I tend to avoid having cable since it causes me to get nothing done, so I find myself waiting for seasons of TV shows on DVD to be released. Anybody have any suggestions?
So far I've bought/rented and enjoyed:
Battlestar Galactica
Lost
Firefly
Deadwood
The 4400
I cant find early seasons of Stargate, and the price point for Star Trek stuff is out of the question.
Any opinions on Millenium or Earth2?
Totally support 'Lost', great great writing. And watching them at your own pace is a big plus to buying/renting the dvds...plus all the bonus stuff. See if you can find the 6 part miniseries BBC production of 'Neverwhere', by Neil Gaiman. There's a thread about him in the [movie] forum on this page about his movie 'Mirrormask'. The only other thing I can recommend is 'Sopranos', which is friggin awesome, but very involved...payoffs in subplots during Season 5 start waaaaaaay back in like the third episode. For right now that's all I can say. I like 'House', but it is an acquired taste, I can't just blindly recommend it.
So far I've bought/rented and enjoyed:
Battlestar Galactica
Lost
Firefly
Deadwood
The 4400I cant find early seasons of Stargate, and the price point for Star Trek stuff is out of the question.
Any opinions on Millenium or Earth2?
Millenium was a gritty, spooky, creepy show that I enjoyed very much. First two seasons were really great. I REALLY enjoyed Mr. Black's way of tracking down serial killers. Ah, good old Lance; You just can't get enough of that guy.
But it went a little downhill at the third season after Frank Black's wife died. The main story got so twisted and mixed up (Roosters and Owls?!?...) that it lost it's essence. I think Chris Carter was on crack when he wrote this stuff.
I enjoyed the X-Files episode that kinda wraped up the Millenium Series after it was cancelled. Sort of the same thing that happened to the Lone Gunmen series.
Earth 2 had potential (I watched it...), but got cancelled just when it was becomming interesting.
Ultradan
(P.S.: About Lost... As I mentionned in the 'What I'm Watching' thread, this series is really good at keeping me glued to the screen, but they better have a mighty good explanation for everything that's going on or I swear I'll write them a nasty letter!)
Seinfeld is still the best show on television. You didn't even need cable.
Undeclared, Freaks and Geeks, and Arrested Development are also good buys, IMO.
I'm still waiting for The Wonder Years, as soon as they work out the sticky issues with the music rights.
Seinfeld is still the best show on television. You didn't even need cable.
I obsessed over this show, taping every episode, until like the third/fourth season, when they revealed Kramer's first name...I loved those episodes:
George (to passerby): "Where are we?"
Passerby (over shoulder): "Earth."
But, something after that made me lose interest. I've picked most of them up in syndication over the years, but right there at that point, something shifted and I lost it...whatever 'it' was...not that there's anything wrong with that.
So... you're not a fan. Not that there's anything wrong with that.
I actually think I know what you mean. The early seasons were simpler. . . and the characters could sustain being in a static environment for the whole 24 minutes. . . such as the one where they are in the parking lot looking for their car, or all slipt up to take different trains on the subway, fight over a parking space, or wait for a table at a chinese restaruant.
Later seasons, while still extremely funny and well-written, began to rely on numerous locations and multiple short scenes to build up a convoluted plot to a big finish that somehow ties everything together. It's still clever, IMO, but not the same.
"You want to know why you can't go in front first? I'll tell you why. Because it signals a breakdown in the social order. Chaos. It reduces us to jungle law." - The Parking Space
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I agree, Chris. The earlier ones have that 'simple truth' to the humor. The later ones still have lots to offer...shrinkage, as a *ahem* small example, but the KISS rule applies. Keep it Simple, Stupid. I don't remember where in the seasonal line-up it occurred, but my favorite episode of all time has to be the one where Jerry can't remember the name of the girl he's dating. "It's not easy having a name that rhymes with a part of the female anatomy!"
I've got all but the last season of Futurama on DVD, and 3 seasons of Space Ghost: Coast to Coast, and the collected BlackAdder (love your screen name S. Baldrick!). I agree that Neverwhere is a great addition!. My wife just finished her collection of Soap at Christmas.
I haven't picked up Deadwood yet, but that's on the list!
Two series that I wish would come out, but probably never will...
Strange Luck staring D.B. Sweeney as Chance Harper (I almost had my wife convinced to name our daughter Chance)
-and-
Brimstone starring Peter Horton as a damned soul brought back from Hell by the Devil (wonderfully played by the diabolical John Glover) to hunt down escaped souls.
Both were Fox series that lasted 1 season. Both would be snatched up immediately if I ever see them!
oh, yeah... and the answer to Jerry's problem with his girlfriend?
