The Glade 4.0

Since it is summer and that means TV sucks, I figured I'd throw my must-see-TV list out, and take suggestions for myself/offer them to those you've already received.

My must see TV list:
30 Rock
Doctor Who
Castle
Firefly
How I Met Your Mother
Arrested Development
Pushing Daisies
Dead Like Me
White Collar
Happy Endings
Better Off Ted
Psych
Monk
Big Bang Theory
Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip
Sports Night
Dexter


... I think that covers it.

Theoretically, Scrubs belongs on that list, as does Seinfeld and Cheers and Are You Being Served? and ... but my reasoning is thus:

30 Rock is amazing, great talent, not yet jumped the shark, though the age is starting to show
Doctor Who is the sort of television which if you have never tried then I feel sorry for you
Castle is great, and the books are good, so you can watch Castle and pick up a book and get a little meta enjoyment
Firefly because Joss is awesome
HIMYM is a show I can never get sick of... and characters you love to watch and root for.
Arrested Development was killed too soon and is amazing.
Pushing Daisies features great performances and a solid-if-quirky universe.
Dead Like Me is from the same or a neighboring universe, since it shares the creator and Happy Time temp agency.
White Collar is a far better use of those actors talents than Chuck or Carnivale
Happy Endings I was just introduced to but could not stop watching.
Better Off Ted is funny because it's true.
Psych is the spiritual successor to Monk, and Dule Hill is fantastic.
Big Bang Theory shows Chuck Lorre sold his soul to the devil, and far better than the square root of 6.25.
Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip is Aaron Sorkin, 1 season, and had an amazing cast. Like Mr. Sunshine, it suffers the curse of Friends.
Sports Night - also Aaron Sorkin. I see myself in Jeremy... well, if I had more charisma, I'd be Jeremy.
Dexter - this one is not for everyone, hence the position on the list, but if you haven't tried, please do.

Is there anything anyone wants to advocate I fall in love with?

I know about Game of Thrones, but I'm trying to keep this to things you can catch up with via Netflix right now ( I didn't <3 the Tudors enough to recommend it to someone without knowing if they are an Anglophile.)

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Once, I was a ranger
Then, I was a warlock
And a mage
And a paladin
Now, I seek to be myself

Kirra, I think you'd dig Supernatural. Great, great show. Sort of a grown-up Buffy, or a rock-and-roll Angel. Starts off good, gets better toward the end of the first season, and blows the doors off from the second season on.

I'm new to the Doctor Who audience, but I'm deeply, deeply in love with the show. Start with the 2005 Eccleston revival and watch to present day (everything but the most recent half-season is available on Netflix/Amazon Prime).

Veronica Mars is a brilliant show, a sort of teenage Nancy-Drew-by-way-of-Humphrey-Bogart. Instant crush on Kristen Bell due to this show. Smartly written, acted, and plotted. I disagree with Talya that it ends on a cliffhanger; there was obviously more story to be told, but thematically it works for me, in the most melancholic and noir-ish of ways. Network meddling caused a rather uneven third (and final) season, but brilliant nonetheless. As a Buffy/Angel fan, you should know that Joss Whedon was such a huge fan of the show that he lobbied hard for (and won) a small cameo role in the second season.

30 Rock is a brilliant comedy that had me pausing the Netflix stream multiple times per episode just to catch my breath from the laughter. Like Katas says, it's showing some age, but still solid, and the first three or so seasons are hilarious.

Along the same lines, Parks and Recreation. It was created by the same guy who handled the American version of The Office, but in this case, it's actually really, really funny. The show starts off a little uneven, but quickly the characters win you over and you become quite involved in their lives; the best part is that the humor actually grows from the characters, unlike most other comedies.

Castle is something about which I feel a bit torn. On the one hand, I love the cast, particularly Fillion and Katic, as well as the support staff. The episodes are always solidly done. I've grown a bit fatigued with the show, however, due to its steadfast refusal to break out of its rut. The tail end of the third season was a good step in the right direction, so I'm hoping it'll reinvigorate the show a bit. Always a good time, just frequently forgettable 20 minutes after the credits roll.

Firefly...watch this before Castle. You'll see why. Also, brilliant. Short-lived sci-fi/western hybrid from Buffy mastermind Joss Whedon. Follow it up with the feature film continuclusion, Serenity.

Arrested Development is another great comedy. It may or may not be your thing. Give it a shot, though.

