Here's Stuff on TV That's Actually Good

[Counterpoint]

Originally posted by monstermaker The show David Caradine does named Wild West Tech is good for a chuckle.

 

 

Doesn't his brother do it, too, sometimes? Maybe when Dave is, um, not feeling well today, wink wink.

 

Good show, though! Well-researched.

[Counterpoint]

I'll cast my vote for:

NFL Prime Time (with Chris Berman, may be its last year)

The West Wing (best drama ever)

House (great writing)

Mail Call with R. Lee Ermey

Animal Planet "10 Most" countdown shows

Lots of stuff on History, Discover, Travel, etc.

Queer Eye for the Straight Guy

The Weather Channel (for the babes, mostly)

Over There (recently cancelled, though)

Kim Possible (sorry, but I like cute, ironic, super hero chicks, even if they're animated and sixteen)

[bongfodder]

No one just reads for entertainment anymore do they?

[Base]

I watch a lot of food shows (g/f's influence), not necessarily straight-forward 'here's how to cook our recipe of the week' shows tho. River Cottage is good (Lots of stuff about growing your own food, raising livestock, and rural life) and The F-Word isn't bad (Gordon Ramsey's show, minus a lot of the bad language )...

Also Lost, we must be near the end of the first season now (so no one say what happens, on pain of death!!!!!)

And I'm getting withdrawal symptoms waiting for the next series of the new Dr Who (tho we have a Christmas special coming on soon!). If they aren't showing that in the US yet, you need to start boycotting stations until they do!!!!!!!!





Whoooo, dooo doooo, etc....

[blackpig]

Originally posted by myshkin What about Father Ted though? Not that RTE and much of the population isn't intent on showing how wonderfully cynical and urbane we are now. God forbid anyone think we're not as cool and shallow as everyone else.

Apart from Fr Ted what about stuff like the execrable "Upwardly Mobile" and the tragic "The Cassidys"

A few years ago the descent into hell began with "Leave It To Mrs O'Brien" - a show that had all the comedic impact of a bowel tumour

It's when we poke fun at ourselves that we're at our best - Flann O'Brien and Behan did it along with JP Donleavy (who got banned) and Oscar Wilde (also banned) and even Joyce's Ulysses has moments of fine observational comedy (also banned)

Funny how we always seem to ban people and then eulogise them later when the rest of the world grabs us by the ear and tells us how good they actually are

[D Charles]

Has anyone seen Oblivious?

 

Man, they ran a few episodes of that show here while back on Spike and I've never laughed so hard.

 

I really like The Daily Show as well as many others on Comedy Central.

 

I like Lou Dobbs and Hardball.

 

I dig the how to shows but they drive my woman mad as I'm sitting there learning how to install new faucets or whatever.

 

Oh yeah, VH1 classic videos.

[Lee Knight]

Good Eats on the Food Channel (if you don't like to cook, you still might like this)

What's cool about this show is the host has a little bit of a mad scientist vibe of him. When he tells you to add warm water as opposed to hot water they'll do a little silly skit explaining in chemical terms why that is. Very funny, educational, and helps you make a great meal.


Jeopardy

I've been watching it since the old host did (forget his name). I just love the fun of everyone sitting around and trying to guess what the biggest lake in Bolivia is. Or what composer wrote the "Lone Ranger Theme". Everybody hates it until they start winning... then you're hooked. Good fun.


This Old House (now in Classic reruns)

Watching a beat up old house get a transformation is a blast. Everytime.


Modern Marvels (History Channel)

How DID they build the Washington Monument?
How DOES a Near Earth Asteroid Tracking program work?
Inventions of War that aren't weapons - hairbrushes to microwaves.

[felix]

Originally posted by bongfodder No one just reads for entertainment anymore do they?

 

 

You must have missed the Harry Potter / Book thread not long ago.

 

Good TV? HBO for me:

Sopranos is back in March

I dug Carnivale and Six Feet Under a ton, but looks like they're gone now.

 

We (my wife and I) enjoy:

Lost

Gray's Anatomy

Desperate Housewives

Nip/Tuck

Survivor

 

That's about the extent of our TV entertainment bandwidth for a week. I'm thinking of adding My Name is Earl and The Office.

 

Is this "good" TV? All of it is entertaining IMO, so it works for me. We watch zero sports.

[Lee Knight]

Originally posted by bongfodder No one just reads for entertainment anymore do they?

 

 

I always have a book. Always. The TV programs I mention are what I watch when my kid or wife are not engrossed in their TV thing.

 

Daughter = Disney Channel young teen sitcoms

Wife = BBC America (honey, what did that guy just say?)

 

So I'm usually in my book with the tube on in the background. When 7:30 rolls around I grab the remote in my best "I am dad, therefore I am king" manner and switch to the Alex Trebec Show.

 

30 minutes later I'm back in my book...

[Jimbroni]

My DVR records

Many Kung fu movies
other movies
Battlestar Galactica the new scifi series
Austin City Limits
Lost
Any musical documentary that seems interesting.
Any space or physics documentary that seems interesting.
Family guy

The problem is I very rarely sit down and actually watch the stuff in my DVR. 1 or 2 four hour long football games in a week pretty much kills any and all time I may have put aside for TV. So I'll have to catch up in February.

