I need a new show...

[JagrBomb]

i gave up on the wire. watched 4 episodes and just couldn't grasp what everyone loves about it. anyone watch suits? most likely starting it soon

[ridinryan44]

Carnivale is SO good. Deadwood is my fave of all time and Carnivale is in my top 10. I see you had Justified in your top 10 so I'll retry that. I had a couple issues with some cheesiness in the first season and thus kinda fell away. I ma big Olyphant fan. Only show I didn't really like in your list is battlestsr gallactica. So many thjngs I liked about it but couldn't get over some of the cheese and some of the actors.

List of shows that I think are REALLY good, but didn't hit my "Top 10" list?

Carnivale (sadly, another HBO show cut short)
Star Trek; Deep Space Nine
Rome (first season was amazing, second season not so much)
Six Feet Under
Murder One
The Wire
MASH
Oz
24 (it went on for way too long, but it was a fun guilty pleasure for me)
The Newsroom (maybe the best series opening scene of all time)
ER (went too long, but I did enjoy it for a long time)


Rylant

[Daydream Nation]

Carnivale is SO good. Deadwood is my fave of all time and Carnivale is in my top 10. I see you had Justified in your top 10 so I'll retry that. I had a couple issues with some cheesiness in the first season and thus kinda fell away. I ma big Olyphant fan. Only show I didn't really like in your list is battlestsr gallactica. So many thjngs I liked about it but couldn't get over some of the cheese and some of the actors.

I've got to check out Deadwood. I've heard too many good things about it.

I agree on Justified and BG. I watched the first season of BG after hearing all the rave reviews. Wasn't bad but it definitely didn't inspire me to watch more. Same idea for Justified- watched a couple seasons but nothing has really compelled me to catch up.

Both shows fall in the list of series that I watched at least 1 season and stopped- BG (1 season), Justified (3+), Friday Night Lights (1), The Tudors (1), House of Cards (1), and Dexter (4).

[ridinryan44]

I stepped away from Dexter a few years ago after season four, for whatever reason. I picked it back up again about four months ago and am now halfway through the eighth and final season. I'm really glad I did. I really enjoyed the seventh season and some really interesting twists came along. Some of the seasons were really bad (season six was horrendous) but I'm really glad I decided to finish it. I heard the last couple seasons were really bad but I've enjoyed them more than I though, probably because I expected nothing.

[blayze]

Just caught up on Broadchurch Season 2.

This show continues to impress...

[The Bottlenecker]

I've got to check out Deadwood. I've heard too many good things about it.

I agree on Justified and BG. I watched the first season of BG after hearing all the rave reviews. Wasn't bad but it definitely didn't inspire me to watch more. Same idea for Justified- watched a couple seasons but nothing has really compelled me to catch up.

Both shows fall in the list of series that I watched at least 1 season and stopped- BG (1 season), Justified (3+), Friday Night Lights (1), The Tudors (1), House of Cards (1), and Dexter (4).

That is pretty much where I left Battlestar as well, although I did muck thru half of season two. Can't really tell you why I lost interest in it, but I did.
Here were some other shows I started watching, at least one season, but never saw them through to the end: Deadwood (1), Tru Blood (2) & Carnivale (1). I liked many of the characters in Deadwood except for Olyphant. Both Tru Blood and Carnivale were supernatural thrillers, but, in both cases, the weird meter was off the charts and I didn't even bother trying to figure it all out. It was too hard on my head. And yet somehow, I made it through the entire series of Lost. Won't do that again.

[blayze]

Gotham is heating up again with the introduction of the Joker's character (who was brilliant) in last night's episode.

I read an interview with the show's writer recently and it sounds like they are indeed moving away from freak of the week and moving more towards the Batman storyline once they've properly introduced and developed the core characters (penguin, joker, riddler, catwoman, etc).

