Name me your top 5 USA TV Series since 2000 (no comedies)?

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Name me your top 5 USA TV Series since 2000 (no comedies)?

Post by bradavon »

I basically mean the ones considered classics.

I've only seen 24 which was mostly rubbish and am finally watching my Battlestar Galactica HD-DVD Box set (Mini Series + Season 1). Which is good but whenever they said frack instead of fuck I want to scream. It's also rather episodic, which of course it would be but it's annoying. It really reminds me of Space Above and Beyond (a great show, oddly only getting 2 series). I'm enjoying Battlestar Galactica though.

What else should I check out? I'm guessing Lost to start with. Any others? Deadwood maybe.

p.s - When I say 2000, if you want to cheat a little and go just before that's okay, like including 1999s West Wing.
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Re: Name me your top 5 USA TV Series since 2000 (no comedies

Post by luckystars »

Haven't watched any.
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Re: Name me your top 5 USA TV Series since 2000 (no comedies

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LOST.
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Re: Name me your top 5 USA TV Series since 2000 (no comedies

Post by saltysam »

Carnivale & Deadwood.
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Re: Name me your top 5 USA TV Series since 2000 (no comedies

Post by bradavon »

Thanks guys. Lost S1, Carnivale S1 and Deadwood S1 DVD box sets are all cheap too. I don't need these in HD, many aren't on blu-ray anyway.
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Re: Name me your top 5 USA TV Series since 2000 (no comedies

Post by degeneration »

Battlestar is one of the best sci-fi shows I've ever seen. By "episodic" do you mean that most episodes are rather stand alone? If so, wait till it gets going more, it becomes simply awesome. Don't bother watching The Plan though.

So obviously Lost and 24 etc.

Other programs worth watching are:
True Blood
Breaking Bad
Weeds
Alias - great to start with, but lost it a bit in the final season.
Bones - the wife loves this
Boston Legal
Californication - rather crap, but a highly entertaining, good crap. Lots of boobs too.
Chuck
Dexter
Flashpoint
Fringe
Grey's Anatomy
House
Mad Men - rather slow going, but quite a decent drama
Prison Break - great to start with, but also lost it a bit in the final season or so
The Sopranos - gritty mobster drama.

Just gone through my media centre to get those.

If I'm missing any other must sees, then let me know!!
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Re: Name me your top 5 USA TV Series since 2000 (no comedies

Post by bradavon »

degeneration wrote:By "episodic" do you mean that most episodes are rather stand alone? If so, wait till it gets going more, it becomes simply awesome.
To an extent yes but I more meant how each episode there's a deliberate cliffhanger. Obviously they're there to keep you coming back for more but it makes it rather episodic. Granted, to a smaller or greater degree all TV series do this. I've only seen the Mini Series + S1 Episode 1 so far. I'm certainly enjoying it though, they're creating a decent "world". It's a country mile better than 24 S1 (good concept, woeful scripts). The HD-DVD is good quality but surprisingly grainy, which obviously isn't a bad thing per se. I just wasn't expecting it.

Agreed Grey's Anatomy is good, not one I feel the need to watch an entire series though. I didn't think much of Alias, it felt very much like a soap (like Buffy, Angel and Smallville). True Blood is good, if a little trashy. I hear Dexter is good, it's very popular anyway.

I didn't wish to be to specific with genres because people may not mention a particular classic but I've less interest in hospital, cop or legal dramas. They're all done to death but if you absolutely love one, don't exclude it. I'm really after more original stuff. Does that make sense?

You couldn't narrow it down to 3-5 series, could you? I'm planning to check out a few Series 1 box sets but that's simply to many to buy. I've only just got around to watching my Battlestar Galactica "HD-DVD" box set.

I'm really after some sort of consensus on the top 3.

EDIT: The Mad Men S1 Blu-ray is surprisingly cheap (less than a tenner). I'm bidding on Lost S1 and Deadwood S1 on eBay.
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Re: Name me your top 5 USA TV Series since 2000 (no comedies

Post by degeneration »

Ok, going to narrow these down to about 5 of the ones that I either know to be awesome or have been reliably informed of their awesomeness. I'm omitting the ones that you've seem to have seen some of (24, True blood, Grey's, Alias etc)
degeneration wrote: Breaking Bad
Dexter
Fringe
House
The Sopranos
Now I'd put Battlestar near or at the top of all of those. It is simply awesome.

I've not seen much of all the above, but have read plenty of stuff about them, and got friends who have watched them and those were the names that consistently were mentioned as good shows. The one i've got the farthest into is Sopranos, which although quite slow going, if you like mob dramas, is good.

If you want one with lots of boobs, then it's got to be True Blood or Californication.

Mad Men is worth picking up, although for a show like it, I don't think it really needs HD. if the DVD is cheaper then you're not going to be losing out on much.
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Re: Name me your top 5 USA TV Series since 2000 (no comedies

Post by Markgway »

Don't watch much TV, but I liked Nikita (with Maggie Q.) quite a bit (it gets better after the pilot).
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Re: Name me your top 5 USA TV Series since 2000 (no comedies

Post by Yi-Long »

Deadwood for sure. It's absolutely brilliant.

Other than that, Dexter is nice, and although I haven't watched it yet, Justified is supposedly pretty damn good as well.

House is great.

