ‘96 when the USA network trotted out a murders row on weekday mornings: Parker Lewis Can’t Lose, M*A*S*H, Quantum Leap, Magnum PI. Skipped class to watch the finale, again.
The episode that he leaps back into at the end, to tell Al’s wife that he’s still alive in ‘nam, the one time that he had a chance to help someone and didn’t, was originally the very first episode I ever saw, so really hit home with me.
My list:
Quantum Leap
The Wire (amazing acting. Omar, Prez, Bunk, Prop Joe, The Greek, Bubbles. And the guy playing Avon should be playing Cassius in Julius Cesar somewhere.)
Hogan’s Heroes (my first favorite show)
Dobie Gillis
Parker Lewis Can’t Lose
Ultraman
Starblazers
Daily Show
Muppet Show (sublime)
West Wing
Carroll Burnett
Connections (BBC show with James Burke showing the links of discovery from invention to invention, the chain of change upon which or modern lives are built)
"Ryan Church is not a star, but I wouldn’t trade minor-league shortstop David Church for Francoeur either and he’s a player I just made up."
-Dan Szymborski, Baseball Think Factory
Favorites
If I had to go top 10:
1. King of the Hill – the Edgar Martinez of television shows: often overlooked, unfairly compared to more celebrated contemporaries (Simpsons, South Park, Family Guy), consistently exceptional and ended its run before it had a chance to embarrass itself (albeit because Fox foolishly canceled it).
2. Good Eats
3. Twilight Zone – It’s amazing how well this show still holds up.
4. Top Gear
5. House
5. NCIS – I blame my wife for getting me hooked on this show.
6. M*A*S*H
7.Squidbillies
8. Eureka
9. Destination Truth/Ghost Hunters
10. That Mitchell and Webb Look
King of the Hill
King of The Hill was a great show too.
by John Sickels on Jan 24, 2010 1:42 PM EST up reply actions
I forgot NCIS on my list of Honorable Mentions
I’m a Pauley Perrette fan.
www.zekeishungry.com
by thejd44 on Jan 24, 2010 2:07 PM EST up reply actions
She gets on my nerves at times
Though I think that has more to do with the way Abby is written than with Perrette herself.
Cote de Pablo, on the other hand, is very easy on the eyes.
I'm not so big on her looks.
No problem with the character or the actress or anything, but she doesn’t do anything for me.
www.zekeishungry.com
by thejd44 on Jan 24, 2010 2:39 PM EST up reply actions
Great Off-Topic Topic!
1. Monty Pythons Flying Circus – The IFC multi-part documentary is well worth Netflixing. Most stunning revelation: had Terry Jones not bought the tapes himself, BBC was close to recycling (taping over) the tapes of the entire series, which was part of their normal cost-cutting at the time. Can’t imagine how comedy would be different had Jones not saved the tapes.
2. Homicide: Life on the Streets – Andre Braugher, Melissa Leo, and Yaphet Kotto with the best writing in televison, at least in the early-to-mid years. Good to see Braugher back in another high-quality show “Men of a Certain Age.”
3 Second City Television – both in it’s 30-minute import version, then the later longer show (on NBC?). The perfect show for a college kid.
4. The Larry Sanders Show – Larry Sanders, Jeffrey Tambor and Rip Torn work together to comic perfection. Best narcissistic line of all time: “Does this hat make my ass look fat?”
5. The Office (British Version) – I haven’t watched the U.S. version, as I can’t picture anyone but Ricky Gervais in the lead role and I can’t look at Ricky Gervais in anything else without thinking of David Brent.
6. Rocky and Bullwinkle, Mr. Peabody and Sherman, Fractured Fairy Tales – Oh, adult satire for kids. My Saturday morning diet.
7. Seinfeld – Easily my biggest water cooler show, because the ratings were huge and the quality was high. My family loved it too, so it was the go-to topic changer for awkward pauses at holiday time.
8. Lost – At times, the best television ever (my favorite episode of any show ever is “Through the Looking Glass”, the season-3 finale). At other times, I wonder what the heck were the writers thinking.
Other shows that struggled to maintain consistent high-quality but had their moments: St. Elsewhere, Twin Peaks, WKRP in Cincinnati, Hill Street Blues, Mystery Science Theatre 3000.
Jack Frost is my favorite episode
The movie is awesomely bad itself but the comments just push it over the top.
+1
Damn, how could I leave off Flying Circus, and Kids In The Hall? The two shows, along with Quantum Leap, that I would actually plan around in Jr High and High School?
And Dr. Who.
I was more on the Superchicken and Aesop’s Fables side than Rocky & Bullwinkle.
"Ryan Church is not a star, but I wouldn’t trade minor-league shortstop David Church for Francoeur either and he’s a player I just made up."
-Dan Szymborski, Baseball Think Factory
The Tick, and Pinky & the Brain
Come, Arthur
"Ryan Church is not a star, but I wouldn’t trade minor-league shortstop David Church for Francoeur either and he’s a player I just made up."
-Dan Szymborski, Baseball Think Factory
black sheep
Oh, I forgot about Black Sheep Squadron. that was great too.
We are poor little lambs
Who have lost our way
baa baa baa
Wow, that is really out of the archives
What are you, like 50?
"Ninety percent I'll spend on good times, women and Irish Whiskey. The other ten percent I'll probably waste."
OK I got one for you
I don’t remember anything about it but I really remember loving Rat Patrol.
"Ninety percent I'll spend on good times, women and Irish Whiskey. The other ten percent I'll probably waste."
Saturday afternoon reruns
Christopher George, husband of 70’s babe Linda Day George.
by slacker george on Jan 24, 2010 2:53 PM EST up reply actions
Black Sheep....Papi Boyington was the man!
Ha…coolest show ever for a young boy!
shows
with the book crunch I haven’t had time to watch anything other than a couple of History Channell documentaries I DVRd. I forgot to record the pilot of Caprica, but I do hope to catch up.
by John Sickels on Jan 24, 2010 1:46 PM EST up reply actions
It was really good
I saw the pilot on DVD last year and liked it quite a bit, but I thought it was excellent after watching it a second time on Friday.
"Three home teams advance, and the fuckin' Jets" - Rex Ryan
Favorite shows
1. Arrested Development – Greatest cult sitcom of all time. Supposedly there’s a movie in the works. I’m stoked.
2. Mr. Show – Greatest cult sketch comedy of all time. David Cross is hilarious in either setting.
3. Its Always Sunny in Philadelphia – I don’t know why, but I love comedies where the main characters are all terrible people (see Arrested Development). Plus there’s some good occasional baseball humor. The writers are also supposedly working on a Space Sci-Fi dramedy spoof that looks absolutely hilarious called “Boldly Going Nowhere”. If you google around you can find the leaked screenplay for the pilot episode that was shot. Its brilliant, so of course Fox turned it down and made them rewrite it from scratch.
4. The League – Debuted after Its Always Sunny this year, similar type of humor, except its about fantasy football instead of a bunch of douchey bar owners. They only did like five or six episodes but there’s some real potential here
5. The Office (US) – It took me a while to get into because the humor feels so spread out, but when they nail a joke its freakin hilarious. Dwight is one of the greatest TV characters in recent history.
6. True Blood – I’m not sure if I enjoy this show for the reasons intended, but seriously, vampire soap opera on HBO where they can show graphic sex scenes is a brilliant idea. The acting and writing flip back and forth between atrociously hilarious and somehow kind of genius. Its a guilty pleasure.
7. Lost – In a way an even guiltier pleasure than True Blood, because there’s a part of me that genuinely despises this show. Its content is the definition of “psuedo-philosophical,” but a lot of the characters are really genuinely awesome and make the show infinitely more watchable than it would be if they were just mediocre (except Locke, whose just obnoxious and allows me to begin my tangential digression on the writing: who the hell names a significant percentage of their shows characters after philosophers and intellectuals? John Locke, Desmond “David” Hume, can’t you be a little bit more creative in that process? I half expect the next season to introduce Manny Kant and Ronnie “Rene” Descartes. Not to mention the main character’s name, “Jack Shepard”. Its like naming a main character “John Everyman,” It just smacks of lazy writing. Love Hurley and Desmond though).
"All energy flows according to the whims of the great magnet
What a fool I was to defy him"
-HST
by Mark Himmelstein on Jan 24, 2010 1:50 PM EST reply actions
Oh one more so I don't come off as anti-British comedy for liking the US Office but not the British one
8. The IT Crowd – Really funny show about two computer geeks and an attractive/neurotic woman that gets dumped into their department. Every time one of the guys answers the phone at work he gots “IT, have you tried turning it off and on again?”
"All energy flows according to the whims of the great magnet
What a fool I was to defy him"
-HST
by Mark Himmelstein on Jan 24, 2010 1:58 PM EST up reply actions
Yeah, gotta watch out for this Pro-British PC Whistle Blowers
You’re name has 2k9 in it — what are you some 8 year-old who makes Pillsbury Doughboy cookies and jerks off to that bullshit video game with Tim Lincecum on the cover--
Frederick0220
Ha, touche
Really just wanted a lame excuse to list a show I liked that I’d left off and that I was pretty sure no one else was going to mention, lol.
"All energy flows according to the whims of the great magnet
What a fool I was to defy him"
-HST
by Mark Himmelstein on Jan 24, 2010 2:32 PM EST up reply actions
Eh, don't worry about being anti-British comedy
With the exception of some Monty Python stuff, I can’t STAND British comedy (and I feel it just might be the biggest oxymoron in the history of mankind). One of these days I hope to figure out why Ricky Gervais is allowed to be famous. (Also, Russell Brand… put him on a rocket and fire it into the sun. Please.)
www.zekeishungry.com
by thejd44 on Jan 24, 2010 2:38 PM EST up reply actions
you shut your mouth
ricky gervais is a god and this is blasphemy :-(
by RedSoxFaithful on Jan 24, 2010 7:28 PM EST up reply actions
The League was hilareous, and completely underrated. I loved it, and hope it comes back.
