Favorite TV Shows: Top 10

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Re: Favorite TV Shows: Top 10

Post by W »

I always thought it was funny that America's got talent was judged by a Canadian and two English people.
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Re: Favorite TV Shows: Top 10

Post by Buscemi »

Well, the English and the Canadians are much of the time funnier than Americans.
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Re: Favorite TV Shows: Top 10

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Thanks Shryke!

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Re: Favorite TV Shows: Top 10

Post by Buscemi »

I imagine that Six's day will be like Homer's: sitting around the pool and drinking a sixer.
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Re: Favorite TV Shows: Top 10

Post by englishozzy »

No.7

Firefly (2002-2002)

A space-western television series created by Joss Whedon about a renegade crew aboard a spaceship in 2517.

I was so bummed in the finish of Buffy that you could imagine my excitement when Joss announced a new series, never one to be interested in sci-fi (i still havent watched the Star Wars series) i was a bit dubious. To my surprise this series turned out to be really really good, a nice core of characters and the familiar wit that comes natural to Joss Whedon's scripts, it was just dissapointing this only held out for 1 season.

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Re: Favorite TV Shows: Top 10

Post by englishozzy »

Hayley's No.7

Dexter (2006-Present)

An American drama series that follows the life of Dexter Morgan, a blood splatter analyst working for the Miami Metro Police Department by day, and a serial killer by night.

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Re: Favorite TV Shows: Top 10

Post by undeadmonkey »

NSpan wrote:UDM, I swear I'm not trying to drive you crazy by refusing to submit my list to you. But I'm making it up as I go along. Each night, I decide which show from my list goes next--and, lastly, I write my recap.

yea, it's not that big a deal. i mean i cant force ya to send it. just trying to get a bit organized

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Re: Favorite TV Shows: Top 10

Post by NSpan »

I dig Firefly, but I gotta ask ... do Joss Whedon fans just go into his projects expecting them to be schlocky? I mean, Firefly is cornball-material from start to finish. Bad dialogue, bad acting, etc. But it IS fun! I mean, as people have said before, it's pretty much Han Solo: The Series--although I think Mal is a little bit more altruistic than Han.

Essentially, I see Firefly the same as watching a really "good" episode of Hercules: The Legendary Journeys. You know, maybe one with Bruce Campbell in it.

Do Firefly fans see it differently?
W wrote:I always thought it was funny that America's got talent was judged by a Canadian and two English people.
Never seen an episode... but maybe it was intentional? You know, to have an objective/3rd-party/outsider opinion?
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Re: Favorite TV Shows: Top 10

Post by silversurfer19 »

7. Malcolm In The Middle (2000-2006), Fox

I remember sitting in my parents house back in early 2000 and reading through a tv magazine, and then coming across an article on upcoming shows in the next few weeks. Malcolm in the Middle was on a very small section of it, a tiny photo of the first series poster, with a few comments about how it was essentially a live action version of The Simpsons. At the time, Simpsons was huge, and it was still brilliant, so naturally I thought there must be something in this, hopefully. So I tuned in to watch the first episode a couple of weeks later, and what did you know, while it wasn't entirely The Simpsons, it did play on the whole family dynamics thing, and it was laugh out loud funny. I loved it, from the overbearing screaming mother, to the quiet, kind of quirky father, then the three kids, all complete tearaways despite their differing personalities. I also loved that, while the protagonists of the show usually are seen as the hero, Malcolm is an ass, and he always gets his comeuppance come the end of the show. We watched the show from start to finish, and I can honestly say it's probably one of the few that I felt was strong throughout it's long run. Hal, the father, was by far my favourite character, he tries so hard to please his wife, but he usually ends up screwing things up along the way, but he has such a sweet side, as well as a rather bizarre side too. Here is one of my favourite clips.


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Re: Favorite TV Shows: Top 10

Post by W »

#7. The Office (US) (2005-present, NBC, Comedy) - I'm really not a fan of Ricky Gervais. I've tried watching the UK version twice and it's just not funny to me. The US version, though, with Michael, Dwight, Jim, Darrell, Kevin, and all the other quirky characters is one of my favorites. There's just so many great characters and they're used to perfection most of the time, even one like Bob Vance who, even if he knows you, always introduces himself as "Bob Vance, Vance Refridgeration." A lot of the best stuff comes from the straight man/jokester Jim pranking the eccentric beet farmer/science fiction geek/part German/bear expert Dwight (who is probably one of the best characters on TV).

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Re: Favorite TV Shows: Top 10

Post by silversurfer19 »

6. Arrested Development (2003-2006), Fox

Like many fans of the show, I didn't get into Arrested Development until I picked up the DVDs. Unlike NSpan and the rest of the US fans though, it wasn't scheduling jumps that prevented me getting to watch the show, it was consistently on tv every week on a certain day. Only issue was that was 1am! At the time I didn't have any form of timed recording device, so I just missed it. Little did I know what I was missing out on. Eventually, largely down to all the praise it received from you guys (and long lost friend Anny in particular), I started looking for it on dvd. Luckily enough it was in the bargain bin, obviously it wasn't even promoted on that format, so I snapped up all three series, and faster than any series I have ever gotten through, I whizzed through every episode. I then, as NSpan has pointed out, discovered all the layers to each joke, how they would indeed span episodes or indeed seasons. There are nuances, tiny jokes within jokes that just can't be appreciated if watched casually. And it's brilliant. So I went ahead and watched them all again. It was addictive, never has a show had such an impact upon me. I doubt another one ever will. But it was awesome, with hilarious characters and brilliant set up jokes. Non stop genius from start to finish, with enough catchphrases in just a few episodes to fill any normal comedy series' lifetime.

