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[Raydeen]

The Tudors.

Certain er...liberties taken with history, but it's good (dirty) fun.

Struggling with Falling Skies - SOMETHING has to happen soon to maintain interest. It makes 'V' look like Citizen Kane.

 

[Spotless Mind]

Has anyone watched Season 2 of Human Target? Season 1 was great,but I read up on the changes and was kinda meh about it...

As someone that loved season 1 and its rollicking adventure vibe, i recommend not bothering. They dropped practically everything that made the show unique and dumbed it down to the point where it was simply infuriating to watch.

 

[Cornballer]

Does GAF ever do a voting thread for Top TV Shows each year like they do for Games of the Year? I mean maybe you'd make the "year" start in September so you wouldn't split so many network seasons in half, but that would be kind of fun. Of course, for all I know its been done and I just somehow missed the thread.

I think someone put something together a few years ago, but I don't know what came of it. It was an all time list rather than just for a single year, iirc.

 

[big ander]

I think a top 10 shows of the year would be a great idea. Probably do it in late August/early September and make it include all shows that began in September 2010 up to now?

Recommendations guys?!

I've got all these to watch and not sure where to go next. Breaking Bad is probably my next choice but I would prefer some opinions of series' other than Breaking Bad, if possible. The fact that LOST has finished and concluded makes it a bit more appealing to me but I honestly don't know what to expect.

I'd recommend Breaking Bad and Lost and Game of Thrones off that list. GoT only has one 10-episode season so it'd be easy to catch up, plus season 2 doesn't start until spring 2012. Breaking Bad doesn't have too many episodes to make catching up while season 4 is still on unfeasible. But you could be caught in an awkward spot if you can't find a way to watch season 4 after you finish 3. Lost has a ton of episodes, but it is over so you have that. Take your pick.

 

[RatskyWatsky]

Recommendations guys?!

From that list (of which I've only seen two) I'd say The Borgias, then Lost. The Borgias is only one season, while Lost has 6. Lost is worth watching for at least the first 3 seasons.

 

[RatskyWatsky]

I've finally started watching Breaking Bad!

Season 1 Episode 1:

Spoiler

Freaking awesome. I really liked how dark it was. The entire situation is so bleak and depressing, but they still manage to find humor in there. The writing and acting is really great. Especially the two main guys, Walter and Jesse. I had heard so much about Bryan Cranston, so I sort of expected greatness from him. But Aaron Paul wasn't very good in Big Love, and as that's the only thing I'd ever seen him in (or heard of him in tbh) I had low expectations for his performance. He really surprised me.

I like that Walter is serious about his situation. He really is sick of being walked all over: by his students, by his boss at the car wash, even by family members. He's 50 years old, and he doesn't really have anything to show for it. At the end, when the drug dealers are forcing him to reveal his recipe/work for them, you can tell that he'll do anything to avoid going back to a position in life where he's walked all over constantly. He's so unwilling to go back to his old life, that he'd shoot the cops he thought were coming for him.

The music was also really great, even if it was a little on the loud side.

I was a little surprised by the nudity and the more severe language, with it being on AMC and all. Could someone explain how that's handled when it's airing on TV? Is the swearing bleeped, and the nudity blurred? Or are those scenes just cut out entirely?

 

[Rabid Wolverine]

Finished the First Season of Twin Peaks.

5/5 Cups Of Joe. Heard that it goes down in the second season but will watch.

Deadwood Season 1. 4 Episodes In. Wow!

 

[crazygambit]

Spartacus - the first few episodes are AWFUL, but it gets much much better.

THIS. The first few episodes were unbelievably bad. The acting and the special effects were atrocious. I honestly don't know if it got better or I just started to tolerate it, but by the end I found it pretty enjoyable. It's probably when the rest of the main cast is introduced that it gets better.

I also just watched the Gods of the Arena prequel and if you liked the original series there's a lot to like here.

 

[Solo]

Glee:

So I started watching this show a few weeks back after seeing that Last Friday Night Video with Dianna Agron in it and finding her to be asbolutely stunning. I just finished the second season. What a frustrating show. I equally love and hate the show. I hate some of the characters, and REALLY hate how character development so often has the reset button hit on it (seriously, I swear Sue has gone from wanting to destroy the glee club/Will to having compassion for him/helping him at least 10 times) and how it becomes clear after a while how unwilling the show runners are to shake things up, instead preferring the status quo, which gets more been-there-done-that with each episode. On the flipside, I love some of the characters, love all the music and performances (outside of show tunes, which bore me to tears), and the issues the show has tackled. The first season was better and had a great finale, while the second season was kind of middling with flashes of brilliance and a really lame ending. I'll be watching S3 live, and I hope they find a way to get back on track.

