Top TV shows for 2011 [and now 2012]

[Illumina]

Here is my top 10
1) Vampire Diaries
2) Mentalist
3) Eurica
4) Leverage
5) Bones
6) Dr.House
7) White Collar
8) Fringe
9) NCIS
10) Dexter

[Giant Panda]

Here were the ten choices of the American Film Institute:

Boardwalk Empire
Breaking Bad
Curb Your Enthusiasm
Game of Thrones
The Good Wife
Homeland
Justified
Louie
Modern Family
Parks and Recreation

[gh]

Earlier this week a critic in my paper did two 2011 TV lists.

Best new shows of 2011:
1. Homeland
2. Boss
3. Shameless
.....

Nobody followed this up with any comment on Shameless. They've just released season 1 on DVD and the local reviewer gives it an over-the-top rating. Anybody ever watch it, have any thoughts?

[guru]

Hell on Wheels wrapped season 1 last night. Another terrific show from the good folks at AMC. Highly recommended for those of you who may have missed it. It helps to be a bit of a Civil War buff, as there are many subtleties to the characters that tie into their respective war experiences. When I have some time I'll try to get a thread rolling on the show.

And tomorrow night, Justified returns...

[jeremyp]

Hell on Wheels wrapped season 1 last night. Another terrific show from the good folks at AMC. Highly recommended for those of you who may have missed it. It helps to be a bit of a Civil War buff, as there are many subtleties to the characters that tie into their respective war experiences. When I have some time I'll try to get a thread rolling on the show.

And tomorrow night, Justified returns...

At first I thought it was going to be Deadwood lite, but it's a different pony and well worth watching. They have warped history though by leaving out the chinese workers whose labor/sweat/tears/deaths largely built the rails.

[guru]

They have warped history though by leaving out the chinese workers whose labor/sweat/tears/deaths largely built the rails.

The Chinese worked on the Pacific end, and I've read that with the renewal of the series they will play a role in future season(s)

[Giant Panda]

"3D disconnects the eyeball, the lenses form the brain," said Nolte. "It's like the brain itself is creating the hallucination of 3D... They're going to find out six hours of 3D TV will cause psychotic breaks. Australia is doing the research. I can just tell you that."

[Giant Panda]

Homeland deservedly won at the Golden Globes. (The Golden Globes are a sham of course but that's another thread.)

[guru]

One hour into the two-hour premiere of JJ Abrams' Alcatraz - so far, so great

[jeremyp]

One hour into the two-hour premiere of JJ Abrams' Alcatraz - so far, so great

Absolutely LOO DI KRUS show!

[gh]

Haven't had time to dive into Alcatraz yet, but glad to see that Justified kicked off with a bang!

[guru]

Haven't had time to dive into Alcatraz yet, but glad to see that Justified kicked off with a bang!

Boy, no kidding! Loved the opening scene between Boyd and Raylan, and it will be interesting to see where the storyline with the Detroit mafia goes. Did that Icepick character remind anyone else of Anton Chigurh(the assassin in No Country for Old Men)?

[gh]

he did... and with the hat, it took me nearly the whole hour before I recognized him as Deb's partner in Dexter.

[jeremyp]

he did... and with the hat, it took me nearly the whole hour before I recognized him as Deb's partner in Dexter.

Ka Ching!

[gh]

One hour into the two-hour premiere of JJ Abrams' Alcatraz - so far, so great

As was the second hour. I'm hooked already!

[jhc68]

Raylon added a new line to the all-time TV lexicon: "Sorry about the tablecloth..."

[guru]

American Horror Story, which has already wrapped it's maiden season, and been renewed for a 2nd, is terrific. The premise - a fictional house in LA haunted by anyone who has died there - made for some interesting storylines, which included the real-life Black Dahlia. The first season ended with the lastest inhabitants - Dylan McDermott's character and family - all dying by various means and joining the growing cast of trapped ghosts(who can leave the house on just one day a year - Halloween). Should make for an interesting season 2.

American Horror Story, fresh off 17 Emmy nominations, returns for Season 2 October 17 with a whole new storyline(really no other way they could proceed), but with many of last year's actors returning in entirely new roles. An interesting and intriguing idea.

A quick rundown

http://www.ew.com/ew/gallery/0,,20624933,00.html

[Marlow]

Is anyone else as enamored by USA's Suits as my entire family is? It's the smartest written and acted show on TV in our collective opinion.

[gh]

Suits is my wife's fave: catching up on Season 1 was her entertainment whilst I was in London.


(yet another vote for the best possible TV being to skip the hot series when they first come out, then watch them en masse for an orgy of entertainment)

[jeremyp]

Is anyone else as enamored by USA's Suits as my entire family is? It's the smartest written and acted show on TV in our collective opinion.

I watch it but I hardly view it as highly as you (no surprise there, considering our differing opinions in the past). I was a Frat Bro to the father of Gabriel Macht (Steve) so I started watching it due to that. It's slick enough and high on the "suspend disbelief" scale and I cannot stand Lewis, but it does manage to entertain.

[gh]

If you can stand harsh reality, try Copper, which is now a couple of episodes in on BBC America. When I say "harsh" let's just say it's partially the creation of Tom Fontana, who was behind Oz, perhaps the grittiest show ever seen on TV.

The echoes are there.

[Marlow]

If you can stand harsh reality, try Copper, which is now a couple of episodes in on BBC America. When I say "harsh" let's just say it's partially the creation of Tom Fontana, who was behind Oz, perhaps the grittiest show ever seen on TV.
The echoes are there.

