What TV shows are you watching? Part 2

[Sergio Zamora]

They are thankfully a dying breed, but I give you Two and a Half Men as one of the last old school sitcoms.

Just to clarify, I meant I can't think of examples of multi-camera sitcoms with no laugh track. I don't watch Two and a Half Men, but I'm pretty sure it has a laugh track.

There are still plenty of multi-camera shows (just not on NBC), and I'm sure they'll continue to thrive because they're so much more inexpensive to produce.

[stonemonkts]

Oh yes, of course it does...sorry I misunderstood.

[clinthopson]

The Brit sitcoms have the most obnoxious laugh tracks.

Even Monty Python!

[clinthopson]

I recorded Spike Lee's If God is Willing and Da Creek Don't Rise and we watched the first part last night.

The complete failure of the federal, state and local government, especially Bush's Feds, the physical and psychic damage that was experienced by so many N.O. folks is a disgrace for our country.

Today I talked to several of our friends about the show and all of us were angry, disgusted and in despair about what has happened.

I don't think we can handle the second part for a few days.

[patricia]

I recorded Spike Lee's If God is Willing and Da Creek Don't Rise and we watched the first part last night.

The complete failure of the federal, state and local government, especially Bush's Feds, the physical and psychic damage that was experienced by so many N.O. folks is a disgrace for our country.

Today I talked to several of our friends about the show and all of us were angry, disgusted and in despair about what has happened.

I don't think we can handle the second part for a few days.

What I think was interesting was that finally, after the almost complicit behaviour of the various news media with the Bush Administration on their mishandling of...............well, everything they touched, the "journalists" finally were angry and shocked enough to tell the story as it was happening.
It was a revelation, after years of Political Correctness, whether out of fear of retaliation, or misplaced patriotism by almost everyone who claimed to be informing the people on current events.
The dam broke, literally, and truth was finally out there and it wasn't pretty.

[bigtiny]

I don't own a TV, so my mass media comes via computer - Hulu and Netflix.

I just finished the third season DVDs of 'the Wire', which is one of the best TV shows I've seen in a long time (and I've been watching tv for a LONNNGGGG time =:-) )

I've been slowly working through Stargate Atlantis which is amusing at times....kind of the Star Trek, Next Generation style of show making.

I'm waiting for the first DVD of the fourth season of Dexter now. This is another show that I find to be exceptional. Really oddball premise, tight writing, great acting. I really enjoy it.

And...I just finsihed the second season of 'Six Feet Under' which I've really enjoyed so far.

bigtiny

[richardr]

I'm a bit out of touch with the best that American TV has to offer at the moment. Need to get back into the groove really. Currently showing my girlfriend 'The Wire' - which is one of the best shows I've ever seen. I don't think I'll be able to show her 'Dexter' as she's quite squeamish.

Any recommendations?

[stonemonkts]

My first recommendation would be to rent the Deadwood series, and watch it with subtitles. Some of the writing is just downright Shakespearean (or for Goody, de Vereian). I can watch that series over and over and over.

[Jazzooo]

Tiny, if can stick with 6 Feet Under, it has the best wrap up of any series i've ever seen.

[Vince Kargatis]

Sorry, the human brain lacks the capacity to conceive of a greater wrap than that of Newhart's.

Deadwood was fabulous, and got better every season. I was enthralled with how good some of the later s3 episodes were.

Breaking Bad is really great too, but perhaps goes into squeamish territory a bit too much for richardr's gf.

I'd also try out Battlestar Galactica, the first two seasons at least (or, at most?).

[Pete C]

I'm a bit out of touch with the best that American TV has to offer at the moment. Need to get back into the groove really. Currently showing my girlfriend 'The Wire' - which is one of the best shows I've ever seen. I don't think I'll be able to show her 'Dexter' as she's quite squeamish.

Any recommendations?

Have you seen 30 Rock? For me it leaves Seinfeld in the dust in the funny department.

[baksheesh]

Deadwood was fabulous, and got better every season. I was enthralled with how good some of the later s3 episodes were.

Breaking Bad is really great too, but perhaps goes into squeamish territory a bit too much for richardr's gf.

I'd also try out Battlestar Galactica, the first two seasons at least (or, at most?).

