TimeOut

Andrew started a great thread about B-movies the other day, and then made a comment to me that we ought to talk about TV shows on TimeOut at some point.  I couldn't agree more!  There is a wide variety of programming on TV currently, from reality-based shows, to single-camera half-hour comedies, to hour-long dramas of every genre.  What do you think:

1) Is the quality and/or variety of TV shows better now in your opinion, or are you nostalgic for shows from the past?

2) What are your favorite TV shows currently and/or favorite shows of all time (including those that are no longer running)?

I personally have a hard time answering question #1 because I'm very nostalgic for TV (specifically cartoons) from the 80s, but I do feel the production value and general variety of stories we see on TV today (particularly on pay cable like HBO and Showtime in the US) far exceeds what I could see on TV during the 70s, 80s, and 90s.

My current favorite TV shows are: 24, Lost, Dexter, and Gray's Anatomy.

My all-time favorite TV shows are (in this order):

1. Charlie's Angels -- when I was a little girl I wanted to be Jaclyn Smith.  Of all the "Angels" her character, Kelly Garrett, was the best of both worlds -- brainy and beautiful!  Farrah was the bombshell -- all looks, no smarts; Kate Jackson was the brainiac with the terrible haircut.  Jaclyn's character was the kind of girl I wanted to grow up to be!  Unfortunately, in real life I'm more the Kate Jackson type! 

2. Alias (seasons 1 & 2) -- I watched all five seasons, but the show's quality really went downhill at some point during season 3.  However, the first two seasons were gripping television.  To this day, I have not seen an episode of television (and frankly few feature films) that can eclipse the pilot episode of this series.  Not to mention that it starred Michael Vartan, my longtime "TV boyfriend."    For the fellas reading this, you might want to pick up the season 2 DVD and fast forward straight to the episode called "Phase One."  This episode originally came on after the Superbowl one year, and the opening scene started thusly:

Cue AC/DC's "Back In Black"
Door opens, and Jennifer Garner walks through in slo-mo in nothing but black lingerie complete with garter belts and, er, a riding crop. 

You can thank me later. 

3. Buffy the Vampire Slayer -- High school is hell.  Every kid thinks that at some point, but unfortunately for Buffy Summers and the other residents of Sunnydale High it's the literal truth.  Yep, the entire town of Sunnydale is located on the "Hellmouth."  In case you were wondering...that's not a good thing!    Buffy was one of the sharpest, most poignant, well-written shows in history.  Beneath the fantastical candy-coated surface of vampire-slaying cheerleaders, creator Joss Whedon, was addressing major social and philosophical issues during the show's 144 episodes.  It's been years since this show was canceled, but I still enjoy watching the episodes as much today as I ever did.  I often listen to the soundtrack to the musical episode "Once More With Feeling" from season six, and sing along with the Scoobies (as Buffy's gang was called).

Ok, that's enough from me.  What about all of you?  Any TV watchers out there?

Cheers,
Daos
This message has been edited by dxboon on 2009-05-23 01:38:26

Hello Daos!  Great topic and I'm sure many will chime in.

For me I think the television programing has gotten worse especially the last few years due to the popularity of reality shows.  I had a patient that was a writer for one of the most popular and original reality shows and he hated doing them but kept writing as it paid him generously.

I'm not much of a tv watcher but I do like Heroes.  I grew up on SWAT, BattleStar Gallactica, & the A-Team so those shows were cool.  Cartoons were Heckle &Jeckle, Mighty Mouse, Bugs Bunny, Tom & Jerry, Anamanics.  Now it's South Park and Family Guy.  Never understood Sponge Bob, too wacko for me.

It's 3am and we got into Vegas about an hour ago, maybe I can recall more of my favorite shows when I get some sleep.

-MW

i loved the first series of Dexter, but like a lot of things its carried on too long. i'm currently into The Mentalist which has just reached us from over the pond, Fringe is great as was Sanctuary. the mentalist and Fringe are the 2 US shows i prefer out of everything at the moment. great programmes that get me going about the possibilities of the human brain, the fringe especially. i used to watch Numbers religiously, but again its the same every week, numerals are the answer to everything(which is true).

most of the stuff we have over here you dont get(literally). you either dont have it circulated or you dont get the difference in humour. the office USA was utter rubbish compared to the office original which wasnt that good anyway.

Top gear is probably the best loved of all the programmes i watch that are available to you. you may not get their humour which can be a bit odd and i know they are no longer allowed into the US to film 'factual programming' so the last time they came in they were 'on holiday' , but they show cars and thats all that matters. they can be biased, they can be rude, they can even be libelous, but they have cars and make me laugh. James May even collects vintage watches and Clarkson wears a Planet ocean so they arent all bad.

best

Graham

 

Hello Graham!

Have you seen Sapranos or Deadwood?  Those were interesting tv shows I forgot to mention above.

