TV Serieseseseses
I was sure that there was a generic TV series thread, but I couldn't find it.
Waiting for Game of Thrones to finish before watching it (read the books but I want to see the series anyway). Just finished the second season of Longmire - great series. I've got (and not yet watched) : American Horror Story Vikings Hannibal the five seasons of Breaking Bad I've heard good things about True Detective as well. What series should I start watching next? |
Orphan Black.
I liked the first season of Longmire, maybe it's time to reup to netflix for a bit. |
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Is this limited to current or recent serieses? Or are older recommendations welcome too, like Firefly or Charmed?
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The Mrs. and I have just started watching Vikings. Everyone we know around here seems to love.
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Fargo.
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The Wire.
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Fargo
True Detective Sherlock Luther Mad Men |
I watched one episode of Fargo, and said, well, that was well done, but then somehow I never wanted to watch another episode.
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I'm really enjoying Fargo. The movie is tied at #1 for my favorites of all-time so I was nervous about the series being a fail. I was impressed with how well the TV series captured the same feel as the movie. Coen Bros are great.
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I started Breaking Bad about 3 weeks back. Almost done now, finishing up Season 5.
Watching a whole series in one sitting is much more gratifying. Glad I waited. -t |
I've been watching it and enjoying it, but it's pretty easy to ignore as well. I often find myself remembering at the last minute that it's on. It's a bit like Mad Men, in that it's an hour where not a lot seems to happen, but a lot does happen. Honestly, though, it's worth watching just for Billy Bob Thornton's performance. I agree with your recommendation of Orphan Black. |
Did four episodes of Vikings last night. Enjoying it.
SO many recommendations for The Wire over the years, I shall get hold of it. Sherlock was brilliant, although I haven't seen the episodes from S3 yet. Luther was good at first (till E4), guess I should force myself to carry on. Mad Men isn't really my thing. I'll look into Fargo. True Detective being gotten as I write. Cheers. |
I disagree with Turtle on that viewpoint; I am convinced that shows are ultimately better on a slower schedule rather than an all-at-once feast. The buffet gives immediate gratification, but leaves no time to really think about the hour you just watched. As a general rule all the great shows require some internal digestion from the viewer, and the Netflix Strategy does not allow for that. I believe that shows like House of Cards ultimately suffer because of it (although I would categorize House of Cards as merely good and extremely well-produced, but certainly not great). So I guess I would suggest that you should not wait for shows to end before starting to watch them.
With that out of the way, in my humble order of excellence and relevance: 1. Breaking Bad - obviously. 1. The Sopranos (if you have not seen - still extremely great). 1. The Wire. 1. Mad Men - first half of the final season just ended last Sunday; the last 7 episodes air next spring...in my opinion these first four shows are the most dominant and best dramas in the history of television, assuming that Mad Men ends as excellently as it has been crafted thus far. 2. The Americans (extremely recommended - just finished an excellent season 2...as with any show in the first couple seasons, you run the risk that it goes south fast - see: Homeland - but it has been consistently great thus far). 3. Hannibal - I have seen a couple episodes and people whose opinion I absolutely trust constantly confirm that this show is excellent. Unfortunately...I am squishy American cheese when it comes to graphic ultraviolence, and I couldn't put myself through entire seasons of Hannibal Lector's extremely creative human buffets. :D 4. Game of Thrones - likely the most entertaining narrative and show of the crop; also the least likely to provide social commentary actually relevant to, you know, anyone or anything in your life (which is a key ingredient of what makes every other show in this post so damn good). But extremely good production, entertainment factor is off the charts, and by far the best fantasy/sci-fi television show to date. 5. Louie - the world's greatest stand-up comedian is an auteur. This show is likely not for everyone, but is by turns hilarious, sad, touching, profound, and deliberately stupid and/or unfunny commentary on life - all of which you will find yourself randomly thinking about weeks or years later. 6. True Detective - the first season was really interesting, quite good and worth seeing. I understand that each season is a stand-alone event (no carry-over of main characters), so worth viewing season 1 even if future seasons go off the rails. |
Other options you may have heard of:
1. The Bridge - first season 2013 - started great, very interesting, then really lost its way for a while in a ludicrous plot, then seemed to make a bit of a comeback. Worth seeing if you've plowed through the above shows, but whether it's worth it to become invested seems dependent on what happens in the second season. Also: I have heard that people in the locality of the show describe it as a mischaracterization; I have no idea about that. 2. Boardwalk Empire - interesting period piece, with a frustrating habit of focusing on the wrong plot lines and flat/uninteresting characters, and killing off or removing the best characters that have actual narrative arcs. The last season was actually one of the best - and then it ended with the best and most interesting character being removed. I cursed loudly and with great vigour. 3. Homeland - Season 1 was completely and utterly excellent. Then it went off the rails; season 2 was frustrating, and the recent season 3 almost made me want to stop watching. The creators had an excellent original idea, but then they seemed to ruin it. |
Shit, I forgot about Black Mirror. British TV show. Really, really good. First episode may freak you right out.
