If I like these, what else would I like?

liah

I'm looking for high-quality tv shows to get stuck into - I don't care how old or new they are, as long as they're really, really feckin' good.

I already have and like (this is gunna be kinda long but it saves people repeating stuff):

3rd Rock from the Sun
Animaniacs
Arrested Development
Better Off Ted
Big Bang Theory
Blackadder
Boardwalk Empire
Bored to Death
The Borgias
Breaking Bad
Chuck
Coupling
Dead Like Me
A whole slew of Derren Brown
Dexter
Entourage
Father Ted
Fawlty Towers
Flight of the Conchords
Frasier
Fresh Prince of Bel-Air
Game of Thrones
How I Met Your Mother
IT Crowd
It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia
Jeeves and Wooster
Mad Men
Malcolm in the Middle
The Middleman
Monty Python's Flying Circus
My Name Is Earl
Penn & Teller: Bullshit
Pinky and the Brain
Pushing Daisies
QI
The Real Hustle
Reaper
Scrubs
Sherlock
Skins
That '70s Show
Trailer Park Boys
The Walking Dead
Weeds
Whose Line Is It Anyway (UK/US)
The Wire

I'm considering getting Community, Curb Your Enthusiasm and Six Feet Under (would those be a good fit?).

I don't have any interest in stuff like True Blood, LOST, Heroes, 24, etc., any kind of space-based sci-fi, and I'm also not mad on animated stuff, has to have serious nostalgic value for me to bother with it or be exceptional in quality otherwise.

Soooo has anyone made it through the post and have any suggestions for me?

SadieSue

Wallander is pretty good. It stars Kenneth Branaugh as a police detective in Sweden. Its a mystery/crime type show.

Tauriel

Have a look at the Mentalist i think its one of the best shows on TV at the moment, Castle is also worth a look

Also if you like comedy check out the new series of Mock the Week on BBC

JP Liz V1

Burn Notice and Raising Hope

Desailly

I would recommend the following:

The Mentalist (as mentioned)
White Collar
Life
Alias
Rescue Me
Doll House
Nikita

Sir Digby Chicken Caesar

Frisky dingo and Archer

both animated, both exceptional in quality

Tauriel

I can't believe I forgot to mention Bones and Leverage

liah

So far half of these I don't really have any interest in, and the other half I don't know anything about.

If you're going to make a suggestion, can you please give a brief summary of the show's basic plot instead of just tossing out names?

amacachi

Or you could check out all the recommendation threads that come along every few months.

Sir Digby Chicken Caesar

or you could stop expecting people to entertain you and look yourself

VW 1

Shameless - A Channel 4 series based on a family living on a council estate in Manchester (Chatsworth). Alcoholic father, mother who left the family a few years before the show starts. 6 kids, their ups and downs and how they get by. Generally very funny and easy to get into. Would reccomend if you havent already seen this one. Can be picked up in HMVm first 7 series for 60 euro I think I saw a week or two ago.

jimbob86

The Sopranos is the best thing ever put on t.v(imo).Sky atlantic are showing one a week on wednesday nights at 9 o clock so its a great way to watch them if you havent already.Its not even half way threw the second season,and theres 7 seasons so you could catch up by watching them online or something.

liah

amacachi wrote: »

Or you could check out all the recommendation threads that come along every few months.

Sir Digby Chicken Caesar wrote: »

or you could stop expecting people to entertain you and look yourself

Christ, all I asked for was a bit of a summary on a discussion forum. Is the TV forum not like the Films forum in that list threads usually get deleted?

And the other recommendation threads are all well and good but the majority of them aren't my taste. The title makes it clear it's a rec thread, why read it if you hate the idea?