-MW

I LOVE Top Gear -- bring on The Stig, I say!  I watch it on BBC America.  One of my favorite episodes is when they have to create a convertible minivan (or people carrier as you call them over there).  Hysterical!  The episode during which they all try to build an amphibious vehicle and cross the Channel to France also gets me laughing!  Some of my favorite shows of recent years have been British imports: MI-5 (called Spooks in Britain), Hustle, and Ultraviolet.  I also have watched some soapy, primetime British dramas like Hex and Mistresses, the latter is almost as appalling as Footballer's Wives.  Not that TV shows on our side of the pond are better!  There's enough cheesy drama over here to last a lifetime.

I agree that Fringe, Mentalist, and Numbers are all fun.  I DVR them and watch on the weekends.  The only show I refuse to timeshift is 24.  I watch that show the minute it comes on each week. 

Cheers,
Daos

I live in a building that was built in 1929, and that used to be an old hotel.  It is supposedly haunted.  I have never experienced anything (thank goodness), but one of my neighbors is writing a book about the various phenomena in my building, which range from friendly and relatively innocuous, to Poltergeist-like.  Yikes!  In fact, the elevator in my building is supposedly the basis for both a famous episode of the Twilight Zone, and an amusement park ride at Disneyland.  The ride at Disney is supposed to mimic an event that allegedly happened at my building several years ago.  Guess what happens to you on the ride?  You ride up in an elevator and then PLUNGE all the way to the bottom!  According to common lore around these parts, several people died in my building's elevator when it dropped 8 stories.  I ride up and down all the time and nothing's ever happened to me (knock on wood)!

Cheers,
Daos

Hi Graham. I love old buildings that are still habitable. Hawaii isn't as "old" as the rest of the world so our buildings don't go that far back...with the exception of the palace and specific, historical places. But all are museums. And, of course, no grass shacks exist.

How about posting some some shots?

Aloha,

Bob

nt

...Battlestar Galactica series that ran on Scifi Channel?  That was fantastic!  Heroes season one was mind-blowing.  I kind of lost faith in season two, but I'm still watching the current season via my DVR!    I was never a huge Looney Tunes fan.  My favorite cartoons of all time are GI Joe, Transformers, Superfriends, and Thundercats!  I even own the DVDs of the GI Joe and Transformers movies (Orson Welles actually voiced one of the characters in the Transformers animated film)!  My mom thinks I'm warped because of watching too much cartoon violence and reading Stephen King as a kid.  Ehehehehe.

Hope Lady Luck is kind to you in Vegas! 

Daos

saw it a couple a days ago .... Ohhhhh Myyyyyyy Godddd ... IMHO this is sooo funny ... and also pretty greasy .... LOL.

Filip

...full length Reno 911 movie, right?    I can picture you laughing while watching it!

Cheers,
Daos

. . . there is still one current program that I enjoy watching, Dodger game telecasts when Vin Scully is announcing . . .

. . . just for the pleasure of listening to him call the game. He is, quite simply, the best at what he does, yet utterly humble, too. Along with Charlie Watts and John Wooden, Vin is the one of the few people still around today that I have complete respect and admiration for . . . they're not only at the top of their respective games (active or retired), but without a hint of hubris, either. I try to catch the games he's calling in this, his final season, while visiting friends and relatives. As for programming I used to watch, there were many shows that I liked, but found that they didn't wear well with time. The last shows that I watched regularly while they were current staples of evening viewing were "Kung Fu" and "Ellery Queen" in the early to mid 70s, and I occasionally tuned in to "Married with Children", but the only programs that I can enjoy today are three from the 60s: "The Fugitive", "The Prisoner", and (to break up the seeming pattern) "Rocky and Bullwinkle". Sorry, Daos, but I'm an old curmudgeon when it comes to entertainment . . . . I haven't bothered much with current cinema, television, or music over the last few decades. Warm regards, Art

I have a soft spot for the TV shows of yesteryear as well!  Shows like the Avengers, Mission Impossible, and quite possibly one of my favorite shows of all time -- The Big Valley.  Did you ever watch this one?  It starred Barbara Stanwyck, as the matriarch of a wealthy California family in the 1800s, along with a young, handsome Lee Majors and very young Linda Evans.

As for baseball, I think a lot of folks are Vin Scully fans.  I don't know too much about America's pastime, much to my father's chagrin, but I do love to attend Dodgers games with my friends.  Perhaps, you and I have been in the stands at the same time at one point or another!

Cheers,
Daos

For me Dexter and True Blood are the best current shows on TV.  Sanctuary is good as well as The Line (both Canadian productions BTW).  I also like Fringe quite a bit.

There are some recently departed shows that I liked a lot as well.  One from a few years ago was Dead Like Me.  The Shield and ER were shows I watched from the start to the finish, as well as the new Battlestar Gallactica.

