recommend me a tv show!

[LeChuck]

My friend and I like to have a show to watch rather than movies so we can do something when we only have a little bit of time. We went through both Cowboy Bebop and Firefly. We wanted to watch something else, but neither actually watch TV and are not really sure what is worth watching. I am sure that there are threads for this kind of thing, but I am too damn lazy to look. What are your favourite TV shows that shouldn't be missed. Preferably only one season long so we are not stuck with it forever. Thanks guys.

[MooglePorn]

If you liked the dialogue and tone in Firefly, I would suggest Whedon's other shows, Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel the Hunky Vampire. Both of those lasted much more than one season though... but of course you realize 95% of shows that are good have as well.

The best short-run good show I can think of is Twin Peaks, with one and a half seasons, or My So Called Life, with one season.

[SilentBob]

Well i like the Angle and Buffy recommendations for you and i would have to add

Dead Like Me which lasted 2 seasons only but should still be on tv
Carnivale again 2 seasons only. Season 1 is out with Season 2 coming in Mid July
Veronica Mars Well its coming back for a 3rd season. Season 1 is out on dvd and S2 is coming in Mid August. I haven't seen it but Joss Whedon and Kevin Smith are addicted to the series and so are the 3 people i have lent my series too.
Invader Zim Short lived cartoon series that is just funny as hell (i love GIR) but maybe a bit creepy for a kids show

and this is a long shot because its a Canadian series but my dark horse series is:

Puppets Who Kill Well its what the title says. A show about puppets living at a half-way house trying to rejoin society. Takes place in Toronto and interacts with real people and the puppets are seen as normal beings really. Ones a sex addict, ones a comfort doll, ones a chain smoking leader, and the last is just plain nuts. They swear, cheat, steal, have affairs with strangers and kill. . . oh and these puppeteers work on Sesame Street and Fraggle Rock.

[Astrakan]

The Shield is an awesome cop show, but it's still on the air in its fifth year (seasons 1-4 are out on DVD) so that might not meet your criteria of a short show. It's one of my favourite series right now though, so I had to throw it out there.

If you're into sci-fi, I can recommend the mini-series V and Taken. The former is from the eighties but I for one think its stood the test of time quite well. The latter is from a couple of years ago and is executive produced by Steven Spielberg.

KM

[Scourge]

Freaks & Geeks

edit: oh and Undeclared

[LeChuck]

I have been meaning to watch Twin Peaks. Are they available on DVD? They seem either out of print or something else. Did season 2 even make it out there? Also, I had actually been looking at V and am slightly confused. What is the difference between these:
V - The Original Miniseries
V - The Final Battle
V - The Complete Series

Are all three entirely different? Is the last one a new series or a compilation of everything? It seems interesting enough to try. Thanks guys!

[limacharliewhiskey]

Originally Posted by LeChuck

I have been meaning to watch Twin Peaks. Are they available on DVD? They seem either out of print or something else. Did season 2 even make it out there? Also, I had actually been looking at V and am slightly confused. What is the difference between these:
V - The Original Miniseries
V - The Final Battle
V - The Complete Series

Are all three entirely different? Is the last one a new series or a compilation of everything? It seems interesting enough to try. Thanks guys!

I believe they're all different. The first one is the first mini-series, which was hugely successful, and the story ended as sort of a cliffhanger. This was definitely one of the better TV mini-series I've seen and is worth watching again. It is very 1980s, though, so the special effects were indicative of their time, as were the costumes.

The 2nd one is the follow-up miniseries, which pretty much brought back most of the same characters, introduced a couple of new ones. Wraps up most of the storylines at its conclusion, and is very good. Probably the best one to watch.

The 3rd one is the TV series, which follows both mini-series. This was an attempt to make it a weekly network TV show, and this is where the quality of the show just started to fall apart. Some of the actors from both mini-series were brought back, with more new characters introduced, but I think it was too hard to have consistent quality writing each week to sustain the show. You can probably skip this. I thought this was the worst of the bunch.

If you're interested in mini-series, one of my favorites is Frank Herbert's Dune, the Sci-Fi Channel version which I found to be quite superior over David Lynch's theatrical version.

Also, I highly recommend the remake of the Battlestar Galactica series. My favorite show on TV right now. The US version of the Season 1 box set includes the mini-series in addition to the 13 episodes of Season 1.

[scottfs]

If you want an off-the-wall, short TV series, try PROFIT, a pre-Angel David Greenwalt project that aired on FOX in 1996 and was cancelled after about seven of its 11 or 12 episodes aired.

In short, it's about a guy who is a vice president in a corporation who will do ANYTHING to attain corporate power. It's a show that would have been perfect for a cable network, but sadly, it came along before cable networks started doing their own original series. It was too twisted and dark to survive on broadcast TV.

A very interesting show that you can pick up pretty cheap. Amazon.com has it for $22, but you may be able to find it even cheaper elsewhere online.

[ganthc]

odyssey 5 was really good.
dead like me was excellent
the british version of "the office" is hilarious.

[MARVEL]

I love Two and a Half Men. It's really the only show I keep up with. Quite funny I must say.

[Astrakan]

Originally Posted by MARVEL

I love Two and a Half Men. It's really the only show I keep up with. Quite funny I must say.

Really? You're the second person I've seen today that's said it's a good show. From the commercials it seems pretty damned gag-worthy. But I guess the show itself is better than those ads make it seem. I'm gonna have to watch it one of these nights.

KM

[ganthc]

Originally Posted by MARVEL

I love Two and a Half Men. It's really the only show I keep up with. Quite funny I must say.