Sometimes the impossible can become possible if you're AWESOME!
by ZeroIndulgence on Jan 24, 2010 8:16 PM EST up reply actions
Yeah True Blood is fantastic, I should have put it on my list below.
"Three home teams advance, and the fuckin' Jets" - Rex Ryan
a lot of good shows listed already but...
Am I the only one that thinks the Wonder Years was amazing?
Best show ever
'Waiting for a girl and she gets me into fights
Waiting for a girl we get drunk on Friday night'
Favorites
1) West Wing – Best dialogue television has ever seen. The first four years are TV at its best.
2) Big Bang Theory – Sheldon is my all time favorite TV character
3) The early years of the original CSI – it has sparked an entire genre of TV shows that are some of the most watched on TV.
4) Gilmore Girls – This one is embarassing, but it has amazing dialogue and hilarious auxiliary characters. Plus I always had a thing for Alexis Bledel
5) Ed – A kookie Drama/Comedy that I loved. Can’t figure out why it is not out on DVD yet.
Big Bang Theory
I’ve only watched ten minutes or so of this show, and only that long because I’ve heard people say they like it. I have to ask: What about this show draws people? It seemed like an episode of 2 1/2 men, but with the obnoxious laugh track on double speed.
I think it is one of the shows you need to watch from the beginning...
I would say also it appeals to those that have worked in college and/or grad school in a science. I have/do know guys like that. But mainly I think Sheldon has been an incredibly well developed character.
It's funny that you say that...
because I know more late 20s/early 30s graduate-level scientists than (I’d guess) 99% of their audience. Maybe if I watched it enough to get to know the characters it’d be different. I just couldn’t get past the constant laugh track for jokes that didn’t make me crack a smile.
You need to watch the episode...
“The Bath Item Gift Hypothesis”
The last 5 minutes is pure comedic genius.
Dude, Why are you ashamed of liking Gilmore Girls? It was an awesome show. Plus, co-star Scott Patterson is a former minor-league pitcher, by virtue of which the show should be endorsed by this website as one of the all-time greats.
Then under the Patterson Principle
Everyone should go listen to Pulley. Especially Indians fans.
"That is like saying my ‘upside’ is Brad Pitts face, with Einstein’s brain, and Ron Jeremy’s unit. It is nice to dream, but that ceiling isn’t going to happen." (King Billy Royal)
The West Wing was pretty awesome. The first few years were just amazing. After Sorkin left, it lost its way a bit, but the end of the series with all the election stuff is still some of the more interesting TV I’ve ever watched.
Sometimes the impossible can become possible if you're AWESOME!
by ZeroIndulgence on Jan 24, 2010 8:17 PM EST up reply actions
I'm not sure I can do these in a particular order
But:
1. The Wire
1a. The West Wing (which one I like more changes depending on the mood I’m in at the time)
A lot of empty space between those 2 and whatever is next.
These aren’t in a particular order:
Dexter - I think the show has potential to keep getting better. They’re doing some interesting things with his character (and, thankfully, they didn’t go the supernatural direction of the books).
Dead Like Me - A show that deserved much more than the two seasons it got. Underrated gem.
Deadwood - It’s Motherf***ing Shakespeare, Wu. I want to rewatch these. Another series that didn’t get its full run.
24 - I know it hasn’t been really good for about 4 years now. Yes, I watch with friends and predict what’s going to happen next. But I still need Jack Bauer in my life.
NYPD Blue – The first serious cop show that really stretched the limits on “Cops are the good guys” and did what Law and Order never really did: It showed us the cops as people. Still going through the whole series, and I love it (plus, the Bobby Simone death is one of the most emotional scenes in a TV show. Ever.).
The Shield – A cop show that took what NYPD Blue did and expanded on it tenfold. I’m not sure Vic even qualifies as an anti-hero, because one could argue he’s worse than a lot of the bad guys he puts away. The only thing that keeps it from being The Wire is that it’s still a cop show (whereas The Wire transcends genre).
The Daily Show with Jon Stewart - The only show on my list that isn’t a fictional show. There’s nothing better for news commentary; for those who think he’s just a bleeding heart who rips on Bush, you’re wrong. He’ll go after anybody who he thinks deserves it, including a pretty scathing bit on Olbermann last week.
The Sopranos - Here’s my problem with The Sopranos: There’s probably a season and a half worth of episodes that could be removed and the series wouldn’t be any worse. It might be better. There was just too much fluff for me later on. I might be the only guy who understood and liked the ending of the series though. It was brilliant storytelling.
South Park – The Simpsons got old for me after 9-10 years. Family Guy got old after 10 minutes. South Park, 13 years later, is still a must-watch show. They’re not all great anymore, but it’s still worth the time.
It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia – I’m not sure anything makes me laugh so hard.
Honorable mentions to: Prison Break, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Supernatural, X-Files, Criminal Minds, Quantum Leap, Weeds, Seinfeld.
I watch a lot of TV.
www.zekeishungry.com
by thejd44 on Jan 24, 2010 2:06 PM EST reply actions
I've heard good things about Dexter
Keep meaning to check it out
"All energy flows according to the whims of the great magnet
What a fool I was to defy him"
-HST
by Mark Himmelstein on Jan 24, 2010 2:19 PM EST up reply actions
I can't believe I forgot Psych!
I have no idea how I omitted a show that is so constantly funny and good. Great writing, great acting (is there a more underrated actor of this generation than Dule Hill?).
If you’ve never seen Psych, it’s kinda like The Mentalist, except it’s good and it came first and CBS is a piece of crap that stole the EXACT premise and made it worse (and yet it gets like 11 million viewers each week).
www.zekeishungry.com
by thejd44 on Jan 24, 2010 2:34 PM EST up reply actions
Psych
There’s not a show on TV that I just enjoy watching more. It’s just plain fun, in every way.
This.
Is it the BEST show ever? No. There’s not a ton of depth like with The Wire. It is what it is, but it’s some quality comedy (and for those put off by It’s Always Sunny-type humor, Psych is far goofier and light-hearted).
I’m not ashamed to admit that Psych is probably my biggest non-comic strip inspiration for my webcomic.
www.zekeishungry.com
by thejd44 on Jan 25, 2010 2:11 AM EST up reply actions
I used to watch Psych and still do if nothing is on
And thought the same exact thing in relation to the Menatlist. It’s like Psych if you took out everything that makes Psych good.
"Three home teams advance, and the fuckin' Jets" - Rex Ryan
Dexter
Is absolutely my number 1.
Seinfeld, Six Feet Under, and Curb Your Enthusiasm among my favorites of all time.
Currently I am into Lost, Lie to Me, Heroes and Fringe.
Netflix and DVR have allowed me to watch too much television again.
I watched the first episode of Six Feet Under and couldn't get into the characters
One day I plan to give it another try.
www.zekeishungry.com
by thejd44 on Jan 24, 2010 2:09 PM EST up reply actions
You really should...
There’s been a couple shows that I didn’t get into the on the initial attempt (Lost being one of them, even after 8 episodes, then a year later I tried again).
There is some great acting in there as well. It’s one show that I really enjoyed from the first season to the last with very few times of disappointment.
Curb
Some people seemed actually bothered by Larry David. I get that.
But the show is comedic genius. Its Seinfeld on steroids and laugh out loud funny. I think there is a little bit of Larry David in all of us.
For me, I really do hate the stop-and-chat.
"Ninety percent I'll spend on good times, women and Irish Whiskey. The other ten percent I'll probably waste."
He drives me crazy and is painful for me to watch, so generally I don't
But I won’t deny that he’s brilliant.
"All energy flows according to the whims of the great magnet
What a fool I was to defy him"
-HST
by Mark Himmelstein on Jan 24, 2010 2:43 PM EST up reply actions
+1
Curb Your Enthusiasm really appeals to certain people and is just overly awkward to others. Personally, it’s my favorite comedy out there. The Doll episode is my favorite episode…. Also, I love the season 7 episode that revolves around women giving blowjobs in cars as a running plot device.
in no order
the office (us version)
LOST
Family Guy
2 1/2 men
the sopranos
24
law and order (svu)
csi (miami)
Did you watch the full run?
I’m currently in season 8. I’ve seen a few scattered episodes from the years after that, but for the most part I’m trying to go in order.
www.zekeishungry.com
by thejd44 on Jan 24, 2010 2:36 PM EST up reply actions
Quality didn't drop until...
Mark Paul Gosselaar replaced Ricky Schroder in S9. Ricky Schroder is a terrible actor imo (horrible on 24 yes?), but for some reason he was born to play that role on NYPD Blue. Gosselaar is just a flyweight, and his storylines always sucked, but Sipowicz still did a bull of cool stuff the last four years, and the show was definitely still worth watching then, imo.
by AgitationStation on Jan 24, 2010 7:16 PM EST up reply actions
I'll get to it eventually. I just haven't had the time in recent months.
I know I’m nearing the end of Schroder’s run, and I agree that he plays the role well. In fact, I was a bit put off by the idea of him (plus, he had to follow Smits and that’s a hard thing to do) and really lost interest for the first 5-6 eps he was in. I’m digging it now, but every time a major character leaves I have to adjust to the person who took their place.
www.zekeishungry.com
by thejd44 on Jan 25, 2010 2:13 AM EST up reply actions
Top nine
no particular order
Hill Street Blues
ST Elsewhere
Battlestar Galactica (reboot)
Early SNL (last ten years suck)
Sopranos
24
Rome
Mash
That Was The Week That Was (anyone old enough to remember this one?)
