What TV series are you watching?

[Vyse Hazuky]

"Life"

[OL]

Been watching Mad Men.
Previously, I'd only really seen the entire first season and an episode here and there of the rest of it. Finally decided to sit down with all of it in order last week (or maybe the one before).
Just such a great show.
It just feels so natural as it progresses. I really don't know of another show that has so many "Holden Caulfields" all in the same cast. By that, I mean characters that are able to be so pleasant and likable one moment, then turn around and be so stern and spiteful the next. A description like that might appear to paint them in a bad light, but it's actually an incredibly high compliment; the characters are like real people.
Reality doesn't stuff people into archetypes, and neither does this show.
I think the only character I just truly don't like at the moment is Betty. The bitch is never happy, and she bogs the show down almost any time she appears. They ought to have her get hit by a train or something.

Almost done with season 4. I've already seen most of season 5 as it's been coming on tv, but it's great to watch how all the pieces are falling in place prior to it. I'll probably re-watch it On-Demand once I finish season 4.

[Vyse Hazuky]

^Love it. Funny enough I started with Season 2 a couple years ago, then only watched Season 1 a couple of weeks ago. It upsets me a bit, that sometimes stories are quite inconsequential (meaning, there are some "filler" episodes), which is to be expected of american broadcasting, and it's definitely not quite so bad as in the other shows. Still, there really isn't that much you can tell that happened which was important to the story timeline from season to season, as it all just drifts back into the tracks, and ready for next week's episode.

Looking forward to getting to Season 3 and the rest.

Right now been watching "Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy", the original series with Alec Guinness (and a brief mute cameo by Patrick Stewart (already bald)). Very good, even if a bit stretched. I haven't seen the 2011 movie yet, but I ought to, now.

[OL]

I actually don't know if I'd call any of Mad Men "filler"...
There are a couple episode in S1, I think, that could have technically been omitted from the main story. And I suppose those are what you're talking about. But honestly, I think they all add important elements of character development to the series. They're like the scenes in Pulp Fiction where people are just shooting the shit about seemingly random topics; they seem unnecessary, but they actually help a lot in helping you get to know the characters.
After season 1 though, there aren't any episodes (that I can think of, at least) quite like that. They all seem to continually add more and more to the main story now.

[Bluecast]

There is no such thing as "filler" in Mad Men.

I stopped watching scrubs mid season 6. I kinda lost interest and know that by Season 7 everything changes saying the show ran to long and everyone left.

Been watching Transformers Prime. I never saw the 80's show as a kid but liked the animated film alot. This is CGI and takes elements from the live action films. However to my surprise kinda enjoying it.

[Vyse Hazuky]

I'm talking about all those little sidesteps. They entangle characters in relationships, break them off, then another character gets introduced, then something else happens, then another thing, then then it's all back the way it was before. There's this feeling I get that these series are pitched as a situation (in this case: "man with mysterious identity in advertisement firm in 1960s NYC"), and then they build from there, character to character, rather than having a very distinct idea of where it begins and ends (which explains why the shows usually go on and on until the public interest isn't there and they announce a final season to get them all back and go out with a bang).
I do like the show, just like I did with The Sopranos, but I just don't fancy this way of doing storyline television.

Still, top quality show.

[Vyse Hazuky]

Started watching Brideshead Revisited, with Jeremy Irons, Gielgud, Olivier, the lot.

It starts, at least, a bit on the "affected" side, but I guess that's to be expected of when the writer signs himself "Evelyn", hehe.
Storming acting and production, really. Fantastic.

[Who Really Cares?]

Decided to start watching this again, Not seen The Pacific yet.

[Bluecast]

Stargate Universe

I avoided this when it came out thinking it was just a rip off of BSG.
While yes it borrows heavily it also is very assessable to those who have not watched Stargate shows and this has a more serious tone.

Unlike Star Trek Voyager this has a true sense of survival. The music in the series is fucking awesome! From dramatic to very tron like to very 80's awesome sounding synth. The show is quite good. Sucks I didn't support it before as it ended on a cliffhanger.

[Vyse Hazuky]

Creature Comforts

It gets me in stitches! Lovely.

[Vyse Hazuky]

Cracker
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cracker_%28UK_TV_series%29

Fantastic show. And you can see the influence it had on recent shows, a lot.
But really, can't stress this enough. FANTASTIC SERIES.

[Bambi]

Cracker
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cracker_%28UK_TV_series%29

Fantastic show. And you can see the influence it had on recent shows, a lot.
But really, can't stress this enough. FANTASTIC SERIES.

I'm glad to see a non-Brit appreciating Cracker for the quality series that it is.

My favourite episode is "To Be a Somebody" I think it was the first episode I saw back on TV when it first aired and I still remember many of the scenes well, fantastic performances all around.

[OL]

Watched the first episode of Game of Thrones a few days ago, expecting that I'd get hooked and want to keep watching more.
Kind of the opposite happened though. Found it to be a total bore, with what I would consider a lot of pathetic attempts at trying to be "shocking". And the swearing is just out of place. I'm obviously not one to have anything against swearing, but people saying "fuck" in a medieval fantasy setting just comes off as ridiculous and funny.
First impressions, the show just feels like a lame attempt by HBO to appeal to the "dork" crowd.
"It's Lord of the Rings with blood and guts and tits and cussing! People are gonna eat this shit up!"
And apparently they were right.
I was intrigued by the White Walker thing at the beginning of the episode, but then the rest of it just devolved into a spiral of soap opera tripe trying too hard to be edgy.

So I skipped watching the second episode and decided to watch some more of Eastbound and Down season 3.
A grand decision on my part. Eastbound and Down is fucking great.

EDIT: Oh, and on Game of Thrones, I forgot to mention the music. Just truly awful. With all of the money spent on sets and costumes and special effects for it, it's hilarious how out of place the music sounds. It's all really obviously synthesized score trying to sound epic and boisterous. All the money put into the show's production, and they couldn't actually record the music live?
As it is, the music sounds like the kind of stuff you'd hear in a bad made-for-tv Sci Fi Channel movie. Just brings the whole thing down.

[Bluecast]

I found it ok as well. I saw the first whole season. Nothing really grabbed me. Just a lot of shock value. I will see the second season but only on netflix streaming.

[Vyse Hazuky]

Cracker
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cracker_%28UK_TV_series%29

Fantastic show. And you can see the influence it had on recent shows, a lot.
But really, can't stress this enough. FANTASTIC SERIES.

I'm glad to see a non-Brit appreciating Cracker for the quality series that it is.

My favourite episode is "To Be a Somebody" I think it was the first episode I saw back on TV when it first aired and I still remember many of the scenes well, fantastic performances all around.

Thanks. I finished the first season yesterday, so next episode I'll watch is indeed To Be a Somebody.
Looking forward to seeing Ricky Tomlinson hehe