Tell us about one of the BEST TV shows....

[WillParkinson]

Past or present. Cite reasons. Ready? Go.

Mine: Judging Amy

I never thought I'd like the show. Never saw it when it was on regular TV. Then one day I caught an episode on TNT and was hooked. Real people. Real problems. Some of the strange and bizarre. Others real and raw.

Today the episode had a visiting relative who told Maxine (Tyne Daley) that he had seen hell. She told him that he had seen purgatory but not hell. Hell was, she said, a child with cigarette burns on his genitals because his mother didn't want him.

The stories have almost always been riveting and I'm disappointed it got cancelled before I really had a chance to see it all.

[LaraMN]

1. Carnivale (formerly) on HBO.

Intriguingly dark and eccentric. Great characters and good writing. Far too short-lived a run. :-(

[AllegroRondo]

13. And it made you think

the writers actually assumed that viewers had a brain. They didnt spell out everything for you. great stuff.

[hippywife]

46. Exactly the reasons I always

enjoyed West Wing until some of the original writers left. They didn't spoon feed you anything. They kept the dialog coming fast and furious and figured you had a brain to follow it with. Not so much that way anymore so I've stopped being such a dedicated viewer.

[Monkey see Monkey Do]

25. It's just come out on DVD over here, so I think its

going on my Xmas list!

[ghostsofgiants]

41. Couldn't agree more

Dark, creepy, weird, well acted, well directed, well written. It was damn near perfect.

[LaraMN]

49. So naturally, it was cancelled.

:eyes: :mad:

[ghostsofgiants]

57. And the end of the second season was such a cliffhanger!

x(

[Shell Beau]

2. House

I thought it would be another medical show (ER) but it is really good. There is a majorly dysfunctional, sarcastic, but brilliant doctor who makes the show great. It is always a race to keep the person alive. It is really good. Everyone needs to at least check it out.

[BigMcLargehuge]

5. I am strangely enthralled by House

and I tend to hate medical drama. But Hugh Laurie is eminently watchable.

[Shell Beau]

7. I am pretty sure it will be back on tonight! At least I hope so!

Hugh Laurie makes the show.

[Beaverhausen]

26. dang- it's on the same time here at Keith O...what to do?

I can't watch one and tape one at the same time. Damn Dish Network!!!

[mosin]

19. House is a great show

I love the show, but I am surprised that House has survived. After the first episode, I told my wife that I loved it, but that it was doomed. Shows based largely on clever dialogue never seem to make it.

[BigMcLargehuge]

3. Arrested Development

Funniest show on Television

[grace0418]

28. My favorite show ever along with Six Feet Under

Two of the best reasons to own a dvd player.

[stanwyck]

38. Yep.

Funniest show on television.
Wonderful characters well played.
I particularly like Jessica Walter's matriarch from hell.

[Coventina]

56. "well, they got the 'Asian' part right......'hotties' might be a stretch"

:rofl:

Gob is the FUNNIEST character EVER! Well.....they're ALL the funniest characters ever!

[Initech]

4. Arrested Development

I got hooked on this show after buying the DVD and watching the entire first disc on a plane.

I love this show because it's too bizarre for words. But on the other hand, it takes place in Orange County, which makes it too close to home. There's some insanely hilarious stuff - you just gotta love a show where one of the characters refuses to be naked. Or how they repeatedly refer to a family invention that causes 3rd degree burns to whoever uses it.

What drives me crazy is the fact that no one seems to watch this show, and it's easily the funniest on TV.

[WeRQ4U]

24. People watch it. It was reportedly one of the most TIVO'd shows on air.

And since TIVO doesn't count for Nielson's etc., they reported that no one watched AD. Well, they do. They just don't watch the commercials.

[GOPisEvil]

6. That show is based on Amy Brenneman's own mother.

Mmmmmm...Amy Brenneman...;)

[anarch]

8. Magnum, P.I.

Dude drives a Ferrari and lives on some rich guy's estate in Hawaii...and he's a private investigator. I mean, how can you go wrong with a premise like that?

[Reciprocity]

9. I loved some of the early A&E programs.

When A&E first started they had a program called Ancient Lives Daily Life in Egypt of the Pharaohs by John Romer.
Also The Spice of Life which was narrated by Edward Woodward. They would take a spice like black pepper and trace it down through history to today use.

[bertha katzenengel]

10. Cagney & Lacey

Some of the best of 80s TV, IMO. LOVED it when the thot plickened and Cagney's dad died and she had to acknowledge her alcoholism.

[maveric]

11. "Homicide, Life on the Street".

