TV DVDs You Need to Watch
OK, so TV right now kind of sucks with a few exceptions. (Tonight’s South Park on the fight between Goths and Vampires was awesome) So it seems time to subscribe to Netflix and pick up the TV shows that you never saw. So what are they? Here’s my list.
1. Twin Peaks. I’d not watched this forever. A new set with the proper pilot is now out with all of season 1 and season 2. I’m loving it. Yes it was edited back before cheap Avid stations were out. So it’s a bit choppy. But a definite masterpiece. (Even if it doesn’t know what to do after the murder is solved - although I love the cliffhanger at the end of the series)
2. Dexter. I watched a few episodes last year and wanted to watch it. Then I rented it, found it yucky and too violent and never watched more than the first two episodes. My wife convinced me to watch again and now I’m addicted. Yes the “monstrosity” of the main character is lost somewhat. He’s too glamorized. (Despite the efforts of the producer apparently) Yet there’s a lot of stunning social commentary in the show. Be aware that the production values are a tad…poor in places. (Mainly lighting) Yes the first two episodes are a tad gross. But it picks up.
3. The Prisoner. I loved this last time I watched it. It’s from that sort of “mod” era of British history. (Think Austin Powers) Yet it’s a very compelling and well made treatise on what it means to be a human being. Very influential and worth watching.
4. Deadwood. Not for everyone - especially not if harsh language bothers you. And not too historically accurate. But well, well worth watching. It’s a shame it was cancelled. It is really about how civilization develops. There’s a lot of nuance to the show. And the poetry of the language (swear words and all) is impressive. Just be aware it is a gritty portrayal of life in a mining town that probably will offend some.
There are shows I want to watch but haven’t yet. So I have no idea if these are good.
The Wire. I’ve heard really good things about this slice of life in Baltimore purportedly loosely based on the life of a reporter there. It covers the police, criminals and media and their interrelations.
The Shield Once again I’ve heard good things about these morally suspect cops.
Pen & Teller: Bullsh*t! The magicians act as skeptics and debunk a lot of odd beliefs. I’ve watched clips on YouTube and it will probably appeal to me as a cross between the Daily Show with Mythbusters.
Arrested Development. You all have been bugging me enough about this one. And Ron Howard says he’s going to be making a movie of it.
What shows do you think I should put on my queue?
The Wire is truly the best thing I’ve ever watched. Since finishing, nothing else has really been able to keep up.
Weeds is good if you haven’t seen it. The Flight of the Conchords show is funny too. Those are the two most recent Showtime/HBO DVD sets for me.
Comment by Jeremy — November 20, 2008 @ 12:42 am
If you like science fiction, I recommend Firefly, Babylon 5, and Andromeda. Firefly ran for one season, Babylon 5 and Andromeda each ran for five.
Comment by Keri Brooks — November 20, 2008 @ 1:56 am
Not a big tv watcher these days, 24 and Lost are my only current addictions, and I’ve only used Netflix exclusively for films until last week - I finally put John Adams in the queue to start. I like to watch tv in larger chunks instead of once a week, so netflix is the way to go for me to find out if I like a series enough.
From your list:
Arrested Development and Bullsh*t are fantastic.
Dexter, The Wire, Deadwood, and The Shield all interest me. The Wire in particular, just because I LOVED Homicide Life on the Streets.
Not on your list, but I am looking forward to trying:
Mad Men, Rescue Me, and Friday Night Lights.
Comment by John K. — November 20, 2008 @ 2:48 am
I agree that it’s hard to find a better show than The Wire. However if you’re having a hard time with it give it at least five episodes before giving up. There are a lot of characters and you can get a bit lost at the beginning.
And yet another person recommending Dexter. I suppose I’ll have to try it out.
Comment by mike d. — November 20, 2008 @ 2:53 am
Is Dexter more bloody than Sweeny Todd?
