Favorite TV Shows?
Just curious on what some of BG lovers favorite tv shows are 
I'l start:
Drama/Serious-ish
Breaking Bad
The Wire
Lost
Firefly
Chuck
Battlestar
Buffy
Angel
Heroes
Sitcom
The Office
Community (it kinda sucks now tho)
Not in any particular order...Although---
Breaking Bad #1 for Plot Driven (The Wire close second)
Buffy #1 for Character Driven
What about you guys
I'l start:
Drama/Serious-ish
Breaking Bad
The Wire
Lost
Firefly
Chuck
Battlestar
Buffy
Angel
Heroes
Sitcom
The Office
Community (it kinda sucks now tho)
Not in any particular order...Although---
Breaking Bad #1 for Plot Driven (The Wire close second)
Buffy #1 for Character Driven
What about you guys
6
Comments
A couple weekends ago, my friends and I were playing Magic: The Gathering while playing Firefly on the TV. So much glorious geekdom... Lol.
I don't watch much TV anymore, especially since all my favorite shows have ended... But I've a few favorites.
Castle - a mystery writer teams up with the NYPD to solve crimes. So many literary jokes! SO MANY! Oh, and did I mention Nathan Fillion plays the lead?
Once Upon A Time - very cool when it first started out, but...
Once Upon A Time in Wonderland - Alice is a badass trying to rescue her dude in distress. Enough said.
Game of Thrones - OH MY GOD THAT WEDDING.
Chuck - Liked it a lot when it was still on. Wouldn't mind seeing it again or owning in on DVD. (No netflix...)
Doctor Who - Yes, I am a Whovian. My mother got me started on this way back in the day... She had the Tom Baker episodes recorded on VHS. (Have I mentioned how AWESOME my mother is?)
Warehouse 13 - Another show I'm gonna have to get on DVD, since this year's gonna be the last episodes.
The anime on Toonami - Most recently Soul Eater, Sword Art Online (season 1...because season 2 is just...meh), and Space Dandy. Naruto Shippuden's okay.
Have yet to watch Once Upon A Time...
Ya firefly is great...It turned me on to Whedon shows...
Saw firefly :O...Saw Buffy :OOOOOOOO (excluding the bad season 1 of course)
Although he is not very good at coming up with tv show names "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" is the worst title of any tv show that i have ever liked..."Firefly" was much better
Character Driven shows are usually way more interesting to me...
Not sure why, maybe its because plot based stories have way less of a rewatch value (unless you watch it with someone else) because you already know everything, and there is no more mystery, etc.
Battlestar is probably my favorite of those followed closely by Firefly. I am now watching all of the Star Trek shows. I finished Enterprise and I am currently in the last season of the original series.
A newer show that I am into now is Arrow. Check it out if you have not yet.
Lost
Hell On Wheels
Transformers Prime
The first Power Rangers season
The Lodoss War Chronicles
The Mysterious Golden Cities
*contingency fires*
*invisibility and haste*
*runs away*
Maybe it was funny to watch, but some episodes just were random and got out of SW.
All time favorites:
Babylon 5
Star Trek DS9
Spartacus
American Horror Story
Criminal Minds
(Heroes, Game of Thrones)
Also like:
The 4400
Rome
Oz
Falling Skies
Star Trek TNG
Lost
I enjoyed Heroes for a long time too, though it got very rickety for me when Hiro started doing time-jump stuff. Ugh, time-travel...
Haven't watched Lost, only bits and pieces, but my parents loved it. Same with Battlestar Galactica.
Heroes (s01 mostly)
The Sopranos (never peaks, never jumps the shark, stays solid for 6 seasons)
Rome
Firefly
Six Feet Under
Dexter (the first 3 seasons or so, then it gets steadily worse)
The Walking Dead
The Wire (s01 and s03 mostly)
Boardwalk Empire
Homeland (s01 and s02)
Prison Break (s01 and s02)
Spartacus (Blood and Sand and Gods of the Arena especially, gets a bit worse from there)
Rurouni Kenshin
Naruto
Code Geass
Death Note
I'd add Breaking Bad too, but so far (at s04) it's turned into something of a pet peeve - it was very hyped when I started watching, and I kind of expected it to be a journey of a regular guy's fall into utter depravity and ruthlessness.. but it's really more a show about how family matters constantly get in the way of meth production.
Season 5 is the best season in the show though...imho
Story arcs and character development tend to occur over the length of a season or more and don't feel rushed, several of the prominent characters are multi-layered, and the plots are mostly tricky to predict. Looking at your list, I'd definitely recommend it.
1) Game of Thrones
My favourite depiction of a Western fantasy setting in any TV series or movie. I love the depth and complexity of the plot and individual characters, and how it challenges typical depictions of virtuous knights in shiny armour.