I've always thought
that Arrested Development was insanely overrated. Will Arnett and David Cross are funny, but everything else sort of falls flat for me. And the CONSTANT narration telling you absolutely everything going on in the scene comes off as really condescending. Like, oh, this is on Fox, so the people watching must be too stupid to follow a plot line.
But otherwise;
Futurama
King of the Hill (so smart and subtle and underappreciated)
The Wire
seasons 1-9 or so of the Simpsons
The Venture Brothers (probably the most thematically complex show I know of)
30 Rock
Seinfeld
Breaking Bad
Home Movies
No Reservations
Bored to Death
I mainly stick to to comedy.
Re: Arrested Development
Yeah I hear that. I always kind of thought the premise of the show was essentially to alienate its mainstream audience. Its really unenjoyable until you watch a few episodes in a row and start to get the “inside” jokes. That just makes it more appealing to me in a way though, and the narration really nails some of the best jokes the show has.
"All energy flows according to the whims of the great magnet
What a fool I was to defy him"
-HST
by Mark Himmelstein on Jan 24, 2010 2:34 PM EST up reply actions
Venture Bros
One of my favorite shows on TV. It’s a lot like Arrested Development was because if you jump in on a random episode in Season 3 or something, you’ll have no idea what’s going on, everyone character and situation seems over-the-top weird, and you’ll only find occasional laughs. If you’re familiar with the show though, it gets more outlandishly hilarious every episode.
I thought about putting Venture Bros
I’m still trying to get into it. I really like it in a certain way, but there’s also something about the combination of the dialogue, animation, and endless characters that just triggers my ADD and I have a really hard time paying attention, which is a shame, because when I do I really enjoy it. Also love their Hunter S. Thompson character spoof, that’s really what sold me on going from just watching it occasionally to actively trying to pay attention to it.
"All energy flows according to the whims of the great magnet
What a fool I was to defy him"
-HST
by Mark Himmelstein on Jan 24, 2010 3:18 PM EST up reply actions
Also +1 on Bored to Death
That’s a big one I forgot, really enjoyed that show. Another one that got better and better as the season went along. Ted Danson is absolutely brilliant on that show.
"All energy flows according to the whims of the great magnet
What a fool I was to defy him"
-HST
by Mark Himmelstein on Jan 24, 2010 3:18 PM EST up reply actions
there were only 6 seasons of the sopranos....
am i missing out on the joke?
Fire Everyone
by billybeingbilly on Jan 24, 2010 6:38 PM EST up reply actions
The Simpsons
I’ve never actually watched the Sopranos.
by walnut falcons on Jan 24, 2010 7:32 PM EST up reply actions
I think you missed the point about the narration
It wasn’t to drill the plot into the viewers’ heads, it was to really put emphasis on exactly how absurd the plot was. Plus, like Mark said, some of the best jokes in the show came from the narration. (Example: After GOB and Amy Poehler’s character got married, he kept telling everybody that he had consummated the marriage, to which the narrator kept responding: “He hadn’t.”)
by RedSoxFaithful on Jan 24, 2010 7:33 PM EST up reply actions
Honorable Mention goes to
The L Word …. hot chicks, lesbian sex, pretty good but I’m not sure if it had a plot since I never paid attention!
You just said
What a great deal of people think, but won’t admit.
"That is like saying my ‘upside’ is Brad Pitts face, with Einstein’s brain, and Ron Jeremy’s unit. It is nice to dream, but that ceiling isn’t going to happen." (King Billy Royal)
Top 5 current:
The League – everyone on this site should be watching this.
Modern Family – gay people really make me laugh sometimes
24 – Hasn’t been great in awhile but I still can’t stop watching
Lost – greatness. Can’t wait to see how it ends
The Office – Mkaes me want to own a beet farm.
Top 5 All Time:
Seinfeld – classic
Cheers – Woody rocks
Friends – debuted in my college years and was always a stop down show
South Park – College years again.
Who’s the Boss – That Samantha Misseli is one hot piece of ass.
Woot! +1 on The League!
"All energy flows according to the whims of the great magnet
What a fool I was to defy him"
-HST
by Mark Himmelstein on Jan 24, 2010 2:34 PM EST up reply actions
The League
I was actually unsure what to think after the 1st episode, but I swear every one after that just got more and more hilarious. I have been Shiva blasting people for a month now. No one knows what it means of course, but it makes me laugh and really, that is all I care about.
100% agreed, I was iffy at first, but it just got better and better
Two favorite scenes:
When Antonio Gates gets into the hot tub with Ruxin and Ruxin goes off on him for ruining his fantasy week
When Taco shows up outside Kevin’s window in the Mr. McGibblets costume holding a big kitchen knife so he can “scare” Kevin’s daughter. I almost peed my pants when I saw that.
"All energy flows according to the whims of the great magnet
What a fool I was to defy him"
-HST
by Mark Himmelstein on Jan 24, 2010 2:48 PM EST up reply actions
Ruxin and Taco make the show great.
2 favorite scenes: Toilet phone conversation, and really anything involving Mr. McGibblets.
YES
I’m so glad someone’s out there Shiva-blasting people.
The Shiva blast, the birthday song by Taco, and the constant digs on Andre’s attire— “Why are you dressed like a Russian house DJ?”— should earn this a second season.
Also: Big ups to whoever had Home Movies on their list back there. Es muy magnifico.
"Ryan Church is not a star, but I wouldn’t trade minor-league shortstop David Church for Francoeur either and he’s a player I just made up."
-Dan Szymborski, Baseball Think Factory
I avoided the League
Early on I kept hearing that it was It’s Always Sunny, but without the humor, and with forced football references. Is it really more than a bunch of people swearing at each other about football for a half hour every episode?
by RedSoxFaithful on Jan 24, 2010 7:36 PM EST up reply actions
Yeah it is
The characters are genuinely excellent as far as sitcoms go, and it got sharper as the season went along. Its kind of what Its Always Sunny is for college students but for youngish professional parents, at least in terms of how I view its appeal.
"All energy flows according to the whims of the great magnet
What a fool I was to defy him"
-HST
by Mark Himmelstein on Jan 24, 2010 8:05 PM EST up reply actions
Favorites
24
Lost
Its Always Sunny In Philadelphia
Seinfeld
Arrested Development
The Office
The Sopranos
Family Guy
Some that people haven’t mentioned yet…
The Simpsons – One of the best comedies ever (Even though its been bad for years)
How I Met Your Mother – Great idea for a show and great acting (NPH is awesome)
And yes, I have a little bit of a life because I have a Tivo… Not much of a life though
by mikel1218 on Jan 24, 2010 2:31 PM EST via mobile reply actions
Favorites right now
Fringe
It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia
The Office (though it’s reaching the end)
How I Met Your Mother (also reaching the end, getting too absurd if that’s possible)
Colbert Report (one of the best!)
The Colbert Show has surpassed
The Daily Show for humor, partly because it is so open-ended. The way the Colbert writers weave fact and Colbert fiction together is sublime. I mean, come on, getting things named after a fictional character? A galapogos turtle race? Eagle spotting? An exercise machine on the space station? Comedy genius.
by slacker george on Jan 24, 2010 3:00 PM EST up reply actions
CR v DS
The Colbert Report is a genuine comedy show.
The Daily Show has become a media commentary watchdog, grafted onto a comedy show framework.
"Ryan Church is not a star, but I wouldn’t trade minor-league shortstop David Church for Francoeur either and he’s a player I just made up."
-Dan Szymborski, Baseball Think Factory
Fringe is great when they actually stick to the story.
The standalone episodes are hard to watch, but the three or four episodes having to with the overall plot, basically the ones with Nimoy, are probably my favorite episodes of any show on TV
"Three home teams advance, and the fuckin' Jets" - Rex Ryan
Are you kidding?
The only quiz show ever that actually required intelligence. Definitely belongs on the list.
"Ninety percent I'll spend on good times, women and Irish Whiskey. The other ten percent I'll probably waste."
I wouldn't really say Jeopardy requires "intelligence"
since it is basically regurgitating trivial knowledge. However, it is light years ahead of every other American quiz show.
Mine seems much more comedic than most
Office (US) (as mentioned above Dwight K. Shrute is a legendary character)
Lost (had never seen a show until earlier this month when I got netflix, thus I downloaded the first 5 seasons and me and my fiancee are about midway through season 3 already….so be careful what you say)
King of Queens (who doesn’t like Kevin James?)
Curb Your Enthusiasm(poor Larry David always gets shammed)
Seinfeld (I think I was too young when it was still coming out but I enjoy it nowadays)
Freinds (don’t care too much for it nowadays but when it came out I guess I was the right age)
whoops
- on that list would be Man vs. Wild
by groundingout on Jan 24, 2010 3:04 PM EST up reply actions
Gah!
Survivorman. Man vs. Wild staying on TV while Survivorman got canceled is akin to Neanderthals outliving Homo Sapiens.
Survivorman was a good show.....
but he was just too dull to hang around, he was more like watching an old school cooking show
by groundingout on Jan 24, 2010 3:21 PM EST up reply actions
You're right.
It needed more explosions and car chases.
Twin Peaks
I can’t believe nobody else has mentioned this show. Dale Cooper is one of my favorite characters of all time.
The last post reminded me of another show I watch a bunch of…Man vs. Food.
Also, Jeopardy.
