Recommend me some good TV shows.

[Catfood220]

Dollhouse. I love Dollhouse and will tell everyone to see it. Only two seasons, so ... yeah. Get to it!

I love Dollhouse too, a lot of people knock it, but it a great show with that explores some interesting ideas. The first series take a little while to get going. But season 2, just wow. I would really of liked where Joss was going to go with it, but for some reason I think the 2 seasons works well.

 

[Scars Unseen]

If we're talking older shows, I'm going to have to recommend Dark Shadows. No, not this:

This:

It was a gothic/supernatural soap opera that only lasted 6 years(but because it was a soap opera, that translates to over 1200 episodes). Taking inspiration from everything from Wuthering Heights to the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice, it covered all the classic horror tropes as well as time travel and parallel dimensions. Probably the most interesting I can imagine a soap opera being.

 

[AT God]

Don't know if you are into comedy stuff but I have to plug Archer, the first 4 seasons are on netflix instant stream and the fifth season will probably appear in a few weeks since the sixth season begins tonight on FX. Easily my favorite show to watch and the only season based show I watch regularly. I do recommend watching the first seasons because despite being a comedy, the show makes references to previous events a lot, far too much in my opinion. Aside from that though, its an easy show to understand and if it suits your sense of humor it is very addicting. Just wish they would make more than about a dozen episodes a year.

 

[BloatedGuppy]

I've heard The Wire is quite good, but it seems like too much of a Cop show to me. I could be entirely off base with that, I know very little about it. So if that's the case, go ahead and tell me.

The fuck, dude? Just a cop show? The Wire is hands down the best show in the history of the medium. You should be watching it RIGHT NOW. Get out! Get out of here and don't come back until you've watched The Wire!

PS - House of Cards is also quite good.

EDIT - Here's a link for you.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/5095500/The-Wire-arguably-the-greatest-television-programme-ever-made.html

No other series in history has attracted such critical praise, not least from the kind of high-minded cultural arbiters who would usually only watch a US crime drama with a peg on their nose. According to these critics, The Wire isn't merely the best thing on TV; it merits comparison with the works of Dickens and Dostoevsky. As the entertainment industry magazine Variety observed, "When television history is written, little else will rival The Wire, a series of such ambition that it is, perhaps inevitably, savoured only by the appreciative few."

 

[FalloutJack]

Never heard of it.

Directed by and starring Patrick McGoohan, this classic centers around a man working for an important agency who mysteriously resigns his position. When this happens, certain parties want to know why. He is abducted, and sent to an isolated place that he cannot escape, simply known as The Village. Everyone is a number there, and he has been given the identity of Number Six.

I am not a number! I'm a free man!

The show features a great deal of psychological-play - suspicion, mind-games, brainwashing, backstabbing, and plenty more - trying to break Number Six's will so he will give them the answer to such things as "Why did you resign?". Each day, a new Number Two comes in to do their worst. But...if these appointed leaders of The Village are Number Two, who is Number One? Who is really in charge?

 

[Ishal]

The fuck, dude? Just a cop show? The Wire is hands down the best show in the history of the medium.

Hehe, sorry. Had to.

No other series in history has attracted such critical praise, not least from the kind of high-minded cultural arbiters who would usually only watch a US crime drama with a peg on their nose. According to these critics, The Wire isn't merely the best thing on TV; it merits comparison with the works of Dickens and Dostoevsky. As the entertainment industry magazine Variety observed, "When television history is written, little else will rival The Wire, a series of such ambition that it is, perhaps inevitably, savoured only by the appreciative few."

Chances are I'm not likely to be one of the appreciative few, but I hear you. I'll put it on the list. As mentioned in the OP I tend to enjoy HBO shows more, so I'll get to it eventually. If it grabs me, I'm sure I'll come around raving about it, demanding to know why you didn't tell me about it sooner

It's just criminal shows never really held my interest. Perhaps it's because of growing up on basic cable, and all those types of shows blurring together. Sopranos only held my interest because of Gandolfini, and that it hit home on a personal level. Growing up half Italian, I lived that experience. No mafia, but the culture? It's like they took some pages from my own life. Though rewatching it made me realize what a great show it is.

I'll give it a shot. It says there are dozens of characters, so I'm assuming it's a mix of criminals and non-criminals.

 

[BloatedGuppy]

Hehe, sorry. Had to.

Don't be sorry. That was hilarious.

It's just criminal shows never really held my interest. Perhaps it's because of growing up on basic cable, and all those types of shows blurring together. Sopranos only held my interest because of Gandolfini, and that it hit home on a personal level. Growing up half Italian, I lived that experience. No mafia, but the culture? It's like they took some pages from my own life. Though rewatching it made me realize what a great show it is.