I began watching Mad Men through Netflix, but then I got bored by all the adultery. It’s not that every character basically cheated on his wife or her husband, but that they kept focusing on those scenes. It got too salacious for my tastes.
Babylon 5 remains one of my favorite shows.
Comment by Dan — November 20, 2008 @ 5:40 am
I agree with John K about FNL. Check out the first season and then skip the second and jump into the third when it comes back to NBC in the spring. You won’t be disappointed.
Mad Men isn’t for everybody. It’s very talky. But if you’re into that, then go for it. It also seems to want to beat you over the head with the misogyny, especially early on.
I mentioned Damages on an earlier KB: 360 and I think it’s worth it.
Comment by Tim J — November 20, 2008 @ 8:07 am
Mad Men is good but VERY tough going. I wasn’t so bothered by the adultery but it is incredibly bleak. It gets depressing.
I tried watching The Shield but couldn’t get into it. It seems like it’s trying too hard to be edgy.
The Wire is the best thing ever. Rent it immediately, and like someone else said, give it a few episodes before you give up - the story moves slowly so give it a chance to take hold.
I also highly recommend the HBO series Carnivale, especially if you’re into either David Lynch or magical realism. It’s probably the most poetic of the HBO series that I’ve seen, so if you’re looking for things like linear logic or tidy resolution, this may not be for you.
Comment by Brian V — November 20, 2008 @ 8:08 am
Mad Men is really absolutely excellent. The Penn and Teller show is okay, but not really that great. The Wire is unbelievably excellent — just watch the first five minutes of the first episode and try not to immediately watch the rest of the series.
Comment by RoastedTomatoes — November 20, 2008 @ 8:26 am
Arrested Development is on Hulu, every episode.
Comment by Ben — November 20, 2008 @ 8:31 am
The Wire is amazing.
Comment by Norbert — November 20, 2008 @ 8:41 am
Extras
Comment by Wm Morris — November 20, 2008 @ 8:56 am
Mad Men isn’t for everybody. It’s very talky. But if you’re into that, then go for it. It also seems to want to beat you over the head with the misogyny, especially early on.
I’d agree with this. It takes a few episodes to find its rhythm. The first couple seems to really focus on the “Look at how different things were back then!” element, which gets old after two or three instances.
Comment by Brian V — November 20, 2008 @ 9:40 am
The Wire. Battlestar Galactica. Lost.
Arrested Development is something to BUY, not rent.
Also agreed re: Mad Men. It’s smart and looks great, but it is very talky and pretty heavy-handed at times.
Also, there are some excellent English shows worth watching, mostly crime dramas like Prime Suspect, Cracker, Foyle’s War, State of Play. Also, Spaced.
Older shows? Hill Street Blues? Homicide: Life on the Streets. Crime Story. Murder One.
Comment by Supergenius — November 20, 2008 @ 11:27 am
Hmmm…Homicide and Murder One. I had forgotten what good crime-dramas were like. Boomtown was good too.
Comment by Tim J — November 20, 2008 @ 11:55 am
I really tried to like Firefly. I even saw the movie. It just never…clicked for me.
John, John Adams is amazing. Well worth watching.
Is Mad Men out on DVD yet?
Carnivale I watched the first six episodes but it just wasn’t going anywhere and wasn’t interesting enough on it’s own. Plus knowing it got cancelled before resolving anything made me not want to continue. I think it’s closer to Battlestar Galactica than anything by Lynch, although there are definite Lynchist moments in it.
Comment by Clark — November 20, 2008 @ 12:07 pm
Season 1, yes.
Comment by Tim J — November 20, 2008 @ 12:11 pm
Nobody needs to watch Wonderfalls, but it’s a lot of fun.
Freaks and Geeks is awesome.
Comment by Tom — November 20, 2008 @ 12:32 pm
The only TV show I’ve been wanting to get on DVD lately is The Young Ones. I watched it so much as a teenager I’ve got all the episodes memorized (Darling Fascist Bully Boy…) but my kids need to memorize them now.