I'm completely on board
with Twin Peaks…my favorite non-comedy show ever. Especially the first season. Started going downhill when David Lynch became less active in the production in the second season and started to get too sci-fi-ish for my liking, but if someone is a fan of X-Files, they should be a fan of this show because this is where X-Files came from…season 2 of Twin Peaks. For those that haven’t seen it, it’s currently running on the Sleuth Channel on Friday nights at 10PM EST.
by Crease Monkey on Jan 24, 2010 3:14 PM EST up reply actions
I have no life and work at Blockbuster currently...
so I watch a lot of TV shows and movies. My favorites right now are:
Dexter – Loved it since episode 1. Season 4 may be the best one they’ve had though. John Lithgow is so underrated.
How I Met Your Mother – I love the show, especially now that the Barney-Robin thing is over.
Big Bang Theory – Funny and psuedo-smart. Sheldon and Howard makes the show.
Burn Notice – Nice mix of episodic and overall stories.
The League – Nothing more to say.
It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia – They had me hooked since the abortion episode in Season 1. Has gone downhill some though.
The Office (Both UK and US versions) – US version has definitely jumped the shark, which is something that can’t happen when you only have 12 episodes like the UK version.
Weeds – Another show that jumped the shark as soon as they left Agrestic. Still has funny moments though.
Modern Family – Hilarious show.
Better Off Ted – All you Arrested Development fans should check this one out. Phil and Lem make the show.
Cougar Town – Almost everything Bill Lawrence does is great, but this is still not as great as Spin City and Scrubs.
Cheers – Maybe my all time favorite sitcom.
MonsterQuest – Mindless, but it helps me sleep at night.
Arrested Development – Loved it the first time I saw it, but the second time I noticed how over-narrated it was.
As for The Wire, I have a hard time saying any show is the greatest of all time since different people have different taste. Me? I am not much into cop dramas. I have seen the first 10 episodes or so of The Wire, and even though I don’t like cop dramas, this show is very, very well done. Not sure if I will finish the series, but it won’t be because I didn’t think it was good.
I know there are more I am forgetting. Oh… I am just starting Season 2 of Flight of the Conchords. Too bad it won’t have a season 3. United States of Tara and Nurse Jackie are decent time fillers too. Showtime does some decent stuff now… except for canceling Dead Like Me. Assholes.
I do watch some mindless shows like Fringe, Castle, The Mentalist, and Chuck, but I only half pay attention to them. The difference between Castle and The Mentalist (and even Life when it was on) and The Wire is that I have to pay full attention to The Wire… I don’t with the other three. They make good background noise.
Adam Dunn: Proof that even sabermetrics doesn't have it right.
no particular order
SNL (1975-1995)
Kids in the Hall
Mad Men
Seinfeld
The Office (UK)
The Office (US)
Phoenix Nights (UK)
Twin Peaks
News Radio
Entourage
Parker Lewis Can’t Lose
hasn’t been around long, but right now I’m also digging the NBC show Community.
Shit!
I can’t believe I forgot to list Entourage. I started that show on a Wednesday with Season 1. But the following Thursday I had watched all five and a half seasons (at the time). Loved it. During Black Friday weekend the Best Buy in the area had a great sale on box sets and I got all six box sets (since Season 3 is in two parts) for only $10 each.
Adam Dunn: Proof that even sabermetrics doesn't have it right.
My top three are probably
The X-Files, House, and Man Men. They stand out in my mind, because I like so many comedies (Arrested, Always Sunny, Seinfeld, Friends, HIMYM, Big Bang) that none of them really stand out for me, they are all awesome. X-Files, House, and Mad Men all got me hooked more than any other Dramas.
What you fail to understand in your joyless myopia is that baseball is the key to life-- the Rosetta Stone, if you will. If you just understood baseball better all your other questions your, your... the, uh... the aliens, the conspiracies they would all, in their way be answered by the baseball gods.
Top 11, in rough order
The Sopranos
The Wire
John From Cincinnati
Seinfeld
Arrested Development
Eastbound & Down
Venture Brothers
TV Funhouse (just like six episodes, but the funniest thing ever)
Space Ghost
Cheers
Eastbound and Down
I cannot believe it took this long for an Eastbound and Down mention. I could quote that show all day. I can’t wait for the second season, gonna be hard to match the first one.
I thought The League started strong, kinda faded after the first couple of episodes. Things seemed kinda forced.
South Park is still my favorite. Nothing is off limits, the Whale Whores episode was the best in years.
The Office (both versions)
It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia.
I agree with How I Met Your Mother, clever writing and good acting.
I never watched King of the Hill until recently, great show.
Seinfeld IMO is the greatest show ever.
something old and something new
-Black Sheep
-Battlestar Galactica (oldschool)
-Sopranos (although a couple of seasons were out there..IE: dream episodes, about the worst ending to a series I have ever seen)
-Heroes (thought it would be a great show for me to watch with my sons….until the opening scene in the 1st episode where a hot blonde is doing webcam porn from her garage!)
- Men of a certain age….only a few episodes into the series, so too early to call it a favorite…. Shows that Ray Romano isnt a one trick poney (everybody loves Raymond)
do loving part of the season of shows count?
no particular order:
Seasons 4-7, Star Trek TNG
Cheers (no Kirstie Allie, thanks!)
Perfect Strangers
Early Editiion
The Simpsons Seasons 1-6
Buffy the Vampire Slayer (Seasons 1-3)
Star Trek: Ds9: season 4-7
Batman: Animated Series
tie between Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations and The A-Team
Mr. Bean
Honorable Mentions goes to:
Xena Warrior Princess,
Twilight Zone (original)
Family Ties,
Bill Cosby (Seasons 1-5, or before the addition of the extra kids)
"Fantasy, reality, science Fiction. Which is which? Who can tell?"
I agree TNG didn't get good until seasons 4-7
However, my personal favorite episode “Yesterday’s Enterprise” is in season 3.
Alright
I got
Two and A Half Men: hilarious. every night at 7pm…
Southpark: I think everyone knows…
Family Guy
a little bit of the Law and Orders
as you can tell, Im young….
by lakersdodgersyankees4life on Jan 24, 2010 3:50 PM EST reply actions
Mine
I used to love King of the Hill. I can still watch re-runs over and over never getting tired of them.
- 24. I’m surprised no one has said this. Maybe it’s just because I like explosions with unnecessary plot twists.
- Fringe. My dad got me hooked on it and with me being an X-Files fan, it just made too much sense.
- The Big Break. Reality sports show with every other season having cute girls. Can’t complain there.
-Anthony Boudain: No Reservations. Really, I just like traveling food shows.
- The Wild Wild West. I fondly remember watching episodes on Saturday morning right before…
- Gilligan’s Island. How has no one said this yet?
There’s a ton more, but those are the ones I like the most right now.
Bourdain
I used to hate his smug, condescending tone, especially towards other celebrity chef-types, since he was a third-rate chef that Bouton-ed his way into celebrity status in the first place. His show has definitely grown on me though. His schtick definitely works better as a host of a television show.
Which reminds me...
(flashes MVF hand signals)
And yes, I did get way too happy when he went to a restaurant in my hometown (a verrrrry recent episode). Although every time I watch him do a challenge, I think “oh, I could do that… wait, no I can’t, I’m built for speed, not endurance”. :/
"That is like saying my ‘upside’ is Brad Pitts face, with Einstein’s brain, and Ron Jeremy’s unit. It is nice to dream, but that ceiling isn’t going to happen." (King Billy Royal)
HBO...
has kind of kicked TV up to the next level, making it hard for mere network tv to compete. My list, in no particular order:
Rome
Curb Your Enthusiasm
The Wire
Deadwood
The West Wing
Arrested Development
And, harkening back to my childhood,
The Wonder Years, and
Star Trek, TNG
a few more Honorable Mentions
how could I forget putting up
Monk,
MacGuyer?
there are a few more but Monk really should be mentioned!
"Fantasy, reality, science Fiction. Which is which? Who can tell?"
forgot about Monk
I originally didnt like the show, but it grew on me as I got older…
by lakersdodgersyankees4life on Jan 24, 2010 4:23 PM EST up reply actions
Clubhouse
Not one of my all-time faves, but wanted to give Clubhouse a shout. It was a short-lived baseball drama from 2004 starring Dean Cain and Christopher Lloyd. The baseball elements of the show were pretty good, and had potential to be a great story. Unfortunately, the sullen tempo and drama — not to mention a threatened lawsuit by the Yankees which put the show’s budget into the red — washed out any interest.
Most people love the UK Office
But what about Extras? I thought that was just as good.
I actually thought it was better.
Stephen Merchant was hilarious as the agent.
"In fact, it is pretty widely acknowledged that people who don’t are up to 50% less intelligent than those who do." Chilango, in "the God thread"
by LongLiveLangerhans on Jan 24, 2010 4:41 PM EST up reply actions
Others have mentioned The Wire, and I’ll agree that it’s phenomenal, or at least the first four seasons are. They clearly think about details that the other people making TV shows just don’t, and it gives the show an unmatched depth.
I’m also extremely fond of Sunrise: Earth on Discovery HD Theater, which seems to have been in some sort of production limbo for quite a while now, though they still show episodes twice a weekday. It’s the nature show equivalent of watching a baseball game without the damned announcers.
I suspect with your SF background you’d really like Eureka. It’s sort of like a version of Star Trek that is aware of its own hilarity.
I like the new BSG. I wish I could say I liked it now as much as I did at the end of Season 2. But I adore Helo so much that I can put up with the complete trainwreck it became.
Other, older shows: DS9, Murder One season 1, MASH, Futurama, The Critic, The Job, Veronica Mars the times they remembered it was an ensemble show. There’s the occasional Simpsons episode that is freaking fantastic (“Last Exit to Springfield” for example) which keeps me watching. I guess The Maxx sort of counts as a TV series, though it didn’t make much sense that way – it’s much better watched as a movie.