I can't possibly do the series justice with a clip, but I'll show one anyway, as the jokes have so many layered depths, and, like another under appreciated show and previous selection of mine, Police Squad! only through going through every episode from start to finish would you appreciate just how great it is. I guess Fox just didn't understand when they were told, "There's always money in the Banana Stand!"


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Re: Favorite TV Shows: Top 10

Post by NSpan »

Show #6
NSpan

Space Ghost: Coast to Coast (1994 - 2008, Cartoon Network)



The show that, for better or worse, spawned Adult Swim--and, therefore, brought the state of animation to something of a renaissance while, at once, allowed for "internet-humor" to permeate our televisions. This was the first series that revealed to me that the target-audience of animation doesn't have to be children or families. After two false-starts, this finally premiered a mere few months after Conan's first night as the host of Late Night.

Space Ghost: C2C blends two genres: (1) the talk show and (2) the animated sitcom. Let me put both in context:

(1) Letterman was so important in the history of talk-shows, Space Ghost is most certainly classified as a "post-Letterman" production. SG:C2C wore that badge with honor. That said, these guys never mistook their show for an actual talk-show. The framework was there, but their intentions were far more experimental. That said, Letterman (and, later, Conan) was/were the starting point for their talk-show diversions.

(2) Early '94... The Simpsons were in their PRIME. The Critic had just been released. The "post-Simpsons" phase of televised animation had begun. There were plenty of animated shows that were, suddenly, trying to capture a wider audience. SG:C2C, on the other hand, didn't have a base audience of children and families to shed. These guys hit the scene knowing exactly who they were catering to from day one.

For the uninitiated, the "guest" would often sit in an empty room surrounded by cardboard cutouts of the characters. They would answer typical talk-show questions and respond to seemingly random events and prompts from the fictional characters. Some guests "got" the premise more than others. Some guests were let in on the joke (and, occasionally, a vague description of that particular show's storyboard). The final cartoon was always created and edited after the interview. Some guests merely appeared somewhat bemused (PLEASE look this word up and make sure your friends learn to use it properly), others genuinely did not understand the concept. Some guests knew the show well, and they "played along" as best they could.

Some guests never "got it" at all--but editing made them appear to jibe with the conceptual format. No matter the guest, some episodes made top priority of the story. Such unfortunate guests would be left behind and forgotten while Space Ghost embarked on some adventure.

I actually watched the Critic and Space Ghost: C2C back-to-back for a long time thanks to convenient programming. My two non-Simpsons complimentary-alternatives were placed so perfectly for me!

Space Ghost was (and is) the perfect balance between absurdist humor, the (post-Letterman) talk-show format, and brilliant improv editing. Episodes had preconceived "stories," but improv between the regular crew and the reaction/participation of the guest would ultimately dictate the final product. It was a unique experiment, and (in my opinion) an extremely successful one.

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Re: Favorite TV Shows: Top 10

Post by englishozzy »

No.6

Fawlty Towers (1975-1979)

A British sitcom that follows Basil Fawlty in the running of a hotel in the seaside town of Torquay.

I have never laughed so hard at anything else after watching this TV series, Cleese is on top form and i cannot believe that it only lasted 12 episodes. The sketches still hold up even after this length of time.

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Re: Favorite TV Shows: Top 10

Post by englishozzy »

Hayley's No.6

House (2004-Present)

An American medical drama centering on Dr. Gregory House, an unconventional and misanthropic medical genius.

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Re: Favorite TV Shows: Top 10

Post by numbersix »

Lost: Intriguing for the first two seasons, but the back/forward stories got increasingly far-fetched and the plot on the island was best described as.... lost! A good idea ruined by too many ridiculous elements.

Big Bang Theory: A very entertaining show, I have to admit. Not something I'd actively seek out, but it's better than most new sitcoms (seriously, is there anything good out there anymore?)

House: Can't watch it. It's the same predictable episode over and over. He's a jerk, but deep down he cares and gets the job done. Good for him.

America's Got Talent: Watched a bit of this early on but I find that it's the same kind of acts that get voted through all the time, so ultimately it's a bore. Also anything involving the word "talent" and Simon Cowell is automatically sinister. That guy is responsible for some of the worst music the world has ever heard.

Firefly: Good point, NSpan, and that may be the reason I don't really rate it.

Dexter: It was good for the first 2 seasons, three was awful, and four was good but by then I felt it had run its course, and characters were starting to not make much sense.

Malcolm in the Middle: A very good show. I actually think it was at its best when it wasn't trying to be a live-action Simpsons, and instead was lampooning family values (The Simpsons DID do that in the early seasons). The mother's character was excellent. And look how versitile Bryan Cranston has become, veering from slapstick silliness to the threatening Walt in Breaking Bad.

The Office US: I guess this is where we differ, W. The UK version was brilliant because it felt real. The US office was another silly sitcom using a redundant format. Season 2-4 were all pretty good, I must admit, but since then it has rapidly descended into a pile of crap (and indeed, the whole Jim/Dwight antagonism has changed since then). The last season was particularly bad and I'm done with the show.

Arrested Development: I know, I know...

Space Ghost: Much talked about by my friends, I had never seen it. I did enjoy those clips, though.

Fawlty Towers: Genius.

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