Best TV Shows of the Decade and Maybe of All Time, Who Knows

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Matt
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Re: Best TV Shows of the Decade and Maybe of All Time, Who K

#51 Post by Matt » Tue Jun 08, 2010 2:06 pm

Foam wrote:Does anyone else find Arrested Development doesn't hold up to replay very well? Most people I know say the opposite.
I'm in the process of rewatching the whole series right now and the middle part of the first season really drags. I know it picks back up again toward the end of the season, though.

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mfunk9786
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Re: Best TV Shows of the Decade and Maybe of All Time, Who K

#52 Post by mfunk9786 » Tue Jun 08, 2010 5:42 pm

I certainly don't look back on it as fondly as I thought of it when I watched it a few times through the series. It already doesn't seem to me to be something that ages well now that the actors have moved onto other projects and have other identities in my mind than they do in the show. It's the guy from a bunch of failed comedies, the angry comedian from Alvin and the Chipmunks, the kid who plays the same character in every movie, the woman who's married to Ellen DeGeneres, the guy who's acting career was majorly resurrected who's in every studio 'indie' movie to come out in the last 3 years, the guy who's career is okay and was in the cancelled Andy Richter show, Hank Kingsley (but wasn't he always?)... I could keep going here. But I won't.

But I just don't look at my DVD sets of the show and think, "Man, I've gotta watch that episode I've already watched way too many times again." But there was a time when I was majorly obsessed and even the most obscure quote could send me into hysterics. So maybe we just both need some alone time for a few years.

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Yojimbo
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Re: Best TV Shows of the Decade and Maybe of All Time, Who K

#53 Post by Yojimbo » Tue Jun 08, 2010 5:45 pm

'Deadwood' is my Number One of the decade; perhaps of all time
(I think 'Rockford Files' might have held that slot, previously; or its certainly a contender)

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Andre Jurieu
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Lost Its Flavor

#54 Post by Andre Jurieu » Wed Jun 09, 2010 4:12 pm

denti alligator wrote:So I watched the first four episodes of Lost and can see it's narrative appeal. But I'm not sure it convinced me to continue. Does it get better?
I was really tempted to simply reply "no," but realistically it's about the same throughout the entire series run. I can't think of one episode that I would consider to be a pinnacle of series television, but then again I have to admit it was relatively entertaining - or at least entertaining enough to have me watch/suffer through every season.

Honestly, looking back on the past decade, I really think The Wire and the UK Office are what captivated me the most. I thought Arrested Development was brilliant, but while I do quote it often with friends who also watched it, I also rarely feel the need to watch it again. In terms of current TV, I honestly think Friday Night Lights is in a class by itself when it comes to network TV (if they could have gotten rid of that one sub-plot in the 2nd season, it would have been perfect throughout). I think I could also re-watch episodes of Mad Men and 30 Rock for the rest of my life and not feel bored.

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Polybius
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Re: Best TV Shows of the Decade and Maybe of All Time, Who K

#55 Post by Polybius » Wed Jun 09, 2010 6:55 pm

mfunk9786 wrote: Hank Kingsley (but wasn't he always?)...
It's just me, but I always think of Tambor first and foremost as that addled friend of Pacino's in ...And Justice For All. I can just see him winging plates like ninja throwing stars or tipping his toupee to Al at the end.

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Yojimbo
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Re: Best TV Shows of the Decade and Maybe of All Time, Who K

#56 Post by Yojimbo » Wed Jun 09, 2010 7:40 pm

Polybius wrote:
mfunk9786 wrote: Hank Kingsley (but wasn't he always?)...
It's just me, but I always think of Tambor first and foremost as that addled friend of Pacino's in ...And Justice For All. I can just see him winging plates like ninja throwing stars or tipping his toupee to Al at the end.
"apple sauce!"
Love Hank: three truly great characters in one comedy series ain't half bad!
(and I remembered him from 'And Justice For All', also: and John Forsyth!)

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mfunk9786
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Re: Best TV Shows of the Decade and Maybe of All Time, Who K

#57 Post by mfunk9786 » Wed Jun 09, 2010 7:54 pm

The Larry Sanders Show is one of those rare programs that had a pilot that could stand up with any other episode of the entire run of the series in terms of quality. The whole Garden Weasel thing still cracks me up just thinking about it.

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Re: Best TV Shows of the Decade and Maybe of All Time, Who K

#58 Post by Mise En Scene » Tue Jun 15, 2010 3:49 pm

Foam wrote:The Wire looks intruiging but from what I've seen I'm not a fan of the way it's shot.
What's your observation of its cinematography?

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Re: Best TV Shows of the Decade and Maybe of All Time, Who K

#59 Post by flyonthewall2983 » Sun Jul 18, 2010 11:09 am

3rd Rock From The Sun is definitely on my shortlist for best sitcom ever.

