Greetings, Jedi.
Thanks for all those sending in QOTD. Much appreciated.
For today we're going with a question from your fearless scribe.
Right now I'm amidst True Blood & Dexter, with Breaking Bad returning soon, and Sons of Anarchy following shortly after that. It's good times getting better. So, my question is such...
Your all-time favorite TV drama? For me, it's a real toss up between Dexter & Sons of Anarchy. With Dexter, it's had some of the most gripping, & flawless seasons of any TV show ever. Although, the season with Colin Hanks was pretty lacking, and this one isn't doing too much either. Sons of Anarchy hasn't had a bad-season yet. But when Dexter is great, such as season 1 or season 5, it's likely the greatest.
How say you?
Thanks for all those sending in QOTD. Much appreciated.
For today we're going with a question from your fearless scribe.
Right now I'm amidst True Blood & Dexter, with Breaking Bad returning soon, and Sons of Anarchy following shortly after that. It's good times getting better. So, my question is such...
Your all-time favorite TV drama? For me, it's a real toss up between Dexter & Sons of Anarchy. With Dexter, it's had some of the most gripping, & flawless seasons of any TV show ever. Although, the season with Colin Hanks was pretty lacking, and this one isn't doing too much either. Sons of Anarchy hasn't had a bad-season yet. But when Dexter is great, such as season 1 or season 5, it's likely the greatest.
How say you?
The Wire, DS9 & Game Of Thrones are the only ones I actively make time to watch & rewatch on a regular basis. The Sopranos is best of the rest.
ReplyDeleteBreaking Bad and The Sopranos are my favorite dramas of ALL TIME. I just started watching The Wire on HBOGO and I am currently on the 3rd episode of Season 1. Yeah I understand the hype now and the writing is the SHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEET.
ReplyDeleteOh and Game of Thrones used to be another one of my favorites but it feels like it doesn't go anywhere and will never end.
Friday Night Lights.
ReplyDeleteClear eyes, full hearts, can't lose!
The Shield The Shield The Shield
ReplyDeleteMad Men is my fave, but it's a real close race between it, The Sopranos and The Wire.
ReplyDeleteBreaking Bad is nipping on their heels. If they close it out strong, it could vault to number one.
1. The Shield
ReplyDelete2. Oz
3. Sons of Anarchy
4. Breaking Bad
5. Mad Men
Does the original Beverly Hills 90210 count? If not then I am going with Friday Night Lights
ReplyDeleteWhat a great show that was!
ReplyDeleteI have a more arcane follow-up: favorite dramas that got canned too soon? For this, I'd nominate a pair of fairly recent FX dramas that both bit it after one season: Terriers and Lights Out.
ReplyDeleteThe correct answer is the Wire.
ReplyDeleteGreat choices, both. I'll throw Angel and Twin Peaks in there.
ReplyDelete"House."
ReplyDeleteI've pretty much just been watching sports on TV since it came to an end.
Dexter: The Julia Stiles era was the most Goddamn awful thing to grace our tv screens.
ReplyDeleteWait till you get to episode 4. There's a scene between Bunk and McNulty where I realized that this was show that was playing a different game than anything I'd ever seen.
ReplyDeleteFriday Night Lights, The Shield, The Sopranos, Deadwood, Riget/The Kingdom. Whenever I'm rewatching any of these shows I'm convinced they're the best drama show ever made. Breaking Bad will fit the mould if it nails the landing in the last season, also.
ReplyDeleteBreaking Bad is the first show in years that has been a "throw in a disc and watch for fun" type of show. Not even The Sopranos made me do that, although I have watched it several times, too.
ReplyDeleteThe West Wing has always been a favorite of mine, especially since I love Presidential politics. It's great to "peek behind the curtain" with that show.
Dexter is an awesome premise, and for the most part has been fantastic. Season 4 with John Lithgow is one of my favorite seasons of television ever. The Julia Stiles and Colin Hanks seasons were quite underwhelming, however.
I have only watched half of season one of The Wire. I hear it's quite good.
Game of Thrones has never gripped me like it has with others. I watched season one and thought it was a bunch of sex and treating women like shit. Then it ended on a down note. I swear, every good guy character is going to be killed off by the end of that show. It reminds me of the nWo never losing in WCW. After a while, it just got depressing to watch.
I can't think of a single drama that has been on one of the big 4 networks that I have been really interested in in recent years. Thank goodness for the rise of cable.
Lost and Boardwalk Empire
ReplyDeletePlease don't mention Terriers and Lights Out. It's too soon, the wound is still raw.
ReplyDeleteFX have the best stable of TV shows of any network these days but, MAN, did they fuck us over wby cancelling those two programs.
Freaks and Geeks also.
ReplyDeleteLandgraf really, really didn't want to but the ratings on Terriers were always abysmal and the ratings for Lights Out fell off. At this point, I'd argue Landgraf is the best network head alive.
