Which TV show to watch?

[Playful Pony]

I enjoy The Mentalist a lot, it's one of my absolute favorite TV shows, if I could only persuade you to see one show, that'll be it. It's a crime thing, and the main character is just so desperately charming and amusing...

Stargate SG-1 is the ultimate in sci-fi TV as far as I am concerned, though I'm sure people will beat me over the head with a stick for suggesting it over their favorite show =p. I enjoy it a lot, and it has Richard Dean Anderson in it, so it must be good right?! Many seasons, loads of great content and interesting characters.

Criminal Minds is also quite entertaining to me, I've been told it's shit aparently, but honestly I don't care it's fun to me ^^. As the title suggests, it's a crime thing. They chase after these psycotic mass murderers/rapists and so on.

All of these has a story arc to some degree, but I would say Stargate followed by The Mentalist are the strongest in that respect. Stargate does start out a bit slow though, with the first few seasons being mainly exploration and establishing the universe that becomes the backdrop for the remaining seasons (like 11 in total, I think? Don't remember exactly)...

 

[Esotera]

Have you ever seen Jericho? It's about people living in a small town in the wake of a nuclear holocaust. If you don't feel like that I'd strongly recommend Breaking Bad or Dexter, since you mentioned them.

 

[ultrabiome]

Breaking Bad - not a fan of drama usually, but so good and bordering on surreal, especially the later seasons. not finished yet, but in its final season now.
X-files - freakin awesome.
Firefly - watch the TV show first, then complete it with the movie 'Serenity.'
Once Upon A Time - better than i expected, with a nice overarching plot even if each episode focuses on a particular fairy tale character
Star Trek:TNG - watched them all at least 5 times growing up. there are a few overarching threads, but mainly episodic. the best are either the ones with intense battles, especially foes that seem unbeatable (borg, crystalline entity) or harken back to the spirit of the original series: discovery of an artifact, unknown culture or strange effect/creature.

 

[Mr_Universal]

Torchwood is pretty good.

Firefly is as good as it gets.

 

[omega 616]

snip

You haven't watched house? What is wrong with you!? Jokes, but seriously watch it ... I loves it.

I am watching "king of queens" at the moment, there is a hidden joke in the later episodes ... you get to watch the "hot" wife get fatter and start wearing baggier clothes.

Erm, you could also watch some golden oldies, like red dwarf, porridge, cheers etc.

Prison break is another one that I loved.

EDIT: Eureka, warehouse 13, new girl, 2 broke girls (really new), Don't Trust the B---- in Apartment 23 (also really new). There is bad girls it's about a fictional women's prison came out YEARS ago but it's still 1 of my fav programmes ever.

 

[General Grind]

I can't believe nobody has said this yet but The Wire is where you should go next. Believable police work? Nothing beats The Wire on that. It's also always mentioned among the best TV shows of all time and I can back that up.

Justified is also a really good show which does not go as dark or depressing as shows like The Wire or Breaking Bad, but is still very well written and entertaining like all hell. It probably is the coolest show on television.

 

[SpAc3man]

My film and TV obsessed friend always said Dexter was his favourite TV show ever since it first started airing. About six months ago I decided to sit down an watch a few episodes. I had gotten the first four seasons off my friend's home server. Downloaded season 5 and 6 as I got to them. Disaster occurred when I discovered I had caught up as season 7 hadn't been released yet.

I would recommend Dexter very highly. Breaking Bad is also very good apparently and I really enjoyed Heroes a lot. My friend is also obsessed with Game of Thrones. I tend to trust his judgement.

 

[omglazorspewpew]

I just finished watching Luther from the BBC. Idris Elba is a fantastic actor and while at first blush it may seem like a run of the mill cop show, it's actually written well and the overarching story lines actually threw me for a spin a few times.

