Favorite TV Shows: Top 10

[Buscemi]

How I Met Your Mother seems like the type of concept that would work as a limited one season series, not as a long-running series where they never get to the point. Also, I've read that it's no longer about the main character anymore (the guy that isn't Jason Segel or Neil Patrick Harris, seriously has he done ANYTHING besides this show and HappyThankYouMorePlease?) and that it focuses solely on Barney and Robin now.

[NSpan]

Show #9
NSpan

South Park (1997 - 2011, FOX)



Just as the Simpsons' reign was coming to an end, a new alternative animated show came about. Being a Simpsons-loyalist, I kept my fingers crossed for Groening & Co. to get their groove back. This blasphemous South Park could only be a waste of my time... time that COULD be spent watching the Simpsons! I actually can't remember if South Park dared to take the EXACT same time-spot--therefore FORCING fans to choose between one or the other. In actuality, I imagine, it just FELT like you had to choose.

A couple of seasons in, I finally gave in and started watching regularly. It was hilarious; it wasn't trying to be the Simpsons, it was just doing its thing. I'm actually glad that I started a little bit late on this series... as the first season or two found Trey and Matt struggling to find their voice(s) within the show. For several years, it was hilarious and over-the-top. And, then, (as Boosh mentioned) it got preachy.

What started out as a parody of cartoons each ending with a "lesson," more often-than-not episodes concluded with a heavy-handed (and real) message. When the Daily Show became preachy, I found it dull and unfunny. But, in a very hypocritical fashion, I just so happened to find Trey's politics (and general outlook on life) to be very in-line with my own--and I loved it. I didn't mind the fact that South Park became a tool for its creators to make statements about life, politics, religion, etc... but only because I happened to agree.

I'm not ashamed to admit that one of my favorite shows has an overt agenda. In fact, I think that if everybody watched South Park, the world would be a better place.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Park_Libertarian

[W]

How I Met Your Mother seems like the type of concept that would work as a limited one season series, not as a long-running series where they never get to the point. Also, I've read that it's no longer about the main character anymore (the guy that isn't Jason Segel or Neil Patrick Harris, seriously has he done ANYTHING besides this show and HappyThankYouMorePlease?) and that it focuses solely on Barney and Robin now.

But you haven't seen it, right? It's more ensemble than a synopsis would give you. Last season focused on Ted, his love interest, and him fulfilling a dream of having a piece of the New York skyline (aka designing a skyscraper); a death in Marshall's family; Marshall and Lily trying to conceive a child; and Barney's relationship with his estranged father as well. There was a teaser at the end suggesting that Barney gets married, presumably to Robin as well as Lily actually becoming pregnant so those and the building will be the major storylines starting next time. So if all that wasn't part of what you read, then you don't know the full spectrum of what's going on right now.

[Buscemi]

I have seen an episode. It was Barney and Robin focused and Robin met Alex Trebek. It wasn't very good.

But still, I feel they should just get to the point instead of derail everything for cheap laughs.

[W]

Yeah, I get a lot of the same things that Trey and Matt do. I'm a libertarian (though not a member of the party), can't stand Michael Moore, and hate it when religious groups get too pushy. I voted Republican in the last election, so obviously I have a problem with gay people. And I don't see a problem with gay marriage, so I must be a liberal...

Anyways, I love that they spoof pretty much everything. It's hard to never get offended by the program, and I have been slightly a few times when they make fun of people who've just died, but they do hit everyone equally so you can't get mad even if you are offended.

[englishozzy]

No.9

Blackadder (1983-1989)

Each series is set in a different era with Rowan Atkinson playing a anti-hero in various important dates in history.

I cant believe this is the same guy that created the very unfunny Mr. Bean. One of the most funniest TV shows i have ever seen, with Blackadder Goes Forth as the standout favourite. A very young Stephen Fry and Hugh Laurie co-star.

[englishozzy]

Hayley's No.9

How I Met Your Mother (2005-Present)

A US sitcom based around a group of friends exploits told from a future Ted Mosby.

[W]

Hayley... Great minds think alike.

[undeadmonkey]

Show #8


undeadmonkey


The X-Files (1993-2002, Fox)



premise: Two FBI agents, Fox Mulder the believer and Dana Scully the skeptic, investigate the strange and unexplained while hidden forces work to impede their efforts.


With the first season, you could tell that the people in charge of the financing of xfiles weren't very high on it. hiring no name actors, the music was corny leftovers from 80s, but it's usually the ones you don't expect much from that you should watch out for. In this case it was true, making duchovney and anderson household names and xfiles being broadcast almost around the world. (That happens a lot now, but it think it was rarer in the 90s). My favorites episodes were the monster of the week episodes. I don't find them as frightening now, but there were times when i was younger when i was scared witless. Nevertheless there are still a few episodes that still give me the chills, Tooms being one of them. Also i've been able to rewatch the series a few times already, which is a first, sitcoms are usually the only series that a rewatch often.



numbersix

The Sopranos (1999-2007, HBO)



Mafia films had grown wearisome by the time this TV show came around, but The Sopranos was able to delve deeper into the life of Tony Soprano, and most importantly explore how he was able to manage a family life while still being a ruthless killer. The impact on his children was especially fascinating. And of course there were the verbal jousts between Tony and his guarded psychiatrist (an episode where the psychiatrist was raped remains one of TV’s greatest episodes).