ReplyDeleteDexter is probably my favorite, but I have a feeling the new Total Divas show will replace it soon.
ReplyDeleteI remember at the time he did seem quite pained by the decision. Terriers, like Freaks and Geeks, is destined to go down as one of those perfect one-season classics that deserved more. Lights Out was great as well, but not quite on the same level.
ReplyDeletePlus Lights Out didn't end on a total cliffhanger. There's a cliffhanger, but it's easily a suitable ending.
ReplyDeleteBreaking Bad is possibly the greatest program of all time IMO, I don't know many series that just get better and better so consistently with each passing season. I love Dexter a lot it was my first love, but there have been quite a number of weak seasons especially since the flawless season 4 with the Trinity killer.
ReplyDeleteJust behind Breaking Bad for me is Sherlock and that is only because there have only because there has been two seasons so far, it's just phenomenal on every level and possibly some of the sharpest TV I've ever watched.
I used to love Dexter, but the last few seasons have grated on me. I honestly thought that the right way to end last season was with him finally being arrested. Then this season, its final, could have been like Prison Break: Dexter Edition, where everyone reacts to him being in prison and him finally coming to terms with what a monster he is. With every season, his co-workers - all very good cops - look more and more like total fucking morons. And honestly, this season hasn't been all that great so far and I get the sneaking suspicion he's going to get away with it all by the end. Or die. It can't go any other way at this point.
ReplyDeleteLost I enjoyed at the time, but you can really tell that they were just making it up as they went along as mysteries became more and more convoluted. Any answers we got were either disappointing/unsatisfying or led to more mysteries. Plus, the crap with the White and Black shirt guys just coming out of nowhere in the last season was ridiculous.
No, the more I think about it, the more I realize that my favourite dramatic show is probably Six Feet Under. Outside of DS9, it had the best character development. And while the finale made me bawl my eyes out like crazy, it was an incredibly satisfying conclusion.
I have a friend that described The Wire to me like this:
ReplyDelete"There are two kinds of people: people who believe The Wire is the greatest television show in history...and people who have not yet watched The Wire."
I watched - and loved - the first season and have yet to get around to watching more. I'M SO ASHAMED!
ReplyDeleteAlso, while I don't think it's even remotely as good as most of the shows mentioned so far, I have a great soft spot for Castle. It can be extremely formulaic to the point that I can figure out the murderer's identity within the first 5-10 minutes, but I love the cast, especially Castle and Beckett. It's a fun, light show that I never get tired of watching.
ReplyDeleteThe Wire, no doubt.
ReplyDeleteIt's not exactly a drama, but I'd like to mention The Twilight Zone. There were quite a few clunkers, but the great episodes are still legendary today. And Serling was smart enough to circumvent TV censors and morality guardians by putting his social commentary in a genre show.
No doubt...The Wire.
ReplyDeleteEven though its only 2 seasons in, Homeland has been EPIC so far (especially season 1). It will surpass The Wire on my list if it can go another solid 2-3 seasons.
Not really talked about but Suits on USA is the shit also.
Sherlock is fantastic.
ReplyDeleteI've finally started to go through The Wire and The Sopranos, and I imagine they'll be on my list once I finish all the seasons. Fucking fantastic shows that draw you in with great characters and situations.
ReplyDeleteSome of my other favorite dramas include:
The West Wing - I can rewatch this show over and over again.
House - I never got to see the last few seasons, but the seasons I did watch were always top notch. Waiting on getting the complete series sometime soon.
Mad Men - consistently good and constantly changing.
Bones - Probably the best police procedural on TV (in my opinion), but maybe it's just my irrational love of David Boreanez. Angel and Buffy are also included on this list.
I really enjoyed Lost when it was on the air, but trying to rewatch later seasons just doesn't seem to work for me, plus I can't seem to get my girlfriend into it...
Prison Break was great until it became a whole wild goose chase to take down The Company and get key cards.
ReplyDeleteI am so jealous of how many hours of awesome you have waiting for you. Seriously, that show is just relentless!
ReplyDeleteDeath Note (?)
ReplyDeleteToo hard for me to choose between The Sopranos and Breaking Bad. House gets an honorable mention.
ReplyDeleteBreaking Bad is great, but it's almost like 2 different shows after the 2nd season. Honestly, I prefer the 1st & 2nd season. The humor that was injected made it a lot of fun. I prefer Walt as a bumbling good guy trying to make a dishonest buck, as opposed to Heisenberg. That being said, I'm very much looking forward to the last season. WHY WAS HE BUYING THAT .50 CALIBER?!
ReplyDeleteReally? I enjoyed the season with Julia Stiles a lot. It was really interesting to have a romantic interest for Dexter that actually knew what he was. Plus, these bad guys were absolutely vile, and truly deserved to die. So it was a blast watching them hunt them down. Plus, we got Peter Weller, and that's always great.