The Wire is NOTHING like the criminal shows you grew up watching on basic cable. As the article I linked states, the main character of The Wire isn't a cop or a criminal, it's the city. It's a meditation on systems of government and law and labor and education and media and all the ways in which they are broken, and break/change/color the people who inhabit them. It's very dense, and intelligent, and not at all interested in hoo-rah police exploits or wordy courtroom drama. Sit down, get through 4-6 episodes, see how you feel. I watch a lot of television, but I'm extremely picky about the television I watch. You've got some very good series on that list of yours, so I imagine you are too. I don't recommend the show lightly.

 

[RedDeadFred]

Hannibal!!!!!!!
-Seriously, this is the best thing on TV right now. It gets overlooked a lot since it's on NBC, but I assure you, the quality is Breaking Bad level IMO. The acting is awesome. The dialogue is usually great. Every single shot is fucking gorgeous.

Justified
-Fun, western style show with lots of great dialogue and acting. Villains of the week are fun, and the overarching plot is prevalent enough for you not to feel like the show is treading water. The show has some of the best characters and villains I've seen.

It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia
-I'm amazed that this show is still so funny even when it's about to enter its 10th season. It follows a group of terrible people and allows you to make fun of their exploits and occasional successes. If you watch one episode, watch the Nightman Cometh.

House of Cards
-Kevin Spacey is awesome, but one of the biggest surprises for me is Robin Wright who plays his wife. The performances in the show are very strong and the scheming is delightful. Robin's character is perhaps one of the best female characters I've seen on TV in recent memory.

Community
-It's been an admittedly bumpy road, but the first 3 seasons are pretty great. It has some truly unique humor and is really quite a touching show.

Arrested Development
-This is probably the funniest show I've ever seen. It has a lot of long running gags in it and as you may be able to tell from my avatar, Gob is awesome. His chicken impression is particularly spectacular.

True Detective
-An excellent thriller that offers a lot of grim contemplation. The tone of the show makes the ending's payoff particularly sweet. The show offers some of the best acting I've seen on TV as well as some really cool scenes. There's a single shot scene that goes for a good 10 minutes. It's fantastic.

The Wire
-The writing and acting are both quite good. However, the show just wasn't for me. It was, quite honestly, too depressing. I kept going "I get it, shit is corrupt, can we fix it now?!" I realize that it's taking a very real look at the world of drug dealing and it probably deserves every bit of praise it gets. I could only get through one season though.

Spartacus
-I'll admit that this is more of a guilty pleasure. However, if you stick with it, you grow quite attached to the characters and embrace the ridiculousness of the show. I thought it was excellent, despite the occasionally laughable dialogue and inconsistent acting. The visual style also takes some getting used to.

Sherlock
-The first two seasons are great. The third.... not so much. Great acting, and consistently funny dialogue. Each episode is basically a feature length film. While this format does cause a couple episodes to drag, it really lets them do great things.

Fargo
-Lorne Malvo takes this show from being just good, to great. His character steals every single scene he is in. The ending was a bit of a let down, but apart from that, the show was consistently well written, and acted, throughout. Also, the show nails the tone of the original movie.

Arrow, Agents of Shield, and Flash are all pretty good for what they're trying to accomplish. They don't really come anywhere near the others in terms of actual quality though. They're fun superhero shows that occasionally offer glimpses of truly excellent TV. My current favourite is the Flash, but they're all pretty equal IMO.

There are some series missing from here that are considered pretty great, chances are, I just haven't gotten to them yet.

 

[BloatedGuppy]

Community
-It's been an admittedly bumpy road, but the first 3 seasons are pretty great. It has some truly unique humor and is really quite a touching show.

Arrested Development
-This is probably the funniest show I've ever seen. It has a lot of long running gags in it and as you may be able to tell from my avatar, Gob is awesome. His chicken impression is particularly spectacular.

Both excellent comedies, both best appreciated if you pretend there are only three seasons and stop there. Community season 4 in particular is an abomination, and must be stricken from the earth.

The Wire
-The writing and acting are both quite good. However, the show just wasn't for me. It was, quite honestly, too depressing. I kept going "I get it, shit is corrupt, can we fix it now?!" I realize that it's taking a very real look at the world of drug dealing and it probably deserves every bit of praise it gets. I could only get through one season though.

If it makes you feel better it gets MUCH more depressing after season one. Season four would've broken you.

 

[RedDeadFred]

Community
-It's been an admittedly bumpy road, but the first 3 seasons are pretty great. It has some truly unique humor and is really quite a touching show.

Arrested Development
-This is probably the funniest show I've ever seen. It has a lot of long running gags in it and as you may be able to tell from my avatar, Gob is awesome. His chicken impression is particularly spectacular.

Both excellent comedies, both best appreciated if you pretend there are only three seasons and stop there. Community season 4 in particular is an abomination, and must be stricken from the earth.

Ya, season 4 was garbage. Season 5 wasn't actually that much better IMO, even with Harmon back. The only episode from season 5 that I felt could have stood among episodes from the first 3 seasons was the one where they read the will.

I actually keep forgetting that Arrested Development even had the 4th season. I remember watching it and then thinking "that was depressing and not very funny", and then immediately going back and watching some of my favourite episodes of the previous seasons.

