Fantaverse's Top 25 Favorite TV Shows Pre-Show

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undeadmonkey
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Fantaverse's Top 25 Favorite TV Shows Pre-Show

Post by undeadmonkey »

Let's have a little fun over the weekend, to warm up for our main event.

I don't know about you guys, but i actually had a hard time getting down to 25. There are still plenty of shows that i loved. So i decided to make a few little pre-lists, before our main 25. If any of you would like to join, your more than welcome. i'm going to start with a top 10 animated. I might also do a top 10 classic, or maybe top 10 favorites as a teen (which is a bit arbitrary, by which i just mean shows that i thought were great as a teen, but wouldnt really watch now), or Top 10 current shows etc.. i think you catch my drift.


Top 13 Favorite Animated Shows that aren't in my top 25.


13. Popeye
12. Top Cat
11. The Magic School Bus (who in 2nd grade did not wish you could have Ms. Frizzle as your teacher, i remember fondly looking forward to every friday to go to the library to see another episode)
10. Rocko's Modern Life (classic 90s nickelodeon)
9. TaleSpin
8. Hong Kong Phooey
7. The Rugrats
6. Dinosaurs (hah, so it's not animated exactly, but baby sinclair was hilarious)
5. Chip and Dale's Rescue Rangers
4. Tom and Jerry (just a plain classic, how could anyone not like it)
3. Animaniacs
2. Tiny Toon Adventures
1. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (michaelangelo and the gang were so cool, and who doesn't love ninja turtles that like pizza?)


sorry for not going into great detail for these, but really, who knows, why we watch what we watch when we are little. They are also pretty self explanatory, There are a few classics, a few saturday morning cartoons i remember fondly, and a few of the better picks of the 90s nickelodeon and disney cartoons. Questions? Comment, criticize or agree at your leisure....

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Re: Fantaverse's Top 25 Favorite TV Shows Pre-Show

Post by BanksIsDaFuture »

A couple of those might squeeze into my Top 25...
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Re: Fantaverse's Top 25 Favorite TV Shows Pre-Show

Post by Shrykespeare »

I have a feeling that a lot of my shows will be a) favorites from my teenage years and b) favorite from the last ten years. In other words, the 90's will be a blur...
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Re: Fantaverse's Top 25 Favorite TV Shows Pre-Show

Post by W »

I think I'm sure what my #1 and 2 are (though the order I'm unsure on) and in my head there's about 8 or 10 that HAVE to be one the list. Other than that, I'll probably surprise myself. I've got a fairly big weekend, so I may be joining late as Monday is the 4th (Independence Day for non-Americans that don't remember that part of the film of the same name).
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Re: Fantaverse's Top 25 Favorite TV Shows Pre-Show

Post by silversurfer19 »

My 1 and 2 are locked, though in themselves they change regularly. I think I know which is no.1 right now though. My other 23 are decided, though it was difficult to knock out a few favourites.

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Re: Fantaverse's Top 25 Favorite TV Shows Pre-Show

Post by undeadmonkey »

my top 5 are locked as well. but i was surprised at how many shows didn't make it, i thought i would have to scrounge for 25, boy was i wrong

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Re: Fantaverse's Top 25 Favorite TV Shows Pre-Show

Post by Buscemi »

I may pitch in for an alphabetical order listing. I don't watch much television and I've always found it difficult to rank TV shows by number.
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Re: Fantaverse's Top 25 Favorite TV Shows Pre-Show

Post by undeadmonkey »

whatever floats your boat. but you'll have to decide when and how to share, as we'll be doing a number a day.


and while we wait, here is another pre-list of mine. Top 8 Favorite Current Shows that might someday make it to my top 25. For example, if i was doing this list 5 years ago, American Idol would have been on it. but as i have completely lost interest and the show doesn't even resemble itself, i don't like it anymore.


Top 8 Favorite Current Shows, but that's not to say there aren't any current shows in my top 25



8. Desperate Housewives
i almost made this a top 7 list, but i decided to leave this show on the list as i loved the first season and liked a few following ones. it's really a shame that the last few seasons have been such a chore to get through, i might give up soon. but to give credit where due, there is a great cast of actresses and the first season was funny, mysterious and quite different from anything on at the time.

7. House
i don't follow this show, although i would like to. every time i catch an episode i enjoy it and that's saying something for me being able to enjoy a random episode without me having to know everything that is going on. In the future, i hope to watch it through from beginning to end, but i'll probably wait till it's over.

6. Jersey Shore
ok, before you scoff, hear me out. I don't think these guys are cool, i don't follow the "guido" lifestyle, hell i don't even like going to house parties. but this show is hilarious! Whoever thought of putting some of the dumbest people on the planet together and filming them is a genius. Sitcoms have been very sparse as of late but every episode of jersey shore, i laugh till i cry. Some of my favorite parts are when shit hits the fan and fists and claws are out and are grabbing hair and other body parts, oh man, you just can't make some of this stuff up.