"Deloris!"
Farscape. Definitely.
I second the Buffy nomination.
Upright Citizen's Brigade.
"Deloris"? What about "Mulva"?
Yeah, I think it WAS because they were more simpler. (yeah, I wrote 'more simpler', I am getting slaphappy at 2 in the morning.)
The only couple from the last seasons that I reallyreally liked was the one that was one long setup so Kramer ended up in the pimp suit and the one where George had the hi score on Frogger and had to get the machine across the street...for some reason, I forget.
And jon, I agree with 'UCB', the one where they are playing poker around a table and they all tell what the worst thing they did to each other. The payoff was just too friggin amazing!
I guess if I can list 'dream dvds', I would put 'Tales from the Darkside' and 'The Darkroom', two horror anthology shows that freaked me out when I was a kid. One of those did a 'homage' to Stephen King's short story 'Battleground' where the green army men toys come to life and kill everything in their path.
I can't remember if they have released this one or not, but 'Jim Henson's The Storyteller' was pretty great too.
And MTV's 'The State'. I have about 4 of them on VHS.
Brimstone starring Peter Horton as a damned soul brought back from Hell by the Devil (wonderfully played by the diabolical John Glover) to hunt down escaped souls.
Both were Fox series that lasted 1 season. Both would be snatched up immediately if I ever see them!
I thought *I* was the ONLY one who watched that! I liked that show as well, but as it was on Friday nights, I only caught it sporadically.
Unfortuantely, your right. That show is probably lost to the ether.
Red Dwarf. BBC comedy about a guy kept in stasis for 3 million years on an space mining ship who wakes up to the hologram of his dead bunkmate and a lifeform evolved from his cat. Geart funny stuff. The episode where they went to the backwards London was one of the best. I still laugh when I think about that one.
M@
Red Dwarf. BBC comedy about a guy kept in stasis for 3 million years on an space mining ship who wakes up to the hologram of his dead bunkmate and a lifeform evolved from his cat. Geart funny stuff. The episode where they went to the backwards London was one of the best. I still laugh when I think about that one.
M@
How about the one with the "white hole"...
Ultradan
Try out the new Red Dwarf, 'Hyper Drive'. The first series just finished over here, I watched a few and it was ok.
If your into surreal UK comedy try:
Spoons
Man stroke Woman
Titty Bang Bang
Jam
Black Books
Spaced (the excellent series made by the Shaun of the Dead guys.)
Peep Show
The Mighty Boosh (my favorite at the moment)
The I.T. Crowd.
Nathan Barley
US stuff I like:
Family Guy
American Dad
Sopranoes
Six Feet Under
Smallville (Starting to annoy me though.)
Stargate (havent seen any Atlantis yet)
Cant stand 'Lost-interest'.
Hate almost all US sitcoms for some reason, maybe its the canned-laughter track they have dubbed over them, is that to tell the viewer when to laugh, its awful?!
That 'Arrested Development' is quite good though.
Hate almost all US sitcoms for some reason, maybe its the canned-laughter track they have dubbed over them, is that to tell the viewer when to laugh, its awful?!
Anyone seen Sports Night? The show was not filmed in front of a live audience, but they added a few misplaced laugh tracks here and there (I'm sure a network "note" to get it on the air). It makes what is otherwise an excellent series kind of lame. It's very weird.
I don't own this DVD series yet, but one of my old roomates had it, and I watched it all. It's been floating on my short list of purchases for awhile, but I haven't pulled the trigger yet.
Hate almost all US sitcoms for some reason, maybe its the canned-laughter track they have dubbed over them, is that to tell the viewer when to laugh, its awful?!
Anyone seen Sports Night? The show was not filmed in front of a live audience, but they added a few misplaced laugh tracks here and there (I'm sure a network "note" to get it on the air). It makes what is otherwise an excellent series kind of lame. It's very weird.
I don't own this DVD series yet, but one of my old roomates had it, and I watched it all. It's been floating on my short list of purchases for awhile, but I haven't pulled the trigger yet.
Yes, I noticed that, its the one with Six Feet Unders's 'Nate' in it.
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Anyone seen Sports Night?
Yes! Sports Night was a great show (noted exception being the laugh-track). And, it's where I fell in lust with Felicity Hoffman! I think the biggest problem was the whole 'Drama-dy' (marriage of drama and comedy) genera was something that networks in thier infinite idiocy thought that the viewers wouldn't be able to understand. "But, if we don't have a laugh-track, how will the viewers know where the funny is??" Easy, we'll watch and we'll laugh.
