General Television Thread

[Maxx]

I'm looking for episodes of shows that feature mass hysteria or rampant, destructive paranoia. I'm putting together a primer for an improv troupe that's going to base a show around hearing the War of the Worlds broadcast for the first time. None of them have ever heard it, and don't want to listen to it beforehand to keep their reactions pure, and they're all avoiding reading about it. So I'm putting together examples of the kind of hysteria that the event caused.

So far I've got The Monsters are Due on Maple Street and Will the Real Martian Please Stand Up? from The Twilight Zone. For a film, I'm thinking Goodnight and Good Luck.

[Jimmy]

I definitely noticed the camera work that LL was talking about in the first episode of Season 2 in Luther. Some of the editing was just bad, though. Like people were talking and their lips weren't moving. It was really distracting. Still enjoying it a lot though. The characters, and the acting, are good which allows for forgiving the hyperbolic plots and such, which are still entertaining once you sink your teeth into them.

Also, has anybody been watching Top of the Lake? Is it worth watching?

[Jimmy]

I just found out Top of the Lake has Peter Mullan in it. So after a few more episodes of Luther, I'm at least going to give it a go. I'm hoping it's good, there seems to be a nice little improvement in British TV and I definitely need to support that, or, at least watch it, if that's the industry I could potentially go into. Is there anything else I should add to my list?

[Monkey D. Lars]

I decided to continue with the Wire. I will continue with the Shield afterwards. I am at episode 8 of season 3, that's where I left of last time.

I always have had a strong interest in Oz, anyone here seen it? Is it any good?

[GoGo Yubari]

I have the first season on DVD. Unfortunately, since it's a DVD series I own instead of getting from Netflix or watching to not max out my DVR capacity, that means it might be years until I watch it.

[Benji]

Watching The Wire weekly is much better than watching in one go. It's too gritty for me to marathon. On the other side, Hannibal seems to be brilliant for marathoning, I did six episodes on Sunday, and saving the other half for next weekend,.

[TKz]

Seriously? I enjoyed Hannibal less the more of it I ended up having backed up.

[Thrilla]

Larz, Oz is brilliant. One of the few shows I've ever gone back and watched from start to finish more than once. Season four is a little weak when they jump from 8 shows a season to 16 and season six ends on a bit of a whimper but there are some great bits throughout the show.

[Jimmy]

Finished the 2nd series of Luther. It's all a bit ridiculous at times, but still a great deal of fun.

[livid]

I'm not sure anyone here really cares but Starz is canceling Magic City.

I always meant to check it out but never got around to it.

[LL!]

Welp, there goes our other local flagship production.

[thatshortguy]

Watching The Wire weekly is much better than watching in one go. It's too gritty for me to marathon. On the other side, Hannibal seems to be brilliant for marathoning, I did six episodes on Sunday, and saving the other half for next weekend,.

Hannibal is a show where -- especially in the second half -- you'll find yourself nitpicking it more if you marathon it. Take it one episode at a time, one night at a time.

[Monkey D. Lars]

Yeah I'm not going to marathon The Wire. it will be there with all my favorite series which will all be starting soon again. Really want to watch everything again from Breaking Bad but first I'm going to watch season 5 part 2.

[Benji]

Watching The Wire weekly is much better than watching in one go. It's too gritty for me to marathon. On the other side, Hannibal seems to be brilliant for marathoning, I did six episodes on Sunday, and saving the other half for next weekend,.

Hannibal is a show where -- especially in the second half -- you'll find yourself nitpicking it more if you marathon it. Take it one episode at a time, one night at a time.

Fair play, I might just make it one a night this week instead then. In the first half I liked marathoning mostly because I like to get used to the characters, and I find a lot of newer shows do poor recaps.

Yeah I'm not going to marathon The Wire. it will be there with all my favorite series which will all be starting soon again. Really want to watch everything again from Breaking Bad but first I'm going to watch season 5 part 2.

I tried both previous times, and whilst it was fine for two or three episodes, trying to do the whole series just completely broke my interest. I figure that since it's somewhat similar to The Sopranos (another show I watched well after it finished) in tone, I'll watch it the same way I did with that - once a week as it airs.

[Monkey D. Lars]

When I've finished the Shield and the Wire I will check out Oz. Any newer series to recommend? Right now I'm following: Justified, Breaking Bad, Sons of Anarchy, Supernatural, Castle and the Walking Dead.

[Ant]

Burn Notice

[Benjamin]

Larz, you do watch Boardwalk Empire, right? If not, definitely check that out, it's amazing. I kept putting off Season 3 because I had other stuff to finish first, but the back of my mind kept on telling me what an idiot I am for continuously putting it off. Just started it yesterday, and am still enthralled by it.

Best part is Season 4 starts off in like a month or so, it's perfect timing.

[apsham]

Orange Is The New Black is pretty damn good - although just like most shows these days, the fucking romantic subplots are just so god damn boring and unbelievable to me. And also while searching around the fandom seems to be exploding over the Alex Vaus character who has been.. entirely up until the point I've seen (one episode before the finale) a totally unredeemable shitlord. Meh.

It's the background characters that make this show amazing to me. Most of the inmates who are barely focused on somehow have a million times more personality.

[Benji]

Romance storylines need to be banned unless they happen organically. Never happen, but I can wish.

[apsham]

They're always so fucking tropey and tacked on it just murders it for me. Whenever I'm watching hour long shows that have elements of stuff like that (The Wire, The Shield, Sons of Anarchy, Orange Is The New Black) I just scan over the stuff because god damn... I don't think I remember an instance of them adding much to the story other than "this person like this person" so what's the point.