Series

[SMZ]

itt discuss your favorite series, whether they finished airing, or are ongoing.

Here's my personal list:

God I loved that show. The science fiction, the mysteries, the references, the hidden messages and other stuff. It's something that has grown on me, and I still make references to the show from time to time.

Superpowers, cool, but the show went downhill with time IMO. Still, the show was kickin'.

The combination of thought and action is what appealed me to this show, and also liked the concept that it's not restricted to actual prison break, but also applies to "general" freedom as well.

Probably my favorite running show. Science fiction, weird stuff, mad scientist. It's just an awesome show.

(all)
I don't particularly "follow" any of them, but if I switch channels and see one of them airing, I'd watch it.

 

[MrIndigo]

I am yet to watch anything better than The Wire.


I enjoyed Supernatural, even through the lamer season (late 2, and 3), but it picked up again with the Revelations arc.


I loved Heroes season 1, and lost interest during Season 2 and abandoned completely in s3. If you liked Heroes, though, the UK TV series Misfits comes HIGHLY recommended. I read the premise, and thought it was terrible-sounding, but I have heard nothing but ecstatic reviews.

I haven't watched it yet, but I plan to soon. It's a similar concept to Heroes; a bunch of random people suddenly receive superpowers - how do they deal with them? The part that makes it interesting and awesome is that all of the people who got powers were juvenile delinquents serving community service sentences when they got powered. One guy has the power of 'lactokinesis'; he can boil milk (but apparently they push that idea to awesome extremes), and the superhero name he invents for himself is "The Big Cheese".


I really enjoyed Lost s1, but it lost the plot (literally) in season 2 and never actually got over its identity crisis. Locke's episode was phenomenal in the first season. I might collect it all up and watch it all again because apparently it improved toward the end.

 

[Hipmonlee]

The Sopranos
A tv show that makes the godfather seem shallow by comparison. This is, in my opinion, the best thing ever created in the history of theatre.

Everything about this series is pretty much perfect. It's tragic and hilarious and everything else worth mentioning.

Personal favourites are Artie Bucco, who at first seems like the symbol of what Tony might have been if he went straight, until he keeps fucking up his own life with his envy of Tony's superficial glamour. Carmella and Livia who I wrote a bit about but didnt really want to post it because it seemed kinda spoilerish.

And it remains great right til the last season too..

Man seriously, if you havent, there is no excuse for not watching sopranos.

The Simpsons and Futurama
Well the simpsons you know. Futurama you probably do too, but whatever.. It has some of the best one liners in history: "Five identical palaces. Each one more identical than the last"
But also, there are eps like Jurassic Bark and The Luck of the Fryish, which, will make you cry. I promise you. The new series is still not being shown in NZ, and I havent got an internet connection that will allow me to pirate it.

Pushing Daisies
Hilarious show that got cancelled way before it's time. It's a mystical fairy-tale murder mystery show, featuring a man who can wake the dead by touching them, but only for a minute. He joins forces with a private eye to solve murders by asking the victims who killed them.

Convoluted plots, adorably cheesey romance, and Emerson (the PI) is awesome:
"Is this a bad idea? Olive as a client? It's a little too close for comfort."
"Oh, hang on a second, let me ask the money.
Hey money, it's me, Emerson.
I'm good, I'm good. Yeah, thanks for asking. Say, can I still pay my bills and buy stuff with you, even though you was Olive's money first? Uh huh.
Yeah, okay then. Thanks. The money don't care. Touch him."

That's all for now.

Have a nice day.

 

[Xaqwais]

I don't watch much TV and I'll spare people the anime I watch in this thread as it probably fits in the manga thread more.

I'll just re-bring up The Simpsons as I've been watching it since at most 5 years old, maybe 4 (with a vigilant eye to change the channel for sexual references, but not the violence), and the older seasons are gold. The new ones suck, obviously. It's not torture to watch them, but it's not enjoyable by any stretch.

Favorite episodes are definitely the fan-favorites of them going to Shelbyville, monorail, and The Critic. They're well liked for good reason.

