All Things TV Series Recommendations/Reviews

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tikited, I'm glad you cranked out The Wire. I have encouraged so many people to watch the series and have never once had a person regret it and most also agree it is their favorite all time series.

Thanks to recommendations in this thread, I am watched the first four seasons of Breaking Bad - also a fantastic series. I am looking forward to watching Season 5 once it comes out on DVD (I have DishNetwork and they aren't carrying AMC right now). I definitely like The Wire better than Breaking Bad, but the latter is very well done.

I just finished Season 1 of Six Feet Under. I am curious if the seasons after 1 get better or if the first season is an indication of the rest of the series. I enjoy the show, but its a bit slow at times. I'll probably work my way through season 2 at some point, but I'm curious if the show improves through the years or stays about the same.

My wife and I are almost done with Season 2 of The League and we both love it. We find ourselves laughing out loud pretty regularly. Thanks to those who recommended this show as well.

Go Gophers!!
 



BleedGopher said:
tikited, I'm glad you cranked out The Wire. I have encouraged so many people to watch the series and have never once had a person regret it and most also agree it is their favorite all time series.

Thanks to recommendations in this thread, I am watched the first four seasons of Breaking Bad - also a fantastic series. I am looking forward to watching Season 5 once it comes out on DVD (I have DishNetwork and they aren't carrying AMC right now). I definitely like The Wire better than Breaking Bad, but the latter is very well done.

I just finished Season 1 of Six Feet Under. I am curious if the seasons after 1 get better or if the first season is an indication of the rest of the series. I enjoy the show, but its a bit slow at times. I'll probably work my way through season 2 at some point, but I'm curious if the show improves through the years or stays about the same.

My wife and I are almost done with Season 2 of The League and we both love it. We find ourselves laughing out loud pretty regularly. Thanks to those who recommended this show as well.

Go Gophers!!
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My wife and I just finished Season 4 of Breaking Bad. We burned through the first four seasons pretty quick via Netflix. Agree great show.
 

BleedGopher said:
'The Office' to End After Season 9

The long-running comedy will be ending after the upcoming season.

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/the-office-ending-season-9-364352

Go Gophers!!
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Thank God. TV execs just don't seem to get that shows need to end once their main character goes away, whether it's "fair" or not. The Office, formerly one of my all-time favorite shows, was virtually unwatchable last season. Several more of my favorites, including Scrubs and That 70s Show, were ruined by continuing to air after their main characters left.
 


dpodoll68 said:
Thank God. TV execs just don't seem to get that shows need to end once their main character goes away, whether it's "fair" or not. The Office, formerly one of my all-time favorite shows, was virtually unwatchable last season. Several more of my favorites, including Scrubs and That 70s Show, were ruined by continuing to air after their main characters left.
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Hmm...disagree I guess. I thought Spader was the perfect replacement for Carroll. Completely opposite styles but just as funny. To your point about stars leaving, does the show get bad because the main character leaves, or does the main character leave because the writing gets stale? I tend to think the latter.
 

Oh, and I wanted to add a point about Breaking Bad. I think the actors really make the show. I don't necessarily think the writing is all that great, but the actors really sell it. Cranston & Paul are perfect.
 

Nokomis said:
Hmm...disagree I guess. I thought Spader was the perfect replacement for Carroll. Completely opposite styles but just as funny. To your point about stars leaving, does the show get bad because the main character leaves, or does the main character leave because the writing gets stale? I tend to think the latter.
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Spader sucks. He's way too weird and off-putting to have to sit through on a weekly basis. In a movie he's fine...unwatchable on TV, his cameo role in Seinfeld aside.

I have to disagree with your latter point as well. Think of all the guys who were main characters and left a show when it was still good. All of them thought they were going to be hot sh*t movie stars...Caruso, Grace, Braff, Kutcher, Carell, etc. Other than Carell, all have been massive failures, relatively speaking at least. That 70s Show and Scrubs were still awesome when the respective actors left. The Office was faltering a little, but it went to a complete clown show this past season.
 

dpodoll68 said:
Spader sucks. He's way too weird and off-putting to have to sit through on a weekly basis. In a movie he's fine...unwatchable on TV, his cameo role in Seinfeld aside.