5. So You Think You Can Dance
i love dance. this should be pretty self explanatory

4. True Blood
i admit this is a guilty pleasure of mine. It gets horribly cheesy and overdramatic at times, but i like anna paquin and watching her deal with vamps, werwolves, witches, demons, gods, fairies and country bumpkins makes for some fun tv.

3. Merlin
another cheesy fantasy show, but i enjoy it. The casts chemistry meshes really well. they seem like they are having fun making it and i think it comes through when watching it.

2. Phineas and Ferb
from being around kids all my life so far, you get to see some awful kid television. i hate dora, deigo, backyardagains, any other disney show, yo gabba gabba. :evil: yet every once in a while you get a good one in there. This is a witty, self aware cartoon about two brothers finding ways to spend their summer vacation, all while their older sister is trying to get them into trouble at every turn and their pet spy platypus has to stop dr doofenschmertz's evil plans. it's good fun and i'm often amazed at how funny the writing is.

1. Being Human
This is one of the newer shows i got into. I just found out it's based off a really good british show, but being in america you don't get much british tv here or news of it. (i'm planning on checking it out though). Either way, this show is about a werewolf, vampire and ghost who live together, while trying to figure out how to live life as normal and as humanly as possible, even though society, and even themselves, see them as monsters. So far, most story arcs have been pretty interesting and i think it's a great study of what does it really mean 'to be human'. really looking forward to the second season

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Re: Fantaverse's Top 25 Favorite TV Shows Pre-Show

Post by Buscemi »

My pre-show: My Favorite Mini-Series

The Decalogue (1989)

This ten-hour miniseries from Poland is perhaps some of the finest television ever written and directed. Written and directed by Krzysztof Kieslowski and based on the Ten Commandments, every episode contains an extremely compelling story that absorbs you into the material and 1980's Poland. The work is easily Kieslowski's masterpiece and it is sad that we lost him so soon. But thankfully, we have this series (along with the Three Colors Trilogy and The Double Life of Veronique) to remember him by.

Favorite episode: Episode Seven. Based on the seventh commandment, a young woman kidnaps her daughter from her mother (who became her legal guardian due to the daughter being only sixteen) in an attempt to live a new life together in Canada.

Honorable Mention: Traffik (1989)
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Re: Fantaverse's Top 25 Favorite TV Shows Pre-Show

Post by Buscemi »

Five Shows That Didn't Quite Make The Cut:

Action

A raunchy foul-mouthed network series (I believe it's the last network series to ever carry a TV-MA rating) that is also an extremely well-written series about the way Hollywood works. The cast is great and the story arcs are always interesting. It didn't make the cut as I decided there were better shows.

Babylon 5

I used to watch this show all the time when I was younger and there is no denying that J. Michael Straczynski is a genius as a writer (I'm glad to see that he is now writing films). It didn't make the cut as I haven't watched it in so long.

Cowboy Bebop

A short-run anime that manages to combine the genres of science fiction and action into a non-stop 30 minute thrill ride. There was not a bad character in the bunch and unlike other shows, the 26 episode run never outstayed its welcome. It didn't make the cut as it was a bit of an afterthought in making the list.

Sports Night

The idea of a show focused around a SportsCenter-esque show would normally seem like a sophomoric concept but the excellent cast and writing make it work and turn it into one of the best sitcoms of the 1990's, which equal amounts of comedy and drama. It missed the cut as once again, it was a bit of an afterthought in making the list.

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine

Another show I used to watch all the time as I really liked The Next Generation and I found it a good compliment to that series. It didn't make the cut because I decided The Next Generation was a better show.
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Re: Fantaverse's Top 25 Favorite TV Shows Pre-Show

Post by W »

I watched about six episodes of Sports Night and to me it's kind of dull. The drama is decent, but the jokes don't land for me often.

P&F is probably the best kid's show on right now. It reminds me a little bit of Dexter's Laboratory, but funnier with an action spy pet platypus against a goofy would-be Eastern European dictator. Great stuff.
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Re: Fantaverse's Top 25 Favorite TV Shows Pre-Show

Post by numbersix »

2 of mine that failed to make the cut.... only just

Entourage: It has outstayed its welcome a bit, but HBO's comedy about a Hollywood IT-Boy could be insightful, and mostly importantly had some very funny and very believable insights into the modern celebrity.

The Thick of It: UK comedy that deals with English politics, especially in terms of spin. Like Spin City, but with foul language and one of the most brilliant characters in the last few years, Malcolm Tucker. A spin off movie, In the Loop, was even better.

Knightmare: A kids game-show of sorts. It's a mix between Dungeons and Dragons and a weather report! A group of kids play, with one wearing a helmet that blocks their vision. The rest sit in a video booth and through chroma-key watch their friend enter a series of rooms containing traps, enemies, and the occasional ally. Very inventive for the time and it led to some nail-biting moments.