That's the thing that I think a lot of the cable stations are starting to get...the audience is (or at least 'can be') smarter than the networks give them credit for. That's why shows Deadwood, the Sopranos, and Six Feet Under can develop such strong followings. Al Sweringen and Tony Soprano are evil, vile f***ing human beings, but they are compelling to watch because they are not 1 dimentional in thier evil. They are complex, flawed, and intriguing human characters. Watch Al euthenizing Reverand Smith in the last episode of Deadwood's season 1 to see a character at once being brutal, utilitarian, compasionate, and mournful...Ian McShane delivers the scene with tremendous pathos that network types will never understand.
That's the thing that I think a lot of the cable stations are starting to get...the audience is (or at least 'can be') smarter than the networks give them credit for. That's why shows Deadwood, the Sopranos, and Six Feet Under can develop such strong followings. Al Sweringen and Tony Soprano are evil, vile f***ing human beings, but they are compelling to watch because they are not 1 dimentional in thier evil. They are complex, flawed, and intriguing human characters. Watch Al euthenizing Reverand Smith in the last episode of Deadwood's season 1 to see a character at once being brutal, utilitarian, compasionate, and mournful...Ian McShane delivers the scene with tremendous pathos that network types will never understand.
I really need to get cable and see these shows. I haven't had cable for about 8 years now. I don't miss it on a daily basis, but when I visit my family, stay in a hotel, or visit a friend with cable, I'm absolutely entranced by it.
Plus, the reception in Galveston is *bleagh.* I don't get NBC at all.
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I really need to get cable and see these shows. I haven't had cable for about 8 years now. I don't miss it on a daily basis, but when I visit my family, stay in a hotel, or visit a friend with cable, I'm absolutely entranced by it.
Plus, the reception in Galveston is *bleagh.* I don't get NBC at all.
You can rent 'em all from Blockbuster or most any of your preferred video/DVD shops, and if you like them, buy the set. If you like westerns at all, watch Deadwood! If you don't like westerns at all... I would still say watch Deadwood! Season 2 isn't out on DVD yet (I think), but season 1 will probably catch you like a treble hook.
Another series I really liked was Dead Like Me. A typically mind-numbed, willingly-disengaged teenaged girl is killed by a piece of the Mir space station as it falls back to earth, but her soul is pulled out of her body just before the event. She then finds out she's turned into a "Reaper"...dead folks who haven't moved along yet and help usher other souls to the afterlife. Very funny, some philosophical, plenty of black humor. Two seasons worth of great watching. PLUS! Mandy Patinkin is Rube, the leader/middle management type of the group of Reapers.
I don't get any stations up here in Killeen and don't do either cable or satellite. My wife and I both tend to be drooling idiots if there is a TV on around us regardless of how insipid or pointless the programming is. Harlan Ellison was right on the money about 'The Glass Teat'. I feel like I'm at a 12 step program... "Hi, I'm Gavin. And I'm a TV idiot" "Hi, Gavin" "I haven't network, cable or satallite TV for 5 years now..." applause
We get Fox, CBS, PBS, and a somewhat fuzzy ABC. Right now, the TV is mostly about Football season and the DVD player. Which is cool. . . but I miss the 6-7 pristine channels I got in Indy.
I've seen alot of differnt TV seasons at Blockbuster, but I haven't rented any of them. I've been wanting to get Netflix for awhile now too. . . they'll probably have everything I'd want to see.
Thanks for the advice, Gav.
Brimstone (as mentioned) was a cool concept fell down a little after the set up but the idea was very cool.
Smallville - if just for the beautiful people, but I think it is a pretty good adaptation of the Superman (pre-cape anyway) to the small screen. As a fan of comics a lot of the small nods to material in the comics are to me a lot of fun.
Stargate - especially some of the episodes that deal with the travellers impact on the civilizations they visit.
I know there are some anime haters out there but anime has some great concepts that can be ported into games - and really use some wonderful imagery even if the storylines are sometimes goofy or their are to many cheesy comic relief characters.
Full Metal Alchemist, Inuyasha, Witch Hunter Robin, Fist of the North Star (series and movie), Ninja Scroll (series and movie) as movie rentals Ghost in the Shell, Princess Mononoke, and Spirited Away are all worth a look.
Babylon 5 - had a cool concept and some good episodes and solid characters but were inconsistant in terms of quality.
Babylon 5 - had a cool concept and some good episodes and solid characters but were inconsistant in terms of quality.
...AND TIME SLOTS!! Over here, in Canada it would play on different days and at different hours. Then, for the final seasons, ended up on thursday late nights at 12h15 (12h15!?!).
Then they wondered why nobody watched it. Morons!
