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Throatwarbler
Nov 17, 2008

by vyelkin
I went through the first season of EBAD on the recommendation here and wasn't really into it. I don't really like the Will Ferrell school of comedy, either, so that's probably it.

I've gone back and started The Wire for the second time. I've never done that for a TV show before, it's even better the second time, there's so much content.

Throatwarbler fucked around with this message at 09:00 on Jul 30, 2011

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precision
May 7, 2006

by VideoGames
I like very little of Will Ferrel's post-SNL "acting" output but absolutely loving love Eastbound and Down. It's the ultimate white trash dark comedy, kind of like the evil twin of My Name Is Earl.

-Blackadder-
Jan 2, 2007

Game....Blouses.
Yeah, I absolutely loving hate Will Ferrell and find him to be one of the most unfunny people on the planet. But Eastbound and Down is pretty great. The first episode of the first season has to be one of the greatest things to ever grace TV. I almost hacked up a lung I was laughing so hard. It made me go out and search for everything Danny McBride has been in.

Eggnogium
Jun 1, 2010

Never give an inch! Hnnnghhhhhh!
Aaaand Mad Men is on Netflix instant now so me and about 10,000 other people are gonna start binging through that.

HanabaL03
Nov 12, 2003

We're spread, we're spread, we're spreading our.... wings! :v:

-Blackadder- posted:

Yeah, I absolutely loving hate Will Ferrell and find him to be one of the most unfunny people on the planet. But Eastbound and Down is pretty great. The first episode of the first season has to be one of the greatest things to ever grace TV. I almost hacked up a lung I was laughing so hard. It made me go out and search for everything Danny McBride has been in.

The opening scene of the pilot episode is probably one of the most badass hilarious things in the history of television.

xeria
Jul 26, 2004

Ruh roh...

Eggnogium posted:

Aaaand Mad Men is on Netflix instant now so me and about 10,000 other people are gonna start binging through that.

Yeah, I'm pretty much all the hell over this show now. Watched the first four episodes so far and it's pretty fantastic.

EvilTobaccoExec
Dec 22, 2003

Criminals are a superstitious, cowardly lot, so my disguise must be able to strike terror into their hearts!
Been making my way though Fringe and I don't not like it. Don't not like it at all.

Seems to be getting better with every episode, aside from that a dead character showing up in an episode. It would have thrown me for more of a loop if I didn't know this was a FOX show where there was 0% chance of having episodes aired in order.



Sometimes I have to just roll my eyes at stuff, but that's part of the fun. For a super picky example that has no impact on the show, the episode I'm watching has Lt. Daniel filling a building with fentanyl gas to knock out a room full of people, which is bat poo poo insane. Fentanyl is an insanely powerful respiratory depressant measured in micrograms. There's no way they could use it to knock out a room of differently sized and medicated people without the dosage being simultaneously too low to knock out everyone and too high to keep everyone alive.

I'm thinking it's just a lazy mistake, so I look it up and it turns out that it actually has been used in similar circumstances like the Moscow Theater Terrorist Attack . I guess the writers did do the research... but then I kept reading, and it actually killed around 117 hostages. So uh... vindication. Yeah. Go me.

EvilTobaccoExec fucked around with this message at 20:25 on Jul 31, 2011

KICK BAMA KICK
Mar 2, 2009

I recently finished Fringe myself; you are very, very close to the point where it actually turns into a fundamentally better show -- the sequence of episodes that begins with "Jacksonville" and runs well into Season 3.

Speaking of, what is its status for the future? I know it's coming back for a fourth season, is that a full order? Confident about all those airing/getting a renewal? Any plans for an endgame?

bobkatt013
Oct 8, 2006

You’re telling me Peter Parker is ...... Spider-man!?

A Violence Gang posted:

I recently finished Fringe myself; you are very, very close to the point where it actually turns into a fundamentally better show -- the sequence of episodes that begins with "Jacksonville" and runs well into Season 3.

Speaking of, what is its status for the future? I know it's coming back for a fourth season, is that a full order? Confident about all those airing/getting a renewal? Any plans for an endgame?

I believe that it got a full order.

Scrapez
Feb 27, 2004

Eggnogium posted:

Aaaand Mad Men is on Netflix instant now so me and about 10,000 other people are gonna start binging through that.

I'm up to episode 9 so far. I pretty much hate every character on the show but love the show.

From what I've heard, the show gets even better as it goes along, which if true, explains why it's rated at 9 out of 10 on imdb.

Superrodan
Nov 27, 2007
I broke down and started The Wire for the first time. I'm only 4 episodes in.

It's good but with the way people love this show and talk about the crazy moments in it I know I'm in for one hell of a ride. I am also now desperately hoping that all of the characters I like manage to survive, but I have a feeling that it's doubtful.