ReplyDeleteLaw & Order. There's over 400 episodes and I can't think of one that was shitty, even with the constant cast changes. Note that I'm only talking about the main series, not the spinoffs, Criminal Intent is terrible, SVU isn't much better.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite episode of Law and Order was the one where the ADA played by Sam Waterston (sp?) got all indignant and started yelling. That was the best.
ReplyDeleteNot sure it is my all time favorite but I am a huge fan of Homeland. Finished the two seasons in about 2 weeks. Show instantly sucked me in.
ReplyDeleteThe wire and its not even close. Although if HBO had finished deadwood and john from Cincinnati it might be.
ReplyDeleteThe wire is so well written, it predicted major future developments (death of print media, the Chicago rise in violence after knocking down housing tenements.), it has great characters, amazing dialogue, and a brilliant story that sacrifices nothing. Its better than any movie or book.
Deadwood is so awesome to me because it has the best dialogue ever written. They took old time wild West vulgarity and put it into Shakespearian iambic pentameter. Also EB farnum is the greatest character ever put in a TV show. I'm so fucking sad HBO didn't finish that show.
John from Cincinnati was sort of out there but wow that first season was amazing and I wish I could find out what happened. God sponsored the whole surf team!!!
Also the shield was amazing. IMO it was a way better version of breaking bad (without the embarrassing product placement/car commercials), Vic Mackey is the shit, and the last season/last episode is incredible
1. Breaking Bad. Haven't started season 5 yet, and it's already at the top of my list. Almost every ep in seasons 3 & 4 had at least one moment where my jaw hit the floor.
ReplyDelete2. The Sopranos. Best series finale ever. If it pissed you off, watch it again..it's brilliant.
3. Lost - FU, haters. Btw...I'm the guy that got SK into this show. Somebody left an extra Season One set at my house, and none of my friends or family claimed it, so I sent it to Scott and told him "watch 4 episodes, if you're not hooked, stop watching".
Honorable mention: Rescue Me. Hadn't seen it mentioned, so I thought I'd throw it out there.
Cal I love sons of anarchy too but the whole CIA thing felt a little shark jumpy for me
ReplyDeleteI watch Sons Of Anarchy, but lets be honest, that show is fucking stupid. They're the good outlaw motorcycle gang that loves their wives and smuggles medicine to aids clinics. Get the fuck out of here.
ReplyDeleteMad Men, Breaking Bad, Buffy, Sopranos, Lost are all infinitely better.
Buffy The Vampire Slayer is tops for me. But Battlestar, Lost, Angel, Oz and 24 are all tied for second.
ReplyDeleteNo doubt!
ReplyDeleteI forgot to mention BE in my post. Great show, and the humor in it is really awesome too.
ReplyDeleteSopranos and 24.
ReplyDeleteI'll put the shield above any show but the wire. Better version of breaking bad imo
ReplyDeleteI forgot to mention weeds. Its my favorite 30 minute show ever that doesn't involve Larry David or Jeffry tambor. Nancy botwin is my dream girl even though she would just destroy me. I will admit I got a tear in my eye during the last scene. Love the show and it had the best theme song ever!
ReplyDeleteThreadjack: Snitsky is part of A-Rod's security team. If something happens, I bet it isn't hisfault!
ReplyDeletehttp://blog.pennlive.com/patriotnewssports/2013/07/avideo_alex_rodriguezs_securit.html
Part of me wishes I had seen that show through to the end, but by the time Season 4 rolled around, I just couldn't stomach it any longer. Shame too, because I was really looking forward to it after the big cliffhanger to end Season 3, but alas, I shall never watch it again.
ReplyDeleteEnjoyed Weeds, stuck with it all the way through, but the last 3 seasons or so were useless and not very good.
ReplyDeleteto me it's definitely Mad Men.
ReplyDeleteAs stupid as it's going to sound, even through the bad years, I still want to give a nod to Heroes, though really only the first and (IMO underappreciated) third season. The second season was, of course, abysmal, and the dropoff point for almost everyone that had watched it. Season 4 wasn't great either, but NBC had long stopped caring at that point, so it just turned into something of an also-ran, so what can ya do?
ReplyDeleteStill, it's a shame what came of it, considering the vast potential that show had.
A lot of people didn't like the show post Agrestic. But I did. I feel like if nothing else the Doug stuff gets even funnier.
ReplyDeleteI think if the show ends after season 3 with Nancy telling off Jonahs "ghost" and burning the house down the show would be legendary
The problem with the show is that they kept recycling the exact same trope every season. World ending in the future seen through the eyes of an artist or something, then doing ridiculous things to keep Peter or Hiro out of action so they can't do anything.
ReplyDeleteI loved the first season, but yeah, everything after that was garbage.