 

[Thorns]

i watch chuck it is a funny but dramatic show about a man named chuck who is really nerdy and smart and unnervingly good looking and also his spy partners casey and sarah. in the earlier seasons it is about the computer in his brain which gives him access to government classified information and then later kung fu skills. it's better than it sounds and you should all watch it because you would get some of the references it makes also yvonne strahovski who is the actor that plays sarah is really hot

 

[Morm]

The simpsons is bullshit, hip, it was okay back in the day but now it's like beating a dead horse while raping it and shitting on it at the same time. Evidence? Just look at the movie.

Futurama is brilliant, always has been. I personally love lines like:
*fry looks at a sign saying year 3000*
Says: "my god....A million years"

It actually utilizes a stupid character in a way that makes him funny, unlike most comedies.

Pushing Daisies is a neat concept with writing so far up its own ass it might as well be deck knight. All it does is spam with wordy dialog that is pseudocomical and pesudointellectual, it's a hipsters haven. I dunno, I just disliked it, hip.

Whites is one I just found from BBC the other day. No more than 6 episodes, unless netflix has once again ruined me, this isn't about why whites are better. This is about cooks who work under a chef named white. It's very bitter, very awesome. Kind of like a watchable version of the office (england version). I just really liked how Roland, the head shef, doesn't give a shit but desperately wants a star rating. Meanwhile the suis chef tries his very best but is constantly undermined by a petulant little fuckbag that always seems to get the better of him despite being useless. It's great.

River monsters is a PERFECT concept for a show. Pro angler goes around educating and teaching people about giant freshwater fish while 'dispelling' the myths about them. The problem is that he drops a lot of creationist comments here and there and doesn't know a thing about critical thinking. Also he's british, so bad teeth closeups are kind of common. I still enjoy it though, it's educational, kind of fun and makes me want to throw a shoe through the TV when he calls a fish a dinosaur or appears amazed when fish have bony tongues and bear the name OSTEOGLOSSIFORMES in their formal title (it means bony tongue ffs). Most of his "research" is asking fishing guides in the area to help him, a pro angler, fish. Also he always seems to muster up stories from locals about these monsters rampaging populations, raping wives and lighting stone castles on fire with a single glare, saying things like "at first I was skeptical but then they insisted" as if it was reasonable evidence for a story dating back 1000 years (so he claims). ALSO EVERY FUCKING SHOW SEEMS TO BE HIS MOST DANGEROUS CAPTURE. Still, he always gets his quarry and it's a BIIIG fucking fish. FUN!

 

[Hipmonlee]

Oh yeah the simpsons has turned to shit. The new episodes are awful. The classics are the best comedy ever created though.

Psuedocomical and psuedointellectual maybe, but hilarious.

Have a nice day.

 

[McGrrr]

The Office (UK)
The closest thing to television perfection IMO. Amazingly, Gervais followed it up with the funnier, but less complete, Extras. Unfortunately, his output has been downhill ever since.

Blackadder Goes Forth
After a weird first series, Blackadder just improved with each outing, culminating in the brilliant Blackadder Goes Forth. Set in WWI, the humour is dark, candid, subtle and flawlessly dry. Each episode is a gem of British comedy and the series boasts possibly the greatest piece of dramatic irony in television history; in the finale, just before our protagonists go over the top, the guns stop firing and Captain Darling delivers the genius line "thank God! We lived through it! The Great War: 1914 to 1917".

 

[Cooky]

Misfits

Single most enjoyable series I've ever watched, although you probably have to be a british teenager do so. Essentially it's about a group of 5 teenage community workers who randomly get superpowers like mind reading etc. and their consequent "adventures". It's much less serious and aspirational then Heroes and the characters are genuinely funny and endearing. Add in the usual Skins esque stuff - drugs, sex, drinking, deaths etc. as well.

Also Skins but only seasons 1 and 2 and Effy. Screw season 5 the characters look fucking dull.

 

[lilyhollow]

Seconding The Office and Extras. Extras is far and away, no contest the funniest show I've ever seen. I have almost lost my mind watching Extras. US Office and 30 Rock are also good though, of course.

Megas XLR was great, but oh so short-lived. Super good even when I wasn't in on the anime references and whatnot. Really great, and probably still my favorite show all-around. Probably would still be around if it were aired on like, Adult Swim or something. =(

Adventure Time is the best "kid's" cartoon ever made. I don't really know what else to say, it's just super creative and witty and cute. Kids should be watching this instead of iCarly, and adults should be watching it instead of... Family Guy?

