| Author | Message | ||
     skulldisco Member Username: Skulldisco Post Number: 19 Registered: 10-2008 |
Thought I'd start this thread cos peoples fave shows tend to get lost amongst the many "what are you watching posts" Mine's is The Wire. I was aware of it but just never seemed to catch it. I rectified that a few months ago by buying the full series 1 on DVD- 5 discs worth. I devoured it within days and never looked back. I have just finished series 4 which I reckon means I have watched close to 50 episodes over the last couple of months. Series 5 has arrived so I will probably finish that by the end of the week. The characters are immense, especially McNulty, Omar, Bunk and Bubbles. | ||
| Allen Belz Member Username: Abpositive Post Number: 1295 Registered: 09-2006 |
The Wire is definitely up there for me, too, but it'll come as no surprise that my favorite, wildly uneven as it was, is Twin Peaks. | ||
| Pádraig Collins Member Username: Pádraig_collins Post Number: 2469 Registered: 05-2005 |
The Sopranos (US), The Wire (US), Twin Peaks (US), Fawlty Towers (UK), Wanderly Wagon (Irl), King Of The Hill (US). | ||
| Pádraig Collins Member Username: Pádraig_collins Post Number: 2473 Registered: 05-2005 |
A fuller list, in order: The Sopranos (US) The Wire (US) Fawlty Towers (UK) Twin Peaks (US) Wanderly Wagon (Ireland) Extras (UK) The Office (UK) King Of The Hill (US) Father Ted (Ireland) Underbelly (Australia) | ||
| Allen Belz Member Username: Abpositive Post Number: 1297 Registered: 09-2006 |
Beyond my #1, in vaguely descending order: Monty Python Fawlty Towers Der Wire Battlestar Galactica (new one) Six Feet Undre Mr. Show The Office (UK) The Prisoner Mad Men SNL (first five years) | ||
| Allen Belz Member Username: Abpositive Post Number: 1298 Registered: 09-2006 |
Oh, and the Mary Tyler Moore and Dick Van Dyke Shows. | ||
| Ewan Talisker McEwan Member Username: Ewan_mcewan Post Number: 540 Registered: 02-2008 |
I'd have to agree with skull that the Wire is the greatest TV show ever made. Nothing else is even close, really. In fact, it's so good that maybe it should be called something other than a TV show; "long form film", or something like that, might be more fitting. But my list would look something like... 1) The Wire, and then some notches below.... 2) The Sopranos 3) Seinfeld 4) Deadwood 5) X-Files 6) The Office 7) Curb Your Enthusiasm 8) Arrested Development 9) Mad Men 10) Daily Show w/ Jon Stewart. I'm tempted to also list HBO's "Band of Brothers", but am thinking it doesn't qualify since it was more of a mini-series. | ||
| skulldisco Member Username: Skulldisco Post Number: 20 Registered: 10-2008 |
Padraig, I have just started watching Underbelly (episode 2 this week) and its pretty promising. Its worth staying with then? How many series have there been in Aus? | ||
| Pádraig Collins Member Username: Pádraig_collins Post Number: 2474 Registered: 05-2005 |
There is a second series being made Kevin, but it's a prequel with mostly (possibly entirely) different characters. The first series was about the Melbourne underworld from 1996-2004 (roughly) and the first is set in NSW in the 80s. It was quite incredible watching events that were news here just a few years ago. Yes, it's worth staying with. My only criticism is that there is too much sex in it! Really. But that's a relatively minor critique. It was annoying watching it on TV here as there are so many ad breaks (at least six per episode), but I recently bought it on DVD - the second DVD issue of it, with an extras disc that's actually worth watching. | ||
| Ewan Talisker McEwan Member Username: Ewan_mcewan Post Number: 541 Registered: 02-2008 |
Too much sex in it, huh? Where do I get this Underbelly you speak of? | ||
| joe Member Username: Dogmansuede Post Number: 588 Registered: 07-2006 |
i've heard a lot about the wire and am now officially very keen to have a look. mine is arrested development. sentimental favourite is prisoner (cell block h). | ||
| Stuart Wilson Member Username: Stuart Post Number: 249 Registered: 10-2006 |
I have to mention Star Trek and Dr Who, highlights of my childhood, and the latter's resurrection has been immensely if erratically satisfying, though I do wish they'd let the first Scots Who keep his accent. The Wire is indeed in a class by itself, with Sopranos shouldering the corridor door fairly heftily. I also got a lot of pleasure from OC, 1 Tree hill and 24. | ||
| skulldisco Member Username: Skulldisco Post Number: 21 Registered: 10-2008 |
I have just ordered the complete Soprano box set (series 1-6). I watched and loved the first dozen or so episodes when it aired on TV a few years ago and then missed a few episodes and lost track of it. To buy this box set in the UK costs £92 so I shopped about and found I could get it cheaper at loads of places in the US- and they were all region free so no worries there. Eventually paid the equivalent of £55 including postage - sounds like a bargain for 28 DVD's in total. | ||