If you like Arrested Development, chances are you'll like Better Off Ted. I actually like the latter more. Single-camera office comedy, but a lot more than just that. On Netflix, highly recommended.

Katas brought up Sports Night. Now, I'm the least sports-interested person you're likely to ever meet (provided you consider conversing on a message board "meeting"). The tagline says it all, though: "It's about sports. The same way Charlie's Angels was about law enforcement." Everyone with whom I've ever worked in television wants to work at Sports Night. It's written by Oscar-winner Aaron Sorkin and is utterly brilliant. One of the classics.

She's watched Firefly.

I actually found that the 10 minute trailer for Season 4 of Veronica Mars that was never made gives me a little bit of closure on the series. More than the ending for season 3, anyway.

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Well Ali Baba had them forty thieves, Scheherezade had a thousand tales
But master you in luck 'cause up your sleeves you got a brand of magic never fails...
...Mister Aladdin, sir, What will your pleasure be?
Let me take your order, Jot it down -You ain't never had a friend like me
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Eh.. damn... That's a lot of TV...

I'm not ashamed (and maybe a little proud) to admit that I've never seen a single episode of any of those shows except Firefly.

Psh. At least a few of those are worth watching, no matter your genre tastes. Errr, that's not very clear. Regardless of your genre tastes, some subset greater than zero of those is worth watching. Which subset will vary depending on said tastes.

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"Aaaah! Emotions are weird!" - Amdee
"... Mirrorshades prevent the forces of normalcy from realizing that one is crazed and possibly dangerous. They are the symbol of the sun-staring visionary, the biker, the rocker, the policeman, and similar outlaws." - Bruce Sterling, preface to Mirrorshades

I generally do not like sitcoms, so a very large portion of that list loses me early on. (I'll make an exception for BBT, though.)

Unmentioned: Chuck is worth watching. Like White Collar, it's still airing, but they're finishing it up in season 5 anyway. And why has nobody here mentioned Burn Notice?

Castle is good, but it lost me during the second season. It's a throwback to 80's-style television, and would have fit in just fine with Magnum P.I., Simon & Simon, and Murder, She Wrote. However, these days I demand more from television to keep me interested...I generally need the overarching metaplot and relevant continuity. Castle's forever-hinted-at, never-realized relationship with Beckett just isn't enough...Castle is a static world that has no growth from show-to-show. Any individual show can be spectacular, but there's nothing to grab me and hold my interest to ensure I watch the next one.

_________________
Well Ali Baba had them forty thieves, Scheherezade had a thousand tales
But master you in luck 'cause up your sleeves you got a brand of magic never fails...
...Mister Aladdin, sir, What will your pleasure be?
Let me take your order, Jot it down -You ain't never had a friend like me
█ ♣ █

I know its not popular with many here, but I still love Bones.

I get the impression it's popular with a fair number of people here.

If it weren't for the fact that I cannot stand the two main characters, I might give it a chance. Emily Deschanel grates on me like fingernails on chalkboard. (And, let's face it, David Boreanz was never the draw for watching Buffy/Angel either.)

_________________
Well Ali Baba had them forty thieves, Scheherezade had a thousand tales
But master you in luck 'cause up your sleeves you got a brand of magic never fails...
...Mister Aladdin, sir, What will your pleasure be?
Let me take your order, Jot it down -You ain't never had a friend like me
█ ♣ █

If nothing else Emily Deschanel is eye candy+ the character is supposed to be brilliant.

I like beautiful smart women. sue me.

For the record, the fit with the shows you mention is intentional. It's pretty much a giveaway when you consider Stephen J. Cannell was one of Castle's poker buddies. He had an appearance on Magnum, P.I., and created such influences/peers of the shows you mention as The Rockford Files, the A-Team, Riptide, and Hunter.

I'll agree that the show is beginning to rest on its laurels instead of providing some character development and depth; but it's been slowly making some strides there recently. In the meantime, it has a wit, charm, and energy that sustains it just fine. I find it amusing that you laud Chuck while criticizing this shortcoming in Castle, as I feel that Chuck shares the shortcoming and other factors do a poorer job of carrying the show in its absence, leading it to wear thin much sooner, IMO.

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"Aaaah! Emotions are weird!" - Amdee
"... Mirrorshades prevent the forces of normalcy from realizing that one is crazed and possibly dangerous. They are the symbol of the sun-staring visionary, the biker, the rocker, the policeman, and similar outlaws." - Bruce Sterling, preface to Mirrorshades

As noted above, I share the same criticisms of Castle as Taly.