Scarydoll

You might like Eastbound & Down

From wiki
Eastbound & Down is an American comedy television series broadcast on HBO, starring Danny McBride as Kenny Powers, a former professional baseball pitcher, who after an up and down career in the major leagues is forced to return to his hometown middle-school in Shelby, North Carolina as a substitute physical education teacher. Producers Will Ferrell and Adam McKay received an order for six episodes for the first season from HBO. The series was produced by Will Ferrell's production company, Gary Sanchez Productions. The show premiered February 15, 2009, at 10:30p.m. Its second season, consisting of seven episodes, began on September 26, 2010. On October 27, HBO announced they were renewing the show for a third season. At PaleyFest 2011, it was announced that the upcoming third season will be its last, thus ending its run on HBO.

ziedth

Modern Family is def worth a look. I don't think have watched an episode where I haven't had at least one genuine belly laugh and plenty of normal giggles.

Sardonicat

If you like "The Wire" then I'll wager you'll love "Spiral", a French crime thriller. It similarily weaves together and maintains various plots, each of which is left on a cliff-hanger at the end of each episode. There are no clear heroes, the main protaganist (a female cop) is deeply flawed. And the bad guys are bad. Really, really bad.

You should also enjoy "The Killing", a Danish crime thriller. Seemingly inspired by "Spiral", it also has a female main protaganist (although she is somewhat more sympathetic than her French counterpart), and keeps a number of plots merging, diverging and twisting. It has a slower pace than "Spiral" having that uniquely "Scandinavian" approach to crime drama. It manages to take it's time with the developing plot and evolving characters whilst maintaing the momemtum of suspense . Wonderful.

Wallender is great. The BBC version with Kenneth Brannagh is good, but if you get a chance to see the Swedish versions you'll never go back. Beautifully bleak.

Finally, an Icelandic film "Jar City" will appeal to you if you liked the above. But this one is the bleakest of the lot.

KnifeWRENCH

You mentioned Father Ted and The IT Crowd but don't have Black Books on your list. Now maybe you just forgot to include it but if you like those two then Black Books is a must.

liah

Sardonicat wrote: »

If you like "The Wire" then I'll wager you'll love "Spiral", a French crime thriller. It similarily weaves together and maintains various plots, each of which is left on a cliff-hanger at the end of each episode. There are no clear heroes, the main protaganist (a female cop) is deeply flawed. And the bad guys are bad. Really, really bad.

You should also enjoy "The Killing", a Danish crime thriller. Seemingly inspired by "Spiral", it also has a female main protaganist (although she is somewhat more sympathetic than her French counterpart), and keeps a number of plots merging, diverging and twisting. It has a slower pace than "Spiral" having that uniquely "Scandinavian" approach to crime drama. It manages to take it's time with the developing plot and evolving characters whilst maintaing the momemtum of suspense . Wonderful.

Wallender is great. The BBC version with Kenneth Brannagh is good, but if you get a chance to see the Swedish versions you'll never go back. Beautifully bleak.

Finally, an Icelandic film "Jar City" will appeal to you if you liked the above. But this one is the bleakest of the lot.

Great suggestions, will definitely look into these - I seem to have a fondness for Scandinavian/Icelandic movies and I can only imagine that this would translate well to the shows you mentioned. Thanks!

Sardonicat

liah wrote: »

Great suggestions, will definitely look into these - I seem to have a fondness for Scandinavian/Icelandic movies and I can only imagine that this would translate well to the shows you mentioned. Thanks!

Check the BBC 4 website for details when "The Killing" and "Spiral" return (Can't Wait!) Wallander (Swedish) is currently showing at 9pm on Sat. BBC 4.

Mindkiller

Your list lacks Deadwood. You haven't seen TV acting at its best unless you've seen Ian McShane as Swearengen in Deadwood.

Orizio

liah wrote: »

Christ, all I asked for was a bit of a summary on a discussion forum. Is the TV forum not like the Films forum in that list threads usually get deleted?

And the other recommendation threads are all well and good but the majority of them aren't my taste. The title makes it clear it's a rec thread, why read it if you hate the idea?