I will also toss in a +1 to Doctor Who and Torchwood

 

[HardkorSB]

Sliders - 90's sci-fi at it's finest, 4 people randomly travel through different dimensions, trying to get back to their own

The Outer Limits (the version from the 90's) - doesn't have a central plot but it's awesome, every episode is a short sci-fi/horror story with a twist ending

4400 - 4400 people from different time periods (mostly 20th century though) vanish, then appear in our times not remembering what happened, with each one of them having a different superpower

Twin Peaks - a girl gets killed in a small town and an FBI agent is sent to find the killer, seems generic but it was made by David Lynch so... it's not

 

[Tarkand]

Thanks a lot for the suggestions guys. if nothing else it's making for a nice bucket list of thing to watch... except you folks who just listed stuff I was already watching (Yeah, that means you SpAc3man ) .

A lot of the shows suggested are shows I've heard about and had a vague idea about (if only from seeing commercials) - I had never heard of Alphas and it sounds very interesting.

Has anybody watched Babylone 5? I really like JMS has a comic book author and I know he was behind that.

 

[Andy Shandy]

Anyone who has seen my posts knows that I love House so I'm definitely going to recommend that. Also I know you were against sitcom ideas but I heartily recommend both Community and Arrested Development. Go watch them soon as well.

 

[FrozenCones]

Alot of my recommendations have already been listed.

I'm currently watching through the first season of American Horror Story. So far so good. I'm finding it surreal to say the least. Its like it was heavily inspired by David Lynch.

Good story that is continuously being unfolded and just that right amount of head-fuckery that keeps you watching.

 

[FrozenCones]

X files and house are both excellent! I was actually going to suggest them both!
Currently on season 2 of my second run through of the X-files, and I absolutely love it. My family's watching house at the moment, after I recommended it to them. They're all hooked. That show is seriously addictive!

I'm also going through a X files revisit. Most of the episodes I watched when I was in my early teens. I cant believe they've aged that well.

Starting season 3 (when it peaked imo) and loving every minute.

dat Clyde Bruckman episode!!!

 

[Helikaon]

X files and house are both excellent! I was actually going to suggest them both!
Currently on season 2 of my second run through of the X-files, and I absolutely love it. My family's watching house at the moment, after I recommended it to them. They're all hooked. That show is seriously addictive!

I'm also going through a X files revisit. Most of the episodes I watched when I was in my early teens. I cant believe they've aged that well.

Starting season 3 (when it peaked imo) and loving every minute.

dat Clyde Bruckman episode!!!

Eugene Victor Tooms will haunt my nightmares forever. Those eyes!

Spoiler

 

[Shraggler]

BBC Sherlock. Tight written, unique characterizations, and only six 90-minute episodes. And like others have said, Breaking Bad and Supernatural are recommended as well.

I agree with the first suggestion. BBC's Sherlock is just a phenomenally well done show. The cinematography, the acting, the pacing, the dialogue. The show is well rounded out and well written, with characters very fleshed out and portrayed convincingly.

I don't like Breaking Bad, personally. At this point, it really feels like I'm one of very few thinking this way. Everyone that I've encountered loves the show.

I like some of the characters, others I can really do without. Bryan Cranston is superb and I love the ambiguity he brings to the character of Walt. But I hate the premise and the setting. It doesn't get me down, it's just very off-putting. Maybe it's New Mexico and the fact that I detest any environment above 75ºF, and the over-saturation with the yellow hue in some shots just illustrates the very habitat I'd like to avoid permanently. Maybe it feels like I'm sitting for 40 minutes just to grab the final 5 minute, "cliff-hanger" portion of the show that, while quite dramatic, is an obvious attempt to get me to "tune in" for the next episode. Maybe it's because some of the characters' motivations are too ambiguous and appearances are too spread out throughout multiple episodes to the point at which I'm wondering why they're still part of the show and what the point of them is within the overall story. I have no idea. I recognize it as a fairly good show, I just cannot get into it. And no, I didn't just watch two episodes and decided I didn't like it; I'm about halfway through season four.

Yes, I did read the OP and do realize that Breaking Bad was already out of the running. It just gets so many recommendations and is lauded by so many, I just felt the need to explain my detachment to a bunch of random people.

Same thing with Firefly. How anyone can honestly... forget it. This wall of text is boring, and to each his own.

 

[RustlessPotato]

Sherlock truely is one of the best Show around.

I'm currently watching the second season of the Wire. It's really an amazing show and the acting is phenomenal (excepts the first few episodes of season 1). It's a cop show though, but not your "case of the week". The whole season is 1 case.