We just picked up the Hitchhiker’s Guide British tv show on DVD recently.
I loved Boomtown and was really bummed when it got canceled. I loved how it would replay scenes from different character’s viewpoints.
I’ve always wanted to see a series that was actually two shows—one showed the storyline from one character’s viewpoint, the other from a different character’s. Think of Alias having a spinoff where you got to see everything Sark was doing and why, in the same storylines.
Comment by Susan M — November 20, 2008 @ 12:57 pm
Wonderfalls is great, Arrested Development is great. the Wire is great, though I didn’t like Season two nearly as much as the other seasons. BullS**t is hit and miss, with more misses in the later seasons when it felt like they were running out of interesting topics. FNL is another one that was really hit and miss for me, though most of it is great.
Dexter isn’t as bloody as the Sweeney Todd movie, especially after the first season. The current season isn’t very bloody at all.
Comment by jjohnsen — November 20, 2008 @ 1:24 pm
Plus knowing it got cancelled before resolving anything made me not want to continue.
Not true. The story does resolve itself, although there was a definite door left open in case they got a Season 3.
Comment by Brian V — November 20, 2008 @ 2:14 pm
For those with a lot of tolerance OZ is one of my all time favorites. Anything with Tom Fontana’s finger prints on it is guaranteed to be compelling.
Comment by John K. — November 20, 2008 @ 3:33 pm
Rescue Me, especially the 1st season.
Comment by Darin H — November 20, 2008 @ 4:21 pm
Brian, I might need to check it out again. (If I can remember what episodes I’d watched)
An other to add. If you’ve never seen it check out The Black Adder!
Comment by Clark — November 20, 2008 @ 4:39 pm
“Pushing Daisies”. A wonderful fairy-tale.
Comment by larryco_ — November 20, 2008 @ 5:01 pm
Susan, this is the only exchange I remember:
What’s this?
It’s a fish, Mike.
(little bit later)
No, no, I meant to ask, what’s this fish doing in my bed?
It’s not in your bed.
(comes back, sans fish)
What’s this fish doing in my bed?
What fish?
Comment by FHL — November 20, 2008 @ 5:16 pm
Blackadder - awesome.
Comment by TStevens — November 20, 2008 @ 6:34 pm
Hands up, who likes me?
Comment by Susan M — November 20, 2008 @ 7:30 pm
On a related note the new Futurama DVD is out. It’s called Bender’s Game. I didn’t like it nearly as much as the previous two. It was much more random and less plot based. Still, I have to admit I laughed a lot. It’s just that making fun of D&D is such fertile ground and they could have done so much more…
Comment by clark — November 20, 2008 @ 11:47 pm
dayman fighter of the nightman
Comment by Brian G — November 21, 2008 @ 1:22 am
Mad Men becomes increasingly subtle. It is so good in its details. For instance, in one episode Don and Betty and kids are picnicking. The daughter says that she has to “tinkle.” I almost fell off my seat. I hadn’t heard that said since I was myself a child in the 60s. Then, when they go to leave, they shake off their blanket and leave all the trash on the lawn.
I don’t know if there has ever been anything on TV that so truthfully and convincingly demonstrates the hollowness of what we would call a ‘worldly’ life. And yet even though some of the characters are really pretty atrocious people, none are villains, all have sympathetic traits and moments, and you want very badly for them to pull it together and be good.
Watch this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y0voSWdX4jo
re: the Wire. I don’t doubt that it is good, but I couldn’t get past the f-bombs. I’m not a person who is easily offended by anything, not bad language, certainly - since, you know, people do use bad language. But … I’ve known some people who swear an awful lot. Yet I’ve never known a single person, ever, to use as many f-bombs as _every_ character in the Wire uses perpetually. Has anyone ever counted them? Must average something like 15-20 every minute. Good grief. I wish I could get past that, because I’ve heard so often it is excellent.
