Excellent / Contender for Greatness (on the air)
Breaking Bad ....ordinary man becomes manufacturer of meth, a mix of drama, mayhem, and comedy ensue.
Game of Thrones .....compelling fantasy world set in an ancient kingdoms-in-conflict scenario...including some stunning surprises among the key characters. It originated from a popular book series I have not read.
Boardwalk Empire ....great and sympathetic characters in the midst of prohibition era new jersey seeking to maintain or establish their criminal enterprises.
Rich stories and beautifully rendered era.
Justified ....raylan givens is one of the more impressive, and quirky characters, I delight in being surprised by what may happen to him next. Old west type of Marshal in the modern world. Serious..not goofy, but ocassionally hilarious.
Archer ..."So....does this look as bad as it looks?", "You're so ugly when you cry.", "Stereotypes exist for a reason", "Just the tip", "Sir, that stolen lemur bit one of your prostitutes right in the face, and she says she can't go to the hospital because she's quote, 'tripping balls'., "god, it's like my brain's that tree, and you're those little cookie elves", DAAAAAANNNNNGGGGGGER ZONE !!!, "Ouch, my earballs", "The Isle of Man... Oh my God... Is that like Whore Island for women?", "What the Shit". New Classic Toon.
Mad Men ...Originally, I had no interest in some 60's era show, or about an advertising agency and its leading personality.
Thought it sounded and looked ridiculous when I caught glimpses in the promos and various news briefs about glowing reviews, but that lovely song by Amy Winehouse they used in the promos got me interested (after I found out who those pipes belong to...beautiful sound), and I watched one or two eps, and that was all it took, its a damn good show, very surprised by that. Heavily character driven, if you like the characters you will be hooked.
Going Strong (future uncertain)
XIII (2011) ....excellent action, drama, and mystery. something must be missing.
Nikita ....thought it couldn't live up to LFN, but it has its own formula which is pretty good, though the signature of the former was an all powerful and ominously dangerous all-knowing all-seeing organization...no such vibe here, that is the greatest disappointment.
Might flame out, might transform into it's own legend, needs time to work it out either way
Season two is shaky in the first 5-10 episoes, a mix of good and bad, but it takes off thereafter with some awesome stories and unexpected outcomes.
Ugly Americans ....under-world/fantasy-world in joint existence with our reality...some of this stuff is highlarious some a bit dull and overwrought, hasn't found its zone just yet.
Plus has a hot little demon.....cartoon eye-candy.
Sons of Anarchy ....started with this while it was already well into its 3rd season (watching from the beginning), didn't think I would like it, only to discover that it was quite different from what I thought it would be, the only worry I have is that the more unseemly the characters become the harder it will be to enjoy seeing them, (sort of) like coming to realize you are looking at true evil, and not merely someone or something 'misunderstood' or rebellious.
Sherlock ...Brit show of a most quirky and marvelous sherlock holmes and watson (Benedict Cumberbatch / Martin Freeman), but its execution lacks....in the ending (season), which has a WTF non-sequitor (with the revelation of the arch-villain), that is virtually a refutation of the quality of storytelling and characterization up to that point.
...and a 3 episode season....THREE???...crazy brits.......what's next?
ONE episode seasons ??? a one year commercial break in between a single episode 10 minutes in??? Crazy Sauce !!!
GI JOE Renegades ....suprisingly strong character development and somewhat realistic (minus wizbang weapons) depiction of a rising evil power, at least for a cartoon.
It has a kind of A-Team quality to it.
Could use some tightening up, linking an over arching purpose to the character development.....like say creating GI JOE...!!!
No one needs to see 200 episodes of Cobra building strength enough for global dominion, one season would be plenty, with the rest resulting in an actual integrated and growing GI Joe force, actually battling a fully functional Cobra.
For that matter even 20 episodes has already been too much.
Also no need for countless super weapons, which reinforce the cartoonish quality of storytelling as opposed to the novelization quality of great comics...aka...graphic novels, which emphasize the human element, bringing the fantastic in line with the relatable.