I have two predictions based on what I have seen so far and what I have heard about the show in passing...

McNulty dies before the end of this season (I've not heard anything about this but everyone always talks about other characters by name like Omar and how awesome they are, but I don't hear about McNulty very often. Plus with how much goon cred the show has, I can see them killing off what appears to be the main character)

The older detective who carves wood (I am bad at names) is my favorite character by either the end of the show or until he dies.

Mu Zeta
Oct 17, 2002

Me crush ass to dust

Oh man, enjoy The Wire as much as you can. There are only 5 seasons and season 5 is only 10 episodes :( That said, while the show does have some holky gently caress moments it's more about the slow burn. It just builds and builds and I myself was just blown away and struck dumb at the end of season 4. There's nothing else like it on TV.

HanabaL03
Nov 12, 2003

We're spread, we're spread, we're spreading our.... wings! :v:
Fringe got a 23 episode order for season 4.

fallin1
May 14, 2007

...mostly MSG.
Last thing I can remember speeding through was Carnivàle. Great show and I'm really annoyed HBO won't let a 3rd and possible final season happen. Next up is probably either Nip/Tuck, Avatar: TLA, or The Wire.

Doctor Spaceman
Jul 6, 2010

"Everyone's entitled to their point of view, but that's seriously a weird one."
Been ploughing through Voyager. Had seen scattered episodes before, but I'd never watched it through in all its frustrating mess.

A Violence Gang posted:

I recently finished Fringe myself; you are very, very close to the point where it actually turns into a fundamentally better show -- the sequence of episodes that begins with "Jacksonville" and runs well into Season 3.
Yeah, it takes off there and never looks back.

Out of all of the recently made shows I can think of / have watched, Fringe took the longest to find its feet and hit its stride.

Superrodan posted:

McNulty dies before the end of this season (I've not heard anything about this but everyone always talks about other characters by name like Omar and how awesome they are, but I don't hear about McNulty very often. Plus with how much goon cred the show has, I can see them killing off what appears to be the main character)
(No spoilers)

The show really broadens its focus as it goes by taking in more and more institutions and groups, so individual characters start getting a bit less screentime. Plus McNulty is a somewhat stereotypical cowboy cop, while Omar is Omar.

Doctor Spaceman fucked around with this message at 08:03 on Aug 2, 2011

ZombieSnot
Jan 2, 2011

Entrenched in nutritious rotting flesh.
I'm finishing up Arrested Development. Needless to say absolutely brilliant. I'm currently debating between The Wire, Battlestar Galactica or Breaking Bad for my next binge.

oxidation
May 22, 2011
I just finished Case Histories based on a recommendation in this topic and I loved it. It's short (only 6 episodes) but I really enjoyed the setting, the characters, and the story. It's up there with Sherlock as 'shows I wish they more than a handful of episodes for.'

Master Kush
Aug 8, 2007

Right now, aqua teen hunger force. GREAT show.... its too drat short though. I'm thinking I will get into Mad Men next, its critically acclaimed, but I'm afraid I'll get bored. I'm the kind of person who thought the wire was the dullest, most boring show ever....and people call it the best show of all time.

some kinda jackal
Feb 25, 2003

 
 
I think I'm the only person on the planet for whom The Wire didn't do anything AT ALL. I had to force myself to sit through the first few episodes and then I just sort of threw up my hands and said "welp" and ejected the DVD forever :(

Slamhound
Mar 27, 2010
I enjoyed The Wire, but think it's overrated. I vasty preferred The Shield.

Digital Scumbag
Feb 11, 2010
Early S5 of Curb, and one episode left of Misfits. :unsmith: Also kind of working my way through the 11th Doctor Who eps.

Escobarbarian
Jun 18, 2004


Grimey Drawer

Martytoof posted:

I think I'm the only person on the planet for whom The Wire didn't do anything AT ALL. I had to force myself to sit through the first few episodes and then I just sort of threw up my hands and said "welp" and ejected the DVD forever :(

The Wire is an incredibly slow burn, but it pays off in so many ways. I never had to force myself to sit through it or anything but I was definitely restless towards the beginning, and now it's my favourite show. It demands a lot more from its viewers then pretty much any show I've ever seen (hell, I had to read the wikipedia article after every episode just to make sure I had everything straight, thank god for whoever wrote those plot summaries), but then rewards them considerably.

Mu Zeta
Oct 17, 2002

Me crush ass to dust

The first handful of Wire episodes are really slow. There's a point where the cops are trying to figure out a code where it becomes really compelling. If you're not hooked by those scenes though you'll never like it.

I believe every person should have to watch season 4. It will crush you. You'll simply be devastated.