Best cop show ever! Very dark at times but Belzer added the dry humor that evened things out a bit. Great acting, writing and actors.
I loved how they showed the personal demons of the characters.
The Bayless and Pembleton "in the box" interrogation techniques were classic.

[Monkey see Monkey Do]

31. Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes!!!

And it's getting repeated on British TV, starting Friday!!! I'm so happy.

It got really messed around when shown the first time. They dropped episodes (I've never seen the 2-part school hostage episode), shunted it to 2-3am in the morning & then abandoned it during the 6th season. I was lucky enough to catch the (admittedly weaker) 7th season in when I was living in Montreal, but I've never seen the TV-movie.

I couldn't agree more about Frank & Tim in 'the box'. Also, the whole Luther Mahoney saga was brilliantly played out & Brodie gave Munch a run for his money with the humour.

Also - have you read the book that inspired it? IIRC, it's written by a guy called David Simon - who was a Baltimore crime reporter & spent a year in the department - called "Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets."

[Wapsie B]

32. Damn straight.

Andre Braugher's portrayal of Det. Frank Pembleton was masterful. The show really gave the characters a full 3 dimensions.

[khashka]

12. Six Feet Under

Deals with real issues with understanding. The sexuality of the female characters is (finally!) handled with honesty. It's weird and funny but also true to life. It's very pro-gay, very feminist. And yet the characters never become cyphers. They have problems and solve them (or not) in realistic ways.

Khash.

[BroadwayBrat]

20. Me too!

I was introduced to this show by my cousin, and I watched the ENTIRE first season in ONE day! Well, one night really...but hey..it was damn good...I have seen all the episodes. I even have the main theme as a ringer! Sick, I know!
I love the death an episode...

[grace0418]

29. I love that show so much I sometimes forget the characters aren't

real people. I find myself wishing I could give David a call, or Claire.

[khashka]

35. I don't have HBO so I get it on DVD

and turned my fundie mom on to it -and she keeps asking me what's happening with our friends? You do really believe they're real and that you know them.

(My mom - we watch it together - is rather racist and homophobic but enthralled with David and Keith's storyline, she can barely stand it when they deal with anything else. Good writing and acting when you can make someone desparate for the wellbeing of people they think they should dislike.)

Khash.

[grace0418]

47. I'm watching it on dvd also, so I haven't seen the last

season obviously. But I do know how it ends. I don't care though, I'll still watch it with pleasure. Maybe it will teach your mom something new, to care about someone she "should" dislike.

They feel so real, don't they? And each actor is so good, and perfect for the role. The writing, directing, everything is just...I just don't see how it could be any better.

[underpants]

14. Everybody Loves Raymond

I never thought I'd like the show. Never saw it when it was on regular TV. Then one day I caught an episode on TNT and was hooked. Real people. Real problems. Some of the strange and bizarre. Others real and raw.

[WillParkinson]

15. Mock me if you will Underpants....

It just tells me you love me.

Or you just can come up with anything better.

Or Matcom was unavailable at the time.

:-)

[underpants]

18. Never heard of that one

Was it on the WB?

[Boudicea]

16. No question, Arrested Development

Mother Boy, Franklin, nevernudes, and "that close they always look like terrain." The best tv show ever!

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

23. Those are balls!

[grace0418]

30. "Does this effectively hide my thunder?"

I nearly wet my pants when David Cross uttered that gem.

[WilmywoodNCparalegal]

17. Curb Your Enthusiasm

Smartly written, mostly ad-libbed by a superb cast... makes fun of the celebrity life in LA and Larry David is like an 'everyman' who seems to get into all sorts of trouble, whether willingly or not.

[mosin]

21. Babylon 5

Especially seasons 2 through 4. The three-season long story arc was as dramatic and compelling as any TV I've ever seen. Season 1 was largely stand-alone episodes to build the universe. Season 5 seemed a bit disjointed after the show aired its series finale at the end of Season 4, then was resurrected for Season 5.

[MN ChimpH8R]

22. Twin Peaks

Lynch's sheer surrealism surrounded the whole show in mystery. You never knew what would turn out to be significant. The unravelling of the "Who killed Laura Palmer" story led in so many directions, revealing so many strange connections, that it kept me spellbound. Consistently excellent acting, too, especially from Kyle McLachlan.

[Beaverhausen]

27. Yes! Yes! Yes!

So weird and wacky. I loved that show. I was obsessed with it!

"How's Annie?"

[ghostsofgiants]

42. One of the all-time greatest...

Weird, fun, quirky, bizarre, creepy, all at the same time.

[Taverner]

45. The Greatest Show of All Time

No other show had this surreal quality - the only show that came close was The Prisoner

[Ivan Sputnik]

51. Brilliant, mesmerizing series

I was obsessed with it for a couple of years (1990-91). See you in the trees!