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http://forums.macnn.com/89/macnn-lou...etwork-series/ In any event, here are the ones I am currently, recently, and previously enjoyed: 1. The Americans - My favorite. Season 2 just finished last week, and it was a cliff hanger! Matthew Rhys fits his part perfectly! (I'm truly amazed that even with his distinct Wales accent, that he speaks "American" English flawlessly in the series). 2. The Following - Season 2 completed last month. 3. Mad Men - the first half of the last season completed just this past Sunday. The other half will air next year. 4. Fargo - Only 3 episodes left, and I'm hooked! 5. he Bridge - Season 2 premieres Wedneeday, July 9th. Season 1 was awesome! The way Demián Bichir and Diane Kruger interacted was priceless. And, Ted Levine, aka Jame "Buffalo Bill" Gumb from "The Silence of The Lambs", is very good as the police lieutenant. 6. House of Cards - Not exactly a "TV Series", but still real, real good. Kevin Spacey at his best! 7. Big Love - Interesting take of polygamy. Bill Paxton was real good! 8. The Sopranos - No need to comment on this classic. 9. The Killing (American version) - Really liked Seasons 1 & 2, and especially since it took place in Seattle (only 20 miles from where I live)! One that I have to watch is "Justified". One of my friends raves about it. I have the first 5 seasons, and so I'll take the time to watch it. And, I'll also have to try and get a hold of "Breaking Bad". |
I'll second Justified. Wildly underrated.
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"The Americans (extremely recommended - just finished an excellent season 2...as with any show in the first couple seasons, you run the risk that it goes south fast - see: Homeland - but it has been consistently great thus far)."
Well said, ShortcutToMoncton. Just like you stated, Season 2 was just as good as Season 1. And, it helps that Matthew Rhys, Kerri Russell, and Noah Emmerich each fit their parts perfectly! (There are other actors in the show that also do a superb job). It's interesting that Season 1 premiered in late January 2013, but Season 2 did not start until late February. But, that late start makes sense, given that the Sochi Olympics ended the prior Sunday. Smart move by FX! Wonder when Season 3 will start? I hope what you said is also true for another excellent FX series, The Bridge. Like The Americans, it is well done, and Season 1 was super. Hope Season 2 keeps it going. |
I've been watching Arrow. Only two seasons are out though. The third hasn't started yet.
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Well, I do have a differing opinion about The Bridge - I thought that entire plot with the
But the mystery and the characters in the first 4 or 6 episodes and the last couple episodes were actually super interesting and the source of the best television in the first season. I hope they are able to flesh out what makes those episodes so good, and don't lose their way trying to shoehorn in another silly "sinister super villain" plotline. |
Also, I have to give Game of Thrones the "Most Incredibly Long and Skipped Intro" award.
It's like, 3 full minutes or something insane like that...long by movie standards, let alone dozens-of-episodes standards. Brutal. |
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Orphan Black is definitely on my shortlist of series to get around to.
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As such, I personally don't recommend shows that trailed off badly, even if they were initially great (see also: Homeland)...:D |
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Watched as much Battlestar Galactica as I could stand. Homeland was good for about 8 or 9 episodes and then sucked. Tried watching Arrow, but didn't even make it to the end of the first episode.
Fussy? Me? |
I liked Season 1 of The Americans but have not seen past episode 3 of season 2. I'll pick it back up based on these recommendations.
Another show I got into was Turn on AMC. I saw the first 3 but again have slacked off. I enjoyed the first 3 and am gonna pick that up again as well. AMC has another interesting show: Halt And Catch Fire. The first episode was available for streaming, but it doesn't officially premiere until June. First episode had a lot of potential and got me hooked. It also has the main character from Pushing Daisies which I thought was a gem network television never fully realized. |
So much win in this thread, and I haven't seen half of what's been mentioned.
But yeah, Breaking Bad, Orphan Black, BSG, Fargo, Black Mirror, Sherlock, Pushing Daisies, all good stuff. I haven't seen the remake of The Bridge, but I've seen both of the original Sweden/Denmark based series. To add some more Scandi / European stuff.. The Returned/Les Revenants (French, US Series 'Resurrection' is based on it),Salamander (Belgian, political, starts slow but gets interesting) and currently part way through Mammon (Norwegian). The Blacklist is also a good one. |
Lots of great shows mentioned here, but if you want something that's just pure badassery: BANSHEE.