Charlie Brooker's review is what motivated me to give the show another shot. I tried to watch it 3 times before it clicked.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sZ2iGYwdEi8

Mu Zeta fucked around with this message at 09:13 on Aug 7, 2011

Alfred P. Pseudonym
May 29, 2006

And when you gaze long into an abyss, the abyss goes 8-8

Two seasons into Breaking Bad and god drat does this show have some intense/badass/horribly depressing moments. I really can't stand Skyler, but her motivations are pretty reasonable so I can't hate her too much, I suppose.

scary ghost dog
Aug 5, 2007

Martytoof posted:

I think I'm the only person on the planet for whom The Wire didn't do anything AT ALL. I had to force myself to sit through the first few episodes and then I just sort of threw up my hands and said "welp" and ejected the DVD forever :(

I tried as hard as I could to enjoy it, and stayed with it for the whole first season, but when I started the second season I just couldn't care. I was utterly bored by it.

Dayewalker
Dec 25, 2002

I drink YOUR milkshake!

Alfred P. Pseudonym posted:

Two seasons into Breaking Bad and god drat does this show have some intense/badass/horribly depressing moments. I really can't stand Skyler, but her motivations are pretty reasonable so I can't hate her too much, I suppose.

I hated her myself throughout the first three seasons, but her character has been growing on me with the new season. She seems to be less of a complete bitch now than she was earlier on in the show.

Big Bad Voodoo Lou
Jan 1, 2006
I think Season 1, Episode 6, "The Wire," is the tipping point for The Wire. I'll be the first one to admit it's slow and a little hard to follow up until that point, but that's where the show kicks into high gear. If you're not into it after that point, it just might not be for you, but I implore people to give it a chance up until then.

Not every show starts off perfect: most people agree that skeptical newbies should start with Season 2, Episode 1 of Parks and Recreation, and only revisit the six-episode first season once they're committed fans, and I always felt that Buffy the Vampire Slayer's first season is a chore to watch, but by Season 2, Episode 3, "School Hard," the show has found its voice and people WILL be won over.

Not every show is excellent from the pilot, but Arrested Development, Deadwood, The Shield, and Twin Peaks will definitely grab people from the first moments and hold them.

kaworu
Jul 23, 2004

I think I tried to watch The Wire twice before I actually got into it, and took me about three years. I'm a bit embarrassed about it, in retrospect. First time, I'm not even sure I made it through the first episode. It seemed like a standard police procedural to me, except with bland characters and dense dialogue that seemed (at the time) to be needlessly convoluted and dialectical. Then I tried again and maybe made it to third episode before giving up once more, probably because I just got distracted and it seemed tough to get into a show set it in a place like Baltimore fuckin' Maryland that seemed to me to have no real "hook". Finally it all clicked - really, I think that once you get through the first half of season 1 it is impossible not to be hooked if you like good TV, and the extent to which that show builds and builds upon itself is just shocking and quite frankly unprecedented.

kaworu fucked around with this message at 15:25 on Aug 7, 2011

Chamberk
Jan 11, 2004

when there is nothing left to burn you have to set yourself on fire
The Wire is not an easy show to get into - took me a while to get through season 1. One day, I'll watch season 4 and 5.

Mad Men is kinda the same - it's one of those shows that doesn't really hook you until about halfway through season 1. The moment when I realized I loved the show was the "Rivers of Babylon" bit at the end of, I think, episode 6.

Bonk
Aug 4, 2002

Douche Baggins
Yeah, I'm starting up The Wire, possibly Carnivale too if I have time before the Fall season starts (or if the 10 or so pilots I want to check out all end up sucking), but I have to admit The Wire is pretty intimidating. It's dense as hell, it gets top acclaim everywhere, and I feel like I need to be able to immerse myself in it to really get it. I hope I like it as much as everyone else seems to. I'm going into it with the understanding that it's like reading a novel, and I'm okay with that. [edit]Haha, just realized I've been telling this thread I was going to start The Wire for 3 years now. It's finally time![/edit]

And not to intentionally reheat the Veronica Mars derail, but it's much, much harder to get into that show if you don't already like Kristen Bell. I personally don't, as every role I've seen her in annoys me and I don't find her cute and charming like the show's fans seem to, so her relentless snarkiness and spring-loaded comebacks in VM do nothing for me. I've tried. It might be a well-written show, but I'd never know because I don't like the protagonist or the actress that plays her. It would also take a lot to get me to watch a teen-oriented high school drama at this point in my life. My girlfriend's getting me to watch Freaks & Geeks though, so I'll give that a shot at least.

