TV Series Recommendations?

[Warren_Paul]

Originally Posted by Lenny

Someone back home wouldn't stop bugging me until I tried it.

I've generally got a high tolerance for bad shows. Everyone told me to stop watching Lost when I finished the third series, but I persevered, really enjoyed the fourth (best of the six, in my opinion), and found the writing in the sixth of a good quality, and the ending quite satisfactory. We shall not speak of the fifth series.

LOST SPOILERS:





I agree with Lost, I enjoyed it up until they went back. Once they got off the island, they should've stayed off it. Until that point I thought the show was brilliant. Many people hate the serialised nature of it I think. Other than the ending, the biggest complaint I heard was that they didn't know what was going on - and that was because they didn't watch every episode.

For some reason the average TV audience wants shows that it doesn't matter if they miss one episode here and there, they can still understand what's going on. This wasn't the case with Lost.

I think that is crazy, serialised shows have way better storylines. They have to, otherwise you get the repetitiveness that is shows like The Mentalist, which the premise was good, the first few episodes were entertaining, but after that you start to realise the exact same thing happens every episode... boring.

It's the bane of police drama shows. Why do you think Luther was so successful compared to other police dramas - serialised = win. Filler episodes = fail. Of course Luther was also dark and gritty and UK networks are just so much better at police dramas.

if you're going to watch a serialised show you should watch every episode for the sake of the story. If I miss an episode, I use the networks online page to catch up, problem solved.

[Connavar]

Originally Posted by Foxbat

Only a couple of episodes to go so I may eating my words soon

About Carnivale you can be optimistic about it being cancelled and the story left unfinished now years later. You would be bitter like me if they cancelled the show while you were watching it. Lamenting the lost potential.

I havent still finished the show because i was annoyed what happened. I will now when im not feeling as bitter about the cancellation. It was a quality show and it could have been much better.

HBO isnt perfect them either, they have cancelled recently Hung which was the drama comedy they had left that was acclaimed.

[J-Sun]

Originally Posted by Perpetual Man

J-Sun mentioned Life and that was another show that was cancelled before it's time, but was brilliant and bucked the trend in that it was given an extra episode to tie things up. It might have been slightly rushed but it was very satisfactory and gave the feeling of a decent ending. Incidentally main character Charlie Crews was played by Damien Lewis, a Brit, not Australian

Oops. Sorry about that.

Originally Posted by Lenny

I'm currently trying to track down people in College with all seven series of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, as I feel it's something I have to watch.

Things that have been recommended that I know I want to try:

* Farscape
* Supernatural
* Twin Peaks

Speaking as a big-time Buffy fan, I'd say you only need to track down the first five. Season 6 was Noxious and season 7 didn't really recover. The first three were the golden age and 4 and 5 are still pretty indispensable.

Just to possibly add more to the scales, I haven't seen all of Farscape or the stuff around the core Twin Peaks episodes (and the latter half of those aren't anywhere near as good as the first half) but what I have seen I liked - you should have fun with those two.

[Warren_Paul]

Originally Posted by J-Sun

Speaking as a big-time Buffy fan, I'd say you only need to track down the first five. Season 6 was Noxious and season 7 didn't really recover. The first three were the golden age and 4 and 5 are still pretty indispensable.

Just like Lost, I think this is debatable. Personally, I thought Season 7 was one of the best. I enjoyed every season of Buffy, and have the whole set. I'd call myself a fan of Joss Whedon, I love all his stuff. I'd say why I like season 6 too, but that would be spoiling it for Lenny.

But yeah, I'd say season 5 was the BEST season of them all, granted.

I wonder if we fall into the trap of being over-critical of things? Just because it could be better, doesn't mean it's bad. That goes for a lot of shows, like Lost. I remember being criticised for watching Alias. I knew it wasn't the best show out there, but I still enjoyed watching it - there are many shows out there of that genre that are far worse.

[Foxbat]

Originally Posted by Perpetual Man

Carnivale was superb, and the ending... (I'll keep my trap shut), but like many superb shows it was cancelled before it's time unfinished. It is the only reason I would not recommend it.... it just leaves you wondering what might have been.

Watched the last episode last night and I see what you mean. Still, I wouldn't discount this as a recommendation. The ending although somewhat unresolved could still be seen as a conclusion of certain sorts.

This coupled with the quality of the show (and the relatively inexpensive cost of getting both seasons on DVD) means, that I would still say this is worth watching...... but within the caveat of its unfinished nature.