Yea, weeds was great years 1-3 but I stopped watching after season 4. As you said Larry David is the king of 30 minute tv. Curb your Enthusiasm doesn't get the love it deserves IMO.
ReplyDeleteI can't believe john from Cincinnati didnt at least get a 2nd season. Also ending carnival the way HBO did was horrible. They really weren't selling enough DVDs to give that show the six seasons it wanted???
ReplyDeleteI feel like carnival would be really high on lots of peoples lists if it hadn't gotten canned so quick
ReplyDeleteMan Men's probably my favorite. I also love Breaking Bad. Dexter is good but aside from season one, I don't think it's been out of this world. I really like Sons but I felt they did too many 90 minute episodes last season and it was a lot of just filler and kinda dragged.
ReplyDeleteSopranos was great and I want to go back and re-watch it because I was still in high school when the series ended and I feel like I'd appreciate it a lot more now that I'm older.
I've only watched the first half of the first season of The Wire and really liked it. That, The West Wing and The Shield are on my list of shows that are no longer on TV that I want to watch.
And if you make it animated shows I know I'm not the only guy on this blog who loved the 90's fox x-men and spiderman series
ReplyDelete1) Breaking Bad. I didn't start watching it until 2 weeks ago. I watched all of seasons 1-5a in 5 days. If I had to wait a week between episodes or especially a year between seasons, that would be brutal.
ReplyDelete2) NCIS The most underappreciated hit show of all-time. It has been the #1 non-sports/reality show for 5 years and no one ever talks about it.
3tie) Suits/White Collar: I watch dramas for the relationships between the characters. The relationships between the main characters on these 2 shows are phenomenal.
In no particular order: Lost, The Shield, Breaking Bad, Dexter, Fringe, STTNG.
ReplyDeleteDude, it only gets better from there.
ReplyDeleteI loved Battlestar Galactica, but had a similar reaction as I did with Lost (which I also love), the last 10 minutes of the series finale almost killed the entire series for me...almost. What shitty endings to such great shows. That could be its own category.
ReplyDeleteFor me it's LOST.. I don't think I had ever been that invested in a series until i watched that one. After that: The Shield (just watched it earlier this year), 24, Fringe, Deadwood, Heroes, Law & Order (Pretty much all, but especially TOS), Spartacus and the first season and a half of Prison Break.
ReplyDeleteDisclaimer: I never watched the wire.
ReplyDelete5. Madmen
4. Boardwalk Empire
3. Law and Order
2. Breaking Bad
1. Sopranos
I'm hoping you meant Season 4 of Dexter, not 5. 5 had Julia Stiles, and she was awful. 4 was a classic.
ReplyDeleteConfirm or deny!
For people naming shows like Doctor Who, Lost, Battlestar Galactica and such: the topic was TV drama, right? So these wouldn't apply, since they'd be sci-fi (or action in the case of Angel or Buffy). Drama would mean a realistic setting and narrative, would it not?
ReplyDeleteIt's all semantics, anyway, and not a big deal, but I thought I'd point that out. If we were talking straight up TV shows, Doctor Who is king for me.
I will fight anyone to death that Season 4 of Dexter is the greatest season of any show, ever.
ReplyDeleteAgreed. Lithgow was the fucking boss in that.
ReplyDeleteOh, I thought it just meant hour long TV shows. Caliber mentioned True Blood and Dexter is hardly "realistic".
ReplyDeleteIt was a constant chess match between the two with possibly the greatest pay off ever.
ReplyDeleteMy favourite was the one where what they found via a search warrant got thrown out
ReplyDeleteGotta go Breaking Bad for overall series, but season 4 of Dexter is probably my favourite single season of any TV drama. The Thanksgiving episode and the final scene of the last episode were amazing.
ReplyDelete#1 all-time for me is Sopranos. The others, in no particular order: Deadwood, Breaking Bad, Justified, NYPD Blue.
ReplyDeleteTrue Blood blows!!!!!!! Hate that show.
ReplyDeleteI love Sherlock with great passion. What and incredible show and it recaptured the love I had for Sherlock Holmes that I had when I was a kid reading all of the stories.
ReplyDeleteThe only one that I've ever really watched is early Law & Order and that was pretty boss.
ReplyDeleteIf we're including sci-fi then I also liked the first couple of seasons of Battlestar Galactica, but stopped watching by season three.
The character had to evolve though, he couldn't continue to be the bumbling guy making meth out of an RV. It's the natural progression of greed and power.
ReplyDeleteIt's possible. Though I would call Dexter at least realistic. It gets silly sometimes in how he's able to get away with things, but it's still set in reality, unlike True Blood.
ReplyDeleteBTW, thumbs up on Dr. Who.
ReplyDeleteI watched a bit of Oz too, but missed large portions. That what pretty good.
ReplyDelete24, motherfuckers.