2) Return of the Condor Heroes (2006) 神鵰俠侶
Part two of a trilogy, which in turn is but a small part of the epic novels by Jin Yong, the father of Wuxia (Chinese fantasy). I probably prefer part one of the Condor trilogy in terms of story, but the 2006 TV series of "Return of the Condor Heroes" is the best Wuxia TV series/movie I have seen. Liu Yifei as Dragon Maiden (小龙女) is the most enchanting woman I have ever seen! lol
3) Buffy the Vampire Slayer
It kinda lost focus towards the end I feel (although I did love the last season), but again, despite the rather silly premise of a cute blonde girl fighting vampires, the show developed such drama, intrigue, surprises and provoked emotional attachment to its characters. Of course the season-long plot arcs, and 'hot vampires' has been copied in countless other works of fiction and TV, but Buffy remains a classic that's hard to surpass.
4) Spooks
A BBC (multi) series based on a fictional MI5 team that protects Britain from various threats. Though far from 'realistic', it did portray spies in a much less glamorous and all-action, guns blazing manner than the James Bond movies or the 24 series. The show examined the moral ambiguities and complexities of various issues and conflicts, rather than just demonise and dehumanise the supposed 'enemy' and celebrate Britishness in the manner of 24. (which don't get me wrong, I did enjoy, but not for the same reasons). Spooks probably went too far with the 'anyone can die' concept, and lost fans when favourites would be killed off in various random, and often brutal, situations.
Game of Thrones (or rather George R. R. Martin), you've be warned!
5) Pokemon
... Before there were more than 150, and started getting more and more ridiculous! lol Had to include it on the list for childhood nostalgia. I used to love that shiz! I'd rush back from school everyday to watch the newest episode being shown on ITV (Ant and Deck were the hosts I think), and turn into an absolute raging ogre if the bus was late and made me miss my show. In my defence, I was 10 years old.
Honourable mentions to:
+ How I Met Your Mother
+ Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils (天龍八部) 2003
+ Beijing Love Story (北京爱情故事)
+ Naked Wedding (裸婚时代) It's not what it sounds like...
+ Friends
I tried to get into Farscape around the same time SGU aired, having only seen a few episodes when it originally came out. With no context, I couldn't tell if I'd like it, but in the end (I watched roughly 2 seasons, maybe a bit more), I didn't.
Oh that was a good show! Although unfortunately I never got to see it in a coherent and consistent sequence, so my experience of the plot is a bit disjointed.
All the shows you listed are among my favorites (except for Heroes after season 2). I'll add a couple of my own:
-My favorite show after THE WIRE was SUPERNATURAL, but after season 5 it became a disgrace to its own memory and is currently bordering on self-parody. It is very similar in style to Buffy, which is another all time great show.
-THE SHIELD was a wonderful show that really draws you in. I recommend it for anyone who enjoys the crime genre. I loved how consistently interesting it was (no bad streaks) and how the ending was wonderfully done. If you are like me and believe that endings are the most important part of any great series (aka f*ck LOST), then you would enjoy it. It had my favorite series finale along with THE WIRE.
-Great show called CASE HISTORIES on BBC. It's a Noir Comedy about a PI in Edinburgh, based off of a series of novels (that took place in Cambridge). Its detective fiction with several goofy/funny elements that I find enjoyable. It features my favorite actor Jason Isaacs, who you may know as Lucius Malfoy in the Harry Potter films, Captain Hook in the latest Peter Pan adaptation and as Asshole Englishman in the Mel Gibson movie The Patriot.
-BROTHERHOOD, which also starred Jason Isaacs along with Jason Clarke (who has had quite a few prominent roles recently) is a great show, and similar in subject, if not theme, to THE WIRE. Its about two brothers who grew up in Providence, Rhode Island. One is a state senator (Clarke) and the otehr is a gangster (Isaacs). The show exhibits how their job descriptions call for very similar skill-sets and motivations, and the show is a generally well-made mixture of social critique, family drama, horrifying violence and political intrigue.
-I'd like to note that I am generally not a fan of anime, but two series have caught my attention and ended up being immensely enjoyable. The first is MONSTER, which is an awesome Hitchcock-style mystery show about a doctor who saved a young boy's life after a head wound, who later grew up to be a horrific serial killer (perhaps because of the head wound?). The surgeon feels responsible for the consequences of his actions, and tries to hunt down the killer across Cold War era Eastern Europe. Much mystery. Much intrigue. Much drama. Much horror. It is really good.
The other is FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST: BROTHERHOOD. It is just a great fun ride. Its a fantasy/steampunk story for kids that can be enjoyed by people of all ages. Its a hell of an adventure with a lot of mystery and memorable characters. I highly recommend it. The first episode is confusing, but if you ever start it, do not give up! It gets sooooo good.
-As many have already stated, GAME OF THRONES is everything I ever hoped for in an adult fantasy series.