[Fighting_Emu]

I stepped away from Dexter a few years ago after season four, for whatever reason. I picked it back up again about four months ago and am now halfway through the eighth and final season. I'm really glad I did. I really enjoyed the seventh season and some really interesting twists came along. Some of the seasons were really bad (season six was horrendous) but I'm really glad I decided to finish it. I heard the last couple seasons were really bad but I've enjoyed them more than I though, probably because I expected nothing.

I stepped away but have yet to step back. i wont post any spoilers but almost everyone i know- and whose opinion I value on this stuff- said the ending is painfully awful. like throwing your remote at the TV bad. i havent seen it- just trying to rain on your parade like they did on mine. Such a fantastic show though. i think i lost steam when whats her name started to be his *apprentice*- I didnt like her or the storyline...

[Fighting_Emu]

Fair enough. For me, The Wire was a really well written and acted show. These are the problems that I had with it.

I REALLY didn't like how disjointed all 5 seasons were with each other. The season with the docks, the season with the school system, the season with the newspaper etc. It just felt unfocussed to me.

I feel like they didn't use the villains as well as they could. Omar was the only really fleshed out "bad guy", and by the end, he was pretty much a good guy. I think Stringer Bell and Avon Barksdale were both under utilized.

I found it to be very predictable. I saw most of the big things coming way before it happened.

I didn't have a strong attachment with any of the characters. I think Bubbles was the only one I really felt something for.

The finale needed to be stronger.

This is why I felt The Shield was better.

I think it was tight from beginning to end. There were a couple of misteps, but nothing to me like 5 disjointed seasons.

It had many "OH MY GOD!" moments. In dramas like this, I really appreciate those moments.

The pace was relentless. I found it so addicting. I binge watched it faster than any other show I have ever seen.

The finale... Wow. Maybe the best TV finale of all time. It kicked my ass.

Rylant

Not to quibble- but youve got bad endings as a dissenting point... and then Sopranos in your top ten? Im not arguing the pick- not in my 10 but i LOVE that show- but if you look up "anti-climactic" on dictionary.com its just a link to that episode- lol!

[Fighting_Emu]

This need for traditional villains completely misses what The Wire was about. No one on that show was pure good or pure evil. It wasn't about picking sides. It was about the demise of a city and the brutal circumstances it forced people into both good and bad. Some of the biggest "villains" on that show were cops. Guys like Rawls and Burrell who kept enabling a system that didn't work. But even they had redeemable moments.

The drug kingpins, Barksdale, Stringer, Marlo, they weren't meant to be "big bads" in the typical sense. They were the inevitable conclusion of a broken city that enabled the drug trade to become it's biggest business. It wasn't about rooting for these guys to fall because the inevitability was that someone else would rise up to take their place.

And that's why it may have seemed predictable. You do a show about how everyone is fighting a losing battle with a slogan that "it's all in the game" and the eventually demise of certain people would certainly seem predictable.

To me that's what made the show so good though. People didn't have to be all bad or all good. Villains or heroes. They were allowed to be human, complicated, with shades of grey. And we could move in and out of their lives as served the story. They weren't the story, they served the story. The story, the main character, was the city. So this notion that the show was disjointed. No it wasn't disjointed. It looked at a whole fleshed out world rather than just a few characters. And the characters they had were great because again, they weren't any one thing just to be a thing. They felt real.

I haven't seen a show that comes close to having that many real characters. Strong characters. Human characters.

And the brilliance of the show was how complicated it was. It was a drama but it was funny as hell. It had action but could break your heart. Just a complete experience if you ask me and unlike anything that I've seen until maybe Game of Thrones in terms of world building and volume of brilliant characters.

The Shield gets bonus points for doing the whole anti-hero thing before it became Hollywood's favourite trope but seeing as I didn't watch it in real time as it came out I found the whole exercise predictable in it's own way because that sort of story has been done to death by now. Still a really enjoyable show but not approaching the depth of The Wire. Just a different experience entirely.