For the record, my favorite characters are Santana and Brittany. Such an awesome pairing, and I love both actresses. Best part of any episode usually involves them. I'm also really big on Quinn (although thats mostly due to my previously mentioned love of Agron rather than the character, lolz; also, they need to give her more solos - she isn't the strongest singer of the bunch, but I really like her voice), and mad love for Puck. And of course, Sue.

I cannot stand Rachel/Lea Michele. My god. She has an amazing voice, so full props there, but I cannot stand anything else about her. I can't recall the last time I hated a TV character so passionately. And on a final, superficial note, its like god saw how nice he made her body and evened the tables by making her face so ugly.

 

[zychi]

TV-Gaf. Choose my next tv series to watch before all the fall stuff comes back and school and work kills my freetime..

I have:

The Wire(I'm thinking of doing this X-mas break/after the nfl season)

Game of Thrones(saw 1st episode, was meh on it, but I'm sure i'll love it)

Battlestar Galactica(I had the ending spoiled for me accidentaly so I'm not really interested in watching it, but I own it)

The Shield

Treme

Rubicon

Deadwood

 

[Solo]

Deadwood. Cocksucker.

 

[Blader]

Goddammit, Solo. Not Breaking Bad, not The Wire, not The Shield...but Glee?

i am totes disappoint

 

[Solo]

Sorry man, needed some light summer viewing.

I think Ill get to Breaking Bad soon. The Wire and especially The Shield seem less likely, only due to the # of seasons/episodes they have. Maybe one day. To be quite honest, The Wire has been talked up to such a degree that it likely can only disappoint at this stage. And Ive had some stuff about The Shield spoiled, plus its got like eight seasons, so I don't have much of an urge to jump in.

 

[dave is ok]

I've finally started watching Breaking Bad!

Season 1 Episode 1:

Spoiler

Freaking awesome. I really liked how dark it was. The entire situation is so bleak and depressing, but they still manage to find humor in there. The writing and acting is really great. Especially the two main guys, Walter and Jesse. I had heard so much about Bryan Cranston, so I sort of expected greatness from him. But Aaron Paul wasn't very good in Big Love, and as that's the only thing I'd ever seen him in (or heard of him in tbh) I had low expectations for his performance. He really surprised me.

I like that Walter is serious about his situation. He really is sick of being walked all over: by his students, by his boss at the car wash, even by family members. He's 50 years old, and he doesn't really have anything to show for it. At the end, when the drug dealers are forcing him to reveal his recipe/work for them, you can tell that he'll do anything to avoid going back to a position in life where he's walked all over constantly. He's so unwilling to go back to his old life, that he'd shoot the cops he thought were coming for him.

The music was also really great, even if it was a little on the loud side.

I was a little surprised by the nudity and the more severe language, with it being on AMC and all. Could someone explain how that's handled when it's airing on TV? Is the swearing bleeped, and the nudity blurred? Or are those scenes just cut out entirely?

The pilot was made for premium
cable channels like HBO and Showtime.
There's no nudity in later episodes

 

[bigboss370]

latest show i've seen is Luther, sooo good

 

[InaudibleWhispa]

Burned through The Shield in a couple of months, which is pretty rare for me. Really, such an incredible show. I love to hate to love almost every character. The writing and acting is top class, and it's one of if not the most consistent show I've ever seen. Flawless ending too.

The only problem is that I've gotten so used to watching an episode or two almost every day that I miss it and the characters now Back to finding a show that can fill in the gap. Like others, my list of "heavily recommend shows I haven't yet watched" is dwindling.

If anyone is contemplating which show to watch next and you haven't seen The Shield, make it top priority. Unlike The Wire and some other shows, I loved it from episode 1 (dat ending) so you don't have to go through a daunting slow burn before really enjoying it

 

[FilthyLies]

Sorry man, needed some light summer viewing.

I think Ill get to Breaking Bad soon. The Wire and especially The Shield seem less likely, only due to the # of seasons/episodes they have. Maybe one day. To be quite honest, The Wire has been talked up to such a degree that it likely can only disappoint at this stage. And Ive had some stuff about The Shield spoiled, plus its got like eight seasons, so I don't have much of an urge to jump in.

This is what pretty much everyone says re: The Wire, and about 90% of them willingly eat those words after watching it. Of course, there's no guarantee it'll click completely with you, but there's no denying it's well done.

 

[Lafiel]

Sorry man, needed some light summer viewing.

