With my mailbag diatribe about the final episode of "Lost" last week, I think I can officially move on from discussing the show.
And, coincidentally, I'm also just two episodes away from wrapping up my first full rewatch of "The Wire," which takes such an emotional toll on you as a viewer that it'll be a while before I can do it again.
So... now I need a new show to obsess over. Here are my requirements:
1.) Must be a show that I can rent early seasons on DVD to catch up on what I've missed.
2.) Must be a one-hour drama. As I've written before, I fully intend to add "Modern Family" to my watch list for Season 2, but a sitcom won't be enough to fill the void of "Lost."
3.) Must be a show I can watch current episodes of without having to purchase Showtime or Cinemax or some channel I don't really want.
4.) Must require some level of fan enthusiasm that will allow me to write about it on this blog to the extent that fans of the show will be happy and non-fans will have something new to complain about, since I'm no longer writing about "Lost."
5.) My preference would be a show that is still airing new episodes rather than one I need to fully catch up with on DVD, but I'm negotiable on that.
So I'm taking suggestions now. My early thoughts would be: "Breaking Bad," "Sons of Anarchy," "The Shield," "Mad Men" or "Rescue Me." But I'm open to other possibilities as well.
OK, just a handful of links today after a rather light weekend of Georgia talk...
-- Well, it was a good run, but Georgia's quest for a women's college world series title came to an end against UCLA yesterday. Still, they lasted one day longer than Florida did.
-- Like many of you, The Chapel Bell isn't buying those spring combine numbers coming out of Georgia. As evidence, he offers that Georgia had a time at each position that would have been the best at this year's NFL combine -- and usually by a pretty wide margin.
-- About Them Dawgs has some great historical perspective on "The Game" played between Georgia and Auburn in 1971.
-- Today's MLB draft could have a major impact on Georgia's quest to improve on the mound next year. It could also have a big impact on Georgia Tech's football recruiting.
-- ESPN has Georgia slotted eighth in its early recruiting rankings.
-- I can only hope that Colorado State's latest commitment will eventually be cast in "Stone Cold 2" -- a sequel we've waited far too long to see.
-- Dan Wetzel wants to tie the latest expansion rumors to the lack of a football playoff, and I just don't see how the two are related. This is all about TV revenue and a conference championship game.
-- And speaking of TV revenue, the Leather Helmet Blog looks at how the SEC's contract with ESPN gives its members a lot of flexibility in adding to their multimedia revenue by selling their local broadcast rights.
Specifics when it came to expansion weren't discussed much in Destin last week, and Mike Slive did his best to downplay the SEC's role in expansion to this point, but... don't think for a second that the SEC wasn't getting its ducks in a row. The news of the huge revenue boost the league got from its ESPN deal and the repeated mentions of those local TV rights packages were meant to send a message.
And Matt Hinton agrees:
"The Longhorns have a much better chance of launching an all-Texas television network in the Big 12 than in the Big Ten, which already has a network UT would be required to buy into, or the Pac-10, which seems to be hell-bent on launching its own on the Big Ten model. (SEC commissioner Mike Slive, who seems to have more interest in Texas than Texas has in the SEC, has repeatedly emphasized the freedom SEC schools have to pursue their own media rights deals outside of the league-wide contracts with CBS and ESPN, an open invitation to the Longhorns."
-- Yahoo! has an interesting behind-the-scenes look at the life of the writers on "Parks and Recreation."
-- I'm shocked that anyone could possibly still care enough about "Flash Forward" to put this much effort into saving the show.
-- And finally, it's hard to believe that it's been 25 years since we were first introduced to the Truffle Shuffle.
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22 comments:
I have seen all episodes of "breaking bad", "the shield", and "rescue me". The shield is the only one that is not ongoing at this moment. Breaking Bad has about 2 episodes or so left for this season, and rescue me is just about to start up for a new season. I think breaking bad is awesome, but I have to say that if you love the wire, you will like the shield for sure. Vic Mackey is one of the best characters in TV history. Rescue Me is good as well, but the storylines tend to blur a bit.
One problem is that, none will replace the "mystery" aspect of Lost. But I got hooked on Sons and the Shield (when they brought in Forrest Whitakker). Neither is bad. Both very similar as both are FX series. Both look at good vs. bad but from different sides of the law. Rescue me is FX too, but its a different type - more dramedy than Sons or Shield. Agreed with Mike about Rescue Me, its good for a season, but then the episodes are all the same basic idea. Seems that at least Sons and Shield can go in some new directions with their storylines.
Sons of Anarchy is the best option for the criteria you listed. But, unlike Lost the season run times are smaller, much more like The Wire in number of episodes.
And since you are doing The Wire (from HBO) check out Big Love. I didn't think I'd like it but the premise is good, strange carachters invloving and the never ending threat of exposure keep me comming back for more.
Skip Mad Men. Tried it, read all the hype, got into it for a while but it is not very involving and caused me to loose intrest. I dunno mabe I should try a different season.
Here is one that is off air, I avoided it, but got drawn in when my wife got a season of it on DVD from NetFlix. Dirty Sexy Money.
by the way, that link you have for Scouts rank of the early recruiting is for 2010 with 19 signees... not this season.
I'd encourage you to watch The Shield. It isn't current, but it was a heck of a show.
Sex and the City (still ongoing if you count the fact that they're making movies, so sorta meets your criteria. Also, even though only 30 minute episodes, plenty of drama queen action packed into that half hour). Or Grey's Anatomy. You'll have mystery galore...the mystery of wondering how in the world this show gets renewed every season. For added torture, thrown in the spinoff "Private Practice". Preachy, yet unwatchable.
