This is one of a very small amount of long shows I could actually stand to watch every single season of (and enjoyed every episode). Normally the shows I love get cancelled after 2 seasons tops.
This is one of a very small amount of long shows I could actually stand to watch every single season of (and enjoyed every episode).
Normally the shows I love get cancelled after 2 seasons tops.
The Good Place I think it is generally rare that a show has a plan, sticks to the plan, and does not overstay its welcome. The Good Place definitely does that, and it got me to fall in love with...
The Good Place
I think it is generally rare that a show has a plan, sticks to the plan, and does not overstay its welcome. The Good Place definitely does that, and it got me to fall in love with its cast of characters. Every member of the cast is just about perfect for their role with Ted Danson being notable as Michael. And though it's not well established enough to be on this list, I really enjoyed him in A Man on the Inside, which is delightful. The Good PLace is full of heart and I have to love a show that had moral philosophers on call to make sure that the things the show was saying checked out.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer
I know that Joss Whedon is not someone to be admired, but I think that despite his relatively rancid actions, he managed to put together a show that was pretty great and empowering. From the first episode, things were flipped around - the "girl in distress" in the opening scene turned out to be the monster - which was a big twist in the 90s - and the little blonde teenage girl was the biggest badass of all time. The writing is great, the cast is great, the monster-of-the-week format explores a lot of issues. Hush is one of the best episodes of TV I've ever seen, and it mostly came about because people thought the writers relied on quips and quirks too much. Years later, I still think Sarah Michelle Gellar is one of the coolest people.
Ted Lasso
Insert DaringTodayArentWe.meme image here; I love this show. I like the sports underdog aspect of it; a team working their way up together can be an inspiring story, and this one is pretty good. I like the growth that almost every character goes through, from Ted facing his fears to Jamie learning how to be a leader. I love Rebecca, from start to finish, and the friendship that she shares with Ted along the way is beautiful. My favourite scene is when Ted is playing against Giles Rupert at darts, and he says, "Be curious, not judgmental". This is another show with laughs, heart, great lessons, great story. I probably cried for half the episodes I watched. Heck, I teared up just now rewatching that scene I just linked.
Schitt's Creek
Wait, is everything going to be a heartwarming comedy about a group of people you learn to love over a few seasons? The Roses are the absolute worst at the beginning of the show, but by the end, you love all of them. Daniel and Eugene Levy are fantastic show developers, and I hope they make more. I love how all of the Roses grow and learn to be regular people over the course of the show and David and Patrick are one of my favourite TV couples.
The Muppet Show
A heartwarming comedy about a group of people puppets that you learn to love! I guess I like to laugh when I am watching television. I have loved the Muppets for the entirety of my life, and part of it is that when I was a kid they were funny and pure, and when I was older there are jokes that are more for adults that make me laugh for other reasons. I also used to think that Statler and Waldorf were "the bad guys" until I turned into one of them. Of all the variety shows that exist, this one is out in front for me, and I will watch it over and over again. Yes, even over Flying Circus.
Brooklyn 99
Another Schur show, this crosses off my "police procedural" box, it's a heartwarming comedy about a group of cops that you learn to love. I have a type, I guess. I enjoyed all the seasons, and I especially love Captain Holt. I love that he loosens up and learns to love and be loved by the squad through the course of the show.
The Expanse
This is finally not a heartwarming comedy about a group of people you learn to love! This is my favourite science fiction show of all time; it is relatively hard sci fi, and I found that I really enjoyed that. Good characters, good acting, great story. I enjoy the multiple storylines happening concurrently, and I enjoyed the cool factions and their interplay with each other. I will watch just about anything that Shohreh Aghdashloo does.
The Flanagan-verse
Like with the movie top 10, I will cop out and group some things together. I will put The Haunting of Hill House, The Haunting of Bly Manor, Midnight Mass, and The Fall of the House of Usher all together as if they were seasons of a horror show, a la American Horror Story (honorable mention?). Each season is a great standalone horror story, masterfully crafted, with incredible attention to detail. Flanagan surrounds himself with talented people and uses them well, playing to their strengths and telling creepy tales.
Taskmaster
From Greg's unhinged introduction of Little ALex Horne, to the completely incomprehensible attempts of whomever is this season's nuttiest contestant, to the absurdity of the tasks themselves, there's nothing about Taskmaster that I don't love. I love how well the show has taken off in other countries as well, including a Quebecois version which is pretty good.
Fleabag
Dark and witty, I like both seasons of this show. It's hard not to love The Hot Priest - Andrew Scott is brilliant in everything he is in - but I also like the darkness of the first series. Understanding why Fleabag is so broken and what is going on with her and why things are so bleak and how she deflects with humour... there is a lot going on in series one, and I think it's undervalued. But the love story with Hot Priest is a great one, and the way he can sense us and how Fleabag talks to us is a great touch.
Honorable Mentions
I considered all of these, but discarded them for various reasons. Some of them have seasons which really leave a sour taste (Sherlock) and some are shows that I loved as a child but haven't revisited at all as an adult.
I want to enjoy Ted Lasso, I really do. I love so much of the cast, I love British comedy, I love feel-good stories and characters who get ahead by being kind and genuine, but I just can't with...
I want to enjoy Ted Lasso, I really do. I love so much of the cast, I love British comedy, I love feel-good stories and characters who get ahead by being kind and genuine, but I just can't with the sports. I don't care who wins the football, I don't care who loses the football, I don't care if the football never happens again. I tried to watch it, and every time the sports happened my eyes just glazed over. It's a shame because there were some good laughs in there, too, but I couldn't muddle through. I hope the success of this show inspires more shows with the same general vibe, but different premises.
The Expanse has set the bar so incredibly high for scifi shows. Nothing comes close. There's still 3 more books to be adapted, I hope they manage to get the fonding for it.
The Expanse has set the bar so incredibly high for scifi shows. Nothing comes close.
There's still 3 more books to be adapted, I hope they manage to get the fonding for it.
First two below has nothing like it in terms of just how incredibly well made they are. The people behind them truly deeply understand the portrayed topics. Third one because of how hard it hit me...
First two below has nothing like it in terms of just how incredibly well made they are. The people behind them truly deeply understand the portrayed topics. Third one because of how hard it hit me emotionally.
The Wire
Band of Brothers
Station Eleven
Honorable mentions: Westworld and Euphoria and We Own This City and Gentleman Jack.
Station Eleven is a fantastic example of my favorite micro-genre - post-apocalypse stories where people mostly take care of each other and build new systems of support. It was a little slow to...
Station Eleven is a fantastic example of my favorite micro-genre - post-apocalypse stories where people mostly take care of each other and build new systems of support. It was a little slow to pull me in, I thought the non-linear narrative was going to be too disruptive to the plot progression for me to enjoy it, but after a few episodes it settles in to a much steadier pace and overall the story feels very well-told.
My favorite examples of this genre are books by M R Carey. I was introduced to it by the book The Girl With All The Gifts (which is also an excellent movie) and the prequel/sequel The Boy On The...
My favorite examples of this genre are books by M R Carey. I was introduced to it by the book The Girl With All The Gifts (which is also an excellent movie) and the prequel/sequel The Boy On The Bridge. The depiction of autism in The Boy On The Bridge is deeply imperfect but lovingly done.
The author then wildly surpasses himself with The Book of Koli, The Trials of Koli and The Fall of Koli, which make up the Rampart Trilogy. In my opinion these are the best examples of optimistic humanist post-apocalyptic fiction. They define the genre for me.
I am also always looking for more recommendations!
I personally maintain that Westworld Season 1 was as close to a perfect season of television as could be. Such a shame they kinda lost the plot a bit in the next seasons.
I personally maintain that Westworld Season 1 was as close to a perfect season of television as could be.
Such a shame they kinda lost the plot a bit in the next seasons.
Can't mention the show without this comment popping up :) But I disagree with it. Season 1 was close to perfect, yes, but the other seasons were still good and sometimes great.
Can't mention the show without this comment popping up :)
But I disagree with it. Season 1 was close to perfect, yes, but the other seasons were still good and sometimes great.
I still liked season 2 quite a bit even if it wasn't anywhere near as spectacular as session 1. But season 3 just killed me. The contrivances and the lack of coherent character motivations annoyed...
I still liked season 2 quite a bit even if it wasn't anywhere near as spectacular as session 1. But season 3 just killed me. The contrivances and the lack of coherent character motivations annoyed me so much that I went from watching every episode the minute it premiered to never seeing season 4. And I've heard HBO pulled the show off Max, so I couldn't watch it even if I wanted to.
Such a shame. Even season 3 had some great ideas (e.g., Rehoboam).
I do agree that season 3 and 4 were a bit contrived but I enjoyed it a lot nonetheless. Show for sure got a tiny bit worse season by season. But 3 and 4 are still like 8/10 for me, whereas 1 is...
I do agree that season 3 and 4 were a bit contrived but I enjoyed it a lot nonetheless. Show for sure got a tiny bit worse season by season. But 3 and 4 are still like 8/10 for me, whereas 1 is 10/10 and 2 is 9/10 - why I land on 9/10 for the show as a whole.
I would have definitely preferred if going to the real world was only a detour of maybe half a season, and then they went back to the park somehow - or explored other parks. The Japan park was so cool to see, as was the WWII park, and there was also some teases about other parks. For me, they could have easily done season 3 50% in the real world and 50% in another park, and season 4 maybe fully in a park but having the ending back in the real world with Dolores finally being "free".
Agreed on The Wire and Band of Brothers. They are the only shows I rewatch yearly. I went into Station Eleven blind and really enjoyed it. I'm a sucker for any kind of post-apocalyptic show.
Agreed on The Wire and Band of Brothers. They are the only shows I rewatch yearly. I went into Station Eleven blind and really enjoyed it. I'm a sucker for any kind of post-apocalyptic show.
Yeah it's a really cool spin on post-apocalypse! Station Eleven spoilers That scene when Kirsten and Jeevan reunite at the end utterly destroys me. So powerful
Yeah it's a really cool spin on post-apocalypse!
Station Eleven spoilers
That scene when Kirsten and Jeevan reunite at the end utterly destroys me. So powerful
If you enjoyed Band of Brothers, have you watched The Pacific? IMO Band of Brothers is slightly better, but it has the advantage of a more familiar story for most Americans. The Pacific really...
If you enjoyed Band of Brothers, have you watched The Pacific? IMO Band of Brothers is slightly better, but it has the advantage of a more familiar story for most Americans. The Pacific really captured the pure suffering and horror of the Pacific Theatre in a way that... well, only Band of Brothers had that same impact on me before.
The Pacific is good but it's jarring watching it of you're expecting Band of Brothers on a different front of the war. The focus is rather different, IIRC.
The Pacific is good but it's jarring watching it of you're expecting Band of Brothers on a different front of the war. The focus is rather different, IIRC.
It's like season 2 of The Wire. The Pacific is basically season 2 of Band of Brothers (and *We Own this season is a spiritual season 6 of The Wire). But yeah on your first watch, most people are...
It's like season 2 of The Wire. The Pacific is basically season 2 of Band of Brothers (and *We Own this season is a spiritual season 6 of The Wire). But yeah on your first watch, most people are miffed that that's where season 2 goes, but when you rewatch it and know what you're going into, it makes so much sense and the show is better for it and just really works.
I watched a bit of the pilot. I liked the irreverence. But I think it was just too meta for me, especially after my own experience of a dozen years in Hollywood. I got sick of stories that...
I watched a bit of the pilot. I liked the irreverence. But I think it was just too meta for me, especially after my own experience of a dozen years in Hollywood. I got sick of stories that actually take place there. I was too close to the sausage-making process for too long.
But thank you for the recommendation and I’m sure others here will take you up on it!
Ahhh that's very fair enough. I have no connection to the place whatsoever. So I can remain quite happily detached and only see it for its overall take on celebrity and the whole host of other...
Ahhh that's very fair enough. I have no connection to the place whatsoever. So I can remain quite happily detached and only see it for its overall take on celebrity and the whole host of other topics it plunges into.
It certainly grows on you as the first series goes on, and many don't even like the first compared to the rest, but this is just a word for others, rather than trying to tempt you back in personally; I respect your much closer take on it.
Favorites I Rewatch Community (the GOAT) New Girl Psych Futurama (less than I used to) Favorites I Will Eventually Rewatch Avatar: The Last Airbender DuckTales (2017) Gravity Falls Pushing Daisies...
Favorites I Rewatch
Community (the GOAT)
New Girl
Psych
Futurama (less than I used to)
Favorites I Will Eventually Rewatch
Avatar: The Last Airbender
DuckTales (2017)
Gravity Falls
Pushing Daisies
Star Trek: Lower Decks (I know it just ended, but man did I enjoy it)
Favorites I Enjoyed but Will Likely Never Rewatch for a Variety of Reasons
Fringe
Chuck
Probably forgetting stuff, but I should get out of bed now.
How come you wouldn't rewatch Fringe and Chuck? I have been wanting to go back and rewatch Fringe because I haven't since it ended and I was watching it as it aired since season 2. Chuck I have...
How come you wouldn't rewatch Fringe and Chuck? I have been wanting to go back and rewatch Fringe because I haven't since it ended and I was watching it as it aired since season 2.
Length of commitment to rewatch. Attention commitment, too. Not enough humor. I tend to only rewatch stuff 1) with my kids or 2) that can be in the background. Otherwise I’m mostly a one and done...
Length of commitment to rewatch. Attention commitment, too. Not enough humor. I tend to only rewatch stuff 1) with my kids or 2) that can be in the background. Otherwise I’m mostly a one and done kinda guy.
Hmmm… In order of love: The Leftovers How To with John Wilson Mr Robot Insecure Utopia (UK version) Atlanta This Way Up Fleabag Mindhunter I May Destroy You Honorable mention - Scavengers Reign,...
