Comments on: “deep thoughts” on television shows I watch or used to watch

By: HyperIon

HyperIon — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 00:07:45 +0000

Speaking of “used to watch”, my local PBS station is running the Jeremy Brett “Sherlock Holmes” series on Friday nights. I have caught several and am surprised at how trite they seem now. I was a big fan at the time (mid 80s?) after reading the Conan Doyle stories.

As we age our tastes change.

By: HyperIon

HyperIon — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000

Re: watching The Wire
Turn on close-captioning. I understood a lot more with that feature enabled. In fact I do this for most videos.

By: Jack

Jack — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 20:41:26 +0000

Since you are already convinced, I don’t need to say that The Wire is the greatest television series every produced, so I won’t.

Another recommendation: I found HBO’s Rome, both seasons, to be as good as or better than Deadwood.

Dexter is a fun show as well.

By: Herb

Herb — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 12:23:57 +0000

About Al Swearengen going “good” in later seasons of Deadwood…yes, he became decidedly less brutal, this is true, but it’s useful to remember that the characterizations of Swearengen (and Bullock) were always studies in shades of gray. Swearengen was the bad guy with a kernel of goodness within him, while Bullock was the good guy with a streak of evil. They’re like the Yin and Yang of the show.

This applies to many of the characters on the Wire, too. (The mix of good and bad within the same person.)

By: Ian M.

Ian M. — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 00:49:12 +0000

E.D. – one quote from David Simon (creator of The Wire) was “it’s a show about how bureaucratic institutions grind down individuals.” If that doesn’t get you to watch it, I don’t know what will.

By: Ian M.

Ian M. — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 00:40:48 +0000

The Wire is long form television – each season is a story arc. You really have to watch them in order, but the show is excellent. Richard Wright and George Pelecanos are two of the writers(!!)

The South Park guys are vaguely libertarian and when they take a shot at libertarians I’ll believe their “we’ll mock anybody” line.

By: greginak

greginak — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 04:15:15 +0000

gabba gabba hey—–Most youngsters don’t get The Ramones.

By: JosephFM

JosephFM — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 04:02:20 +0000

Either of you have an opinion on Yo Gabba Gabba ?

By: JosephFM

JosephFM — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 04:00:59 +0000

I feel about South Park roughly how most of you feel about Family Guy. I don’t get it, I really really don’t. Hey, we’re sophomoric jerks who like making incredibly obvious (or simply wrong) political points with bad potty jokes!

Home Movies was probably my favorite “adult” cartoon, as these things go, though. It was just so dry and perfect. None of the followups (Metalocalypse, Lucy the Daughter of the Devil, the teen series O’Grady on the N) came close.

Most of my television-wathcing lately, though, is stuff like Star Trek reruns. Other than that, just Mad Men, which Lex is absolutely right about: it is “basically a high-toned soap opera about unlikable people”. That’s why I like it.

I’ve also got sucked into Dollhouse, despite not really liking it at first for being too stylistically mainstream with its post-CSI/24 quick cuts and glossy violence.

And I’ve never seen the Wire because I don’t have HBO, and would have to really put aside the time to get into it. But I’ve always wanted to.

If we’re making recommendations, though, besides Home Movies I’ll throw in the original Manchester version of Life on Mars, which I may have mentioned before. Seriously though. John Simm is just perfect in it.

By: JosephFM

JosephFM — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 03:43:34 +0000

Damn right. And Billy West (who does roughly half the voices on the show) is an underrated comic genius.