Must Watch Series

[Buehler445]

All this talk about series, how network TV Sucks, and how hard it is to find quality shows, and some excellent shows that fly under the radar, I need a comprehensive review of all the series I need to see.

For good entertainment, I would be willing to buy DVD sets. But I've recently picked up HBOGO by kiping it from my parents, and recently got Netflix and Amazon Prime.

Here is a listing of shows that I currently own or have seen all the episodes of. If it isn't on the list, just assume I haven't seen it.

Spoiler!

Great Shows – Must See
Game of Thrones
Mad Men
Longmire
Burn Notice
House
Spartacus
House of Cards
Justified
True Detective
Breaking Bad
The Assets
The Wire
Sherlock (BBC)
The Americans
The Walking Dead
Deadwood
Netflix: Daredevil
Jack Taylor
Luther
Bosch

Good shows
Travelers
Ozark
The Leftovers
Conviction
Medici
The Last Kingdom
Firefly
Dollhouse
The Good Wife
Hell on Wheels
Big Bang Theory
Falling Skies
Suits
White Collar
Agents of SHIELD
Arrow
Boss
Rome
Orange is the New Black
Orphan Black
The Knick
Goliath (Amazon)
Iron Fist
Show Me a Hero
Hell on Wheels
Shooter

Mediocre
Robin Hood (BBC)
Vikings
How I met your Mother
Scrubs
Chuck
That 70's Show
Top Gear
Graceland
Hung (HBO)
Gotham
Conviction


Crap
Camelot
Top Shot
Defiance
Legends of Tomorrow

Here is a listing of shows that I'm currently watching

Spoiler!

Great


Good
Boardwalk Empire
Westworld

Mediocre

Crap

Here is a listing of shows on my list to watch (mostly due to this thread)

Spoiler!

The Sopranos
24
Fargo (missed getting it on the DVR )
Band of Brothers
The Pacific
The Comeback
6 Feet Under
John Adams
Battlestar Glactica
Friday Night Lights

I work a ****ton, so it is hard for me catch a series while it is on to get it on the DVR, but I recognize the entertainment value and am willing to go after the Must See shows. Accordingly, I'm not necessarily looking for anything that is still running. I'm up for watching stuff that has run its course.

So what say you, Planet? Which shows should I see?

UPDATED for the shows I've seen recently.

[Coochie liquor]

Suburra : Blood on Rome is good. We’re in the second of 3 seasons. It’s less action, and equal on the drama as Gomorra. Although I like Gomorra more, this one has a good story to follow. Next on the list is Romanzo Criminale. I’ve heard rumblings of it being BETTER than Gomorra, but that’s gonna be hard to pull off. Would definitely recommend Suburra though. There’s a movie that came out before the series which starts it off.

[unlurking]

Originally Posted by Baby Lee

Just started, promising, star-studded.

That looks pretty good. Oldman has an amazing range.

[Baby Lee]

Originally Posted by unlurking

That looks pretty good. Oldman has an amazing range.

For those who are intrigued, but not enough to track down the gist, it's about the . . . dregs, . . . of British Intelligence, . . . whether they burned out, crossed a muckety-muck, or failed a high profile op, or were simply never all that skilled to begin with, are assigned to a kind of placeholder/scutwork division with limited resources, . . . Then when some of them happen across some ominous intel, they summon their capabilities and maximize their resources to unveil an explosive plot.

Kind of a Rocky meets Bourne Identity. Or a cul-de-sac of the byzantine tapestry of intelligence work LeCarre would have written about.

[Baby Lee]

Another promising start . . . Could be a mess, but the first ep was decent. Lots of familiar faces, and names in the production crew.

No way to know how it will turn out, but the premise appears a little optimistic, a little wacky, a little chaotic, and at least primarily aiming for funny.

Gave me vibes closest to The Detour, the wild, creative, if a little 'out there' comedy with Jason Jones and Natalie Zea from a few years back, with 'the optimist everyman' tested by eccentric locals and absurd situations. And there were legit chuckles interspersed in the 'premise setup' pilot.

[Jenson71]

Originally Posted by Buehler445

I haven't went that direction because I read (well listened to) Bad Blood by John Carreyrou. It was pretty definitive. I also listened to Thicker Than Water by Tyler Schultz, who was one of the whistleblowers. His grandpa, former SOS George Schultz was a major investor, and the family dynamics were interesting as hell. And it was pretty amazing to see the story from the perspective from a green 20 year old kid.

As interesting as the story is, I'd recommend getting the entire story from the book.

Same thing with We Crashed. This spring I listened to The Cult of We by Eliot Brown and Maureen Farrell. It is also pretty definitive.