[J-Sun]

Originally Posted by Warren_Paul

Just like Lost, I think this is debatable. Personally, I thought Season 7 was one of the best. I enjoyed every season of Buffy, and have the whole set. I'd call myself a fan of Joss Whedon, I love all his stuff. I'd say why I like season 6 too, but that would be spoiling it for Lenny.

But yeah, I'd say season 5 was the BEST season of them all, granted.

Well, I was saying 1-3 were the best, IMO, followed by 4 & 5. I've never really been able to make up my mind whether season 2 (Spike and Dru and Angelus) or season 3 (Faith and the Mayor) is my absolute favorite. But, yeah, I'm sure every season (unless maybe 6 ) is somebody's favorite.

I wonder if we fall into the trap of being over-critical of things? Just because it could be better, doesn't mean it's bad. That goes for a lot of shows, like Lost. I remember being criticised for watching Alias. I knew it wasn't the best show out there, but I still enjoyed watching it - there are many shows out there of that genre that are far worse.

Quite possible, but BTVS s6 turned lightly, cleverly handled multiple-valued themes into stupid one-dimensional After School Special junk like Willow's "magic/drugs" and specifically went on hatchet jobs, destroying characters like Amy and even turning the girl who saved the prom (and the world - a lot) into a... well, something bad (and I'm not talking about her private life). Season 6 was basically Marti Noxon's psychotherapy sprayed onto the TV screen, apparently. Not to mention, worst... Big Bad (and even worse henchmen)... ever. So I'm pretty sure I think it was worse than "could have been better".

(If I sound really harsh, that's just the flipside of how much I liked the first five. )

As far as Lost, I never saw it and, with Alias, I only saw a few re-runs (from the middle, I think) so that it made even less sense than it probably did on first-run but what I saw, I liked okay, until they time-lapsed a few years between seasons. I don't think that's ever been a good idea.

I agree though that, with SF/F/H shows, I feel like most people are initially that way - I think Terra Nova definitely established itself as bad before it was over but I thought it started promisingly enough, yet most buzz among potential fans was savagely negative from the start just because it wasn't perfect.

[Alysheba]

Going to add:
Grimm
Once Upon A Time
American Horror Story

Three very good shows that are renewed for another season.

[Ben M]

Just looking through this thread and there are some excellent recommendations. But one of my personal favourite shows that nobody has mentioned is Friday Night Lights. Once you get over the football thing, it's a fantastic humour drama that is very touching.

[RcGrant]

Surprised nobody has mentioned Prison Break. I adored that show.

[Denise Tanaka]

I'm coming into the thread a bit late, I suppose, but let me suggest the US t.v. series from the 1960's - "Dark Shadows." Tim Burton recently made a film loosely based on it, but of course he and Johnny Depp took great creative liberty. It is almost unrecognizable. The original show was a daytime serial, so your criteria for lots of episodes with a patiently developed story arc is definitely met!! You'd also be surprised to recognize a lot of themes that, later, became standard fare in the vampire/werewolf genre - namely, the vampire who regrets being a blood sucking monster, etc. The budget was very low, and it was shot on an early form of videotape that did not allow for editing so there are flubbed lines and prop malfunctions that made it on the air!! It was on for 5 years, but a good number of episodes are on Netflix watch instantly.

[Judderman]

Originally Posted by RcGrant

Surprised nobody has mentioned Prison Break. I adored that show.

First series is excellent. The 3rd is poor, while the other two are fairly entertaining.

The Borgias is great! Well, season 1 is a decent watch but season 2 is exceptional.
Quite dark show but not depressing. Lots of good acteurs too.

[Lenny]

I'm running out of things on my lists again, so I'm coming back to see what recommendations I missed!

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Since my post in May I:

* Totally nerded out throughout 30 Rock
* Found a new comedy love in the animated Archer
* Whizzed through Black Books
* Discovered everything that I missed when Buffy the Vampire Slayer originally aired
* Started Continuum, and am looking forward to its return
* Had a bit of a laugh with the six episodes of Drive
* Felt really intimidated by Kevin Spacey in House of Cards
* Sort of liked the BBC's Jekyll (2007)
* Developed my own man-crush on Timothy Olyphant in Justified
* Did an all-nighter watching Luther
* Was kind of entertained by The Newsroom
* Found my "meh-but-what-the-hey" niche filled by Revolution (which I'll probably continue watching when it returns)
* Enjoyed The Sarah Connor Chronicles (though I'm not sure how I feel about that being cancelled)
* Finished the Stargate franchise (bitterly disappointed that SG: Universe was cancelled)
* Really liked Twin Peaks!

