So in the last 2 decades of TV what'd I miss?

[Hoax]

So I used to watch lots of anime, but I've seen most of the good stuff and I finally got around to picking up a TV show I'd always meant to watch but didn't.  I snagged the first season of Veronica Mars and its not good stuff but its pretty perfect for, back from work, too tired to even play games just want to turn off brain for one hour and hear good story while drinking post work b33rs.

I guess what I'm looking for here are recommendations on other shows.  I've literally almost never watched TV.  I wasn't allowed to as a young child and outside of ST:TNG I never did.  In HS I watched some comedy/sitcom crap and Simpson's in the backround while being a gamer.  As an adult.  Nothing.  Except Entourage, Oz, Buffy, Over There and The Shield + various docs, discovery channel and things I watched with gf's.

So, what have I missed?  I don't need anyone saying "everything on HBO" I know I need to watch BSG, I will, someday, I've seen the first 2.5 seasons, but I sort of lost track of it.  So I'm stuck in that don't want to watch everything over again, but don't want to pick it up where I left off having forgot some of the key details limbo.  What are the sort of fun, sort of corny, but quality entertainment shows that I should have seen?

I'd read the TV thread but fuck me that thing is a monster.  Did smallville stay good?  The first season was bad but Kristen Kruek (sp?) is so insanely hot and it seems like it could have been cool once it became something more then, random HS student turns into mutant via kryptonite and gets defeated by the end of the ep.

Beyond Smallville, and possibly Firefly which I saw a few episodes of and thought it was meh, good show but god that opening song sucks balls.  Also having seen Cowboy Bebop it is up against very stiff competition if its going to try so hard to be a space western.  I have no idea where to even start.

Thx f13.

[craan]

Well, I watch Reno 911! episodes for silly laughs.

Oh, and Mythbusters is relaxing+interesting.  I really like watching food or building shows that walk through constructing something.  Ace of Cakes and Alton Brown's Good Eats series are win.

[schild]

Skip Reno 911 if you've seen taht much TV. Go straight to the source, The State. DVDs should eventually be available. I'm sure the show can be downloaded from somewhere. My TV folders look like this:

No Reservations seasons 1-5
In Treatment
Andromeda Strain (the new miniseries)
A Cook's Tour
Californication
Jpod
Life on Mars (UK and US)
Weeds
Pushing Daisies
Dead Like Me
Roswell
Chuck
Boston Legal
Iron Chef
Love Monkey
The Tudors
Top Chef
It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia

I'm sure I'm missing some. Most of this is recent.

[stray]

Smallville actually has stayed pretty good. There are filler episodes and shit, and that's been hit and miss -- but it always gets back on track. Next season, the Green Arrow is becoming part of the main cast -- so I suppose they're finally moving more into Justice League territory.

Angel's pretty good in the same way.

Rome and Californication are short and excellent.

Three Sheets. Fuck cooking shows.

[Sky]

Deadwood

[Rasix]

Network:
The Office
30 Rock
Lost
Veronica Mars
Firefly
Wonderfalls
Heroes
Gilmore Girls
Buffy
Angel
Bones
Pushing Daisies
Arrested Development
Batman: The Animated Series
24 (first couple of seasons aren't terrible)

Cable:
Battlestar Galactica
Farscape (warning: first season is pretty bad)

HBO:
Sopranos
Deadwood
Big Love
Rome
Six Feet Under
Flight of the Conchords
Curb Your Enthusiasm

Showtime:
Weeds
The Tudors
Dexter
Califonication

Cooking/eating:
Iron Chef
Good Eats
No Reservations

History:
The States
The Revolution


Stuff I've watched that's worth missing:
CSI: any variety
Law and Order: any variety
Dawson's Creek (I got addicted, OK?)

All I can think of, at the moment.