I mostly watch sitcoms
Ones that have been said:
The Wire
Futurama
Simpsons
Arrested Development
The Office (US)
Seinfeld
Modern Family
Cheers
South Park
Ones I haven’t seen anyone else mention:
Freaks and Geeks
Wonder Years
Parks and Recreation
Everybody Loves Raymond
The Cosby Show
All in the Family
Married With Children
News Radio
"In fact, it is pretty widely acknowledged that people who don’t are up to 50% less intelligent than those who do." Chilango, in "the God thread"
by LongLiveLangerhans on Jan 24, 2010 4:46 PM EST reply actions
+1
Freaks and Geeks and NewsRadio. Awesome shows that never get their due
Def good call on News Radio
Loved that show
"All energy flows according to the whims of the great magnet
What a fool I was to defy him"
-HST
by Mark Himmelstein on Jan 24, 2010 8:05 PM EST up reply actions
Parks and Rec
is a show that has gotten much better in an incredibly short period of time. It started off sort of funny, but has really found its groove.
It’s now to the point where the Office is only my third favorite show on NBC Thursday night.
by walnut falcons on Jan 24, 2010 7:35 PM EST up reply actions
Oh, I completely agree.
I wrote it off initially as a cheap knockoff of The Office but it really picked up after a few episodes, found its voice, and now it’s one of my favorites (Funny, I can say that exact same sentence about the US version of The Office).
If there was an award for Most Improved Sitcom, it would have to go to Parks and Rec.
"In fact, it is pretty widely acknowledged that people who don’t are up to 50% less intelligent than those who do." Chilango, in "the God thread"
by LongLiveLangerhans on Jan 24, 2010 7:57 PM EST up reply actions
I have heard that before...
I saw the first few episodes of Parks and Rec, but I didn’t care for it much. It seemed like Amy Poehler was just doing a bad Michael Scott impersonation, which is just a David Brent impersonation (even though Steve Carrell says he refuses to watch the UK Office). But so many people say it has picked up in the second season I am thinking of giving it another shot.
Adam Dunn: Proof that even sabermetrics doesn't have it right.
Definitely
I disliked season one quite a but, but Parks and Rec has probably been the best of the four shows on Thursday night this season. It’s really excellent and very funny. You should absolutely start watching again, just a few episodes and you’ll be hooked.
"Three home teams advance, and the fuckin' Jets" - Rex Ryan
Oh, I totally agree with this. I picked it up again this season because it was on between Community (which I love) and The Office (which I never miss), and found it to have really gotten a lot better. NBC’s Thursday Night lineup is actually pretty legit.
Sometimes the impossible can become possible if you're AWESOME!
by ZeroIndulgence on Jan 25, 2010 5:59 PM EST up reply actions
The Office (US)
Putting Pam and Jim together has sort of killed the show for me. It just isn’t anywhere near as funny anymore.
They’ve tried to set up other sexual tension situations with Andy-Erin, Michael-various, etc. But you’re right, its not the same.
If they had broken them up after finally getting them together, though, the fantards wouldda thrown a shitfit…the writers caved to the masses on that one.
Sometimes the impossible can become possible if you're AWESOME!
by ZeroIndulgence on Jan 25, 2010 9:00 PM EST up reply actions
new shows
My original post was about shows that have stuck with me over time.
I don’t watch a lot of the new shows due to lack of time, but I like Better Off Ted, The Office (US), and Two and a Half Men (I admit I love crude sex humor). Frasier was excellent in the early days.
Frasier
I was probably never in their target audience, but I love Frasier. The best comedic dialogue in any sitcom, if you ask me.
Whatever combination of Intervention, Obsessed and Hoarders
Or, more succinctly, the Oh God, These People Have Issues and I Feel Wrong Watching Them Combo Platter.
"That is like saying my ‘upside’ is Brad Pitts face, with Einstein’s brain, and Ron Jeremy’s unit. It is nice to dream, but that ceiling isn’t going to happen." (King Billy Royal)
Currently...
How I Met Your Mother and The Big Bang Theory
My favorite shows of all time:
Moonlighting
Veronica Mars
Sports Night
The X-Files
Even atheists believe in Matt Wieters
Fringe Was Great
Until they basically started moving away from plot.
Hey guys, I run a music blog. alternative, powerpop, punk, electronica, screamo, etc etc, check it out. http://muzikdizcovery.blogspot.com/ artist interviews and many other stuff. free cookies! (not really, but still) :D
Exactly
Like the last episode in December was unbelievable, with the mental patients getting operated on and then becoming sane, but the last three have been so boring in comparison. How can they show an episode with a character they killed off? Who cares about the disfigured people in upstate NY or some stupid virus? I’m only interested in the episodes with Spock at this point, as they’re the only ones guaranteed to be relevant.
"Three home teams advance, and the fuckin' Jets" - Rex Ryan
That episode...
with the killed off character was filmed for Season 1 but never aired. No idea why, or why they decided to show it in the middle of Season 2.
Adam Dunn: Proof that even sabermetrics doesn't have it right.
LOST is great, can't wait for next Tuesday...
After that
Stargate(SG-1 and Atlantis, I’m still waiting for Universe to make me keep watching).
Star Trek(To each his own, John, but I think TNG was WAY better than DS9, especially seasons 4-7).
Monk
House
WWE Raw
In what St. Louis Cardinals manager Tony La Russa called a "big day" for his club, starter Chris Carpenter took the mound for his first session of live batting practice and promptly buzzed the fuzz on catcher Jason LaRue’s chin with an errant fastball.
"Sorry," Carpenter called from the mound.
"Don’t say you’re sorry," LaRue barked back.
"He said it," pitching coach Dave Duncan said from the side of the cage, "but he didn’t mean it."
~ DG
A lot of the shows I wrote down
I still watch if I have the time or feel like vegging out. I tend to watch more travel shows and food shows more than anything these days.
I agree, TNG is a lot better than the original ST mainly because I never liked Shatner. Shatner was as annoying then as he is today! (no offense to Shatner fans)… But Nemoy was awesome and so was the rest of the crew.
"Fantasy, reality, science Fiction. Which is which? Who can tell?"
+1 for TNG > DS9
Wasn’t a huge Shatner fan as Kirk, but loved him and his “mad cow” in Boston Legal! He also does a show on BIO channel, he isnt afraid to ask the tough questions.
I thought it was great watching the new ST movie seeing their interpretation of the crew when they first came together. My kids 11 and 13 yo boys were like WTF? when I would start to laugh as new “old” characters were introduced throughout the movie. Did Spock and Ohura (SP?) have a fling in the orginal, I dont remember?
No love for Heroes? Haven’t seen anyone mention it.
heroes
no love I think because everything but season 1 has been awful.
shat
Shatner in the third season of TOS and the movies became a parody of himself. That is the image people have of him now.
In the first two seasons of TOS, especially the first season, he was a lot more understated, and a lot more effective and convincing.
by John Sickels on Jan 24, 2010 5:56 PM EST up reply actions
My Top Ten
1. Extras
2. Curb Your Enthusiasm
3. Seinfeld
4. Larry Sanders Show
5. The Office (US)
6. Little Britain
7. Famlty Towers
8. The Office (UK)
9. SCTV
10. Get Smart
by Melonville Sports on Jan 24, 2010 6:41 PM EST reply actions
I don’t really watch any of these regularly, but the following are the ones that if I pass by while channel surfing, I’ll usually stop and watch.
South Park
Daily Show
Colbert Report
30 Rock
Arrested Development
The Chaser’s War on Everything
The Mighty Boosh
Man Vs. Food
Chowdown Countdown
Food Paradise
Man Vs. Wild
Planet Earth
Adoptive parent of Kyle Nicholson
10
In no order. 24 is unquestionably my favorite show of all time though.
1 Curb Your Enthusiasm
2 24
3 King of the HIll
4 ER
5 NYPD Blue
6 Seinfeld
7 Chuck (so into this right now)
8 Deadwood
9 Loved the first 10 or so seasons of the Simpsons
10 South Park
by AgitationStation on Jan 24, 2010 7:21 PM EST reply actions
Subject line
- Monday Night RAW – laugh if you will, but from ‘97-’01 this was the best show ever, and it was on EVERY SINGLE WEEK. It might be unwatchable now (for me atleast), but the attitude era was pro wrestling at its peak in my opinion.
- Trailer Park Boys – No show makes me laugh more than this, and laughter is the main reason I watch television.
- Seinfeld
- Arrested Development
- Curb Your Enthusiasm
- The Simpsons
- It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia
- Dexter
- Malcolm in the Middle – HAL, best character on any tv show? perhaps
- Red Dwarf
Thanks for granting me permission to laugh.
I thought I was going to herniate myself until you did.
by slacker george on Jan 24, 2010 7:51 PM EST up reply actions
My list
Fantastic overall shows:
Arrested Development
Firefly
South Park
Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Scrubs
Second-tier overall shows that I watch every week:
How I met your Mother
The Office
30 Rock
Family Guy
It’s always Sunny
Great segments of shows:
Season 5 of 24
Season 1 of Heroes
Seasons 2 and 3 of Angel
Promising new shows:
Big Bang Theory
Community
Modern Family
Fringe
Better off Ted
Parks and Rec
The League
+1
Season 5 of 24 was the absolute peak. (Aside from the first four episodes of Season 6, that knocked the ball out of the fucking park before the show jumped the shark in the second half.)
by RedSoxFaithful on Jan 24, 2010 7:44 PM EST up reply actions
Oops
I wasn’t in love with Angel season 5, and that’s even as a Whedonphile. The Wolfram & Hart Dynamic was done sort of clumsily. If they’d earned a continuation to Season 6, I believe they could have done some great things. But the sudden cancellation really hurt things; they weren’t prepared for a series finale.
