The general TV show watching thread.

[teddymeow]

Human Target is back with lots of bangs! I love this show!!

Mark Valley, Chi McBride & Jackie Earle Rorshach are excellent as the principal cast an they've added some new (hawt) blood too.

Quality stuff!

[TBL2260]

Tramadol Nights.....One of the most offensive things I've watched of late. Loved it

/Dododododododooooo

/Now wank........

[cavalcade]

Watching that E4 show, Misfits, on DVD. Fully expected it to be a pile of crap. A bunch of kids, superpowers. It's surprisingly good.

I think it's wonderful. Like a chavvy Heroes. Last episode was game related.

[dazzling_bubble]

Has anyone been watching Raising Hope? Its actually quite funny

[VR46]

Thought the American remake of Shameless would be cringeworthy and the official trailer confirms, can't believe the script seems the same word for word, thought Paul Abbot was rewriting it for the American market.

[apatia77]

Completed The Wire few days ago all 5 seasons, excellent show, one of the very best if not the best ever. Currently watching Dexter , completed season 1 and it's very good so far.

[NW2013]

How crap does this Lucas/Walliams airline thing look on Xmas? Cutting edge 1990's comedy ahoy.

[dazzling_bubble]

Madagascar, amazing. end of.

[QualityChimp]

Top TV shows 2010 thread made me think of an article in this month's SciFiNow magazine where a columnist suggests that cancelling Firefly was the best thing for it.

Think about it, how long could you watch it without wanting some resolution to some of the characters' back stories? Where would you go after that?

Too many shows keep going and jump the shark. I'm looking at Lost and Smallville...

Most shows are remembered as "it finished too early" or "it lost its way", I think having a shorter story arc would place them in the sweet spot between these two summaries.

More shows should have a fixed start, middle and end and just be enjoyed as a short series. Otherwise they turn into soaps.

I've really enjoyed Spartacus this year and saw the last episode this week. It was some of the best telly I've seen all year, but I'm happy leaving it there as a completed storyline. Yes, they could do a second series and they talked of a prequel one, but I think it stands on its own as one series.

What say you?

[Lyris]

I agree. Honestly, I think a lot of shows are best kept short. The quality will likely taper off anyway, so why not just leave us with good experiences?

Getting to end it with Objects In Space and then follow that up with Serenity is incredibly good going.

[Neon Ignition]

It depends, it can work wonders in some cases like Life on Mars which wouldn't have benefited at all from being dragged out for year after year but I find Firefly a bad example as it was a rare exception where they got to make the film to make it a wonderful whole. Take the films resolution away and the series loses a lot of its appeal.

For Lost, I found it sagged in the middle rather than jumped the shark. I think the length is not important as long as there's a clear plan for the story arch in place which most shows don't have. Smallville's an old school style series but I find even that is better in these later seasons that the early ones. Some shows do sail past their best but also people can be quick to write off stuff. The Doctor Who and Top Gear threads are good examples of this, lol.

[JazzFunk]

Watched every episode of Frankie Boyle's Tramadol Nights back to back this afty, it kicked off with a pretty amusing first episode ("Loose Women Iran" was funny as f*ck) but as the episodes went on - and though watchable and fairly amusing - it kind of became something of self-limiting grind, the sketches became increasingly weak (the 'Thomas The Tank Engine' one, wtf?!) and Boyle himself isn't a particularly natural comedy sketch actor, he's much better as a stand-up.

The stand-up bits were quite funny, probably the high point, but on viewing six episodes in a row and overdosing somewhat, it came across as a bit sad, really, because 90% of his material seems to be based entirely around rape, child molestation and mental illness, the other 10% being devoted to death and spastics, it all gets a bit grim, dunnit?

But, yeah, he does have that elusive presence that makes him extremely watchable, despite the flaws.

[dazzling_bubble]

Is there a thread on Mary Portas? Has anyone else been watching her series? I'm really enjoying it, I work in retail and totally agree that customer service is the most important thing but alot of companies have absolutely no idea!

Todays one about phone-shops is very interesting I hate going into a phone shop as a woman. And todays episodes is showing alot of shops in an interesting light..........

[JazzFunk]

^I caught a bit of it and enjoyed it, the kind of quality TV chaff I like, wish I'd watched some of the previous episodes.

This afty, decided to free a bit of space on the Sky+ box so watched all 4 episodes of Robert's Web and one episode of The Morgana Show.

Robert's Web is OK but pretty middling in the laughter stakes, likeable and entertaining enough but obviously nothing particularly special, just Robert Webb from Peep Show poking fun at internet stuff in a fairly bland n' urbane manner. The Morgana Show makes Tittybangbang look like Fawlty Towers, it's proper crud, looks like loads of dosh has been chucked at it but the actual writing of it is so lacking that all you're left with is a woman gurning unfunnily for 23 minutes, such a f*cking loooong 23 minutes....

[NW2013]

Is there a thread on Mary Portas? Has anyone else been watching her series? I'm really enjoying it, I work in retail and totally agree that customer service is the most important thing but alot of companies have absolutely no idea!

Todays one about phone-shops is very interesting I hate going into a phone shop as a woman. And todays episodes is showing alot of shops in an interesting light..........

Yeah, I've watched a few of her previous shows on the Beeb (for some reason) too. That bloke with the Lambo didn't get that just because he was making loads of money that doesn't mean he was giving the customers good service/advice.

I do wonder when Apple's lawyers will be in touch about the blatant rip-off of their store design though.

Estate agents next week, should be funny.