[Ookii]

Shows that are Over

Cream of the Crop:
Sports Night (Marathon this with a friend and nobody will be able to keep up with what you're saying)
Twin Peaks
Life on Mars (FUCKING BRITISH VERSION BITCHES)
The Wire

Others:
Alias (pointless unless you watch to the very end)
Firefly (Cancelled)
Love Monkey (Cancelled)
The Knights of Prosperity (Cancelled)
The Dresden Files (Cancelled)
Raines (Cancelled)
Lost Room (Mini-Series)
Studio 60 (Cancelled)
Six Degrees (Cancelled)
Tenacious D
Chapelle's Show
Dead Like Me (Cancelled)
Arrested Development (Marathon)

Cartoons:
Boondocks
Clerks (Cancelled)

Shows that are still going:

Cream of the Crop:
Boston Legal
House
Heroes

Others:
BSG (Only if you can marathon the last two seasons, I wish I could)
Lost (Marathon season 3)
Greys Anatomy
Dirty Sexy Money (three Peter Krause shows listed so far, 4 if you count me recommending Six Feet Under SEASON 1 ONLY and the Series Finale episode)
Californication
Weeds
Chuck
Reaper (ONLY AFTER watching Twin Peaks)
Pushing Daises (May not be your thing)
Big Love
Eureka
Scrubs (Beware of Season 7, bleh)
The Office

If you're REALLY fucking bored:
Daybreak
Painkiller Jane

I probably missed a bunch, but you can always go to:

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

It has freaking everything with links to their Wiki Pages!  Oh and beware of things that say Cancelled, as they might be only a season or less.

[Signe]

I'm beginning to think that with some series like Weeds, Big Love, Californication, Dexter, and others that are on channels that you wouldn't normally subscribe to or if you're just plain bad at remembering to record, it's not a bad idea to just watch each season on DvD and forgo the whole nightly TV rut.  I've been good with Dexter but nearly everything else I've missed several episodes and some whole seasons.  I didn't even KNOW about Weeds until the second season began.  You can even rent whole seasons from DvD subscription places if you're not interested in owning. 

[Rasix]

Getting caught up with Weeds was one of my primary reasons to sign up for Netflicks. 

[stray]

I get my tv shows delivered through "tubes".

[Merusk]

I find it funny that he said "2 decades" and most stuff listed is from the last 5-8 years.

Really though? Nothing.  If you've gone this long without watching it, there's no reason to go back and view any of it.  My real question is, "why are you asking now, after all this time?"

And just because, I'll add a few to the list from the 80's and 90's

X-file's first 3 seasons
Babylon-5
Red Dwarf
The Kids in the Hall
MST3k
The Cosby Show
Seinfeld (Pick and choose from the 'most popular' episodes. I think it was a hit-or-miss show.)
Married... With Children (also pick and choose, and only from the early seasons, but some bits are just classic)
Fraiser (again, the early seasons.)
Wings (screw you I loved wings!)

Oh, and nobody's mentioned Monk yet.  Newish but entertaining and he's a great character. 

[Johny Cee]

Network:
The Office
30 Rock
Lost
Veronica Mars
Firefly
Wonderfalls
Heroes
Gilmore Girls
Buffy
Angel
Bones
Pushing Daisies
Arrested Development
Batman: The Animated Series
24 (first couple of seasons aren't terrible)

Cable:
Battlestar Galactica
Farscape (warning: first season is pretty bad)

HBO:
Sopranos
Deadwood
Big Love
Rome
Six Feet Under
Flight of the Conchords
Curb Your Enthusiasm

Showtime:
Weeds
The Tudors
Dexter
Califonication

Cooking/eating:
Iron Chef
Good Eats
No Reservations

History:
The States
The Revolution


Stuff I've watched that's worth missing:
CSI: any variety
Law and Order: any variety
Dawson's Creek (I got addicted, OK?)

All I can think of, at the moment.

What Rasix said is a pretty good start.  For Network I'd add:

Scrubs (on Comedy Central all the time)
Newsradio (Phil Hartman, Dave Foley show from the '90s with a pretty good all around cast)

Showtime:
Dead Like Me

Cable:
Rescue Me (first 3 seasons are great, great fucked up TV)
Chapelle Show


Animated/Cartoon Network/Adult Swim:

Justice League (the '90s Superman and Batman shows are pretty solid as well)
Robot Chicken
Venture Brothers (soooo good)
Metalocolypse

[Merusk]

Venture Brothers (soooo good)

VB is good on its own now... but you REALLLY had to grow-up watching Johnny Quest and the other "Boy Adventurer" cartoons to get some of the early jokes. My wife and my brother, for example, don't get why it's so funny.