Great picks Vince! I can't quite agree with you re: Battlestar Galactica - i thought it was excellent right up until the end (which they resolved reasonably well I thought). A steady stream of revelations, and when you see just how much the characters have developed and changed throughout the series it is quite extraordinarily impressive for a mainstream series such as it is. However, the most significant caveat is the whole Starbuck plot line after she returns (you know whereof I speak) which kind of spoiled it for me. I mean, a revenant? C'mon

[baksheesh]

Have you seen 30 Rock? For me it leaves Seinfeld in the dust in the funny department.

Damn straight Mr. C! Some of the best writing I've seen since Arrested Development.

My current favourite line is Tracey's, as he bewails his perennially irresponsible ways:

"I can never change! I'm just like a chameleon - always a lizard!"

[steve(thelil)]

Have you seen 30 Rock? For me it leaves Seinfeld in the dust in the funny department.

I got tired of it this year. I'm not sure why.

[richardr]

Some nice choices here people - Deadwood is ordered and on the way!

To be fair, most of the stuff I watch, Mrs Rich doesn't see, but I feel the need to have somethings she can watch or it's endless makeover shows, Americas Next Top Model, Dating In The Dark, Project Runway - essentially any program with lots of squealing women, or exceedingly camp men (gay or straight). So being able to have something to watch that isn't one of these is a godsend

[Vince Kargatis]

Great picks Vince! I can't quite agree with you re: Battlestar Galactica - i thought it was excellent right up until the end (which they resolved reasonably well I thought). A steady stream of revelations, and when you see just how much the characters have developed and changed throughout the series it is quite extraordinarily impressive for a mainstream series such as it is. However, the most significant caveat is the whole Starbuck plot line after she returns (you know whereof I speak) which kind of spoiled it for me. I mean, a revenant? C'mon

Hm, I'm surprised you're so generous towards the later seasons, the problem being "a steady stream of revelations" - unfortunately literally! "Revelation" becomes increasingly important and central to plot developments, until culminating in the end - I'm really surprised you could stomach it.

I can enjoy revelation/religious-themed stories if they're really based on that plot point (e.g. Shyamalan's Signs, or Paxton's Frailty, or the cool flick The Rapture), but BSG started off fundamentally as a political and action story, and just went off the rails towards an unnecessary but unfortunately central revelation-based sequence. Blech.

[Chazro]

I recorded Spike Lee's If God is Willing and Da Creek Don't Rise and we watched the first part last night.

The complete failure of the federal, state and local government, especially Bush's Feds, the physical and psychic damage that was experienced by so many N.O. folks is a disgrace for our country.

Today I talked to several of our friends about the show and all of us were angry, disgusted and in despair about what has happened.

I don't think we can handle the second part for a few days.

The 2nd part is even more of a heart-breaker as it focuses on the BP Oil Spill (Spike points out how the media quickly went to calling it the 'Gulf' oil spill, something I never really thought about but after he shows BP's shameful record over the past 5 yrs around the planet, it's a true eye-opener). The poor residents are quoted as saying that as far as catastrophes go, Katrina was just a bad rain day compared to the damage caused by the spill! While gigantic props must be given to all those that are trying to make it work in New Orleans, there's just SO much going wrong at every level, I can't imagine this problem/situation ever truly being fixed. Not enough fingers for all the holes in that dam!

[baksheesh]

Hm, I'm surprised you're so generous towards the later seasons, the problem being "a steady stream of revelations" - unfortunately literally! "Revelation" becomes increasingly important and central to plot developments, until culminating in the end - I'm really surprised you could stomach it.

I can enjoy revelation/religious-themed stories if they're really based on that plot point (e.g. Shyamalan's Signs, or Paxton's Frailty, or the cool flick The Rapture), but BSG started off fundamentally as a political and action story, and just went off the rails towards an unnecessary but unfortunately central revelation-based sequence. Blech.

It was definitely a strong element, that's true - and it was hard to stomach, but I felt that the political and action aspects were still pretty strong, and they'd built up enough credit that I could overlook the other stuff. The mutiny for example was very powerful I thought.