Continued milking of the story development could kill the appeal quickly !!!
[ IDW comics has a grittier (noir-ish) version which is far superior, in its GI Joe/Cobra-Civil War series, much much better than the cartoon, has lots of surprises, it is unexpectadely thoughtful, and a high body-count all-around, stuff you never saw coming....this is the sort of writing that should span a dozen seasons / several hundred comics prints.
Basically this is the version for adults rather than 12-16 year olds.
The first comic since my early childhood to get my attention and keep it.
......Not that I have taken more than glance at comics, once in a while, here and there.
And it helped that I saw this in CBR format (digital)...the age of pirateware, is a boon for exposure of the poorer masses to all that is available and consequently, possible.
WIthout it, some people would never see or here all the amazing expressions of our arts and sciences ]
The Green Room with Paul Provenza ...I love these talkies, whether artists scientists or as in this case, comedians.....just enjoy smart people talk shop in a casual way...fun to watch.
Some of the those included seem out of sorts for the conversations, if they can tweek that, this can last a dozen seasons easily.
Had Great Potential...and serious problems (canceled)
The Event ....it ended on a spectacular and original sci-fi note, one which on its own could have sewn the seeds for several seasons of unique storytelling.
Among the problems...a main character who's idea of emoting consisted of variations in smiling maniacally, even during moments of grief and fear, another key character doing a 180 on supposed fundamental beliefs, and a confusing back and forth time yo-yoing from the very beginning, even with that it was pretty cool.
Krod Mandoon and the Flaming Sword of Fire ...awesome babe, ridiculous comedy, a bit loose and no compelling purpose, but no reason for it to dissappear, just needed some work to polish it.
Rubicon ...slow paced, thought provoking, but primarily psychological..all conspiracy all the time, but slow to unravel.....and in truth....the apparent scope/villains involved seemed underwhelming....the atmosphere had more menace than the substance of the menace gradually revealed....should have been more refined in this sense....as it could have outmatched X-Files, and been far more believable in the process.
Had Great Potential...and WTF Happened ??? (canceled)
Terminator : The Sarrah Connor Chronicles ...great throughout except for a weak end scene, much deeper and emotionally developed regarding our would-be savior, john connor....morons run the networks, turd brained morons...
Kings ....and jersey shore survives ???.....fucka doodles....And people wonder why america has a reputation for being a bunch of crass, self-centered morons...huh...I wonder why?
The Unit ....basically a less gear-centric Seal Team Six (one down countless more to go) meets james bond style stories. Probably could have used fewer family drama elements, sometimes they added to the appeal, and other times they just got in the way.
Had at least a couple more seasons in it, maybe the conspiracy stuff tripped it up, though it also made it more interesting (enemies foreign AND domestic).
Flash Forward ....jerked around with ; had a slow burn ; not enough fireworks.
Even with all that, it was distinct and exciting enough, and had enough talent in lead, that it could have become a standard setter for quality dramatic series, even those with a strong sci-fi or fantasy component.
Lucky Louie ....What the Hell !!! This was awesome.
The people who canceled this should be flayed, then drowned.
And NO, I don't like 'Louie', its a weak replacement, that is uninspiring and unexciting.
The 4400 ....awesome superhero-type power imbued humans, predated 'Heroes', which until I saw it, my thought was that no one could possibly compete with the 4400, but as Heroes turned out, the first 2 season were pretty damn good (superior), though it self-destructed for me after that, which is why 4400 in its full run stands as the superior model.
Defying Gravity .....one of the more realistic (hard science based) space travel dramas, and like most interesting stories, it had a slow build, which broad audiences apparently can't handle anymore....not that I am that much better at dealing with slow paced shows.
Though I probably have more patience with sci-fi and some fantasy shows, since they tend to have great payoffs down the line.
Jericho ...was it just too depressing or something? this was just getting wind it its sails.
Miracles ...was it just too depressing or something? was that an echo?