[Johny Cee]

I find it funny that he said "2 decades" and most stuff listed is from the last 5-8 years.

Really though? Nothing.  If you've gone this long without watching it, there's no reason to go back and view any of it.  My real question is, "why are you asking now, after all this time?"

And just because, I'll add a few to the list from the 80's and 90's

X-file's first 3 seasons
Babylon-5
Red Dwarf
The Kids in the Hall
MST3k
The Cosby Show
Seinfeld (Pick and choose from the 'most popular' episodes. I think it was a hit-or-miss show.)
Married... With Children (also pick and choose, and only from the early seasons, but some bits are just classic)
Fraiser (again, the early seasons.)
Wings (screw you I loved wings!)

Oh, and nobody's mentioned Monk yet.  Newish but entertaining and he's a great character. 

Shit ages fast, and not a lot of things can stay fresh for an extended period of time.

At this point,  I'd hesitate to recommend something like Chapelle Show.  Fucking awesome at the time, but at this point everything he did is massively played out or has been incorporated into conventional humor.  I'd say the same for Seinfeld.

Another great example is Mike Meyers stuff on SNL:  I loved it in '91, but now its just lame because he's been doing that shtick for 20 years.


You can tell the shows that do manage to capture a bit of that timeless quality,  because they're still around and still watched.  Law & Order and the Simpsons being the best examples from the last 20 years, but things like the original Star Trek (had that old school "big theme" scifi thing going on) or MASH are others.

[Signe]

I don't think there is a time of day when you can't find a Law and Order or CSI episode of some variety on TV.  Things like The Simpsons, Scrubs, etc. seem to be on a lot, too.  If you have Comcast On Demand they often repeat whole seasons of shows such as Weeds, The Tudors, Deadwood, etc.  That's how I ended up seeing Six Feet Under and The Sopranos.  Other channels, like SciFi, do that, too.  I'm definitely renting some of the cable series seasons this year. 

[Nebu]

Did noone mention South Park?   

[Hoax]

I find it funny that he said "2 decades" and most stuff listed is from the last 5-8 years.

Really though? Nothing.  If you've gone this long without watching it, there's no reason to go back and view any of it.  My real question is, "why are you asking now, after all this time?"

Honestly, because my interest in games has been dying for quite some time.  For awhile I just ate up all sorts of cartoons, anime and otherwise, but I've exhausted most of the good stuff some time ago.  I loved TF2 to death but I still stopped playing it.  I didn't even buy Q4.  I'm enjoying EVE but not really playing it too often.  I guess you are right.  Fuck TV but when I think about it, I've just been watching anime or playing games instead.  I'm aware of pretty much everything people are listing but this will be very helpful in just picking a few shows to slowly work my way through.  I'm not going to go on some kind of binge and try to watch em all or anything like that.  I still haven't become one of those people who when they get home from work they want to sit down to more work and on weekdays that leaves me with some hours to kill, even when I do make dinner.  Keep in mind, I'm not watching anything on the tv    I've found myself browsing f13 from home.  That is a sure sign I'm bored as hell.

[Hawkbit]

I'll plug Eureka on Sci-fi.  Nothing better than nerd humor. 

Honestly though, unless you've got a condition that won't allow you to go outside, find something else to do.  I DVR Eureka, Xfiles reruns and I watch House occasionally.  Most of the time I'm gaming or playing with my daughter. 

[Engels]

The Wire.

That is all.

[MrHat]

The Wire.

That is all.

I'd save this for when you're done watching the other shows.

Because seriously.

The Wire.

[Velorath]

Don't have much to add except that Spaced comes out on DVD in the U.S. on July 22nd.