[Vince Kargatis]

So we probably agree about the good and bad generally, and just differ on how sour our stomachs got. I did find the final space battle stuff an action mess, poorly directed excitement-wise. And I didn't mind the Earth-finding "twist" (though it suffered paleontological problems with suspension of disbelief). But overall, the series left NO room for non-revelation-based reasons to get where they got.

[baksheesh]

So we probably agree about the good and bad generally, and just differ on how sour our stomachs got. I did find the final space battle stuff an action mess, poorly directed excitement-wise. And I didn't mind the Earth-finding "twist" (though it suffered paleontological problems with suspension of disbelief). But overall, the series left NO room for non-revelation-based reasons to get where they got.

I totally agree with you on that last point Vince. I thought the way they resolved the long running 'guardian angel' thing was extremely weak. The use of 'All Along the Watchtower' was frankly where they really jumped the shark I felt. I suppose they felt that the religious aspects were so integral to the plot that they could get away with anything, without expecting to have to explain it in a plausible fashion.

[stonemonkts]

This is pretty close to how I felt watching one of my favorite shows slide down that spiritual slope

[LennyH]

Some nice choices here people - Deadwood is ordered and on the way!

You will not be sorry.

[LennyH]

I'm glad some people mentioned that IFC is showing Freaks and Geeks. I have caught a couple and really enjoyed it so far.

[baksheesh]

What I think was interesting was that finally, after the almost complicit behaviour of the various news media with the Bush Administration on their mishandling of...............well, everything they touched, the "journalists" finally were angry and shocked enough to tell the story as it was happening.
It was a revelation, after years of Political Correctness, whether out of fear of retaliation, or misplaced patriotism by almost everyone who claimed to be informing the people on current events.
The dam broke, literally, and truth was finally out there and it wasn't pretty.

All too true patricia, but the tragedy is that it takes such a long period of time for journalists to feel safe enough to talk about things like this honestly. (primarily I'm guessing because in this media saturated age anything that happened last year doesn't even merit a blip on the current events radar - 'Hurricane Katrina? That's like soooo over! Now back to the non-event du jour')

Two recent examples of the continued whipped-cur-ness and ongoing craven licking-of-the-hand-that-feeds-them-ness have been discussed by posters here recently: Sergio highlighted an even more egregious example of Fox's hypocrisy than we are accustomed to, and the small but significant recharacterisation of the 'BP Oil Spill' to 'Gulf Spill'. Make no mistake - those fuckers should evermore be associated with that catastrophe, and long may it tarnish their name and curdle their share dividends. I mean we don't refer to the 'Prince William Sound Spill' do we? Nope (that was a rhetorical question of course) we call it the 'Exxon Valdez Spill'.

[patricia]

Two recent examples of the continued whipped-cur-ness and ongoing craven licking-of-the-hand-that-feeds-them-ness have been discussed by posters here recently: Sergio highlighted an even more egregious example of Fox's hypocrisy than we are accustomed to, and the small but significant recharacterisation of the 'BP Oil Spill' to 'Gulf Spill'. Make no mistake - those fuckers should evermore be associated with that catastrophe, and long may it tarnish their name and curdle their share dividends. I mean we don't refer to the 'Prince William Sound Spill' do we? Nope (that was a rhetorical question of course) we call it the 'Exxon Valdez Spill'.

Exactly. There are even those who refer to the BP Oil Spill as Obamas Katrina. Correct me if I am wrong, but was this tragedy not the fault of vaguely enforced, carelessly maintained drilling standards and loosened safety regulations already in place when Obama took office.
I cannot see that he could have done anything differently, or more promptly than he did.

[clinthopson]

The dildos that use Fox News as their source of information obviously don;t care about facts.

I wonder if they know that a big chunk of Murdock's empire is owned by a Saudi prince.

[Pete C]

In honor of Stonemonk's avatar, I have the first disc of the Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin at home. I've watched 4 of 7. It grew on my by the second. Interesting to watch a pretty disturbing middle-age meltdown as a premise for broad comedy.

[stonemonkts]

On behalf of my avatar and I, we are honored.

[Pete C]

Fixed.

On behalf of my hippopotamus and I, we are honored.

[CraigP]

I watch a silly but entertaining show on USA Network called Psych, about a "psychic detective" and his sidekick.