Edit: It appears that I wrecked the quote. I"ll try to fix it.
Edit 2: Success!

 

[Colour Scientist]

As mentioned in the OP I tend to enjoy HBO shows more.

Edit: Wait, I misunderstood, total derp.

Nothing to see here, people, move along. XD

 

[Diablo2000]

You're going to make me fangasm all over Person of Interest again? Fine.

I can't recommend this show enough. Sci-Fi, bit geeky, deals with the subject of Artificial Intelligence (and deals with it VERY well, I might add). Basically a TV show version of Minority Report, but with a super-advanced AI replacing the precogs.

I would've thought such a show would've been a lot more popular with the members of a forum like this one, but weirdly it isn't (or doesn't seem to be).

Really? I've seen like three-quarters of the first season of Person of Interest, but I see nothing sci-fi about it, and no AI stuff either. They just use a really good algorithm and stuff and don't really seem to expand all that much on it. I saw it as a vigilante show, but sci-fi and AI? Haven't seen any of that. Or is that something that's revealed a little later on.

Get's much, much better later on. They add a lot of more spy movie and sci-fi (They use a lot of Isaac Asimov inspiration) on the mix.
The characters get far more likeble than they originaly seem, specially Jim Caviezel's character Reese who at first glance it's a wanna be Batman... Which he is, but there's a lot to like about him under the surfice.
Don't judge it by the first half of the first season, it does get better.

It sounds me and TopazFusion are the only two on this site...

 

[Spaceman Spiff]

Archer season 6 starts tonight.

It revolved around a dysfunctional spy agency, ISIS, for 4 seasons. In season 5 they got shutdown by the FBI for not being a legitimate agency, but avoided imprisonment for some shady reason. They went on to become drug and arms dealers until the end of season 5, when it was revealed that the shutdown was a lie to get the agents to unknowingly work for the FBI (or was it CIA?). Now it looks like they'll be returning as actual agents in some agency not called ISIS (damn extremists tarnishing names).

 

[Soxafloppin]

Orphan Black, in my opinion is brutally under-rated. If you appreciate good acting ability you will find Tatiana Maslany great to watch, shes beautiful too which is nice.

Its really hard to give a synopsis of the show with spoiling the first two episodes because the season long arc isn't really revealed until the end of episode 2. But its a great show and I'd recommend it.

 

[gorfias]

Archer season 6 starts tonight.

It revolved around a dysfunctional spy agency

I forgot this was happening this soon! Trying to catch my breath!! This is one of the best shows on TV ever!!!!

The creators did another show. The main voice was a guy voiced by the same guy that plays the skiing guy in your video. He looks like Archer though, wants to be a Super Hero. Great show too but short and short lived. Precurser to this show I think.

Orphan Black, in my opinion is brutally under-rated. If you appreciate good acting ability you will find Tatiana Maslany great to watch, shes beautiful too which is nice.

Its really hard to give a synopsis of the show with spoiling the first two episodes because the season long arc isn't really revealed until the end of episode 2. But its a great show and I'd recommend it.

I keep waiting for this show to run out of steam, jump the shark, fail and yet, it keeps reinventing itself! Very, very worth watching.

I haven't seen anyone mention "American Horror Story" yet.

Each season, many of the actors/actresses return in new roles in new stories unrelated to other seasons.
1) Haunted House
2) Mad House
3) Witches Coven (My favorite)
4) Freak Show Circus

Uneven but GREAT. First episode of Season 4 was so bad I almost stopped watching forever. Almost. Now it is fascinating again. Watch it.

 

[Cowabungaa]

Get's much, much better later on. They add a lot of more spy movie and sci-fi (They use a lot of Isaac Asimov inspiration) on the mix.
The characters get far more likeble than they originaly seem, specially Jim Caviezel's character Reese who at first glance it's a wanna be Batman... Which he is, but there's a lot to like about him under the surfice.
Don't judge it by the first half of the first season, it does get better.

It sounds me and TopazFusion are the only two on this site...

Oh I quite liked it for what it was, I just didn't see any sci-fi in it. Some good, more B-level entertainment. But if it only gets better I'll definitely keep watching.

Also, I just got reminded of some other shows that have been mentioned, but that I want to add my voice to:
- Fargo. It really captures that despressing-but-funny post-modern feel of the original movie.

- Hannibal. Gruesome and gorgeous, sometimes a bit pretentious but damn that cinematography.

- True Detective. Another crime show that isn't a cop show. It really feels brooding and heady, just like the backwaters it's set in

- Community. Finally a comedy show that's actually for the nerds and outcasts, instead of making fun of them.

- Peaky Blinders. It's like the British Boardwalk Empire, really cool.

- Deadwood. A Western done by HBO, another character-focused show and done very very well as usual.

- The Knick. From the clinical hand of Steven Soderbergh comes this fantastic show about a hospital in 1900 New York. It's amazing.