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I was inspired by the topic about Netflix vs. Cable to ask you Hatrackers to share some of your favorite TV series, both past and present, to help me decide what to add to my Netflix queue. I especially love scifi/fantasy, but fear I may have just about run out of those. Here are some of the things I have watched and love:
Babylon 5 Roswell Lost The 4400 The Dead Zone Monk Psych Farscape Carnivale Doctor Who Red Dwarf
I wasn't as fond of but have watched:
Battlestar Galactica The X-Files (they were good but not something I just wanted to watch from start to finish) Stargate (ditto)
Anyway...I'm sure I've missed a bunch but that'll do.
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Angel (the first half, hated the second half) Battlestar Galactica (new version) Dark Angel (first season, mostly) Dead Like Me Due South (hilarious) Firefly Freaks and Geeks House Joan of Arcadia MacGyver My So-Called Life NCIS Northern Exposure The Pretender Sandbaggers Sports Night Stargate SG1 Stargate Atlantis (took a while, but it grew on me) The West Wing Wonderfalls
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Most of my recommendations are cancelled Fox shows from the 90s. Keep in mind that I haven't seen any of these since I was in high school, so they may not be as good as I remember.
I remember the first season or so of Ally McBeal being very good, although the show did get pretty ludicrous in later seasons. Likewise with Boston Public, although I caught quite a bit fewer episodes of that one.
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Futurama Six Feet Under Absolutely Fabulous Samurai Jack Strangers With Candy My So-Called Life The Muppet Show Coupling (UK) Seasons 1-3, Season 4 isn't too great. Twin Peaks The Office
Posts: 511 | Registered: Mar 2006
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I'd echo a lot of what has been suggested (The West Wing, Firefly, Buffy, NCIS) thus far, and add:
Star Trek DS9 And if you missed the first season, Heroes
Don't get me wrong, TOS and TNG are good, maybe even VOY depending on your tastes. But DS9 is gold.
Some comedies I'd suggest:
8 Simple Rules Friends & Frasier if you like the 90's sitcom stars. M*A*S*H for a taste of something older, but it's a specific kind of humor, not for everyone. How I Met Your Mother Scrubs The Office
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Stargate SG-1 (Recently got the cutest keyring replica of the Stargate, I love it.)
Medium (Apart from the spooky side of this show, I love the family interaction and the realism of the main characters. I like the fact that she is sometimes wrong, and doesn't have all the answers. Part of me would like to meet the real Alison that the series is based on and part of me is...unsettled by the idea.)
Wiseguy (old series with Ken Wahl playing Vinnie Terranova, a deep undercover cop. I was SOOO in love with that character (not the actor, the character) when I was 14. Was also the first place I ever saw Kevin Spacey play a psycho criminal type.)
My name is Earl (I love the premise and his positive attitude to life and doing good stuff. And it's just funny!)
I always liked Friends and unlike some other shows (eg Seinfeld) I still find it funny even when watching episodes for the third or fourth time.
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Arrested Development... off beat sitcom, very clever.
Boomtown... awesome Los Angeles based cop drama, starring Donnie Wahlberg and other highly talented actors.
Friday Night Lights... I don't care a scratch for american football, but this is supremely well written, acted, and directed.
Home Movies... my favorite adult swim show. Terrible animation, fantastic voice work.
Veronica Mars... already mentioned,high school drama meets detective/noir
I have to chime in my votes for Medium, Freaks and Geeks, the Muppet Show, Firefly, Extras, and the British Office.
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quote:Originally posted by theCrowsWife: Most of my recommendations are cancelled Fox shows from the 90s. Keep in mind that I haven't seen any of these since I was in high school, so they may not be as good as I remember.
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The Best of the Best - Shows That Everybody Should Watch
Green Wing - a British hospital sitcom that involves riding camels inside a hospital, stealing livers from patients and laughing at the Swiss. It's actually not merely a sitcom as it rather plays with the traditional sitcom format and tries to renew it, sort of like the movie Moulin Rouge! did with the traditional musical format. This is a show others love and others hate but I'm definitely in the love camp.