Hmmm…
In order of love:
The Leftovers
How To with John Wilson
Mr Robot
Insecure
Utopia (UK version)
Atlanta
This Way Up
Fleabag
Mindhunter
I May Destroy You
Honorable mention - Scavengers Reign, Tales from the Loop
Just watched S3E1. Yeah. Ok. This is going to be interesting. UPDATE: I made the mistake of remembering the S3 finale episode title. Yeah. Ok. I think I can see some of where this is going. I just...
Just watched S3E1. Yeah. Ok. This is going to be interesting.
UPDATE: I made the mistake of remembering the S3 finale episode title. Yeah. Ok. I think I can see some of where this is going. I just don't know why it will end there yet.
I have thoughts:
Thoughts
Kevin is not allowed to die because he has a purpose in Nora's life
Nora's family had to disappear so that she could fulfill some mystical purpose that involves Kevin
The SD was all about Nora
Or, at least, these are the myths that I expect will lead to "The Book of Nora" and her adoption of the name "Sarah" to hide in plain sight.
How To with John Wilson is great. i forget how i found it but i love his style even though im not even sure how i'd describe it? its just such a cozy experience and yet somehow still chaotic and...
How To with John Wilson is great. i forget how i found it but i love his style even though im not even sure how i'd describe it? its just such a cozy experience and yet somehow still chaotic and funny.
apparently im struggling to talk about it without either under-selling it or spoiling parts so I'll just leave it as a heavy +1
In a world where the last season never happened, it's hard for me not to say Game of Thrones, no other non-anime show captured me this much. As for anime, in order, favourite on top: Sangatsu No...
In a world where the last season never happened, it's hard for me not to say Game of Thrones, no other non-anime show captured me this much.
As for anime, in order, favourite on top:
Sangatsu No Lion (perfect 10)
Frieren (perfect 10), even though only the first season is out, it really is flawless and goes beyond what the medium can offer
HxH
Mushishi
Mob Psycho
With GoT I'd argue anything after season 4 was already worse. Seasons 5 and 6 were still quite good, but noticably worse than the first four. Then 7 and 8 were trash and ruined what could have...
With GoT I'd argue anything after season 4 was already worse. Seasons 5 and 6 were still quite good, but noticably worse than the first four. Then 7 and 8 were trash and ruined what could have been the best show to ever air
I think that's how it is typically viewed. Season 8 is almost universally despised and most people agree that 7 was also terrible. But when people think the rot started is where opinions differ....
I think that's how it is typically viewed. Season 8 is almost universally despised and most people agree that 7 was also terrible. But when people think the rot started is where opinions differ.
Had they kept the quality of seasons 5 and 6 until the end this would've still been my favourite show of all time. Some of my favourite episodes of the entire show were in those seasons. But it's also when I felt the cracks were starting to form. I didn't like how they did the sparrows, some of the characters were dumbed down (Stannis for instance), they abandoned the Dorne plot line. I still loved the show though at that point.
I remember when they had the Ed Sheeran cameo I still held out hope that this was just a single bad decision (nothing against the man, but you can't put a popstar in a show like that). But in hindsight it was perfectly representative of what the show had become and what S7/8 would be like.
The Wire Babylon 5: it's dated in many ways yet the story is as contemporary as ever. The show came along as I was finishing college; it helped make me who I am. Battlestar Galactica (2004) Star...
The Wire
Babylon 5: it's dated in many ways yet the story is as contemporary as ever. The show came along as I was finishing college; it helped make me who I am.
Battlestar Galactica (2004)
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Broadchurch: only the first season but wow
Mr Robot
Band of Brothers
DARK: evidently it's my one job on Tildes to remind people that this series exists and is amazing
Andor: I've seen it three times already. I'm still floored by the power of it.
Legion: first season only
Midnight Diner: for being a little naughty, there is something so poignantly sweet and innocent about it.
Drama: The Wire Better Call Saul Succession Breaking Bad True Detective (Season 1) Fargo (Seasons 1 & 2) The Sopranos Comedy: Peep Show Seinfeld Veep Community The Office The Larry Sanders Show...
Drama:
The Wire
Better Call Saul
Succession
Breaking Bad
True Detective (Season 1)
Fargo (Seasons 1 & 2)
The Sopranos
Comedy:
Peep Show
Seinfeld
Veep
Community
The Office
The Larry Sanders Show
Arrested Development
Current Shows:
Severance
Silo
White Lotus
The Last of Us
Fallout
The Boys
Wow, this is basically my list. Thanks for saving me the hassle of typing it out and congrats on having good taste in TV shows random internet stranger.
Wow, this is basically my list. Thanks for saving me the hassle of typing it out and congrats on having good taste in TV shows random internet stranger.
The Leftovers achieved perfection in so many genres at once, I can't think of any works of audiovisual fiction that come even close to it. Drama, science fiction, absurdism, surrealism, mystery....
The Leftovers achieved perfection in so many genres at once, I can't think of any works of audiovisual fiction that come even close to it. Drama, science fiction, absurdism, surrealism, mystery. It has it all.
Chaves (El Chavo del Ocho) is a Latin American children's classic, hilarious and endearing in equal measure. It reflects much of our culture and economic struggles. Chavo ("Chaves" to me in the Brazilian version) is a street kid who lives in a barrel in a village full of neighbors -- some are aggressive toward him, some are affectionate, and some are neutral. But, even when Chaves gets lucky, at the end of the day he always goes back to his barrel. When asked about what he wants the most in life, he always says "A ham sandwich!". All characters are played by adults. Even the children. Some episodes in the Portuguese dub.
Star Trek - The Next Generation. Back in the 1990s, catching a TNG episode on TV was about as magical as TV shows can get. The sensation of being transported to another world was so strong, and I wanted to be in that world. It was so much better than my own. Although there were always problems, inside the Enterprise everyone treated each other with respect, accepting and appreciating differences, building meaningful relationships, and collaborating like adults towards a common goal. Growing up without many friends, I was always the "alien". Data was like me in that respect, but he was immune to bullying because he had no emotions (I mean, that is what he said, but the show contradicted that statement repeatedly...). He was also ultra-intelligent, super strong, virtuous, and good. Data was my role model. He embodied all that is good about humankind.
I love/like a lot of the shows already mentioned, but there are some shows that I don't currently see on anyone's list here and/or I think are often overlooked. --Dramas-- The Americans - this...
Exemplary
I love/like a lot of the shows already mentioned, but there are some shows that I don't currently see on anyone's list here and/or I think are often overlooked.
--Dramas--
The Americans - this comes up sometimes but I know a good amount people who are into good tv that haven't watched it. It's a top-tier spy/suspense/drama with excellent characters- both the writing and acting.
The Newsroom - I almost never see this on anyone's lists, which I get because it's not "the best show ever" but it's Aaron Sorkin on HBO. Jeff Daniels plays a cable news anchor given a new showrunner, and they decide they are sick of what cable news has become. They do "real news" while the show touches on actual (real life) news stories and their coverage. Years later the show is even more potent, though it might be a bit depressing considering much of what they warn about has happened.
Patriot - this show won't be for everyone, but if you like it you will probably love it. It can be a bit slow, but the characters are fantastic and a lot of the music is pretty good. If you're interested in character driven shows give it a chance. This one has a lot of humor and dark humor even though it's listed as drama/suspense.
Humans - I really liked this show though I don't have a single friend who has watched it and it only has a 76 critic/7.8 user rating on metacritic.
--Comedies--
Party Down - I don't know what to say besides just look at the cast, you've seen many of these people in other things and thought they were hilarious, but now they're all together! There are two seasons from years ago and one from more recently with a few different cast members but they're all very good. Some great guest stars as well.
Tales from the Tour Bus - Mike Judge who you probably know does stories about musical stars and their crazy lives. Animating whatever wild stories they can get from their interviews, the first season is old country and rock stars, second is funk legends. Think of "Charlie Murphy's True Hollywood Stories" from The Chappelle show and you've got the idea.
The Other Two - two older siblings hilariously struggle with their younger brother becoming the next Justin Bieber.
Already listed (just so you know my taste)- The Wire, Band of Brothers, Utopia (UK), Black Mirror, Mr. Robot, Star Trek TNG, Better Call Saul, Atlanta, Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency, Reservation Dogs, The Good Place, Community, 30 Rock, Arrested Development, Veep, Futurama, Psych and probably a few others listed that I missed.
Adding two I almost forgot:
High Maintenance - The show is about a weed delivery guy, but it's not all about pot. It's not exactly but kind of like a fictional version of "People of New York" the photo series/book from some years ago. Deep dives into personal stories. Also the soundtrack is one of my faves. Drama with some good comedy thrown in there.
Broad City - Ok, this one is a lot about pot, but it's a great story about friendship and is hilarious. One of the best endings to any comedy I've seen.
Shows that have already been mentioned but I want to co-sign: Arrested Developement - despite the fact that it has aged extremely poorly in quite a few ways. I'm watching it right now with my...
Shows that have already been mentioned but I want to co-sign:
Arrested Developement - despite the fact that it has aged extremely poorly in quite a few ways. I'm watching it right now with my husband (his first time) and it's gotten so many great, genuine laughs out of both of us.
The Good Place - not only is it hilarious, it also popularized a lot of philosophical concepts that I used to have to spend excruciating time explaining at parties. Now we can skip that part and I can get straight to my excruciating opinions!
Buffy the Vampire Slayer - I don't think I actually like this show - I always watch it waiting for a handful of moments that I really enjoy and loudly complaining about it the rest of the time - but I still rewatch it in full every few years and probably will until I die so it goes on the list.
Firefly - I definitely actually like this show, but I think I like it a lot more than I would have had it continued for a few more seasons. It took me abut 15 years to admit that, though.
The Haunting of Bly Manor - I adore the whole Flanaganverse but this one is a standout. I love a horror comedy but this show made me realize that I need more horror/love stories.
Malcolm in the Middle - when I was a kid, this was the only show on TV that actually looked like the childhood that I was having. That's probably not awesome, but it felt nice to be seen, and rewatches are both nostalgic and useful reminders of things to talk about in therapy.
Shows no one else has mentioned and that's why I'll probably never find out what happened after that cliffhanger at the end of last season:
Santa Clarita Diet - a horror/comedy/love story. This show was written for me. It was cast for me. The props department made sure that all of the baked goods that show up on the show would be recognizably from Panera Bread, just because I used to work there and they knew it would make me feel weird. I really appreciate the effort they put into making this show just for me.
Extraordinary - hilarious, witty, and relatable. I love it when impossible conceits like super powers actually take into account the way that people function - if people had magic powers, how would that affect job interviews?
Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency - this might be the perfect show. No notes, no complaints (off-screen problems notwithstanding), I wish there were 16 more seasons.
Lovecraft Country - It's my fault that there aren't more stories on this list that center people of color, but there has also been a dearth of stories like that in the genres that I enjoy. I hope there are more explorations in this vein.
The Wilds - I love this show. It's so funny, and it's the most realistic "teens stranded in the wilderness" show that I've ever seen. Not so much the set-up, but the way that they band together and take care of each other and bond. We only needed one more season to wrap things up, but nooooo. :(
Daybreak - this one is mostly just really funny. Matthew Broderick has me cackling.
Better Off Ted - I can't believe I almost forgot this one. Every episode is a treasure.
Shows no one else has mentioned that haven't/hopefully won't rip my heart out by not finishing the story:
Bad Sisters
Jessica Jones
Heartstopper
Sex Education
Upload
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
Them
Deadloch
Raising Dion
Dead Like Me
Unfortunately due to the nature of streaming platforms, I'm sure I'm forgetting a lot. Things that I watched and loved, but moved off the platform - or I unsubscribed to that platform - and I never saw them again. Series that are 3 seasons or less and had a conclusive ending would be especially susceptible to this.
The last season is... ok. Midge is Midge, Suzy is Suzy, and (thankfully) Abe is Abe. You don't miss anything, although the set pieces and costume design in the show remains top tier throughout....
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
The last season is... ok. Midge is Midge, Suzy is Suzy, and (thankfully) Abe is Abe.
You don't miss anything, although the set pieces and costume design in the show remains top tier throughout.
You can sort of see the ending coming, Midge is still a self-absorbed person but she's more successful now. That's all.
For me, some shows really rely on an ending. Things are building up to something and what they build up to determines how "worth it" I find the whole show. Game of Thrones was that way and the...
For me, some shows really rely on an ending. Things are building up to something and what they build up to determines how "worth it" I find the whole show. Game of Thrones was that way and the whole thing is trash now because of the last season. Yellowjackets is going to be one of those shows - I won't be able to say whether I like it or not until at least next season, maybe more. The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel is not one of those shows for me. That's a show where I enjoy the ride and don't care about the stakes at all, so it really doesn't matter how it ends.
Spoilers I'm really glad that Suzy and Midge's friendship survived all those years. I don't mind that they didn't become better people..
Last season didn't have enough Lenny Bruce. The end of season 4 with his show at Carnegie Hall might be my favorite episode of the show (although I really think seasons 1&2 were the best). I loved...
Last season didn't have enough Lenny Bruce. The end of season 4 with his show at Carnegie Hall might be my favorite episode of the show (although I really think seasons 1&2 were the best). I loved Suzy and as the show went on the more I was interested in her and less in Midge.
The main character syndrome of the Palladino directors in both Gilmore Girls and Mrs. Maisel becomes tiresome after a while. I don't fault that stance, the other characters are more interesting....
The main character syndrome of the Palladino directors in both Gilmore Girls and Mrs. Maisel becomes tiresome after a while. I don't fault that stance, the other characters are more interesting. Suzy especially is a standout, but even the pretty terrible Joel becomes intriguing.
No one has said Its Always Sunny In Philadelphia, so I will. Probably my absolute number one favorite show. I still laugh my ass off at episodes I've seen a hundred times. There's also: Malcolm in...
No one has said Its Always Sunny In Philadelphia, so I will. Probably my absolute number one favorite show. I still laugh my ass off at episodes I've seen a hundred times.