I think Ill get to Breaking Bad soon. The Wire and especially The Shield seem less likely, only due to the # of seasons/episodes they have. Maybe one day. To be quite honest, The Wire has been talked up to such a degree that it likely can only disappoint at this stage. And Ive had some stuff about The Shield spoiled, plus its got like eight seasons, so I don't have much of an urge to jump in.

I'd say that is 100% impossible, that said you probably won't say "best show everr" until you at least get into seasons 3 & 4.

 

[RatskyWatsky]

The pilot was made for premium
cable channels like HBO and Showtime.
There's no nudity in later episodes

Oh, I didn't know that. Interesting. I suppose there aren't any "fucks" in later episodes, either?

latest show i've seen is Luther, sooo good

You're like, the millionth person I've seen in the last few days to recommend Luther. I'll have to put it on my list. It sounds pretty interesting.

TV-Gaf. Choose my next tv series to watch before all the fall stuff comes back and school and work kills my freetime..

Out of that list, the only one I've seen is Deadwood. I would recommend it anyway though. It's really fantastic, although it was a very slow burn for me.

 

[Malo]

I started re-watching friday night lights so I can remember everything going into season 5 and the show is even better the second time around.

 

[MetalFearSolid]

Watching episodes of How I Met Your Mother from latest season

 

[Net_Wrecker]

Sorry man, needed some light summer viewing.

I think Ill get to Breaking Bad soon. The Wire and especially The Shield seem less likely, only due to the # of seasons/episodes they have. Maybe one day. To be quite honest, The Wire has been talked up to such a degree that it likely can only disappoint at this stage. And Ive had some stuff about The Shield spoiled, plus its got like eight seasons, so I don't have much of an urge to jump in.

You MIGHT someday before you die watch 60 episodes of one of the best pieces of entertainment ever, but you'll catch up on 44 eps of Glee? That makes no sense to me. Taking nothing away from Glee, but....

C'mon son.

 

[crazygambit]

Oh, I didn't know that. Interesting. I suppose there aren't any "fucks" in later episodes, either?

Actually there are. Don't know if they bleep them for broadcast though.

 

[RatskyWatsky]

Actually there are. Don't know if they bleep them for broadcast though.

Interesting...I guess it's easier to bleep words than to blur nudity. Thanks for the reply.

 

[Solo]

I won't lie, The Wire only being on DVD/shot was such shit equipment is also a major turnoff for me.

If it had a complete Bluray set like Deadwood or Rome I would be more compelled to check it out.

 

[TripOpt55]

I think a top 10 shows of the year would be a great idea. Probably do it in late August/early September and make it include all shows that began in September 2010 up to now?

Yeah, this is what I was thinking. Something along these lines and that timeframe would work. People pick their five or ten favorite shows of the year and we reverse score them in some way and tally up the votes. See what GAF's favorite shows were. Might be fun.

 

[Cosmic Bus]

I've been hopelessly addicted to the original Melrose Place for the last few weeks. The first three-quarters of season 1 were fairly tame in a charmingly '90s sort of way (the hair! the clothes! the mor rock!), and most of the conflicts arise and are resolved in a single episode. The show runners definitely worked out some kinks early on (writing out a boring main character by having her get an acting role, ironically, on a trashy soap in NY) and bring in Heather Locklear, who was clearly having a lot of fun with her villainous character.

By the time season 2 rolls around, the plotlines are becoming deliriously trashy, with the infamous car crash that seemed to signal the writers being given the go-ahead to pull out every outlandish soap-trope imaginable: I'm halfway through the third season and we've gotten multiple divorces, affairs within affairs within affairs, failed pregnancies, stolen babies, alcohol, drug and physical abuse, a stalker, two suicides, FBI involvement, returns-from-the-dead, amnesia, prostitution, embezzlement, AIDS, Kathy Ireland blowing up a boat, more slaps, punches and sassy comebacks than I can count, and I love all of it.

The whole thing is certainly from a period of network TV you don't see anymore, with over 32(!!) hour-long episodes per season, and that it began as a spin-off from 90210 and then spawned its own spin-off. Kind of makes me reminisce about the days when I'd skip school to watch a big event on Days of Our Lives, bahaha.

 

[bigboss370]

Yeah, this is what I was thinking. Something along these lines and that timeframe would work. People pick their five or ten favorite shows of the year and we reverse score them in some way and tally up the votes. See what GAF's favorite shows were. Might be fun.

man your avatar reminded me i really gotta catch up on Fringe, i love that show. i stopped watching after

Spoiler

Fake Olivia seduces Peter into sex at the end of one episode, forget which it was. That was really depressing

 

[Zeliard]

Solo, can you please go fucking watch Breaking Bad? Instead of fucking Glee?

