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Favorite TV shows of all time

Discussion in 'General Discussion' started by Ton80, May 20, 2010.

  1. Beefy Phil

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    The Wire? The Sopranos? Six Feet Under?

    Look, I absolutely commend Abrams and ABC for doing what network television had generally failed to do up to that point: they engaged and maintained a large audience with an episodic program that required multiple seasons to satisfy the plot. The degree of audience participation alone makes it unique. I could not have cared less about the show, but I recognize that it was important.

    To say that it was innovative, though, simply because it required such a large investment of time and attention to its intricacies is to ignore the 7+ years of original programming produced by HBO before anyone had even heard of 'Lost'. 'Lost' is one of many projects to come out of what was objectively an excellent decade for television, but it certainly wasn't the first, won't be the last, and, in my opinion, wasn't even close to the best.

    Focus:

    I'm throwing out a couple I haven't seen listed

    Roseanne: Excellent writing, excellent cast, as long as you ignore the final season. It broke the chain of sitcoms portraying well-to-do middle class families with tidy homes and allowed a lot of people to relate to a thoroughly imperfect family. Easily one of the Top 5 sitcoms of the 80s and 90s.

    Golden Girls: Fun fact for all you 'Arrested Development' fans (of which I am one): Mitch Hurwitz wrote the shit out of this show. Say what you want about the subject matter, it was just funny. This was Betty White being Betty White before it was hip to be Betty White. If you want to write for TV, this is a fucking clinic.
     
  2. DAMAGGOT

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    It's Always sunny in Philadelphia- As mentioned by a couple others, this show produces comedy gold. The cast seems so horribly out of touch with what would be considered the norm that it is a train wreck week after week, and that makes for a good laugh.
     
  3. amjoyce

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    Definitely Going with the Shield and Nip/Tuck and House as the favorites for drama.

    South Park reigns supreme for comedy.

    As a kid I loved Dragonball Z and Reboot though I'm not sure if anyone here is young enough to remember those.
     
  4. NaughtyAmberX

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    Family Guy for the humor. Also, I love Stewie and Brian. It seems so ironic to me that they're the smartest out of the whole family, although I'm sure the irony was intended.
    House because Hugh Laurie is amazingly funny, and I love how you don't have to rack your brain to follow the story line like you have to do in some other doctor/hospital movies.
    16 & Pregnant/Teen Mom because whenever, for some off reason, I may convince myself that I want a child, all I have to do is go to MTV.com and watch an episode. It actually shows the struggles of teen parents. A lot of "reality" shows like this only show positive or only negative things. This show usually focuses on both.
    Boy Meets World, even though it's not airing anymore. I still use YouTube to watch episodes time after time. I've seen every episode. I've watched it since I was about 10 years old.
     
  5. RCGT

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    OK, I'll try to make this post have something new.

    First off, stuff already mentioned. The Wire is deep and intricate. Seinfeld is a classic, and possibly the best comedy ever made. South Park might be the best show on television. The Daily Show is perhaps the smartest news outlet we've got at the moment. Arrested Development was pretty funny for a show with 2 likable characters. Futurama is better than the Simpsons - believe it. Curb Your Enthusiasm is Larry David at his finest. Firefly is a bright and shining show, and you can certainly take 13 hours of your week to watch the first and only season.

    Now, some lesser classics. The X Files and The Twilight Zone - both shows were outstandingly creepy, though I have yet to go back and see the full run of either. Titus - a show about a guy, Christopher Titus, who had an outstandingly screwed up childhood, and manages to make stalking, homicide, and alcoholism funny. Speaking of screwed up, Robot Chicken is hilarious in the way only people who are a little bit off understand. Spongebob Squarepants and Rocko's Modern Life are both kid's shows with adult jokes, and they're pretty smart about it too.

    On to the best (relatively unknown in the US) shows:

    Farscape - This show stands out, if merely for how hard it screws with the main character's mind. The protagonist, John Crichton, has, by virtue of travelling through a wormhole into a different part of space, the Macguffin of all Macguffins locked in his brain - knowledge of wormhole travel. This makes him the Golden Snitch of the galaxy, and everyone wants a piece of his brain. I can't say much more, but please, WATCH THIS SHOW. It's some of the deepest and most moving sci-fi drama I've ever seen.

    Doctor Who - This is a classic in jolly old Britain, but woefully underappreciated in the US. It ran for 26 seasons in the UK before being revived in 2005, and currently runs on (I believe) SyFy. Read the wiki, then watch the show.