I think that personally I would also really like The West Wing, but it hasn't really aired properly here and I also haven't bothered downloading it.
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Re: Name me your top 5 USA TV Series since 2000 (no comedies

Post by saltysam »

forgot about Justified.cracking show.reminds me i need to pick up S2 on Blu.
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Re: Name me your top 5 USA TV Series since 2000 (no comedies

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degeneration wrote:The one i've got the farthest into is Sopranos, which although quite slow going, if you like mob dramas, is good.
I've seen clips. It looks quite a lot like a soap opera, am I way off? Where one week it may be more mobster like, the next there's a "family drama".
degeneration wrote:Mad Men is worth picking up, although for a show like it, I don't think it really needs HD. if the DVD is cheaper then you're not going to be losing out on much.
Normally I would too but it's only about £2-3 more for the blu-ray. I don't know why a Series 1 box set is only £8-9 on blu-ray.

Thanks for the list. I've never heard of Breaking Bad. I hear Sopranos and House are excellent.
Markgway wrote:Don't watch much TV
Me either. For me, if I want to "get into" something I naturally migrate to films. TV I use for the news, background noise or light entertainment (Big Bang Theory or things like 8 out of 10 cats) but that means I'm likely missing out on some solid dramas too. Given how many American TV series there are and how many go on for a lot of series, I'm only considering a handful.
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Re: Name me your top 5 USA TV Series since 2000 (no comedies

Post by bradavon »

I've won Lost: S1 DVD box set for £3.85 delivered :D. I considered the blu-ray as it's a reasonable £12.99 but for less than 4 I'm good.

It sucks to be selling DVDs nowadays, after postage etc... the seller will be lucky to get £1 for it. A entire series box set too! All I can think of is there are so many box sets out there, it's driven the price right down. Dexter averages about £8 on eBay.

I'm also bidding on Deadwood S1 and hope to pay no more than £6. If I like Lost, Deadwood and Battlestar Galactica enough by the end of S1 I'll consider further series (although it depends Lost went on forever). Battlestar Galactica is certainly good.

I'm confident I'll like Deadwood too. Lost is so big, it's hard to ignore. Dexter, House and Sopranos are also on my radar. I may download the odd episode of those, see what I think before committing to a series box set.
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Re: Name me your top 5 USA TV Series since 2000 (no comedies

Post by degeneration »

Lost is awesome. Yes the finale wasn't what everyone hoped for, but it doesn't stop the rest of the show being brilliant. Some proper "absolutely must watch the next episode" feelings when an episode ends.

For me BSG was just as good. Got through it so quickly as I just had to watch the next episode.

Any show that makes you need to watch the next episode is doing something majorly right.

Sopranos - you're kind of ish right. It does look a little dated, but I wouldn't go anywhere near as far as a soap opera with the content. It is mostly mob stuff, and how it affects his family life. Swearing, murders, pimping, strip clubs, teenagers, affairs etc. I've never felt that I need to watch the next episode, but I am enjoying it.

It is a bit like The Wire. Slow going, heavy drama, that is worth watching, but you never get that edge of your seat wow factor.

Breaking Bad is one of the ones that i'm planning on getting into next. EVERYONE I know that has seen it says it is brilliant. One of the best shows out there. So definitely worth picking up based on those opinions.
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Re: Name me your top 5 USA TV Series since 2000 (no comedies

Post by Keung »

I stopped watching TV years ago.
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Re: Name me your top 5 USA TV Series since 2000 (no comedies

Post by bradavon »

I missed out on Deadwood. I'm trying again. I'm liking the fact it's 18 rated!

Dexter also looks cool and something a bit more original. I ended up downloading 2 episodes from Dexter, Sopranos and House. Those will need to impress me to consider the box set. I appreciate many shows take a while to get going but there to many shows to afford that luxury.
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Re: Name me your top 5 USA TV Series since 2000 (no comedies

Post by Markgway »

A movie is like a one-night stand: You're in and out in under 2hrs.

A TV series is like marriage: You're stuck together for 24 weeks.
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Re: Name me your top 5 USA TV Series since 2000 (no comedies

Post by bradavon »

How come some US shows are 12-13 episodes per series but some are 22-24 episodes?
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Re: Name me your top 5 USA TV Series since 2000 (no comedies

Post by Markgway »

bradavon wrote:How come some US shows are 12-13 episodes per series but some are 22-24 episodes?
I think sometimes for new shows only half seasons are commissioned.

If they prove successful full second seasons are green lit.
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Re: Name me your top 5 USA TV Series since 2000 (no comedies

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I thought that too but many of the examples with 12-13 episodes, subsequent series are also this length.
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Re: Name me your top 5 USA TV Series since 2000 (no comedies

Post by degeneration »

A lot of the HBO shows are only 12 episodes ish. Might be something to do with the channel they are on?
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Re: Name me your top 5 USA TV Series since 2000 (no comedies

Post by Markgway »

Perhaps network seasons are longer? Or maybe there's no real rhyme nor reason? I remember Buffy's first season was a half and from #2 onwards full.
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Re: Name me your top 5 USA TV Series since 2000 (no comedies

Post by saltysam »

The HBO shows are also longer, ie 50-55 minutes a show compared to the 42-43minutes duration of regular network ones
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Re: Name me your top 5 USA TV Series since 2000 (no comedies

Post by bradavon »

I'm really enjoying BSG. One question which may have been answered and I've missed it.

I'm currently at episode 3 of series 1, the cylons don't know where the humans are but can manage to transport a cylon (the blonde woman) into the director's mind. How can they do this? And surely if they can do this, surely they'd know exactly where the humans are?

If this is answered by the end of series 1, say that instead. I don't want spoilers if the answer is coming.
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Re: Name me your top 5 USA TV Series since 2000 (no comedies

Post by degeneration »

By director are you meaning Gias Baltar (not sure of spelling)?

If you are, and I don't see who else you could be meaning, it does all get explained eventually. Not necessarily in series 1 though.

Most questions are answered in the show at some point, with a few left to the imagination.
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