spaced
chappelle’s show
mad men
venture bros
carnivale
northern exposure
twin peaks
(and i know im gonna get shit for this) big love
Arrested Development, South Park, and Flight of the Conchords are definitely the funniest shows on television!
30 Rock, The Colbert Report, The Daily Show, and It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia rule the day for me. BBC America, in general, is tremendous. I also have a lot of time for MST3K and Father Ted on dvd.
Oh, and Arrested Development forever!
I loved Twin Peaks and it ended way too prematurely. i would’ve loved to have seen what exactly happened to agent cooper. Also where the hell did Josie go? What a bummer, damn those blasted studio executives. Damn them all to hell! Laura!!!
What, no Entourage fans?
FREAKS AND GEEKS! My favorite show ever.
I also love Extras, The Office (both the British and US versions), Arrested Development, and Always Sunny in Philadelphia.
I want to get into Six Feet Under and The Wire, because they were so highly acclaimed for their writing, but I haven’t had the time to invest in so many episodes.
edit – disregard this post
30 rock. Freaks and Geeks. Scrubs. The office.
edit says Arrested development
I have trouble with keeping updated on current events, so television is a little much to handle D= Shows I enjoy are Little Britain, Life on Mars (UK), and South Park.I usually check out seasons out of libraries rather than watching them on television.
I can’t believe no one has brought this up yet, so I’m going to rant a little bit:
I don’t think that I have ever thoroughly enjoyed a TV show or cared about one as much as I do PUSHING DAISIES. It crosses almost every genre line to come out with an end product that can be charming, hilarious and heartbreaking. Pushing Daisies is probably the best (or at least the most original) show on network television. It won three Emmys, criticial acclaim and a strong fan base in its short first season, and it doesn’t look like ABC is going to give it a chance to do even better things with a full second season unless something changes. New episodes air Wednesday nights on ABC. The first season is available to buy or rent on DVD, and ABC.com is streaming all of the episodes that have aired so far from season two.
Like a lot of others, I’m going to have to say that Arrested Development, Dexter, Flight of the Conchords, The Office and Mad Men are all very good television. I also love Lost, but I think it’s something you definitely have to get into at the beginning.
Honestly, you will never see a better television series than The Wire. There are plenty of other great shows on TV, past and present, but none of them equal what David Simon and company achieved with that series.
I’m glad to see I’m not the only one who loves Freaks and Geeks.
If anyone is interested, you can actually find a two-volume published set of the scripts for the entire series. I mean, if you’re a dork like me, you might be think that was worth your time.
Joss Whedon’s stuff (Buffy, Angel, Firefly, etc.)
Twin Peaks
Flight of the Conchords
Veronica Mars
Little Britain
Still want to watch Battlestar Galactica, 30 Rock, and the rest of The Wire. I liked the few Entourage episodes I’ve seen also.
Besides those already mentioned above, these are worth noting for discerning cinephiles (ie, those with good taste – like you and me):
Brideshead Revisited – the original Jeremy Irons version – not the new movie (which I haven’t seen). It is probalby my favorite series, one I can watch again and again.
Jewel in the Crown – wonderful story and wonderful acting – like a good, long movie.
The Prisoner – surely all fans of figuring out what it is all about can appreciate this one with the wonderful Patrick MacGoohan.
But just remember, any time you now waste watching the, for the most part, junk on TV could be better spent watching a good movie. It was said a long time ago (by one Newton Minnow – I am not making the name up), that TV is a vast wasteland, so don’t spend too much time watching it – just the good stuff mentioned here by our fellow contributors!
Freaks and Geeks is a poor man’s My So-Called Life.
Going with top five lists (and these are just some of the best)
American TV = Comedy
Mystery Science Theater 3000
Seinfeld
Arrested Devolpment
South Park
American TV = Drama (non-pay TV)
The X Files
The Shield
Dead Like Me
Pushing Daisies
LOST
American TV = Drama (Pay per view)
Deadwood
Curb Your Enthusium
The Wire
Dexter
The L Word
Essential: The Wire, Deadwood, The Sopranos, Twin Peaks, Arrested Development, Dexter, Seinfeld and Lost.
I’ll add my voice to the people suggesting Breaking Bad, it’s a brilliant series with great characters, fine acting (nod to Brian Cranston), good pacing and an unique plot. The first series was shown last year and the second is due to begin in the new year so catch up over the holidays.