The Dead Set: English 4-part horror for E4. Written by the brilliant journalist Charlie Brooker, The Dead Set is a zombie series set in the studio of a Big Brother set. Brooker uses irony and satire to ensure insight into the media consumption of contemporary society.

The Crystal Maze: An English game show in which a team had to pass through a series of puzzle rooms (each with a different category of challenge: physical, logical, skill, etc), with a rather mad presenter.

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Re: Fantaverse's Top 25 Favorite TV Shows Pre-Show

Post by undeadmonkey »

I've been meaning to watch Entourage, but i'm also waiting for it to end. I think it's on it's last season

I've never even heard of the last four, but they sound interesting.

I also haven't heard of any of Booshs, Except for Star Trek one, but i haven't seen that either.

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Re: Fantaverse's Top 25 Favorite TV Shows Pre-Show

Post by silversurfer19 »

Quite a few shows which were very close to my own 25 have been listed on here already. The nostalgically wonderful Crystal Maze was always a favourite which HAD to be watched, we each had our own ideas of how to collect the most gold tickets at the end, while I loved how they had separate zones such as Aztec and Future world (kind of reminds me of Westworld the movie actually). Some of those challenges were so hard though (the one in the future world where you had to carry a steel case with a spirit level balanced was so difficult, and everyone always got locked in on the Spiders Web). Some of the contestants infuriated me though, with their inability to listen to their team or have any concept of time!! Great show hosted by the charismatic Richard O'Brien, shame it went down hill when he left.

I also liked Knightmare, at the time the concept was awesome, the idea of being IN a video game. Not so novel now, but for the time it was brilliant, if not a little scary too!

I've watched a few episodes of The Thick of It, always enjoyable, but yes, I think I prefer the movie on the whole.

I literally started watching Dekalog the other day, the first episode dealing with god was very well acted and tragically emotive. Very well done though. I love the Three Colours Trilogy and this looks to be up to the same standard.

I enjoyed the first season of Desperate Houswives, and Helena has insisted on watching every season since, but it's just so stale now, this season is one of the worst, there seems to be no structure, characters are forgotten about or their characteristics are forgotten (obviously due to new writers), but most importantly, they have little to do now, and so keep going over the same stuff (how many boyfriends can Bree have, it's all just so tiresome). Hopefully Helena gives up after this season, I don't think I can take much more of it.

Another that just missed my cut was Walking With Dinosaurs, a great series which recreated the time of dinosaurs with great CGI (for its time) and puppets, all set in a kind of David Attenborough animal documentary style. Very insightful and always interesting.

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Re: Fantaverse's Top 25 Favorite TV Shows Pre-Show

Post by NSpan »

5 Influential Shows That Shaped Modern Television (...and Most of My Own Top 25)

Monty Python's Flying Circus (1969) - This wasn't the first show to bring sketch-comedy from the stage to the TV... but it might as well have been. Monty Python didn't just reshape the concept of TV comedy, it redefined comedy itself. Western culture's sense of humor was permanently impacted by the work of this comedy troupe. It didn't happen overnight, of course. Flying Circus was way ahead of its time. It would be a while before something this inventive came around again.

SNL (1975) - Less a consistently great show, more a breeding ground for comedy talent. Premiering only a year after Flying Circus ended, SNL featured a different musical act and guest-host for each episode--making its style and presentation more in-line with a variety show than what the Pythons had been doing. Entering its 37th season, SNL is a bona fide American institution. It's hard to even talk about it in the same language you would any other "show." With each new incarnation, the press mourns the loss of a great series (usually with awful headlines like "Saturday Night DEAD!")... but, somehow, the new cast always wins them over and the featured players go on to corner the comedy market in America. The writers, though less well-known during their time on SNL, also regularly move on to pioneer major projects.

Late Night with David Letterman (1982) - Ushering a tired format into the modern-era, Dave's tried-and-true formula has provided the groundwork for every talk-show since.

Seinfeld (1989) - ...and the "sitcom" was never the same again. The show hasn't dated that well--but that's simply a result of the market becoming saturated with clones since its time on top. When this show began, it was radically different from the usual prime-time fare. Dispensing with concepts like "emotion" and "morality," the writers were given free-rein to focus purely on comedy. The concept of comedy sitcoms actually being about comedy sounds obvious, but Seinfeld changed the face of TV for good.

The Larry Sanders Show (1992)- We take premium-cable shows for granted nowadays, but there was a time when the format simply didn't exist. Higher production values, commercial-free pacing, and (most importantly) a level of creative freedom that simply wasn't allowed on network television at the time. It blurred the line between TV and film. The show didn't just set a precedent for HBO, it set a bar that the rest of the television-world is only now finally catching up with.
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