Thanks mang.

Edit: lol and you haven't seen The Wire yet? Dude.

I've finally started watching Breaking Bad!

I was a little surprised by the nudity and the more severe language, with it being on AMC and all. Could someone explain how that's handled when it's airing on TV? Is the swearing bleeped, and the nudity blurred? Or are those scenes just cut out entirely?

Breaking Bad has extremely little of that stuff anyway, especially after the first season.

In the AMC broadcast nudity is presumably removed (I watched the first 3 seasons on Blu-Ray), and for curse words I think they fade it out after like the first letter, so it isn't too jarring.

Language is used rarely but when it is it's meant to make a point. However it's not a show where you lose much of anything at all watching the AMC broadcast.

You're in for a treat, by the way. The show starts off excellent and basically just gets better.

 

[viewtifulsub]

I'd say that is 100% impossible, that said you probably won't say "best show everr" until you at least get into seasons 3 & 4.

on Season 4 atm, and it isn't the best show ever. sup.

Though the quality per episode is very consistent.

 

[TripOpt55]

man your avatar reminded me i really gotta catch up on Fringe, i love that show. i stopped watching after

Spoiler

Fake Olivia seduces Peter into sex at the end of one episode, forget which it was. That was really depressing

That was tough to watch, but Season 3 was awesome overall. Had a couple strange decisions along the way, but you should definitely try to catch up.

 

[big ander]

I was enjoyed the first 13 episodes of Glee season 1. Everything after that made me despise every single person involved with the show and think less of everyone who legitimately enjoys every aspect of it now.

Yeah, this is what I was thinking. Something along these lines and that timeframe would work. People pick their five or ten favorite shows of the year and we reverse score them in some way and tally up the votes. See what GAF's favorite shows were. Might be fun.

I'd nominate Cornballer to post the thread, but I dunno if he even checks this thread. Let's see

 

[Cornballer]

I'd nominate Cornballer to post the thread, but I dunno if he even checks this thread. Let's see

Nope, I don't check this thread.

 

[big ander]

Nope, I don't check this thread.

Haha, I missed you being last post on the last page.
I dunno if you'd want to take it on but you already do the topics for pretty much every great show so if you want to I vote that you get dibs

 

[Cornballer]

I dunno if you'd want to take it on but you already do the topics for pretty much every great show so if you want to I vote that you get dibs

I definitely don't have time to do it now, but I might in late August. If either of you are motivated, you should go for it, though it sounds like a lot of work. Maybe you, me, and TripOpt should discuss things next month?

 

[big ander]

Yeah we can put it off until next month for sure. Need to give Louie and Breaking Bad some time to show off more of their seasons.

 

[gdt]

...Fucking Glee?

 

[JaCy]

People found it disappointing? I found it to be the most shocking moment of the series, and it's an incredible episode. I think what people mean by disappointing is how early they revealed the killer. Apparently ratings weren't doing so well in the second season, so ABC pushed them to make the reveal earlier than planned. As a result, the rest of season two takes a pretty big hit in quality with several character plots that range from mediocre to insufferable. The finale is great, but can easily disappoint.

I finally got to the episode which the killer is revealed, and you were right. I loved it, the mood,music and everything about it. It was just so atmospheric.

 

[Heshinsi]

Loves Quinn, hates Rachel.

I'm like the total opposite. I absolutely love Rachel from all the way back to the very first episode. Yet I can't stand Quinn, fucking hate her and her stupid smirk. Agree with you on Santana and Brittany, those two are a riot.

Jersey Shore:

Didn't think I could ever come to enjoy this show at first. But after seeing a few episodes, it has now become a guilty pleasure of mine.




Hawaii Five-O 2010:

Love this show a lot. Not the most demanding of shows to watch, but very entertaining.



Game of Thrones:

When a TV show makes you run out and by every book in the series it's based on, you know you've got something special on your hands. Can't wait for season 2.



Burn Notice:

One of my favourite TV series ever is back for a new season, and every Sunday I get all excited like a kid at a candy store.

 

[Cornballer]

Rewatching a few episodes of Boardwalk Empire tonight because HBO has been running it. Chalky's bookcase speech is great.

Yeah we can put it off until next month for sure. Need to give Louie and Breaking Bad some time to show off more of their seasons.

Sounds like a plan. I made a list of everything I've seen in the last calendar year - it will be tough to narrow it down to my ten favorites.

 

[TripOpt55]

I definitely don't have time to do it now, but I might in late August. If either of you are motivated, you should go for it, though it sounds like a lot of work. Maybe you, me, and TripOpt should discuss things next month?