Lost ....it was fantastic, I am just disappointed by the lack of answers for all the questions
24 .....it was fantastic, I am just disappointed by the hot/cold second-to-last season, and the awful awful awful awful awful last season....it played and ended very badly !!!
Jack deserved better.
It figures though, jack always gets screwed somehow, just his luck !
Dharma and Greg ....I loved this show. Crazy funny without having to be crass.
Third Rock from the Sun ...Awesome !!!!!
Undecided
The Borgias ....a mixture of strong and weak qualities, the actors are great but the story seems inconsistently compelling, perhaps ultimate purpose is missing or a clear direction.
It feels like looking into the ongoings of something rather than seeing something special or spectacular emerging.
Walking Dead ....there were only a couple of episodes, in the first season, so its hard to tell what they intended on doing with it.
I am cautiously optimistic, with the second season, but I wonder whether this is all there is to it....do I really want to watch multiple seasons of people just trying to survive the end the of the world?
Always the question of purpose....what is the point of this adventure....because if the answer is just survival, then there is not much there, there....meaning....a dead end.
Californication ....do I watch it for the gratuitously man-whoring lead and his devil may car attitude, or do I watch it for the stupendously funny characters and the insane situations that they get themselves into, I dunno....and I am not sure how much longer the magic will hold
2 Broke Girls ....the first sit-com I have started in quite a while. Kat Dennings is stunning, and pleasantly wry.
Good to read positve reviews of something I like...
New Arrivals
One Man Army ....'reality' challange for the tough guy/badass crowd
Speed - Strength - Intelligence.
It is a bit amazing how so many apparently strong personalities, with a wide variety of special skills, and even exceptional achievements....and inspite of their exceptional bodies, simply have no sense of stamina or psychological depth..
The power puff men.
There is a lesson here, for the egotistical blowhard.......talk less, walk more.
Wilfred (US) ....pot smoking man-dog troublemaker, it's demented, in a good way.
Homeland ....Iraqi veteran held-hostage for 10 years returns( is rescued).....or was he?....is he a terrorist?....ah the mystery. Tasty story. Nice to see Claire Danes on TV again.
COMEBACK: Fear Factor ...who doesn't enjoy watching people racing to eat horse rectum, or screaming in a confined space with snakes or spiders. Why did it have to end? This show was probably number two to Survivors #1, in my list of fave "reality" shows.
Ahh....but it has returned..........yay !
Doomsday Preppers ....when the SHTF....hahaha....its equal parts amusing for the absurdist expectations of the fearful people portrayed, and fascinating to what lengths some people will go to protect themelves from having to face those fears.
Not hating on the people and I don't pity them either, I think of it as an eccentricity, it all depends on how much of ones life is consumed by such venture.
In truth it is a reflection of how our defense department doesn't do much defending of it's homeland, it builds offensive arsenals and capacities, which naturally doesn't contribute to peoples sense of security......more rebalancing of this I think would tend to quell much of the militia and prepper attitudes of a guv'mnt incapable or unwilling...or worse, malicious, in its care of its own peoples security.
Oldies, Outstanding, and Other
Picket Fences
I Love Lucy
Profit
Tour of Duty
La Law
The Andy Griffith Show
Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer
Cavemen
Crime Story (I wah wah wah wonder, why, why why why why, she, ran away, and I wonder, what made her stay ay ay, my lit-tle runaway, my run run run run runaway, my run run run run run runaway...............la la la la....la la la la.....la....la la..........)
Wonder Woman (original)
The Cosby Show
Star Trek The Next Generation (all of it, especially Picard and Q ; but movies were lame)
Star Trek Deep Space Nine (kira and odo, bashir and garak, gul dukat, quark and everyone, the dominion, changelings, epic space battles, what's not to like...)
Star Trek (Original Series) (damn it jim!!! :)
Wild Wild West
Night Court
Leave it to Beaver
Dracula (90's)
SeaQuest DSV
Perfect Strangers (Dont be ridicooloos !)
Three's Company
Hart to Hart
Benson
The Mole (who is the mole?)
