What TV series should I try this summer?

[Pariah]

I could sort of see that. I tend to gravitate to shows that don't take themselves to serious.

Couple of more I like are Warehouse 13 and Eureka. Just good fun and different shows.

I love that show. So lighthearted it's almost campy. That's a show that really "gets itself," for lack of a better term. JMHO

 

[Chaplin]

I know people like Superatural, but I watched the first season of it and it was NOTHING compared to these other tree shows you mention above.

I mean...seriously Chap

You forgot IMO.

Seriously though, it sounds like you stopped after the first season, which was your first mistake.

 

[Mike Olbinski]

OK. So June I'm going to rent the entire first seasons of Dexter and Breaking Bad. In July and, I guess, August, I'm going to watch Supernatural.

I watched an episode of Mad Men last night. I love subtlety and nuance, but I'm not sure my attention span is going to be able to tolerate a show that thrives on it. It reminds me of the Office without the irony. Or perhaps the irony is so buried and so witty that my tiny little brain can't compute. But I won't cast full judgment on it for now.

So how goes the watching?

 

[Pariah]

I'm about halfway through the first season of of Supernatural. It's okay, but nothing special. Sort of a cross between The Incredible Hulk and the first couple of seasons of Smallville.

I've heard good things, so I'll give it at least a few episodes into season 2.

 

[Chaplin]

I'm about halfway through the first season of season 1 of Supernatural. It's okay, but nothing special. Sort of a cross between The Incredible Hulk and the first couple of seasons of Smallville.

I've heard good things, so I'll give it at least a few episodes into season 2.

It really picks up into season 2. Season 1 is the only season where they had some really mediocre stand-alone episodes. Once the bigger mythology kicks in, it gets really good.

As for current shows, I'm watching a variety of things now:

Burn Notice Season 1
Friday Night Lights Season 1
Medium Season 1
Ghost Whisperer Season 1
Rescue Me Season 1 (favorite)
Dark Blue Season 1
The Good Guys
Persons Unknown

I've seen all the world cup games except for 3 or 4 of them, so that's where most of my time is spent. Also get to watch a lot of pilots for the Fall, it's great that I get paid at my job to watch television.

 

[Gaddabout]

So how goes the watching?

I watched the first two seasons of Dexter and loved it, but I needed to take a break. Watching all of that back to back was ... making me paranoid.

I've plopped in the first disc of Mad Men three times now. Can't get through the second episode. It feels too much like a retro Thirtysomething.

I streamed the entire season of the Dresden Files, which was sort of stupid fun. I can see why it was cancelled. It had potential to be much better.

I'm saving Supernatural for July when nothing is going on. I imagine I will blow through all available seasons.

I may save Breaking Bad for late fall, early winter. I don't want to watch three seasons of a show and then wait six months for season four to start.

I'm currently going through Better Off Ted. It's a really clever show, but it doesn't require undying loyalty to keep up with it.

 

[Dr. Jones]

I've plopped in the first disc of Mad Men three times now. Can't get through the second episode. It feels too much like a retro Thirtysomething.

Funny.....I think I said the same thing to my wife last summer.

I watched the first two seasons of Dexter and loved it, but I needed to take a break. Watching all of that back to back was ... making me paranoid.

This show is freaking addictive. Can't wait to hear what you think of the rest of it.

 

[Pariah]

really clever, but it doesn't require undying loyalty to keep up.

This is exactly how I like my women, too.

 

[Mike Olbinski]

I watched the first two seasons of Dexter and loved it, but I needed to take a break. Watching all of that back to back was ... making me paranoid.

I've plopped in the first disc of Mad Men three times now. Can't get through the second episode. It feels too much like a retro Thirtysomething.

I streamed the entire season of the Dresden Files, which was sort of stupid fun. I can see why it was cancelled. It had potential to be much better.

I'm saving Supernatural for July when nothing is going on. I imagine I will blow through all available seasons.

I may save Breaking Bad for late fall, early winter. I don't want to watch three seasons of a show and then wait six months for season four to start.

I'm currently going through Better Off Ted. It's a really clever show, but it doesn't require undying loyalty to keep up with it.

Okay, first off, Mad Men is nothing like Thirtysomething, it's awesome, clever and takes some patience...but I definitely would keep trying. However, I can see how maybe it's too slow for some people...there is also a lot of symbolism and deep meanings behind things that I don't even get half the time. It's sincerely worth watching though.

Better Off Ted is awesome, one of the best comedies on TV last year, too bad it's canceled.

You know, there is also Damages to watch...first season was friggin' fantastic! Second was great too, I heard this last third season was just as good, we have all the episodes sitting on the DVR.

 

[PDXChris]

I vote Pretty Little Liars!!!! Just so we can make fun of Mike.

 

[Gaddabout]

So this is how everything panned out:

Smallville: Picked up at Season 8 and followed along well enough. Interesting show. It kind of feels like a European sedan with timing problems -- it's almost a great show. But it was compelling enough I wanted to keep watching over and over.

Supernatural: I bought all of Season 1 and I wish I hadn't. I got about halfway through and completely lost interest. I appreciated the idea of capturing the X-Files "monster of the week" shows. Those were always my favorite X-Files. But the mythology just didn't fascinate me -- I didn't feel confident it had been thought at out all beyond the original pitch, and didn't feel confident it was going to take me someplace interesting. More importantly, I thought the acting was just sub-par to continue watching.

Dexter: See previous post on this. Nothing's changed.

