I've started re watching 'the corner' which is by the creators of the wire and about the various characters that live around the same areas the wire is set on , based on the book of the same name.
Settled on Orange is new Black (the wife has the remote)
Me & my missus watch that now and again. Nice bubble gum TV with little thinking required. Agree with others, Sons of anarchy is pretty decent and Hell on wheels is very good.
If you want a british programme (and never watched it at the time) then I'll suggest Waking the dead. 11 (I think) series.
This !. Someone else mentioned Breaking Bad.. but if you watch a show based around prisons it really does have to be OZ. Fully ahead of its time regards to what we seem to want from a box set now days.
If you want something a bit less intense (and with plenty of eye candy for boys and girls alike) I would thoroughly recommend the US college football drama, Friday Night Lights.
Second series has started just as good as the first.
I love all the Scandi series (The Killing, Borgen and the Bridge, and the Swedish Wallander series, and Lilyhammer which is set in Norway but stars Steve van Zandt) plus the French series Spiral
But I have a feeling that people tend to fall into preferring Breaking Bad and similar high quality US, OR the quality European stuff I listed. I don't see many people on here raving about say, both the Killing and Homeland. Very much personal choice, but have a feeling Raz would be more at home with the US stuff.
Prague, your contributions would be welcome on the foreign films thread as us foreign tv addicks are all over the good nordic series you mentioned. Series 2 of the Bridge started on BBC4 last Saturday and as some one said is even better than the first (probably enhanced because we now about the quirks of the main characters in it).
Must confess never heard of Lilyhammer or Spiral though.
Thinking about getting the box set to breaking bad but heard very mixed reviews so not sure if it's worth it.
As other series goes, I just finished watching the boxset of 'Luther' one of the best things I've ever watched, gutted it's finished now.
Not sure where the Breaking Bad 'mixed' reviews have come from, it is superb & I don't know anyone who's watched it & hasn't loved it. For once, it is something which lives up to the hype.
As @razil says, sign up to Netflix & you get a free month (even after that it's only £5.99 per month - cheaper than a boxset!). They have all 5 seasons of Breaking Bad on there
Second series has started just as good as the first.
I love all the Scandi series (The Killing, Borgen and the Bridge, and the Swedish Wallander series, and Lilyhammer which is set in Norway but stars Steve van Zandt) plus the French series Spiral
But I have a feeling that people tend to fall into preferring Breaking Bad and similar high quality US, OR the quality European stuff I listed. I don't see many people on here raving about say, both the Killing and Homeland. Very much personal choice, but have a feeling Raz would be more at home with the US stuff.
Not at all. The crossover between fans of the Killing/Borgen and fans of BB/the Wire etc is very high. Lilyhammer was terrible though.
Ones not mentioned above (or not very often)...
Deadwood Mad Men 6 Feet Under Firefly (Josh Wheden sci-fi western, very funny one series only, on Netflix I think) Freaks & Geeks (another 1 season wonder) Utopia
Both the UK and US version of House of Cards are on Netflix and well worth watching Orange is the New Black is very good indeed. Boardwalk Empire
If you want something a bit less intense (and with plenty of eye candy for boys and girls alike) I would thoroughly recommend the US college football drama, Friday Night Lights.
Clear eyes, full hearts...
Can't lose!...It finally gets a mention! I used to consider Mad Men or Six Feet Under as my favourite TV show but not after watching Friday Night Lights.I didn't know anything about American football (still don't) and had no interest in the sport itself but liked Kyle Chandler in Zero Dark Thirty so I gave it a try.Glad I did.It was a show about so much more than just high school football.It sent out many positive messages and taught me a lot of things about life,was more meaningful than most of the other TV series I watched.
I recently watched The Company,a mini series about the battle between CIA and KGB during the Cold War era.It was produced by Ridley Scott.It reminded me a little of Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy but much faster paced,kept my interest all the way through.Well worth watching if you like the spy,counterspy stuff.
By the way,has anyone watched State of Play the original mini series?I think that's a quite good series.
Thinking about getting the box set to breaking bad but heard very mixed reviews so not sure if it's worth it.
As other series goes, I just finished watching the boxset of 'Luther' one of the best things I've ever watched, gutted it's finished now.
Not sure where the Breaking Bad 'mixed' reviews have come from, it is superb & I don't know anyone who's watched it & hasn't loved it. For once, it is something which lives up to the hype.
As @razil says, sign up to Netflix & you get a free month (even after that it's only £5.99 per month - cheaper than a boxset!). They have all 5 seasons of Breaking Bad on there
Breaking Bad is overrated, only a couple of characters when any depth and some predictable action moments (some unpredictable) and some far fetched moments.
Having said that it was an entertaining watch. But it's a bit like having steak for the first time in your life but at a weatherspoons. You might think it's the greatest meal you've had but there are far better steaks and steak cooks out there.
