All Things TV Series Recommendations/Reviews

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BleedGopher said:
We just finished the last season of The League. Holy crap that show became unwatchable the last two years. The second to last episode even turned into a cartoon halfway through the episode. For a show that was really fun to watch for the first 3-4 seasons, it became one of the worst shows on TV. Too bad as it was a fun show at one point.

Go Gophers!!
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I've been a huge TV fan for awhile now. I've always liked the idea of a long drawn out show with tons of character development, great writing with minimal plot holes, and tons of plot twist over the course of many years.

Over the last couple of months though I feel like I'm starting to get burnt out on the idea. I now think what good is all this great writing and character development if the end game is so often unfulfilling? For every Breaking Bad, there are 10 shows that either get cancelled without a proper ending, leave you numb by the end that you don't care, or just have a terrible ending.

I still watch several shows that I really enjoy, but I find myself shifting my time in front of the TV more and more towards movies. The acting is generally better, you always get an ending, and even if it's bad you're only out 2 hours of your life. What movies can't replace is the character development and side stories that you get with TV though. At least not at the same level.
 

mnsportsgeek said:
I've been a huge TV fan for awhile now. I've always liked the idea of a long drawn out show with tons of character development, great writing with minimal plot holes, and tons of plot twist over the course of many years.

Over the last couple of months though I feel like I'm starting to get burnt out on the idea. I now think what good is all this great writing and character development if the end game is so often unfulfilling? For every Breaking Bad, there are 10 shows that either get cancelled without a proper ending, leave you numb by the end that you don't care, or just have a terrible ending.

I still watch several shows that I really enjoy, but I find myself shifting my time in front of the TV more and more towards movies. The acting is generally better, you always get an ending, and even if it's bad you're only out 2 hours of your life. What movies can't replace is the character development and side stories that you get with TV though. At least not at the same level.
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You've got to shift your attention towards HBO and Cinemax. Plenty of high quality shows.
 

All things TV shows thread

Season 2 of "Daredevil" is out on Netflix.

I'll try not to spoil anything for people who are planning to watch it.

Some general observations - the two major character additions are the Punisher and Elektra. Jon Bernthal just nails the Punisher - best adaptation yet of the character.
Not familiar with the actress playing Elektra, but she's attractive and seems to pull off the conflicted nature of the character.

I'm not done yet - 4 episodes to go. The big difference from season 1 (IMHO) is that season 2 has a more episodic nature. Season 1 was all about setting up Daredevil and setting up the Kingpin as the "big bad." Season 2 starts with several episodes featuring the Punisher, then goes to several episodes featuring Elektra. Some supporting characters from last season return (one somewhat unexpectedly, but very well done.)

Foggie and Karen each get some moments to shine. Foggie struggles with knowing Matt's secret, and Karen and Matt go through some changes in their relationship.

Charlie Cox as Daredevil/Matt Murdock takes the character in some new directions. (can't say much without spoiling things).

There is a lot of action - more fight scenes. The special-effects people pull out all the stops to show the (often gory) results of the Punisher's war on criminals.

So far, I'm enjoying it, but I think my overall reaction will depend on how they wrap up the season in the last 4 episodes. as of right now, a lot of threads left dangling.
 

I've heard plenty of good things about Daredevil. I'll probably give it a shot. Netflix has been putting out some quality shows as of recently. Bojack Horseman and Love are both excellent. Master of None started off really strong before losing its shine towards the end of the season.
 

I might be pulling the plug on Modern Family. Sad how far that show has fallen this season imo.
 



I'm going to come out of the closet and admit that I'm greatly enjoying "You, Me and the Apocalypse." It's not going to be a broad mainstream hit, probably, because it's hard to categorize. I've seen criticism that, for a comedy, it's not funny enough. But it's not really a comedy. I love the performances, the dialogue and the situations (same reasons I love "The Affair"), which are a blend of realistic and fanciful. It's somewhat serious, but you can't take it too seriously. It treats the religious themes sensitively but also irreverently.

In my opinion, this is the best of network TV right now. You can chalk that up to it being a British production, partnered with the American network.
 

Bad Gopher said:
I'm going to come out of the closet and admit that I'm greatly enjoying "You, Me and the Apocalypse." It's not going to be a broad mainstream hit, probably, because it's hard to categorize. I've seen criticism that, for a comedy, it's not funny enough. But it's not really a comedy. I love the performances, the dialogue and the situations (same reasons I love "The Affair"), which are a blend of realistic and fanciful. It's somewhat serious, but you can't take it too seriously. It treats the religious themes sensitively but also irreverently.

In my opinion, this is the best of network TV right now. You can chalk that up to it being a British production, partnered with the American network.
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This gal gets it.

http://www.vulture.com/2016/03/you-me-and-the-apocalypse-recap-season-1-episode-8.html
 

tikited said:
I might be pulling the plug on Modern Family. Sad how far that show has fallen this season imo.
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I was thinking the same thing, but then they pull out an absolutely hilarious episode. I'd say the standard has fallen but the ceiling is still there.
 



Bad Gopher said:
I'm going to come out of the closet and admit that I'm greatly enjoying "You, Me and the Apocalypse." It's not going to be a broad mainstream hit, probably, because it's hard to categorize. I've seen criticism that, for a comedy, it's not funny enough. But it's not really a comedy. I love the performances, the dialogue and the situations (same reasons I love "The Affair"), which are a blend of realistic and fanciful. It's somewhat serious, but you can't take it too seriously. It treats the religious themes sensitively but also irreverently.

In my opinion, this is the best of network TV right now. You can chalk that up to it being a British production, partnered with the American network.
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I don't think it's very good, but we've stuck with it. Mostly because of Rob Lowe. I think they try to do too much that it looses any identity. It can be really silly, and then they have a pretty dark episode like last week. Not enough character or plot development. I'd probably like it more if they stuck with on set of characters and one identity.
 

