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[beelzebozo]

They tone this down quite a bit too, much to the chagrin of fans who live for the PEW PEW PEW lasers. It does get more science-fictiony later on, but for the most part the show shifts toward more dramatic, political, and philosophical elements and concentrates more on character and thematic development as time goes by. Probably for budget reasons as much as creative ones, as the space battles are hella expensive and this show is funded by cheap-ass SciFi after all.

It never does get into really hard sci-fi, though, it mostly just gets weirder, which turned a lot of people off (not me, obviously) around the beginning of season 3.

i am definitely not one of the pew pew people (p³) so i look forward to it. budget reasons or no, i'm just typically all about shows and movies that concern themselves with human drama. it's cool if it doesn't go super hard sci-fi, as i wouldn't consider myself a huge sci-fi enthusiast. . . it's just that the sci-fi in which i've typically indulged, tv-wise, is star trek, which indulges in scientific jargon as much if not more than any other.

Are you caught up on Chuck, Beelze? Also, the HBO heavyweights are worth a look if you're not caught up (Rome, Band of Brothers, Generation Kill, etc...) I could list a bunch of other misc stuff if you're interested - just depends on your preferences and what you've seen already.

i am not caught up on CHUCK. i stalled on it when my DEADWOOD set arrived. maybe because it's just sort of a light fluffy show that you can catch every now and then and still enjoy it, but it hasn't compelled me to tear through my season 1 set quite like i tore through three seasons of DEADWOOD. you naturally have (and naturally should have) different expectations when you start watching a comedy set on dvd, so i plan on getting back to it. someone twittered (i'm thinking cajole) that the second season is like a totally different show, which is encouraging; that's not to say that i dislike what's there in season 1, but while it's funny and charming, it's not gust-bustingly funny and it's funny in a way that makes me chuckle (chuckle. . . heh).

tell me about ROME. word of rushed later seasons has made me wary.

it doesn't fit well within its pigeon-hole. Its drama set in space, yet its labled 'sci-fi' - with all the connotations that brings.

I love my sci-fi, but BSG is just good drama.

good drama is what i'm all about, hombre. i'm definitely sticking with it. so long as the final season doesn't end with two pilots exchanging quips about who can be who's wingman, i'm good wit it.

 

[Cornballer]

Amazon has it for $28. That's a bit much for so few episodes.

I'd blind buy if it were a bit cheaper, though. Heard too many good things.

Fair enough. It's worth it at that price to me since I've seen it, but I can understand you holding off until there's a price drop. The only concern is if you're potentially interested in catching up before S2 starts on March 8th.

i am not caught up on CHUCK. i stalled on it when my DEADWOOD set arrived. maybe because it's just sort of a light fluffy show that you can catch every now and then and still enjoy it, but it hasn't compelled me to tear through my season 1 set quite like i tore through three seasons of DEADWOOD. you naturally have (and naturally should have) different expectations when you start watching a comedy set on dvd, so i plan on getting back to it. someone twittered (i'm thinking cajole) that the second season is like a totally different show, which is encouraging; that's not to say that i dislike what's there in season 1, but while it's funny and charming, it's not gust-bustingly funny and it's funny in a way that makes me chuckle (chuckle. . . heh).

Fair enough. It's not as if you'll catch up to S2 before it's over, so there's probably no reason to rush. S2 really ups the ante, as cajole points out.

tell me about ROME. word of rushed later seasons has made me wary.

They knew before it was filmed that they had to cover a certain amount of ground and they did an admirable job doing it. I didn't have any problems with S2 having more material other than that it would've been awesome to have more Rome if they stretched it out a bit. Overall, it's your typical hardcore HBO show with anti-heroes, slow burn character arcs, serious sex and violence, and some amazing acting. The production values (cgi aside) are through the roof. One of my favorites. Does take a little while to get rolling, like most HBO shows, so give it a few before passing judgment.