You will enjoy The Shield only if you can accept a lead character with no redeeming qualities and a willingness to lower himself to the same amoral behavior as the perps he pursues (murder, theft, extortion, drug-tricking, etc.).
Other than that, Vick's a really sunny guy.
"trafficking"
Jeez.
David,
My roomates introduced me to Sons of Anarchy last fall. It's one of the best shows I've ever watched. I watched season 2 and immediately bought season 1 on blu-ray.
Highly recommended.
Rescue Me, Rescue Me, Rescue Me! My favorite show on TV since it began. I dont bog myself down with too many TV shows, so I have never seen Shield, Breaking Bad, or Sons. I have watched Mad Men and I think Rescue Me is better. And the sountrack is always great too. I find myself downloading a lot of songs I hear during episodes.Cant wait for the summer season.
Let me start of by saying I absolutely "Mad Men." You have a main character with an air of mystery about him in Don Draper, a smart plot that gradually draws you in, and a cast that includes January Jones and Christina Hendricks. There isn't much to not like.
That being said, most of the "action" takes place at the psychological level, and this would make it very difficult to write about in a way that allows the reader to fully appreciate the depth of a particular episode. I recommend "Breaking Bad." The characters are every bit as complex as they are in "Mad Men," but you also have shootouts and explosions.
Mad Men is the best show on television now. I am a big fan of Rescue Me and Sons of Anarchy, but Mad Men takes the cake. Rescue Me is an excellent example of what every dramedy should aspire to be. When it is funny, it is really funny and when it is dramatic, it can be heart-wrenching. Sons of Anarchy is more action packed; it has less humor, but still contains some. Sons of Anarchy has fulfilled the lack of organized crime fiction that exists in my life since The Sopranos and The Wire aren't running anymore. That being said, I stick with my original statement that Mad Men is the best show on televsion. It has a classic anti-hero who you can't help but root for while cringing over his morals. The show does seem to move slowly; however, once you get to the end of an episode you can't wait to watch the next one, which can be a bummer once you catch up and have to wait an entire week for the next episode. The fact that it is set in the 1960s really adds a nice nostalgia dynamic to the show. Check it out. All three shows are good though.
My votes would be both Mad Men and Breaking Bad...you will not be disappointed in either.
Justified and Fringe are both very good IMO. Fringe is probably the closest to Lost on TV today.
You can't go wrong with Justified or Sons. Justified is definitely my favorite new show. Burn Notice is also good, but has tailed off a little recently. I would also recommend White Collar.
My vote would be for The Shield. Out of Breaking Bad, Sons of Anarchy, and The Shield I say it's definitely the best. If it already being off air turns you off though, you absolutely can't go wrong with Breaking Bad. I find it incredibly captivating the way that show is put together. I may be holding The Shield in a higher regard solely because of the nostalgia factor really..also very important: it may have changed since I rented the DVDs 3 years ago, but The Shield WAS NOT in anamorphic DVD format. Which means it was basically a stretched standard image on my HDTV. Which you may know looks like crap. So that's something to look into as well..but it speaks to how good the show was that that didn't turn me off of it.
I know you said you need to avoid the premium channel shows but everyone owes it to themselves to watch Dexter. One of the best shows out there, one of the shows I look forward to the most.
I've heard good things about Six Feet Under but haven't seen it. I'm trying to decide between that and Rescue Me for the next show I watch. Judging by these comments, I might steer clear of Rescue Me for a while..
Oh, and I thought Alias was awesome. JJ Abrams' first hit so you can't go wrong with that. Went off air in 2004 I think but damn, what a good show. I could go all day with recommendations.
Dan,
You really should give Rescue Me a look. After all, what's the cost of a season from Netflix?
It's a tweaked spin-off of The Job, one of the greatest, short-lived network shows ever.
The first seasons are pretty astounding, especially given the TV landscape at the time.
Interestingly, the guy who recommended to me, an AA member, stopped watching when Tommy started drinking again. But I think it's as good as ever.
eh...I probably will seeing as how there's no other shows worth a crap available for Instant Play. I'll probably watch Rescue Me on Instant and have Six Feet Under DVDs come through the mail.
I suggest Mad Men...I HATE hour long dramas and watch maybe 3 shows on TV, but I love this show. The sets are amazing and the storylines keep you coming back. I caught up via Comcast on demand (I think season 1 is on there right now, actually...I watched episode 1 last week b/c I had never seen it).
Even though it is no longer on the air, IMO, The Shield is the best TV series I have ever had the pleasure to watch. It's one of the very few shows I've watched that truly deliver with each episode 99% of the time. The acting and character development throughout the 7 completely serialized seasons are unrivaled with most of televison. Also, I can promise you from the get go that the series finale is absolutely fantastic. Shawn Ryan pretty much wrote the book on series finales with this one, something even Lost's Carlton and Damon alluded to in an interview back before the final season of Lost began. Overall, it is a very well-written show, with an awesome ensemble cast, amazing special guest performances(Forrest Whittaker in particular), and 7 seasons of gritty, intense entertainment. I seen the entire series twice and it more than holds up with a second viewing. With The Shield, you can rest assured that both the journey and the ending are well worth it.
Sons of Anarchy Season 1 was so-so, kind of mediocre.
Sons of Anarchy Season 2 was awesome. Henry Rollins as a white power neo-nazi. Can't beat that!
Given your criteria, "Breaking Bad" is probably the best bet. It is one of the best written shows on TV and will keep you guessing on what they'll do next.
"The Shield" is my favorite--and you can decide after just the very first episode if it is going to be a show you like. The only catch is it may be too close to "The Wire" to separate. It had 7 seasons and every one is rated 4.5 on Netflix.
If you just want a great show to enjoy. Pick up "Veronica Mars" on DVD. There were only 3 season, but it was very good TV. But has been off the air for a while.
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