I should also note that, while an unpopular opinion on this board, I cannot. effing. stand. The Big Bang Theory.

Funny thing. A few months ago my husband and I were discussing what truly makes chuck unique is real character development. They go ahead and let things change without worry that changing the dynamic too much will alienate their audience or wreck the formula that made it entertaining to begin with. Chuck and company have changed more in the 4 years the series has run than Buffy did in 7. (And I'm a Buffy fan.)

Maybe it's because I watched we watched first three seasons in a matter of a few days, without any real differentation between them that causes this very polar opposite perception of this...

_________________
Well Ali Baba had them forty thieves, Scheherezade had a thousand tales
But master you in luck 'cause up your sleeves you got a brand of magic never fails...
...Mister Aladdin, sir, What will your pleasure be?
Let me take your order, Jot it down -You ain't never had a friend like me
█ ♣ █

I can't fault you for that. I feel the same way about almost every popular sitcom ever made. I still haven't figured out why BBT actually gets me laughing so much, because it shares a lot of the features with other sitcoms that drive me nuts. (and in fact, these features still drive me nuts in BBT.)

_________________
Well Ali Baba had them forty thieves, Scheherezade had a thousand tales
But master you in luck 'cause up your sleeves you got a brand of magic never fails...
...Mister Aladdin, sir, What will your pleasure be?
Let me take your order, Jot it down -You ain't never had a friend like me
█ ♣ █

cultural references you identify with perhaps?

TV has become a fond memory to me. I used to really enjoy it, just have no desire to watch it anymore.

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The U. S. Constitution doesn't guarantee happiness, only the pursuit of it. You have to catch up with it yourself. B. Franklin

"A mind needs books like a sword needs a whetstone." -- Tyrion Lannister, A Game of Thrones

Finished all of Dollhouse, excellent! Loved seeing people from other Joss Whedon show's appear.

Now on Veronica Mars, I love it!! and Willow just showed up as Logan's sister

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Dream as if you'll live forever...
...Live as if you'll die tomorrow

Vivere Senza Rimpianti

Definitely move Arrested Development up higher on that list. Really amazing show.

This. One of the best shows I've ever seen.

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Holy shitsnacks!

Dexter is the only show in a very, very long time where I *HAD* to see what happened next. Other shows I enjoyed, I made sure to catch. But with Dexter, it went beyond that.

Strongly recommended. Even my wife loves it, and it's a bit of a darker show that I didn't think she would enjoy. I was wrong.

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Les Zombis et les Loups-Garous!

I was always partial to Northern Exposure.

Having just rewatched Season 7...

Buffy ended really, really well. Season 7 was epic. I don't know why so many fans disliked 5-7, because they were all great. Season 4 was the weakest season of BtVS by far.

_________________
Well Ali Baba had them forty thieves, Scheherezade had a thousand tales
But master you in luck 'cause up your sleeves you got a brand of magic never fails...
...Mister Aladdin, sir, What will your pleasure be?
Let me take your order, Jot it down -You ain't never had a friend like me
█ ♣ █

I don't know of anyone who disliked 5, but I know several who disliked 6 and 7. I think much of that blowback was from fans who thought 5 ended the series well, and 6 and 7 were stretching. Personally, I think 6 and 7 were great, if a tad bit weaker overall than 2, or 3 or 5, but in no way bad. I agree 4 was the weakest season ("Hush" notwithstanding).

Fear Itself from s4 was good as well, but I couldn't stand Adam.
But S5 has two of my fav. episodes (Fool for Love, & The Body, as well as stuff like Buffy vs. Dracula ("check. no more butt monkey") not to mention some of the best character development.

My only gripes about s7 is the deus ex machina of the Scythe and the Amulet.

Among other reasons, it's partially because Joss's traditional red-herring big-bad switch moved from the intimidating Initiative to the rather lame Frankenstein's Monster known as "Adam." Also, Riley was a poor Angel replacement, and chipped-Spike was lame. (Although it did lend itself to the awesome bonding moment between Willow and Spike after he tried to bite her but failed.)

_________________
Well Ali Baba had them forty thieves, Scheherezade had a thousand tales
But master you in luck 'cause up your sleeves you got a brand of magic never fails...
...Mister Aladdin, sir, What will your pleasure be?
Let me take your order, Jot it down -You ain't never had a friend like me
█ ♣ █

Season 4 had the crappiest overarching plot, but some of the best individual episodes.

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Buckle your pants or they might fall down.