Neon Genesis Evangelion - again a show others love and others hate, but it definitely had a huger impact on me than any other show ever, anime or otherwise.
Twin Peaks - hmm... I seem to be addicted mainly on shows that divide opinions. With Twin Peaks I know it gets progressively worse as it proceeds along (the end of the second season is just plain bad apart from the very final episode) but nothing can beat the quirky atmosphere of the show's best moments.
SpongeBob SquarePants - just because.
Other Shows I Like
Buffy the Vampire Slayer (though I'm only midway through Season 4 at the moment) The Sopranos Jeeves & Wooster Cowboy Bebop Fruits Basket Fawlty Towers The Simpsons Babylon5
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Dead Like Me was fun. I was disappointed when it was cancelled, especially after they spent so long developing the Daisy O'Dare character. She was inches from a major epiphany/life (death?) change and then it was gone. Arrrrgh!
I like that they are releasing some of the older shows on DVD. I would really like to see James at 15 again. That show was different to anything else around at the time and I really liked it, but I can hardly remember the details now.
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Oh I didn't even think to include anime in my suggestion:
Trigun and Full Metal Alchemist are excellent, very excellent.
I have a soft spot for Gundam Wing, but I know it's hit or miss for some people, it depends on your tastes. Same with Big O, which has one of my favorite soundtracks for anything ever.
Yu Yu Hakusho is alright, but probably not a good place to start if you are new to anime.
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quote:Originally posted by theCrowsWife: Most of my recommendations are cancelled Fox shows from the 90s. Keep in mind that I haven't seen any of these since I was in high school, so they may not be as good as I remember.
OH. MY. GOD. I love you FOREVER. I've always wanted to watch that show again.
Yay! Someone else who remembers that show. I refused to watch Ally McBeal at first because it took over Roar's time slot. I hope it's really as good as I remember it to be.
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Arrested Development is the best comedy ever written. Past or Present. I will argue that point at any time, with anyone. You must start at the beginning, and go through all three seasons. It's extremely intelligent and tightly written.
Veronica Mars is a great show as well. The mysteries keep you guessing and Veronica's character is just fun. Sassy and fun.
Rurouni Kenshin is the only anime I can recommend. A Great drama about a samurai who wants to never kill again.
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quote:Originally posted by theCrowsWife: Yay! Someone else who remembers that show. I refused to watch Ally McBeal at first because it took over Roar's time slot. I hope it's really as good as I remember it to be.
--Mel
I was so bitter. And even though my sister and I paid close attention over the next couple years, we never saw the episodes IMDB says they aired in 2000. We loved "Roar" so much, and we never knew anyone else who cared about it. Or had even heard about it.
I am SO going to be buying this to add to my collection of awesome shows I loved when I was younger (and still do).
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I hear that "Life on Mars" is good, but I wouldn't know first hand because the DVD has not been released in the US yet.
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One I forgot earlier - Slings and Arrows. Hilarious Canadian series about a troupe of Shakespearean actors.
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I would have said Muppets Tonight, which I loved when it was one, but for some sick, sad reason it hasn't been released on DVD yet. I mean, where else can you find this?Posts: 21898 | Registered: Nov 2004
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Star Trek (all the series but the first, I'm not into Captain Kirk:manslut for the federation) Sliders (I know it's cheesy and I didn't watch it forever, but I found some of them interesting) CSI Psych House Scrubs FullMetal Alchemist (yay I'm not the only one!) Futurama (funnier than the simpsons) Law&Order
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Picket Fences Twilight Zone Beverly Hillbillies Addams Family One Step Beyond(not extremly well known, but still great)
Posts: 45 | Registered: Sep 2007
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quote:Originally posted by jaysedai6: Red Dwarf Dark Shadows
I had figured that these would be missed, along with
quote:Originally posted by kanelock: Twilight Zone
I'll add to the queue:
The Prisoner Mystery Science Theater 3000 Quantum Leap Remington Steele Tripping the Rift Outer Limits Lexx The Tick Space Ghost The Maxx Aeon Flux
Given the spread of recommendations, these should probably also be on the list for you to consider:
Gene Rodenberry's Andromeda Gene Rodenberry's Earth: The Final Conflict Highlander Charmed Mutant X The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr. Get Smart Hercules: The Legendary Journeys Xena: Warrior Princess Relic Hunter The Inner Sanctum Tales from the Crypt Tales from the Darkside Lost in Space The Ray Bradbury Theater Beastmaster Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's the Lost World
I'll summarize the titles to date alphabetically. Dave and I are looking to join NetFlix, so this is great.
