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TV Shows you've watched recently
- Thread starter beelzebozo
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Net_Wrecker
Member
Strike Back
Few episodes into the second season now (aka first Cinemax season), and my God...I'm so happy this show exists. In a time where serious dramas rule the cable kingdom, and doubly so for premium cable channels, Strike Back is so straightforward and unashamed of its action movie feel. I love it. The first 2 episodes of the 2nd season is probably the best Die Hard movie I've seen since 1995. Sucks that
Richard Armitage
____he
Lumpy Onion
Member
Just finished season 1 of Startrek DS9. Really enjoyed it. Digging the characters. If this is the shows worst I can't even fathom how great the later stuff will be. Been watching like 3 a day and I can't stop lol
Ventilaator
Banned
So Peep Show is pretty good. Looked for more of Mitchell and Webb and found out about The Mitchell and Webb Sound and the Mitchell and Webb Look. "Sound" is in audio form and "Look" is a TV show.
Perfect, I thought, I finished my audiobook and this would be new stuff to listen to.
But then Wikipedia was like:
Does this mean that Look is just stuff from Sound, except filmed?
Perfect, I thought, I finished my audiobook and this would be new stuff to listen to.
But then Wikipedia was like:
Wikipedia page for The Mitchell and Webb Sound said:
Does this mean that Look is just stuff from Sound, except filmed?
InaudibleWhispa
Member
Banshee. Man, what a great show. Along with The Americans easily the best new show I've watched this year. It just captures silly action movies down to a tee. The fights are lengthy and extremely violent, the characters are fun and it's just incredibly entertaining. I nearly gave up after the rather poor second episode, but it just gets better and better starting with episode 3. Really satisfying season arc too with a great finale. Now that I'm done I'm going to check out Strike Back.
Ventilaator
Banned
Tell me about Oz, the TV show.
The idea of a show in a prison and the idea of JK Simmons being there is kind of enough to sell me, but that's all I know about that show. What's the tone even? Is it like, fucked up? Did the quality stay consistent throughout it's run or not?
The idea of a show in a prison and the idea of JK Simmons being there is kind of enough to sell me, but that's all I know about that show. What's the tone even? Is it like, fucked up? Did the quality stay consistent throughout it's run or not?
blainethemono
Member
It's pretty fucked up. It's incredibly dark and brutal. Basically, before Oz, Tom Fontana was writing/producing a procedural show (Homicide Life on the Street) where in every episode a storyline involving cops and crooks was wrapped up with the crooks being sent to jail and that was the end. However he was thinking about doing a story about the other end of that - what happens to those criminals after they go to jail.
But nobody wanted to do a show like that until HBO was like "Hey we've had some success with our prison documentaries" and decided to give Fontana's idea a chance. so then Chris Albrecht basically was like alright, you just come up with the most fucked up shit you possibly can and don't hold back. They were pretty much trying to just get people talking about HBO by putting out the most ridiculously brutal shit they possibly could. They never really asked him to change or tame down anything he wrote except for one single instance. Then that plus The Sopranos and HBO's George Carlin comedy specials kind of paved the way for more people like David Milch to come to HBO where they would have complete artistic freedom to do whatever they wanted.
Quality wise the later seasons can be kind of dumb, and the whole show might seem a little cheesy compared to something like The Sopranos or The Wire but it's really entertaining. I would definitely recommend watching it
DS9 rises to unreachable heights it's almost hard to believe. You're in for the treat of the decade
Ventilaator
Banned
"The show is incredibly fucked up, because the writer was asked to go as insane as humanly possible and nobody held him back.
...Except that one time."
...
That makes that one time sound...yeah. I'm really curious now where the breaking point was on a "Do whatevs" deal, but I can't look it up because I'll stumble on show spoilers.
Both are excellent. Cinemax have two of the best action shows on TV. I hear they are going to pack more action into Banshee S2. So stoked.
I'd say Strike Back is the most action packed show on TV right now.
blainethemono
Member
From the Oz chapter in Sepinwall's book The Revolution Was Televised
Finished The Walking Dead season 2. Watched the last three episodes today. Fucking hell, what an end.
Just watch the show.
what the hell was that thing that saved Andrea lol? That's going in a sort of weird direction. And that building in the end looked like a jail, but I don't really want to know. Overall brilliant ending. I love the way Rick has changed, not the naive idiot anymore. Shane was crazy, but he was often right about things. Looks like Rick is slightly going in the same direction.
Just watch the show.
I am about to start on Life OR Homeland. I remember Life being cancelled so I wonder if it atleast has some decent ending?
After the way Pushing Daisies ended I promised myself I will never watch a show anymore that got canned and didn't end proper.
I'd say it is worth it if you have nothing else interesting to watch. The pacing is really awful at times.