I know I’m generalising, but the show had the best of both worlds: the domestic drama for the ladies, operas, and the crime drama for the lads. And while it lagged a bit in the middle seasons, the final one truly surprised with some great shocks but also some excellent drama. And of course there was that magnificent final episode, whose open ending divided audiences. For me, it was a powerful moment that summarised the rest of Tony’s life, by promising constant threat. Pity it was also responsible for resurrecting that awful 80’s song Don’t Stop Believin.

[NSpan]

Yeah, I get a lot of the same things that Trey and Matt do. I'm a libertarian (though not a member of the party), can't stand Michael Moore, and hate it when religious groups get too pushy. I voted Republican in the last election, so obviously I have a problem with gay people. And I don't see a problem with gay marriage, so I must be a liberal...

Anyways, I love that they spoof pretty much everything. It's hard to never get offended by the program, and I have been slightly a few times when they make fun of people who've just died, but they do hit everyone equally so you can't get mad even if you are offended.

Speaking of South Park... did anyone else see the latest episode ("You're Getting Old")? Quite the departure. Good premise, but a South Park cliffhanger ending on a serious note? Damn.

[numbersix]

Arrested Development: I already mentioned my antipathy towards this, but after your response, NSpan, I might give this a proper viewing someday

Due South: While it has been over a decade since I last watched it, I do have fond memories. It was a light show, but that isn't necessary bad. The dynamic between the cop and the Mountie was fun and often amusing. A good show. It was all downhill for Haggis after this.

The Simpsons: I could probably spend a day speaking only in Simpsons quotes

Chuck: Never seen it

How I Met Your Mother: Never seen it, but heard it was worth watching

South Park: Funny, I felt the ultimatum was more between The Simpsons and Family Guy.

Blackadder: Again, great except for the first season

The X-Files: I was the biggest X-Files fan when it first came out, taping episodes and rewatching them over and over. But by Season 3 the whole thing became so repetitive and so ridiculous that even as a 15-year old I could see it wasn't worth it anymore.

[silversurfer19]

8. Firefly (2002), Fox

I still don't understand how this series got cancelled so prematurely. It was everything a Buffy fan could have hoped for, Whedon had proved he wasn't a one hit wonder and crafted a series which was smart, funny and interesting with a great cast of characters with plenty to offer. I read recently that Whedon expected every season of Buffy to be his last, but somehow each season Fox let him produce another one, and that the first time he felt comfortable with a series was with Firefly, yet that got cancelled after just a few months of airtime. It's such a shame, there were so many directions the show could go in, I was so intrigued to find out more of the hidden secrets of each member of the crew. And while Serenity somewhat revealed some of those ideas, I don't think it was possible to explore every avenue in just a feature film. Anyway, the series revolved around a kind of space western with a crew of misfits in an era following their side losing a civil war and trying to make ends meet, when they happen upon a couple of drifters with a hidden past. It's a brilliant series, one full of creativity and sharp, witty banter just like you would expect from a Whedon production, and one with so much potential. It also gave us more Nathan Fillion, who was awesome in his short time on Buffy but just left you wanting to see more. Indeed, the whole cast are perfectly cast, from Alan Tudyk to Alan Baldwin or Summer Glau, everyone had their own character arc, something to explore and leave you spellbound. I don't understand why it was cancelled (well obviously it was ratings, but still, there should have been some faith after what Whedon had achieved with Buffy), Fox has got a lot to answer for with many of my favourite series cancelled prematurely, but nevertheless what we were left with was fourteen episodes of perfection, with so much potential to go further.

[W]

#8. Skins (2007-present, Channel 4, drama/comedy) - Skins is about a group of high school students that so far has turned over every two seasons. Each episodes focuses on a separate portion of a group of friends and goes through the subjects of drugs, relationships, and sense of self. It's really good and pulls no punches like most American shows of the genre. A couple of the actors from the first generation (they're through 2.5 generations now) have had major or supporting roles in large films already (Dev Patel who starred in "Slumdog Millionaire" and Nicholas Hoult from "About a Boy" and "X-Men First Class"). Each character is different in their own way and many remind me of people I grew up with. The only thing I don't like is how open-ended the first two generations were left.

This is one of the three series that Netflix Instant reccomended to me that's part of this list. Also, all three (this, Sons of Anarchy, The IT Crowd) I just started watching this calendar year.

[Shrykespeare]

SHRYKESPEARE'S #8

M*A*S*H (CBS, 1972-83)

Is there anyone alive who hasn't watched at least one episode of this? If there are, they should be rounded up and made to watch it, because it remains one of the best-written, hilarious, and still poignant shows of all time. To set a rollicking comedy against the backdrop of the horrors of the Korean War was a bold move, but thanks to the best writers in the business, as well as actors that fit their roles to a Tee, it worked. Alan Alda as Hawkeye Pierce remains one of the most immortal TV characters of all time. (How ironic is it that the show lasted more than twice as long than the actual Korean War, isn't it?)

Most people, if you ask them, say they prefer the earlier seasons, the ones with Henry Blake, Trapper and Frank Burns. But for me, I prefer the Potter/B.J./Winchester years. Can't really say why.

[undeadmonkey]

i've never seen an episode of MASH