    Red Dwarf - Another British show, this one a send-up of all those sci-fi cliches. Dave Lister is the last surviving member of the spaceship Red Dwarf; he is accompanied by a hologrammatic dead crewmate, an incompetent computer, an android servant and a lifeform that evolved from his cat. This turned out to be much funnier than I expected, and I'm currently 5 seasons in.

    The Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson - I have to think that if Craig Ferguson had never become an alcoholic, the world would be missing one hilariously screwed-up guy. This man is the epitome of "Just Don't Give A Fuck" - his shows revolve solely around his whim. Just last week I saw him engage a very confused Holly Hunter in a conversation about what a confident man he was. The guy is unique.
     
  6. Dread

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  7. Diablo

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    Family Guy: They don't really have a bad episode and they always push the envelope with everything. Stewie focused one's are always good.
    Entourage: Kick ass show that I never miss.
    24: Started out awesome with the first few seasons but has gone downhill as of late with the lack of any good ideas.
    How I Met Your Mother: Wasted many many days of my life watching this show, wouldn't have spent them any other way. Too bad this season ended so poorly.
    Arrested Development: Only seen season one but it's funny as hell.
     
  8. JoeCanada

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    Friends is a great show, fuck everybody. For a 10 season show, the story managed to stay surprisingly fresh and I thought the character dynamics were fantastic.

    Top 3:

    1. Breaking Bad - When I watch this show, it feels like I'm reading a piece of classic literature. What I mean by that is that everything in the show is well thought out and deliberate; there's no filler, no gimmicks, no ratings whoring. Everything is deliberate. They've put together an amazing set of characters, and the show just seems to grow organically. I never know what's coming, and I'm always on the edge of my seat.

    2. Battlestar Galactica - Simply an amazing story. The characters were as deep as any show I've ever seen, and the plot was just smart. This show also reminded me of a great book, in that by the end I almost felt like I had been living on the Galactica and gotten to know the characters personally. The show involves its audience like no other (that was my experience, anyway). I wasn't that crazy about the ending, but it was still an amazing series.

    3. Dexter - I have never been hooked so hard by a series' pilot episode. The criminal double life has been done before, but Dexter still feels totally original. In my opinion, this show is isn't quite as deep as BB or BSG, but God damn it's entertaining. I'm a little worried about next season, just because shit got so fucked up in the last episode, but we'll see.
     
  9. Dmix3

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    Seconded, thirded, whatever and this is why and how much I love it.

    As soon as I saw the words Oceanic and 77, I immediately did the math and realized that

    4+8+23+42=77

    The goddamn Numbers, that's how powerful LOST was.
     
  10. McSmallstuff

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    I love How I Met Your Mother! Although Barney carries the show. I love the interaction between the characters.

    How in the hell has no one mentioned Chuck? It has a lead character who is actually enjoyable. A supporting cast that always delivers. TWO hot. Hot. HOT. HOT! female leads.
    Adam Baldwin as John Casey gives Dr. Cox, Barney, and Wilson a run for their money on best supporting character ever! Chuck is amazing, and if you people don't start watching I will have to look up the Dread Pirate to buy is internet face stabbing machine.

    And to the Gilmore Girls haters, they put Lauren Grahm on my T.V. And they have the decencey to make sure that amazing mouth of hers is constantly moving. AND THEY HAD HER BEND OVER IN A TIGHT SKIRT IN SEASON 1!!!! How can you hate on the wonderfulness of that show?!?!
     
  11. cynismus

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    Sports Night - fantastically written show. Sadly, it was only on for 2 seasons. This reminds me...I should break out the DVDs and have a marathon soon.
     
  12. taikaviitta

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    Most of the great stuff has already been posted here so I'll throw in Top Gear. It's fucking fun. And that's all I have to say about it.
     
  13. Decatur Dave

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    I forgot this one, and I thought it was worth coming back for. The League is the funniest show I've seen in a long time. It's so God damn good I actually sent FX an email to ensure they were bringing it back. For football fans especially, you gotta check this out. I watched the entire season in one sit.

    Because I can't force you fuckers to watch it, here's a link to help you along.

    Once you've realized how great this show is, I got an easter egg for you. Someone on this board has a Mr. McGibblets avatar. Happy hunting.
     
  14. zyron

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    The Twilight Zone is probably one of the greatest T.V. shows ever created. You can go back now and the episodes still stand the test of time. Rod Serling was a fucking genius.
     
  15. eric

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    Recently been watching Lucky Louie now that its on the Comedy Network here. The production quality is shit, but the show is funny and some of the topics hit home if you've been married for some time.
     
  16. DAMAGGOT

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    I will second the league as well, happy they are making another season. "Tickle me, and rub my belly."

    Apart from that, as much as I hate to admit it, south park is funny as well.