I don't think it is really amazing like so many people do but S2 and S3 have some great moments. After that (to me) it kind of got really 'meh' and the pacing issues become even worse.
I am not a big science fiction lover but I did enjoy it for what it was but if you have something else.... I'd probably go watch that instead.
After the way Pushing Daisies ended I promised myself I will never watch a show anymore that got canned and didn't end proper.
I'd say it is worth it if you have nothing else interesting to watch. The pacing is really awful at times.
I don't think it is really amazing like so many people do but S2 and S3 have some great moments. After that (to me) it kind of got really 'meh' and the pacing issues become even worse.
I am not a big science fiction lover but I did enjoy it for what it was but if you have something else.... I'd probably go watch that instead.
RatskyWatsky
Hunky Nostradamus
Watch the first season of Homeland and then stop. I haven't seen Life (outside of a few godawful clips on youtube) so I can't really comment there, though I can't say that I've ever really heard anything good about it. Why are you considering Life in the first place? Big Damien Lewis fan?
I'm re-watching Pushing Daisies with my girlfriend, who'd never even heard of the show before I'd introduced her to it. Fucking...did this show have to get canceled after two seasons? 
Lee Pace is one of those actors who I really hope gets a big mainstream break one of these days. He's getting there, with major supporting roles in Lincoln last year and The Desolation of Smaug later this year, but he's a really likable and talented actor. I was bummed to hear he lost out on playing Star Lord in Guardians of the Galaxy, hopefully one day he'll get the right part.
Lee Pace is one of those actors who I really hope gets a big mainstream break one of these days. He's getting there, with major supporting roles in Lincoln last year and The Desolation of Smaug later this year, but he's a really likable and talented actor. I was bummed to hear he lost out on playing Star Lord in Guardians of the Galaxy, hopefully one day he'll get the right part.
Nah not that but I did check out his IMDB and that reminded me that I also still had Life left to watch. Figured I'd ask what would the best pick out of those two because else it would be overkill.
I'm re-watching Pushing Daisies with my girlfriend, who'd never even heard of the show before I'd introduced her to it. Fucking...did this show have to get canceled after two seasons?
Yeah, it really is a shame. Ending is so rushed now and it just does not feel right.
It is such a great show to make you smile. Very unique.
I've recently finished S3 of Justified. This season can't quite reach the highs of S2 but it's amazing television regardless.
Neil McDonough doesn't get enough screen time as Quarles which is a shame as he's a great villian. The overall arc is weak as all. The last two eps are awesome with a real poignant moment for the ending.
Neil McDonough doesn't get enough screen time as Quarles which is a shame as he's a great villian. The overall arc is weak as all. The last two eps are awesome with a real poignant moment for the ending.
Ventilaator
Banned
Jesus fucking christ, Six Feet Under. Season 4 episode 5 might have just been the most uncomfortable episode of television I've ever seen.
RatskyWatsky
Hunky Nostradamus
Huh? The characters on the show barely grew up at all; in fact, I'd say they regressed in many ways going from season 1 to 2. The show was verrrrrrrrry hesitant to let the characters change or develop at all. That was one of my biggest problems with the show.
While most secundary characters didn't, I felt like the two main ones did evolve.
- Tim was incompetent in season 1, while he is quite good at his job in season 2. Started caring about his job, looking out for his kid, getting along with Philip.
- Marcus starts to appreciate his father in season 2, and actually gets somewhere in his love story.
True, Judith, The Examiner, Portis, Philip don't change, but the Tim-Marcus relationship is what counts in the show. Everybody else revolves around them. You could get Chris and Caitlyn as other mains, and there you'd have Chris with no development at all.
J-Roderton
Member
Digging House Of Cards on Netflix at the moment.
I've never asked about the sexism, but my grandpa ran an accounting firm around that time. And after watching an episode of Mad Men, he remarked that the drinking they do was absolutely realistic. He said he has no idea how he got any work done back then, because by 2 every day he was so many drinks in.
SCULLIBUNDO
Banned
Boardwalk Empire or Breaking Bad.
Something different than The Sopranos, I'd say Mad Men.
If it helps:
Friend of mine who is absolutely obsessed with the Sopranos loves Mad Men but can't really get into Breaking Bad (for the same reason I almost quit watching as well..his fucking horribly annoying wife).
Scrubs kinda doesn't belong on that list.
At it's best it's an excellent show, just one season was truly horrific (I swear
babies and pregnancy
The Shield is brilliant but very different from the Sopranos and Breaking Bad. It's basically a regular cop show but with amazing actors and brilliant main arc.
RatskyWatsky
Hunky Nostradamus
Legit on FX showed some promise early on but I think that it ultimately failed to deliver on that promise. Jim Jeffries has a very obnoxious screen presence and a lot of the scenarios he presents on the show are going to be very familiar to you if you've ever seen any of his stand up routines. He just - very inorganically - rehashes the lame unfunny shit he does on stage. It's probably one of the worst shows on FX. I'm actually kind of annoyed they renewed it. :/ Let's hope they can figure out how to make a good show with season 2.