Ok interest piqued- Im gonna try it- right after i catch up on gotham...

[Fighting_Emu]

That top ten list is a great idea- would love to hear some other peoples. Here are mine- in no paricular order.

Game of Thrones- Im a book reader too- so watching it can be a little disjointed. I always say youll never get the same depth out of a show/movie as you will from a book- but this one probably comes as close as you can get- really good job cutting out the fat but still being detailed- imho. Also the show did a fantastic job of casting. Dinklage is brilliant- should win some awards- and even the guys you hate like Joffrey- you have to give credit- getting an audience to truly hate you is an art form- lol1 i actually saw an interview with that guy on Conan or something where he was saying people actually started stopping in the street and being very angry with him for the things he did on the show- lmao!! Anyways- I think TV shows have really evolved in the last couple years and GOT is at least on the frontline of that movement. I LOVE watching this show with other people. Its funny to see how immersed and worked up they get- just like i did the first time through- haha1

Seinfeld- Lots of TV from that era just feels so dated when you watch it- but Seinfels still holds up imo. The writing was so much more clever than all the other Rachel and Ross type BS that was out at the time. TV is so much better now- but Seinfeld gets grandfathered into this list.

Always Sunny in Philadelphia- Omg- I CANNOT stop raving about this show. Its gut busting stuff- but they really have no fear taking on dark subject matter either. The yelling over each other schtick takes a little bit of getting used to- i found it annoying the first episode or two- but now when you actually pick out what theyre saying it just makes it even funnier. Not everyone will get the humor either- if youre conservative in any way you should probably avoid this one. I guess some poeple will just never see the humor in dumpster babies, suicide or crack addiction...

Breaking Bad- im not a BB fanboy like some- i just kind of jumped on and enjoyed the ride. Dont regret it all though- makes the cut for me. I will however agree that overhyping does sometimes work against a show-movie. Its not perfect- there are weak moments to be sure- but it is exceptional television and the characters are very compelling. I had a tougher time than most transitioning from rooting for Walter to not really knowing if youre rooting for him. the writers do that on purpose and maybe its just a preference thing but I struggled with it- lol!

The Walking Dead- Ok I admit- this show is not perfect!! It can drag on, some of the plot twists are easy to read, and some of the lines/tropes can be laughably bad. That being said- Im like a fish on the hook! The WTF moments are brilliant- the slow painful evolution of the characters is gripping- and they do a very good job of putting you in a post apocalyptic zombie world- it can get very claustrophobic! They beat you over the head with some of the themes- but theyre actually pretty gritty and most likely how things would go down if the world were in that state. For example- you basically cant trust anyone- because everyone wants to fck you, rob you, or eat you- lol! You keep rooting for these characters to have hope in an essentially hopeless world. Spolier alert: any time you can lean back and say "wow good for him/her- finally caught a break"- that character is about to eat sht in the next 90 seconds so say goodbye while you have the chance- lol! The graphic novels are actually very good too- if you like the show- definitely worth a read- although they diverge pretty sharply from the tv series about 2 seasons ago.

South Park- Your either on board 100% with this or you hate it- lol! ill say this though- if you tried it early on and gave up on it- try it again in season 7 or so. Its still poo poo, pee pee, ka ka humor- but their writing style/pacing/visual style is WAY better. I honestly have a hard time with the early stuff- its like trying to follow an ADD kids paper cutout puppet show- but the newer stuff is genius and i dont use that word lightly. Ive got a few people "sucked back in" and the reaction is funny. They literally cant believe the same two guys are making this stuff- cause its like night and day different. Its funny too cause almost everyone has THAT episode where it totally applies to them. Watching the WOW episode with my brother was pricelss- and it was literally painful (in a funny way)- watching the biker episode with my pops- lol! if you dont LOVE Randy Marsh- we cant be friends.