-Another, more lighthearted fantasy series is LEGEND OF THE SEEKER. It is your classic "hero with a humble beginning but special secret background" style story. It is really funny and as GREAT action. It is made by the Xena and Hercules people, so expect a similar style (perhaps a bit more serious)
-Finally a shout-out to JUSTIFIED. Just a great show, that is surprisingly funny. A lot of people don't realize its a comedy. It has many of the campy elements that Buffy had. Its (loosely) based off of some of Elmore Leanard's short stories. The actual show expands greatly on the limited source material, but the episodes generally follow his style of story-telling. If you like the movies like Get Shorty, Jackie Brown or 3:10 to Yuma, you will love this show. The two lead characters do an incredible job. Season 1 is the worst, but I am glad I stuck with that show.
Forgot some
PILLARS OF THE EARTH was my favorite mini-series I've ever seen. SO. GOOD. I highly recommend it if you are interested in period pieces or like Historical Fiction. The "sequel" is terrible and does not actually exist.
I forgot another show I like a lot. ARROW is super corny, but I find it sooo much fun. One of my favorite comic book heroes, with lots of awesome cameos from various DC characters.
I really want to like Agents of Shield but so far its been a disappointment. Sticking with it because it has Joss Whedon's name attached to it, but I've been let down so far.
Other shows I watch/watched and enjoy:
Spartacus
Braquo (basically the French version of The Shield)
Homeland (very good show)
Strike Back (total guilty pleasure)
Sherlock
Downton Abbey (watch it with the girly-friend... don't judge me)
The Americans (can't wait for the next season... this one may end up on my favorites list, though it has some problems)
Following
Mad Dogs (two episodes left... gonna finish it tonight)
Dexter
24 (quality varies by season, but I'm happy its coming back)
of course all the ones you mentioned are among my favorites, particularly BREAKING BAD, BUFFY, ANGEL, FIREFLY and THE WIRE. I also liked BATTLESTAR GALACTICA but the finale was crap and left a sour taste in my mouth. However, unlike that horrible show that I LOST about 100 hours watching, the finale wasn't so bad that I regretted ever watching the series. Overall I have fond memories of it.
The latest 3-4 episodes (i think) are much better than the beggining, and i am sticking with it because i did enjoy the latest few...However, i think i was overexcited for it, because it has Whedon's name attached to it, but if you actually look at the writers, it's pretty much just his siblings writing the show, with Whedon only accredited with the Pilot...Still, Whedon shows tend to always get better and better and better...
Makes you think how good firefly would have been
---Lost - i was much more happy with lost when i saw the missing pieces and the Epilogue extra stuff at the end...It wrapped up quite a bit...Still, ya the ending was definitely a mixture of things, but most people don't really understand what was happening, it gives a little relief if you actually understand everything, but even then, ya, its certainly not the best ending...
I have been watching "The Walking Dead", and i wouldn't consider it great, but it is one of those shows that your watching simply because you want to see what happens next...And the video game version by Telltale is excellent...In fact, its story far surpasses that of the tv show, its quite interesting.
I'm also very behind on Shield, since I had tests last month and then played Baldur's Gate before my finals. I do hope it gets better, and I will catch up in the coming weeks. I think it is true that Joss Whedon shows are usually slow to start, which is why I am going to stick with this show (though Joss has minimal involvement). That and its also a Marvel show, and I love Marvel.
I can't wait for the Daredevil show... he's my favorite superhero, and I've always wanted a show for him (its the best medium for his stories... movies are just too short)
Also, sorry but nothing will ever make me forgive Lost for the hours of my life that it stole from me. It kept promising answers and adding more mysteries to keep viewers satisfied with the time they invested in the program. Yet in the end they didn't give us any payoff.
It was basically a Ponzi Scheme!
X-Files
Breaking Bad
Firefly
Babylon 5
House
Starhunter
Homeland
Supernatural
...
True Detective.
1) Sherlock. The new series is simply AWESOME. I love the characters and the plot, never been a huge fan of crime-series earlier, but this I love.
2) Derek. Funny and heartwarming, the best of Ricky Gervais. I like the balance between simple and large problems wrapped around warm humor.
3) Breaking Bad. Social realism done well is always awesome.
4) Honorable mentions:
Futurama heart warming and cynical at the same time - like it much more than the Simpons.
Peep Show - love it and hate it at the same time... Very interesting and slighly depressing as well as hillarious. Weird show.
I have watched most of the first season of Game of thrones, but I didnt get into it properly for some reason... I love the books though (and that might be why I am not getting into it fully). I am definately going to try the series again sometime.
The Returned (AKA Les Revenants) is a supremely atmospheric French drama with a Mogwai soundtrack. It's set in an isolated mountain town where people's loved ones are coming back from the dead. They're not zombies and some of them are just trying to pick up their lives where they left off. It's pretty dark and has odd Twin Peaks-y mysterious undertones. Well acted, directed and shot. I think HBO is having a good influence around the world by driving up production values.
Utopia is probably a bit more accessable. It's a dystopian conspiracy drama set in the UK (Made by Channel 4). A member of an online forum obsessed with a weird graphic novel gets his hands on the original manuscript. And then disappears. The rest of the members of the forum try and work out what's going on. There's a good mix of bleak thriller, drama and comedy in there. The locations deserve special mention as they manage to accentuate each scene appropriately.