I have to disagree with your latter point as well. Think of all the guys who were main characters and left a show when it was still good. All of them thought they were going to be hot sh*t movie stars...Caruso, Grace, Braff, Kutcher, Carell, etc. Other than Carell, all have been massive failures, relatively speaking at least. That 70s Show and Scrubs were still awesome when the respective actors left. The Office was faltering a little, but it went to a complete clown show this past season.
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Spader sucks? Ok... You can keep Grace, Kutcher, etc. You must not like Boston Legal then either. Really funny show, IMO. I never thought That 70's Show or Scrubs were all that great to begin with, so we're already starting from different points of view. To each his own.

I think of 30 Rock. Alec Baldwin is awesome. But the writing has been terrible the past couple seasons and has become unwatchable -- no fault to Baldwin if he ever decides to leave.
 



tikited said:
Last summer I watched the entire run of The Wire. Greatest drama I've ever seen. This summer has been the summer of The Trailer Park Boys. Might be my favorite comedy ever. I still have two full seasons to go and the two movies. I'm going to be sad when I finish all of it.
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Just about done watching the first season of The Wire and am totally hooked. I wish it was available online on Netflix so I didn't have to wait for the next DVD to arrive.
 

I have another really long work trip upcoming. I can probably crank out two full TV seasons on the trip and need some new recommendations.

I was thinking downloading either the first two seasons of Mad Men or the first two of Downtown Abbey.

Other options:

I watched the first seasons of Oz, Six Feet Under and The Soprano's. All were good, but didn't come close to grabbing me the way The Wire, Dexter, Homeland, Breaking Bad, etc (I've since completed these series or caught up to the current spot). Any thoughts on the Oz/Six Feet/Soprano's series - worth keeping with or Mad Men/Downtown Abbey better options?

Thanks for any thoughts.

Go Gophers!!
 

I've said before, but Parks and Rec should be choice #1 for a sitcom. Have you watched Lost or Freaks and Geeks?

Can't go wrong with any of those.
 

BleedGopher said:
I have another really long work trip upcoming. I can probably crank out two full TV seasons on the trip and need some new recommendations.

I was thinking downloading either the first two seasons of Mad Men or the first two of Downtown Abbey.

Other options:

I watched the first seasons of Oz, Six Feet Under and The Soprano's. All were good, but didn't come close to grabbing me the way The Wire, Dexter, Homeland, Breaking Bad, etc (I've since completed these series or caught up to the current spot). Any thoughts on the Oz/Six Feet/Soprano's series - worth keeping with or Mad Men/Downtown Abbey better options?

Thanks for any thoughts.

Go Gophers!!
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Girls is the best new show. Otherwise, Mad Men. Oz is worth checking out, but not as good as the others. Although, it was the show that started it all.
 



If you haven't watched Californication check it out.
 

don't waste your time with homeland. Show becomes *&^!#*&^!#*&^!#*&^!#.

Happy endings speaks to my weird sense of humor.
 

WilliamsArenaGuy said:
I've said before, but Parks and Rec should be choice #1 for a sitcom. Have you watched Lost or Freaks and Geeks?

Can't go wrong with any of those.
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This. Parks & Rec is hands down the best show on TV the past three seasons. And it's not even close. Consistently funny and heart-warming. Very well written and acted. Start with Season 2.

Also, BBC's new Sherlock series. Very very good. Stars Martin Freeman as Watson (BBC's The Office, The Hobbit) and Benedict Cumberbatch as Holmes.
 

Sherlock series gets a thumbs up for me.
 

Definitely Sherlock. British version.

Also I really enjoyed Suits (2011) - "On the run from a drug deal gone bad, Mike Ross, a brilliant college-dropout, finds himself a job working with Harvey Specter, one of New York City's best lawyers."
 

BleedGopher said:
I was thinking downloading either the first two seasons of Mad Men or the first two of Downtown Abbey.
Go Gophers!!
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Mad Men is awesome.