The Daily Show- People have taken pot shots- both valid and invalid- at this show- but the fact remains its brilliant, its hilarious, and its also what Im gonna call important tv. Theyve had an astounding run and Jon Stewart built a really unimportant 22 minute late night slot- into a cant miss institution. Yes, it is left wing bias- yes, it does employ some gratuitous hyperbole- but 90% of it is spot on and hes literally tackled some of the biggest heavy weights in Right Wing news media and come out on top. If you're republican/conservative- youre not gonna like this- haha! They also dont mind roasting canada from time to time- but its all in good fun. Jon stewart- you were a hero- you will be missed...

Dexter- Dexter makes my list because it is just so outside the box. I have a lot of problems with this show- but i have to give it love on this list ( I actually struggled with this pick). The main thematic premise is a pretty interesting one- and it deals with psychopathy in a very compelling way. I have not seen the end- and as I said in this thread already- I have heard it is *throw your remote at the TV level bad*- so its making finishing it kind of tough. in any case Im pretty picky- its kind of funny I spent most of this paragraph trashing a show thats supposedly one of my favorites of all time- lol! i guess you can say we have a love/hate relationship :P

The Office (US)- This is the first show me and my GF got truly hooked on. We used to rent the dvds (remember those?) from the video store (remember those either?)- and just binge on them. I think the filming style really helped break down walls for comedy- and paved the way for a lot of brilliant new shows. Imo- Seinfeld made the assumption that the audience was clever enough to get the jokes/feints/and misdirects- but they still kind of did in a carrot on a stick way. With the office- they make the same assumption- but arent as worried if you catch every joke going on in a scene. ive watched most of the episodes a few times now and its funny that i still find new jokes going on that I didnt even catch the first time. This show was also a powerhouse launching pad for some HUGE actors- Steve Carrall is brilliant. In fact this role ruined him for me because i cannot take him seriously as anyone other than michael scott- lol! Classic goodness. I challenge you to listen to that opening theme song without feeling warm and fuzzy inside!

Ray Donavon- Tough choice with the last pick- this ones kind of a copout, because its basically just the last show that i watched that i really liked. It catches you by the throat though. I watched one episode basically to fall asleep to on a school night- and before i knew it was 5am- lol! Someone else commented that he pace starts to wane- and thats true- probably because its so frenetic right out of the gate. ive always said sex and the city was "estrogen porn" and if thats true than ray donavon is probably "testosterone porn". Its all about being a man, being tough, taking care of your sht, and looking sharp doing it. One last quibble is that kind of Walter White thing. when you start this show youre rooting for Ray in the same way you used to get all giddy when stone cold steve austins theme music came on- but by the end of last season youre not even sure you like the guy anymore.

Anyways- some tough omissions- tough list to put together- and like I sid would love to see some others...

[Pengwin7]

My top ten (not ordered, minimum three seasons):

Family Shows:
*Friday Night Lights

Comedies:
*Seinfeld [*I think in about 10 years, this will be viewed as consensus "best show of all time".]
*The Office
*The Simpsons [for it's first 10 seasons alone... sort of downhill after that, but like a hockey player... not gonna bash the show when it had such a long run in it's prime]
*Family Guy [This is just a personal favourite, I realize most wouldn't include]

Dramas:
*Breaking Bad [*I rank this as my fave/best show of all-time]
*Dexter
*Game of Thrones
*LOST (Yes, the last season or two were bad, but overall still a great show)
*Deadwood

[Unranked due to not enough season watched]
i) Newsroom - only seen two seasons
ii) House of Cards - only seen two seasons
iii) The Fall - only was two seasons. (Just finished - so good.)
iv) True Detective - one season

[Unranked due to not viewed or partially viewed]
i) Sopranos - hear it's great, but I didn't have HBO growing up. Haven't seen a single episode.
ii) The Wire - got two shows in but wasn't prepared for the full watch - vowed to watch at later date (non-hockey season)
iii) 24 - watched half of first season... Keifer Sutherland doesn't do it for me... like James Spader in Blacklist - I just can't take those guys seriously. IDK.
iv) Always Sunny - from everything I read, it's a cult-following. I watched first season, didn't tickle me.
v) Arrested Development - ditto. Watched first two seasons, then gave up, didn't tickle me.

