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When I was young I didn't watch TV much. It wasn't because I didn't want to, there were just strict rules about it in our house. At one point my mom installed a box that gave us a 1 hour allowance each week, and to turn on the TV we had to enter our own "code." Once the hour was up, the TV would automatically shut off. There were six of us kids, so we used our TV allowance as a commodity, often trading it to our other siblings for something we wanted. Half of a Butterfinger. The last microwaveable burrito. Who got to play the Nintendo at Grandma's house first on Friday night.
When I was a kid we would watch The Wonder Years (I got to stay up a half hour past my bedtime every week for that show), but other than that I never watched anything.
It wasn't until I got married and living in a small one bedroom apartment that I started to watch TV on a regular basis. It wasn't even until Lost that I realized that I enjoyed serialized television quite a bit. Since then I've noticed that there has been a massive shift towards serialized story-telling, and unfortunately it has caused my television time to increase dramatically.
Since Lost ended, I've enjoyed Person of Interest, Fringe, Sleepy Hollow, Almost Human (Cancelled), and Hannibal.
I'd say Hannibal is currently the smartest serialized show currently on television. Yes it is grotesque, and I have no idea how NBC gets away with airing it. But man is it enjoyable. The cast is absolutely amazing, especially Mads Mikkelsen. The series was just renewed for a third season today. My favorite comment on the site I read the news on was "Mads Mikkelsen simply stared at a room full of NBC execs, silently, for two minutes, after which the show was renewed."
There will be a Peggy Carter TV show airing in during the mid-season break of Agents of Shield (it was renewed and has gotten a lot better since the post-Cap 2 episodes). Netflix is making a Daredevil series. The CW is capitalizing on Arrow's success (another surprisingly good show) and making a Flash series.
Even Fox is jumping on the bandwagon and releasing a show about a young Commissioner Gordon in "Gotham" If you haven't seen the trailer, go watch it. It's pretty cool.
NBC even announced they are resurrecting "Heroes." Hopefully it is more like season 1 and not seasons 2-4.
Fargo is on FX, and is pretty enjoyable so far. Of course with Martin Freeman and Billy Bob Thornton, it should be.
Here's a list of NEW shows I'm interested in.
Better Call Saul (AMC) Outlander (Starz) Star Wars Rebels (Because Star Wars) (Disney) The Strain (FX) Tyrant (FX) Gotham (Fox) Agent Carter (ABC) Daredevil (Netflix) Constantine (NBC) The Flash (CW) Hieroglyph (Fox - Takes place in Ancient Egypt) The Whispers (ABC - Some sort of Alient show by Amblin, Spielberg's company)
There is also a Halo TV series in the works that will air on Showtime (expect blood, nudity, and a ton of profanity) but no word on when that will air.
Are there any shows you are excited about or that I missed? I admittedly miss Lisa's TV posts she used to put together each year.
Posts: 1937 | Registered: Nov 2006
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I'm trying to fill a How I met your mother shaped hole in my TV watching life. Between really horrible reception and the cancellation of Aereo in my area, I don't watch anything live right now.
Fx now requires a cable login to see new episodes of the Americans (I have neither cable nor a login at present), but I enjoyed the first season.
I've heard very good things about Orphan Black (BBC America), and intend to watch that once I get through the rest of Archer (Fx) on Amazon Prime.
Posts: 1757 | Registered: Oct 2004
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Well, they just picked up 'How I met your dad', so that hole could be filled quicker than you think, depending on how you feel after the finale.
Orphan Black is great and I enjoying Continuum too.
Hannibal is so gross, but it's hideous dead bodies have a similarity with the bodies on my beloved Pushing Daisies (same guy behind both shows) so I could love it just for that. Fargo is super.
I'm still a procedural junkie, so I'm happy that nearly all of my unimaginative cop shows are coming back too.
There are loads of pilots this year that seem like they could be interesting. Now that they've got the urge to create ' the next LOST' out of their systems, a bit of creativity seems to be creeping back into the schedules.
Posts: 1528 | Registered: Nov 2004
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On another note, Starz is apparently doing a show on Chuck Wendig's Blackbirds. That should be good.
Posts: 891 | Registered: Feb 2010
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Continuum is, indeed, consistently excellent, aside from a good bit of cheese in this season's premiere.
Brooklyn Nine-Nine is hilarious. Don't let Andy Samberg's presence scare you away, he's not nearly as obnoxious as he was on SNL. He actually manages to make Jake Peralta into a (mostly) professionally competent man-child, and he's surrounded by a very funny ensemble cast.
And Episodes, this past season, hit the perfect sweet-spot with regard to its writing. There was never an episode where I failed to laugh out loud. Also, it perfectly summed up why I don't want to move to LA. Bonus points for a wonderfully surprising cameo in the season finale.