"I understand."

probably the best episode i have EVER seen.

[LeChuck]

Has anyone seen the Edgar Wright/Simon Pegg british show Spaced? That sounds like it could be worth a viewing as I totally enjoyed Shaun of the Dead.

[leeving]

Originally Posted by Scourge

Freaks & Geeks

edit: oh and Undeclared

i second this.

[kama]

Wiseguy
Crime Story

[mtcarmel00]

"Thea"

[kimfair]

Originally Posted by LeChuck

Has anyone seen the Edgar Wright/Simon Pegg british show Spaced? That sounds like it could be worth a viewing as I totally enjoyed Shaun of the Dead.

Spaced is incredible. I have the region 2 complete 2 season set, and both my wife and I love it. Hilariously written, it's nearly perfect. I also second Profit, an awesome show, way ahead of it's time. As for TV shows on now, try House, 24, and Lost. All have previous seasons available on DVD.

[Pirate]

I second "Spaced." Awesome show!

And I'd like to add:

Veronica Mars
Wonder Falls
The West Wing
Scrubs
Coupling
Second Sight

[umainebearman]

Damn can't believe we've got this many posts into a "good tv shows" thread and no ones list the 2 best to come out in a couple years. Of course I'm just repeating myself on ths but.....

Battlestar Galactica

and the Fox show House. As of right now since BSG is on hiatus house is without questiong THE best show on tv. No ifs, ands, or buts about it.

[Reaver]

Originally Posted by SilentBob

Veronica Mars Well its coming back for a 3rd season. Season 1 is out on dvd and S2 is coming in Mid August. I haven't seen it but Joss Whedon and Kevin Smith are addicted to the series and so are the 3 people i have lent my series too.

I just got done watching the first season of Veronica Mars on DVD (Target had it for $22 and couldn't pass it up), and I loved it. Very much a spiritual successor to Buffy but more easily accessable and more down to earth. Kristin Bell, the lead, is head and shoulders above Sarah Michelle Geller in terms if acting chops, and she is damn cute too, so that alone makes it worthwhile, but the story is good too. Yeah, occasionally she's a bit too clever for her own good, and people being at just the right place at just the right moment to overhear something gets a bit old, but for the most part the show is spot on. I raced through the season in just a few days, which should show how much I enjoyed it given how many other things I have clamouring for my time.

Anyway, for a first season, it is a really good show that took no time at all in finding its center and getting off to a firm brisk start. Highly recommended.

[MooglePorn]

Originally Posted by Reaver

I just got done watching the first season of Veronica Mars on DVD (Target had it for $22 and couldn't pass it up), and I loved it.

Wow, I missed that sale or I would have been all over it. Certainly a show I've been meaning to pick up for a while now.

[Reaver]

Originally Posted by MooglePorn

Wow, I missed that sale or I would have been all over it. Certainly a show I've been meaning to pick up for a while now.

When I was in a few days ago it was still at that price, so you never know. Go check it out.

[MooglePorn]

Originally Posted by Reaver

When I was in a few days ago it was still at that price, so you never know. Go check it out.

Actually I just went shopping earlier to get the CSI seasons for cheap at Best Buy and I stopped in Target for a tooth brush (I'm wild and crazy like that) and looked at Mars. $44.99. I almost bought it for that price, too. One of those sets I keep putting off for some reason, reasons I can't even explain, because I know I would love it. Firefly is the same thing.

[Reaver]

Originally Posted by MooglePorn

Actually I just went shopping earlier to get the CSI seasons for cheap at Best Buy and I stopped in Target for a tooth brush (I'm wild and crazy like that) and looked at Mars. $44.99. I almost bought it for that price, too. One of those sets I keep putting off for some reason, reasons I can't even explain, because I know I would love it. Firefly is the same thing.

That's too bad. I go in once every week or so and check out all the season set prices now just to make sure I don't miss out on something good. Finding Veronica Mars at that price was like a gift from heaven.

[MooglePorn]

Originally Posted by Reaver

That's too bad. I go in once every week or so and check out all the season set prices now just to make sure I don't miss out on something good. Finding Veronica Mars at that price was like a gift from heaven.

Nicole Kidman naked in my bed would be a gift from heaven... Veronica Mars for $20 would be something on a lesser scale. But still awesome.

[Brikar99]

Originally Posted by umainebearman

Battlestar Galactica

DEFINITELY!!

I also second "Veronica Mars". Fantastic show. The season 2 finale is this week. Can't wait!

[Reaver]

Originally Posted by MooglePorn

Nicole Kidman naked in my bed would be a gift from heaven...

She's one of those women I classify as TOO beautiful. It's almost otherworldly. Because of that, she isn't someone I find attractive on a personal level. She should be a statue, not a person. Now Kate Beckinsale...

[limacharliewhiskey]

Originally Posted by umainebearman

Damn can't believe we've got this many posts into a "good tv shows" thread and no ones list the 2 best to come out in a couple years. Of course I'm just repeating myself on ths but.....

Battlestar Galactica

and the Fox show House. As of right now since BSG is on hiatus house is without questiong THE best show on tv. No ifs, ands, or buts about it.

You missed my post, #7, recommending BSG, but I didn't use bold letters like you.

The sale for the Veronica Mars boxset for $22.99 was the week of April 25-May 1. I tried to point it out in the weekly thread of the Best Buy/Circuit City/Target ads, but I guess not many of you noticed.

Best Buy, Circuit City & Target ads (04/23 - 04/29)

Other boxsets that were on sale for $22.99 were all the seasons for the Gilmore Girls, Nip/Tuck, One Tree Hill, and the West Wing.