| Andrew Kerr Member Username: Andrew_k Post Number: 377 Registered: 04-2005 |
"Boys from the Blackstuff" Amazing writing and stunning performances. Yosser's descent into the void. And Chrissie boy killing his children's rabbits. They don't make 'em like that anymore. Actually maybe they do, but I haven't had a TV for the last 6 years. | ||
| David Gagen Member Username: David_g Post Number: 204 Registered: 02-2007 |
Only watch comedies, Office (UK) Summer Heights High Seinfeld Faulty Towers Blackadder | ||
| Mark Leydon Member Username: Mark_leydon Post Number: 201 Registered: 05-2005 |
Callan (UK) The Office (UK) The Sopranos (US) The Wire (US) Frontline (Aus) Blackadder (UK - but not first series) Brass (UK - wonderful ITV comedy series from the early '80s starring Timothy West - read about it at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brass_(TV_series) | ||
| Mark Leydon Member Username: Mark_leydon Post Number: 202 Registered: 05-2005 |
oh - and of course Twin Peaks | ||
| Stuart Wilson Member Username: Stuart Post Number: 250 Registered: 10-2006 |
The Blackstuff was indeed a great piece of work, one of those rare creations that comes out at just the right time and hits just the right targets with agonising brilliance, the first thing that everyone talked about the morning after it was shown. In that sense,perhaps they don't make them quite like that. Otherwise, ER has maintained a very high level of quality for its immensely long run; and Hill Street Blues introduced a lot of the big cast, crosscut storyline, sharp dialogue features that we've now become used to; and also gave rise to a hilarious couple of pages in an Ed McBain 87th precinct book where the cops suspiciously mull over the similarities between the series and their own lives. And then there was Soap, I seem to remember, which was enormously funny. I don't know, in recent novels people often seem to talk about how crap TV is and how crap the programmes are, but really, over the years it's produced a lot of enthralling, era-defining stuff. | ||
| Stuart Wilson Member Username: Stuart Post Number: 251 Registered: 10-2006 |
Oh, and a word for Lost, the shaggiest of all shaggy dog tales, a hilariously brilliant exercise in "What the f**** can we do to keep this thing going?" Writer's meetings on that programme must be a thing to see. | ||
| Ewan Talisker McEwan Member Username: Ewan_mcewan Post Number: 545 Registered: 02-2008 |
I'm with you, Stuart. Lost is great, totally worth the work required to follow it. It's slated to end by 2010, thank you Jesus, which I think will tend to lend a certain amount of structure, making them wend towards tying things up... It's probably be #11 on my list. | ||
| Michael Bachman Member Username: Michael_bachman Post Number: 1320 Registered: 01-2005 |
Twin Peaks The X-Files Sopranos Monty Python's Flying Circus SCTV Star Trek TNG | ||
| Pádraig Collins Member Username: Pádraig_collins Post Number: 2479 Registered: 05-2005 |
I watched three of the earliest Star Trek episodes on DVD over the past couple of days and there is a serious case to be made for Gene Roddenberry having invented the internet in the 60s! There are a couple of scenes where a guy is reading entire books from a screen. Another episode is a proto-feminist piece, where three beautiful women turn out to be taking a drug called Venus to keep them looking that way. It's botox 35 years early! There's a scene where Captain Kirk tells one of the ladies to just be herself, she doesn't need that stuff. And he gave her a placebo tablet. She takes it thinking it's the real thing. She turns into a swan again and he tells her it's a placebo, that her beauty is within her. | ||
| Stuart Wilson Member Username: Stuart Post Number: 252 Registered: 10-2006 |
Yeah, I was just reading a bit about the famous "first inter-racial kiss on American TV" scene on ST between Kirk and Uhuru: apparently they shot two scenes, one with the kiss and one kissless, and would probably have chickened out and gone with the latter, only Shatner crossed his eyes during filming, so that the shot was useless and they had to use the other one...the episode was not shown in the Southern states, of course. Kudos to Bill, anyway. | ||
| Jonathan Evans Member Username: Jon Post Number: 266 Registered: 04-2005 |
Such a difficult question, for someone from a small NW England town with nothing to do except watch television!!! The Day Today / Brasseye - satire of the highest quality The 1st couple of Alan Partridge series - brilliant tailed off towards the end V - why didn't the BBC make quality sci-fi, oh the money. Dr Who - Tom Baker best Dr ever, discuss? Blakes 7 - looking back now its seriously dated but as a kid! Chorlton & The Wheelies - Genius kids tv from the makers of dangermouse. Mr Benn - I could still watch it today, I'm sure there must be a DVD out! The Simpsons - 90% of my knowledge comes from the yellow faced heroes. I'm sure I could continue until tomorrow, but to save everyone I'll leave it at that. Cheers Jon |