Breaking Bad is overrated but you should definitely watch it if you haven't yet. It's brilliant TV at times, just not quite the 10/10 stuff like some people say.
Seasons 3&4 were the best and include some of my favourite ever TV scenes.
Breaking Bad is overrated, only a couple of characters when any depth and some predictable action moments (some unpredictable) and some far fetched moments.
Having said that it was an entertaining watch. But it's a bit like having steak for the first time in your life but at a weatherspoons. You might think it's the greatest meal you've had but there are far better steaks and steak cooks out there.
Sure, it can be a bit cartoonish sometimes. But not all TV shows have to have depth. BB is brilliant entertainment, wonderfully paced with some great black comedy. It also has a fantastic leading man. It's a different type of show to the Sopranos or the Wire but by no means inferior to them.
Glad to see other people liked FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS. I love series like MAD MEN, THE WIRE, GAME OF THRONES and the THE SOPRANOS etc but if push came to shove and I had to choose a Desert Island TV Box set it would be FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS. Nothing else has ever come close in terms of my getting caught up with the characters, caring about them and rooting for them. As Jessie says above, the feeling of positivity and optimism and sheer humanity of the writing is wondeful and the acting is flawless. Having said all that, I have been very careful in recommending it to many people because the series teeters dangerously close to sentimental trash - but never falls into it, in my opinion - and I know a lot of people would find it very easy to sneer at. The people I risked recommending it to have all loved it and become as addicted to it as I was.
Glad to see other people liked FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS. I love series like MAD MEN, THE WIRE, GAME OF THRONES and the THE SOPRANOS etc but if push came to shove and I had to choose a Desert Island TV Box set it would be FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS. Nothing else has ever come close in terms of my getting caught up with the characters, caring about them and rooting for them. As Jessie says above, the feeling of positivity and optimism and sheer humanity of the writing is wondeful and the acting is flawless. Having said all that, I have been very careful in recommending it to many people because the series teeters dangerously close to sentimental trash - but never falls into it, in my opinion - and I know a lot of people would find it very easy to sneer at. The people I risked recommending it to have all loved it and become as addicted to it as I was.
Completely spot on summary IMHO. There are times when I watch it and think, why do I like this? You know what's going to happen, there are sometimes holes in the story line, everyone is a bit beautiful but nonetheless I still find myself absolutely gripped and desperate to watch another one once it's come to an end. It's also one of those things that appeals equally to both sexes, and not just because of the sport angle (which is not the main point of the show, as Jessie says). Giles Coren wrote an excellent review of it in the Times if you ever get the chance to read it. He loves it as much as us!*
*Typed while sipping coffee from my Dillon Panthers mug!
Comments
If you want a british programme (and never watched it at the time) then I'll suggest Waking the dead. 11 (I think) series.
Sons of Anarchy is good...but the Irish storyline is ridiculous and the whole scenes in Ireland are just laughable.
Russell Howard's Good News
Amazballs
James Spader is excellent in it
The Corner
As other series goes, I just finished watching the boxset of 'Luther' one of the best things I've ever watched, gutted it's finished now.
Clear eyes, full hearts...
But I have a feeling that people tend to fall into preferring Breaking Bad and similar high quality US, OR the quality European stuff I listed. I don't see many people on here raving about say, both the Killing and Homeland. Very much personal choice, but have a feeling Raz would be more at home with the US stuff.
Must confess never heard of Lilyhammer or Spiral though.
As @razil says, sign up to Netflix & you get a free month (even after that it's only £5.99 per month - cheaper than a boxset!). They have all 5 seasons of Breaking Bad on there
Ones not mentioned above (or not very often)...
Deadwood
Mad Men
6 Feet Under
Firefly (Josh Wheden sci-fi western, very funny one series only, on Netflix I think)
Freaks & Geeks (another 1 season wonder)
Utopia
Both the UK and US version of House of Cards are on Netflix and well worth watching
Orange is the New Black is very good indeed.
Boardwalk Empire
I recently watched The Company,a mini series about the battle between CIA and KGB during the Cold War era.It was produced by Ridley Scott.It reminded me a little of Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy but much faster paced,kept my interest all the way through.Well worth watching if you like the spy,counterspy stuff.
By the way,has anyone watched State of Play the original mini series?I think that's a quite good series.
Having said that it was an entertaining watch. But it's a bit like having steak for the first time in your life but at a weatherspoons. You might think it's the greatest meal you've had but there are far better steaks and steak cooks out there.
Seasons 3&4 were the best and include some of my favourite ever TV scenes.
After Breaking Bad though is a bit like asking what do I watch after I have just seen the millionth re-run of the 1998 play-off final!
*Typed while sipping coffee from my Dillon Panthers mug!