There's also:
Malcolm in the Middle, I'm in the middle of a rewatch and it hits even harder now as a recently married young-ish adult who's thinking of starting a family. While it's a comedy it gets very real, and is not just for kids. There's very adult themes and conflicts that arise quite often that makes me give it a new perspective.
Breaking Bad (for obvious reasons)
X-Files & The Twilight Zone because I love that kind of thing.
Mr. Robot for other obvious reasons. (Fuck Society.)
Air Disasters, Modern Marvels, and How It's Made because I love that kind of stuff too.
I have nobody to talk to about Barry. None of my friends even gave it a try even though they usually take my recommendations. It's weird, perhaps calling it "Barry" just puts people off? It's such...
I have nobody to talk to about Barry. None of my friends even gave it a try even though they usually take my recommendations. It's weird, perhaps calling it "Barry" just puts people off?
I tried to watch it. I didn't get very far in, because I just couldn't get on board with the stakes. I'm sure it gets easier to suspend disbelief as it goes on, and probably I wasn't in the right...
I tried to watch it. I didn't get very far in, because I just couldn't get on board with the stakes. I'm sure it gets easier to suspend disbelief as it goes on, and probably I wasn't in the right mood for it anyway, but I spent the whole time watching it thinking "how does a guy who's willing to make these kinds of choices end up in this situation in the first place?" to the point of distraction.
They do go deeper into Barry’s backstory and motivations as the show progresses. What I can tell you is that the final season ends in a wholly different place than when it begins.
They do go deeper into Barry’s backstory and motivations as the show progresses. What I can tell you is that the final season ends in a wholly different place than when it begins.
I know its not the same as talking to someone IRL about it but im always down to yap about Barry. Barry is probably my GOAT for television, and i could probably write essays on its characters and...
I know its not the same as talking to someone IRL about it but im always down to yap about Barry. Barry is probably my GOAT for television, and i could probably write essays on its characters and themes with how much time i have spent thinking about it, and each time i rewatch i find new meaning and thematic connections. I agree with others here it is a criminally underrated show, it was a little sad to only see it mentioned here once. Truly a masterpiece in character work and tight pacing.
Thank you for the offer! Not what I intended to convey but I'm honestly grateful for the compassion. I was simply lamenting that Barry is the one show they weren't watching when I was. While I'm...
Thank you for the offer! Not what I intended to convey but I'm honestly grateful for the compassion. I was simply lamenting that Barry is the one show they weren't watching when I was.
While I'm certainly interested to hear your opinions and insights (anything you feel I must know?), I'm afraid it's been too long ago for me to respond in kind. I still remember what happened -hard to forget NoHo Hank- but the underlying themes and insights are a little foggy.
I think one of the core themes of the show, and one of the main questions it asks is, "can people change?" Overall, I think for the most part the show's answer is no they cannot, even if they...
Exemplary
I think one of the core themes of the show, and one of the main questions it asks is, "can people change?" Overall, I think for the most part the show's answer is no they cannot, even if they appear to. One of the more interesting throughlines in the show that I picked up on in a more recent rewatch is that each season is building to a performance for each of the Main Characters, Barry, Gene, Hank, Fuches,And Sally. And in each of these performances, they are on the precipice of growth and sincerity, but they all turn out to be lies or are built on lies, and they in essence reject change. Reject growth. I have like three pages of thoughts supporting this, but it would spoil the whole show so I'll post them below in a spoiler block. Id recommend giving it another watch though if you ever feel so inclined, the show is so quick that you can knock it out in a few days, and i feel it really benefits from a rewatch.
Barry Spoilers inside
Barry in season one, is grappling with the morality of what he does to his friend and noted good guy Chris, and delivers an amazing performance using the emotions fueling him at the time. He uses this to then fuel his own personal growth or the appearance thereof, convincing himself and the others around him that he can be happy and functional, but almost immediately kills to solve his problems once again. He continues to lie to himself that he can change for the rest of the show, its his main motivation really, to prove to everyone but most of all himself that he is and still can be a good person. But each season finale serves to reinforce that Barry is a violent person, and cannot or will not truly change that.
Sally in season two is doing her performance about her abuse story. In the process of making the scene, she realizes she has been lying to herself about what really happened. She recognized this, and intended to show the more raw and real version. She pushes for this, pushing Barry into a role he isn't comfortable with due to not wanting his violent life to contaminate this idealized life he was trying to live. Right up until the actual moment comes, with the whole audience watching, and she caves, and tells the lie instead, letting that be her "truth" shown to the world. She rejects change, rejects acknowledging the pain and raw emotion of the situation, to feel the hollow vain glory of telling the lie she wished was true. And she is praised for it, it gives her everything she's ever wanted. But the positive reception seems to ring hollow to her, wearing a distressed face after the crowd forms to offer their adoration. Later in season 4, after running away with Barry due to her dream falling apart and escaping her grasp, Sally is shown to be performing in most of her everyday life. Performing for a son she doesn't yet truly love, and can't be close to because of the trauma he physically represents. Performing at work as a completely different person. (Barely) Performing for Barry as a wife and mother who loves him and their son. Until the final episode, where I think the near death situation pulls her out of the mud she's been stuck in the whole show, and lets her love her son, and finally break free from the situations that have been repeatedly traumatizing her and dragging her down. This is the only real change I think we see from her in the whole show, and they seem to have a close relationship in the future, where she is doing relatively well for herself.
In season 3, Cousineau, having learned of Barry's involvement in his love's death, tries and fails to get revenge, then spends the whole season talking his way out of a death sentence from a character he formerly held a fatherly relationship with. After Barry gives Cousineau a large amount of money and dips out of his life, he starts to appear to genuinely change, recognizing his past behavior for what it was and taking painful steps to make amends with those he has wronged. This comes to head as Gene calls Barry, telling him he intends to kill Moss, as Moss is allegedly trying to pin everything on Gene. Barry, as he usually does, responds with anger and violent intent, comes to stop Gene from killing and instead perform the killing himself. This is then revealed to have all been a farce, an act put on by Cousineau to ensnare Barry in a trap he finally can’t wriggle away from. Amusingly this performance from Gene is the most deadpan and monotone performance one could give, but still fools Barry anyways. Barry gets put in prison, Cousineau gets career and life back on track due to Barry’s efforts to do so throughout the season. However, almost immediately, he puts on another performance to a reporter investigating the whole Berkman case, and shows that he hasn't really changed at all. He lies and twists the truth during the performance to make himself look better, unwittingly damning himself in the process. In season 4, after 8 years in hiding seemingly a changed man, he comes back out after hearing of the movie about Barry, and tries to get the film shut down. That is until an agent drops the nugget that Daniel Day Lewis would be coming out of retirement to play him, a boost to his ego that Gene just can't refuse. He takes the bait, and pays the price for it, as doing so leads to him being implicated as the true mastermind behind the events of the whole show, with his one man show being used to back up this accusation with evidence from his own words. Each time Gene was on the precipice of true growth and change, his ego and vanity led to him rejecting that growth, and lying to feed said ego and vanity.
Hank’s arc is a little unique, as he is one of the two main characters who are not actors in the traditional sense, so he is not building to a traditional Performance. I also think it's debatable how much of the hank we see throughout the show is the real hank. In one lens, the show is showing Hank’s true persona getting ground away by the violent life he pursues. But in the other, he is shown to consistently turn his back on every opportunity he had to just walk away. I think this comes from Hank, and by extension Cristobal, wanting both things. They want to have a peaceful life with each other, but neither can resist the allure of criminal endeavors and power. Each time they are shown a way out, they choose to reject change and return to the ways that have been eroding them as people since the start of the show. Hank also has a noted change in persona in season 4, after hearing his friends die horribly and just barely escaping a near death situation at the end of the previous season. He is hardened, more willing to get his hands personally dirty, a change from the previous seasons of him always having someone else do the hard work for him. This builds further after the time jump, where Hank is a ruthless criminal, still with the veneer of a friendly persona on the surface, but even faster to the violent actions. I'm still not entirely sure whether or not I think Hank ever truly changed in the show, or if he was just weathered into what he always was deep down, a power hungry criminal with little remorse for anybody but those closest to him. But in either case, he rejected Change just as much as the rest of the main cast. Consistently, over multiple seasons.
Which leaves Fuches, who is one of the most complicated characters in the show, and one of the only ones to truly change, albeit only in a small way. Fuches has a similar but decidedly more obvious arc to the other characters in consistently rejecting change. In two or three different instances, Fuches had the golden ticket to walk away, live a happy peaceful life with a lovely woman inexplicably infatuated with him, but rejects these each time to pursue a petty vengeance against Barry. He is shown to hold a deep love for Barry, but not in a healthy way, constantly flipping back and forth on whether or not he is trying to kill Barry and ruin his life, mostly out of anger from Barry rejecting Fuches and later attempting to kill him. That said, in the back half of season 4, Fuches finally sheds his persona of friendly lovable figure, and shows what he truly is and always has been, a manipulative monster. In doing so, and being truly honest with himself about his motivations and what he is, I think he is the only other character to have truly, consciously grown by the end of the show. After having put on an act for four seasons, he finally drops it, and stops performing, which is an interesting mirror to the rest of the show's characters.
There are so many spinning plates in the show its hard to fully capture my thoughts and tie everything together in a cohesive way. The show changes and progresses so much that each season has its own themes in addition to this overarching theme across the show. But the show goes to great lengths to make you question if any of these people changed at all, and my answer is mostly no, a little yes. Did the characters change or their environment? Does being more honest with yourself about who you are constitute change?
There are other interesting throughlines in the show, most notably being characters walking into and disappearing into darkness. Barry, after giving into his violent tendencies and murdering almost everyone at the safe house in the season 2 finale, walks into darkness after coming out of his blind rage and realizing the gravity of what he had done. Sally in the season three finale, after her freakout in the elevator and subsequent non apology video she posted, gets dropped by her manager and loses the dream she fought so hard for so long to reach, backs away into darkness. Fuches in the very last moment we see of him, jogs off into darkness after giving Barry his son back. Hank does not do this from what I recall, however Cristobal does walk into darkness in his final moments before he is killed. Each time, the characters walking into darkness symbolize them rejecting change and/or growth, and depressingly accepting what they are or believe they are. Cristobal breaks the mold a little bit as he is positively recognizing that he cannot cross this gap with Hank after killing all their men, and refuses to change his moral ideology on this but it’s really Hank’s darkness he is walking into, paying the price with his life.
I'm sure there is so much more I could bring up to chew on but it's been a few months so maybe it's just time for another rewatch.
Another interesting throughline that is explored most notably in Hank’s storyline but is present in all of the main characters arcs is the fallacy of believing you can have it both ways, and live two conflicting lives. Barry wants to be a good person, and be an actor and find himself, but also cannot stop being violent to solve his problems, and cannot or will not put in the effort to truly grow and change.. Sally wants to give raw and honest emotional performances but cannot be honest with herself, from the play, to Joplin, to the apology video. Gene wants to become a better person and have his life and career on track, but cant help but still want the fame, glory, and vanity. Hank wants to live a peaceful life with Cristobal, but cant stop his criminal actions and intent from interfering with it. (Even though in this case in particular, Cristobal is the one to push for it and literally say “We can have both things.”)
Sorry it took a few days to get back to you, had to collect a lot of thoughts on the show.
I haven't found the time to respond with the diligence this deserves so I'd like to apologise in return. I have read it and I largely agree. It brings some of the feelings and thoughts I had...
I haven't found the time to respond with the diligence this deserves so I'd like to apologise in return. I have read it and I largely agree. It brings some of the feelings and thoughts I had during the show. Change especially, or the lack thereof, is a recurring topic and you rightfully point that out.
M * A * S * H WKRP in Cincinnati Northern Exposure Gilmore Girls Buffy the Vampire Slayer Firefly The Wire Rome Band of Brothers The Expanse And now for an unusual category: Korean TV shows Goblin...
M * A * S * H
WKRP in Cincinnati
Northern Exposure
Gilmore Girls
Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Firefly
The Wire
Rome
Band of Brothers
The Expanse
And now for an unusual category: Korean TV shows
Goblin
It's Ok to not be OK
Hotel del Luna
Weight Lifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo
Extraordinary Attorney Woo
I think my overall favorite show is Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, which I watched over the course of 2024. It isn’t the best show I’ve ever seen, but my favorite. The vibes are just so much...
I think my overall favorite show is Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, which I watched over the course of 2024. It isn’t the best show I’ve ever seen, but my favorite. The vibes are just so much different from modern tv, where it’s genuinely relaxing to watch, yet some complex themes are explored. I very much like other Star Trek series as well, but this is my favorite one.
For non fiction, I love watching Taskmaster! Taskmaster is just comedy perfection. After 18 series, I’m still belly laughing every episode. I’m sure it will get old eventually, but they just nailed the format. This is a must watch show for anybody.
As for the most formative show for me, it’s Top Gear and The Grand Tour. Jeremy, James, and Richard are the reason I’m a car person. That show got me interested and since then, I’ve had the opportunity to drive many amazing cars and I’m a hobby mechanic now! I was devastated after their last Grand Tour last year, but I’m thankful for the 20+ years of content they all gave.
Some of my other favorites are:
Other star treks
Wheel of Time
Vox Machina
Arcane
Initial D
The Last of Us
The Expanse
Barry
Andor
Silicon Valley
Star Wars The Clone Wars
Star Wars The Bad Batch
And the last one I’ll mention is Game of Thrones. I have not gone back to watch a single episode since it ended. Season 8 was god awful as we all know and seasons 6 and 7 were also a downward trend from season 5 and prior. However, I can’t deny how much I enjoyed seasons 1-6 and how culturally relevant this show was. It was the first fantasy show that I felt like everybody watched it or knew about it. Fantasy shows were no longer for basement dwelling nerds, this was entirely mainstream and you saw game of thrones merch and conversation absolutely everywhere. My work place had a game of thrones fantasy league. It was the show everyone talked about every Monday no matter where you went.
