Author Topic: Good TV series. What do you watch? I used to watch Lost to unwind need successor (Read 109,332 times)

Innuendo · « **Reply #25 on:** June 07, 2009, 03:04 PM »

Miles, I know what you mean...I think I only saw one Bada Bing girl in the entire series run that I found really attractive. As for the show ending, the official reason was that they wanted to go out on top before they started to run out of ideas and the show became lame and sad. The unofficial reason, and the one I believe to carry more weight, is that HBO was tired of paying Gandolfini over one million dollars per episode.

I hope he stashed his money away because I am willing to bet him doing that Tony Awards gig didn't pay too many bills.

Innuendo · « **Reply #26 on:** June 07, 2009, 03:07 PM »

Oh, another recommendation....if one likes quirky characters with quirky plots with some smart writing I'll recommend Sci-Fi Channel's Eureka. It'll be entering its third season this coming July and it's a great show to sit down and be entertained while one unwinds.

MilesAhead · « **Reply #27 on:** June 07, 2009, 03:42 PM »

Quote from: Innuendo on June 07, 2009, 03:04 PM

Miles, I know what you mean...I think I only saw one Bada Bing girl in the entire series run that I found really attractive.

Yeah, it's pretty bad when you're hoping Meadow takes a shower.

Quote

As for the show ending, the official reason was that they wanted to go out on top before they started to run out of ideas and the show became lame and sad.

As it was I think they rehashed some old plot pieces and stuck 'em together. Seems to me they redid the bit about people having their "goodie bags" ripped off near the end of the series that was originally done when Christopher was selling his movie script. Plus that same episode had some other stuff that tasted like used coffee grounds. Can't remember exactly but there were 3 or 4 elements that were pure rehash.

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I hope he stashed his money away because I am willing to bet him doing that Tony Awards gig didn't pay too many bills.

I can't believe they sold it to A & E with the audio euphemism insertions. I mean, the only way I could watch that would be if Joel Hodgeson and a couple of robots made sarcastic comments while the show was playing on a screen in the background.

MilesAhead · « **Reply #28 on:** June 07, 2009, 03:47 PM »

Plus, let's not forget one of the freakiest TV shows of all time, LEXX. Talk about weird! It's bad enough to have a contract put out on you but for some reason I don't want to be killed by a dead assassin.

OTOH, if you have to be President of the USA, Bunny is hotter than most first ladies I've seen.

40hz · « **Reply #29 on:** June 07, 2009, 04:07 PM »

Quote from: MilesAhead on June 07, 2009, 03:47 PM

Plus, let's not forget one of the freakiest TV shows of all time, LEXX. Talk about weird! It's bad enough to have a contract put out on you but for some reason I don't want to be killed by a dead assassin.

Truly weird series. Especially the first season with the original cast.

(I also thought Eva Habermann did a better portrayal of the character Zev than Xenia Seeberg did. But maybe that's just me.

)

Innuendo · « **Reply #30 on:** June 07, 2009, 06:50 PM »

Lexx is awesome...I never got to watch the show when it originally aired & I was for darn sure not going to pay the going prices for what the DVDs are going for these days, but I was fortunate enough to get the DVDs by other means...

But that show was razor-sharp. Beyond all the surrealism there was some smart writing with clever plot devices that have not been seen before or since. However, I don't think this show, as good as it is, fits the spirit of the thread. It wasn't a sit & unwind type of affair. It demanded your full attention & if you didn't give your full attention you ended up missing lots of clever bits & pieces.

Eva Habermann was better. Unfortunately, contractual obligations cut her participation in the series short. She's stated in interviews that she would have loved to play the part through the entire series run. Alas, it wasn't meant to be.

MilesAhead · « **Reply #31 on:** June 07, 2009, 08:54 PM »

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Truly weird series. Especially the first season with the original cast.

(I also thought Eva Habermann did a better portrayal of the character Zev than Xenia Seeberg did. But maybe that's just me. )

I thought Xenia Seeberg looked really lame until she landed on planet Fire. After Prince took the guk off her she emerged with a hot hairdo and outfit that made all the difference. Both babes were good though.