[Lt.Dan]

TV series I own on DVD (many already mentioned)

- West Wing
- Firefly
- Deadwood
- BSG
- Red Dwarf (just ticked over to its 20th anniversary - god I feel old)
- Various Doctor Who episodes
- Studio 60 (for Aaron Sorkin writing, Matt Perry and Josh Lineman (or whatever his real name is) not so much)
- Seinfield (mainly because I get all sentimental about living in NY - yeah, yeah I know it's filmed in LA)
- Futurama

[Samwise]

The Wire.

I'm not allowed to watch The Wire any more because whenever someone actually refers to The Wire on the show, I feel compelled to go "BUM BUM BUUUUMMMMMM" to highlight the drama of the moment.  Apparently this spoils the mood.

The Wire is serious goddamn business.

[lamaros]

I rewatched Twin Peaks earlier this year. Still great.

Only watch up to halfway through season two though. Once everthing is solved it gets shit.

I'd also support the nod for Arrested Development and Boston Legal. Though Boston Legal can get a bit eh after a while.

Watch The Office, UK version.

[Soukyan]

Six Feet Under

But you can watch that on DVD, so I'd say forget the TV and just rent some of the ones suggested. Live television is just not worth the time anymore, IMO. Better to skip most of the cruft.

[Viin]

Yah a lot of these you can get on DVD or from iTunes. Here's some I watch that are doing new seasons:

Psych (USA) (Season 3 starting this weekend)
Burn Notice (USA) (Season 2 starting this weekend)
Venture Brothers (Cartoon Network) (Season 3? just started)
Rome (HBO) (Donno when 3rd Season starts - may be canceled)
Entourage (HBO, but start at Season 2)

I'll second Six Feet Under as well, but I'd only watch the first 2 seasons - it's funky after that.

Shows that are over/canceled:

Band of Brothers (HBO)
Wonderfalls (FOX)
Firefly (FOX) (Just listing it again 'cause it's so great)
Arrested Development (FOX)
Freaks and Geeks (FOX)

And lots of other good stuff on other folk's lists.

[Johny Cee]

Venture Brothers (soooo good)

VB is good on its own now... but you REALLLY had to grow-up watching Johnny Quest and the other "Boy Adventurer" cartoons to get some of the early jokes. My wife and my brother, for example, don't get why it's so funny.

I disagree.  You must agree with me or I will show you what's in my Magic Murder Bag.

[FatuousTwat]

No one mentioned Carnivale? Oh man... Wish they hadn't canned it.

[Signe]

I wonder why Fox cancels so many shows that seem popular.

[FatuousTwat]

I wonder why Fox cancels so many shows that seem popular.

If you are talking about Carnivale, it was an HBO program.

Otherwise, I agree. They were the ones that canceled Family Guy (for a while at least), and look at how popular that was. On the other hand, what is with the Simpsons? That hasn't been good in years.

[MrHat]

Undeclared :)

[Signe]

I knew Carnivale was HBO.  I remember wanting to watch it and never did.  Another one for DvD rental, I guess. 

It just seems as if Fox has canceled a lot of shows that people seemed to rave about.  Arrested Development - which I found really funny, Futurama, Firefly, and those are only the ones I saw and liked.  They all seemed to get canceled before running any sort of natural course, too.

[Johny Cee]

I wonder why Fox cancels so many shows that seem popular.

If you are talking about Carnivale, it was an HBO program.

Otherwise, I agree. They were the ones that canceled Family Guy (for a while at least), and look at how popular that was. On the other hand, what is with the Simpsons? That hasn't been good in years.

Because no one watches those shows,  and they tend to be massively expensive to film(large ensemble casts, effects costs, etc)?

I give Fox credit: 

They seem to be the only major network that will give those shows a chance. The big three would prefer to give you police_procedurial_5213, sitcom_starring_comedian_3324, and hospital/lawyer_drama_11341.

[stray]

Uh, well... ABC has Lost and NBC has Heroes. Arguably the only two shows right now with feature film production quality.

Fox is getting better though...At least the Terminator series isn't canceled yet.

Greatest show they canceled was the Tick.

[Furiously]

The first few seasons of the shield were great.