Sometimes I wonder if the show would still be talked about these days if it just had a half decent last season instead of a terrible one. The show felt like magic when it was running and that’s all gone at this point, but it was still one of my favorites while it was airing.
Have I got news for you! (besides your solid list). As a car enthousiast I cannot recommend the AutoAlex and affiliated channels enough on Youtube. Shitboxes galore and funny content. Doesn't come...
Have I got news for you! (besides your solid list). As a car enthousiast I cannot recommend the AutoAlex and affiliatedchannels enough on Youtube. Shitboxes galore and funny content. Doesn't come with the BBC money and production but still very entertaining!
Thanks for the recommendation! I watch a ton of cartube like Mighty Car Mods, Throttle House, Gears & Gasoline, and Garbage Time, but I’ll have to check out AutoAlex too!
Thanks for the recommendation! I watch a ton of cartube like Mighty Car Mods, Throttle House, Gears & Gasoline, and Garbage Time, but I’ll have to check out AutoAlex too!
Throttle House is great! Can we count that as a show? (Henry Catchpole and Jason Cammisa are also great, whether they're on Haggerty like now or their previous platforms.)
Throttle House is great! Can we count that as a show?
(Henry Catchpole and Jason Cammisa are also great, whether they're on Haggerty like now or their previous platforms.)
Ranging from things I would argue are art to just favorite comfort shows: True Detective Fargo Brockmire Shoresy 30 Rock Futurama Archer Bojack Horseman Andor Mr Robot Frieren Psycho Pass...
Ranging from things I would argue are art to just favorite comfort shows:
True Detective
Fargo
Brockmire
Shoresy
30 Rock
Futurama
Archer
Bojack Horseman
Andor
Mr Robot
Frieren
Psycho Pass
Delicious in Dungeon
Gurren Lagan
Evangelion
JJK
Cowboy Bebop
Trigun
Fate Zero
MiA (with heavy caveats)
HxH
World Trigger (sorta ignoring the extremeeeely rough start)
Better Off Ted! Somtimes I get so sad that it was cancelled that I want to put on an extremely realistic bear costume and go down to the park, but instead I just steal some coffee creamer.
Better Off Ted! Somtimes I get so sad that it was cancelled that I want to put on an extremely realistic bear costume and go down to the park, but instead I just steal some coffee creamer.
Off the top of my head... The Wire (2002, Crime, Drama, Thriller) - The streets of Baltimore as a microcosm of the US's war on drugs, and of US urban decay in general. Seen not only through the...
Off the top of my head...
The Wire (2002, Crime, Drama, Thriller) - The streets of Baltimore as a microcosm of the US's war on drugs, and of US urban decay in general. Seen not only through the eyes of a few policemen and drug gang members but also the people who influence and inhabit their world - politicians, the media, drug addicts and everyday citizens.
M*A*S*H (1972, Comedy, Drama, War) - The 4077th Mobile Army Surgical Hospital is stuck in the middle of the Korean War. With little help from the circumstance in which they find themselves, they are forced to make their own fun. Fond of practical jokes and revenge, the doctors, nurses, administrators, and soldiers often find ways of making wartime life bearable. Nevertheless, the war goes on.
The Americans (2013, Crime, Drama, Mystery) - A pair of deep-cover Soviet spies masquerades as a typical DC couple whose children, neighbors, coworkers, and friends are completely unaware of their activities. At home, they're the stereotypical parents of stereotypical kids; at work, they pose as travel agents; but at night, they weave a web of confidantes, lovers, dupes, and historical figures from the Reagan-era Cold War. The startlingly realistic plot twists force the viewer to consider the real cost of an undeclared war, what it takes to protect one's beliefs, if it's worth it, and if it actually worked for either side.
Bored to Death (2009, Comedy, Crime, Drama) - Jonathan Ames, a young Brooklyn writer, is feeling lost. He's just gone through a painful break-up, thanks in part to his drinking, can't write his second novel, and carouses too much with his magazine editor. Rather than face reality, Jonathan turns instead to his fantasies — moonlighting as a private detective — because he wants to be a hero and a man of action.
Too Old to Die Young (2019, Crime, Drama, Thriller) - Detective Martin Jones, who leads a double life as a killer for hire in Los Angeles' deadly underground, suffers an existential crisis which leads him deeper into a blood splattered world of violence. note: this is from Refn
Gomorrah (2014, Crime, Drama, Thriller) - Organised crime clans fight wars and make fleeting alliances in the dynamic and ever-shifting underworld of the poverty-stricken Naples, Italy. Gennaro, the son and heir of the Savastano clan, and Ciro Di Marzio, one of this clan's officers, have great ambition to advance to ever-greater heights. The path ahead is bloody and cruel, and their families will be put at risk.
Fleabag (2016, Comedy, Drama) - A dry-witted woman, known only as Fleabag, has no filter as she navigates life and love in London while trying to cope with tragedy. The angry, grief-riddled woman tries to heal while rejecting anyone who tries to help her, but Fleabag continues to keep up her bravado through it all. Comic actress Phoebe Waller-Bridge stars as the titular character on the series, which is based on Waller-Bridge's 2013 one-woman show of the same name.
Mr. Robot (2015, Crime, Drama, Thriller) - Elliot is a brilliant introverted young programmer who works as a cyber-security engineer by day and vigilante hacker by night. He also happens to be suffering from a strange condition similar to schizophrenia which he futilely tries to keep under control by regularly taking both legal and illegal drugs and visiting his therapist. When a strange feisty young woman named Darlene and a secretive middle-aged man calling himself Mr. Robot, who claims to be the mysterious leader of an underground hacking group known as F-Society, offer Elliot a chance to take his vigilantism to the next level and help them take down E-Corp, the corrupt multi-national financial company that Elliot works for and likes to call Evil Corp, Elliot finds himself at the crossroads. Mr. Robot, who has personal reasons for wanting to take down E-Corp, also reveals that he already has one ally, an even more mysterious, secretive and highly dangerous shadowy hacking group known only as Dark Army. Meanwhile, Elliot's childhood and only friend, Angela, who blames E-Corp for the death of their parents, tries to take down E-Corp legally by joining their ranks and trying to dig up evidence of their corruption from the inside. A wild card in this scheme becomes Tyrell Wellick, an unhinged psychopathic E-Corp yuppie, originally from Scandinavia, who has a very unusual relationship with his dominant and ambitious wife Joanna. After many twists and turns, Mr. Robot's plan is finally put in motion - with catastrophic (un)intended results. But that's just the end of the beginning of the real story.
Deuce, The (2017, Crime, Drama, Mystery) - The story of the legalization and subsequent rise of the porn industry in New York’s Times Square from the early ’70s through the mid ’80s, exploring the rough-and-tumble world that existed there until the rise of HIV, the violence of the cocaine epidemic and the renewed real estate market ended the bawdy turbulence of the area.
The Young Pope (2016, Drama) - Young and charming, newly elected Pius XIII, aka Lenny Belardo, is the first American Pope in history. His ascension appears to be the result of a simple, effective media strategy implemented by the College of Cardinals. In the Vatican, however, the prevailing wisdom is the church's leaders have chosen a mysterious figure as their guiding force. And Pius XIII proves to be the most mysterious and contradictory of them all. As Belardo begins his reign, he is stubbornly resistant to the Vatican stewards, instead relying on Sister Mary to serve as his chief adviser. While she urges him to focus on leading his billion followers, the young pope shows little interest in making himself known, either to the College of Cardinals or to the masses. The 10-episode drama series stars Jude Law in the title role and Diane Keaton as Sister Mary, a nun from the U.S. now living in Vatican City.
New Pope (2020, Drama) - Under the papacy of Sir John Brannox under the name of John Paul III, Vatican tries to clean its good name after a series of sexual scandals that jeopardized the institution itself. But an unexpected trouble threatens John Paul III when Lenny Belardo, the previous Pope Pius XIII who was in a coma from nine months ago after to suffer a heart attack while he was celebrating a mass, wakes up to claim his place as the legitimate Pope of Rome. The news about Pius XIII's comeback shocks the Christianity, turning the admiration of millions of believers in true idolatry for the returned Pope. Given the unusual situation of two Popes in the Vatican at the same time, it unleashes an inner war between Pius XII and John Paul III, the first to recover his power, and the second to keep it.
Wellington Paranormal (2018, Comedy, Crime, Fantasy) - Sergeant Ruawai Maaka of the Wellington Police enlists the aid of Officers Minogue and O'Leary to tackle paranormal events in New Zealand's capital city. In a police reality show style, the 6 part series follows these kiwi cops as they investigate cases such as the demon possession of a teenager, a noise complaint at a haunted house and a blood bank robbery.
Beef House (2020, Comedy) - Five men - Tim Heidecker, Eric Wareheim, Ron Auster, Ben Hur, Tennessee Luke - and Eric's wife Megan, all living under one roof.
I disliked the movie. I felt it was disjointed and that it had no real storyline. It was more like a day in the life of gangs. So with that opinion in mind, do you think the show is different...
Gomorrah (2014, Crime, Drama, Thriller) - Organised crime clans fight wars and make fleeting alliances in the dynamic and ever-shifting underworld of the poverty-stricken Naples, Italy. Gennaro, the son and heir of the Savastano clan, and Ciro Di Marzio, one of this clan's officers, have great ambition to advance to ever-greater heights. The path ahead is bloody and cruel, and their families will be put at risk.
I disliked the movie. I felt it was disjointed and that it had no real storyline. It was more like a day in the life of gangs. So with that opinion in mind, do you think the show is different enough to warrant a watch for me?
The show itself is better than the movies but still VERY Italian when the drama kicks in... but give it a few episodes and you'll know if its for you. The first seasons were better than the later...
The show itself is better than the movies but still VERY Italian when the drama kicks in... but give it a few episodes and you'll know if its for you.
The first seasons were better than the later ones. It was a trip seeing Genny on the Chris Rock season of Fargo, too.
Person of Interest. All my reasoning is here: https://tildes.net/~tv/775/recommendation_person_of_interest_2011_2016 It has shaped my career. Incredible series.
The wire The west wing Inspector Morse Lewis Gilmore girls Seinfeld These have been so good to me, I still struggle to find anything that comes near. Barry surprised me for a couple of episodes,...
The wire
The west wing
Inspector Morse
Lewis
Gilmore girls
Seinfeld
These have been so good to me, I still struggle to find anything that comes near.
Barry surprised me for a couple of episodes, but didn’t manage to pull me all the way in. I’m trying out the sopranos now and hoping that will stick.
And looking at all your suggestions too, hoping I’ll grow to love one of them as much as I love the list above.
In no particular order (other than The Office being definitely the most rewatched), and also including cartoons/anime: The Office Psych Parks & Recreation Avatar The Last Airbender Batman: The...
In no particular order (other than The Office being definitely the most rewatched), and also including cartoons/anime:
The Office
Psych
Parks & Recreation
Avatar The Last Airbender
Batman: The Animated Series
Mob Psycho 100
One Punch Man
Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood
Attack on Titan
These answers are hardly surprising so I’m going to pick something else. Parenthood. I watched it when it came out via the great seas and liked it and I’m currently watching it again after Netflix...
These answers are hardly surprising so I’m going to pick something else. Parenthood. I watched it when it came out via the great seas and liked it and I’m currently watching it again after Netflix picked it up. Emotionally filled drama that revolves around a family and the ups and downs that it entails. Made in the 2010s I find it still relevant and not that dated because the issues handled are ever present especially when having kids.
Parenthood was in my honourable mentions list! I also have been rewatching it on Netflix but one thing that struck me is how often I disagree with the parents on the actually parenting. Sometimes...
Parenthood was in my honourable mentions list! I also have been rewatching it on Netflix but one thing that struck me is how often I disagree with the parents on the actually parenting. Sometimes the parents make exquisitely terrible parenting decisions, mostly around trying to control their teenagers' love lives.
There are so many shows that I deem great, and I would always recommend them. But you said favorites which for me changes things a bit, meaning if I have 10 great shows in a genre and had to pick...
There are so many shows that I deem great, and I would always recommend them. But you said favorites which for me changes things a bit, meaning if I have 10 great shows in a genre and had to pick one, which one? Sort of thing. Here we go:
Serious/Long
Deadwood
Rome
Westworld
Dark
Breaking bad
Hannibal
Star trek (TNG + SNW)
Relax/Short
Modern family
Brooklyn 99
Two broke girls
While star trek is a new addition on the list, all other shows have received countless amounts of rewatches.
I’m incredibly surprised that no one has mentioned Mad Men in this thread at all. It’s definitely my most re-watched show and favorite of all time. It’s a slow paced, but an incredibly rewarding...
I’m incredibly surprised that no one has mentioned Mad Men in this thread at all. It’s definitely my most re-watched show and favorite of all time. It’s a slow paced, but an incredibly rewarding character study of advertising executives, workers, and their families spanning from the late 1950s to 1970.
why is this show so unpopular in this thread?
Has its recent exclusivity to AMC+ (a streaming service that seemingly no one has) killed interest/access to the show? Or is it not a “bingeable” show? I watched this show as it was released on a weekly schedule, but I could definitely see how some of the more bizarre storylines could shake turn off some people if they were watching it all at once.
Could also just be the age range/demographics of the commenters. I watched this show as it was released and I’m guessing most people here were too young for it at the time.
It was fine but it made me want to go back in time and punch people for being racist and sexist. Period pieces are rarely enjoyable for me for those reasons.
It was fine but it made me want to go back in time and punch people for being racist and sexist.
Period pieces are rarely enjoyable for me for those reasons.
Right, I don't think it's an issue of age, but some recency bias mixed with some folks being less enamored than the majority. And since I can't travel in time and punch people for being racist,...
Right, I don't think it's an issue of age, but some recency bias mixed with some folks being less enamored than the majority.
And since I can't travel in time and punch people for being racist, sexist assholes, i might as well not subject myself to dramatizations that make me want to.
