Recommend me some good TV shows.

[Ishal]

Recently I've been on a kick of watching certain shows, some I've seen before, others I have not. Mostly they are HBO shows. I recently finished the Sopranos and am almost finished with Boardwalk Empire.

I watch Game of Thrones, and I've watched Breaking Bad. I'm interested in some shows that are similar to those. 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.

Those types of shows are what I'm interested it. Not really into Agents of Shield, Arrow, or most of the basic cable stuff. I've considered looking into ROME.

So, Escapists, what have you been watching? And what can you recommend?

 

[Colour Scientist]

The Wire is amazing.

It's definitely not just a cop show, I thoroughly recommend it.


Sheeeeeeeiiiittt...

Also, you should definitely watch RuPaul's Drag Race, it will enrich your life.

 

[Zontar]

If you're into Sci-fi there's Babylon 5 and Stargate SG1, if you can get past the heavy use of 90s CGI in B5 and the really bad episodes in season 1 of SG1 (namely episode 3, got was that one awful, if you watch the series skip Emancipation, nothing of value would be lost, most syndicated runs don't even air it).

 

[Marter]

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

 

[Ishal]

The Wire is amazing.

It's definitely not just a cop show, I thoroughly recommend it.


Sheeeeeeeiiiittt...

Also, you should definitely watch RuPaul's Drag Race, it will enrich your life.

I hear it's the best thing since sliced bread. What's so good about it? Never heard of Drag Race.

If you're into Sci-fi there's Babylon 5 and Stargate SG1, if you can get past the heavy use of 90s CGI in B5 and the really bad episodes in season 1 of SG1 (namely episode 3, got was that one awful, if you watch the series skip Emancipation, nothing of value would be lost, most syndicated runs don't even air it).

I've seen both of those. SG-1 was pretty good in the early seasons. The Ori stuff was kinda meh. Babylon 5 is great until they were forced to keep going after the main story was done.

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

Isn't that the one with Nathan Fillion?

 

[Marter]

Isn't that the one with Nathan Fillion?

It's not, no. He doesn't appear in it. It's led by Eliza Dushku.

 

[Zontar]

Well in that case I can name some sci-fi anime if you're into that. Stein;sGate and Robitics;Notes are a pretty good combo (though the former can be a little hard to enter given the general weirdness of the first few episodes).

If anime isn't up your alley, there's Star Trek Deep Space Nine. Like all Trek after the original the first season has its problems, but it's definitely a worthy successor to its predecessors and is arguably better then Next Generation depending on your point of view on how things should be done.

If you like comedy, there's Red Dwarf, brilliant British sci fi comedy that takes jabs at just about everything.

Edit: oh, also Lexx, that was a great show. Weird as fuck, but great.

 

[Cowabungaa]

I hear it's the best thing since sliced bread. What's so good about it?

Mostly for the dialogue/writing and the characters, with a lot of good arcs and dynamics. It's a very honest, well-fleshed out and direct show and from what I heard it pretty much nails Baltimore's police and drug culture. What it definitely isn't is a cop show, despite focusing on police stuff, strange as that might sound.

I really felt a little pang of loss when I finished the last episode a few weeks ago. Same as with The Sopranos. The characters just really stick with you y'know.

Also, as Colour Scientist said:

And while you're at it, Tremé is worth checking out too, it follows an ensemble cast of characters rebuilding their lives in post-Katrina New Orleans. It's a little hidden gem when HBO shows are concerned, definitely not their best known show but to me at least one of their best. Like The Wire, and in true HBO fashion, it leans heavily on its characters and creating a believable setting, and here too they definitely succeeded. Apparently it really nails what New Orleans is all about.

Other than that I could recommend:

- House of Cards. For fantastic political plotting, awesome writing and Kevin Spacey awesomeness.

- The Shield. A bit like The Wire's little brother, set in LA, but its focus is different. Really has its own feel.

- Marco Polo. A little heavy on the naked girls, but it's worth it if you have any interest in Medieval Asia.

- Downton Abbey. Extremely British, all about how British aristocracy had to cope with the 20th century.

- Luther. You want to see a "defective detective" show actually done well? Watch Luther, it's brilliant.

- Carnivale. For some off-beat fantasy stuff, focusing on a Great Depression-era traveling circus.

- Cosmos: A Space Time Odyssey. Because !!SCIENCE!! explained by mister Tyson, so cool.

- Vikings. Starts off a little slow, but after the first (short) story arc ends and they go to Britain it really hits off.

- Utopia. Ho-ly shit. It's like David Fincher was British and made a conspiracy theory show. It blows the mind.

- Vicious. Wanna see Sir Ian McKellen have the absolute time of his life as a failed, sour gay actor? Watch this.

- The Musketeers. Sometimes you want some simple, 17th century swashbuckling. And this show delivers on that.

- Sons of Anarchy. Pretty cool crime/drama show about bikers. Some really interesting characters and storylines.