My list
BSG (reboot)
Dead Like Me
Criminal Minds
The Office (U.S., although I plan to try the British version)
Nova
Friends
STTNG
M*A*S*H
That ’70’s Show
ER (mainly the first few years, although for some reason I kept watching even when I didn’t care for it much anymore)
I do occasionally enjoy watching the crappy shows I liked as a child, like the original BSG; Buck Rogers; the original Star Trek; the A-Team; and MacGyver. I miss Benson, that was a good show for a few years.
As long as I'm talking to myself and no one is reading this...
I should clarify that the original Star Trek was not crappy, it’s just that it was overacted and the stories could be a bit too simplistic for my grown-up taste.
Also, I have tons of shows I could add to the list, mentioned by others, that I forgot about. To wit:
Dead Like Me
Soap
Night Court
Black Sheep Squadron (to be honest, I don’t remember this show, but my parents tell me that as I kid I couldn’t get enough of it)
The Wonder Years
Law & Order (especially the Jerry Orbach years)
Big Bang Theory
Nature
anything by Ken Burns
24 (although I’ve only seen the first 4 seasons so far)
The People’s Court (Judge Wapner era)
History Detectives
If Walls Could Talk
The Amazing Race
Quantum Leap
10
1. The Wire
2. The West Wing
3. The Office
4. St Elsewhere
5. Hill Street Blues
6. X Files
7. Twin Peaks
8. Cheers
9. Frontline
10. Soap
Special Mention: The Wonder Years, Parks and Rec, King of the Hill, Colbert Report, Jeopardy
Good Topic
Favorites Still Airing:
House (my overall favorite show. just love it)
South Park
It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia
The League
24
The Office (U.S. version…haven’t seen the British one)
Community (new this season, and I actually really like it. Joel McHale is actually pretty funny)
Entourage (the first few seasons were great…its starting to fade, though)
Favorites No Longer Airing:
Futurama (people wanted it to be The Simpsons too much, and it wasn’t! It was actually far far superior).
Undergrads (it got canned after year 1, which is sad, because it was legit)
Scrubs (I don’t count this show as still running, because the new Scrubs on ABC is competely different, and terrible)
Chappelle’s Show (dude is hilareous)
The West Wing
Seinfeld
Sometimes the impossible can become possible if you're AWESOME!
Chappelle Show...
may have been the greatest sketch comedy show to ever air, in my opinion.
Adam Dunn: Proof that even sabermetrics doesn't have it right.
Agreed.
Dude is talented. It’s too bad he went crazy after he signed his mega millions deal.
Sometimes the impossible can become possible if you're AWESOME!
by ZeroIndulgence on Jan 25, 2010 5:59 PM EST up reply actions
scrubs
the first season on abc was pretty good i thought, it was a lot better than season 6 had been, and the finale was perfect IMO. why bill Lawrence thought he had to do more after that is beyond me. it reeks of afterMASH.
errrr, my bad
first season on abc was season 8, which i thought was much better than most of seasons 6-7
The Finale was great, very touching and very funny
but I actually have been really enjoying Scrubs: Med School (that’s what it should be called at least). Cox and Turk are still great and the episodes JD is in are always funny. And besides Cole who is really annoying aside from the one funny joke he’ll get an episode, the rest of the cast is pretty good.
"Three home teams advance, and the fuckin' Jets" - Rex Ryan
I've actually been enjoying new Scrubs as well
Although I think it’s been getting better since JD made his exit. Letting the show focus on the newer character’s has made it better in my opinion although it looks like it is going to be cancelled soon.
Agree that it is better than the last NBC seasons
Since Scrubs moved to ABC they seem to have worked on integrating new characters and streamlining the cast, and it has been to the show’s benefit. One of my favorite episodes from the last season was where Turk and Elliot were the only “prime” characters featured. I felt JD was dragging Med School a bit as well, but Turk and Cox are still on their game.
I just miss the Janitor...
Sometimes the impossible can become possible if you're AWESOME!
by ZeroIndulgence on Jan 25, 2010 2:45 PM EST up reply actions
I always thought ...
a great way for the series to go out would have been JD whaling on the janitor like Ralphie did to the bully in a Christmas Story. That said, the finale they did I thought was executed very well
+1
The Janitor was by far my favorite Scrubs character.
The made for TV and DVD movies were pretty good. Hopefully comedy central will get some new episodes out!
Sometimes the impossible can become possible if you're AWESOME!
by ZeroIndulgence on Jan 25, 2010 2:45 PM EST up reply actions
Question for the BSG guys
I’m a big-time sci-fi guy, but I generally like my entertainment jocular and fun rather than gritty. Would I enjoy Battlestar?
If you are a sci-fi fan, and enjoy well written television you will
Battlestar is a pretty grim show, it’s about the survival of the human race. One thing I will say though, is rent mini series which is very good and then watch the series premiere “33” just to try it out. “33” is probably the best series premiere of any show I’ve ever seen. I would pretty much bet that after those four hours, Battlestar would become the exception in you entertainment preferences. If you don’t like it after watching the mini series and “33,” at least you’ll know enough about the show to dismiss it.
"Three home teams advance, and the fuckin' Jets" - Rex Ryan
The miniseries doesn't seem to be available on Netflix.
Am I stuck with torrents?
"In fact, it is pretty widely acknowledged that people who don’t are up to 50% less intelligent than those who do." Chilango, in "the God thread"
by LongLiveLangerhans on Jan 25, 2010 3:07 AM EST up reply actions
Looking at the description for season 1 on netflix...
the first disc is the miniseries and the other 4 discs have the season 1 episodes
Thanks.
It’s about time I get around to watching this show. It’s now at the top of my queue.
"In fact, it is pretty widely acknowledged that people who don’t are up to 50% less intelligent than those who do." Chilango, in "the God thread"
by LongLiveLangerhans on Jan 25, 2010 4:34 AM EST up reply actions
Breaking Bad
Breaking Bad.
It’s a shame more people don’t watch this show. It might be one of my favorite shows ever.
I’m also tired of all the Lost haters. Just because most people don’t have the attention span to follow storylines that might be long and complicated, doesn’t mean it’s bad.
You’re not supposed to understand everything. You just have to sit back and watch. In the end, everything will be clear…hopefully.
It’s like reading a book and flipping to the last page to read the end.
with you on Breaking Bad
I recently decided to check it out and ended up watching all 20 episodes within a 48 hour time frame. It’s now my second favorite current show behind Mad Men. And while it’s not nearly on the same level as BB or MM, Sons Of Anarchy gives me some good cheap thrills too.
I love when "Whale Wars" is on.
The crew of that ship makes the Mets look well run.
"We're just as bad as the old Mets, but this time nobody's laughing"
-Dallas Green
by Stephen Schmidt on Jan 24, 2010 9:20 PM EST reply actions
There is only one show that can be considered the greatest of all time and that's The Wire
nothing is even close. The deep complex story, wonderful writing and acting, gritty realism, it’s perfect in every way
My second favorite would have to be the re-imagined Battlestar Galactica.
"Three home teams advance, and the fuckin' Jets" - Rex Ryan
Okay since some people are doing their top 10, I'll list mine
Dramas
1. The Wire- Seriously, this is better than any television show, movie and even book I’ve ever read
2. Battlestar Galactica
3. Lost
Friday Night Lights
Dexter
Deadwood
Chuck
Pushing Daisies
24 (seasons 1-5)
Life
Heroes (first season)
Comedies (More than 10)
1. The Simpsons
2. Seinfeld
3. Scrubs
Futurama
Family Guy
Chappelle’s Show
Real Time with Bill Maher
The Daily Show with John Stewart
Colbert Report
Entourage
Weeds
King of the Hill
The Office
30 Rock
I couldn’t number them all, I don’t know exactly what order I’d put them in obviously. There’s probably more that I just can’t think of right now.
"Three home teams advance, and the fuckin' Jets" - Rex Ryan
Can't believe I forgot South Park and Curb
"Three home teams advance, and the fuckin' Jets" - Rex Ryan
Anyone else watch that new show V?
I really liked the few episodes they had so far and hopefully it gets picked up for another season.
"JD gets complete blame or credit for what happens in 2010 and I think Nolan wants it that way. JD is paid to be a real GM and needs to start performing like one." - Josey Wales
It sorta will be..
They filmed it to show the first four episodes and have a semi-complete story (although I wasn’t a fan and didn’t stick around for all four, so I don’t know how complete it was). Then if it did well, they were going to finish Season 1 this spring.
Adam Dunn: Proof that even sabermetrics doesn't have it right.
There was no completed story
My understanding was that it was originally going to premiere in 2010, but ABC decided to move it up. It was okay and depending on what else is on, I’ll continue to watch it.
"Three home teams advance, and the fuckin' Jets" - Rex Ryan
Also,
Survivorman is my big man show. Les Stroud could kick Bear Grylls’ ass any day
"JD gets complete blame or credit for what happens in 2010 and I think Nolan wants it that way. JD is paid to be a real GM and needs to start performing like one." - Josey Wales
i did a quick scroll of the thread
and i was shocked at the lack of recognition for The Simpsons. it is my unwavering opinion that The Simpsons in the mid-90s was the peak of television as an art form. i watched reruns every single day after school at 5 and 5:30 and waited all week for the new episodes on Sunday. i had a VHS collection of 20 tapes or so of shows i taped off the tv. i took them with me to college. nothing informed my sense of humor even remotely as strongly as The Simpsons did. and millions of others say the same thing.
by Charlie Scrabbles on Jan 24, 2010 10:01 PM EST reply actions
I think it's greatness is just accepted
so it doesn’t need to be mentioned.