ReplyDelete"Hello, Kyyyyle"
ReplyDeleteI've often said the Walt/Jesse relationship is very evocative of Vic/Shane.
ReplyDeleteI'm rewatching it on Netflix right now, because I threw it on for shits and giggles one day and my girlfriend got hooked.
ReplyDeleteWe're through most of Season 2 now and I'm trying to warn her: the car is screeching toward the cliff.
My favorite season is 5, personally, with Forrest Whitacker.
ReplyDeleteBut the last few episodes of the show is pretty much the greatest thing that's ever aired. Only slightly exaggerating.
I actually agree, and I say that as someone who loves the show. It's just big, dumb, captivating fun.
ReplyDeleteIt starts going downhill once they get to Sona but even then I thought it was watchable. Once they break out Sona it just gets ridiculous.
ReplyDeleteAgreed. But with only two seasons left, I can deal with it. If this shirt had happened in season 2, we wouldn't be having this conversation because I'd have quit watching.
ReplyDeleteForrest Whitaker's character may be one of the greatest heel's in TV history.
ReplyDeleteIf character interaction/development is your thing, I highly suggest Mad Men. Personally, as great as it is I like a few shows a bit more because I prefer a more symbiotic plot/character relationship. But in Mad Men, the plot basically serves as a platform for character development and relationships.
ReplyDeleteTo me Mad Men is just porn for nostalgic mysogynists
ReplyDeleteThey aren't exclusive of each other. You can have sci-fi action, sci-fi comedy, sci-fi whatever
ReplyDeleteYour opinion is a popular one. Also reflects how little of the show you've watched.
ReplyDeleteI'm trying to stretch myself out through Game of Thrones (only just started Season 1, thank you HBO Go), Hemlock Grove on Netflix, Orange is the New Black on Netflix, waiting for The Walking Dead to start back up. All-time would have to be the original Hawaii Five-O. Netflix is churning out some good stuff with House of Cards and the above mentioned shows. Hemlock Grove is pretty bad with the dialogue and very thin characterizations, but I'm seeing it through. I don't have enough time to binge watch these shows.
ReplyDeleteThe Wire.
ReplyDeleteIt's funny: every time I almost stopped watching Lost, an episode like "The Walkabout" or "The Constant" pulled me right back in. They were hit-and-miss, but when they hit, it was fucking EPIC.
ReplyDeleteExactly my opinion on the show. It's totally unreal cheese, but it's such a well-done morality play that it works.
ReplyDeleteLoved that show, and I'd heard the creator(s) had 4 more seasons planned out. There was some speculation of finishing it in comic book format but as far as I know nothing ever came of it.
ReplyDeleteThat first season is one of the most compelling bits of TV ever. I watched the second and third seasons and they were decent, but probably only because I was familiar with the characters.
ReplyDeletethe 1st season of heroes was ace, 2 was crappy, 3 had its moments, and then 4 did a fine job of trying to reclaim its former glory
ReplyDeletei loved 24, but really the mere existence of kim is a big knock against it
and speaking of kiefer, i know i'm not the only one who thought touch was a damn fine show. seasons 1 and 2 were so different from each other but equally compelling and intricate
or that one that made sure to emphasize that it was innocent till proven guilty, and that these were their stories
ReplyDeleteunsolved mysteries. you never knew if you were gonna get the update~ after a segment finished
ReplyDeletegood call on west wing
ReplyDeleteive never watched mad men, but i wonder if ppl would like it if you removed whats-her-tits
ReplyDeleteBreaking Bad and the Wire fan here.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zIom3LSbB0I
I am SHOCKED there's no other Honeland fans out there.
ReplyDeleteI can't believe nobody has mentioned WWE Raw yet. If I do't find out what happens to Vickie soon I'll just die!
ReplyDeleteDeep Space 9 and The West Wing
ReplyDeleteI've been kicking this around and reading posts and I can't believe no one has mentioned (including me) The X-Files. Those first 6 seasons are something else.
ReplyDeleteMan.. The Constant is probably my favorite episode.. I was amazed at how good it was and that it didn't even involve most of the "main" characters. It was everything I could hope for: time travel, drama good writing/acting and a great love story. TV doesn't get any better than that!!
ReplyDeleteUpvote for The West Wing
ReplyDeleteLooking at my list.. I don't know how I could forget Battlestar Galactica!! That's in my top 5 for sure...
ReplyDeleteYeah they killed that "one trick pony" plotline. I DID however think the last episode was fairly good and exposing the Heroes to the world could have re-invigorated the entire series.. but "too little too late".
ReplyDeleteAnd I guess throw in TNG and DS9 too. I've seen all of TNG and a healthy portion of DS9.
ReplyDeleteNever was much into Voyager, and never saw any of Enterprise.
Mad Men peaked too early. I know that part of it is that Don doesn't change but that's not an interesting character to watch.