It comes down to a few things, as I see it. Timing Pace/tone Period Themes When Mad Men debuted, it was almost simultaneous with Breaking Bad, True Blood, and Sons of Anarchy, overlapped with the...
why is this show so unpopular in this thread?
It comes down to a few things, as I see it.
Timing
Pace/tone
Period
Themes
When Mad Men debuted, it was almost simultaneous with Breaking Bad, True Blood, and Sons of Anarchy, overlapped with the last season of the Sopranos, the Lost hype was peaking, and The Walking Dead and Game of Thrones were hot on its tail. From a sheer marketing perspective, it had a lot of competition, even in the realm of Sopranos-coattails period pieces (see: Boardwalk Empire ~3 years later).
While Mad Men's sheer quality of production was far beyond the rest of the aforementioned pack (aside from Boardwalk Empire and some of the pilots), it lacked what I'll call "thrill factor". The end-of-pilot twist was that—mein Gott! the cucumber-cold playboy HAS A WIFE? AND CHILDREN!? The plot's motivation was...wait for it...convincing a cigarette brand to renew a contract! Not intrinsically exciting stuff, so most of the viewers, outside of an extreme minority, in those first few seasons, were there to marvel at the period-accuracy, or to imagine themselves as being able to smoke and drink and tell their wife to shut up. And that wore through eventually.
Mad Men, like Breaking Bad and most of that crop of early "prestige" programs, was almost-entirely justified on the season production budget thanks to the Sopranos' success both among critics and pop culture, HBO's broader selection of critically-acclaimed shows like Oz, the Wire, and Deadwood, and Lost. The mistake on AMC's part (if they expected it to match the Sopranos) was to assume that it was the "reveal a hidden faction of society" factor and ensemble character study format that made Weiner's previous work a hit.
Well, no. While critics and a number of the audience really enjoyed the holistic work, many of the Sopranos' fans were in it for only one of a) the boobs and guns, b) the slapstick, c) the melodrama. So, when the "frat bro" types (a) tuned in, they got the cool imagery and the philandering, but no real non-domestic violence or otherwise relatable stakes. When the comedy fans watched, the only content for them was wry antihumor that required deep familiarity with a culture that was out of vogue within a decade, and they were watching it forty years after that. When the soap opera lovers (c) tried it, all the sauciness and mystery they craved and got from their stories (and the Sopranos) within one episode was understated and dragged out over half a season. Remember, this was still the time of arguing over what to watch with the family. These broad market divisions led to the Nielsen families watching something a little less particular.
The idea of pacing out the sixties from the perspective of ad executives is neat, and satisfying, but it made the mistake of being too accurate for its own popularity. As mentioned in another reply, if you aren't seriously invested in The Art, watching a bunch of rich, male, smug know-nothing chauvinists be smug, rich, ignorant, racist, and basically cement Patriarchy As We Know It at the same time, the irony of slowly drinking and smoking themselves to death is not compelling. What remained as a hook was a sort of anti-puzzlebox, a cross between "what's up with this Draper dude?" and "surely the twist will come soon", and neither a satisfying answer to the former nor the other shoe ever arrived. It's a show about, like, America, and gender, man. "The masks we wear" level of thematic appeal.
And so came the "Mad Men" fancy dress parties, and everyone who really loved the tortured social dynamics and the critiques of marketing realized that they were outnumbered by back-in-my-day folks, people reliving childhood trauma, and douchebags in fedoras. That left the Infinite Jest-wielding pseudointellectuals and those they emulated as the primary audience, after the allure of sets/costuming and nostalgia wore off.
It wasn't too long before that sense of disappointment stopped lingering, and audiences got tired of chasing the "I get to have my cake crime and eat it too" hit, but by then decent cinematography, editing, and colour grading was ubiquitous, and it was still about as niche in appeal as television could be. Better Call Saul is as close as we've seen to something as slow and character-driven as Mad Men really become huge, and it was a spinoff of AMC's more successful show that wasn't set half a century ago.
For the folks who want the Sopranos without the dream sequences, the Wire distilled to its cybernetic themes, Deadwood without the dramatic flair, Breaking Bad without the stakes, and just see some guys and gals slowly hollow themselves into The Man, Who Killed The Revolution, Mad Men is incredible. For lovers of the craft of serialized film, it's everything they could ask for. If it came out today, it'd be polarizing, but appreciated more. As it is, it's a bit too hammy for some people, especially in season one, and paced for weekly distribution in a media landscape shaped by streaming and microcontent.
Well, I wasn't expecting to write that essay when I decided to flesh out those four points, but...there it is. Hope somebody enjoys it. This thread in particular having only one other person naming Mad Men is probably a matter of age, like you suspected in the first place.
Many of my favorites have been mentioned already, but here are a few more good ones: What We Do in the Shadows: Such a great cast! Just an overall enjoyable show, I think. Mister Rogers'...
Many of my favorites have been mentioned already, but here are a few more good ones:
What We Do in the Shadows: Such a great cast! Just an overall enjoyable show, I think.
Mister Rogers' Neighborhood: It is for preschoolers, but really, when I am on my deathbed, I am sure this is all I would care to watch. A rare example of something that is both wholesome and exceptional in quality on every point.
Tim and Eric's Awesome Show Great Job: It is ridiculous and awkward, and a treasure for those reasons exactly.
Check it Out with Dr. Steve Brule: A spinoff of Tim and Eric. John C. Reily is incredible in this role. So cringey in the most satisfying way.
The Eric Andre Show: Also ridiculous, awkward, and kind of surreal. Definitely over the top, but it is also kind of fascinating too. It strikes me as a very fun experiment––like having multiple musical guests play at once or while being subjected to absurd methods of torture.
Wilfred: Has a lot of great comical moments, but is also pretty surreal and dramatic at other points. Very fun!
Flight of the Conchords: Nicely dry humor, silly, awkward. Haven't seen this in a while... probably time for a rewatch!
IT Crowd: Surprised this hasn't been mentioned yet. Another classic for me. Rewatched many times.
The Mighty Boosh: Haven't seen this in forever, but another example of a great dynamic among the cast/creators.
The Ali G Show: I haven't seen this in a long long time. This was probably the first I ever saw of Sacha Baron Cohen, probably when I was in high school.
Two last honorable mentions: Bob Ross' painting show and Mark Kistler's Imagination Station. Both are enjoyable to watch, but I cherish them because they so enthusiastically encourage people to explore their creativity.
One last one, a cartoon based on the graphic novels of Luke Pearsson: Hilda! It is a really neat fantasy world, and the main character, Hilda, is so cool and adventurous!
Overall: The West Wing In more recent years the high-minded ideals being listened to sting more than I care to admit, but even when all the political themes are stripped away, it has rapier wit,...
Overall: The West Wing
In more recent years the high-minded ideals being listened to sting more than I care to admit, but even when all the political themes are stripped away, it has rapier wit, charming characters and an earnestness that's a genuine balm for me. I rewatch it around once a year.
Honorable Mentions:
Red Dwarf: My absolute favorite style of comedy. Silly in circumstance, with absurd characters who act as seriously as their various dysfunctions allow them. Plus, there's a few dramatic episodes that felt right at home.
Spaced: I feel like I'm pigeonholing myself putting two British sitcoms up here, but I can't not mention it. Only 14 episodes, but the raw creativity and wonderful absurdism of circumstance coupled with Edgar Wright's cinematography make it endlessly rewatchable. Also, stellar soundtrack.
Parks and Recreation: You know, just read my previous two entries for my reasons why. It seems like I love characters who are the dysfunctional mirrors of normal archetypes.
Black Books, Father Ted, and House MD are up there as well. I'm sticking just to live-action; if I included other mediums then Fullmetal Alchemist 2003 and Ed, Edd n' Eddy would be strong contenders.
I don't know if favorite is the right word for it, but I think the first two seasons of Bryan Fuller's Hannibal may be the best made works of television ever created. That said, I am not sure I...
I don't know if favorite is the right word for it, but I think the first two seasons of Bryan Fuller's Hannibal may be the best made works of television ever created. That said, I am not sure I will ever have it in me to watch it a 2nd time. Season 3 unfortunately lost me.
Here's mine in no particular order: Arrested Development Seinfeld Trailer Park Boys It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia Top Gear / Grand Tour I've rewatched these shows countless times over the...
Here's mine in no particular order:
Arrested Development
Seinfeld
Trailer Park Boys
It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia
Top Gear / Grand Tour
I've rewatched these shows countless times over the years, they continue to bring laughter and entertainment even if I know what's about to happen. I think I'm just a big fan of shows where the main characters are terrible people, don't realize it, and don't grow or evolve.
In no particular order, grouped in loose categories: Game of Thrones* The Boys Community Arrested Development** The Colbert Report Burning Love Wet Hot American Summer - First Day of Camp Whose...
In no particular order, grouped in loose categories:
Game of Thrones*
The Boys
Community
Arrested Development**
The Colbert Report
Burning Love
Wet Hot American Summer - First Day of Camp
Whose Line Is It Anyway?
Game Changer
Make Some Noise
Very Important People
Taskmaster
8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown
Would I Lie To You?
Firefly
Black Mirror
Battlestar Galactica (2003)*
Stargate SG-1
Rick and Morty
Clone High**
ReBoot
Arcane
Attack On Titan*
Death Note*
One Punch Man
Cyberpunk Edgerunners
* Falls off pretty hard after a certain point
** Don't like the years/decades-later revival seasons that much
Silicon Valley, The Wire, Utopia (UK) and my other favourites have been mentioned, so I'll put my oar in the water for Justified. Based on Elmore Leonard characters/stories and set in Kentucky...
Silicon Valley, The Wire, Utopia (UK) and my other favourites have been mentioned, so I'll put my oar in the water for Justified. Based on Elmore Leonard characters/stories and set in Kentucky (shot in Cali), it follows Deputy US Marshal Raylan Givens (Timothy Olyphant) and his frenemy Boyd Crowder (Walton Goggins) through six seasons of great one liners, great hats, and great characters. Goggins as Crowder was meant to last one season, but IIRC the showrunners reshot the S1 finale when they realised how well the show worked with him in it.
The first season is a bit "monster of the week", but has several standout episodes. As the writers themselves have said, they were still figuring it out. Things pick up episode 5 (we meet Raylan's dad) and 7 (we meet Boyd). Some people have even started in S2! The remaining seasons follow arcs, with the larger series kind of doing the same. As I write this, I wonder if there's really any character development - maybe a little? But that's part of the fun.
FWIW, if you've read Elmore Leonard and not liked it, maybe still give Justified a shot. I couldn't finish Pronto and only finished Fire in the Hole because it was so short.
Dewey Crowe meets Raylan Givens. This scene says so much about both characters. Smooth, dangerous Raylan. Confident, stupid Dewey. You will learn to love Dewey. He's a live action /r/iamverybadass post.
In no particular order besides the top 3:
Community
Breaking Bad
Better Call Saul
Psych
Brooklyn 99
Firefly
Mr. Robot
You know that's right!
I've heard it both ways!
Come on son! 🍍
This is one of a very small amount of long shows I could actually stand to watch every single season of (and enjoyed every episode).
Normally the shows I love get cancelled after 2 seasons tops.
Are we secretly the same person? The only change I would make to this list is replacing Psych with Parks and Rec
I'd have Parks and Rec in like my top 20 probably! But Psych holds a very special place in my heart so I can't not put it there
The Good Place
I think it is generally rare that a show has a plan, sticks to the plan, and does not overstay its welcome. The Good Place definitely does that, and it got me to fall in love with its cast of characters. Every member of the cast is just about perfect for their role with Ted Danson being notable as Michael. And though it's not well established enough to be on this list, I really enjoyed him in A Man on the Inside, which is delightful. The Good PLace is full of heart and I have to love a show that had moral philosophers on call to make sure that the things the show was saying checked out.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer
I know that Joss Whedon is not someone to be admired, but I think that despite his relatively rancid actions, he managed to put together a show that was pretty great and empowering. From the first episode, things were flipped around - the "girl in distress" in the opening scene turned out to be the monster - which was a big twist in the 90s - and the little blonde teenage girl was the biggest badass of all time. The writing is great, the cast is great, the monster-of-the-week format explores a lot of issues. Hush is one of the best episodes of TV I've ever seen, and it mostly came about because people thought the writers relied on quips and quirks too much. Years later, I still think Sarah Michelle Gellar is one of the coolest people.
Ted Lasso
Insert DaringTodayArentWe.meme image here; I love this show. I like the sports underdog aspect of it; a team working their way up together can be an inspiring story, and this one is pretty good. I like the growth that almost every character goes through, from Ted facing his fears to Jamie learning how to be a leader. I love Rebecca, from start to finish, and the friendship that she shares with Ted along the way is beautiful. My favourite scene is when Ted is playing against Giles Rupert at darts, and he says, "Be curious, not judgmental". This is another show with laughs, heart, great lessons, great story. I probably cried for half the episodes I watched. Heck, I teared up just now rewatching that scene I just linked.
Schitt's Creek
Wait, is everything going to be a heartwarming comedy about a group of people you learn to love over a few seasons? The Roses are the absolute worst at the beginning of the show, but by the end, you love all of them. Daniel and Eugene Levy are fantastic show developers, and I hope they make more. I love how all of the Roses grow and learn to be regular people over the course of the show and David and Patrick are one of my favourite TV couples.
The Muppet Show
A heartwarming comedy about a group of people puppets that you learn to love! I guess I like to laugh when I am watching television. I have loved the Muppets for the entirety of my life, and part of it is that when I was a kid they were funny and pure, and when I was older there are jokes that are more for adults that make me laugh for other reasons. I also used to think that Statler and Waldorf were "the bad guys" until I turned into one of them. Of all the variety shows that exist, this one is out in front for me, and I will watch it over and over again. Yes, even over Flying Circus.