 

[Kastro]

ROME is glorious beetlejuice. Buy it. Watch it (while eating cereal). Love it.

The ending does feel a bit rushed but didn't at all affect my overall enjoyment of the show. If you didn't have any negative feelings when Deadwood ended I sincerely doubt you would here.

 

[beelzebozo]

totally in for ROME, then. period dramas are the order of the day lately.

 

[Mifune]

I really liked Rome, although I thought the first season was way better than the second. Mostly because of Hinds' Caesar. God he was good. But also because the second went a bit too soap opera for me.

 

[Spotless Mind]

Just watched the first few eps of United States of Tara. Really, really liking it. Toni Collette is like a million shades of awesome in this. She's awesome in everything, but this role let's her stretch her comedic talents to their limit. It has some of those usual Juno-esque Diablo Cody forced one-liners. Otherwise, good stuff. Worth watching for Toni Collette pulling off the various personalities alone.

I finished Mad Men season 1. It's great, though it will hardly become a favourite of mine. The characters don't do much for me, other than the deliciously bitchy Joan. Most of them are such assholes, which i understand is the point, but since the show isn't particularly witty or funny, it can kind of get on my nerves at times.

 

[Ford Prefect]

You know, fuck movies. I just want to get hooked up to an IV for nourishment and watch good TV for the rest of my life.

Still on Six Feet Under, halfway through the second season. I'm gonna ride it out to the end, but it's definitely grating on me for all the reasons you mentioned, beelze. Brenda is a black hole where all that is decent and good goes to die and I hope I never meet a real life version of her.

Anyway, I might start Chuck fairly soon (I've always been a little meh on it, but have been noticing people's recommendations here), and after Six Feet Under I'll do another HBO drama like Deadwood or The Wire.

 

[karasu]

Since I'm all caught up on 24, I went back to the 90's and started Season 1 of La Femme Nikita. I never watched it when it was on the air.

 

[Eric WK]

Just watched the first few eps of United States of Tara. Really, really liking it. Toni Collette is like a million shades of awesome in this. She's awesome in everything, but this role let's her stretch her comedic talents to their limit. It has some of those usual Juno-esque Diablo Cody forced one-liners. Otherwise, good stuff. Worth watching for Toni Collette pulling off the various personalities alone.

How is Rosemarie DeWitt in this (Charmaine)? She absolutely stole Hathaway's thunder in Rachel Getting Married for me - enough to make me actively seek out her work.

 

[beelzebozo]

You know, fuck movies. I just want to get hooked up to an IV for nourishment and watch good TV for the rest of my life.

i often feel this way. it's nothing against movies, mind you--it's just that when it's done well, the strengths of television (expansive narrative, extremely measured and natural pacing, fleshed-out characters) are more to my tastes. again, just as all the time you spend investing in a good book matters toward how much you care about what's happening by its finale, spending 30ish hours with a television series makes you so intimately familiar with it, and spending time in these places and with these people seems like second nature.

and that's just touching on the strengths of dramatic television. comedic television and instructive television are different beast altogether, and have their own strengths, and are similarly awesome.

Still on Six Feet Under, halfway through the second season. I'm gonna ride it out to the end, but it's definitely grating on me for all the reasons you mentioned, beelze. Brenda is a black hole where all that is decent and good goes to die and I hope I never meet a real life version of her.

yes, she is satan.

Since I'm all caught up on 24, I went back to the 90's and started Season 1 of La Femme Nikita. I never watched it when it was on the air.

me neither, but when i was way into wrestling (there was a time) i used to see ads for it during monday night raw. how is it? it always looked a bit cheesy, and i don't typically trust action shows with a usa network budget.

 

[Overture]

wat

Yeah, well I have got to half way of Season 3 of the West Wing now and I'm hooked. Didn't like the first season much. The second was really good but the first part of season 3 (Isiah and Ishmael) ruined all suspense.