Breaking Bad: I *just* started this last night. Watched two episodes and I'm ready for the ride. Still having a hard time justifying ever selling crystal meth -- it's a real moral issue for me as opposed to Weeds -- but I'm trusting they'll show the brutal side to using that stuff.

I also started watching Dead Like Me. Watched six episodes of Season 1. Muth was a strange casting for a lead role, but the show works well for me. I'm OK with the weekly homily. As long as they don't get too preachy. It's too bad this show was cancelled.

 

[Mike Olbinski]

Breaking Bad: I *just* started this last night. Watched two episodes and I'm ready for the ride. Still having a hard time justifying ever selling crystal meth -- it's a real moral issue for me as opposed to Weeds -- but I'm trusting they'll show the brutal side to using that stuff.

Like most shows that deal with a sort of evil main character, you end up rooting for him...but definitely believe they show the brutal side of that world.

That's really kind of the premise of the show...how your actions can affect others.

Good stuff, glad you are checking it out.

 

[azsportsfan01]

Breaking Bad is kind of funny like that. At first you try to find a way to justify Walt doing such a horrible thing but as the seasons go along you see there is nothing that can make it acceptable. He becomes such a bad person while still trying to justify it until he finally realizes that he is a bad person. And yes you will see the bad side of such drugs.

 

[AZZenny]

I have fallen more and more for White Collar. I think it's the smartest show on the tube.

 

[Gaddabout]

I have fallen more and more for White Collar. I think it's the smartest show on the tube.

What do you like about it? Details!

 

[AZZenny]

You really do have to start with season one, Matt -- the characters grow and develop important relationships, and most of them are very appealing with believable foibles. The writing is usually extremely good and it has a sophisticated, fairly dry wit. As a friend said, it's the only show on TV that could make a joke about Galileo that works.

The premise is that Neil Cafferty is a handsome, brilliant, debonair young world-class forger, art thief, and con man. Peter Burke is a top NYC FBI agent in the White Collar Crime division, who managed to catch Cafferty on a bond forgery case. When Cafferty escapes prison weeks before his time is up Burke is puzzled -- why would a smart man do that and risk four more years? Ah -- damn fool: For love.

Cafferty is a lonely romantic who needs desperately to have someone to trust, and he chases an elusive former 'love of his life' -- who may or may not feel the same way about him. Intrigued -- and impressed by Cafferty's genius as a con man -- Burke decides to take him out of prison and make him an FBI white collar criminal insider/consultant.

Over the first season we see that slowly, uneasily, Neil starts to trust Peter Burke; Burke becomes rather skeptically attached and gradually realizes this is a guy who could become an honest man... well... maybe not... but regardless, he is becoming a friend, which poses conflicts for both of them.

Tim Dekay as Burke is absolutely outstanding, he never hits a bad note. Matt Bomer as Cafferty is winsome, sly, and a basically kind, alienated man who is just too damn slick for his own good. Burke's wife is wonderful, all the character roles are pretty good. Diahann Carroll plays Neil's landlady -- the wealthy respectable widow of a successful con man from another era.

Each episode they take on some new kind of scam or white collar crime, from art forgery to insurance fraud, embezzlement, stock market scams, etc. that requires Neil and the FBI to accomodate to one another to resolve.

 

[Gaddabout]

OK, you sold me. It's on my list.

 

[AzStevenCal]

OK, you sold me. It's on my list.

If you do give it a try you might need to be a little patient. The first few episodes set up the series nicely but then it gets a little stale for me until the end of the first season. I think the second season has been much improved as they've increased Mozzie's role and taken out one of the recurring issues from season one. If you get that far you'll probably enjoy the show, I know I do.

Steve

 

[AZZenny]

Actually, I half-agree -- the 'carrot dangling at the end of the stick' was necessary to allow us to see Neil and Peter figure each other out -- Burke to see Neil's real vulnerability under the cool, and Neil to discover Peter is a truly honorable man -- but it was not set up or played out as well as the other parts of the story. Apart from a couple shows about 2/3rds of the way through the first year, though, it was usually only a small aspect of each episode. For me just a minor annoyance since the rest of the stuff was good -- unlike, say Jesse in 'Burn Notice' basically torpedoing an entire half-season.

 

[AzStevenCal]

Actually, I half-agree -- the 'carrot dangling at the end of the stick' was necessary to allow us to see Neil and Peter figure each other out -- Burke to see Neil's real vulnerability under the cool, and Neil to discover Peter is a truly honorable man -- but it was not set up or played out as well as the other parts of the story. Apart from a couple shows about 2/3rds of the way through the first year, though, it was usually only a small aspect of each episode. For me just a minor annoyance since the rest of the stuff was good -- unlike, say Jesse in 'Burn Notice' basically torpedoing an entire half-season.

Well, you had me until the shot at Burn Notice. I haven't really liked the way they handled Jesse but all things considered, Burn Notice is still right there at the top of my list (along with Dexter, Leverage, The Glades, White Collar and Covert Affairs).

Steve

 

[AZZenny]

I like Burn Notice a lot - and still do, because Jeffrey Donovan is a good actor and Michael Weston is a great character -- but I have felt like the Jesse plot line has been a complete drain on the energy of the team and the show, and has added zero -- much more of a problem for me than the Kate/music box stuff in WC since it's been front and center.

Probably a better actor in the Jesse role could have made a difference. That guy is wood personified. Oh wait, that's an oxymoron.