Brooklyn 99
Another Schur show, this crosses off my "police procedural" box, it's a heartwarming comedy about a group of cops that you learn to love. I have a type, I guess. I enjoyed all the seasons, and I especially love Captain Holt. I love that he loosens up and learns to love and be loved by the squad through the course of the show.
The Expanse
This is finally not a heartwarming comedy about a group of people you learn to love! This is my favourite science fiction show of all time; it is relatively hard sci fi, and I found that I really enjoyed that. Good characters, good acting, great story. I enjoy the multiple storylines happening concurrently, and I enjoyed the cool factions and their interplay with each other. I will watch just about anything that Shohreh Aghdashloo does.
The Flanagan-verse
Like with the movie top 10, I will cop out and group some things together. I will put The Haunting of Hill House, The Haunting of Bly Manor, Midnight Mass, and The Fall of the House of Usher all together as if they were seasons of a horror show, a la American Horror Story (honorable mention?). Each season is a great standalone horror story, masterfully crafted, with incredible attention to detail. Flanagan surrounds himself with talented people and uses them well, playing to their strengths and telling creepy tales.
Taskmaster
From Greg's unhinged introduction of Little ALex Horne, to the completely incomprehensible attempts of whomever is this season's nuttiest contestant, to the absurdity of the tasks themselves, there's nothing about Taskmaster that I don't love. I love how well the show has taken off in other countries as well, including a Quebecois version which is pretty good.
Fleabag
Dark and witty, I like both seasons of this show. It's hard not to love The Hot Priest - Andrew Scott is brilliant in everything he is in - but I also like the darkness of the first series. Understanding why Fleabag is so broken and what is going on with her and why things are so bleak and how she deflects with humour... there is a lot going on in series one, and I think it's undervalued. But the love story with Hot Priest is a great one, and the way he can sense us and how Fleabag talks to us is a great touch.
Honorable Mentions
I considered all of these, but discarded them for various reasons. Some of them have seasons which really leave a sour taste (Sherlock) and some are shows that I loved as a child but haven't revisited at all as an adult.
I want to enjoy Ted Lasso, I really do. I love so much of the cast, I love British comedy, I love feel-good stories and characters who get ahead by being kind and genuine, but I just can't with the sports. I don't care who wins the football, I don't care who loses the football, I don't care if the football never happens again. I tried to watch it, and every time the sports happened my eyes just glazed over. It's a shame because there were some good laughs in there, too, but I couldn't muddle through. I hope the success of this show inspires more shows with the same general vibe, but different premises.
I also love the Muppet show.
The Expanse has set the bar so incredibly high for scifi shows. Nothing comes close.
There's still 3 more books to be adapted, I hope they manage to get the fonding for it.
First two below has nothing like it in terms of just how incredibly well made they are. The people behind them truly deeply understand the portrayed topics. Third one because of how hard it hit me emotionally.
The Wire
Band of Brothers
Station Eleven
Honorable mentions: Westworld and Euphoria and We Own This City and Gentleman Jack.
Station Eleven is a fantastic example of my favorite micro-genre - post-apocalypse stories where people mostly take care of each other and build new systems of support. It was a little slow to pull me in, I thought the non-linear narrative was going to be too disruptive to the plot progression for me to enjoy it, but after a few episodes it settles in to a much steadier pace and overall the story feels very well-told.
This is also my favourite genre. I'd love some recommendations in any medium if anyone has some to share!
My favorite examples of this genre are books by M R Carey. I was introduced to it by the book The Girl With All The Gifts (which is also an excellent movie) and the prequel/sequel The Boy On The Bridge. The depiction of autism in The Boy On The Bridge is deeply imperfect but lovingly done.
The author then wildly surpasses himself with The Book of Koli, The Trials of Koli and The Fall of Koli, which make up the Rampart Trilogy. In my opinion these are the best examples of optimistic humanist post-apocalyptic fiction. They define the genre for me.
I am also always looking for more recommendations!
Thanks so much, I've just ordered the trilogy, looking forward to it!
I personally maintain that Westworld Season 1 was as close to a perfect season of television as could be.
Such a shame they kinda lost the plot a bit in the next seasons.
Can't mention the show without this comment popping up :)
But I disagree with it. Season 1 was close to perfect, yes, but the other seasons were still good and sometimes great.
I still liked season 2 quite a bit even if it wasn't anywhere near as spectacular as session 1. But season 3 just killed me. The contrivances and the lack of coherent character motivations annoyed me so much that I went from watching every episode the minute it premiered to never seeing season 4. And I've heard HBO pulled the show off Max, so I couldn't watch it even if I wanted to.
Such a shame. Even season 3 had some great ideas (e.g., Rehoboam).
I do agree that season 3 and 4 were a bit contrived but I enjoyed it a lot nonetheless. Show for sure got a tiny bit worse season by season. But 3 and 4 are still like 8/10 for me, whereas 1 is 10/10 and 2 is 9/10 - why I land on 9/10 for the show as a whole.
I would have definitely preferred if going to the real world was only a detour of maybe half a season, and then they went back to the park somehow - or explored other parks. The Japan park was so cool to see, as was the WWII park, and there was also some teases about other parks. For me, they could have easily done season 3 50% in the real world and 50% in another park, and season 4 maybe fully in a park but having the ending back in the real world with Dolores finally being "free".
Agreed on The Wire and Band of Brothers. They are the only shows I rewatch yearly. I went into Station Eleven blind and really enjoyed it. I'm a sucker for any kind of post-apocalyptic show.
Yeah it's a really cool spin on post-apocalypse!
Station Eleven spoilers
That scene when Kirsten and Jeevan reunite at the end utterly destroys me. So powerful
If you enjoyed Band of Brothers, have you watched The Pacific? IMO Band of Brothers is slightly better, but it has the advantage of a more familiar story for most Americans. The Pacific really captured the pure suffering and horror of the Pacific Theatre in a way that... well, only Band of Brothers had that same impact on me before.
I have, yes! I like how different The Pacific is - and it's still pretty good, yeah!
Masters of the Air however..
The Pacific is good but it's jarring watching it of you're expecting Band of Brothers on a different front of the war. The focus is rather different, IIRC.
It's like season 2 of The Wire. The Pacific is basically season 2 of Band of Brothers (and *We Own this season is a spiritual season 6 of The Wire). But yeah on your first watch, most people are miffed that that's where season 2 goes, but when you rewatch it and know what you're going into, it makes so much sense and the show is better for it and just really works.
I will also stick with comedies, since I have no appetite for anything darker these days.
Fawlty Towers
Early Simpsons
Derry Girls
Would you ever try Bojack Horseman?
Funny and then ever darker as it goes on.
I watched a bit of the pilot. I liked the irreverence. But I think it was just too meta for me, especially after my own experience of a dozen years in Hollywood. I got sick of stories that actually take place there. I was too close to the sausage-making process for too long.
But thank you for the recommendation and I’m sure others here will take you up on it!
Ahhh that's very fair enough. I have no connection to the place whatsoever. So I can remain quite happily detached and only see it for its overall take on celebrity and the whole host of other topics it plunges into.
It certainly grows on you as the first series goes on, and many don't even like the first compared to the rest, but this is just a word for others, rather than trying to tempt you back in personally; I respect your much closer take on it.
Favorites I Rewatch
Favorites I Will Eventually Rewatch
Favorites I Enjoyed but Will Likely Never Rewatch for a Variety of Reasons
Probably forgetting stuff, but I should get out of bed now.
How come you wouldn't rewatch Fringe and Chuck? I have been wanting to go back and rewatch Fringe because I haven't since it ended and I was watching it as it aired since season 2.
Chuck I have rematched and loved like 4 times
Length of commitment to rewatch. Attention commitment, too. Not enough humor. I tend to only rewatch stuff 1) with my kids or 2) that can be in the background. Otherwise I’m mostly a one and done kinda guy.
Hmmm…
In order of love:
Honorable mention - Scavengers Reign, Tales from the Loop
We're near the end of s2 of The Leftovers. Powerful show. I'm still not yet sold on it as my top shows of all. Not yet.
if the show itself doesn't end up in your GOAT list, the season 3 finale absolutely will.
Just watched S3E1. Yeah. Ok. This is going to be interesting.
UPDATE: I made the mistake of remembering the S3 finale episode title. Yeah. Ok. I think I can see some of where this is going. I just don't know why it will end there yet.
I have thoughts:
Thoughts
Or, at least, these are the myths that I expect will lead to "The Book of Nora" and her adoption of the name "Sarah" to hide in plain sight.
Please, confirm nothing.
How To with John Wilsonis great. i forget how i found it but i love his style even though im not even sure how i'd describe it? its just such a cozy experience and yet somehow still chaotic and funny.apparently im struggling to talk about it without either under-selling it or spoiling parts so I'll just leave it as a heavy +1
Red Dwarf
Feel Good
DS9
House
Doctor Who
In a world where the last season never happened, it's hard for me not to say Game of Thrones, no other non-anime show captured me this much.
As for anime, in order, favourite on top:
Sangatsu No Lion (perfect 10)
Frieren (perfect 10), even though only the first season is out, it really is flawless and goes beyond what the medium can offer
HxH
Mushishi
Mob Psycho
With GoT I'd argue anything after season 4 was already worse. Seasons 5 and 6 were still quite good, but noticably worse than the first four. Then 7 and 8 were trash and ruined what could have been the best show to ever air
Hard to disagree, but I felt the drop to only be noticeable during season 6-7, I felt the same enjoyment until late season 6.
I think that's how it is typically viewed. Season 8 is almost universally despised and most people agree that 7 was also terrible. But when people think the rot started is where opinions differ.
Had they kept the quality of seasons 5 and 6 until the end this would've still been my favourite show of all time. Some of my favourite episodes of the entire show were in those seasons. But it's also when I felt the cracks were starting to form. I didn't like how they did the sparrows, some of the characters were dumbed down (Stannis for instance), they abandoned the Dorne plot line. I still loved the show though at that point.
I remember when they had the Ed Sheeran cameo I still held out hope that this was just a single bad decision (nothing against the man, but you can't put a popstar in a show like that). But in hindsight it was perfectly representative of what the show had become and what S7/8 would be like.
Did you get through season 3?
spoilerish
I loved the first 2 seasons but the abrupt change in season 3 lost me on episode 1, is it worth continuing?
Oh, of DARK! Yes, all of it. The last season was a twist. I loved the end.
I misread, as I do, and thought this was another thread!
Drama:
The Wire
Better Call Saul
Succession
Breaking Bad
True Detective (Season 1)
Fargo (Seasons 1 & 2)
The Sopranos
Comedy:
Peep Show
Seinfeld
Veep
Community
The Office
The Larry Sanders Show
Arrested Development
Current Shows:
Severance
Silo
White Lotus
The Last of Us
Fallout
The Boys
Random Hill I'll Die On:
2014 was the best television year of all time.
Wow, this is basically my list. Thanks for saving me the hassle of typing it out and congrats on having good taste in TV shows random internet stranger.
The Leftovers achieved perfection in so many genres at once, I can't think of any works of audiovisual fiction that come even close to it. Drama, science fiction, absurdism, surrealism, mystery. It has it all.
Chaves (El Chavo del Ocho) is a Latin American children's classic, hilarious and endearing in equal measure. It reflects much of our culture and economic struggles. Chavo ("Chaves" to me in the Brazilian version) is a street kid who lives in a barrel in a village full of neighbors -- some are aggressive toward him, some are affectionate, and some are neutral. But, even when Chaves gets lucky, at the end of the day he always goes back to his barrel. When asked about what he wants the most in life, he always says "A ham sandwich!". All characters are played by adults. Even the children. Some episodes in the Portuguese dub.
Star Trek - The Next Generation. Back in the 1990s, catching a TNG episode on TV was about as magical as TV shows can get. The sensation of being transported to another world was so strong, and I wanted to be in that world. It was so much better than my own. Although there were always problems, inside the Enterprise everyone treated each other with respect, accepting and appreciating differences, building meaningful relationships, and collaborating like adults towards a common goal. Growing up without many friends, I was always the "alien". Data was like me in that respect, but he was immune to bullying because he had no emotions (I mean, that is what he said, but the show contradicted that statement repeatedly...). He was also ultra-intelligent, super strong, virtuous, and good. Data was my role model. He embodied all that is good about humankind.
I love/like a lot of the shows already mentioned, but there are some shows that I don't currently see on anyone's list here and/or I think are often overlooked.
--Dramas--
The Americans - this comes up sometimes but I know a good amount people who are into good tv that haven't watched it. It's a top-tier spy/suspense/drama with excellent characters- both the writing and acting.
The Newsroom - I almost never see this on anyone's lists, which I get because it's not "the best show ever" but it's Aaron Sorkin on HBO. Jeff Daniels plays a cable news anchor given a new showrunner, and they decide they are sick of what cable news has become. They do "real news" while the show touches on actual (real life) news stories and their coverage. Years later the show is even more potent, though it might be a bit depressing considering much of what they warn about has happened.
Patriot - this show won't be for everyone, but if you like it you will probably love it. It can be a bit slow, but the characters are fantastic and a lot of the music is pretty good. If you're interested in character driven shows give it a chance. This one has a lot of humor and dark humor even though it's listed as drama/suspense.
Humans - I really liked this show though I don't have a single friend who has watched it and it only has a 76 critic/7.8 user rating on metacritic.
--Comedies--
Party Down - I don't know what to say besides just look at the cast, you've seen many of these people in other things and thought they were hilarious, but now they're all together! There are two seasons from years ago and one from more recently with a few different cast members but they're all very good. Some great guest stars as well.
Tales from the Tour Bus - Mike Judge who you probably know does stories about musical stars and their crazy lives. Animating whatever wild stories they can get from their interviews, the first season is old country and rock stars, second is funk legends. Think of "Charlie Murphy's True Hollywood Stories" from The Chappelle show and you've got the idea.
The Other Two - two older siblings hilariously struggle with their younger brother becoming the next Justin Bieber.