MilesAhead · « **Reply #32 on:** June 07, 2009, 08:58 PM »

Quote from: Innuendo on June 07, 2009, 06:50 PM

But that show was razor-sharp. Beyond all the surrealism there was some smart writing with clever plot devices that have not been seen before or since.

Yeah, every time I have the misfortune to deal with hospitals, health insurance, yadda yadda, I think of the sequence where Zev blows up the moon behind the hospital satellite and all of a sudden they offer health care pro bono! Wish I had me one of them big bugs sometimes.

40hz · « **Reply #33 on:** June 08, 2009, 05:52 AM »

Quote from: MilesAhead on June 07, 2009, 08:58 PM

Quote from: Innuendo on June 07, 2009, 06:50 PM
But that show was razor-sharp. Beyond all the surrealism there was some smart writing with clever plot devices that have not been seen before or since.

Yeah, every time I have the misfortune to deal with hospitals, health insurance, yadda yadda, I think of the sequence where Zev blows up the moon behind the hospital satellite and all of a sudden they offer health care pro bono! Wish I had me one of them big bugs sometimes.

Or if not a bug, at least Zev. Based on her design spec and function, I'm sure she could take your mind off everything except one thing.

MilesAhead · « **Reply #34 on:** June 08, 2009, 03:55 PM »

40hz I wouldn't want to be havin' no heart condition with that babe around!

Innuendo · « **Reply #35 on:** June 08, 2009, 06:48 PM »

If someone is a sci-fi fan and wants a far-reaching epic storyline and is willing to make a time investment look no farther than Babylon 5. With a non-static world where if something happens in one episode it is true in all subsequent episodes and story arcs that reach across seasons it's a very well-written space opera with a widely varied cast of characters with plenty of intrigue & cloak and dagger mystery.

MilesAhead · « **Reply #36 on:** June 09, 2009, 12:09 AM »

Hmmmmm, how about the category of "Host(s) who ridicule the movies in order to get you to watch schlock flix?" I can think of MST3K, Elvira Mistress of the Dark, The Cool Ghoul, Pheep(guy in a costume.. he's supposed to be an alien but he looks like a lightbulb with a megaphone in his mouth.) That's all I get off the top of my head. Anyone have any other nominees?

Ehtyar · « **Reply #37 on:** June 09, 2009, 12:30 AM »

Quote from: Innuendo on June 08, 2009, 06:48 PM

If someone is a sci-fi fan and wants a far-reaching epic storyline and is willing to make a time investment look no farther than Babylon 5. With a non-static world where if something happens in one episode it is true in all subsequent episodes and story arcs that reach across seasons it's a very well-written space opera with a widely varied cast of characters with plenty of intrigue & cloak and dagger mystery.

+1 +1 +1

Ehtyar.

merkin · « **Reply #38 on:** June 10, 2009, 10:06 AM »

Lie To Me
House
Criminal Minds
CSI Vegas
Medium
Supernatural
The Mentalist
The Unit
Weeds

If you like comedy, Testees.
My favourite quote, "apparently you're not supposed to stick a carrot in your eurethra".

wraith808 · « **Reply #39 on:** June 10, 2009, 02:09 PM »

Quote from: Innuendo on June 08, 2009, 06:48 PM

If someone is a sci-fi fan and wants a far-reaching epic storyline and is willing to make a time investment look no farther than Babylon 5. With a non-static world where if something happens in one episode it is true in all subsequent episodes and story arcs that reach across seasons it's a very well-written space opera with a widely varied cast of characters with plenty of intrigue & cloak and dagger mystery.

I'm as big a sci-fi fan as any, but I just couldn't get into it for some reason. I even like Straczynski's other work, especially Rising Stars (I wish Heroes hadn't taken off an let us down- Rising Stars was better and well plotted), Supreme Power and surprisingly Midnight Nation.

I gave B5 an honest try, and probably will again at some point. But the first time struck out with me.

Innuendo · « **Reply #40 on:** June 10, 2009, 06:27 PM »

Wraith, that's a fair enough assessment for some people. Babylon 5 was a space opera on a massive scale. There was lots of groundwork for later plotpoints in early episodes that would leave you wondering, "What's that got to do with the price of tea in China?" and then 3 or 5 or 10 episodes down the line it'd be, "Ohhh! That's what *that* meant!!".