 

[Spotless Mind]

La Femme Nikita is great stuff. Really improves as it goes.

i am not caught up on CHUCK. i stalled on it when my DEADWOOD set arrived. maybe because it's just sort of a light fluffy show that you can catch every now and then and still enjoy it, but it hasn't compelled me to tear through my season 1 set quite like i tore through three seasons of DEADWOOD. you naturally have (and naturally should have) different expectations when you start watching a comedy set on dvd, so i plan on getting back to it. someone twittered (i'm thinking cajole) that the second season is like a totally different show, which is encouraging; that's not to say that i dislike what's there in season 1, but while it's funny and charming, it's not gust-bustingly funny and it's funny in a way that makes me chuckle (chuckle. . . heh).

I'm total agreement with you. I finished season 1 last week. I like it. It's endearing, campy and light hearted, but it's not a show i am wild over and wasn't that compelled to watch the next episode RIGHT NOW!! as the season progressed, like other shows. I got really bored with Sarah and Chuck's dynamic, and the relentless pining, love triangle and relationship bullshit. Also, can Morgan please die already? Goddamn he annoys the shit out of me. Looking forward to season 2, because of the supposed quality jump and some of the awesome guest stars.

How is Rosemarie DeWitt in this (Charmaine)? She absolutely stole Hathaway's thunder in Rachel Getting Married for me - enough to make me actively seek out her work.

She hasn't been in it enough so far to leave an impression on me. I'm sure she'll have a bigger role soon enough. She was good in Mad Men, even though it was a small role.

 

[beelzebozo]

You're a DS9 man, right? You might want to check out Babylon 5, as there are some, uh, similarities between the two. It's 5 seasons and it's very typical of that early 90s-style of TV sci fi - highly jargony, lots of goofy looking alien make up, terrible CG, mediocre first season, etc. etc. etc. but in the end it's probably the best show of its kind, maybe even beating out Deep Space Nine for me.

If you're looking for other shows to get into, Ron Moore, he of DS9 and BSG, also worked on the first season of the HBO series Carnivale, which I can't stand but a lot of people love. It's very slow burn but no worse than something like Mad Men.

There are only two seasons, and they're very Caesar-centric so they cover, hmm, maybe 20 years time total.

Heh. You know, I've never thought about it this way, but that element of the show completely disappears by the 4th season at least, and probably more near the end of the 2nd. It's evolved so much from where it has started, it almost feels like a different show. That's either good or bad depending on your perspective, I suppose, but I really love where they've taken it. (edit: that sounds so vague, but i don't want to spoil ya)

babylon 5 is now on my list. thanks much. the idea that it may beat out deep space nine for someone who likes that sort of stuff is really encouraging--even if i end up not liking it quite as much, if it's quality sci-fi i'm bound to be happy to jump on board with that.

carnivale i'm not familiar with. i caught the first couple of episodes when it was on the air, but i am not so good about following shows week-to-week; this was even worse before i got tivo. slow burn is right up my alley. i wonder how cheap i can score the first season of carnivale.

and as far as my top gun jokes about BSG, it's not nearly as bad as i make it sound. i'm just joking for the most part. i actually love kara. even though i tend to sort of wince at stereotypically "hard" women characters who try to run with the boys, she does such an awesome job of balancing that with vulnerability that she's totally believable. the heart of the show for me at this point.

 

[beelzebozo]

had that moment with BSG last night when you realize that you've just watched five episodes in a row, it's time to go to bed, and you still want to watch JUST ONE MORE. it always sneaks up on me, but it's an important moment in your relationship with a show: it's when you realize that you really love it, and that you're on board for whatever they have in store for you.

can't wait to get home and watch more. i am a believer.

 

[Ford Prefect]

Found the first two seasons of King of the Hill bundled for $14.99 at Target o) and watched the pilot. Amazed how good it is from the very start.