Also I think a lot of people are of the opinion that the recent season has diminished the shows overall impact. I don’t agree at all as I think that it’s current state detracts at all from what it once was as a show.
yeah i havent watched a new episode in almost 10 years
i dont even see it as the same show anymore. it doesnt even LOOK like the same show anymore, what with the CG animation (puke).
you are right though. just because it sucks cold baloney now doesnt change what it used to be. kinda like Craig Biggio.
by Charlie Scrabbles on Jan 25, 2010 2:18 PM EST up reply actions
I look at the Simpsons of going through four phases
The first 11 seasons are brilliant, probably the funniest show of all time. The next 4 seasons were good, not hilarious, but still funny and enjoyable. The next 5 were not really funny anymore, but still entertaining and fun to watch and some were good for a few laughs. Then there is this season which has been horrible. While last year there were some bad episodes, here were also two or three really goods ones. It’s been hard to watch this season.
"Three home teams advance, and the fuckin' Jets" - Rex Ryan
Of American shows
- on my list is Seinfeld.
Others include Barney Miller, The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis, Trackdown and Curb Your Enthusiasm. For a while, My Name is Earl was pretty good too. I always liked What’s My Line.
Of British imports, #1 to me is Fawlty Towers. Others include The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin, Keeping Up Appearances and As Time Goes By. I think I Claudius was also a British Import and among my favorites.
Dobie Gillis
That’s old school.
I loved Sergeant Bilko. Green Acres. The Honeymooners.
Fawlty Towers was great. Yes, Minister.
SCTV. Kids in the Hall. Seinfeld. Curb.
Sopranos and Deadwood.
Like John, I liked Hogan’s Heroes. Auto Focus with Greg Kinnear as Bob Crane kinda gave a twisted behind the scenes look.
Some of the earliest stuff I remember were Our Gang/Little Rascals.
Larry Sanders was great. Early SNL.
I even liked Letterman’s daytime show that got cancelled.
And I think Beavis and Butthead just started as shorts on MTV. Frog Baseball was the one I remember.
The Simpsons.
Gunsmoke was amazing for being a top rated show for while, lost it, then was a top show again in the early ’70s I believe.
Some great ’70s shows. Columbo was great. Rockford Files.
I can't believe
I forgot Yes, Minister. Completely different but on par with Fawlty Towers. And Columbo was terrific as well. Larry Sanders too.
I recently watched some of the Bilkos and was disappointed. Not as good as I remembered. But Green Acres was so bizarre it was often really funny. And strangely, Bewitched was well done also even if repetitive.
One of my criteria for liking a show or not is whether it is true to itself. I don’t like shows or characters that go soft. That is what MASH did with Hot Lips and All in the Family with Edith and Taxi with Reverend Jim and of course The Honeymooners with Kramden’s mea culpas every show (although that was inherent in his character, I suppose.) It is something that Seinfeld never did (well, with one minor and fleeting exception early in its run, and even that was not really a cop-out.) That usually happens when the show’s writers or directors develop the illusion that because they can be funny they might really have something important to say. Or when they become scared that they might be offending sensibilities by making the characters too nasty, like Don Rickles closing his act by assuring us all it was all in good fun and he really loves everyone and is a nice guy. Yuck.
Bilko
Phil Silvers’ voice alone is funny to me, but the era does make it a little dated. I saw one on youtube last night after I posted it where a bunch of yankees make cameos. Ford, Skowron, Rizutto, Berra. Ballplayers were always on shows. Dodgers on Mr. Ed. Wes Parker on the Brady Bunch.
I forgot Twilight Zone. Tonight Show with Carson.
When I was young I loved Bewitched and I Dream of Jeannie, but of course Elizabeth Montgomery and Barbara Eden were a big reason why. Bill Daily was good in jeannie, as he was in Bob Newhart’s show. Both of the Bob Newhart shows were favorites.
Green Acres did have great moments. Hank Kimball and Mr. Haney always being good for a laugh.
Completely different, but I also like South Park and Family Guy.
mine
Note: This is not in any specific order.
1. The Simpsons
2. New York City Undercover
3. Lost
4. NYPD
5. Perfect Strangers -it wasn’t on long but it was f’n funny
6. Night Court – I think that’s the name of it; it’s been a long time
7. The Drew Carey Show
8. The Bernie Mac Show
9. Sopranos
10. 24
Hear we go
1. The first couple of seasons of X-play, the last few have been crap
2. Top Gear, one of the best British TV shows ever
3. The Drew Carey Show
4. Whose Line is it anyway
5. WWE Raw
6. Most things on the History Channel
7. Mythbusters
Players who should be in the Hall of Fame: DIck Lebeau, Pat TIllman, Dwight White, Donnie Shell, L.C. Greenwood, Ray Guy, Steve Tasker, Greg Llyod, Andy Russel, Cris Carter, Kevin Greene and Jerry Kramer
I want to have sex with this moment. And get this moment pregnant. VAsaintsfan after the 2009 NFC championship game
+1 on Whose Line is it Anyway
Absolutley love it, particularly the U.S. version.
by Navi's_Navy on Jan 24, 2010 11:49 PM EST up reply actions
I don't know which game was the best
its either Scenes from a hat, Hoedown, Greenscreen, Wierd Newscaster or props
Players who should be in the Hall of Fame: DIck Lebeau, Pat TIllman, Dwight White, Donnie Shell, L.C. Greenwood, Ray Guy, Steve Tasker, Greg Llyod, Andy Russel, Cris Carter, Kevin Greene and Jerry Kramer
I want to have sex with this moment. And get this moment pregnant. VAsaintsfan after the 2009 NFC championship game
by WVPiratesfan on Jan 25, 2010 12:04 AM EST up reply actions
forgot one more
Sons of Anarchy greatest show ever. Reason for this are simple and follow, Guns Motorcycles and boobs you can’t go wrong with that combo
Players who should be in the Hall of Fame: DIck Lebeau, Pat TIllman, Dwight White, Donnie Shell, L.C. Greenwood, Ray Guy, Steve Tasker, Greg Llyod, Andy Russel, Cris Carter, Kevin Greene and Jerry Kramer
I want to have sex with this moment. And get this moment pregnant. VAsaintsfan after the 2009 NFC championship game
by WVPiratesfan on Jan 25, 2010 12:26 PM EST up reply actions
talk sex with sue johanson
and dora the explorer are 1 and 2…
and i know these are tv shows… but hangover was GREAT
My Top 10 of All Time
In no partcular order:
The Sopranos
Hill Street Blues
LA Law
Star Trek: Next Generation
All in the Family
M*A*S*H
The Shield
Lost
24
NYPD Blue
Mine would probably be
The Office
White Collar
Family Guy/ The Cleveland Show
Man vs. Wild
or the Pawn Stars
anybody see Blue Mountain State? – seen it like twice seems pretty fricken hilarious …..!
pretty much anything on History or Discovery channel…
How do I tell my kid brother about Desmond Jennings? (he loves the Rays)
"He's a cross between Carl Crawford and Justin Upton with B.J. Upton's upside"
by SteveHoffmanSlowey on Jan 25, 2010 12:49 AM EST reply actions
I have blue mountain state
I think that is really what happens at some of the big time college programs
Players who should be in the Hall of Fame: DIck Lebeau, Pat TIllman, Dwight White, Donnie Shell, L.C. Greenwood, Ray Guy, Steve Tasker, Greg Llyod, Andy Russel, Cris Carter, Kevin Greene and Jerry Kramer
I want to have sex with this moment. And get this moment pregnant. VAsaintsfan after the 2009 NFC championship game
by WVPiratesfan on Jan 25, 2010 12:27 PM EST up reply actions
My list
In no particular order
ST The Next Generation (seasons 3-7 are the best, most of season 1 is borderline unwatchable for me)
ST: Deep Space Nine (seasons 4-7 are the best)
Battlestar Galactica (remake)
MASH
Mythbusters
Arrested Development
Scrubs (through season 8)
Doctor Who (new version)
The Simpsons (pre shark jumping, so through about season 8 or 9)
Quantum Leap
Jeopardy
Stargate SG-1
Firefly/Serenity
Babylon 5
from this list, I can mostly gather that i am a total sci-fi nerd, and that i love just about everything Ronald D Moore makes.
OK
Ok, of shows that I currently never will miss, there are really three main ones:
Dexter
Burn Notice
Psych
Of shows, that I liked but have gone stale/cancelled are: 24, House, Lost, Six Feet Under (the ABSOLUTE BEST 10 minutes of television ever concluded the series), The Sopranos, Heroes, Seinfeld, the Simpsons.
Shows that I’ll watch and love but can miss episodes and not care: South Park, Daily Show, Colbert Report
"Loyal? I'm the most loyal player money can buy." - Don Sutton
In no particular order
1.) Aqua Teen Hunger Force
South Park
Simpsons
Arrested Development
Futurama
Invader Zim
Season 1 of Heroes
Select 24 seasons
Always Sunny in Philadelphia
Robot Chicken or Sealab 2021
A lot of animated shows, it seems.
Chief's
1. The Wire
2. Six Feet Under
3. The Office (Original BBC)
4. Twin Peaks
5. Lost
6. curb your enthusiasm
7. The Greatest American Hero
Got here late but I'll venture a list
The Wire – All the superlatives have been mentioned already but I’ll echo them, truly a great achievement in television.
The Simpsons – Probably my biggest tv influence, has been on for most of my life and I have been watching.
Futurama – Brilliant comedy and great characters, I imagine I will be quoting Zap Brannigan to my bewildered grandchildren someday. Still hoping for a return.
The Office (Both versions) – The British version had some great dry humor and David Brent was a classic while delivering a solid story arc. The American version continues to make me laugh with the interactions of the main characters while measuring out a brilliant gags from hilarious side characters.