It probably wouldn't fare too well in today's climate of ADD-oriented, instant-gratification TV viewing.

40hz · « **Reply #41 on:** June 10, 2009, 06:27 PM »

+1 on Weeds. Especially the first and most of the second season. It went a little over the top after that and (to me) it felt like the screenwriters lost control of the plot. I stopped watching it after that. I don't know if they got it back later in the series.

wraith808 · « **Reply #42 on:** June 10, 2009, 06:43 PM »

Quote from: Innuendo on June 10, 2009, 06:27 PM

Wraith, that's a fair enough assessment for some people. Babylon 5 was a space opera on a massive scale. There was lots of groundwork for later plotpoints in early episodes that would leave you wondering, "What's that got to do with the price of tea in China?" and then 3 or 5 or 10 episodes down the line it'd be, "Ohhh! That's what *that* meant!!".

It probably wouldn't fare too well in today's climate of ADD-oriented, instant-gratification TV viewing.

But the funny thing is, I like shows like that!

I love all of the Whedon stuff where he pulls from older episodes and especially unfinished business (Niska was a piece of work!). I don't like episodic stuff; I prefer long ranging arcs where things have meaning, which is the reason that DS9 was my fave Star Trek. In books, I devour epic series like A Song of Ice and Fire. B5 just didn't catch me for some reason...

40hz · « **Reply #43 on:** June 12, 2009, 06:13 PM »

I don't know if this pricing is available nationwide, but I noticed WalMart where I live has the first 4 seasons of 24 on sale for $20 each.

If you're a fan of 24, maybe now is the time to stock up?

MilesAhead · « **Reply #44 on:** June 13, 2009, 04:53 AM »

A very different show was Nowhere Man. Unforunately or fortunately, depending on your point of view, it was only one season. I got the entire show on a DVD set from Deep Discount DVD for $30. I wish they used maybe one more DVD to get a little better bitrate. But you could watch it. The plot was unique. Not the usual boiler plate.

Shades · « **Reply #45 on:** June 13, 2009, 06:07 AM »

Everybody here forgot about 'V'? (Aliens who take over the world)
It was well done for the times this show aired.

off topic:
@40Hz
no signal? init 0?
You lost your muse?

wraith808 · « **Reply #46 on:** June 13, 2009, 12:39 PM »

Quote from: MilesAhead on June 13, 2009, 04:53 AM

A very different show was Nowhere Man. Unforunately or fortunately, depending on your point of view, it was only one season. I got the entire show on a DVD set from Deep Discount DVD for $30. I wish they used maybe one more DVD to get a little better bitrate. But you could watch it. The plot was unique. Not the usual boiler plate.

Not boiler plate, but not exactly original either.

Innuendo · « **Reply #47 on:** June 13, 2009, 02:49 PM »

Quote from: Shades

Everybody here forgot about 'V'? (Aliens who take over the world)
It was well done for the times this show aired.

What are the odds you'd post that on the same day a friend of mine just emailed me this:

http://abc.go.com/fallpreview/index?pn=v&partner=rm&cid=rm+google+v+v

That's right. They are going to re-imagine the classic sci-fi TV series (their words) and it's going to be aired sometime in the future. ABC says it's part of the fall lineup, but IMDB says don't expect it till 2010. The clip on the above link looks good, though.

Since they are using the word 're-imagine' I'm thinking they are looking to cash in like the Sci-Fi Channel did when they 're-imagined' the old 70s TV series Battlestar Galactica.

MilesAhead · « **Reply #48 on:** June 13, 2009, 05:06 PM »

Well, it's not exactly the prisoner. In Prisoner, the guy is stuck in The Village(tm) while in Nowhere Man, there's no "escape." Everywhere he goes is same crap different day. They were both interesting. Although Prisoner sort of dallied around before getting to the point of who is #1.

wraith808 · « **Reply #49 on:** June 14, 2009, 02:42 AM »

Not exactly, but close enough- the creator even admitted that it was large parts the Prisoner. Especially in the beginning when they actually have him locked up before he escaped...