ReplyDeleteThe last two episodes of season 3 of Breaking Bad and all of Season 4 are the only show to taste the rare air of the Wire since it went off the air.
ReplyDeleteBuffy had probably close to 30 episodes that could stand alone as great 42-minute movies. Whedon and his team are just masters of including a little bit of everything and making each character have their moment (which is why The Avengers kicked butt). Angel is also somewhere in my Top 10 as well, but its Season 4 was an abomination. But I don't think a show ever made me cry more than Angel. Fuckin' Whedon. And those shows get nominated for Drama Emmys, so whoever was saying they are Sci Fi shows alone can piss off.
ReplyDeleteDexter Season 4 has practically ruined the series. It was so far above the show and the general tv climate (in terms of quality) that everything else since then has felt like a letdown. I keep on joking to my brother that they should have just released a Dexter Season 4.5 where we get to see what they were doing in between the original episodes. So much love for the Thanksgiving episode: "We have a tradition here, Kyle," "Shut up, cunt," "I should've fucking killed you when I had the chance."
Nice to see the Sopranos still getting so much respect. The first few seasons were masterpieces.
There is The Wire and then everything else. Each season is like a mini novel. Not the easiest show to dive into but your patience will be rewarded. Any show that has Richard Price, Dennis Lehane, and George Pelecanos on the writing team and you know you are in for quality episodes.
ReplyDeleteAlso a fan of 24, Homicide:Life on the Street, Lost, and Friday Night Lights.
I'm curious to know how much of the show you've watched.
ReplyDeleteEvery episode of every season.
ReplyDeleteHave you watched the Wire? I love Breaking Bad but the Wire is TV on another plane.
ReplyDeleteSeason four pissed me off too much. Sutter wanted the acclaim without taking the risks.
ReplyDeleteLOST, The Wire, Sopranos, BSG.
ReplyDeleteFirst season was really good. The second season totally jumped the shark and turned into 24-melodrama.
ReplyDeleteYeah, I guess I really should spend more time watching shows I don't care for
ReplyDeleteOr less time talking about shows you don't watch.
ReplyDeleteYou don't think he changes at all? He reverts back a lot, but that's because he's a devout sociopath.
ReplyDeleteBesides, it isn't about changing. He is Dick Whitman, not Don Draper.
ReplyDeleteI don't think he has much of an arc. Look at Walter White.
ReplyDeleteI don't think we should place the Wire above everything else. My patience was not rewarded in Season 2. The Season 3 subplot about politics just tested my patience more than anything. Brother Mouzone should have died and his last second convincing to Omar and miraculous recovery felt like it was out of a soap opera. Then, they killed off their most compelling characters way too soon. Two seasons without Stringer and the last half season without Omar is just way too much. It's an amazing and a legendary show but it's not untouchable.
ReplyDeleteCall it the Bret Hart of tv shows because of the long term storytelling. But there are still HBKs, Flairs, and Savages of TV still out there to lay claim as the greatest.
Seriously? Don/Betty-->Don alone--->Don/Megan--->Dick Whitman.
ReplyDeleteHe just spent the last season terrorizing his colleagues because he wanted his power back and in the end was left powerless. I think that's a strong arc.
I've watched both and though I loved The Wire, I like Breaking Bad more. First off, it's easier to attach emotionally to. The Wire is kind of cold and procedure filled. It had great moments, but it doesn't compare on the emotional scale to Breaking Bad, imo.
ReplyDeleteThat's a plot arc. I'm not saying I don't like Mad Men, it's well-constructed, well-acted, and well-written. It's not totally fair to be too critical because if Don integrates Dick Whitman into who he is then I'm wrong.
ReplyDeleteI get the whole larger message of the show: these people who don't change while the world changes around them. I'm not saying it's not a great show, but the greatest?
Breaking Bad is more cinematic. The Wire feels more authentic and I think that's what you're responding to. I'm not saying it's wrong (some people like chocolate, some people like vanilla and I love Breaking Bad).
ReplyDeleteMy other argument would be that Breaking Bad is really good first the first two seasons but doesn't become great until season 3. For my money the ending to One Minute is the most tense moment in televised drama history.
He's a different person in every situation, it's a character arc.
ReplyDeleteAnd Don has been integrating Dick Whitman into who he is the entire show. In fact, that isn't even accurate. Dick Whitman integrates Don Draper into who he is. Don Draper isn't even real. It's just what Dick Whitman wants everybody to see.
You shouldn't force yourself to watch the show if you don't like it enough to pay attention.
Shut up, cunt!
ReplyDeleteI had the opposite effect with The Wire. Season 1 is by far my favorite and I thought the show lost some steam afterwards.