[joeybee12]

33. Northern Exposure--admit it, there's no show that's ever been

like it...seriously.

[yellowdogintexas]

37. I loved that show! nt.

[hippywife]

44. I really miss that show! n/t

[grace0418]

48. That's my husband's favorite. It's probably my third favorite

after Six Feet Under and Arrested Development. Great show.

[DanCa]

34. Married with Children cmon who doesn't bust a gut watchin this show?

[Monkey see Monkey Do]

36. Disinfo Nation

A show meant for the Sci Fi channel in the US, but they got cold feet & pulled it. It thankfully ended up on Channel 4 (initially after Ally McBeal, but then 4 got hip & put it nicely in its experimental strand '4later').

It was Richard Metzger's baby (publisher & webmaster of http://www.disinfo.com & his aim was to introduce obscure & cult figures to a wider audience. It was my first introduction to Robert Anton Wilson, Howard Bloom, Grant Morrison, Kenneth Anger, Adam Parfrey, Douglas Rushkoff, rTMark & more, plus a whole host of artists & thinkers I've long forgotten (although I do remember it was the first show to feature the 'RealDoll' sex toy). A sample show description:

'"Imagine Buddha reincarnated as a mild-mannered science-fiction architect," advises subcultural commentator Richard Metzger - and your mind will still be boggled by the mandalas, imaginary diagrams and "architectonic thought forms" of Paul Laffoley. Claiming that "science fiction died in 1955" (to be replaced by ad hoc corporate R&D), Paul's disturbingly detailed constructions include a living house and a working time machine. Also this week: Australian John Safran on how he subverted a kids' party at his local McDonald's, TV ads from Greenpeace and Adbusters, plus alarming footage of "the Citizen Kane of white trash torture home video", Uncle Goddamn.'

Hit & miss, but always great fun. It was like having a hip friend who was turned into all kinds of stuff you'd never hear otherwise. I guess the internet has rendered it somewhat useless, though. It ran for two series - 16 episodes in all - ending in about 2000, and is sorely missed.

If you're remotely interested in the above, the good news is that you can buy a DVD which contains a distillation of several episodes along with interviews filmed at a NY conference. The reviews are mixed & Metzger seems to have plucked out the more wackier stuff which is a bit of a shame. However, here's a link:

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B00013F2ZE/

[Metta]

39. Six Feet Under and West Wing.

Great writing and acting. Very involving and emotional.

[Fox Mulder]

40. Take a wild guess on which one I like.

:)

[Monkey see Monkey Do]

43. Gillian Anderson made her small-screen comeback last week

in a new BBC adaptation of 'Bleak House'. She's not been in it much so far, but she's still got it.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/drama/bleakhouse/

[Lilith Velkor]

54. Hmmm...the Lone Gunmen?

:evilgrin:

That show was actually damn cool, and the second season of Millenium totally rawked IMFO.

[Ivan Sputnik]

50. Wonderfalls

Interesting premise, unique location (Niagara Falls, NY), quirky humor, excellent dialogue, appealing cast -- so of course it was canceled (by our beloved Fox) after only four episodes were broadcast. Thirteen episodes were produced, however, and luckily they've all been released on DVD. The complete series has also been syndicated in several countries.

[taterguy]

52. Action

It was a show that lasted a few episodes on Fox a few years ago. Had one of the funniest and most thought-provoking scenes I've ever seen. (Thanks IMDB)

Senator: Mr. Dragon, you have a young daughter, do you not?
Peter Dragon: Let's not go there...
Senator: Her name is Georgia, she's about 10 years old I believe.
Peter Dragon: Don't do this.
Senator: Has little Georgia seen your film entitled "Ripcord"?
Peter Dragon: She can't get in Senator, it's rated R.
Senator: Which contains 357 acts of violence, 175 profanities, and four scenes of lesbian sex. She proud of her daddy for that one?
Wendy Ward: I think we should just go.
Senator: How can you look that sweet little girl in the eye?
Peter Dragon: I manage. I never voted to subsidize the growing of tobacco, while turning my back on food programs for starving kids. I've never vetoed a gun control bill; all MY guns are fake, Senator. I've never rushed to the defense of Kuwaiti oil fields, while ignoring genocide in Africa, because big oil companies that line your fat pockets aren't concerned with black Africa. Those are all productions of YOUR company Senator, this company right here!

[SoCalDem]

53. Dead Like Me (cancelled)

Deadwood
Gilmore Girls

[Lannes]

55. Sopranos

Great writing,acting,directing.You name it,its got it.