 

[beelzebozo]

when all is said and done, i think king of the hill will be reflected upon as one of the best comedic television series ever made. its dedication to character for thirteen seasons is something that makes it almost peerless.

it's amazing that mike judge, the guy who made beavis & butthead--an admittedly funny if a bit vacuous and stupid show--is partly responsible for creating what is one of the most nuanced and charming cast of characters on television.

 

[Costanza]

Found the first two seasons of King of the Hill bundled for $14.99 at Target o) and watched the pilot. Amazed how good it is from the very start.

Yeah, I picked that up earlier this week. Great deal.

 

[beelzebozo]

now if fox would do the right thing and just release the rest of the dvd sets. . .

 

[RotBot]

I recently finished watching Action and the Dana Carvey Show on Netflix. They've been added to my list of shows I wish there were more than 1 season of.

 

[Cornballer]

I recently finished watching Action and the Dana Carvey Show on Netflix. They've been added to my list of shows I wish there were more than 1 season of.

Action was hilarious and way ahead of its time. I'm surprised they got away with as much as they did.

 

[bafflewaffle]

watched John Adams...first half is much better than 2 half,,,after he gets vipres becomes kind of boring like fill the dots of his life. ist half is more focused. handhled cam felt like anna chronistic, weird pov, shots poking through fences type things, what was the point? otherwise very good.

 

[beelzebozo]

watched John Adams...first half is much better than 2 half,,,after he gets vipres becomes kind of boring like fill the dots of his life. ist half is more focused. handhled cam felt like anna chronistic, weird pov, shots poking through fences type things, what was the point? otherwise very good.

how is david morse as washington? does he have much of a role? always thought that was brilliant casting. tom wilkinson as ben franklin is inspired, too.

 

[Charlatanized]

I'm watching one of my favorite shows of all time, the original Kung Fu series, on season DVDs & it's still holding up. Really great production values for a show of its time (or any show still, really), excellent writing, great performance from Carradine. The concept of a Shaolin monk wandering the old west dealing out justice without a gun or a horse (or shoes, for that matter) is timelessly badass.

I'm wondering if Caine in this show was the start of using that name (or some spelling variation of it) in every form of nerd-media known to man.

 

[bafflewaffle]

how is david morse as washington? does he have much of a role? always thought that was brilliant casting. tom wilkinson as ben franklin is inspired, too.

eh he is good, he is more of a presence than having big drama stuff. any actor would feel to seem a bit weird in that role, but saying that he is good. plays very calm, placid man of few words type. in parts 3 and 4, I think. \

 

[Basch]

I've been dying to see BSG, but it will have to wait a while. I'm trying to catch up on other series and keep up with the ones I currently am caught up with: Lost, Heroes, Dollhouse, and *at one point* Damages. Was watching Jericho for a while, but it was taxing my DVR so I cut it loose. Will pick up on DVD someday. Same for Sanctuary.

As of now though, I'm watching Supernatural Season 2. Amazing stuff. Love it, love it, love it. Only three episodes in but In My Time of Dying made such a strong impression on me. Comes highly recommended. Start with the first season of course. My favorite episodes so far have been: Bloody Mary, Skin, Home (2nd/3rd fav), Scarecrow, Faith, Nightmare, Provenance, Dead Man's Blood, Salvation, Devil's Trap (fav), and In My Time of Dying (tied with Home).

After Supernatural I'll probably watch Smallville followed by Prison Break Season 2. Later, perhaps I'll finish 24 Season 1. We'll see how it all works out.

 

[Costanza]

Can I convince someone in this thread to try Big Love?

It's easily the best drama on TV right now.

Bill Paxton plays a mormon polygamist trying to live a normal life (and keep his lifestyle a secret) in the Utah suburbs with his three wives and seven children. Meanwhile, Roman Grant (played excellently by Harry Dean Stanton), "prophet" of the polygamist compound that Bill Paxton's character was kicked off of as a teenager, and his family still living there make this difficult for him.

It's currently in the middle of it's third season on HBO which is shaping up to be one of the most perfect seasons of television I've ever seen.