I can't imagine a few hours of heavily dramatized dialogue will take the place of 30 hour books.

I'm a total nerd for business. And the frauds these guys manage to pull off for a shocking amount of time never ceases to amaze. I always feel like I need a shower when I'm done, but I can't help myself. I just have to listen to the books.

I'm including each of your mentioned books on my wish list. There was a scene in Episode 6 where George and Tyler Schultz are at Elizabeth's birthday party, and Tyler is about to tell his grandfather his suspicions in a private room when Elizabeth walks in on them, and then she sternly confronts Tyler when George walks back to the party. Then the next scene at the party is Tyler performing a song he wrote for Elizabeth's party in her honor.

I said, "Hmm -- I wonder if anything like that happened in real life?"

And my wife, who had been watching the entire series with me, said, "Wait - is this based on a true story?"

[Buehler445]

Originally Posted by Jenson71

I'm including each of your mentioned books on my wish list. There was a scene in Episode 6 where George and Tyler Schultz are at Elizabeth's birthday party, and Tyler is about to tell his grandfather his suspicions in a private room when Elizabeth walks in on them, and then she sternly confronts Tyler when George walks back to the party. Then the next scene at the party is Tyler performing a song he wrote for Elizabeth's party in her honor.

I said, "Hmm -- I wonder if anything like that happened in real life?"

And my wife, who had been watching the entire series with me, said, "Wait - is this based on a true story?"

That actually happens. It’s in the thicker than water book. Insanity.

[Pepe Silvia]

How in the hell did Chad make it to season 2? I’m baffled.

[Buehler445]

Originally Posted by PackerinMo

How in the hell did Chad make it to season 2? I’m baffled.

LOL No clue. The 45 seconds I watched before the wife shitcanned it is all I've ever seen.

My wife was not thrilled.

[Direckshun]

Well, I just finished season 1 of "Foundation" on Apple TV.

Man, that first episode is outstanding, some of the best sci-fi I can remember seeing.

Kind of sad how it all collapsed after just a few episodes. I really felt like the show limped to its conclusion.

I fear season 2 is going to be an absolute trashfire.

[Baby Lee]

Originally Posted by eDave

Season premier of Snowfall coming up in February. The final episode last season was a bit trope but it's an excellent show.

Love is in the air [and on the outdoor furniture]

[BigBeauford]

[Simply Red]

only 2 episodes in but 'From' is pretty creepy.

[Baby Lee]

Originally Posted by Simply Red

only 2 episodes in but 'From' is pretty creepy.

From is way better than its profile and popularity would indicate.

I'm sure, to the extent anyone even knows it exists, some are staying away for fear it will go nowhere like LOST, but it's generated some legit creepy and intriguing moments.

I guess it could still fall apart, plenty of them do. But it's better thus far than I expected, and it's kind of weird how far under the radar it is. But then being on Epix and having a title like 'From' doesn't exactly position it for buzz.

Heck, even googling 'from recaps' or 'from reviews' generates useless links because 'from' is so generic.

[Simply Red]

Originally Posted by Baby Lee

From is way better than its profile and popularity would indicate.

I'm sure, to the extent anyone even knows it exists, some are staying away for fear it will go nowhere like LOST, but it's generated some legit creepy and intriguing moments.

I guess it could still fall apart, plenty of them do. But it's better thus far than I expected, and it's kind of weird how far under the radar it is. But then being on Epix and having a title like 'From' doesn't exactly position it for buzz.

Heck, even googling 'from recaps' or 'from reviews' generates useless links because 'from' is so generic.

Did you finish it? Also, I've yet to watch one single minute of Lost but I think that'll be a good (but lengthy) binge in the fall.

[Baby Lee]

Originally Posted by Simply Red

Did you finish it? Also, I've yet to watch one single minute of Lost but I think that'll be a good (but lengthy) binge in the fall.

The season finale hasn't aired yet.

And regarding LOST, I would think it would be an entirely different experience now as opposed to when it aired. When it aired, there were so so so many little details that looked to be adding up to something. This is back when 'easter eggs' were still a fairly new draw for serialized television. People spent eons online hypothesizing and theorizing and drawing connections. And the big disappointment wasn't so much that the show itself sucked, or that the overall narrative was worthless, more that all of those details and the theories they gave birth to were all just red herrings.

If you watch the show now, with all those blogs breaking everything down disused or defunct, you'll more likely miss the details that were the draw for the show, but you'll also get to concentrate on the broader narrative without cluttering your mind with red herrings.

I have no way of knowing whether that will be a better or worse experience, but it is an interesting prospect.