- Turn. A well-written and acted show about the American Revolution that doesn't devolve into pandering patriotism.

I could add some more but those are the most interesting/best ones I have so far, though I might've forgotten some. A nice mix of more light-hearted fun (The Musketeers, Vicious), intelligent 'thinky' shows (Cosmos, House of Cards), visually awesome stuff (Marco Polo, Vikings) and...Utopia. Utopia just defies anything. My god that shit is amazing, and so fucked up. Go watch it, like now.

 

[Flatfrog]

If you like Breaking Bad, try The Shield - it's got very much the same level of plotting and character brilliance. Unfortunately it was overlooked when it came out because The Wire got all the publicity, but it's a very different show and superior in many ways.

Dexter is another one worth watching for fans of tense drama, and Weeds if you like it more humorous and tongue in cheek.

I've just started watching ER from the very beginning - it's a show I've always liked but only watched sporadically; it's one of those shows people forget but it's very good in a 90s kind of way.

If you haven't watched Firefly, watch it - even though it got cancelled early, the episodes they did make are gems.

A couple of things I haven't watched yet myself but my wife has been nagging me to try were The Vikings and Sons of Anarchy.

 

[FalloutJack]

So...have you ever seen The Prisoner, by chance?

 

[ZZoMBiE13]

I too would like to sing the praises of House of Cards. It's rare that a television show can surprise me, but this one managed to do just that on multiple occasions. It's a great ride, and if you start it now you can get through it before the third season comes out next month!

Also, while i don't typically find any value in "Reality" television, SyFy's Face Off is a great show (also about to start up again on the 13th). With the exception of the first season, you won't find any of that "drama house" nonsense that so many shows go for. It's usually just all about talented artists creating interesting make-up effects. I really enjoy it, to the point where I own many of the seasons on my Xbox video app. I know that's kinda out of left field given the type of shows you're asking for, but I enjoy it a lot so it's an easy recommendation.

 

[putowtin]

I only watch one thing on TV Supernatural
Ten years and Ten series later it's the only show that has kept my interest, gone through rough patches and emerged successfully. It's not everyone's cup of tea, but I love it

 

[zumbledum]

the wire
firefly
game of thrones
walking dead - so long as you realise its not about zombies its about people
penny dreadful (named after the comics of the era features all the famous things in one Victorian london package)
banshee , trashy sexy fun , some amazing fight scenes
black adder + Red dwarf - classic english comedies
black sails - good pirate series
community - clever fast paced comedy
continuum - well done time travel sci fi, is a bit slow but pay offs worth it
deadwood - HBO cowboys , a character piece well written and acted
Dusk till dawn - serialisation of the classic film with twists
Luther - English cop drama
Peaky Blinders - post great war Northern england gang drama
Rome - HBO show about rome an ensemble character piece
Stargate Universe- what BSG should of been , cut short because the dipshit public didnt get it
Sherlock-
Sons of Anarchy , has some slow seasons but the last few just jump the shark over and over but doesnt feel silly
Spartacus - retelling of the famous slave rebellion in a zach snyder 300 esque way
strike back -English then american spec ops drama/light hearted fun
The thick of it - very funny british political comedy
Galavant - so help me god i actually liked it but im not going to describe it as that will put you off.
True detective - just plain awesome
Gotham - sue me , i think its great!

 

[Cowabungaa]

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.

 

[Randoman01]

Stargate SG1 is a really good show. It ran from 1997 to 2007.

 

[Ishal]

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).

Is that the one with the computer... Samaritan?

My parents watch that. They were telling me about the crazy stuff that happened in the last episode. The actor they got to play the villain is pretty good. The white haired british guy.

I dunno if it's my thing, though. Except... I heard them advertise it as a trilogy or something. So if that means it has a clear end in mind and won't be strung out for more seasons than it can handle, I might pick it up after it finishes.

So...have you ever seen The Prisoner, by chance?

Never heard of it.

 

[Me55enger]

Want some classic Sci-Fi? Space: Above & Beyond.
Want some more modern and frankly superb Sci-Fi? Farscape. Season 1 is a bit shaky mind.
Want British Crime with out the Cop show element? Luther.

 

[Euryalus]

Is Baccano! not considered a tv show since its anime? Well whatever, who cares I'm recommending it. It's only 13 episodes and it's goddamn fantastic.

Other than that, I also recommend Dexter. It's good, tense, dramatic, and the right kind of dark.

 

[Accel]

Terriers- only one season long but it manages to tell a very solid and complete story in 13 episodes with a satisfying conclusion.

Rescue Me- very funny while also very intense and dramatic at times (being a series about firefighters and all), plus the entire cast has great chemistry with each other.

The Shield- somewhat "BreakingBad-esue" in that your central character is an anti-hero cop that you root for as he just barely gets out of intense situations by the skin of his teeth.