Life is another great show that has flown under the radar. It’s basically a cop show with an eccentric, brilliant detective named Charlie Crews. The twist is that Charlie has just got out of prison after been exonerated for a crime he was framed for – killing his best friend. He emerges with a large settlement from the state, a new found enlightenment from Zen and a desire to return to the police force and solve the murder he was framed for. One of the interesting techniques used is the juxtaposition of a fake documentary surrounding Charlie’s imprisonment with the real time action.
John From Cincinnati was another brilliant HBO series which was cruelly cancelled early. It has been labeled ‘surf noir’ and was about the impact a strange young man of mysterious origin has on a dysfunctional family of professional surfers and their community. The first (and only) series is well worth a watch to restore your faith in original television programming.
As Isayc said above UK television has been very poor recently. However, the BBC still continues to turn out first class documentaries and period dramas, so if you get iplayer in the states in well worth having a sift through to find something you might like. I also have to disagree with Halim who praised Skins in his original post. I find the premise interesting and the decision to make the show a step in the right direction but the execution very poor. The dialogue is atrocious and the use of slang almost as cringing as Juno. Occasional episodes, such as the ones written by Simon Amstell, are good but the characters are unbelievable. The worst offender being the main character, Tony. Someone who is such dull, shallow and a massive bastard to everyone that it begs belief that he is still idolized by everyone around him.
And to end on: does anyone watch Entourage? I find it a relaxing watch and love all the cameos and caricatures. Gus Van Sant appeared in the season finale much to my surprise. It’s worth watching just to enjoy Jeremy Piven at his best as the foul mouthed racist Jewish super agent.
Um, since when was Curb Your Enthusiasm a drama?
I’m somewhat of a moviesnob and turned off the tube a long time ago.
But …
I do enjoy
Arrested Development
Californication
Battlestar Galactica
Deadwood
Twin Peaks
TV never went anywhere. Look at James Burrows directorial canon (Cheers, Friends, Newsradio) for some incredible American work. He made my childhood evenings worth staying home.
As for the best of television, check out Dennis Potter’s The Singing Detective for an amazing performance from Michael Gambon and an incredible plot that’s worth sticking it out through the end. It is moving, exciting, entertaining, and all the things that drive us to love cinema, just beamed into your home rather than on the screen.
Also check out his book, “Potter on Potter” from Faber & Faber. A fun read from a master writer who devoted himself to television rather than using it as a springboard.
Sopranos.
I know a lot of people hated the final episode, but i thought it was perfect. It was actually the first full episode i ever saw, on it’s original air date last year, and it inspired me to go back and start watching the series. It was definitely the most enjoyable and satisfying television experience i’ve had.
I hate to be the brown shoe on this tuxedo, but – as much as I would champion “Deadwood,” “Mad Men,” “The Sopranos,” etc. – I’m living for Jan. 7, when “Damages” returns to FX. It’s perhaps the most decadent guilty pleasure on the tube, the deep-fried Oreo of cable. I feel deliciously dirty just talking about it.
UK:
Black Books
The League of Gentlemen
House of Cards
Spaced
US:
The Wire
Firefly
Freaks & Geeks
Twin Peaks
Arrested Development
The Wire
The Office
Lost
Life
Life on Mars
Top Ten : (series’ sitcom & drama)
10. The Greatest American Hero
9. Highway To Heaven
8. The X-Files
7. Miami Vice
6. SNL
5. Twin Peaks
4. Married With Children
3. Seinfeld
2. The Sopranos
1. The Simpson’s
Honorable mention:
Quantum Leap
Get A Life
Grounded For Life
Cheers
Punky Brewster
Animaniacs
Highlander
Roc
Melrose Place
Sex And The City
Good Times
I’ve been watching a lot of nature documentaries lately. I was watching this one on the blue whale, and the cinematography was just amazing. Not for what they captured, but the people running the camera’s really knew what they were doing, they knew how to line up a shot, and had a really impressive eye for composition. Other than that I don’t watch a ton of T.V. I’ll watch The Simpsons, or Seinfeld (both early episodes) if they’re on, though.
Arrested Development=funniest television show
Chip P
anything from HBO or AMC
Mad Men
The Wire
being the best from each channel.