Like your opening post for example.

liah

Orizio wrote: »

Like your opening post for example.

Er, my post contains more than just a list Whereas a lot of responses here are literally just the titles of the show..

Cherry_Cola

There's a Canadian (:pac:) show called "Durham County" which is really good and I haven't seen mentioned on this forum at all actually.

It's a really dark show about a homicide detective who moves to the country after his partner is killed in action. He then discovers his neighbour, an old childhood friend, may be a serial killer and there's plenty of drama between the two families.

It's only 6 episodes per season too so it's quite manageable and there's been 3 so far, first two are top notch, 3rd dipped a slightly but was still quite good.

Of the others mentioned, definitely go for Six Feet Under, one of my favourite shows of all time. Deadwood is excellent too, though you may find yourself swearing a lot more after watching it

iguana

Six Feet Under is a great show, I absolutely adore it, there are times when it loses it's way a little but it's all worth it for the finale. But it does have a surrealist edge which if you hate sci-fi, might annoy you.

There is also an American version of the Killing, which is airing now. It's not a remake but it uses the same premise of each episode taking one day in the course of a murder investigation. I've seen the first 3 episodes and it's worth a watch, though Enos is a much better actor than I've seen so far in the show.

Perhaps you'd also like Big Love. It's about a Mormon family who practice polygamy, which is illegal in Utah, where they live. It's a great show with fantastic female performances from Jeanne Tripplehorn, Chloe Sevigny, Ginnifer Goodwin, Amanda Seyfreid, Tina Majorino, Mireille Enos, Mary Kay Place and Grace Zabriskie Bruce Dern and Harry Dean Stanton also shine. The first 3 seasons are wonderful television, but when writer Duncan Lance Black left the show after the success of Milk (which he wrote) the show took a very sharp dip in quality.

Patsy fyre

Gavin and Stacey is a classic!

BlueBaron

Ideal is a brilliant show OP, does be on BBC i think, and its till running so all good.

Ideal is a British comedy-drama, or dark comedy originally broadcast on digital channel BBC Three, created by Graham Duff and produced by BBC Comedy North and Baby Cow Productions. It stars Johnny Vegas as small-time cannabis dealer Moz.
It is set in Salford, Greater Manchester, chosen because Duff was familiar with the area having done many stand-up gigs there during his youth. Most of the series takes place in Moz's flat and revolves around the eclectic array of characters who visit Moz to buy cannabis, socialize or both.

Teddy455

blue bloods, walking dead, camelot.

jester77

Def get Community

Based on your list I would say you may like (IMDB Summaries):

Californication - A writer tries to juggle his career, his relationship with his daughter and his ex-girlfriend, as well as his appetite for beautiful women.

Episodes - British-bred writer-producers, Beverly and Sean Lincoln, have it good. A wonderful marriage and a hit TV series to their credit. Things couldn't be better. Until, Merc Lapidus, a Hollywood big shot in charge of a network, gushes over their series at a social gathering. Merc is certain that a remake of the show will go over well with an American audience. After a lucrative offer, the Lincolns pack up and ship out to The States. It doesn't take long for them to figure out, that Hollywood is a place where deals are made and broken in the same breath. They find themselves holding on tight, as creative control of their project starts to slip from their hands. It has been brought to their attention, that "You don't say no to Merc". To add insult to injury, the original star of the show is tossed out for actor, Matt LeBlanc, a charming, yet, manipulative beast, with a grocery list of demands. LA is not what the Lincolns had in mind, but Sean believes he can swim with the sharks. As for Beverly, she'd rather go back to the UK, than deal with these Episodes.

Peep Show - Mark and Jez are a couple of twenty-something roommates who have nothing in common - except for the fact that their lives are anything but normal. Mayhem ensues as the pair strive to cope with day-to-day life.