Yeah, towards the end of August sounds good. I don't quite watch as much TV as you guys, but I should be able to help out with the thread in some way.

 

[Solo]

I was enjoyed the first 13 episodes of Glee season 1. Everything after that made me despise every single person involved with the show and think less of everyone who legitimately enjoys every aspect of it now.

I had the benefit of not having to wait weeks and months between episodes, but I don't see the perceived drop in the back end of S1. S2 unequivocally drops off, but I thought S1 was pretty consistent throughout.

...Fucking Glee?

Tee hee, I see Ive tapped into some kind of TV GAF anti-christ. Its fun in the way Community is. In fact, its on an almost identical trajectory as Community - good first season, shark jumping second season.

 

[Spotless Mind]

Tee hee, I see Ive tapped into some kind of TV GAF anti-christ. Its fun in the way Community is. In fact, its on an almost identical trajectory as Community - good first season, shark jumping second season.

LOL. Not even close. Season 2 of Community only had a few misfires. It was a great overall season and gets considerably better on rewatches. Season 2 of Glee was a trainwreck from beginning to end and something i never want to revisit. Glee's downward spiral also began long before the beginning of season 2.

 

[WJD]

I watched all of Dexter over the past 3 weeks and for the most part, loved it.

Seasons 1, 2 and 4 are incredible.
Season 3 is OK, had moments of brilliance but overall I felt a bit let down.
Season 5, as everyone knows, was the weakest of the lot but still nowhere near as bad as the drama queens in the official thread made it out to be. I actually quite liked Lumen as a character and

Spoiler

it's a shame they just kind of cut her off at the end, I was hoping to see more of her

.

I also bought the first season of Chuck recently and watched all of that. Got to say I was pretty disappointed in it; I'd heard good things but the characters never seemed to click for me. I don't think I'll be carrying on with it.

I keep hearing good things about The Wire and The Shield so I'm thinking of picking them up at some point.

Any more recommendations?

 

[Solo]

Only a few? I had to jump off by Christmas it had gotten so bad.

As for revisiting, there isn't an episode of either show I would ever want to revisit.

 

[Sotha Sil]

Okay, Fringe is awesome. It's pretty much a "how I learned to stop worrying and love the Walt" scenario. Silliness made me cringe at first; now they're just rolling with any grotesque idea they have in mind, and it's glorious.

 

[MMaRsu]

Sorry man, needed some light summer viewing.

I think Ill get to Breaking Bad soon. The Wire and especially The Shield seem less likely, only due to the # of seasons/episodes they have. Maybe one day. To be quite honest, The Wire has been talked up to such a degree that it likely can only disappoint at this stage. And Ive had some stuff about The Shield spoiled, plus its got like eight seasons, so I don't have much of an urge to jump in.

WRONG.

And The Wire only has one season more than breaking Bad, and is about a hundred times better. I dont get it. You seem to just want to delay it!

Ofcourse, both series are a million times better than Glee.

 

[Spotless Mind]

Only a few? I had to jump off by Christmas it had gotten so bad.

As for revisiting, there isn't an episode of either show I would ever want to revisit.

I understand your issues with the first 6 episodes or so, because i had them too, but it was on a giant upswing in quality even before the Christmas episode.

Our difference of opinion on the absolutely-fucking-awesome Chistmas episode aside, i don't know why you'd give up just one episode after Mixology Certification. Arguably the single best episode of the show.

Anyway, if you were after light entertainment, you should have watched Doctor Who already!!

 

[big ander]

I had the benefit of not having to wait weeks and months between episodes, but I don't see the perceived drop in the back end of S1. S2 unequivocally drops off, but I thought S1 was pretty consistent throughout.



Tee hee, I see Ive tapped into some kind of TV GAF anti-christ. Its fun in the way Community is. In fact, its on an almost identical trajectory as Community - good first season, shark jumping second season.

The back half of season one gradually dipped through the whole thing, I thought. After that I enjoyed the finale, but even through the first two episodes of two the show just felt wrong. Once they were fully aware of the show being a hit, the showrunners decided that their schizo writing was a good thing and just stuffed the show with shit and as many hit songs as possible because that's what the masses want.

And comparing Community and Glee in quality makes me a little bit sick.

 

[Solo]

Not so much in quality relative to eachother as much as quality during their respective seasons (ie. great first season, poor second season). In absolute terms, S1 of Community is leagues better than Glee, but on the flipside I'd rather watch crappy S2 Glee than the awful stuff in the first half of S2 Community. By the time they had Abed Jesus/meta trash and that wretched trampoline episode I knew the show had gone past the point of no return for me.