The X-Files – Loved it when it was first on, I think Fox Mulder was one of my first tv character heroes.
Psych – Might not be quite as high in my esteem as the others but is moving up quickly as Sean and Gus is my favorite current dynamic duo.
Syndication Superstars:
Scrubs and King of the Hill – These are both shows I didn’t really get into at first but came to love them after watching them through syndication.
Special Mention Show That May Not Have Been That Great But I Want To List One That No One Has Said Yet:
The Adventures of Brisco County Jr. – Show that blew me away as a kid, “A sci-fi western comedy? Brilliant.” And where I first noticed Bruce Campbell.
Futurama is supposed to start airing new episodes in June
Hopefully it goes better than Family Guy which has been hit and miss since its return
"Three home teams advance, and the fuckin' Jets" - Rex Ryan
Mash +
Mash- without a doubt my favorite show, for much the same reasons John mentions.
ER- early seasons were excellent, not so much after that
Daniel Boone- I barely remembered the show from Sunday nights (not original run), but we bought the first three seasons for our kids to watch and I am realizing that really was a well done show that stands the test of time
Hogans Heroes- loved it growing up
Rat Patrol- my personal cheesy favorite from growing up
"When in doubt...pick the power pitcher over finesse." paraphrased from Bill James last Baseball Abstract
These had a pretty big bearing on the person I became
10) CHiPs – made me learn to appreciate the freeze-frame
9) Dream On – made me a “man”
8) Growing Pains – Alan Thicke/Kirk Cameron’s brand of comedy was much more sophisticated than “Full House”
7) Seinfeld – probably the best sitcom I ever watched regularly while it was first run
6) The A-Team – some people would consider this mindless fun, but there actually was an important message in each and every episode: guns and building tank-like vehicles out of everyday construction equipment can indeed get you what you want
5) The Joy Of Painting – Bob Ross taught me to appreciate the beauty in landscapes and seascapes, and I learned not to fret about the happy little mistakes in life
4) Happy Days – watched it when I was a very little kid, and caught it again in my teens every night after dinner once it hit syndication
3) What’s Happening!! – provided me a glimpse into the African-American community, which was vital in developing a view of racial equality
2) Magnum P.I. – learned to appreciate 1) Hawaii, 2) Larry Manetti’s nuanced portrayal of a Vietnam veteran struggling to cope with life after the war, and 3) The Mustache
1) Saved By The Bell – Bayside Tigers rule!
yep you got it right Hrv1978
Night Court—the “judge show” with Harry Anderson was pretty funny.
I liked Joy of Painting too :).
"Fantasy, reality, science Fiction. Which is which? Who can tell?"
some of my favorites
The Dick Van Dyke Show (and Mary Tyler Moore was an early crush for me, too)
MASH
Northern Exposure
Cheers
Seinfeld
Monk
and as mentioned above, good ol’ Jeopardy
(and, well, Monday Night Football isn’t a baseball show, right, so can I count that, too?)
The wind is in the buffalo.
my list
In the spirit of John’s list—from my early formative years the things that shaped me and I can still remember—I don’t vouch for their quality, just their importance in my early years.
1) Sesame Street—I probably watched until I was much older than most.
2) Any Denver Broncos football game
3) Monday Night Football
4) Muppet Show
5) News/Walter Cronkite/Dan Rather
6) 60 Minutes—we watched every week as a family
7) Early SNL
8) NCAA basketball tourney
9) Spiderman
10) Greatest American hero
11) Wonder Woman—what can I say, I’d watch anything with a superhero (although oddly with the exception of the Hulk)
Later on—high school/college/grad school
1) Simpsons (early years)
2) Beavis and Butthead—definitely underrated comedic genius
3) Melrose Place—sort of a joke, but kind of a guilty pleasure. It was so terrible that a group of friends used to get together to watch it and crack jokes through the whole thing.
4) World Cup Soccer on spanish language TV (only place we could get the games)
More recently…
1) The Wire—best I have ever seen.
2) The Office (US)—Long live Dwight (I also enjoyed the UK version, but didn’t resonate nearly as much).
3) Survivor—I don’t watch it any more, but I think we forget how interesting it seemed when it first came on. It really transformed TV.
4) Lost—I know it doesn’t make any sense, but I still enjoy it.
5) 30 Rock
Old and New
I don’t watch TV shows like I did when I was younger. I usually watch a lot of sports these days, with the occasional programs.
Here are some of my alltime favorites:
Dukes of Hazzard
Leave it to Beaver
Happy Days
MASH
Seinfeld
Cheers
The Cosby Show
And some on the air now, or recently:
The Chappelle Show
Dexter
Operation Repo
Forensic Files
Ice Road Truckers
2010 Tigers deadweight contracts coming off the books:
Maggs (18M)
Willis (12M)
Bonderman (12.5M)
Robertson (10M)
Inge (6.6M)
2011 is the year of the Tiger!
Chappelle Show
Uneven, but some really good stuff on that. Especially liked So You Think You Know Black People, the quiz show.
A handful
Seinfeld, Mad Men, Office (US), 30 Rock, Curb, Jeopardy, Burn Notice, How I Met Your Mother, Big Bang Theory, Weeds
My list
24, Law & Order (original), The Shield, The Simpsons, Futurama, ST: TNG and DS9, Saved by the Bell, King of the Hill
Two I have not seen mentioned, possibly because they were killed off by Fox far too early: Space: Above and Beyond, Keen Eddie
My list
I haven’t seen anybody mention Damages (new season starts tonight) or Rescue Me, which are two of my favorites still airing. Pushing Daisies is probably my favorite show no longer airing, got cut way too short. Chi McBride’s character on that show is probably the best character on any show I’ve ever seen. My favorite cartoon was Frisky Dingo, which was hysterical, but only ran two seasons on Adult Swim. The new FX cartoon Archer was created by the same guy, and that’s also good so far.
Breaking Bad, Sons of Anarchy, Lost, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Battlestar Galactica, South Park, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Chuck, and probably a bunch of others I’m forgetting.
FX & Adult Swim
I could live off these two sources, the former for drama and the latter for brilliant insanity.
Plus, Twins games (drama) and Ren & Stimpy (insanity).
My list
Favorites of many (no particular order)
1) the new BSG
2) ST: TNG (seasons 3-7)
3) ST: DS9
4) Lost (seasons 1,3,4 are really good)
5) Futurama
6) Fringe
7) Chuck
Cult favorites:
1) Invasion (only one season, stupid ABC execs)
2) Surface (cheesy, but intentionally so – I think)
3) Jericho
4) Firefly
Still waiting for time to watch
1) Arrested Development
2) The Office
3) The Wire
That 70's Show
How can only 1 person have mentioned it
The Loop
Big Bang Theory
Futurama
How I Met Your Mother
Nobody punished like Earl and No one was nastier than Ryan
If I was going to pick what I’d most want to watch for a top five, it would be
1. Firefly – words can’t describe how good this show is
2. Star Trek
3. DS9
4. Moonlighting
5. The Dead Zone – wildly overlooked
beyond that, making a list is tricky because the memory is weak so I’ll categorize them:
VERY good short-run shows that were canceled too soon:
Nowhere Man – a masterpiece
American Gothic – anything created by Shawn Cassidy
Harsh Relm
Legend – great cast
Drive
Peacemakers – Tom Beringer as a cowboy, what’s not to love?
(this group is very incomplete because the memory just won’t deliver)
Comedies (in rough order of age)-
The Dick Van Dyke Show
Hogan’s Heroes
The Carol Burnett Show – ageless
WKRP
The Muppet Show
Benson
Night Court
Evening Shade
NewsRadio – maybe the best of the lot
SportsNight
Everybody Hates Chris – discovered on Nick at Nite…a riot.
Action-Adventure:
Six Million Dollar Man
Greatest American Hero
Why am I having so much trouble remembering shows for this category? Did they all mostly suck?
Drama:
Twilight Zone
Outer Limits
The Rockford Files – anything with Jim Garner has a head start
Black Sheep Squadron
Wild Wild West
The Big Valley – I liked it then, haven’t tried to watch it in ages
The Night Stalker – the old version
Picket Fences
Norther Exposure
Due South
Highlander
Farscape
24 – despite the flaws
Lost – ditto
Heroes – ditto
Castle – Anything with Fillion…
NCIS
Surely forgetting many here…
Animated:
Justice league Unlimited – as good as it gets for animation of comics, if I were making a top 10 it would be in the list
Batman TAS
Rocky and Bullwinkle
Pinky and the Brain
Loony Tunes (not originally a TV series but still – also a top 10)
Courage the Cowardly Dog
Roughnecks (Based on Heinlien’s “Starship Troopers” – easily missed)
Full metal Alchemist (not an anime fan per se but an amazingly good show IMO)
Recent & yesteryear
Recent (21st century) – Top 5
1. Extras — Ricky at his absolute best
2. Curb Your Enthusiasm — Seinfeld+
3. Seinfeld — The Classic
4. Mad Men — Absolutely brilliant
5. Little Britain — freakiing Hilarious
Yesteryear (20th century) – Top 5
1. Wonder Years — incredible writing
2. Andy Griffith Show — enjoy with my daughters, holds up
3. Larry Sanders Show — always made me laugh
4. Fawlty Towers — incredible Brit humour
5. SCTV — was cutting edge humour, launched careers
by Melonville Sports on Jan 26, 2010 1:39 AM EST reply actions
Kid and now
Kid
1.Andy Griffith
Now
reruns-Andy Griffith,Seinfeld,Frasier,3rd Rock from the Sun
new-Two and a Half Men,Big Bang Theory,Modern Family
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