Firefly is a wonderful Sci-Fi bit. The movie, Serenity, wasn’t nearly as good.
Cool. ~
Comment by Thomas Parkin — November 21, 2008 @ 4:08 pm
Thomas, I think Deadwood is actually worse than The Wire re: swearing.
This is my favorite scene from Mad Men:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R2bLNkCqpuY
Comment by Brian V — November 21, 2008 @ 4:16 pm
Yeah Brian, that is so great. It is so moving, and yet at the same time he has just said the words “create a deeper bond with the product.” Brilliant. ~
Comment by Thomas Parkin — November 21, 2008 @ 4:40 pm
Thomas, I wonder where you’ve lived and what social class the people you’ve known are. I certainly know people who talk like The Wire, only with less clever dialogue.
Let me go old school and recommend the DVDs of Brisco County, Jr.
Comment by RoastedTomatoes — November 22, 2008 @ 4:42 pm
I’ll second the recommendations here for Twin Peaks, Arrested Development, and The Wire. Generally, I’m a very big fan of much of the drama produced at HBO these days. I love Big Love, and my wife and I are eagerly awaiting its return at the time slot currently occupied by True Blood (another great show whose season finale airs tomorrow night).
The original British version of The Office is as close to perfect a comedy series as I can imagine (The Wire of sitcoms, if you will). It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia is also great.
The first four seasons of The West Wing (before Aaron Sorkin’s departure as head writer) also come close to perfect TV drama on all levels. The quality drastically drops off for season 5 but comes fairly close to recovering by the time the series ended.
Oh, and I would be remiss if I neglected to mention Clone High.
Comment by Scudworth — November 22, 2008 @ 6:47 pm
Hey JNS,
I don’t have a social class. My parents were poor white people until I was teenager, and thereafter were middle class white people. They are now poor again, owning almost nothing but their exceptional characters. I myself was poor and adventurous most of my twenties, doing ok most of my thirties with a few years of stock option wealth. I owned my own business for a couple years. I’ve twice lived in my car, once shortly lived in a building where I was the only white person and in a frightening exchange was accused of being an undercover cop. We lived for two years adjacent to the Navajo Reservation, and in that time attended a school that was about 60% Hispanic, 20% Navajo and 20% white. I’ve watched a good friend OD on heroin, and had another steal my car to support her meth habit. Me or someone in my immediate family has lived in every Western state except Montana. I admit I’ve never lived in Baltimore, nor spent an extended amount of time among poor black folks. ~
Comment by Thomas Parkin — November 23, 2008 @ 4:13 pm
Thomas, my hypothesis, then, is that it might be a regional thing. Perhaps the northern midwest and the east coast have different language patterns than the west.
More generally, do you have an autobiography in print? It sounds like quite the story.
Comment by RoastedTomatoes — November 23, 2008 @ 7:39 pm
JNS, that’s probably right.
Although it doesn’t explain Deadwood.
I’ve thought some about writing autobiographically - but I can’t think of a central theme. Maybe ’sometimes the road less traveled is less traveled for a reason.’ *snort* I wouldn’t trade my life for anything, but there are doors closed to me that I would have opened. Unfortunately I have a powerful inclination to say screw you to the ways things are generally done, still. I have a very hard time suppressing it. It is especially powerful when meeting with HR personnel. ~
Comment by Thomas Parkin — November 24, 2008 @ 8:24 am
I second Freaks and Geeks. It is a perfect show. Nearly flawless.
Old stuff:
All in the Family.
Cheers.
Comment by Laura — November 26, 2008 @ 11:54 am
All in the Family just seems too dated for me. There were a lot of good shows in the 70’s. The changing environment means that they just don’t “work” today. Partially it’s the lack of proper context. Partially it is changing expectations of tone. But overall there are few shows from the 70’s I can watch for long.
Comment by Clark — November 26, 2008 @ 3:20 pm