The Boondocks is wonderful, okay I watch too many cartoons whatever. This might have just ended, but hopefully not, because the third season is probably the best so far!

Dexter is also amazing for reasons that kind of don't need to be explained. Firefly is also great, and House was super amazing until like, last season? It's still good enough, though.

 

[Don Honchkrorleone]

God, I loved Cold Case while it was aired. I am probably the only person that prefers it over CSI, though the latter is also awesome. I have a thing for criminal series like those, and Without a Trace.

I'm not gay, but I enjoy watching Glee, but I felt like the first season was better. Am I the only one that think that all that losers bar Quinn become more arrogant (especially Rachel, who was already arrogant)?

Yet, my favorite is a long-time one:

People who don't like Adam West's Batman are (BAN ME PLEASE) and soulless. Batman using his Bat Spray anti-Shark was especially awesome (I'm 16 fyi) . The best series ever, together with

People who doesn't like Sledge Hammer! either never watched it or don't have humor sense. The best cop show ever.

There's also Alf, Mr. Beam, Bones, The Sopranos, South Park, etc.

 

[PK Gaming]

Futurama is brilliant, always has been. I personally love lines like:
*fry looks at a sign saying year 3000*
Says: "my god....A million years"

Michelle: Fry? Is it really you?
Fry: I don't know. Is it really you?
Michelle: What do you mean, you don't know? Is it you, or isn't it?
Fry: Who wants to know?
Michelle: Oh Fry, it is you!

 

[GMLW]

I am a MAJOR Futurama fan. It manages to actually pull-off the "stupid character" joke, unlike countless other shows (see: Family Guy). The great part is that the writers actually do research on things in order to make the sci-fi jokes work (as well as them already being total nerds; David X. Cohen actually has a B.A. in physics from Harvard, and an M.S. in computer science from Berkeley), which leads to awesome shit like the Futurama Theorem. Combining the clever sci-fi jokes, the "stupid guy" jokes, and writers that actually know what they're writing about, along with easter eggs for devoted fans, such as the alien languages, and random characters like Dr. Zoidberg, you get one amazing, hilarious, nerdy, sci-fi sitcom that will absolutely blow your mind.

tl;dr Futurama's great.

 

[Gabe]

The Sopranos is the best show ever created.

 

[Son of Disaster]

I actually enjoy family guy quite a bit. Mayor adam west is just such a likeable character.
As with the op i did like heroes and prison break but i lost interest after the first season.
There's just something wrong with American dramas. They take so long to just get through one plot line and they have so many suspenseful moments it just makes me sick. Way to drawn out and beaten to death. and some horrible writing sometimes.

Survivors was freaking outstanding. It never should have ended. One of my favorite. And the seasons were never to long.

 

[icepick]

A few paragraphs or superlatives wouldn't do justice to The Wire, but it is far and away the best show I've ever seen, and really challenges the narrative limits of TV.

 

[Fishy]

where the FUCK is the Dexter love

This is the only show I keep up with anymore, and if the next installment (6th Season) is the last, then I'll pretty much not be watching any other series, aside from The Vampire Diaries, which I can't talk about with anyone here!!

So Dexter is a sociopathic blood analyst for the Miama Metro police, and he and his sister both grew up to eventually work in law enforcement ala their deceased father, Harry Morgan. Because of a traumatic (and I mean traumatic) incident Dexter suffered when he was very young, he has grown up into what can only be described as "a very neat monster." He is constantly battling what he identifies as his Dark Passenger, the ugly but unignorable thirst inside of himself for blood, which he has channeled into a more "acceptable" desire: justice. Dexter personally sees to the clean up of the Miami streets, selecting his victims after thorough (and sometimes not-so thorough) background checks, letting no one escape his scalpel and other shiny, metallic tools of his trade.

plus his voice is to die for, I'd probably watch the show even if it were garbage just to listen to Dexter's constant inner monologues, and still get goosebumps when he gets that certain deadly smirk and look in his eye. but seriously, this show is fantastic.

