Do you agree that TV dramas are the best they have ever been today?

The Th!ng · 05-03-2014 10:31PM

I really enjoyed The Pillars Of The Earth miniseries, so much so that I'm on my second viewing.

JR IRELAND · 05-03-2014 10:35PM

The Th!ng wrote: »

I really enjoyed The Pillars Of The Earth miniseries, so much so that I'm on my second viewing.

Havent even heard of it, which is great- no expectations! will check it out.

JerCotter7 · 05-03-2014 10:39PM

Breaking Bad season 5 wasn't that great. Well the second half of it was pretty bad and the first half was excellent. 4th season was the best by far. And Dexter just became crap after season 4. Personally I think right now is a terrible year for TV. Breaking Bad is over but had gone downhilll anyway. Person of Interest has became fairly ****. Arrow is the only thing on right now that is actually still at it's best. Game of Thrones too but that could go either way. Vikings is in the same boat. And I'm still looking for a good comedy to replace all the ones that half just become a chore to watch. Why did they ever cancel Blue Mountain State.

Irish Guitarist · 05-03-2014 10:44PM

I thought Tru Calling was one of the best television programmes of the last twenty or so years. It was also one of the most frustrating. Just as it it was getting really good it was cancelled and the second series finished after six episodes with no resolution.

Meanwhile Lost was first broadcast around the same time and they made six series of it, even after it became apparent the writers had absolutely no idea where they were going with the story.

JR IRELAND · 05-03-2014 10:45PM

I really didn't like the end to breaking bad; so many things had to go just right for Walter White that it just wasn't possible. How he had to park the car (not trying to spoil it) so actually not saying anymore.

The Th!ng · 05-03-2014 10:50PM

JR IRELAND wrote: »

Havent even heard of it, which is great- no expectations! will check it out.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Pillars_of_the_Earth

snausages · 05-03-2014 10:52PM

I'm relieved that AH doesn't subscribe to the cult of Heisenberg. The guys on the BB subforum would ate you for saying you didn't like an episode. Seasons 1 and 2 are still pretty brilliant tbh.

snausages · 05-03-2014 10:55PM

JerCotter7 wrote: »

Personally I think right now is a terrible year for TV.

Watch True Detective

JR IRELAND · 05-03-2014 10:57PM

thanks for the link

very funny- thought it was new out and I missed the hype. Still will add it to my list along with Game of Thrones.

KungPao · 05-03-2014 10:57PM

JerCotter7 wrote: »

Breaking Bad season 5 wasn't that great. Well the second half of it was pretty bad and the first half was excellent. 4th season was the best by far. And Dexter just became crap after season 4. Personally I think right now is a terrible year for TV. Breaking Bad is over but had gone downhilll anyway. Person of Interest has became fairly ****. Arrow is the only thing on right now that is actually still at it's best. Game of Thrones too but that could go either way. Vikings is in the same boat. And I'm still looking for a good comedy to replace all the ones that half just become a chore to watch. Why did they ever cancel Blue Mountain State.

Wasn't S4 of BB supposed to be the last?

He'd won afterall...

When Fring was no longer in it, it did suffer to be fair...and this is coming from a big fan. Although I enjoyed the last couple of episodes with Walter in the woods and stuff. And I was glad he wrapped things up with his former Gray Matter colleagues! But the Nazi rednecks seemed a little shoehorned into the series just so Walter had another nemesis.

Still, incredible show.

JR IRELAND · 05-03-2014 11:00PM

True Detective is excellent only saw 2 episodes but it looks promising

JR IRELAND · 05-03-2014 11:03PM

KungPao wrote: »

Wasn't S4 of BB supposed to be the last?
He'd won afterall...

When Fring was no longer in it, it did suffer to be fair...and this is coming from a big fan. Although I enjoyed the last couple of episodes with Walter in the woods and stuff. And I was glad he wrapped things up with his former Gray Matter colleagues! But the Nazi rednecks seemed a little shoehorned into the series just so Walter had another nemesis.

Still, incredible show.

but his gray matter colleagues had no security whatsoever?
Didn't make sense; no CCTV they could have reviewed later to see the men in the
bushes with the "guns"

The Th!ng · 05-03-2014 11:16PM

JR IRELAND wrote: »

thanks for the link

very funny- thought it was new out and I missed the hype. Still will add it to my list along with Game of Thrones.

The book was published in 1989, the miniseries made around 2009 \ 2010.

e_e · 05-03-2014 11:17PM

Only thing I didn't like about BB's last season was how it just

put Jesse in the corner and poked him repeatedly. Lazy writing and an undignified end to the character. The killing of Andrea just felt exploitative like they were trying way too hard.

JR IRELAND · 05-03-2014 11:17PM

will check it out thanks again

mewe · 05-03-2014 11:26PM

True Detective is top class. I've only watched three episodes but i love it already.

jonnny68 · 05-03-2014 11:54PM

The 1980's was the glory Years on TV , classic programmes like Miami Vice and Hill Street blues wipe the floor with anything that's on today.. Fact

Royal Legend · 06-03-2014 12:02AM

mewe wrote: »

True Detective is top class. I've only watched three episodes but i love it already.

Watched ep 7 tonight. Ep 1 to 5 are riveting Ep 6 is exceptional.

Greyfox · 06-03-2014 12:03AM

You only have to watch one episode of Game of thrones to realise TV at its best today is far superior to years ago, the acting, scriptwriting and characters is a huge leap forward!