I think that's about it for things I watched and liked. Things I tried and didn't like:

* Andromeda
* Angel
* Farscape
* Grimm
* Lost Girl
* Modern Family
* Parks and Recreation
* Portlandia
* Sanctuary
* Supernatural
* Touch

I'm sure there were one or two others, but I have probably scrubbed them from my memory.

Oh, I also dropped Warehouse 13 from my list because the latest series was pants.

I've still got Red Dwarf and The X-Files to go through, but I'm not really in the mood for them at the moment.

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From recommendations from like-minded addicts in real life, and those I somehow missed in this thread (which I like the look of), I've put together my next list of things to watch (I've had to miss some off because I just can't track them down):

* Alias
* Boardwalk Empire
* Carnivale
* Deep Space Nine
* Lexx
* Millennium
* Quantum Leap
* Sea of Souls
* Seven Days
* The Thick of It

When I finish this list, if I have time in life, I'll likely go through everything else listed in this thread, if only to leave my comfort zone for a while.

I've done Buffy, 30 Rock, and Justified back-to-back, so I'm kind of in the mood for something unashamedly SciFi-y. Having recently read an article about the argument over the origins of Babylon 5 and DS9, I'm tempted to go with the latter - I didn't like what I saw of Babylon 5: The Gathering, and I've never actually watched a series set in the Star Trek universe!

On the subject of B5, is the series better than The Gathering? I keep hearing good things, and I'm wondering if I didn't give it the chance it deserved.

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Here are a few recommendations of my own, which are shows that don't seem to have been mentioned in the thread:

* 30 Rock is one of the best comedies of recent times, and the combination of Tina Fey and Alec Baldwin is fantastic

* Breaking Bad is the show to watch if you want complete characterisation. The journey of Walter White is stunning!

* House of Cards is better even than the tense Homeland, and Kevin Spacey totally chews up the scenery - he actually scares me at times

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Thanks for everything so far, folks!

I also hope that others have found this thread useful, and have discovered some new favourite programmes of their own.

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EDIT: Allow me to also add a link to a feature on the Tor blog called Don't Touch That Dial.

Every now and then, the feature looks at a handful of programmes in different genres, giving a brief synopsis, and a run-down of "The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly". Of course, you should be warned that there are spoilers, but the analysis is usually pretty spot on (based on my experiences with the ones on the lists that I have watched). If you are worried about spoilers, then at the end of each programme description is a generally spoiler-free "TL;DR" section that summarises the points.

[Mouse]

Good to see you've got Sea of Souls on your list. Hope you enjoy it! I really must re-watch it.

[Lenny]

I started Deep Space Nine exactly six weeks ago, and I finished it less than an hour ago. 4.2 episodes a day - I must be flagging**.

I'm about to go through a short comedy series Hoopy has recommended, The Mimic, to cleanse my palate before I start the next big series. Not sure what it will be, but I probably won't watch another long SF series for few months.



**I started the Stargate franchise around this time last year and had watched all 354 episode and three films in six weeks. A staggering 8.4 episodes a day. Looking back, I'm amazed I got any of my Master's done!

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EDIT: Have to add that I've also started two new series that are currently airing - Bates Motel and Hannibal. Both very good, and I recommend them to anyone who likes unsettling stories and isn't squeamish.

[Lenny]

The Mimic wasn't bad. The characters were great, there were some amusing scenes (everything to do with the Irish pub was great!), and the impressions that main character did were good (although I didn't like his Obama)... but it was a bit depressing for a comedy. If it gets a second series, and I remember about it, I might watch it, but it's not something I'd make an effort to watch as it's broadcast.

After The Mimic, I immediately moved on to The Thick of It, which was simply awesome. I wouldn't be surprised if the episodes were played out by our current elected incompetents on a daily basis. Part of me worries about Peter Capaldi, though - you get the feeling that he drained years of his life yelling in just the scenes that made up the episodes, let alone during filming (just imagine how many retakes were needed).

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I'm going off-script next, to something that I am amazed hasn't been mentioned once in this thread: Castle! Because Nathan Fillion.