 

[monkfish]

some british contemporary comedy classics all up in your grill

peep show has been consistently brilliant since the first season, an incredible rarity for such a long-running show. clip

the it crowd is another show that is still going strong after 4 series. although almost all of the hilarity comes from a single character (moss). clip

green wing was absolutely fantastic and i really don't know why they stopped at 2 seasons, they could definitely have run for at least one more. the scriptwriting is hilarious and perfect for the cast, the characters are so utterly convincing. clip

black books still cracks me up, again i think they could have gone for another season without letting themselves down. also created by graham lineham (i.t. crowd, father ted). clip

 

[Lord Jesseus]

Dexter

Oh god yes. I tried following it on TV but the channel I was watching it on kept changing the timeslot. But now that I have it on my computer life is good.
It's really fucking tense though, which I do like but I usually have to watch something more lighthearted afterward to lighten up.

Lately my brother and I have been watching How I met Your Mother from the very beginning. I don't usually like sitcoms so much (if there's nothing else on maybe) but I really do love this show.

The simpsons and Futurama are both great ones although yes the Simpsons has gone somewhat downhill.

 

[Lee]

Blackadder is far and away my favourite sitcom. I can't believe it first aired in 1983 - it was so far ahead of it's time. No show since has managed to assemble a cast that works so well together and the humor is right up my street (although I think that's probably because Blackadder influenced my tastes in humor due to me being so young when I first watched it).

Crone: There are two things you must know about the wise woman. First, she is a woman! And second she is...
Blackadder: Wise?
Crone: You do know her then?
Blackadder: No, just a wild stab in the dark which is, incidentally, what you'll be getting if you don't start being a bit more helpful.

I can't speak highly enough of Rowan Atkinson's skill as a comedy actor.

Hercules the Legendary Journeys is a guilty pleasure of mine. It's cheesy as hell but it's really nostalgic for me...I could watch it all day. If I ever become a father I'd be happy for my kids to watch that show because it's a good ol' family show...a dying breed it seems. Misfits is an excellent show too...Nathan is one of the funniest characters I've seen in any fiction for a long time.

 

[THE_IRON_...KENYAN?]

 

[Ramblin Wreck]

My favorite series are Taylor series; I also enjoy the Maclaurin spinoff.

 

[Zoro]

just recently picked up Dexter and its fucking awesome, mostly due to the viewer getting an insight in his way of thinking.

I also absolutely adore the Law & Order series; I don't know why, but I love how they handle this type of genre.

 

[JabbaTheGriffin]

I watch an insane amount of tv. I could go on for pages about all the shows I love but I'll try to narrow it down to my favorites (outside Dexter that should be obvious by now) and try not to ramble.

As far as dramas go my favorite outside dexter is probably

(kristen bell is so pretty)
I didn't watch it until a few months ago actually since it honestly sounded like something I would hate and I've never been a fan of female leads but Veronica Mars is just so amazing. Seasons 1 and 2 are pretty much how-to-dos on amazing serialized mysteries and it keeps you guessing the whole season on the main plot while working in side plots and keeping the focus on the amazing ensemble cast. So good I'm praying that one day they pump out a movie and wrap this bad boy up I hate when my favorite shows don't get closure.

Also another show I hadn't watched until recently and realized I was missing out big time: Breaking Bad. Who would have thought the dad from Malcolm in the Middle would star in one of the best dramas ever created? It's just amazing what they do with this show. It is never predictable and it just keeps getting darker and darker with every episode. This past season I feel like they kind of fleshed out most of the other characters, which definitely made it even more engrossing (not to mention it has fucking Bob Odenkirk in a major role). Definitely a must watch.

I also love Chuck. It had been getting progressively better with each season until this season, but seasons 2 and 3 were absolutely amazing, especially considering how they completely mixed up the formula at the end of season 2 with a huge twist which I absolutely loved.

Eureka has always been a solid "x-files monster of the week" format show with the important episodes as the bookends that I wouldn't have thrown in my favorites list, but this most recent season finally put much more focus on the serialized plot than the random shit that's happening. The midseason finale, in particular, was absolutely fantastic.

For comedies i'm going to have to go with Arrested Development as the best ever. It's just the perfect comedy for my type of humor. The best comedy on tv these days is hands down Community. Amazing cast, hilarious jokes, and the fact that they're willing to go anywhere with their format makes this show amazing. Archer is fantastic and comes back this week so you guys should probably check that out and catch up before it starts back up!