How to make it in America - How to Make It in America follows two enterprising twenty-somethings hustling their way through New York City's fashion scene, determined to achieve their version of the American Dream. Trying to make a name for themselves in the city's competitive fashion scene, Ben Epstein and his friend and business partner Cam Calderon use their street knowledge and connections to make their way up. With the help of their well-connected friend Domingo and Cam's cousin Rene, who has ambitions of his own—a new energy drink called Rasta-Monsta—the burgeoning entrepreneurs set out to make it big.

The Inbetweeners - The exploits of four friends, who are socially only marginally above what one of them calls "the freaks", are presented as they grow from their late teen years into adults and as they go on their quest, usually unsuccessfully, for such grown up things as beer and sex. Simon Cooper, Jay Cartwright and Neil Sutherland have been friends for some time. Insecure Simon's main quest in life is to get long time friend, Carli D'Amato, to be his girlfriend. Jay is the big talker whose stories, especially about his sexual conquests, are more fantasy than reality. And slightly dim-witted Neil is generally two steps behind everyone else in comprehension of life, and who is always defending his father from beliefs that he's a closet homosexual. Into the group comes its fourth member, Will McKenzie, who met them when he transferred into their public school, Rudge Park Comprehensive, at the start of sixth form, as Will's newly divorced mom could no longer afford his private school tuition. Nerdish and straight-laced Will, ridiculed for carrying a briefcase, insinuated himself in the group - not aiming his sights too high - as he tried not to be labeled as one of the freaks. Regardless, he is still the target of the school's "psycho bully", Mark Donovan, and the head of Rudge Park's sixth form, Mr. Gilbert. Will's initial saving grace in bonding with his new mates may have been that they all want to shag his pretty but protective mother, Polly.

handsomecake

the sopranos: kind of a rite of passage box set ( a must).more then just about gangsters .the fact it got journey back to number 1 in the charts is indicative of this!!

the shield: if you liked the wire id say you will like this- you will cannabalise the episodes-the endings are mount everest sized cliff hangers.dirty cop drama with probably televisions best anti hero of the last decade in vic mackey.

the office: some episodes actually upset me at the time and some of gervais' monologues are genius. there is a serious drama in him waiting to get out. " life is a series of peaks and troughs", " if you want the rainbow ,you need the rain" " id rather be at the bottom of a ladder worth climbing rather then half way up one that isnt worth climbing"

the american office: i didnt think it could work but it does in completely different ways very funny.

curb your enthusiasm/seinfeld: if you watch one you have to watch both.observational humour at its best, david in particular in curb pokes fun at societal norms and public consensus." you cant ring someone after ten pm,thats the cut off". seinfeld is the best sitcom( if not programme) of all time in my opinion.

Elmidena

Spaced hasn't been mentioned?!

GoldRush4821

100% watch community next. I finished it recently, it is seriously clever writing mixed with a perfect cast(except, IMHO, for Chevy Chase, but I'll let you be the judge of that). It's kinda like Arrested Development in a way, but not as good(but what is?). Highly recommend this to you.

Also, the sopranos, as has been mentioned already, is a must. I'd go from here. This sets you up for about a month of watching depending on how fast you watch it, which, judging by the quality of the two shows, will be very fast

pickarooney

Sardonicat wrote: »

If you like "The Wire" then I'll wager you'll love "Spiral", a French crime thriller. It similarily weaves together and maintains various plots, each of which is left on a cliff-hanger at the end of each episode. There are no clear heroes, the main protaganist (a female cop) is deeply flawed. And the bad guys are bad. Really, really bad.

I'll never understand why people insist on making this comparison. I'm no great fan of the Wire but even still Spiral is not a patch on it. It's a poorly-written, bog-standard French TV show with cartoon villains and dire plots of the week that go nowhere. Avoid.

NoRegrets

Based on your list you would love Curb your enthusiasm cant recommend it enough very funny stuff, love larry david.

Its pretty, pretty.......pretty good