Watched the first show with high hopes . . . which were brutally dashed.

[jeremyp]

If you can stand harsh reality, try Copper, which is now a couple of episodes in on BBC America. When I say "harsh" let's just say it's partially the creation of Tom Fontana, who was behind Oz, perhaps the grittiest show ever seen on TV.

The echoes are there.

It's certainly dark enough (in content as well as lighting) but I am struggling with it's gutter level look at life, with, as yet, no characters worth watching. The episode where they allow us to see a child being encouraged to kill, and killing her abuser, was too much for me.
"Hell on Wheels" has a similar dark, gutter theme but the characters are well defined and interesting, and it's very well filmed.

[gh]

Awwright! Sons returns tonite. Perfect timing after I spent the last week rewatching all 14 episodes of season 4 to be fully prepared for Jax as the new prez.

[gh]

Sons is starting to make Breaking Bad look like Bambi.

[jeremyp]

Sons is starting to make Breaking Bad look like Bambi.

I think Walter Whyte would smoke Clay. Not so sure about him versus Gemma or Tara.

[guru]

If you don't know "Homeland". Well, you had better check it out

I'm two episodes in to the 1st season. Outstanding!

[gh]

but-but-but-but... we loved Opie! The Beauteous Babs broke into tears. Jax's revenge is going to be off the scale, neh?

[j-a-m]

1. The Mentalist

The Mentalist is a great show that doesn't seem to get enough love from critics. Occasionally a major network manages to produce a "mainstream" show (and keep it on the air for a few years) that's actually really good, and this is one of those rare cases.

[lonewolf]

One of my favorite shows.. if they can just keep that funky Renault, or whatever it is, running.

[gh]

OK, two weeks in and Last Resort is blowing my mind. Of course the JJ Abrams touch & feel is all over it. When the troops were hiding in the kill zone in ep2, I kept expecting the Volkswagen Microbus from Lost to come rolling down the hill.

Has there ever been a production with Andre Brauger in it that wasn't eminently worth watching?

(anybody ever catch him in The Court Martial of Jackie Robinson?)

[jeremyp]

OK, two weeks in and Last Resort is blowing my mind. Of course the JJ Abrams touch & feel is all over it. When the troops were hiding in the kill zone in ep2, I kept expecting the Volkswagen Microbus from Lost to come rolling down the hill.

Has there ever been a production with Andre Brauger in it that wasn't eminently worth watching?

(anybody ever catch him in The Court Martial of Jackie Robinson?)

It's LOST with a submarine. Which means it teeters on top of a ludicrous supposition that does not fit the real world. I mean come on: Pakistan has been nuked! They have the 3d largest number of Nukes in the world (more than Israel) and there would be a nuclear war going on out there....meanwhile back on the Island. Andre is great! "Thief" was a good show pulled way too early, mainly because it required thought.

[gh]

.... I mean come on: Pakistan has been nuked! They have the 3d largest number of Nukes in the world (more than Israel) and there would be a nuclear war going on out there...

But would there? At least one that involves the U.S., that is. Pakistan can have all the nukes it wants; if it doesn't have a delivery system capable of getting them out of its immediate neighborhood, that makes for a whole different ballgame.

I would also guess that unlike the U.S., which has strike-capacity redundancy spread over tens of thousands of square miles (without even getting into subs), Pakistan's resources (both in terms of the hardware itself and those with the decision-making authority) are likely to be rather compact, and one well-placed nuke would pretty much neuter them.

(I hasten to add that I'm advocating no such thing! Just noting what the tactical aspects seem to be, given that we're debating a fantasy planet in the first place.)

[Conor Dary]

.... I mean come on: Pakistan has been nuked! They have the 3d largest number of Nukes in the world (more than Israel) and there would be a nuclear war going on out there...

But would there? At least one that involves the U.S., that is. Pakistan can have all the nukes it wants; if it doesn't have a delivery system capable of getting them out of its immediate neighborhood, that makes for a whole different ballgame.

I would also guess that unlike the U.S., which has strike-capacity redundancy spread over tens of thousands of square miles (without even getting into subs), Pakistan's resources (both in terms of the hardware itself and those with the decision-making authority) are likely to be rather compact, and one well-placed nuke would pretty much neuter them.

(I hasten to add that I'm advocating no such thing! Just noting what the tactical aspects seem to be, given that we're debating a fantasy planet in the first place.)

I truly doubt Pakistan has any nukes, capable of reaching the US or even pointed at the US. They are all pointed at India, and maybe a few at China. If a nuclear war ever started it would most likely be there. In fact a few years ago it looked like it might come to that.

And why would the US get involved, nuclearly, in that?

[jeremyp]

.... I mean come on: Pakistan has been nuked! They have the 3d largest number of Nukes in the world (more than Israel) and there would be a nuclear war going on out there...

But would there? At least one that involves the U.S., that is. Pakistan can have all the nukes it wants; if it doesn't have a delivery system capable of getting them out of its immediate neighborhood, that makes for a whole different ballgame.

They also have thousands of foam mouthed jihadists quite willing to take a nuke across borders and the Pakistan govt would hand them out like candy. A nuclear war with India would draw us in big time. In the end we'd win but............... in the meantime back on the island.

(I hasten to add that I'm advocating no such thing! Just noting what the tactical aspects seem to be, given that we're debating a fantasy planet in the first place.)

And we're debating good fantasy versus silly fantsay.