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Edited to add plugs for the following:
Corner Gas Flambards The Paper Chase Masterpiece Theater
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And then:
China Beach thirtysomething Moonlighting
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Also:
Good Eats (Alton Brown, the food channel) Nigella (Nigella, Nigella Bites, Nigella Feasts, the food channel) Julia Child & Company (also foodie stuff) No Reservations (food & travel)
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Plus:
Michael Palin: Around the World in 80 Days (and many other travelogues) Shaft The Mary Tyler Moore Show Taxi
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I have some recommendations for adults only, but out of deference to the Cards, I will refrain from posting them here.
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Omitting repitions and initial "the"s, I have:
quote:413 Hope Street 4400, The 8 Simple Rules Absolutely Fabulous Addams Family, The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr., The Aeon Flux Ally McBeal Andromeda (Gene Rodenberry's ) Angel Arrested Development Avengers, The Babylon 5 Battlestar Galactica (new version, old version) Beastmaster Becker Beverly Hillbillies, The Big O Boomtown Boston Public Buffy the Vampire Slayer Carnivale Charmed China Beach Cook's Tour, A Corner Gas Coupling (UK) Cowboy Bebop CSI (many versions) Dark Angel Dark Shadows Dead Like Me Dead Zone, The Dexter Dirty Jobs Doctor Who Due South Earth 2 Earth: The Final Conflict (Gene Rodenberry's) Extras, The Family Guy Farscape Fawlty Towers Firefly Flambards, The Frasier Freaks and Geeks Friday Night Lights Friends Fruits Basket Full Metal Alchemist Futurama Get Smart Gilmore Girls Good Eats Green Wing Gundam Wing Hercules: The Legendary Journeys Heroes Highlander Hill St. Blues Home Movies (adult swim) House, M.D. How I Met Your Mother I Spy (with Bill Cosby) Inner Sanctum, The It Takes a Thief (with Robert Wagner) James at 15 Jeeves & Wooster Joan of Arcadia John Doe Julia Child & Company Law & Order (various subseries) Lexx Life on Mars Lost Lost in Space Lost World (Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's), The M*A*S*H MacGyver Malcolm in the Middle Mary Tyler Moore Show, The Masterpiece Theater Maxx, The Medium Michael Palin: Around the World in 80 Days (and many other travelogues) Millionaire, The Mission Impossible Mister Rogers Monk Monty Python's Flying Circus Moonlighting Mr. Terrific Muppet Show, The Mutant X My Name is Earl My So-Called Life Mystery Science Theater 3000 Mythbusters NCIS Neon Genesis Evangelion Nigella Nigella Bites Nigella Feasts No Reservations Northern Exposure October Road Office, The (British, American) One Step Beyond Our Miss Brooks Outer Limits Paper Chase, The Penn & Teller: Bull$%*# Perry Mason Persuaders, The Picket Fences Pretender, The Prisoner, The Project Runway Psych Quantum Leap Ray Bradbury Theater, The Red Dwarf Red Green Show, The Relic Hunter, The Remington Steele Roar Robot Chicken Rome (HBO series) Roswell Rurouni Kenshin Samurai Jack Sandbaggers Scrubs Seinfeld Sesame Street Shaft Simpsons Six Feet Under Slings and Arrows Space Ghost Space: Above and Beyond SpongeBob SquarePants Sports Night St. Elsewhere Star Trek (DS9, TOS, TNG) Stargate (Atlantis, SG-1) Strangers With Candy Tales from the Crypt Tales from the Darkside Taxi thirtysomething Tick, The Trigun Tripping the Rift Twilight Zone, The Twin Peaks Veronica Mars Visitor West Wing Wire Wiseguy Wonderfalls X-Files Xena: Warrior Princess Yu Yu Hakusho
I tried to include everything mentioned, even if not recommended specifically, in the interest of having a broad list of things that come to people's minds in a thread like this at Hatrack. I also am adding some subdivisions (e.g., for the Stargate and Law & Order sets of series). Let me know if I misspelled or missed something, and I'll correct or add. However, I'm not going to delete from the list anything mentioned previously, as tastes do differ. It is a list of mentions, and that only.