[myshkin]

Originally posted by blackpig Apart from Fr Ted what about stuff like the execrable "Upwardly Mobile" and the tragic "The Cassidys" A few years ago the descent into hell began with "Leave It To Mrs O'Brien" - a show that had all the comedic impact of a bowel tumour It's when we poke fun at ourselves that we're at our best - Flann O'Brien and Behan did it along with JP Donleavy (who got banned) and Oscar Wilde (also banned) and even Joyce's Ulysses has moments of fine observational comedy (also banned) Funny how we always seem to ban people and then eulogise them later when the rest of the world grabs us by the ear and tells us how good they actually are

Haven't read him in a while but Flann O Brien was a fantastic writer...Seems like a man who was drinking hallucinogenic Beamish.

[offramp]

I'd forgotten about "Good Eats' and 'Junkyard Wars'. Add those to my list.

A program I wish I could see again--the whole series, please--would be that odd little program from Britain..maybe early'70's?..called 'The Secret Life Of Machines'.

[Lee Knight]

Originally posted by offramp A program I wish I could see again--the whole series, please--would be that odd little program from Britain..maybe early'70's?..called 'The Secret Life Of Machines'.

 

 

If we're going into the "I'd like to see that again, it's been a while" zone, then I'd have to say Carl Sagan's Cosmos. Like billions and billions of tiny grains of sand.

[Timezarrow]

Originally posted by myshkin Haven't read him in a while but Flann O Brien was a fantastic writer...Seems like a man who was drinking hallucinogenic Beamish.

 

 

I loved The Third Policeman and At Swim-Two-Birds. Now I'm going to have to see what else of his is available. Haven't though of him for awhile. A very haunting writer.

 

As for tv:

 

The Daily Show

 

South Park

 

The Family Guy

 

That Seventies Show (more a mainstream sit-com, but well done)

 

Also, the odd Discovery or History channel show.

 

I have also been surprised to find I like televised poker tournaments, preferably not involving celebrities, or hosts who hype the action as if it were wrassling (Poker Royale) and/or are former MTV vj's. I haven't made the move to actually play poker, but that may be in the cards as well. Where the time will come from, I don't know.

 

I don't actually plan tv watching, just try to find something decent when the mood strikes.

[gearmike]

Originally posted by bongfodder No one just reads for entertainment anymore do they?

 

 

Interesting point for someone called bongfodder...

[polyt]

My Season Passes:

The Office - BBC version is better than NBC's but both are winners.

This Old House/Ask This Old House - Love the subject matter and the guys presenting it are top notch.

Nightly Business Report
The News Hour with Jim Lerher
Washington Week
The McGlaughlin Group

Information Junkies Unite!

[Lee Knight]

Originally posted by polyt The Office - BBC version is better than NBC's but both are winners.

 

 

I saw one episode of the British The Office and have never laughed so hard. Something about Photoshopping the boss' head onto a hardcore porn shot and sending it around the office via e-mail. I couldn't believe the things they were saying on a TV program. Really funny...

[bongfodder]

Originally posted by gearmike Interesting point for someone called bongfodder...

 

 

Thank you.I don't smoke marijuana out of boredom but to give a new perspective to what can all to easily become routine.Reading high I have no problem,reading with the TV on I find distracting.

 

Someone mentioned Sagan's Cosmos,I saw it last week on I think the science channel it was around 3am central but I'm sure they have an earlier run,great series.

[Counterpoint]

The Mind of Mencia (Comedy Central)

I used to watch Dave Chappelle - is he coming back?

[Mr. Donovan]

There was an interesting article in the NY Times about Dave Chappelle recently. He's doing stand up, and people keep hoping that he shows up to the tour dates that he's scheduled to. I think there might be a stand up TV special in the works.

I saw Chappelle live in Des Moines about a year and a half ago. He talked a lot about how fame has been really hard on him. In Des Moines, he said that he had just been to El Paso, Texas earlier that week and he was tempted to sneak across the Mexican border and start a new life. I guess I wasn't too suprised when he suddenly left the Chappelle Show and went to South Africa.

But back on topic, Dave Chappelle makes really funny TV and is mos def in the top 5%.

I hope to see him come back.

[bejeeber]

Arrested Development
Simpsons
American Dad
My name Is Earl
It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia
Boston legal
The Office
Malcolm In The Middle

[Base]

I haven't seen the American version of the Office, is it a straightforward remake with American actors or have they taken the idea and adapted it for US office culture?? I can never see the point of doing straightforward remakes of TV shows for different countries, but that one could work really well. Would have been better as a continuation with David Brent going to work in the States, but still....

Ricky Gervais new show, Extras, was pretty good too, tho some of the guest stars were a bit pointless. Lot of hype for having Samuel L Jackson in it and he only had about 60 seconds of screen time total?!?!?

[myshkin]

Originally posted by Base Ricky Gervais new show, Extras, was pretty good too, tho some of the guest stars were a bit pointless. Lot of hype for having Samuel L Jackson in it and he only had about 60 seconds of screen time total?!?!?

 

 

Extras had some moments but something of a let down I htought. Gervais not having enough strings to his bow?

[Base]

It was never going to live up to the Office, but taken on it's own it was pretty good. Patrick Stewart was the best of the guest stars

[Lee Knight]

I've heard a few mentions of Arrested Development but had only seen 2 minutes of one show... until last night. The guest star was Charlize Theron. What a funny show. I'm glad I stuck around to watch it. The characters cracked me up.

Charlize Theron's acting was phenomenal as well. She plays a mentaly retarded woman. She's obviously beautiful. The main character falls in love with her and fails to realize that she's retarded. She's just great. Did anyone see this episode?

Without Charlize Theron I'm sure the show is fantasic and I'll try to remember to watch. Thanks for the tip.