I am getting tired of sitcoms, but Archer and Wilford are great imo.
 


tikited said:
Two of my favorites for very different reasons. Freaks and Geeks is the greatest show no one watched.
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Great story on Freaks and Geeks in this month's Vanity Fair Comedy issue. The major bone of contention with the network? NBC wanted the kids to "win one once and awhile". Not always, not a happy ending every week but just to let the kids on occasion get a victory. Apatow and in particular Paul Feig, who saw the show almost as an autobiography, were adamant that no, these kids NEVER got a victory.
 

Even though it's a mini series I watched the Hatfields & McCoys. It wasn't too bad. If your into family feuds and basically no humor.
 

Thanks for the recommendations all. Tonight I will download the first two seasons of Parks and Recreation as well as the first two seasons (6 episodes total) of Sherlock. This definitely outta pass the 30+ long hours of plane rides upcoming!

Go Gophers!!
 

I agree with the statement to skip season one of Parks. It's only about 6 episodes and it was mediocre at best. They changed some things in season 2 and its been gold ever since.
 

WilliamsArenaGuy said:
I agree with the statement to skip season one of Parks. It's only about 6 episodes and it was mediocre at best. They changed some things in season 2 and its been gold ever since.
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Will I miss any story lines/character development if I do Seasons 2/3 instead of 1/2?

Go Gophers!!
 

BleedGopher said:
Will I miss any story lines/character development if I do Seasons 2/3 instead of 1/2?

Go Gophers!!
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Not really, you'll be able to catch up pretty quickly. I think they were just trying to feel things out the first season and a lot of it fell flat. The writing, story arcs, character development, and jokes really get traction in Season 2.
 

Nokomis said:
Not really, you'll be able to catch up pretty quickly. I think they were just trying to feel things out the first season and a lot of it fell flat. The writing, story arcs, character development, and jokes really get traction in Season 2.
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Perhaps this explains why I missed the whole "Parks and Rec" bandwagon. I very rarely latch on to a show if I didn't watch it from the beginning (whether fair or unfair), and my early exposure to Parks and Rec was during its first season, when it aired right after The Office. It was awful. I never started watching it, even after everyone (critics and friends alike) were telling me it's the bomb. I have it in my Netflix streaming queue, and plan to start watching it sometime soon.
 

dpodoll68 said:
Perhaps this explains why I missed the whole "Parks and Rec" bandwagon. I very rarely latch on to a show if I didn't watch it from the beginning (whether fair or unfair), and my early exposure to Parks and Rec was during its first season, when it aired right after The Office. It was awful. I never started watching it, even after everyone (critics and friends alike) were telling me it's the bomb. I have it in my Netflix streaming queue, and plan to start watching it sometime soon.
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I think it's because they tried to emulate The Office, and it felt like a tired re-tread. Amy Poehler's character was a lot like Steve Carrell's. I don't know if they hired new writers in Season 2 or just changed their approach, but the difference is stark. Poehler's character is still quirky but is more smart, capable, and competent than in the first season.
 

Nokomis said:
I think it's because they tried to emulate The Office, and it felt like a tired re-tread. Amy Poehler's character was a lot like Steve Carrell's. I don't know if they hired new writers in Season 2 or just changed their approach, but the difference is stark. Poehler's character is still quirky but is more smart, capable, and competent than in the first season.
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I actually didn't mind the first season due to the 'park' project. Andy living in the hole was pretty funny. The show really took of when Rob Lowe came on board imo.
 

Iceland12 said:
Great story on Freaks and Geeks in this month's Vanity Fair Comedy issue. The major bone of contention with the network? NBC wanted the kids to "win one once and awhile". Not always, not a happy ending every week but just to let the kids on occasion get a victory. Apatow and in particular Paul Feig, who saw the show almost as an autobiography, were adamant that no, these kids NEVER got a victory.
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That makes sense as to why it got the boot. Networks always make the wrong choices don't they? The kids did get minor victories now and then, but it's not realistic for an awkward teen to achieve a major victory.
 

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