The likes of the wire, Sopranos, BSG, Deadwood were paving the way for the pinnacle that's now been reached by GOT and season 5 of breaking bad, the question it can tv get any better then BBad and GOT, I'd say that would be asking the impossible

snausages · 06-03-2014 12:06AM

GoT is fun but no way is it the pinnacle of TV. Nooooooo waaaaaaay

Skylinehead · 06-03-2014 12:09AM

Greyfox wrote: »

The likes of the wire, Sopranos, BSG, Deadwood were paving the way for the pinnacle that's now been reached by GOT and season 5 of breaking bad, the question it can tv get any better then BBad and GOT, I'd say that would be asking the impossible

All four of the first shows (maybe just the first two seasons of BSG) are better than GoT and I would probably say Breaking Bad Season 5 as well. Breaking Bad S4 was far better. As for GoT, it's big budget, high production values and is very entertaining, but it's not like its an original screenplay.

boodiebhoy · 06-03-2014 12:16AM

Early Doors - classic

Dunnie1982 · 06-03-2014 12:21AM

Royal Legend wrote: »

Watched ep 7 tonight. Ep 1 to 5 are riveting Ep 6 is exceptional.

I'm loving True Detective, the last 10 minutes or so of episode 4 is up there with the best scenes on any tv show I've ever seen. Breaking Bad is still the best overall tv show I've had the privilege to watch though. Sopranos was amazing too & Boardwalk Empire is up there as well. I couldn't get into The Wire, I've watched 3 seasons and find it hard work to get through them.

Sunglasses Ron · 06-03-2014 07:22AM

Beefy78 wrote: »

I think the last thing you could accuse The Wire of is lacking "depth or substance".

It isn't a bad programme by any means, but it certainly does lack depth. The sum of any great drama is the characters, and the main failure with The Wire is that, aside from McNulty and Kima, relatively few characters have any sort of "background", any level of intriguing personal depth. We know zero, zilch, about who they are, their family, upbringing, how and why they ended up a cop, a gangster, a junkie. It just makes you less interested in whether they live or die, really.

Irish Guitarist wrote: »

I thought overall The Wire was incredibly boring and slow paced. It had its moments but they were few and far between.

I think people who don't rate it probably would give it a 6/10 if it hadn't been hyped to them as being so earth shattering brilliant. If they had a mate who said "you should watch The Wire, it's a bit slow in parts but it is fairly good" as opposed to the more usual approach- someone going on some waffle about how it is the defining event of the 21st century American socio- political zeitgeist.

Jawgap · 06-03-2014 07:42AM

No doubt there's tons of good stuff on the television, but there's loads of rubbish too.....

in the past we've had

Threads - scared the sh1t out of me!!
The West Wing (first four series - pure gold)
Sopranos
I, Claudius
Hill Street Blues (looks incredibly dated now, but at the time it was pretty good) - but something like that led to......NYPD Blue.......the Shield.....then
......The Wire

Honourable mentions....
X-Files (the first couple of series)
Band of Brothers
Rome
St Elsewhere (before there was ER)
Babylon 5
Battlestar Galactica (the remake, not the original)

First few series of Miami Vice!

snausages · 06-03-2014 11:31AM

Sunglasses Ron wrote: »

It isn't a bad programme by any means, but it certainly does lack depth. The sum of any great drama is the characters, and the main failure with The Wire is that, aside from McNulty and Kima, relatively few characters have any sort of "background", any level of intriguing personal depth. We know zero, zilch, about who they are, their family, upbringing, how and why they ended up a cop, a gangster, a junkie. It just makes you less interested in whether they live or die, really.

I've always believed that the main 'character' of The Wire is the city of Baltimore itself.

Elmo · 06-03-2014 11:41AM

I disagree we just forget how good drama were in the past:-.

1980s

- Hill Street Blue (Created the Arc in episodic Police Dramas)
- Cagney & Lacey (Strong Female Caracters dealing with a range of issues rarely spoken about including rape, child abuse, homelessness, drug abuse etc).

1990s

- ER (Allowing TV be some what gritty)
- NYPD Blue (not my favourite but they got to say BITCH)
- The X-Files, Millennium, American Gothic
- The Practice (Court Room Drama)
- Freeks and Geeks

There are probably more, but with all of the great dramas currently airing we still have

- Grey's Anatomy
- Desperate Housewives
- Private Practice
- Glee
- Revenge
- Any US network drama with the exception of "The Good Wife".

Oh and lets face it intros just aren't the same

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PIfuaUTH9Y4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T5a8Bkl3gks

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2rUYZpNh1P4

FourFourRED · 06-03-2014 12:44PM

The only time I watch the television anymore is for live sport. Everything else comes from the web or old box sets (The Wire, The Sopranos, The West Wing).

Shows like Breaking Bad, House of Cards, True Detective, The Newsroom, & Game of Thrones are far superior to stuff shown on our Saorview channels (Homeland is a great one that RTE show but I catch that online anyway).

I also like to catch the latest episodes of The Big Bang Theory, Two and a Half Men, How I Met Your Mother, Family Guy, New Girl & others straight from the US too. Obviously not in the same category but good for light comic relief watching all the same.

One show that I cannot get into is The Walking Dead though. Don't enjoy it one bit.

swimming in a sea · 06-03-2014 12:49PM

I'm watching Luther on Netflix, I think its brilliant Show

gugleguy · 08-03-2014 04:02PM

In the context of Irish Drama
LOVE/HATE : BAR NONE the best we've had.

Fair City: Thank f*ck the place is fictional. Imagine the kind of shyte selfies and videos such characters would put up on facebook and youtube in real life.

Do you agree that TV dramas are the best they have ever been today?

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