Posts: 1357 | Registered: Mar 2002
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Oof, I really have to catch up on Episodes. I loved the first season but failed to remember to watch anything since.
Agents of Shield got really quite good towards the end of this season; the season finale this week should be great. I also just [finally] watched the Agent Carter short that's on the 'Iron Man 3' blu-ray, and that was also quite good.
And finally, Archer was very hit-or-miss this season. It has possibly my absolute favorite two-parter of the entire series, but there were a ton of less amusing episodes. The end was great, though.
I definitely watch way more TV than I used to, and much for the same reasons - there are now tons of shows airing that actually interest me. Well, either that or my standards have fallen drastically... Posts: 3932 | Registered: Sep 1999
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Another "Hannibal" fan here. Easily the best show on televsion. And I can't rave about "Orphan Black" enough! And I'm watching "Fargo" though I can't say that I'm necessarily enjoying it because its not my typical style of humor, but its winning me over with the acting.
"Brooklyn Nine-Nine" is wonderful! I don't watch SNL but had been turned off by the commercials for the show until I read some articles celebrating the show's diverse ensemble. I love watching how most episodes throw together different characters to explore a variety of dynamics. It reminds me very much of Community in that sense.
For the most part, I don't basic network television very interesting. I've been gravitating more towards "Orange is the New Black" and I've been marathoning "Sons of Anarchy" for awhile (which I'm annoyed with because its not nearly as good as it has the potential to be.) "The Walking Dead" and I have a love-hate relationship.
I do watch alot of BBC and am right now hooked on "In the Flesh." Basically the premise is, what if after the zombie apocalypse a drug was developed that would return zombies to their living state of mind. It sounds gimmicky but its quite emotional. I don't think its a huge spoiler to say that the main character rises after committing suicide, so he and his family are left to confront the pain and grief of his self-inflicted death. The second season is on now and its taking the idea of zombies as minority citizens and running with the metaphor. I'm greatly enjoying the show.
As for upcoming television, the super-hero shows don't appeal to me at all. Firstly, none of the characters are ones I'm interested in seeing and I'm convinced that "Gotham" looks like the worst idea ever. Also, while I've been told that "Agents of SHIELD" is improving, but I was so burned by the first three episodes that I have no desire to jump back in. I may give "Agent Carter" a chance just because I did like her one-shot alot. I think the period-ness adds something different to the landscape.
I'm a bit intrigued by ABC's line-up of shows with non-white families, like "Fresh off the Boat" and "Black-ish." Also they have a fairytale musical show coming called "Galavant" which looks like a mash-up of A Knight's Tale and Spamalot with Alan Menken doing the music. It'll probably be terrible but I'm willing to give a swing.
Posts: 1733 | Registered: Apr 2005
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I don't really mind Almost Human not getting another season. I loved the show, but it was a light hearted buddy cop drama that just happened to be set in the future with robots in it.
I'm sure they could have created some fascinating mysteries later, but they hadn't gone past the procedural stage yet, so it just made a amusing worldbuilding mini-series, at this point. I think it's worth watching anyway - but as I said before, I actually enjoy procedurals. I'd watch the proverbial out of Law and Order: Robot Division.
Posts: 1528 | Registered: Nov 2004
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They had the hook on some larger questions. What the hell was the wall? What was the crime conspiracy his girlfriend was involved in? Who put the bug in his house?
But they also, in typical Fox fashion, aired the episodes ridiculously out of order. In order, the larger questions seem to flow much more organically rather than being dropped for long stretches of time.
And I know why they did it that way. When ratings started to fall early on, an executive looked at the episodes and said "Gyah! We can't have all these serial episodes when new people need to be able to tune in and pick the show up immediately, push all the serial stuff to the end and put all the standalones in now!"
The end result being that no one really joined the show in progress, and everyone who was already watching was jerked around and stopped watching.
Posts: 21898 | Registered: Nov 2004
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It's an interesting time in TV land indeed. The system's too dysfunctional to deal with what would probably be hits of some fashion, and people are just outright unplugging from television in greater numbers. Cable, in particular, is moving from bleeding to hemorrhaging.
Posts: 15421 | Registered: Aug 2005
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Cable has the only TV shows I'll consider watching anymore, and that's from the POV of someone who hates having shows canceled in first seasons.
But from a quality stand point, it's really not even close. Premium channels rule, cable TV is the nobility, and network TV is full of worthless serfs.
Posts: 21898 | Registered: Nov 2004
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We dumped DirecTV last month and bought an Amazon Fire TV. We already had Netflix and Amazon Prime, so by just adding Hulu Plus ($8 a month) we save about $70 from our monthly bills.