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Watched the first couple episodes of Orphan Black and while the premise was cool, I did not like the direction or acting......pretty much every scene feels like a set piece. When combined with a bit of a stilted script and plot, it just doesn't feel as well-crafted as the greats.
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Three new series will be starting soon. They are:
Power - Premieres Saturday, June 7th on Starz Tyrant - Premieres Tuesday, June 24th (one week after Fargo completes) on FX The Strain - Premieres Sunday, July 13th on FX Also, there will be a Season 4 of The Killing, but it will only be available on Netflix, starting August 1st. In any event, the storyline is that the murder of a respected family leads Detectives Linden (Mareille Enos) and Holder (Joel Kinnaman) to an all boys military academy. Hopefully, it will be as good as Seasons 1 & 2. |
Watched the third episode......will go so far as to say it's kind of bad.
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Watched the first episode of "Halt and Catch Fire" on AMC last night, and so far, I like what I see. Also just saw on Yahoo that the lead character, Joe MacMillan (played by Lee Pace), is being compared to Don Draper of "Mad Men". Here's the clip from Yahoo:
https://tv.yahoo.com/tv-in-no-time/d...094028601.html |
Sigh...finished the 5th episode of Orphan Black and I'm getting to that point where I either need to commit or get off the can.
It's not a great show. The premise is very interesting; it's also nice to see lots of shots of Toronto and old stomping grounds. But the acting isn't great, scenes often feel like staged set pieces, the script regularly feels quite stilted, and the plot can seem extremely forced and/or obvious. Basically, we started and kept watching to this point because we had some down time, Mad Men and The Americans just ended, and Game of Thrones had an off week last week. But we don't generally watch more than 3 hours of TV a week...I don't see Orphan Black making the cut based on interesting premise alone. Also, forgot to mention Orange is the New Black. I don't think anyone has suggested it yet?! Another Netflix exclusive and the second season begins this week. I wasn't sold on the first season at the start, but it ended up being surprisingly enjoyable and I would definitely recommend it as a series option. |
Season 1 of Vikings finished. Enjoyed it, I'll be starting S2.
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I've thought about trying Vikings, but I've actually never liked any TV show that was a re-imagining of True Events. I don't know why...it has to either be fictional, or more or less non-fictional. Generally well-regarded shows like Rome I couldn't take for more than the first few episodes. :D
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Wonder Years reunion, and finally coming to DVD. Looking forward to it...
‘Wonder Years’ Reunion Amazing! See Incredible Then And Now Photos Of Danica McKellar And Fred Savage Before DVD Box Set Release (VIDEO) Cheers |
After having some conversations about the first season and thinking about it a little more, I'm clarifying my above rating from "surprisingly enjoyable" to "really very good". It was really not like anything I've seen before in terms of some of the subject matter, execution, and the surprising depth of the supporting cast (which was probably more interesting than the main character in many respects). |
I really enjoyed Orange is the New Black as well.
The second season of Orphan Black is turning a bit silly, but then I like that it's not relentlessly serious (hi fringe, yes you.) |
That is exactly what I did not need to hear and feared might happen given the production thus far. :D I think we might end up pulling the plug based on the five episodes we have watched.
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Vikings: really good. Almost done with Season 1. Not sure if it's the novelty, but I like seeing where it's going. Gotta say though, that Gabriel Byrnes' cutthroat earl almost makes you appreciate the relative mildness of modern day politicians. :D
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Penny Dreadful.
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You really need to watch Breaking Bad 2-4 times all the way through. Lots of subtle stuff. Set decoration and such are top notch.
Even after 4 watchings, Tuco and "Jack and the Nazi's" are really scary. |
Watched the first episode of True Detective last night.
Excellent. Heavy. Dripping with atmosphere. The photography is so well done. And Matt McConaughey is brilliant. Harrelson is great as well, but McConaughey ... |
TD is probably the only thing that comes close to Game of Thrones for excellence just now.
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Yeah, I think you'll like the season. I actually liked Harrelson better overall for various reasons, but we can discuss when you're more into it. As I mentioned, my understanding is that each season is a stand-alone one, and I really like that idea. :D
Re: Orphan Black....I made it to the end of the first season and then gave up, even though it was a bit of a cliffhanger segue to S2. I just don't get, and the show does not explain, why |
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