no country for old wainds
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The Official Good Television Thread
- Thread starter Satanstoenail
- Start date
Einherjar86
Active Member
Master_Yoda77
Juggalo
MasterOLightning
Optimator
It's a good show. Seasons 1 and 2 are far from the best, but 3-5 are very strong. At the start of the show some of the characters are pretty far from who they become as the series goes on. There's also a few too many winking references to how things used to be back then. That also mostly goes away. Some of the "Who is Don Draper?" stuff is a little heavy handed. But if those things don't turn you off, you'll probably find it a rewarding show.
no country for old wainds
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Matt
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no country for old wainds
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looking for recommendations for TV dramas, folks!
first of all, my favourite shows are probably THE WIRE and DEADWOOD (along with TWIN PEAKS of course). both absolutely masterful in just about every department, no? is there anything else that's close to that level (outside of really obvious suggestions like THE SOPRANOS, i mean)?
i also really love character-driven crime stuff, like BREAKING BAD and JUSTIFIED and (to a lesser extent) TRUE DETECTIVE. doesn't necessarily need to be exploring new territory - i love old school pulpy shit - but preferably i'd like something with a skillful manipulation of tone/atmosphere/tension, complex characterisations and whatnot.
and finally, i'm looking for more stuff with an emphasis on the psychological. doesn't necessarily have to be great or anything but i'd at least like it to have distinctive characters, a fun script etc. i mean i don't have a lot of respect for HOUSE and its college debate class moral dilemmas and contrived analogies, but that formula was pretty much my catnip nevertheless. IN TREATMENT is another one that, while it seemed to get more and more pat as it went along, i could watch another ten seasons of those goddamn therapy sessions. hell, i adore fucking DEATH NOTE! anything else you think would get me hooked?
i'm more likely to give something a fair chance if you pique my interest with an explanation rather than just listing stuff btw
first of all, my favourite shows are probably THE WIRE and DEADWOOD (along with TWIN PEAKS of course). both absolutely masterful in just about every department, no? is there anything else that's close to that level (outside of really obvious suggestions like THE SOPRANOS, i mean)?
i also really love character-driven crime stuff, like BREAKING BAD and JUSTIFIED and (to a lesser extent) TRUE DETECTIVE. doesn't necessarily need to be exploring new territory - i love old school pulpy shit - but preferably i'd like something with a skillful manipulation of tone/atmosphere/tension, complex characterisations and whatnot.
and finally, i'm looking for more stuff with an emphasis on the psychological. doesn't necessarily have to be great or anything but i'd at least like it to have distinctive characters, a fun script etc. i mean i don't have a lot of respect for HOUSE and its college debate class moral dilemmas and contrived analogies, but that formula was pretty much my catnip nevertheless. IN TREATMENT is another one that, while it seemed to get more and more pat as it went along, i could watch another ten seasons of those goddamn therapy sessions. hell, i adore fucking DEATH NOTE! anything else you think would get me hooked?
i'm more likely to give something a fair chance if you pique my interest with an explanation rather than just listing stuff btw
rms
Active Member
Have you seen Treme?
It follows New Orleans following Katrina and its done by David Simon of The Wire fame. It's got Bunk and a couple other characters from The Wire and Homicide. It's basically a sell show for the city of New Orleans and its importance to black culture and jazz as well as a critique against the system following the disaster. I think it finished in 3.5 seasons, and it was great. Not The Wire level, but a great television show. I think it ended early due to funding, like other great HBO shows.
I think you've seen Six Feet Under right?
It follows New Orleans following Katrina and its done by David Simon of The Wire fame. It's got Bunk and a couple other characters from The Wire and Homicide. It's basically a sell show for the city of New Orleans and its importance to black culture and jazz as well as a critique against the system following the disaster. I think it finished in 3.5 seasons, and it was great. Not The Wire level, but a great television show. I think it ended early due to funding, like other great HBO shows.
I think you've seen Six Feet Under right?