Columbo
The Equalizer
The Fall Guy
Newheart (bob)
Roseanne
Munsters
Prey
Inspector Gadget
Simon and Simon
Scarecrow and Mrs. King
Connections (brit sci-documentary)
Aeon Flux (bizzare but interesting cartoon, with a movie adaptation which was interesting in it's own right, but which had no business being called Aeon Flux, as the star appeared nothing like her.....nothing !....where the hell was the tiny groin glove, the signature hair, and the wierd and intense sexual atmosphere??? ..............nowhere !!!)
Ren & Stimpy
Bobby's World
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (a kitchen utensil??? ha ha !!)
GI Joe ) felt sorry for cobra commander........was onsssse a man...... ;(
Garfield
Ancient Mysteries (leonard nimoy narrated)
Dr Katz
Eek the Cat
Spiral Zone
Garfield and Friends
Thundercats (90's)
Transformers (Generation 1, 4 seasons)
Darkwing Duck
Alien Nation
Science and Technology Week (CNN)
Beyond 2000 (Discovery)
Future Watch (CNN)
Smurfs
ALF
Adams Family
He-Man
Highlander
Remington Steele
NewsRadio
Northern Exposure
WKRP in Cincinnati
21 Jump Street
1st and Ten
Looney Tunes (Bugs, Daffy, Marv, Wiley Coyote, Tweety...loved it all...watching since childhood, though not any of the stuff since the early 90's)
The Brady Bunch
The Bionic Woman (Lindsay Wagner)
Married with Children
Acapulco Heat
Ally McBeal (one or two seasons)
Babylon 5 (The standard bearer for how to fulfill an SF shows promise and end it well)
In Living Color
Dennis Miller Live ("Welcome to Insane Fantasy Island")
Politically Incorrect (the network obviously failed to understand the meaning of the title of the program.......degenerate fucking morons!!!)
Real Time with Bill Maher
Tough Crowd with Colin Quinn (why did it end???)
Time Trax
TekWar
Just Shoot Me!
Drew Carey (OHIO !!!)
Whose Line Is It Anyway?
Dream On
Twin Peaks
Young Indiana Jones
7 Days
Twilight Zone (Old and New(ish))
Amazing Stories
Flintstones
Three Stooges
Tales from the Crypt
Veronica's Closet
Cybil
Odyssey 5
War of the Worlds
Band of Brothers
Renegade
Prison Break (first 2 seasons)
Chappelle's Show (black kkk member skit says it all...brilliant and hillarious)
Commander-In-Chief
Entourage
Boston Legal (started with the third season without having seen anything else and was instantly hooked, though I have generally avoided legal shows since LA Law)
Project Greenlight
The Shield
60 Minutes (before they lost their credibility (tobacco story controversy), learned about it through 'The Insider' / Russell Crowe) ....I watched this show since I was 11 or so)
Lights Out (depressing ending, and that it ended so soon)
Rescue Me (only watched about 4 seasons or so...stopped...for no particular reason)
Rags to Riches
Sleeper Cell (about an undercover agent with islamic jihadists stateside)
Bonanza
MadTV (about the first half of the series is the best...good stuff was there in the second half, but it was more hit and miss. Some memorable stuff ::: Sopranos on PAX--------buwahahaha!!! ....I be gettin (bible dude)....the snowman, rudolf, elves, santa, and their criminal enterprises gone to war.....Its a football thing...The greatest action story ever told (movie preview)...blind kung fu master ..... Abercrombie .......Average Asian......Vancome Lady........Miss Swan....What can brown do for you !......Kenny Rogers.....Steven Seagal....George Bush .....Al-Jazeera .....Real **********ing Talk.......Inside Looking Out....Mofaz...Flashlights (on a hilltop) ......Survivor : Race Edition...Lesbionic Woman....Easy Bake Oven....Spishak products.......the I-rack looks unstable----stop throwing money at it-----HAAAAAAAAAAAA (it was even better than SNLs crazy Jobs' unveiling of the decreasingly sized ipods)...and of course....Hot Up Here (Father Kelly))
