What should a 50 year old man watch with his 15 year old daughter on Netflix Streaming TV

[gorfias]

So, me and my kid watched Grey's Anatomy and Private Practice, Desperate Housewives and even Pretty Little Liars. All were tolerable to me as it had either medical procedure or intrigue to go with the soap opera aspects. We watched and are watching as new ones come out, is Once Upon a Time.

She is easily frightened, so, no horror. Her tastes run towards the soap opera stuff. Something addictive.

I tried watching "My So Called Life" and "Gossip Girl" and they made me want to die.

Given those tastes, (soap opera with a touch of intrigue, mystery, etc.) what would you recommend?

We've been watching these TV shows mostly on Netflix Streaming.

 

[SonicWaffle]

So, me and my kid watched Grey's Anatomy and Private Practice, Desperate Housewives and even Pretty Little Liars. All were tolerable to me as it had either medical procedure or intrigue to go with the soap opera aspects. We watched and are watching as new ones come out, is Once Upon a Time.

She is easily frightened, so, no horror. Her tastes run towards the soap opera stuff. Something addictive.

I tried watching "My So Called Life" and "Gossip Girl" and they made me want to die.

Given those tastes, (soap opera with a touch of intrigue, mystery, etc.) what would you recommend?

We've been watching these TV shows mostly on Netflix Streaming.

So you basically want drama centred around personal relationships?

You may need to give us more to go on - do you guys like sci-fi? Fantasy? Crime procedural? You can probably find something in any of those categories that fits your description.

 

[bluepilot]

There is always Glee

Tee hee. Just kidding. I would advise going a little more old school. Stuff like Agatha Chritie's Poirot, or Jonathan Creek. I used to watch these with my Granddad in my teens. Plenty of human drama and unsolvable mysteries to boot. They can get a little scary, but it is more implied horror than full-on gore.

There was a UK drama a few years back too called "sugar rush". It deals with some controversial topics like sexual identity, obsession, infidelity in some detail though. But it is a very entertaining show.

With my own father, I have always watched a lot of the old school comedies: Monty Python, Allo allo, yes, Prime MInister, Faulty Towers, some mothers do have em, till death do we part e.t.c. If you want something a but more 90s you could call on the Ben Elton stuff like Blackadder, the thin Blue line. It may be old school, but some of these are cult classics that every girl needs to know in preparation for University so they know when to ask for a shrubbery, NI NI NI

 

[gorfias]

So you basically want drama centred around personal relationships?

Yup!

You may need to give us more to go on - do you guys like sci-fi? Fantasy? Crime procedural? You can probably find something in any of those categories that fits your description.

I did get her to watch and "like" Buffy. Couldn't keep her interest on "Angel". Wonder if Bones is any good. Something like CSI or Law and Order: not enough drama for her, little to gross.

There is always Glee

We actually watched and liked the first 2 seasons!

Tee hee. Just kidding. I would advise going a little more old school. Stuff like Agatha Chritie's Poirot, or Jonathan Creek. I used to watch these with my Granddad in my teens. Plenty of human drama and unsolvable mysteries to boot. They can get a little scary, but it is more implied horror than full-on gore.

Sounds interesting. Series or PBS one shots?

There was a UK drama a few years back too called "sugar rush". It deals with some controversial topics like sexual identity, obsession, infidelity in some detail though. But it is a very entertaining show.

Now that sounds good! Checking!

 

[SonicWaffle]

So you basically want drama centred around personal relationships?

Yup!

You may need to give us more to go on - do you guys like sci-fi? Fantasy? Crime procedural? You can probably find something in any of those categories that fits your description.

I did get her to watch and "like" Buffy. Couldn't keep her interest on "Angel". Wonder if Bones is any good. Something like CSI or Law and Order: not enough drama for her, little to gross.

If she liked Buffy, it's worth checking out Firefly. Cowboys in space, but much of the fun comes from the interaction of the crew/family (Joss Whedon loves the idea of a group of friends forming a family group) rather than the setting itself. Also pretty funny!

Tee hee. Just kidding. I would advise going a little more old school. Stuff like Agatha Chritie's Poirot, or Jonathan Creek. I used to watch these with my Granddad in my teens. Plenty of human drama and unsolvable mysteries to boot. They can get a little scary, but it is more implied horror than full-on gore.

Sounds interesting. Series or PBS one shots?

Dunno about Poirot, but Jonathan Creek was a BBC show. Speaking of, have you checked out any of Sherlock? The newer series, with Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman? It's a hell of a lot of fun.

[

There was a UK drama a few years back too called "sugar rush". It deals with some controversial topics like sexual identity, obsession, infidelity in some detail though. But it is a very entertaining show.

Now that sounds good! Checking!

