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.

[scho63]

Originally Posted by kcmulhurn

I could never get passed the first few episodes. Should maybe be more patient with it. It just didn't grab me from the start.

It really is well written and builds the whole dynamic of characters with a big dose of reality. It doesn't start banging out all kinds of stereotypical shit from what a TV series needs to do each week. It will draw you in.

I STRONGLY recommend you watch again from S1 E1 and soak it all in.

By S1 E7 or E8, you will not be able to stop watching.

[mr. tegu]

Originally Posted by kcmulhurn

I could never get passed the first few episodes. Should maybe be more patient with it. It just didn't grab me from the start.

This was actually the case for me a few years back. I think watched the first two episodes and quit but I realize now I didn’t fully understand the depth and complexity that it was going to be going for.

[dannybcaitlyn]

FROM has been a pretty good series. Season two just started.

[Pepe Silvia]

You ever been called Boo-Boo the Fool?

[BigBeauford]

Welcome to Wrexham is a very polished documentary of sorts. Really helps that Rob and Ryan are entertaining as all get out. Rob's really got that dog in him when it comes to business acumen.

[Pepe Silvia]

Originally Posted by Pepe Silvia

Seeing Hank vulnerable makes me sad even though it shouldn’t. He’s nicer than most of the criminals in that life but he’s still just as evil as they are. This scene from season 2 revealed it.

Spoiler!

This ended up playing a major role in this final season.

[TwistedChief]

Originally Posted by Pepe Silvia

This ended up playing a major role in this final season.

I’ve been really enjoying this season, more than last. There’s at least one true LOL moment from each episode.

[HemiEd]

I really enjoyed "The Last Ship" on HBO Max. It's been around a while (014-018)

Spoiler!

while watching it, I had no idea it was prior to the pandemic, now it seems almost prophetic since it ended two years prior and began a full six years prior

I found no reference to it when searching this thread, but that could be my lack of searching skills.

[BigBeauford]

Holy shit Barry is back this season. They've gone right back to the same tone that seasons 1 and 2 featured, nailing that juxtaposition of comedy vs. serious setting.

"We have this room for another houuuur". I died.

[DJ's left nut]

Originally Posted by HemiEd

I really enjoyed "The Last Ship" on HBO Max. It's been around a while (014-018)

Spoiler!

while watching it, I had no idea it was prior to the pandemic, now it seems almost prophetic since it ended two years prior and began a full six years prior

I found no reference to it when searching this thread, but that could be my lack of searching skills.

I enjoyed the first couple of seasons - then it kinda turned into a basic procedural. But it was at least an "America, **** Yeah!" sort of action procedural. And it came out at a time when every single show on television was steeped in moral ambiguity.

The Last Ship has none of that. There are the good guys and the bad guys and it's pretty obvious from the jump who is who. No heel turns to speak of, unnecessary twists. Just good ol' American horsepower kicking some ass.

It's pretty brainless entertainment but I mostly enjoyed it.

[DJ's left nut]

Originally Posted by Buehler445

I started the Diplomat on Netflix.

I'm a bit of Keri Russell dude. I really really liked The Americans, and this had a bit of that feel.

I'm typically not much for political thrillers, but this one hooked me. I was all in on almost all the characters. There wasn't much that fell flat. The UK PM kind of did, but they pulled him back in a bit.

I might be off base, but they did a really nice job of presenting high level operators processing quickly. It's one thing to say, this character is a good foreign policy mind. It's quite another to actually make it feel organic. It was really good.

Moreover, they didn't hamfist shit together. Some of the timeframes feel unnecessarily constrained, but nothing feels dumb or forced.

Big thing is the characters are all compelling. And maybe more impressive, is both sides of every argument made at least some sense, even if it goes against the narrative of the protagonist. They did a really good job with all the characters. And they also did a nice job of not trying to tie these dudes to caricatures of real political figures. The president is kind of supposed to be a Biden type, but they changed a lot, but still made him an interesting and compelling character. The UK PM is supposed to be a bit of a Boris Johnson type, but they did a good job of separating the character from the public person.

It was really good IMO.

And I'm still a Keri Russell guy... It's worth a click.

https://imgur.com/zUkmYo0

Yeah, I saw "Keri Russell in her return to television" and I'm sitting here like "wait a minute, The Americans ended like 4 years ago - she hasn't been gone for a decade fellas..."

And I don't see how any red blooded American Male could not be a 'Keri Russell guy'. If I ever find out the Americans used a stunt ass, I'm gonna be awfully bummed out because...dayum.

[DJ's left nut]

Taking a run at The Last Kingdom. Man that's a slog. And the pacing is somehow simultaneously dog-slow and lightning fast.

I mean 5 episodes in he'll have gone from an 8 year old second in line saxon heir to an adult Dane warrior back to a saxon elder who went from dating his childhood 'co-slave' to married to some fringe nobility to a father and then divorced. I mean damn guys. How are you gonna coax 5 seasons and a movie out of this?

The problem is that 90% of it seems to happen offscreen. On screen there have been like 3 critical conversations and a couple of battles. Then a lot of horseriding.

I don't know if its actually any good - I just find the subject matter interesting.

[Pepe Silvia]

Originally Posted by BigBeauford

Holy shit Barry is back this season. They've gone right back to the same tone that seasons 1 and 2 featured, nailing that juxtaposition of comedy vs. serious setting.

"We have this room for another houuuur". I died.

“The whole kit and the poodle.”

[BigBeauford]

Originally Posted by Pepe Silvia

“The whole kit and the poodle.”

The bit with Gene doing a monolgue to tell his story about Barry, but occasionally mixing up the dialogue accents was world class stuff. It's just blowing my mind, and I'm glad they aren't trying to play this season as straight as they did in Season 3.

[Pepe Silvia]

Originally Posted by BigBeauford

The bit with Gene doing a monolgue to tell his story about Barry, but occasionally mixing up the dialogue accents was world class stuff. It's just blowing my mind, and I'm glad they aren't trying to play this season as straight as they did in Season 3.

It’s getting darker in a way but it has the great comedy relief again which is big.