I know many consider reality shows a scourge, and for the most part I agree.  But I do watch Survivor and The Amazing Race - my dirty secrets I guess.

Cheers, Al 

...and Project Runway.  I think those are very girl-centric programs though!  If you liked Battlestar Galactica, I suggest you keep an eye out for the new show Caprica that will be coming to TV not too long from now.  I think it's going to be awesome!

Cheers,
Daos

most of the time, I watch it on my DVR instead of watching it live at the schedule telecast.  Probably because of the 2 little trouble makers running around the house nowadays.

Shows I watch(ed) every week:

Prison Break - The show used to be much better during season 1 and 2, but at least the series finale will be coming up soon.  So it's good the show is coming to an end because they keep dragging it out now IMO.

Heroes - Used to watch it every week but it's getting a little silly for me so I stop watching it completely.  Everyone has powers and it's getting out of hand IMO. 

Entourage - THE best show EVER.  I haven't seen season 5 yet and have been watching all the shows from HBO on demand, and it takes an entire month for the HBO on demand to add new episodes.  So I've seen season 1-4 but waiting for 5 so I can be ready for when season 6 starts.  The perfect "guy" show and the dialogue is simply awesome as well as the acting.

Seinfeld - I still watch the re-run Seinfelds, and they still make me laugh as if I were watching them the 1st time.  Probably the best comedy sitcom ever produced.

American Idol / So You Think You Can Dance - I watch both of these shows and it's amazing to see some of these talented people perform.  American Idol this season was probably the best season this year and the most competitive.

Top Chef / America's Top Model - Sometimes I watch but not every week.  Will watch if nothing else is on TV.

Grey's Anatomy - Used to watch the beginning seasons but now it's turned into a "chic" flick.  However the writers are, I'd guess they all are women writiers because the dialogue is not how men think, so the writing team must be a team of women.  Not that there's anything wrong with it, but the show's overall feel and DNA seems to be geared towards women.  I'll watch it if Ping's watching it and I have nothing to do.

House - Great show with witty dialogue at times.  Used to watch every week but it's still on my DVR list. 

The above shows are the ones off the top of my head.  I'm sure I've missed other shows I watch but these are the majority of them.

Cheers,
Anthony

The acting and dialogue on the show are always top-notch.  Hugh Laurie is captivating in this role!  I have to say that DVR has changed my life!  I'm no longer tied to a schedule (other than 24 on Mondays) and can feel free to work late or go out without feeling bitter about missing my shows!

Cheers,
Daos

the shows I use to watch as a kid were: Star Trek, Lost in Space, Space 1999, The Fugitive, Bonanza and I dream of Jeannie
I have to add my other favourite ones are Sienfeld, MASH and the british Yes Minister and Yes Prime Minister and Coupling.
But most of the times I prefer a good movie and prefer the classic ones
Cheers

...still make me laugh today!  They remain fresh and funny years later.  I loved the character of Kramer.  What a kook!  I tend to prefer movies as well, but I do think the best TV shows allow for more in-depth character exploration than can occur in a typical 2-hour movie. 

Daos

that all the Sienfeld characters failed to make their own tv sitcom- I guess the Seinfeld curse got them
cheers

characters were developed very well
take for example Casablanca, Key Largo, Gilda etc
That is also true for some modern era movies such as Cinema Paradiso, The english Patient, Dead Poets Society etc
cheers

...more time to breathe and grow.  Casablanca is my favorite movie of all time, so I completely get what you're saying.  The English Patient is also a fantastic film (although eclipsed in greatness by Michael Ondaatje's original novel), and I love Kristin Scott Thomas' voice over in the latter part of the film where she says: "We're the real countries.  Not the boundaries drawn on maps, the names of powerful men.  I know you'll come and carry me out into the Palace of Winds.  That's all I've wanted.  To walk in such a place with you, with friends.  An Earth without maps."  How romantic!  I think The English Patient is the spiritual successor in some ways to Casablanca.  That's probably one reason why I like it so much.

Cheers,
Daos

any words from movies that you are not familiar with????
LOL
cheers

...I literally just finished watching this movie on DVD, and I have a pretty good memory for dialogue or passages from novels that I like!

Daos

That is probably the only mainstream program I try to catch. We have a local station that broadcasts Japanese programs which I prefer.

For question #1, I prefer programs that don't really use sex as its main push for a laugh. When I think of the old I Love Lucy episodes, they were, and still are, very funny!

Other than that, DVDs are usually my preference.

Aloha,

Bob

Chuck is a great show!  It's another one of the programs I catch via DVR.  I like Japanese animation like Akira and Bubblegum Crisis, but don't know much about their live action programs.  I agree that the old I Love Lucy episodes still hold up well, and remain funny all these years later. 

Cheers,
Daos