EDIT: Though I have to admit that episode 12 was pretty good.
EDIT 2: Episode 13 - "You look like Michael Jackson's son Blanket." "I know." omg lol
EDIT: Though I have to admit that episode 12 was pretty good.
EDIT 2: Episode 13 - "You look like Michael Jackson's son Blanket." "I know." omg lol
So I gave Fringe another shot. I watched the pilot when it originally aired and was turned off by the procedural nature of it and the overwrought acting, and the following episode continued the formula. So I never watched any more of it after that since it was just uninteresting to me.
Fast-forward 5 years or so, and I'm going into the series with an open mind. What everyone basically says about the show is it gets much better as it goes on, after a shaky start, so I figured I'd try to see it through till at least that point. The entire series is available on both Netflix and Amazon streaming.
Right now I'm near the end of season 1. There's clearly a pattern (hyuk hyuk) developing - all of the episodes that center around the overall mythology are much more interesting than the standalone monster-of-the-week ones. It's always the same with those - Walter Bishop did some sort of research in the past, someone took it to the next step, and Bishop comes to some last second Dr.House-esque epiphany that saves the day.
I'm still confounded by the pacing and style of the show. The mix of standalone and serialized means that you'll have major developments in one episode that are completely ignored in the next one.
and it isn't mentioned again for another 3 episodes.
But it's still fun, and I'll keep going with it. The main crew has grown on me, there's a surprising amount of deliciously gruesome body horror, and certain moments of interactions are very well done (i.e. The Observer or Jones with anyone else).
Fast-forward 5 years or so, and I'm going into the series with an open mind. What everyone basically says about the show is it gets much better as it goes on, after a shaky start, so I figured I'd try to see it through till at least that point. The entire series is available on both Netflix and Amazon streaming.
Right now I'm near the end of season 1. There's clearly a pattern (hyuk hyuk) developing - all of the episodes that center around the overall mythology are much more interesting than the standalone monster-of-the-week ones. It's always the same with those - Walter Bishop did some sort of research in the past, someone took it to the next step, and Bishop comes to some last second Dr.House-esque epiphany that saves the day.
I'm still confounded by the pacing and style of the show. The mix of standalone and serialized means that you'll have major developments in one episode that are completely ignored in the next one.
Jones escapes from prison by literally being teleported out
But it's still fun, and I'll keep going with it. The main crew has grown on me, there's a surprising amount of deliciously gruesome body horror, and certain moments of interactions are very well done (i.e. The Observer or Jones with anyone else).
randomlyrossy
Member
I jumped out of that show about halfway through Season 1. A few years later my girlfriend at the time insisted I try it again. So we just picked up at the start of Season 2 and I was pretty hooked. While it does still the procedural thing now and then, it become much more about the overall mythology from Season 2 onward. As you said, it's at its best then and as a result the show just gets better and better as it leans into that.
I don't know what the consensus was but I was super satisfied with the last season and series finale so I'd say if you stick with it you'll enjoy it a lot.
Ventilaator
Banned
Needed a new show to fill the sitcom hole in my TV watching. Started 30 Rock.
10ish episodes in and I'm liking it. I expected to have to go through a season full of junk before they figure out what the show is, but it only took a couple episodes before they settled in a rhythm that works.
What's the consensus on the overall thing? Best/worst season? Keeps getting better/worse?
10ish episodes in and I'm liking it. I expected to have to go through a season full of junk before they figure out what the show is, but it only took a couple episodes before they settled in a rhythm that works.
What's the consensus on the overall thing? Best/worst season? Keeps getting better/worse?
Not sure what the consensus is on best or worst specific season, but I think the general standing is: 1-3 (maybe 4) are excellent, (maybe 4) and 5 and 6 dip lower a bit, 7 is rejuvenated and amazing. I wouldn't say there's any one point it shoots up or down in quality, all of its changes in quality are pretty gradual. 30 Rock so consistently packs a crazy number of jokes into 21 minutes that I think the amusement just compounds over time.
Despite being a card carrying member of the once great nation of Creepy GAF, I never actually watched an episode of Victorious until today, and I have to say, I do not hate it. The acting teacher is actually quite entertaining, and there's enough random funny moments in there to make it pretty watchable. I don't know that I'll be sticking with it or anything, but it's really not horrible.
As far as 'kid shows' goes it really isn't bad no, I had a few giggles as well when I watched some episodes during a late night Nick Channel marathon of that show a few months ago.
After that there was some show about two twins in some hotel or something and I fell asleep. Now that was terrible.
Discotheque
Banned
just watch some shows from sopranos alumni: mad men and boardwalk empire
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