Seriously, watch it from the beginning. You'll be enthralled.

 

[Like the hat?]

gonna be watching Amen. Just set up a series recording on the DVR. man, that was a good show.

Shine on me!

 

[Cornballer]

Can I convince someone in this thread to try Big Love?

I watched the first three episodes back when it first premiered, and I never got into it. Maybe I'll go back sooner or later and give it another shot.

 

[Costanza]

I watched the first three episodes back when it first premiered, and I never got into it. Maybe I'll go back sooner or later and give it another shot.

It definitely gets better the further you get into it.

 

[VGChampion]

So anyone else watching Leverage? I came in about half way through the season but they repeated the episodes enough I've seen them all now. Such a good show. Glad it got renewed for another season.

 

[Costanza]

So anyone else watching Leverage? I came in about half way through the season but they repeated the episodes enough I've seen them all now. Such a good show. Glad it got renewed for another season.

I saw some clips of this before a movie a couple months ago. Looks fun, I'll probably get to it eventually.

 

[beelzebozo]

constanza, dude, i'm definitely convinced about BIG LOVE. frankly, i was always convinced, but as i mentioned previously i have trouble following shows week-to-week and prefer to watch them on dvd. i've never watched a show on dvd and said to myself, "boy, i wish i had caught this when i had to wait a week to see the next episode." shows hinging on well-paced character development like BIG LOVE are just very dvd friendly.

finished the first season of BSG. i cannot believe the sci-fi network produced this thing. it's just so insanely good. and i am soooo late to the party :lol

 

[Wes]

Watched all of West Wing again recently. The drop after Sorkin is noticable but only for one season (#5). By the time the campaigning story starts around the beginning of Season 6 I found myself enjoying that progressing storyline just as much as the single issue stories that made for awesome episodes in the Sorkin controlled years.

 

[Recon]

Can I convince someone in this thread to try Big Love?

It's easily the best drama on TV right now.

Bill Paxton plays a mormon polygamist trying to live a normal life (and keep his lifestyle a secret) in the Utah suburbs with his three wives and seven children. Meanwhile, Roman Grant (played excellently by Harry Dean Stanton), "prophet" of the polygamist compound that Bill Paxton's character was kicked off of as a teenager, and his family still living there make this difficult for him.

It's currently in the middle of it's third season on HBO which is shaping up to be one of the most perfect seasons of television I've ever seen.

Seriously, watch it from the beginning. You'll be enthralled.

Ehh, ive been finding this season considerably weaker then the previous two. I loved the first two seasons, but im having a hard time watching this one.

 

[Deleted member 1235]

Thinking of blind-buying Breaking Bad next Tuesday. Thoughts?

I think you are about to undertake the greatest blind buy in history

 

[Router]

Just started watching Underbelly since I missed it last year.

 

[karasu]

me neither, but when i was way into wrestling (there was a time) i used to see ads for it during monday night raw. how is it? it always looked a bit cheesy, and i don't typically trust action shows with a usa network budget.

There are definitely some cheesy visuals, but there have been some great episodes so far. Oddly enough, they seem to have used every single plot device and character type that they use in 24 originally in La Femme Nikita. Even the cast carries over to a large degree. I've seen everyone from Erin Driscoll to Morris acting essentially the same way. It's weird.

 

[beelzebozo]

not really digging ROME. maybe i'm not ready for it, and maybe i'll have my characteristic 180 turnaround, but for the time being i think i'm going to switch over and watch something else for a while.

my internet gets upgraded to a higher latency on march 3rd, so i'll be doing a lot more streaming on netflix. really want to check out JERICHO.

 

[Kastro]

sorry to hear that beelz.

I finally started watching Carnivale last night. Only got through the 1 episode but I'm in love already. I can tell Brother Justin is gonna be an awesome character.

Gave me kind of a really dark Twin Peaks vibe at points, and not just because of the same midget dude in both movies.