TechnicalBarbarity
Poser Disposer
my all time favHave you watched Brotherhood?
http://www.sho.com/sho/brotherhood/home
Any of you guys watch Peaky Blinders? Any good?
no country for old wainds
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never seen BROTHERHOOD, but if you're implying it'd appeal to a DEADWOOD fan then i'm down. 
TREME i am aware of but have never seen, and i should totally get on that. thanks!
TREME i am aware of but have never seen, and i should totally get on that. thanks!
TechnicalBarbarity
Poser Disposer
Not really comparable to Deadwood, but I think it'll appeal to anyone that is a fan of well executed crime or political dramas. Better than Sopranos imo.
rms
Active Member
Brotherhood is cool, but I wouldn't place it on Sopranos/Wire/Treme/True Detective level. Think it's only like 2 seasons?
TechnicalBarbarity
Poser Disposer
3 seasons ... and everything wrapped up perfectly. I thought it was far better than Sopranos in just about every single aspect.
Still haven't seen The Wire outside of a few episodes
And i dont think i've even heard of Treme.
Still haven't seen The Wire outside of a few episodes
And i dont think i've even heard of Treme.
TechnicalBarbarity
Poser Disposer
rms
Active Member
HBO just re-did The Wire in HD man, you should get on it!
I forgot about Boss no country. It's honestly my favorite political show but sadly only two seasons. Follows Kelsey Grammar in Chicago as the Mayor and his family life as well as political decisions with some nice nudity courtesy of the hot red head from Scary Movie 2. Two short seasons and its apparently done, but I heard rumors they are going to finish it with a movie, highly recommend it. Starz TV show
I forgot about Boss no country. It's honestly my favorite political show but sadly only two seasons. Follows Kelsey Grammar in Chicago as the Mayor and his family life as well as political decisions with some nice nudity courtesy of the hot red head from Scary Movie 2. Two short seasons and its apparently done, but I heard rumors they are going to finish it with a movie, highly recommend it. Starz TV show
TechnicalBarbarity
Poser Disposer
They still haven't released it on Blu-Ray. 
... and that's pretty shocking considering how acclaimed the series is and the amount of followers it has garnered.
@ True Detective and Death Note.
... and that's pretty shocking considering how acclaimed the series is and the amount of followers it has garnered.
@ True Detective and Death Note.
unknown
fuck ftagn
Tom, if you want interesting characters, watch Fargo. Even though I'm sure you've seen the film, you don't have to have it memorized to enjoy the show. The show takes place in the same universe as the film, Fargo. Small town cops and a simple man get involved in something much bigger than themselves. If you want weird characters similar to Twin Peaks, the midwest folk of Fargo are very similar. Martin Freeman plays a frustrating "protagonist" similar to Walter White insofar that you don't know whether to cheer for him or pray for his demise. Billy Bob Thornton is the most interesting character in the Coens' universe since Anton Chigurh from No Country, albeit for different reasons. Lily Tomlin is great, and the guys play who play Wrench and Numbers are two of my favorite characters on a show in a long time.
Something else that might be up your alley is The Leftovers. Done by the guy who did Lost, expect odd events. The show takes place three years after what you could call the rapture. Two percent of the earth's population just vanishes. The show focuses on a small town dealing with the aftermath, in particular the chief of police (played amazingly by Justin Theroux) who has to deal with the townspeople and the local cult, The Guilty Remnant.
last year was an amazing year for television between these two and True Detective
Something else that might be up your alley is The Leftovers. Done by the guy who did Lost, expect odd events. The show takes place three years after what you could call the rapture. Two percent of the earth's population just vanishes. The show focuses on a small town dealing with the aftermath, in particular the chief of police (played amazingly by Justin Theroux) who has to deal with the townspeople and the local cult, The Guilty Remnant.
last year was an amazing year for television between these two and True Detective
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EspaDa
Damage Case
Southland was cool if you don't mind the fact that it got cancelled.
First series of this was quite good too:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kingdom_(2014_TV_series)
One of the main guys was in The Black Donnellys, which was also pretty good, though also cancelled.