Already listed (just so you know my taste)- The Wire, Band of Brothers, Utopia (UK), Black Mirror, Mr. Robot, Star Trek TNG, Better Call Saul, Atlanta, Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency, Reservation Dogs, The Good Place, Community, 30 Rock, Arrested Development, Veep, Futurama, Psych and probably a few others listed that I missed.
Adding two I almost forgot:
High Maintenance - The show is about a weed delivery guy, but it's not all about pot. It's not exactly but kind of like a fictional version of "People of New York" the photo series/book from some years ago. Deep dives into personal stories. Also the soundtrack is one of my faves. Drama with some good comedy thrown in there.
Broad City - Ok, this one is a lot about pot, but it's a great story about friendship and is hilarious. One of the best endings to any comedy I've seen.
Deadwood.
This is the correct answer.
Cocks***er!
"Tell me you love Deadwood without telling me you love Deadwood."
"Welcome to f*cking Deadwood!" [NSFW]
Shows that have already been mentioned but I want to co-sign:
Shows no one else has mentioned and that's why I'll probably never find out what happened after that cliffhanger at the end of last season:
Shows no one else has mentioned that haven't/hopefully won't rip my heart out by not finishing the story:
Unfortunately due to the nature of streaming platforms, I'm sure I'm forgetting a lot. Things that I watched and loved, but moved off the platform - or I unsubscribed to that platform - and I never saw them again. Series that are 3 seasons or less and had a conclusive ending would be especially susceptible to this.
With such excellent taste, you must be my long lost sibling!
It's also possible that you're me from the future. Do you happen to be wearing a fur coat?
The last season is... ok. Midge is Midge, Suzy is Suzy, and (thankfully) Abe is Abe.
You don't miss anything, although the set pieces and costume design in the show remains top tier throughout.
You can sort of see the ending coming, Midge is still a self-absorbed person but she's more successful now. That's all.
For me, some shows really rely on an ending. Things are building up to something and what they build up to determines how "worth it" I find the whole show. Game of Thrones was that way and the whole thing is trash now because of the last season. Yellowjackets is going to be one of those shows - I won't be able to say whether I like it or not until at least next season, maybe more. The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel is not one of those shows for me. That's a show where I enjoy the ride and don't care about the stakes at all, so it really doesn't matter how it ends.
Spoilers
I'm really glad that Suzy and Midge's friendship survived all those years. I don't mind that they didn't become better people.Last season didn't have enough Lenny Bruce. The end of season 4 with his show at Carnegie Hall might be my favorite episode of the show (although I really think seasons 1&2 were the best). I loved Suzy and as the show went on the more I was interested in her and less in Midge.
The main character syndrome of the Palladino directors in both Gilmore Girls and Mrs. Maisel becomes tiresome after a while. I don't fault that stance, the other characters are more interesting. Suzy especially is a standout, but even the pretty terrible Joel becomes intriguing.
Stargate (pretty much all of them)
Star Trek: The Next Generation
No one has said Its Always Sunny In Philadelphia, so I will. Probably my absolute number one favorite show. I still laugh my ass off at episodes I've seen a hundred times.
There's also:
Malcolm in the Middle, I'm in the middle of a rewatch and it hits even harder now as a recently married young-ish adult who's thinking of starting a family. While it's a comedy it gets very real, and is not just for kids. There's very adult themes and conflicts that arise quite often that makes me give it a new perspective.
Breaking Bad (for obvious reasons)
X-Files & The Twilight Zone because I love that kind of thing.
Mr. Robot for other obvious reasons. (Fuck Society.)
Air Disasters, Modern Marvels, and How It's Made because I love that kind of stuff too.
I feel like Barry is extremely underrated, having seen it mentioned here only once. It’s a great disservice to an amazing show & story.
I have nobody to talk to about Barry. None of my friends even gave it a try even though they usually take my recommendations. It's weird, perhaps calling it "Barry" just puts people off?
It's such a good show.
I tried to watch it. I didn't get very far in, because I just couldn't get on board with the stakes. I'm sure it gets easier to suspend disbelief as it goes on, and probably I wasn't in the right mood for it anyway, but I spent the whole time watching it thinking "how does a guy who's willing to make these kinds of choices end up in this situation in the first place?" to the point of distraction.
They do go deeper into Barry’s backstory and motivations as the show progresses. What I can tell you is that the final season ends in a wholly different place than when it begins.
I'll give it another shot!
I know its not the same as talking to someone IRL about it but im always down to yap about Barry. Barry is probably my GOAT for television, and i could probably write essays on its characters and themes with how much time i have spent thinking about it, and each time i rewatch i find new meaning and thematic connections. I agree with others here it is a criminally underrated show, it was a little sad to only see it mentioned here once. Truly a masterpiece in character work and tight pacing.
Thank you for the offer! Not what I intended to convey but I'm honestly grateful for the compassion. I was simply lamenting that Barry is the one show they weren't watching when I was.
While I'm certainly interested to hear your opinions and insights (anything you feel I must know?), I'm afraid it's been too long ago for me to respond in kind. I still remember what happened -hard to forget NoHo Hank- but the underlying themes and insights are a little foggy.
I think one of the core themes of the show, and one of the main questions it asks is, "can people change?" Overall, I think for the most part the show's answer is no they cannot, even if they appear to. One of the more interesting throughlines in the show that I picked up on in a more recent rewatch is that each season is building to a performance for each of the Main Characters, Barry, Gene, Hank, Fuches,And Sally. And in each of these performances, they are on the precipice of growth and sincerity, but they all turn out to be lies or are built on lies, and they in essence reject change. Reject growth. I have like three pages of thoughts supporting this, but it would spoil the whole show so I'll post them below in a spoiler block. Id recommend giving it another watch though if you ever feel so inclined, the show is so quick that you can knock it out in a few days, and i feel it really benefits from a rewatch.
Barry Spoilers inside
Barry in season one, is grappling with the morality of what he does to his friend and noted good guy Chris, and delivers an amazing performance using the emotions fueling him at the time. He uses this to then fuel his own personal growth or the appearance thereof, convincing himself and the others around him that he can be happy and functional, but almost immediately kills to solve his problems once again. He continues to lie to himself that he can change for the rest of the show, its his main motivation really, to prove to everyone but most of all himself that he is and still can be a good person. But each season finale serves to reinforce that Barry is a violent person, and cannot or will not truly change that.
Sally in season two is doing her performance about her abuse story. In the process of making the scene, she realizes she has been lying to herself about what really happened. She recognized this, and intended to show the more raw and real version. She pushes for this, pushing Barry into a role he isn't comfortable with due to not wanting his violent life to contaminate this idealized life he was trying to live. Right up until the actual moment comes, with the whole audience watching, and she caves, and tells the lie instead, letting that be her "truth" shown to the world. She rejects change, rejects acknowledging the pain and raw emotion of the situation, to feel the hollow vain glory of telling the lie she wished was true. And she is praised for it, it gives her everything she's ever wanted. But the positive reception seems to ring hollow to her, wearing a distressed face after the crowd forms to offer their adoration. Later in season 4, after running away with Barry due to her dream falling apart and escaping her grasp, Sally is shown to be performing in most of her everyday life. Performing for a son she doesn't yet truly love, and can't be close to because of the trauma he physically represents. Performing at work as a completely different person. (Barely) Performing for Barry as a wife and mother who loves him and their son. Until the final episode, where I think the near death situation pulls her out of the mud she's been stuck in the whole show, and lets her love her son, and finally break free from the situations that have been repeatedly traumatizing her and dragging her down. This is the only real change I think we see from her in the whole show, and they seem to have a close relationship in the future, where she is doing relatively well for herself.
In season 3, Cousineau, having learned of Barry's involvement in his love's death, tries and fails to get revenge, then spends the whole season talking his way out of a death sentence from a character he formerly held a fatherly relationship with. After Barry gives Cousineau a large amount of money and dips out of his life, he starts to appear to genuinely change, recognizing his past behavior for what it was and taking painful steps to make amends with those he has wronged. This comes to head as Gene calls Barry, telling him he intends to kill Moss, as Moss is allegedly trying to pin everything on Gene. Barry, as he usually does, responds with anger and violent intent, comes to stop Gene from killing and instead perform the killing himself. This is then revealed to have all been a farce, an act put on by Cousineau to ensnare Barry in a trap he finally can’t wriggle away from. Amusingly this performance from Gene is the most deadpan and monotone performance one could give, but still fools Barry anyways. Barry gets put in prison, Cousineau gets career and life back on track due to Barry’s efforts to do so throughout the season. However, almost immediately, he puts on another performance to a reporter investigating the whole Berkman case, and shows that he hasn't really changed at all. He lies and twists the truth during the performance to make himself look better, unwittingly damning himself in the process. In season 4, after 8 years in hiding seemingly a changed man, he comes back out after hearing of the movie about Barry, and tries to get the film shut down. That is until an agent drops the nugget that Daniel Day Lewis would be coming out of retirement to play him, a boost to his ego that Gene just can't refuse. He takes the bait, and pays the price for it, as doing so leads to him being implicated as the true mastermind behind the events of the whole show, with his one man show being used to back up this accusation with evidence from his own words. Each time Gene was on the precipice of true growth and change, his ego and vanity led to him rejecting that growth, and lying to feed said ego and vanity.
Hank’s arc is a little unique, as he is one of the two main characters who are not actors in the traditional sense, so he is not building to a traditional Performance. I also think it's debatable how much of the hank we see throughout the show is the real hank. In one lens, the show is showing Hank’s true persona getting ground away by the violent life he pursues. But in the other, he is shown to consistently turn his back on every opportunity he had to just walk away. I think this comes from Hank, and by extension Cristobal, wanting both things. They want to have a peaceful life with each other, but neither can resist the allure of criminal endeavors and power. Each time they are shown a way out, they choose to reject change and return to the ways that have been eroding them as people since the start of the show. Hank also has a noted change in persona in season 4, after hearing his friends die horribly and just barely escaping a near death situation at the end of the previous season. He is hardened, more willing to get his hands personally dirty, a change from the previous seasons of him always having someone else do the hard work for him. This builds further after the time jump, where Hank is a ruthless criminal, still with the veneer of a friendly persona on the surface, but even faster to the violent actions. I'm still not entirely sure whether or not I think Hank ever truly changed in the show, or if he was just weathered into what he always was deep down, a power hungry criminal with little remorse for anybody but those closest to him. But in either case, he rejected Change just as much as the rest of the main cast. Consistently, over multiple seasons.
Which leaves Fuches, who is one of the most complicated characters in the show, and one of the only ones to truly change, albeit only in a small way. Fuches has a similar but decidedly more obvious arc to the other characters in consistently rejecting change. In two or three different instances, Fuches had the golden ticket to walk away, live a happy peaceful life with a lovely woman inexplicably infatuated with him, but rejects these each time to pursue a petty vengeance against Barry. He is shown to hold a deep love for Barry, but not in a healthy way, constantly flipping back and forth on whether or not he is trying to kill Barry and ruin his life, mostly out of anger from Barry rejecting Fuches and later attempting to kill him. That said, in the back half of season 4, Fuches finally sheds his persona of friendly lovable figure, and shows what he truly is and always has been, a manipulative monster. In doing so, and being truly honest with himself about his motivations and what he is, I think he is the only other character to have truly, consciously grown by the end of the show. After having put on an act for four seasons, he finally drops it, and stops performing, which is an interesting mirror to the rest of the show's characters.
There are so many spinning plates in the show its hard to fully capture my thoughts and tie everything together in a cohesive way. The show changes and progresses so much that each season has its own themes in addition to this overarching theme across the show. But the show goes to great lengths to make you question if any of these people changed at all, and my answer is mostly no, a little yes. Did the characters change or their environment? Does being more honest with yourself about who you are constitute change?
There are other interesting throughlines in the show, most notably being characters walking into and disappearing into darkness. Barry, after giving into his violent tendencies and murdering almost everyone at the safe house in the season 2 finale, walks into darkness after coming out of his blind rage and realizing the gravity of what he had done. Sally in the season three finale, after her freakout in the elevator and subsequent non apology video she posted, gets dropped by her manager and loses the dream she fought so hard for so long to reach, backs away into darkness. Fuches in the very last moment we see of him, jogs off into darkness after giving Barry his son back. Hank does not do this from what I recall, however Cristobal does walk into darkness in his final moments before he is killed. Each time, the characters walking into darkness symbolize them rejecting change and/or growth, and depressingly accepting what they are or believe they are. Cristobal breaks the mold a little bit as he is positively recognizing that he cannot cross this gap with Hank after killing all their men, and refuses to change his moral ideology on this but it’s really Hank’s darkness he is walking into, paying the price with his life.
I'm sure there is so much more I could bring up to chew on but it's been a few months so maybe it's just time for another rewatch.
Another interesting throughline that is explored most notably in Hank’s storyline but is present in all of the main characters arcs is the fallacy of believing you can have it both ways, and live two conflicting lives. Barry wants to be a good person, and be an actor and find himself, but also cannot stop being violent to solve his problems, and cannot or will not put in the effort to truly grow and change.. Sally wants to give raw and honest emotional performances but cannot be honest with herself, from the play, to Joplin, to the apology video. Gene wants to become a better person and have his life and career on track, but cant help but still want the fame, glory, and vanity. Hank wants to live a peaceful life with Cristobal, but cant stop his criminal actions and intent from interfering with it. (Even though in this case in particular, Cristobal is the one to push for it and literally say “We can have both things.”)
Sorry it took a few days to get back to you, had to collect a lot of thoughts on the show.
I haven't found the time to respond with the diligence this deserves so I'd like to apologise in return. I have read it and I largely agree. It brings some of the feelings and thoughts I had during the show. Change especially, or the lack thereof, is a recurring topic and you rightfully point that out.