Bonk fucked around with this message at 19:55 on Aug 7, 2011

Digital Scumbag
Feb 11, 2010
I watched 2(3?) seasons of The Wire before I gave up. It wasn't really a conscious decision, I just started watching other stuff and never really got back around to it.
My favorite part was showing the criminals trying to sell day-to-day, Bricks and the rest. I really don't like procedurals much, and tend to give no fucks about stories where the protaganist are police officers. Then they introduced the dock stuff, the Greek, etc. and ZzZzZz.

Mr.Graves
Jul 23, 2007

by T. Finn
Almost everyone I know who becomes rabidly in love with the Wire starts out feeling next to nothing for it, then drops it after a bit because there's just nothing there. A little bit of time passes, they give it a chance again, and something just 'clicks' and it blows their minds. It really is that good, and when it clicks for you, you'll realize why people watch the entire series two or three times... the first time through is just a cursory glance; by the second or third you realize everything is placed together like a masterwork puzzle, single lines have repercussions seasons later, characters walking through a background scene become the central figure of the show years later.

But don't sweat it if you give up on it your first try- most people do. When you go back it all comes together.

Langolas
Feb 12, 2011

My mustache makes me sexy, not the hat

Currently binging through ST:TNG. I haven't watched this show since the mid 90's. I am definitely getting my future kids to watch this show.

I just binged through Seasons 2-3 of Breaking bad. I quit at the beginning of Season 2 because of some drama between two characters I didn't like. Glad I got back into it, the show is awesome.

Short list of things to go through:

1. The Wire
2. Star Trek DS9

Coaaab
Aug 6, 2006

Wish I was there...
I've only seen up to the end of The Wire's 4th season, but the moment I knew the show had finally wormed its way into my brain was during the Season 2 premiere, where I kept thinking, "Hey, it's [that guy]! How have you been?" I didn't realize how invested I was in the cast of the first season until I wondered how they had been doing since I last saw them. These weren't static characters, and I would see how they would grow, live, die, move from place to place, whatever. And then subsequent seasons would incorporate more and more characters into the swirl of Baltimore, and I'd be attached all over again. Suddenly, an episode would include 20 or 30 named characters and it's all seamless and not that hard to follow and just right.

Of course, if I ever did get confused by a plot point (it's a surprisingly elliptical show), I could just rewind it or go to the episode summaries on Wikipedia or consult Sepinwall's reviews or even the discussions on this forum. Not that any of those things were the end-all, be-all of what should be said about the show; they're more like a jumping-off point for my own thoughts.

fallin1
May 14, 2007

...mostly MSG.
Wife wanted to start up Mad Men so looks like that's what is up next for me.

Eggnogium
Jun 1, 2010

Never give an inch! Hnnnghhhhhh!

Scrapez posted:

I'm up to episode 9 so far. I pretty much hate every character on the show but love the show.

From what I've heard, the show gets even better as it goes along, which if true, explains why it's rated at 9 out of 10 on imdb.

I've watched 11 episodes now. I really wasn't enjoying it at first and nearly gave up around episode 5. Didn't seem to be nearly as mad as I thought it was gonna be. But either I just got used to it or it actually picked up because since episode 8 or 9 I've been pretty captivated.

Fun Times!
Dec 26, 2010
I just watched every episode of Arrested Development for the first time. I regret having not watched this show until now for it was one of the funniest tv experiences I ever had. I loved the constant self references and funny dialogue throughout every episode, and there wasn't a single character I didn't like.

Now I plan on finishing up season 4 and moving onto later episodes of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia and after that I'll have to find a new show.

bobkatt013
Oct 8, 2006

You’re telling me Peter Parker is ...... Spider-man!?

Fun Times! posted:

I just watched every episode of Arrested Development for the first time. I regret having not watched this show until now for it was one of the funniest tv experiences I ever had. I loved the constant self references and funny dialogue throughout every episode, and there wasn't a single character I didn't like.

Now I plan on finishing up season 4 and moving onto later episodes of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia and after that I'll have to find a new show.
Watch Strangers with Candy

Pahonix
May 29, 2004

Hooked on pahonix workid for meh!
I just got through the first two seasons of White Collar, and for the most part, enjoyed the hell out of it. I can't stand the painfully obvious Ford commercial bits (HOLY poo poo CARS HAVE A BLIND SPOT), but other than that, it's a great guilty pleasure.

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Wartime Consigliere
Mar 27, 2010

by T. Fine
Finished up Deadwood. drat it.

I started Sports Night and I thought I heard a laugh track once but I thought no, that would be stupid, silly, and completely out of place. But the laugh tracks go on. drat. In the first few minutes it's like The West Wing of Sportscenter, which would be great, but the laugh track is killing the good parts so far. I'm only about 5 minutes in.

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