Nobody else has been watching "Billions" on Showtime?

9 episodes into the first season (will there be another?), three episodes left. It's been way better than we expected, I find it fascinating so far. Great characters, good plot line up to this point, very much looking forward to how it ends!
 

Ogee Oglethorpe said:
Nobody else has been watching "Billions" on Showtime?

9 episodes into the first season (will there be another?), three episodes left. It's been way better than we expected, I find it fascinating so far. Great characters, good plot line up to this point, very much looking forward to how it ends!
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It's on our radar (along with a bunch of other stuff, so who knows). How's Paul Giamatti in it? He's the only reason I would give it a try.
 

Nokomis said:
It's on our radar (along with a bunch of other stuff, so who knows). How's Paul Giamatti in it? He's the only reason I would give it a try.
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Giamatti is very good. Every character in the show is really good. It's a fairly odd/unique story line where it's not 100% clear cut who you should be rooting for; Giamatti is the U.S. Attorney but his tactics to get his man make it really hard to root for; Damien Lewis is Bobby Axelrod, the billionaire hedge fund king, whom you would THINK is an easy villain to dislike but I find myself cheering more for Axe than Giamatti. I don't know sh!t about stocks and hedge funds but I am fascinated by the story line.

Best line of the show so far, in a discussion between Malin Akerman and the family attorney, talking about how hard it is to change the perception of you, particularly when it's not true;

"I know what you mean. Someone says Charlie f'd a goat, even if the goat denies it, he goes the grave, Charlie the goat-f'r"

Some ratings I've seen haven't been THAT stellar (although good) but we are riveted so far.
 





tikited said:
It was better than every other one this season, but I still think it was terrible compared to the best-of episodes of the show.
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I actually laughed hard last night. Thought it was the best in months.
 

short ornery norwegian said:
Season 2 of "Daredevil" is out on Netflix.

I'll try not to spoil anything for people who are planning to watch it.

Some general observations - the two major character additions are the Punisher and Elektra. Jon Bernthal just nails the Punisher - best adaptation yet of the character.
Not familiar with the actress playing Elektra, but she's attractive and seems to pull off the conflicted nature of the character.

I'm not done yet - 4 episodes to go. The big difference from season 1 (IMHO) is that season 2 has a more episodic nature. Season 1 was all about setting up Daredevil and setting up the Kingpin as the "big bad." Season 2 starts with several episodes featuring the Punisher, then goes to several episodes featuring Elektra. Some supporting characters from last season return (one somewhat unexpectedly, but very well done.)

Foggie and Karen each get some moments to shine. Foggie struggles with knowing Matt's secret, and Karen and Matt go through some changes in their relationship.

Charlie Cox as Daredevil/Matt Murdock takes the character in some new directions. (can't say much without spoiling things).

There is a lot of action - more fight scenes. The special-effects people pull out all the stops to show the (often gory) results of the Punisher's war on criminals.

So far, I'm enjoying it, but I think my overall reaction will depend on how they wrap up the season in the last 4 episodes. as of right now, a lot of threads left dangling.
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I'm on episode 11 of season 2 and really enjoying it. Thought season 1 was good and agree with you about setting up the characters. The guy that plays Fisk (D'Onofrio) is great at it.
 



Anyone watch The People vs. OJ Simpson on FX? I had forgotten how crazy that whole thing was.
 


Game of Thrones and Silicon Valley return tonight on HBO!
 

For the '24' fans:

Perhaps the second-most popular clock in television history, trailing only the stopwatch used by 60 Minutes, will tick once again. And it looks a lot of fun.

FOX is rebooting the 24 franchise with 24: Legacy. Scheduled to debut following next year’s Super Bowl on February 5, FOX shared a first look of the new take on the series on Monday. Corey Hawkins, of Straight Outta Compton fame, takes on the role of our hero for the day as the series follows a new story surrounding a new cast of characters but sticks to the 24-hour format fans have come to know and love.

It should be noted, however, this new series will pick up the pace with 12 episodes covering a span of 24 hours in real-time format. This is similar to what FOX did with its previous revival of the 24 franchise, 24: Live Another Day.
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http://thecomeback.com/blog/pop-culture/24-legacy-no-jack-bauer-promising.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=24-legacy-no-jack-bauer-promising
 

This news is several days dated, but for those that watch The Family, ABC is removing the mystery thriller The Family after just one season. It was very well-written with great character development and quality acting. So naturally, it was cancelled. Well, there goes my favorite show, learned just after being really excited after watching the season (series?) finale. Thanks ABC.
 

I recently watched the Heavy Water War on Netflix. A 6 part mini series. It was about half English; half subtitled. It's about Germany's attempt to make an atomic bomb and the Norwegians trying to sabotage their own factory to stop them. I really enjoyed it.

My wife and I finished Parenthood. We went from Sopranos, to 6 feet under, to Friday night lights, then to Parenthood. We are looking for a new show about families, any recommendations?
 

Just finished the BBC series: River. I liked it.
 

cncmin said:
This news is several days dated, but for those that watch The Family, ABC is removing the mystery thriller The Family after just one season. It was very well-written with great character development and quality acting. So naturally, it was cancelled. Well, there goes my favorite show, learned just after being really excited after watching the season (series?) finale. Thanks ABC.
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Ya I'm upset that it was cancelled. The show shouldn't have had a Sunday night time slot. I hope somebody else picks it up. It's a good show.
 

This is all sorts of awesome:

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Go Larry David!!
 


"Better Call Saul" is a close second, but "The Americans" is my favorite TV show. Like most good series, you need to start at the beginning:
 

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