M * A * S * H
WKRP in Cincinnati
Northern Exposure
Gilmore Girls
Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Firefly
The Wire
Rome
Band of Brothers
The Expanse
And now for an unusual category: Korean TV shows
Goblin
It's Ok to not be OK
Hotel del Luna
Weight Lifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo
Extraordinary Attorney Woo
I think my overall favorite show is Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, which I watched over the course of 2024. It isn’t the best show I’ve ever seen, but my favorite. The vibes are just so much different from modern tv, where it’s genuinely relaxing to watch, yet some complex themes are explored. I very much like other Star Trek series as well, but this is my favorite one.
For non fiction, I love watching Taskmaster! Taskmaster is just comedy perfection. After 18 series, I’m still belly laughing every episode. I’m sure it will get old eventually, but they just nailed the format. This is a must watch show for anybody.
As for the most formative show for me, it’s Top Gear and The Grand Tour. Jeremy, James, and Richard are the reason I’m a car person. That show got me interested and since then, I’ve had the opportunity to drive many amazing cars and I’m a hobby mechanic now! I was devastated after their last Grand Tour last year, but I’m thankful for the 20+ years of content they all gave.
Some of my other favorites are:
Other star treks
Wheel of Time
Vox Machina
Arcane
Initial D
The Last of Us
The Expanse
Barry
Andor
Silicon Valley
Star Wars The Clone Wars
Star Wars The Bad Batch
And the last one I’ll mention is Game of Thrones. I have not gone back to watch a single episode since it ended. Season 8 was god awful as we all know and seasons 6 and 7 were also a downward trend from season 5 and prior. However, I can’t deny how much I enjoyed seasons 1-6 and how culturally relevant this show was. It was the first fantasy show that I felt like everybody watched it or knew about it. Fantasy shows were no longer for basement dwelling nerds, this was entirely mainstream and you saw game of thrones merch and conversation absolutely everywhere. My work place had a game of thrones fantasy league. It was the show everyone talked about every Monday no matter where you went.
Sometimes I wonder if the show would still be talked about these days if it just had a half decent last season instead of a terrible one. The show felt like magic when it was running and that’s all gone at this point, but it was still one of my favorites while it was airing.
Have I got news for you! (besides your solid list). As a car enthousiast I cannot recommend the AutoAlex and affiliated channels enough on Youtube. Shitboxes galore and funny content. Doesn't come with the BBC money and production but still very entertaining!
Thanks for the recommendation! I watch a ton of cartube like Mighty Car Mods, Throttle House, Gears & Gasoline, and Garbage Time, but I’ll have to check out AutoAlex too!
Throttle House is great! Can we count that as a show?
(Henry Catchpole and Jason Cammisa are also great, whether they're on Haggerty like now or their previous platforms.)
Ranging from things I would argue are art to just favorite comfort shows:
Better Off Ted! Somtimes I get so sad that it was cancelled that I want to put on an extremely realistic bear costume and go down to the park, but instead I just steal some coffee creamer.
Off the top of my head...
I disliked the movie. I felt it was disjointed and that it had no real storyline. It was more like a day in the life of gangs. So with that opinion in mind, do you think the show is different enough to warrant a watch for me?
The show itself is better than the movies but still VERY Italian when the drama kicks in... but give it a few episodes and you'll know if its for you.
The first seasons were better than the later ones. It was a trip seeing Genny on the Chris Rock season of Fargo, too.
Person of Interest.
All my reasoning is here: https://tildes.net/~tv/775/recommendation_person_of_interest_2011_2016
It has shaped my career. Incredible series.
The wire
The west wing
Inspector Morse
Lewis
Gilmore girls
Seinfeld
These have been so good to me, I still struggle to find anything that comes near.
Barry surprised me for a couple of episodes, but didn’t manage to pull me all the way in. I’m trying out the sopranos now and hoping that will stick.
And looking at all your suggestions too, hoping I’ll grow to love one of them as much as I love the list above.
I guess I love shows with a lot of talking and witty dialogues. If anyone knows more of these?
Golden Girls, Frazier, Bojack Horseman, As Time goes By, Black Adder, Faulty Towers, Derry Girls, the diplomat
Thanks! Black adder I forgot but really loved. I’ll check out the rest.
In no particular order (other than The Office being definitely the most rewatched), and also including cartoons/anime:
The Office
Psych
Parks & Recreation
Avatar The Last Airbender
Batman: The Animated Series
Mob Psycho 100
One Punch Man
Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood
Attack on Titan
These answers are hardly surprising so I’m going to pick something else. Parenthood. I watched it when it came out via the great seas and liked it and I’m currently watching it again after Netflix picked it up. Emotionally filled drama that revolves around a family and the ups and downs that it entails. Made in the 2010s I find it still relevant and not that dated because the issues handled are ever present especially when having kids.
Parenthood was in my honourable mentions list! I also have been rewatching it on Netflix but one thing that struck me is how often I disagree with the parents on the actually parenting. Sometimes the parents make exquisitely terrible parenting decisions, mostly around trying to control their teenagers' love lives.
The Last Kingdom
Most Extreme Elimination Challenge (MXC)
Futurama
Bob's Burgers
Fullmetal Alchemist (original series, not Brotherhood)
Digimon
There are so many shows that I deem great, and I would always recommend them. But you said favorites which for me changes things a bit, meaning if I have 10 great shows in a genre and had to pick one, which one? Sort of thing. Here we go:
Serious/Long
Relax/Short
While star trek is a new addition on the list, all other shows have received countless amounts of rewatches.
I’m incredibly surprised that no one has mentioned Mad Men in this thread at all. It’s definitely my most re-watched show and favorite of all time. It’s a slow paced, but an incredibly rewarding character study of advertising executives, workers, and their families spanning from the late 1950s to 1970.
why is this show so unpopular in this thread?
Has its recent exclusivity to AMC+ (a streaming service that seemingly no one has) killed interest/access to the show? Or is it not a “bingeable” show? I watched this show as it was released on a weekly schedule, but I could definitely see how some of the more bizarre storylines could shake turn off some people if they were watching it all at once.Could also just be the age range/demographics of the commenters. I watched this show as it was released and I’m guessing most people here were too young for it at the time.
It was fine but it made me want to go back in time and punch people for being racist and sexist.
Period pieces are rarely enjoyable for me for those reasons.
I had the same experience. I understand that the sexism was realistic for the time, but that doesn't make it any less stressful to watch.
Right, I don't think it's an issue of age, but some recency bias mixed with some folks being less enamored than the majority.
And since I can't travel in time and punch people for being racist, sexist assholes, i might as well not subject myself to dramatizations that make me want to.
It comes down to a few things, as I see it.
When Mad Men debuted, it was almost simultaneous with Breaking Bad, True Blood, and Sons of Anarchy, overlapped with the last season of the Sopranos, the Lost hype was peaking, and The Walking Dead and Game of Thrones were hot on its tail. From a sheer marketing perspective, it had a lot of competition, even in the realm of Sopranos-coattails period pieces (see: Boardwalk Empire ~3 years later).
While Mad Men's sheer quality of production was far beyond the rest of the aforementioned pack (aside from Boardwalk Empire and some of the pilots), it lacked what I'll call "thrill factor". The end-of-pilot twist was that—mein Gott! the cucumber-cold playboy HAS A WIFE? AND CHILDREN!? The plot's motivation was...wait for it...convincing a cigarette brand to renew a contract! Not intrinsically exciting stuff, so most of the viewers, outside of an extreme minority, in those first few seasons, were there to marvel at the period-accuracy, or to imagine themselves as being able to smoke and drink and tell their wife to shut up. And that wore through eventually.
Mad Men, like Breaking Bad and most of that crop of early "prestige" programs, was almost-entirely justified on the season production budget thanks to the Sopranos' success both among critics and pop culture, HBO's broader selection of critically-acclaimed shows like Oz, the Wire, and Deadwood, and Lost. The mistake on AMC's part (if they expected it to match the Sopranos) was to assume that it was the "reveal a hidden faction of society" factor and ensemble character study format that made Weiner's previous work a hit.
Well, no. While critics and a number of the audience really enjoyed the holistic work, many of the Sopranos' fans were in it for only one of a) the boobs and guns, b) the slapstick, c) the melodrama. So, when the "frat bro" types (a) tuned in, they got the cool imagery and the philandering, but no real non-domestic violence or otherwise relatable stakes. When the comedy fans watched, the only content for them was wry antihumor that required deep familiarity with a culture that was out of vogue within a decade, and they were watching it forty years after that. When the soap opera lovers (c) tried it, all the sauciness and mystery they craved and got from their stories (and the Sopranos) within one episode was understated and dragged out over half a season. Remember, this was still the time of arguing over what to watch with the family. These broad market divisions led to the Nielsen families watching something a little less particular.
The idea of pacing out the sixties from the perspective of ad executives is neat, and satisfying, but it made the mistake of being too accurate for its own popularity. As mentioned in another reply, if you aren't seriously invested in The Art, watching a bunch of rich, male, smug know-nothing chauvinists be smug, rich, ignorant, racist, and basically cement Patriarchy As We Know It at the same time, the irony of slowly drinking and smoking themselves to death is not compelling. What remained as a hook was a sort of anti-puzzlebox, a cross between "what's up with this Draper dude?" and "surely the twist will come soon", and neither a satisfying answer to the former nor the other shoe ever arrived. It's a show about, like, America, and gender, man. "The masks we wear" level of thematic appeal.
And so came the "Mad Men" fancy dress parties, and everyone who really loved the tortured social dynamics and the critiques of marketing realized that they were outnumbered by back-in-my-day folks, people reliving childhood trauma, and douchebags in fedoras. That left the Infinite Jest-wielding pseudointellectuals and those they emulated as the primary audience, after the allure of sets/costuming and nostalgia wore off.
It wasn't too long before that sense of disappointment stopped lingering, and audiences got tired of chasing the "I get to have my
cakecrime and eat it too" hit, but by then decent cinematography, editing, and colour grading was ubiquitous, and it was still about as niche in appeal as television could be. Better Call Saul is as close as we've seen to something as slow and character-driven as Mad Men really become huge, and it was a spinoff of AMC's more successful show that wasn't set half a century ago.For the folks who want the Sopranos without the dream sequences, the Wire distilled to its cybernetic themes, Deadwood without the dramatic flair, Breaking Bad without the stakes, and just see some guys and gals slowly hollow themselves into The Man, Who Killed The Revolution, Mad Men is incredible. For lovers of the craft of serialized film, it's everything they could ask for. If it came out today, it'd be polarizing, but appreciated more. As it is, it's a bit too hammy for some people, especially in season one, and paced for weekly distribution in a media landscape shaped by streaming and microcontent.
Well, I wasn't expecting to write that essay when I decided to flesh out those four points, but...there it is. Hope somebody enjoys it. This thread in particular having only one other person naming Mad Men is probably a matter of age, like you suspected in the first place.
Many of my favorites have been mentioned already, but here are a few more good ones:
Overall: The West Wing
Honorable Mentions:
Black Books, Father Ted, and House MD are up there as well. I'm sticking just to live-action; if I included other mediums then Fullmetal Alchemist 2003 and Ed, Edd n' Eddy would be strong contenders.
M*A*S*H, of course.
Midnight Diner Tokyo Stories is one that I have watched and rewatched.
I am going to add Golden girls.
Foyles war
Seinfeld
Curb Your Enthusiasm
The Wire
Shigurui: Death Frenzy
Peep Show
Wellington Paranormal
I don't know if favorite is the right word for it, but I think the first two seasons of Bryan Fuller's Hannibal may be the best made works of television ever created. That said, I am not sure I will ever have it in me to watch it a 2nd time. Season 3 unfortunately lost me.
Here's mine in no particular order:
I've rewatched these shows countless times over the years, they continue to bring laughter and entertainment even if I know what's about to happen. I think I'm just a big fan of shows where the main characters are terrible people, don't realize it, and don't grow or evolve.
In no particular order, grouped in loose categories:
Game of Thrones*
The Boys
Community
Arrested Development**
The Colbert Report
Burning Love
Wet Hot American Summer - First Day of Camp
Whose Line Is It Anyway?
Game Changer
Make Some Noise
Very Important People
Taskmaster
8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown
Would I Lie To You?
Firefly
Black Mirror
Battlestar Galactica (2003)*
Stargate SG-1
Rick and Morty
Clone High**
ReBoot
Arcane
Attack On Titan*
Death Note*
One Punch Man
Cyberpunk Edgerunners
* Falls off pretty hard after a certain point
** Don't like the years/decades-later revival seasons that much
Hope I didn't forget anything!
The Wire, with a large margin.
After that: Mad Men, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Girls, Bojack Horseman.
Silicon Valley, The Wire, Utopia (UK) and my other favourites have been mentioned, so I'll put my oar in the water for Justified. Based on Elmore Leonard characters/stories and set in Kentucky (shot in Cali), it follows Deputy US Marshal Raylan Givens (Timothy Olyphant) and his frenemy Boyd Crowder (Walton Goggins) through six seasons of great one liners, great hats, and great characters. Goggins as Crowder was meant to last one season, but IIRC the showrunners reshot the S1 finale when they realised how well the show worked with him in it.
The first season is a bit "monster of the week", but has several standout episodes. As the writers themselves have said, they were still figuring it out. Things pick up episode 5 (we meet Raylan's dad) and 7 (we meet Boyd). Some people have even started in S2! The remaining seasons follow arcs, with the larger series kind of doing the same. As I write this, I wonder if there's really any character development - maybe a little? But that's part of the fun.
FWIW, if you've read Elmore Leonard and not liked it, maybe still give Justified a shot. I couldn't finish Pronto and only finished Fire in the Hole because it was so short.
A couple of scenes with minimal spoilers:
"Next one's coming faster"
Fairly representative of Raylan's character...
Dewey Crowe meets Raylan Givens. This scene says so much about both characters. Smooth, dangerous Raylan. Confident, stupid Dewey. You will learn to love Dewey. He's a live action /r/iamverybadass post.