 

[Cornballer]

not really digging ROME. maybe i'm not ready for it, and maybe i'll have my characteristic 180 turnaround, but for the time being i think i'm going to switch over and watch something else for a while.

How far are you into it? It took 3-4 episodes before I was hooked. They have some slow character arcs, so it takes a while to get going.

 

[beelzebozo]

finished episode 3 last night. it could be that my initial reaction to the show is colored in the same way that my initial reaction to DEADWOOD was, in that i'm already intimately familiar with the history that lies beneath the fiction. before i realized how great DEADWOOD was, i kept waiting for wild bill to get clowned; with ROME, i feel like i'm just waiting around for caesar to get shanked, so character development with him feels wasted or something. that makes very little sense, but yeah.

kastro - CARNIVALE is on my list. how david lynch-esque is it? i like a dab of that sort of weirdness, but if it's too abstract it tends to lose me.

 

[Cornballer]

finished episode 3 last night. it could be that my initial reaction to the show is colored in the same way that my initial reaction to DEADWOOD was, in that i'm already intimately familiar with the history that lies beneath the fiction. before i realized how great DEADWOOD was, i kept waiting for wild bill to get clowned; with ROME, i feel like i'm just waiting around for caesar to get shanked, so character development with him feels wasted or something. that makes very little sense, but yeah.

I'd give it a few more episodes, but understandably you've already sunk a lot of time into the series. It's one of my favorites, and it was much more of a slow burn for me when compared to Deadwood and a couple other HBO shows. Once you get to know Pullo and Vorenus a little better it really takes off, but perhaps it's just not your thing. I'd be very surprised if you didn't end up liking it given your preferences in the past.

 

[Kastro]

kastro - CARNIVALE is on my list. how david lynch-esque is it? i like a dab of that sort of weirdness, but if it's too abstract it tends to lose me.

not much.. just little things were Lynch-esque.

i wouldn't worry about if you're not a lynch fan.

 

[Ford Prefect]

Chuck Bartowski has an Oldboy poster in his room?

That's it, game over-- Chuck is the coolest show on network television.

 

[Solo]

Yes, he does Ford. I could have told you this 1.5 years ago, you mustached face mask wearing son of a gun!

 

[Ford Prefect]

Yes, he does Ford. I could have told you this 1.5 years ago, you mustached face mask wearing son of a gun!

You should have!

 

[evilpigking]

Alright, just marathoned Chuck from S1E1 to most recent this week largely due to the influence of this thread: Loving it, the Buy More segments are hilarious and the mission segments are pretty solid as well.

Also Bones: Actually started watching this a little while back but finally got up to date [just in time to hit the like 3 week break do to American Idol taking over =(...] The storylines manage to keep me engaged although season three was a bit underpar compared to the rest in my mind, for some reason the gormagon line didn't really appeal to me that much. Also kinda disappointed in how they rushed off to close the Gravedigger mini plotline even though "Hero in the Hold" was one of the better episodes in my opinion.

Finally, giving up on BSG I made my way through season 1 without having a strong opinion in either direction but season 2 is unwatchable, it fails to hold my interest for any period of time greater than four minutes.

 

[Jasoco]

I watched my Chuck Season 1 Blu-Ray's a few days ago. The first season was pretty damn good. Can't wait for the second season BD's too.

I've been watching through Star Trek: The Next Generation as well. Currently up to Season 3, Episode 1 "Evolution" guest starring Dr. Kelso from Scrubs.

 

[Solo]

For the last couple of guys saying they've gotten thru S1 of Chuck and really liked it: you're in luck, as S2 gets so much better.

 

[evilpigking]

Really bored this weekend so I also watched True Blood kinda mixed bag on this one. The main storyline between Sookie and Bill, as well as anything involving Lafayette or Fangtasia were entertaining. On the other side, Tara and her troubles got real old real quick and I found her character unrealistic. Also a lot of the nudity seemed forced to me. But overall I guess I'd recommend it.