[glorybe23]

That top ten list is a great idea- would love to hear some other peoples. Here are mine- in no paricular order.

Game of Thrones

Seinfeld

Always Sunny in Philadelphia

Breaking Bad

The Walking Dead

South Park

The Daily Show

Dexter

The Office (US)

Ray Donavon

Anyways- some tough omissions- tough list to put together- and like I sid would love to see some others...

Your list is pretty sound, and my list would be almost identical. Your breakdown on all the above is very well done! The South Park description is bang on!

I personally would remove Dexter - The first season was great, something totally different, entertaining, and some good twists * Ice truck Killer - good stuff. Season 1 and 4 were great. How they stretched this idea to 8 seasons killed it, like repeatedly stabbing a dead corpse. I actually quit with 2 episodes left in the last season, cause I finally realized I wasted my time watching that crap.

No problems with Ray Donavon - I just don't like any of the characters, so never got behind it.

I would have to remove Dexter and Ray Donavon, replace with The Wire and The Venture Bros.

The Wire has been talked about here enough, The Venture Bros. could possibly be the best cartoon ever made. The detail in storylines and characters are complex, the dialogue extremely witty and full of pop culture references. If you are an early 80's kid, this show would be right up your alley. The first season is a bit rough now, but like the South Park creators, Publick/Jackson fine tuned their writing and created one hell of a kick ass world full of great characters.

[Daydream Nation]

Top 10 Favorites

Dramas
#1 24 Warts and all, it's my favorite. Yes, it was on for too many seasons and there are only so many things Jack can do to save the day. But it's the only show I have watched an entire season at 1 time (season 2) and it has continued to provide great entertainment over the years.
#2 The Walking Dead A lot like 24 in that it's not perfect but it is still incredibly entertaining. The show has spawned more conversation between my wife and me than anything else in pop culture. The different climax episodes throughout the seasons are powerful and truly memorable.
#4 Breaking Bad Best show I've ever seen. An absolute masterpiece; Stunning
#5 Madmen Great acting, great story lines, love period piece shows
#8 The Wire Somewhere in the top 10 GOAT shows. Awesome stuff!
#9 GoT- While I hate, hate, hate the Red Wedding episode, I have greatly enjoyed the show overall.
#10 True Blood- this is more of a sentimental choice since my wife and I really enjoyed watching this show together over the years. Probably would have stopped watching it if it wasn’t for my wife. I’d love to know what my average BAC was while I watched the show.

Comedies
#3 Seinfeld IMO, 2nd greatest show of all-time. Brilliant Still watch it today quite often.
#6 Arrested Development Glad I gave this show another chance. So funny on so many levels
#7 It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia

Just outside my top 10
Scrubs
X Files
Foyle’s War
Law and Order CI- loved Vincent D’Onofrio on this show.
Boardwalk Empire
The Office
Cheers
LA Law
West Wing

Not enough seasons to make my top 10
The Americans
Ray Donovan
Broadchurch – Great 1st season
Luther - Just began season 2
True Detective
Newsroom

[Pengwin7]

#10 True Blood- this is more of a sentimental choice since my wife and I really enjoyed watching this show together over the years. Probably would have stopped watching it if it wasn’t for my wife. I’d love to know what my average BAC was while I watched the show.

LOL.
I'm right there with ya brother!
The last couple seasons of True Blood were downright rubbish. (I'm not sure I've even ever used that term... rubbish... but it came into my brain).
Specifically, in the last season with the Vamp-Lockdown and Uber-Bill, it was just so silly that it was background noise.
My wife played Candy Crush on her phone and I checked hockey scores & leagues on the tablet.
Good mercy.
I really should've been drinking too.