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Murdoch
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Re: Best TV Shows of the Decade and Maybe of All Time, Who K

#60 Post by Murdoch » Sat Jul 30, 2011 1:34 pm

I am majorly obsessed with My So-Called Life right now. Despite the relatively small screens of the era the show is at times beautifully shot, they really knew how to utilize the small screen and watching it on the super huge TVs of today its style doesn't appear dated but rather refreshing, and it boasts one of the best pilots I've seen. Having just watched The Substitute episode which tears apart the stereotype of the idealistic Dead Poets Society type teacher by exposing him as a fraud I really fell for the show as it tries to dispell the cliches of so many teen dramas of the era. Anyone else a fan? I find myself revisiting these 90s, early noughties shows cancelled early in their run.

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Re: Best TV Shows of the Decade and Maybe of All Time, Who K

#61 Post by flyonthewall2983 » Tue Jul 08, 2014 2:37 pm

What's the consensus on Damages here? I'm midway through the fourth season on Netflix now and am finding it way more engaging than at least one previous to it was.

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pzadvance
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Re: Best TV Shows of the Decade and Maybe of All Time, Who K

#62 Post by pzadvance » Tue Jul 08, 2014 4:21 pm

flyonthewall2983 wrote:What's the consensus on Damages here? I'm midway through the fourth season on Netflix now and am finding it way more engaging than at least one previous to it was.
I'm actually in almost exactly the same spot right now, after putting off the last two seasons for a few years... and similarly really enjoying it. Beyond having one of the best guest casts ever assembled on a TV show year in and year out, this show really knows how to build and pace a strong, compelling mystery. I wish Byrne was a little less bland sometimes, especially with her recent, very funny turn in Neighbors so fresh in my mind, but I'm very glad I found my way back to this show.

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Re: Best TV Shows of the Decade and Maybe of All Time, Who K

#63 Post by flyonthewall2983 » Tue Jul 08, 2014 10:15 pm

Having finished it, I'd have to say it might be the strongest of the four seasons I've seen so far. John Goodman and Dylan Baker deliver pretty top-notch performances worthy of having consistent guest cast members. I really like Tom Noonan as somehow for being someone you'd least expect to play a cop given his more notable roles, he fits in easy with it. He does this face-twitch in season 3 which is spine-tingling.

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Koukol
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Re: Best TV Shows of the Decade and Maybe of All Time, Who K

#64 Post by Koukol » Wed Jul 09, 2014 1:01 am

For sitcom definitely SEINFELD.

And I've never been hooked on a drama like I was with NORTHERN EXPOSURE.

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barryconvex
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Re: Best TV Shows of the Decade and Maybe of All Time, Who K

#65 Post by barryconvex » Sat Dec 06, 2014 2:32 am

No one's voting for the sopranos? the greatest show of the decade, the greatest show ever IMHO...

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Re: Best TV Shows of the Decade and Maybe of All Time, Who K

#66 Post by flyonthewall2983 » Sat Dec 06, 2014 2:49 pm

I liked some of it and will stop on certain episodes if I'm channel-surfing, but overall it is not a personal favorite. Shows like Breaking Bad and The Shield, which I would place instead on my own list, went at a much more furious pace meaning that if you skipped an episode of either show you'd feel like you missed a lot. I never felt with The Sopranos that it was building up to something equivalent to what those shows did masterfully towards the end of their runs.

That said, I'd be a fool to deny what influence it has had on TV, and cable in particular. It arguably opened the floodgates to a new avenue of dramatic expression, that's now being used by some of our best filmmakers, and is being explored even beyond TV now. Above all it also had some damn fine moments of acting, writing, editing, etc., that earns it's place as a groundbreaking show.

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hearthesilence
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Re: Best TV Shows of the Decade and Maybe of All Time, Who K

#67 Post by hearthesilence » Sat Dec 06, 2014 3:54 pm

I feel like European television has been historically so far ahead of the game (think Fassbinder, Bergman and Kieslowski just to name a few) that there must be a lot of gems that I'm missing.

The Wire is still my pick for drama, and the first eight seasons of The Simpsons for comedy, though I feel like there must be an animated series that's actually better from a filmmaking point-of-view - to a lesser extent, I agree with Chuck Jones' take on the show, that it may rely too heavily on verbal comedy. It's probably the main reason why I view that show as a lesser achievement than the classic Warner and Disney cartoons from back in the day.

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Lemmy Caution
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Re: Best TV Shows of the Decade and Maybe of All Time, Who K

#68 Post by Lemmy Caution » Mon Dec 08, 2014 2:46 am

hearthesilence wrote: and the first eight seasons of The Simpsons for comedy, though I feel like there must be an animated series that's actually better from a filmmaking point-of-view - to a lesser extent, I agree with Chuck Jones' take on the show, that it may rely too heavily on verbal comedy. It's probably the main reason why I view that show as a lesser achievement than the classic Warner and Disney cartoons from back in the day.
I thought that was one of its accomplishments, to create an animated show filled with fairly believable characters and drama and everyday family life. The show understands film grammar quite well and makes effective use of camera angle/pov.

I always liked the reveals, such as when the family is on a long drive, Homer is getting very tired and then we see from a distance a pink car skid, spin, crash into a tree and burst into flames. Then the pullback reveals Bart watching this from up high in a hotel room and he says, Glad that wasn't us.

Also, besides the renowned voice work, the sound effects in The Simpsons are terrific.

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