Telly / Boxsets

[Otta]

The Breaking Bad thread made me think it would be good to have a thread about series worth watching.

The obvious ones

The Sopranos

The Wire

Six feet Under

Deadwood (but frustrating premature ending)

Rome

Boardwalk Empire (needs to get going a bit)

True Blood (silly, but pretty cool)

Basically anything HBO except Sex in the City.

Breaking Bad (possibly the pick of the bunch for me)

Mad Men

Damages

Currently looking promising

Lilyhammer

Have heard good things about Game of thrones, watched the first episode, and will need to give it another go, as maybe it just wasn't a good night to try it.

Someone mentioned "Boss" on another thread, which I'd never heard of, but sounds interesting. Have heard some good things about The Badge, but personally I'm not that in to police dramas except The Wire. Would be interested to hear whether it's worth a look though.

[womanofdulwich]

When do you get time to watch these? I always feel its a huge acheivement to get a whole hour to myself with a tv- how do you manage a box set?

[steveo]

Romanzo Criminale on Sky Arts

[Rhinestone Cowboy]

west wing

[bon3yard]

Boss starring Kelsey Grammer.

Sons of Anarchy.

Justified.

[bon3yard]

...oh and the late lamented Deadwood. Great writing(even if it does get a little hard to follow at times)and one of TVs most enduring characters in Ian McShanes Al Swearengen.

[steveo]

Inspector Montalbano on BBC 4 (I love a subtitle me)

[Otta]

womanofdulwich Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> When do you get time to watch these? I always feel

> its a huge acheivement to get a whole hour to

> myself with a tv- how do you manage a box set?

I did a lot of them pre kids. These days it's after they go to sleep. Unfortunately this can be late in the evening, so if you get sucked in and watch 3 or 4 episodes, it can make for late nights. I remember (before kids) me and my wife storming through 5 series of The Wire, and being very tired at work in the mornings.

bon3yard Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> ...oh and the late lamented Deadwood. Great

> writing(even if it does get a little hard to

> follow at times)and one of TVs most enduring

> characters in Ian McShanes Al Swearengen.

Agree, but as I say, it's such a shame it was never finished off properly, left me feeling very unfulfilled, I wanted to know what happened next. I know you could say this about most shows you love, but at least if they have a final episode you get some sort of closure on the characters. With Deadwood it was just cut off, and the planned future series, or talk of a couple of films never happened.

[bon3yard]

Nobody watched it and it cost HBO a fortune...still, while it lasted it was peerless.

[Otta]

"Nobody watched it and it cost HBO a fortune"

What sort of excuse was that?!?!

[Jessie]

Californication!!

[Otta]

Isn't that a chili peppers album?

[Jessie]

Well yes, but also a v funny comedy with David duchovny playing an alcoholic sex addicted writer in LA. it is v funny, I think you'd like it, we seem to have similar tv watching tastes

[Chippy Minton]

Agree with Otta's OP but a few more: 24 and The Shield - both oldies, but goodies and Homeland if you didn't catch it on Channel 4 recently.

I've series linked a couple of things recently that you can get on DVD now or pretty soon - Touch: not bad, but gets a bit samey; and Alcatraz: when I saw the trailer I thought it would be good, but after 20 minutes of episode one you realise it is ridiculous. I'm pleased I recorded them both rather than buying the boxsets.

The Killing and Borgen are both on my to see list, which I'm expecting good things from.

Anyone seen Blue Bloods or Brotherhood? Any good?

[Jessie]

Oh god, love love love the killing and Borgen, and the bridge was good too. New homeland too. Tv addict.

[ClareC]

We are working our way through This Life at the moment, scary to think its @ 16 years old now!!

Have also worked through Cold Feet, Gavin and Stacy, The Inbetweeners, Morse, Dalgliesh and started Lewis!

All very old school!

[????]

I am putting Breaking Bad above The Sopranos. I am saving The Wire.

Whilst 6ft Under, Maedmen and Westwing are all a bit exquisite they never got me addicted like BB and the Sopranos.

Thought Rome was great crap and watched all that.

Honorary mention to Band of Brothers and I've also watched all of the Eccles/firth Pride and Prejudice at least twice.

[LondonMix]

I Claudius- oldie but a goodie

[Otta]

ClareC Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> We are working our way through This Life at the

> moment, scary to think its @ 16 years old now!!

>

> Have also worked through Cold Feet, Gavin and

> Stacy, The Inbetweeners, Morse, Dalgliesh and

> started Lewis!

>

> All very old school!

I loved it back in the day. Rewatched maybe 4 or 5 years ago, and still enjoyed, but thought it had dated really badly.

Londonmix, I love "I Claudius". Watched it along side Rome a few years back for a laugh.

Quids, agree about BB & The Sops, cut above the rest, although The Wire also up there.

What's this Killing all about then?

[Otta]

Just googled the killing. Are people raving about ther Danish original, or the american version?

[Jessie]

Danish!

[indiepanda]

ClareC Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> We are working our way through This Life at the

> moment, scary to think its @ 16 years old now!!

>

> Have also worked through Cold Feet, Gavin and

> Stacy, The Inbetweeners, Morse, Dalgliesh and

> started Lewis!

>

> All very old school!

I've done all of those bar Dalgliesh. Love them all, hard to pick a favourite, but I think I'd have plump for Gavin and Stacey.

[Chippy Minton]

The think most recommend the Danish. It is subtitled, but like most subtitled stuff I think you get over that in the first five mins. This is the version I'm gonna go for.

Sopranos > The Wire > (although I've only done series 1). All good stuff though.

[indiepanda]

steveo Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Inspector Montalbano on BBC 4 (I love a subtitle

> me)

YES! Love Montalbano, had read most of the books first and it's really well cast. Was on hols in Sicily last year and saw some of the locations including his house. (That wasn't actually the purpose of the visit I should add... I'd not even watched it at the time)

[Chippy Minton]

A couple of British things worth catching if you didn't at the time are Spooks and the first few series of The Hustle (don't bother with the later ones as they were utter crap).