If you're into your British teen drama (I remember Sugar Rush, fun show) then something like Misfits might be up your alley. It's a comedy/drama about a bunch of kids doing community service who get caught in a storm and end up with superpowers. Rather than taking the X-Men route of turning them into heroes or villains, it's just them getting on with their lives and dealing with all the situations the superpowers caused.

There's also The Inbetweeners, more of a straight-up comedy but perfectly tailored for the 15-year-old mind. They made an American version recently but it tanked, because the network made them stop acting like kids - no major swearing, no filthy jokes, none of the stuff real teenagers do. The original series (and movie) are very funny though.

 

[gorfias]

If you're into your British teen drama (I remember Sugar Rush, fun show) then something like Misfits might be up your alley. It's a comedy/drama about a bunch of kids doing community service who get caught in a storm and end up with superpowers. Rather than taking the X-Men route of turning them into heroes or villains, it's just them getting on with their lives and dealing with all the situations the superpowers caused.

There's also The Inbetweeners, more of a straight-up comedy but perfectly tailored for the 15-year-old mind. They made an American version recently but it tanked, because the network made them stop acting like kids - no major swearing, no filthy jokes, none of the stuff real teenagers do. The original series (and movie) are very funny though.

Thanks, I'll look into them ASAP.

I made the mistake of watching "Freaks and Geeks" without her and realized she might have liked it too. Canceled after airing only a dozen episodes.

ALLLL RIGHT! The Inbetweeners is on netflix streaming. Adding now. THANKS!!!

 

[SonicWaffle]

If you're into your British teen drama (I remember Sugar Rush, fun show) then something like Misfits might be up your alley. It's a comedy/drama about a bunch of kids doing community service who get caught in a storm and end up with superpowers. Rather than taking the X-Men route of turning them into heroes or villains, it's just them getting on with their lives and dealing with all the situations the superpowers caused.

There's also The Inbetweeners, more of a straight-up comedy but perfectly tailored for the 15-year-old mind. They made an American version recently but it tanked, because the network made them stop acting like kids - no major swearing, no filthy jokes, none of the stuff real teenagers do. The original series (and movie) are very funny though.

Thanks, I'll look into them ASAP.

I made the mistake of watching "Freaks and Geeks" without her and realized she might have liked it too. Canceled after airing only a dozen episodes.

Never heard of it, but I did think of another good one - Community. Comedy about a college study group and their various wacky antics, like a slightly more adult/much better written version of Glee, without the songs.

 

[CrazyGirl17]

Maybe something like Firefly, Heroes, NCIS, Red Dwarf... any of these sound good? (Though some of them may contain scary bits, so you might want to pass on certain episodes of Firefly...)

 

[Andy Shandy]

Never heard of it, but I did think of another good one - Community. Comedy about a college study group and their various wacky antics, like a slightly more adult/much better written version of Glee, without the songs.

I second the Community recommendation (although thanks to the avatar that's obviously apparent to anyone that's watched Community)

I'd also recommend Scrubs and House M.D as well as those were both shows I watched religiously when they were on.

 

[Aris Khandr]

I'll join the recommendations for Community and Firefly. Also, White Collar is great.

Primeval is also worth looking into.

 

[Dags90]

How could you hate My So-Called Life? It's dram-tastic. Plus the parents are actually people, so you should identify with them, right?

I'd recommend Roswell. It's sort of like Buffy, but with aliens. The third season kinda sucks though.

 

[BloatedGuppy]

Her tastes run towards the soap opera stuff. Something addictive.

Given those tastes, (soap opera with a touch of intrigue, mystery, etc.) what would you recommend?

"Soap Opera stuff" is tough. That could mean any of a number of things, really. It could mean she wants something blandly romantic and achingly shallow, or it could mean she likes persistent characters and ongoing story lines.

Based on the fact you seem to dislike bad television, and even middleweight television like "Gossip Girl", that makes it even harder. You've already seen the obvious Buffy.

I'll third the Community recommendation, it's just a great show, with the caveat that the quality might not be there going forward if it ever returns. It's fairly lightweight and safe as well.

If you want to watch GOOD TELEVISION and you're not concerned about subject matter beyond "It shouldn't be horror", then I will make my usual recommendations. The Sopranos is excellent, ground breaking television and generally considered one of the most important series ever made. Six Feet Under is melodramatic but powerfully emotional, and wrestles with some profound themes. Mad Men is sophisticated and intelligent and consistently strong. And The Wire is hands down the best television show in the history of the medium. All of them are "heavy" though. Fifteen is old enough that it's not inappropriate material, necessarily, but as her father you may disagree. Some of it, most particularly Six Feet Under and The Wire, might be interesting/productive material for a 15 year old to be thinking about though. There's some strong lessons and insights in there.

