Top Five, TV edition

[curgoth]

After almost missing Heroes this season, I'm wondering what else is going on on TV that I don't know about. Zil and I pretty much only watch House and NCIS regularly, and rarely channel surf.

So - what are your five favourite TV shows right now?

Comments

[crystal-diva.livejournal.com]

1) CSI
2) Shark
3) Gilmore Girls
4) CSI Miami (mostly in reruns)
5) ...

We don't watch that much TV anymore

[curgoth]

From what I've heard about Shark, it sounds like "House as a lawyer", which kind of turned me off. Then again, NCIS' concept is pretty much "CSI, but in the navy!", and it's one of my favourite shows...

[the-doughboy.livejournal.com]

Yep House as a Lawyer

[the-real-crispy.livejournal.com]

I've been enjoying Vanished, which is about 6 episodes in on Fox, and is now on a three week break. Boston Legal's in its third season. Let's see... BSG's third season starts on Space on Saturday, and the second series of the new Doctor Who starts on CBC on Monday. It's hard to decide on the fifth, although part of me wants to say that Space is showing Buck Rogers re-runs, and that's a hell of a lot of fun.

There are a bunch of new shows out there, but I haven't had a chance to watch them all yet (something about life getting in the way (: ).

[curgoth]

We've been doing BSG on DVD - so we're still waiting for season 2.5.

What's the premise for Vanished?

[the-real-crispy.livejournal.com]

The wife a US senator is kidnapped and they're trying to get her back. As the story unfolds, it turns into a huge conspiracy thing as you find out about her past, why she was kidnapped, and the people behind it.

These shows can be hit or miss, and often on the miss side, but so far in this series they've done a pretty good job of keeping it interesting without some of the ridiculousness of, say 24.

[athenalindia.livejournal.com]

1. Veronica Mars (not that I get to see it as it's aired)
2. CSI
3. Heroes
4. Lost
5. House

[northbard.livejournal.com]

what's Heroes?

[curgoth]

It's a new show about superheroes. They seem to be working an X-Men sort of angle thus far, though I've only seen the first episode. What I have seen has promise.

[notshakespeare.livejournal.com]

The second episode continues the theme.

Is really does seem like they told the writers they needed to think like they were writting a graphic novel in the spirit of the XMen.

[selfishidol.livejournal.com]

What is this ... TV, you speak of?

[curgoth]

It's that stuff you watch from DVD or download from teh intartubes, of course!

[grrlgoddess.livejournal.com]

i watch so little tv really but if i did watch more...

1) Veronica Mars (need to get the whole series)
2) House (which you guys got me, and subsequently A hooked on)
3) Boston Legal (i've seen a few episodes and they are fabulous)
4) Lost (need to get caught up on it though)
5) most things on A&E - Dog the Bounty Hunter, Airline, Little People Big World...

I've heard that Gray's Anatomy is phenomenal as well.

[bridgeoutahead.livejournal.com]

1. Battlestar Galactica
2. CSI
3. Vanished
4. Shark
5. Kidnapped

[notshakespeare.livejournal.com]

I watch a huge about of tv - more than I have time to really.

Lost
Veronica Mars
BattleStar Galactica
Boston Legal
Heroes
The Daily Show
My Name is Earl

Those are all programmed into the DVR for the whole season.

New Stuff:
Runaway - I'll probably give up on soon; It combines teenage angst with the Fugitive.
Kidnapped - is sucking me in more then I'd admit. Kid got kidnapped, a specialist was brought in, FBI got involved - interesting Drama
Studio 60 - by the West Wing guy, is a behind the scenes at a Saturday Night Live clone; interesting, but I'll give it up.
Eureka - silly SciFi show where a non-tech cop is hanging out in a top populated by geniuses.
Jericho - stupid post-apocalyptic show that I'm going to remove from my list.

Also, the FX channel has been coming up with some interesting shows whenever the regular season are in repeats:

Rescue Me - about NYC firemen
The Shield - crooked cops

Additionally, I've started watching "The Wire" on DVD.

[carynb.livejournal.com]

5 favorites? Let's see, the ones I absolutely will not miss, that I'm tempted to stay home for?

1. Battlestar Galactica
2. Veronica Mars
3. House
4. Grey's Anatomy
5. Supernatural

Yeah, that's the top of the list. There's lots of other stuff I watch, but those are my current favs. And you currently also watch the first three, right?