Ultradan
One word for you - FIREFLY
and SERENITY.
Ok thats three words. (7 if your being pedantic)
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I tend to avoid having cable since it causes me to get nothing done, so I find myself waiting for seasons of TV shows on DVD to be released. Anybody have any suggestions?
So far I've bought/rented and enjoyed:
Battlestar Galactica
Lost
Firefly
Deadwood
The 4400I cant find early seasons of Stargate, and the price point for Star Trek stuff is out of the question.
Any opinions on Millenium or Earth2?
If you like Lost, check out the brilliantly convoluted, surreal masterpiece that is Twin Peaks. It will grab you in the first five minutes.
If you like Lost, check out the brilliantly convoluted, surreal masterpiece that is Twin Peaks. It will grab you in the first five minutes.
One of the best shows ever! :)
Give Carnivalé a shot, too.
Absolutely ! It is a great story, if somewhat hard to decipher. Sad thing they cancelled it (AFAIK).
Stefan
Anything new of the scifi variety? I've avidly watched Stargate (both) and Battlestar Galactica but the new seasons haven't started yet ;(
Although extremely cheesey,
Hercules
Xena (the later seasons of Xena got REALLY twisted).
Highlander
Star Trek (Wal-Mart is selling TNG and DSN for half price in the States)
Coupling (BBC, not US)
MacGuyver
Angel
Buffy
X-Files
Babylon 5
Crusade (had promise, but not as good as B5)
Stargate
Atlantis
Battlestar
Farscape
Quantum Leap
Enough about my collection ; )
DVD TV:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/browse/-/163450/ref=d_bg_tv/104-995759 8-2182301
Hi, my name is Nicolas Logue,I'm a TVonDVD addict.
My current favorite is West Wing. The dialogue is the best I've ever witnessed on television (and better than most movies). Great great show.
I also LOOOOVE the X-Files.
Carivale was the best thing on tv until they cancelled it...my fiance and I mourned for a few weeks. I keep waiting for Season 2 to come out on DVD so I can buy it.
Battlestar Galactica is pretty cool...it really starts getting interesting in the second season if you ask me.
I would second Farscape; took me a bit to get into it, but is a great story. Also, Babylon 5; great story but rocky start.
I would second Farscape; took me a bit to get into it, but is a great story. Also, Babylon 5; great story but rocky start.
I may have to have a Babylon breakdown...I have resisted for soooo long (for purely financial reasons), but maybe its time to start saving up.
Contributor
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I really dig Boston Legal,
Its Star Trek"Every Generation" on one of those flashback planets (in this case 21st century Boston) where Kirk is still trying to score and for some reason Murphy Brown is with him.
I'm also super addicted to the Dog Whisperer.
Hail Ceaser!
I've been following Blade: The Series as well (good writing, bad acting)
I was also really into the last season of Dark Angel (the one where they had the dogman character), they're showing repeats on SciFi network, so I'm pretty psyched about that.
And of course there was Firefly... everyone loved Firefly.
I looked thru this thread and nobody mentioned Veronica Mars. Its a great show, a little teen angst, a little neo-noir, an American TV show that actually addresses race and class, plus lots of humor.
Other favorites:
Alias
Angel
Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Carnivale
Deadwood
Farscape
Firefly
Gilmore Girls
Lost
MI-5
Once and Again
Rescue Me
Scrubs
The Shield
The Sopranos
The Wire
And of course there was Firefly... everyone loved Firefly.
Moment of silence please, for Firefly.
...
...
We'll always love you Firefly.
"Take my love, take my land, take where I cannot stand..."
"I don't care, I'm still free. You can't take the sky from me."
Series that I'll be watching this season:
Supernatural (must...have...it)
The Unit
Eureka
Criminal Minds
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I looked thru this thread and nobody mentioned Veronica Mars. Its a great show, a little teen angst, a little neo-noir, an American TV show that actually addresses race and class, plus lots of humor.
Hey, my friend just got me hooked on that show! There are too many eccentric and entertaining (and often sexy-but-moderately-evil) characters to pick just one favorite, plus pop-culture references a-plenty. I'm almost through Season 2 right now.
Buffy and Angel fan-ness goes without saying. I'm looking forward to the Buffy comic that will continue where the series left off.
Does anyone know if there has ever been a DVD release of The Prisoner? One of the local rental places has a small handful of episodes on VHS, but I would love to see the series in its entirety.
MY NAME IS EARL. Best show on TV.
One of the best shows ever! :)If you like Lost, check out the brilliantly convoluted, surreal masterpiece that is Twin Peaks. It will grab you in the first five minutes.
I loved that show! Agent Cooper was the Man!