We miss some shows we enjoyed, but even if we decide to purchase individual episodes of them from Amazon, we'll still come out ahead.
Posts: 298 | Registered: Sep 2011
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CBS had announced they wanted How I Met Your Dad......Then decided they were passing on How I Met Your Dad.
Thank goodness. I was never a fan of HIMYM. Now if we can just get rid of Big Bang Theory. Smart comedy on TV my ass. I guess all you need to do to get a free Emmy is throw some nerd references and scientific terms into a show and have a semi-attractive girl live across the hall.
Posts: 1937 | Registered: Nov 2006
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quote:Originally posted by DustinDopps: We dumped DirecTV last month and bought an Amazon Fire TV. We already had Netflix and Amazon Prime, so by just adding Hulu Plus ($8 a month) we save about $70 from our monthly bills.
We miss some shows we enjoyed, but even if we decide to purchase individual episodes of them from Amazon, we'll still come out ahead.
If you are willing to wait 10 months, everything comes out on blu ray or dvd on Netflix. No reason to miss anything, if you can avoid the spoilers.
Posts: 3134 | Registered: Mar 2005
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quote:Originally posted by Geraine: CBS had announced they wanted How I Met Your Dad......Then decided they were passing on How I Met Your Dad.
Thank goodness. I was never a fan of HIMYM. Now if we can just get rid of Big Bang Theory. Smart comedy on TV my ass. I guess all you need to do to get a free Emmy is throw some nerd references and scientific terms into a show and have a semi-attractive girl live across the hall.
They ordered it, it was shot, they loved most of it but wanted the creators to tweak a few things here and there. The creators refused, so they passed until the changes are made.
Posts: 21898 | Registered: Nov 2004
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Or perhaps they just did some polling and realised how many fans were upset about the HIMYM finale and therefore would not be watching the spinoff.
I loathed Ted, so the show wasn't my thing, but it was very popular here and I haven't met one person yet who is happy about how it turned out and a few are still at the point where the show cannot be mentioned in their presence without audible, dramatic groans. And these were the prospective audience members for HIMYD.
Posts: 1528 | Registered: Nov 2004
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quote:Originally posted by DustinDopps: We dumped DirecTV last month and bought an Amazon Fire TV. We already had Netflix and Amazon Prime, so by just adding Hulu Plus ($8 a month) we save about $70 from our monthly bills.
We miss some shows we enjoyed, but even if we decide to purchase individual episodes of them from Amazon, we'll still come out ahead.
If you are willing to wait 10 months, everything comes out on blu ray or dvd on Netflix. No reason to miss anything, if you can avoid the spoilers.
My wife refuses to wait for The Walking Dead. And I'm tempted to watch Orphan Black, just to avoid spoilers...
Posts: 298 | Registered: Sep 2011
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I’m with ya Lyrlawn. Most of the new shows I enjoyed were canned. I watch a lot of series on cable channels. I enjoy Suits, Graceland, Rizzoli and Isles and Major Crimes. I also watch Hot in Cleveland because Betty White reminds me so much of my grandma!
Posts: 1132 | Registered: A Long Time Ago!
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I'm very happy about Community. The Community....community is very passionate about the show. The cast also seems to love working on it, especially Joel McHale and Allison Brie. I'm a Jeff/Annie shipper, so I'm hoping they further explore that timeline in the next season.
I also read an interview that the show runners already have an idea for the movie, so hopefully that will happen as well.
Hieroglyph.....Well, from what I understand it had potential, but Fox decided that it was too expensive a risk. I'd rather have it cancelled before it airs than show 13 episodes out of order then cancel a show, as Fox is prone to do.
Posts: 1937 | Registered: Nov 2006
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Halfway through the second season of Davinci's Demons and very disappointed. The first season felt like Star Trek if a different era. A problem solved by technology. The anti religion under tones really appealed to me as well. This season being about the supernatural makes no sense with the previous season.
Posts: 3134 | Registered: Mar 2005
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I've begun to watch Hannibal. I had a somewhat middling opinion of the first two episodes, but the third was ****ing intense. Still, sometime it feels like this show is trying too hard, but not in an annoying way.
Posts: 1407 | Registered: Oct 2008
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I've been more pleased with Gotham than I expected to be. Oswald Cobblepot is so adorably evil.
Posts: 4136 | Registered: Aug 2008
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Hannibal is awesome but maybe a female character who is built according to this Mormon sociopathic gal, but of course applied to a criminal plot, would be fun: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rPjhQbKuIL0
As for other shows I don't watch that many except for The Walking Dead, Sherlock and for fun, THe Big Bang Theory. Might start up with Game of Thrones -- everyone says it is good.
Posts: 232 | Registered: Jun 2004
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