ReplyDeleteYou're right about Breaking Bad, it def is more cinematic and I agree that The Wire is 100% more authentic. That's where The Wire sort of loses me sometimes, authentic doesn't always equal entertaining. If I wanted that, I'd watch the first 48 instead.
i would like to learn how to fall off of you
ReplyDeleteWhen you think it jumped the shark? Agreed its not as good as first season but still think its an upper level drama.
ReplyDeleteDo you get Luther over in the Americas yet? Idris Elba (using his real voice) plays a GRITTY, MAVERICK murder detective who PLAYS BY HIS OWN RULES and has a wacky serial killer sidekick for a while. It's not an all-time classic by any means, but it's good fun.
ReplyDeleteYeah, start hanging out with wrestlers, that's a great idea for a guy facing a 100 game PED suspension...
ReplyDeleteI loved Luther, they showed on BBC America. I hope we get a 3rd season.
ReplyDeleteSeason 4 of the Wire is the greatest single season of a TV show of all time.
ReplyDelete(SPOILER LADEN.)
ReplyDeleteFirst, Brody's daughter has become the most unwatchable character on TV. She's brutal. I'm talking X-Pac heat every time she's on screen. The Finn/Dana subplot (you know the one) was an unbearable aside.
Carrie's constant insubordination is laughable. It completely crushes suspension of disbelief how she manages to skate by with slaps on the wrist in an organization like the CIA.
The whole pacemaker text plot was completely fucking ludicrous. And why is the VP the most powerful man in the world anyway? Where the fuck is the actual president?
But mostly, how Carrie and Brody turned into Sam and Diane from fucking Cheers. When they were fucking each other for information in season one, it stretched plausibility, but worked. When they're star-crossed lovers in season two it's fucking absurd. Brody has murdered his best friend (as far as he knew), conspired to murder a room full of high-ranking government officials (and only didn't through chance), and participated in the assassination of the vice president of the United States, but will Carrie get to be with him?! Why would any sane person want to?! She's batshit crazy you say? Then why is she working for the CIA?!
I feel a little better now.
I just watched the third episode of the third season. It's been pretty damn good.
ReplyDeleteGood shows, but neither could hold Batman: The Animated Series or Justice League Unlimited's jocks.
ReplyDeleteSopranos, Breaking Bad, The Wire, and if we're including genre-y fare: X-Files, Game of Thrones, Twin Peaks, Twilight Zone, Battlestar Galactica, in no particular order.
ReplyDeleteAlthough if we're going sci-if, the David Tennant run on Doctor Who is my all-time favorite of that genre. Firefly is also on the list.
ReplyDeleteI'm gonna have to track that down.
ReplyDeleteHaha, you know I don't disagree with anything you said. The fucking Finn/Daba stuff sucked...it's a shame too because Dana was a great peripheral character in season 1. The pacemaker thing was out there. I completely agree with the Carrie/Broady thing. I was afraid it would go down this avenue after they started hooking up in season 1.
ReplyDeleteI liked season 1 so much that I gave them a free pass on some of this stuff especially when season 2 still had some good moments and generally held my attention.
It seems that season 3 is headed for a showdown between Saul, questioning Carries motives, and Carrie.
From what I've seen (ie, I've never seen The Sopranos - and I've only watched 1 episode of The Wire and Breaking Bad) - The Shield is the greatest TV show of all time. The finale is stunning.
ReplyDeleteDexter is occasionally great (Seasons 1 and 4) but there's a lot of dreck in there. Quite how you can love the dull quagmire of Season 5, I don't know.
24 I love - the first 12 episodes of Season One is the best half season I've ever seen.
Buffy and Angel are great - with Angel probably getting the nod. BSG was great, but its finale was one of the worst ever.
And I also love Babylon 5 - it's slightly dated, but fantastic.
Oh, and Game of Thrones, obviously.
I think they may be on Netflix.
ReplyDeleteI wasn't a big fan of the TZ one hour episodes.
ReplyDeleteNo way - "Dexter: The Colin Hanks & Edward James Olmos Era" was far, far worse.
ReplyDeleteYet for the most part, he really wasn't a "heel". He was like Bret Hart in '97. Being the good guy made him the bad guy.
ReplyDeleteWhitaker just owned that whole season. Hard to do with Vic Fucking Mackey around.
Yeah I have the first two seasons on DVD and thought about getting the rest. But I think I'll just pretend the show ended there. Maybe include The Final Break just for the closure.
ReplyDeleteLove this, it's funny because it is true!
ReplyDeleteEspecially ones who look like Snitsky.
ReplyDeleteThat's exactly what the commercials make it seem like.
ReplyDeleteThe Shield, Sons of Anarchy, and Lost for me. These are shows I can pop in and run through the entire series, and then immediately start back over without getting tired of it.
ReplyDeleteThe Wire is great, but I wasn't into the change of scenery every season. Still, one of the best ever.