[themusesbitch.livejournal.com]

I'll leave out the stuff that's already been recommended by several others and that you're already watching. There are some surprises here:

1. How I Met Your Mother
   The biggest surprise of all. Looks like the exact kind of thing I wouldn't enjoy: stereotypical American Friends-clone sitcom. But there's a real charm to it, and some structural cleverness, that I think really belies the format. I would recommend downloading the first season and watching a handful of the early episodes en masse to get the flavour and to see some of the structural panache unfold. Bonus points for: featuring Alyson Hannigan as an adult, and significantly less annoyingly cutesy than she was in the Willow-as-caricature years towards the end of Buffy, and every moment Neil Patrick Harris is on screen.



2. Weeds
   Another sitcom, but this one Showtimier and more subversive. Gated-community suburban mom turned pot dealer. Really well done and has a real heart to it, despite being decidedly edgy and, again, clever.



3. Entourage
   Popcorn for the brain, eyecandy for the soul. Adrian whatshisname is beautiful as up and coming Hollywood A-lister Vincent Chase, but the show is totally ruled by Kevin Connolly as his best friend and (very inexperienced) manager; Kevin Dillon as his brother Johnny "Drama" Chase - a Hollywood has-been known for his starring role in a Herculesesque genre show called "Viking Quest" and guest spots on everything from 90210 to 227 and, best of all; Jeremy Piven as Vinny's agent - he completely defies description, but apparently he's based on a real agent.



4. Rome
   It's exactly what you'd expect, it's really hot, and it's really well done. The violence is pretty brutal and graphic (as is the sex!), but all those classically trained British actors sure do know what they're doing. I guess there's a reason why it's classic.



5. Lost
   OK, others have recommended this one, I just wanted to get in and add my 2 cents. The network seems to market the show primarly as a soap opera set around a plane crash. But man, I'm telling you: it's like someone took a handful of Twilight Zone episodes and twisted them all into the fabric of Lost. People get frustrated waiting for "answers" and the resolution of the "mysteries" - but honestly, it's genre disguised as mainstream TV, and if you watch is as such, it's nice, creepy food for the mind that's more about creating mood and questions than offering answers.


Runner-up points for the UK version of The Office, then the US one, Extras (worth it alone for the s1 finale with Patrick Stewart playing himself - with a damn good sense of humour), and if you're interesting in something more relationship-based (I hate when people say "soap opera" like it's a pejorative!), The L Word and Grey's Anatomy. I'm also watching and really enjoying the first season of Twin Peaks right now, but you've probably already seen that.

[rednikki.livejournal.com]

I actually didn't start liking HIMYM until halfway through the first season. I think the NYE episode is a really good spot to pick it up. (Or maybe the wedding episode, the one where Ted meets the baker chick.)

[themusesbitch.livejournal.com]

Also, Big Love.

[notshakespeare.livejournal.com]

I forgot "Your Mother"! It's cool seeing Willow and Doogie every week!

[evilmonk.livejournal.com]

1) Law and Order CI: (they have chris noth back! woo!)
2) Numbers
3) House
4) bleach (anime on cartoon network)
5) battlestar galactica.

[rednikki.livejournal.com]

Let's go for "what's on right now" (which both eliminates the Stargates, which are on hiatus, and BSG, which hasn't premiered yet).

1. Boston Legal. Fast, funny and dramatic by turns, and doesn't see the need to have everyone be stupidly young.
2. How I Met Your Mother. There's hope for the sitcom yet. It manages to do extended plotlines, and really interesting constructions of episodes. If you didn't like it when it premiered, try it again; it's improved a lot.
3. Heroes. I've only seen the premiere so far, but boy, did that ever kick ass. It's like all the good bits of Lost with superpowers.
4. House. This is sort of clinging on; I'm less impressed with this season than I have been with previous seasons.

Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip fails to impress me. I'm watching Ugly Betty but haven't decided if it belongs on the Top 5 yet; same with Bones. So I guess I just have a Top 4 right now.

[the-doughboy.livejournal.com]

My Top 5:
Lost
House
Heroes (read the online comics as well)
24
CSI

New shows I like
Heroes of course Hiro makes me laugh
Shark
Jericho
The Nine - but only after 1 show
Studio 60 on Sunset Strip

[the-doughboy.livejournal.com]

oh yeah, How I met your Mother