On the comedy side of the ledger, in addition to Community, you really cannot go wrong with either Arrested Development or the 13 episode BBC series The Office (not the inferior US remake). If you enjoy that you could also check out Extras. There's some fairly adult humor in those shows, but again...at 15 it really shouldn't be an issue.

 

[Verzin]

Buffy the Vampire Slayer? (no really, the TV show actually had its moments. first season was pretty weak, third season was great. fourth mediocre, everything after that was pretty good.)

Firefly (maybe a little dark, but hey: scifi is awesome and firefly is AMAAAZING).

Dr. Horrible's Sing along Blog. (watch it. Best musical ever.)

Did I mention I like Joss Whedon? <_<

 

[Vidiot421]

I might recommend shows like Castle, or Doctor Who. Both have a lot of focus on interaction between the characters, good story, and I found them highly addictive.

Castle tends to have a few "gross" moments like CSI might, but they were relatively tame (for the most part).

Doctor Who might does have some episodes that are a bit horrory (yes, I know its not a word) but those are farther between.

 

[gorfias]

I'll join the recommendations for Community and Firefly. Also, White Collar is great.

Primeval is also worth looking into.

Will review... to complicate matters, I'm looking for series on Netflix Streaming. Your first 2 I'm pretty sure are there. White Collar and Primeval might be too much for her, but will check. Thanks!

How could you hate My So-Called Life? It's dram-tastic. Plus the parents are actually people, so you should identify with them, right?

I'd recommend Roswell. It's sort of like Buffy, but with aliens. The third season kinda sucks though.

So, I should give "My So Called Life" another try? I mean, it is Claire Danes. She's terrific. But that first episode really made me want to waltz in heavy traffic.

If you want to watch GOOD TELEVISION and you're not concerned about subject matter beyond "It shouldn't be horror", then I will make my usual recommendations. The Sopranos is excellent, ground breaking television and generally considered one of the most important series ever made. Six Feet Under is melodramatic but powerfully emotional, and wrestles with some profound themes. Mad Men is sophisticated and intelligent and consistently strong. And The Wire is hands down the best television show in the history of the medium. All of them are "heavy" though. Fifteen is old enough that it's not inappropriate material, necessarily, but as her father you may disagree. Some of it, most particularly Six Feet Under and The Wire, might be interesting/productive material for a 15 year old to be thinking about though. There's some strong lessons and insights in there.

On the comedy side of the ledger, in addition to Community, you really cannot go wrong with either Arrested Development or the 13 episode BBC series The Office (not the inferior US remake). If you enjoy that you could also check out Extras. There's some fairly adult humor in those shows, but again...at 15 it really shouldn't be an issue.

I definitely have to check Community.

I do watch waaaay too much TV. My wife says I seem constantly able to entertain myself as I do a lot of gaming as well. And hanging around here. But I'm up to date on Mad Men (great) Breaking Bad, Sons of Anarchy, Walking Dead, Archer, and I'm watching "The Wire" on DVD. None of those would appeal to my daughter who wants company while she watches.

Happily, if we can't agree on anything, I can hang with her while she watches TV and I'll game from a laptop. Thank-g-d for Steam. (Velvet Assassin was $1.25 today!).

 

[Avaholic03]

"God Bless America". And after you watch it, report back here on just how awkward your relationship has become.

But seriously, I would think comedy would be the way to go...something silly or lighthearted like Parks and Recreation should be some decent common ground. Or you could look into older shows like Scrubs that have already finished their run...that way you don't run into the problem of catching up in the show and having to wait for each new episode (god I'm spoiled by Netflix now).

 

[Nemu]

If you/she like dramas/medical stuff, have you tried House M.D.? The first 4-5 seasons were really good, the following seasons only so-so (I've yet to watch the final, 8th season). There is also Scrubs, a medical sitcom, created by the man who created The Drew Carey Show (awful), Spin City and Cougar Town.

I would DEFINITELY go with the flow and suggest Firefly, tho it is a single-season series (which is a huge shame). There are always classics like X-Files, Boston Legal, Ally McBeal and Arrested Development (which has VERY odd humor). Unfortunately, given the parameters you set (and due to the fact that I don't really watch too much television), that's all I cn suggest atm. Good luck, tho!

 

[The Great Purtabo]

This may be a bit "adult", but Breaking Bad [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0903747/] is something I watched with my dad, its truly terrific. Only a few awkward scenes, which just take place in season one and season three if i'm remembering correctly

 

[Adept Mechanicus]

Try watching the modern Doctor Who (2005-present). It's designed to appeal to both kids and adults and if you can stomach a bit of camp early on it's terrific.