The ending of season 4, wow. I seriously didn't believe it. Even when I was 30 minutes into season 5 episode 1, I kept thinking "OK, and now he wakes up and it's a dream...". Honestly, I still have my doubts that it was Trinity who did it. You mark my words, I think we'll find out something different...
ReplyDeleteI wanted him to kill Trinity so fucking bad I could taste it.
ReplyDeleteYeah, I just meant hour long shows. If it's main theme is drama, then it's a drama. I don't care what world it's set in.
ReplyDeleteI thought she was great. I loved season 5 because there was so much to deal with it. It was a completely fresh start for the series. I loved that there was finally a romantic relationship in which the girl knew what Dexter truly was. I loved that there was a series of bad-guys, not just one. And these guys were vile, disgusting humans who deserved the worst deaths possible. I loved that. Plus we get the stuff with Quinn & Peter Weller, that was incredible.
ReplyDeleteI agree the whole CIA thing was strictly a mcguffin to have Jax learn about Clay but not be able to kill him. Even so, every time I watch a brand new episode I absolutely dread seeing the Reaper logo because I know it means I'll have to wait another week, and that's great TV.
ReplyDeleteYeah, season four isn't exactly the series' high point. I'm more referring to the best of Twilight Zone, which is some of the best television ever produced, and so great that I think it outweighs the lesser episodes. Stuff like "The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street", "Time Enough at Last", and "The Eye of the Beholder" (I could go on) are as good as TV gets.
ReplyDeleteI don't know, man, Sutter has some balls. People were dying left & right in season 5. When a certain character got his head caved in, it's the only time as an adult that a show has brought tears to my eyes. I loved that character, and sans the death & personal tragedy, I really related to him.
ReplyDeleteAlso, let's not forget Tig's daughter. I could not fucking believe that.
You know, I just want to say go to hell for not having started season 5 yet. I say that because once you get to the last episode, you're only going to have to wait a few weeks before you get answers and not a year like me. And man, does that last episode have a fucking cliff hanger.
ReplyDeleteAgreed. Twilight Zone has some of the greatest stories told in the history of the World.
ReplyDeleteI'll give it the first episode of season 3 to demonstrate that they've learned from their mistakes or I'm out. The reason I'm not optimistic is that they've gotten so much acclaim--including the garbage season 2 (which I chalk up to a social momentum thing after the legitimately good season 1)--that they probably don't think there's anything to fix.
ReplyDeleteOh yeah, I totally understand that, and applaud them for going that way. Especially since it was the creator's original intention. I'm glad he didn't stick with the formula of season 1 & 2 because it was working so well, and went with his original vision. I just miss the vibe of the first two seasons is all.
ReplyDeleteMan do I agree. I disliked the hell out of that season.
ReplyDeleteI've seen Terriers on netflix. Should I check it out?
ReplyDeleteYou're the first person I've heard express love for that season. Knowing it was Julia Stiles took me out of the world of Dexter I think, because I knew her from elsewhere, so I could just never get into it.
ReplyDeleteYeah, I'm really surprised looking around here that season 5 doesn't get that much love. A lot of it seems to be predicated on a distaste for Julia. I can understand that, but everything was just too good for me to not dig it because of an actress.
ReplyDeleteThe last season was fantastic as well. I mean, they went such a brilliant direction with Ray Stevenson's character. I loved it. It made up so much for that terrible season with Colin Hanks.
What are your thoughts on Season 4?
ReplyDeleteAnd treat lightly, flair4dagold is making threats.
Season 4 is damn good. It was great to see Lithgow remind everyone of just how well he can play a bad-guy. The Trinity Killer was a real creep, and seeing the layers peel back was fantastic. I liked seeing the return of Lundey, and what happened with him was a real shock, especially with the reveal. Hell, the second time I saw the season it took me a minute to remember who had done it, and once I did I still thought about what great writing that was. In the end, I don't favor it as much as I do seasons 1, 5, or 7, but it's still a hell of a season.
ReplyDeleteThat character's funeral had me crying like a bitch. Not even manly tears, either.
ReplyDeleteTZ - the 30 minute episodes, is in my top 5 all-time of favorite shows across any genre (comedy, drama, etc).
ReplyDeleteYes. As soon as you can. It's great.
ReplyDeleteWell said. It's fitting, with the story being based on Hamlet, because that's kind of how Shakespeare was seen in his time.
ReplyDeleteFriday Night Lights, Sopranos, Newsroom, Sons of Anarchy, Game of Thrones, Rescue Me Oh and Ray Donovan is fucking awesome
ReplyDeletePullo!!! Love Ray Stevenson.
ReplyDeleteOne character I didn't want to see go but I don't think they really could do much more with him character-wise
ReplyDeleteYup. Two of the greatest(if not THE two greatest) animated shows ever.
ReplyDeleteYup. The 2nd season ruined the show for these exact reasons. I tapped out on it
ReplyDelete