I will edit, sort, and tidy up on Sunday.
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Edited to add: On second thought, I am not going to post my categorization here, as that's simply begging for disagreement and a long, drawn-out discussion that I have no interest in starting. It would just make me exasperated and cranky.
But if anyone else wants to do it, feel free. [/LIST]
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Thanks to everyone for their recommendations and to CT for organizing it into a neat, alphabetical list!
A lot of good stuff...I got the first Dark Angel this weekend and was hooked so that's my next series. All the Xenas are available on the instant viewing features. I seem to recall seeing a few episodes of that...some of them were decent and some of them scared me. Sometimes, it was the same episode. Posts: 2392 | Registered: Sep 2005
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This is a current tv show, and the first season DVDs won't be out until October, but I really liked October Road. There were a few plotlines that made me roll my eyes, but overall I loved the characters and the story. It probably helps that the characters are pretty much exactly my age. From what I've read, it will start its second season as a mid-season replacement for whatever gets cancelled first.
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I'll add my voice to both Red Green and Slings and Arrows. I have so much love for both shows, and I was heartbroken when Red Green ended.
Posts: 2849 | Registered: Feb 2002
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Anyone watch Earth 2? It was a sci fi from the mid 90s. An advance colony ship sets out to a new planet but crash lands. The survivors try to get across the continent to set up the colony for the ships behind them. Then something about weird ground-dwelling aliens and some weird illness. It was cancelled after one season but was still a good watch.
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quote:Originally posted by landybraine: [QUOTE]Originally posted by grammargoddess: Captain Kirk:manslut for the federation)
I also second Sliders...but with Wade, not Maggie. Grrr..I did not like her.
Wade <swoon>... [/QUOTE']
I enjoyed Sliders as well but unfortunately, the show ended before coming to a conclusion. (Granted, I never saw the entire last season...the one where they lose Quinn and try to claim he's inside some other guy's body. It was really lame.)
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cheers nightcourt all in the family the jeffersons sanford and son barney miller the addams family(may have already been said, but still great)
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I can only add my agreement with many of these:
Arrested Development Extras (new one!) Firefly Freaks and Geeks Heroes How I Met Your Mother (honestly one of the funniest shows on right now) Lost Muppets Tonight Mythbusters The Office (both) The Riches (That's a new one too!) Storyteller/Storyteller Greek Myths (this was an old miniseries of old fairy tales by Jim Henson and co.) Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip (another new one!) Veronica Mars West Wing
Also, some old Nickelodeon shows: Allen Strange Are You Afraid of the Dark Hey Dude Mystery Files of Shelby Woo Pete & Pete Salute Your Shorts Secret World of Alex Mack
Out of all the Nick ones, I would suggest Pete & Pete or Alex Mack. Definitely the best.
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I refused to watch Ally McBeal at first because it took over Roar's time slot. I hope it's really as good as I remember it to be.![[The Wave]](graemlins/thewave.gif)
I seconded the first mention, DAN.
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