Isn't Television GREAT Right Now?

[Ilmater]

Right now on TV, there are a number of good shows:

Heroes (has any show been this good right off the bat?)
24 (the best season so far)
Lost (finally starting to show promise again)
Friday Night Lights (talked about this in a separate thread, incredible TV)
Law & Order: SVU (I'm sorry, but Marissa H. is hot, she just is)
ER (was slow for years from what I hear, but lately has really been a powerful show)
The Office (funniest show on TV)
30 Rock (second funniest)
Rob & Big (I want to hate it, but how do you NOT laugh at that show)
Two and a Half Men (fourth funniest, too bad Heroes and 24 are on at the same time)
Sopranos (last season was slow, but the show as a whole is great, hope it ends well)
Entourage (hit its stride in season 2, and season 3 was even better)
Scrubs (this season is possibly the biggest drop-off of any TV series ever, barely made the list)

Don't watch, but should have made the list:
Battlestar Galactica
Grey's Anatomy
Prison Break
Weeds
Rome
Big Love

Didn't make my list:
Deadwood (too much cussing for me, and it's over now, but everyone I know loved it)
Studio 60 (I don't watch, but everyone says it is amazing, but it's getting canned)
My Name is Earl (started so strong, and now... god... just not funny any more)

I made this thread because someone in my FNL thread said that Studio 60 was "better than most of the other tripe on TV these days," and I think that's ridiculous. There is SO MUCH great TV out there right now, it's ridiculous. Heck, I barely even watch CBS, and supposedly they have the highest ratings, so they must have good shows as well.

So can we all stop throwing out the cliche "all TV other than the one show I love is crap, thank god for that one show" because it no longer applies.

Edit: that wording on the poll was bad, I fixed it now

 

[yllus]

You left off Battlestar Galactica and Weeds. I hear that How I Met Your Mother is great too.

 

[Ilmater]

Originally posted by: yllus
You left off Battlestar Galactica and Weeds. I hear that How I Met Your Mother is great too.

Fixed. Added a few others I don't watch but hear nothing but great things about.

 

[nakedfrog]

The only one of those I put in an effort to watch is Heroes.
I do like The Office, though, but I just DL it. Weeds is pretty good too.

 

[JeffreyLebowski]

Apparently it's so good that I don't even watch TV anymore aside from hockey, the History Channel, and Discovery

 

[RossMAN]

WTF where is Prison Break???

 

[mundane]

The Office and Lost are the only two we watch religiously, but do try to catch about half the others on your list.

 

[HannibalX]

TV sucks, I can't watch it, it makes my head hurt.

 

[MmmSkyscraper]

Originally posted by: Ilmater
Didn't make my list:
Deadwood (too much cussing for me, and it's over now, but everyone I know loved it)

Get over the language and watch some AMAZING television.

 

[Ilmater]

Originally posted by: JeffreyLebowski
Apparently it's so good that I don't even watch TV anymore aside from hockey, the History Channel, and Discovery

You're the dude. Do you even own a TV?

OK seriously, have you even tried any of these shows? I think people like you (and please don't take this the wrong way, I truly mean no offense) just have the idea in their head that most TV is crap so they don't watch. Or, maybe you just don't like fictional medium (TV, movies, fictional books, etc.)? Heck, my conservative, sheltered parents even like Friday Night Lights.

 

[Minjin]

Where's Grey's Anatomy?

2007 - Golden Globe Best Drama, Producer's Guild Best Drama, People's Choice Best Drama and plenty more...

 

[ElFenix]

24 showed us that it is possible that each show needn't be anywhere near self-contained. it makes for regular tv that is more like a season-long mini series.

 

[BrianH1]

American Idol?

 

[Accipiter22]

Originally posted by: Minjin
Where's Grey's Anatomy?

2007 - Golden Globe Best Drama, Producer's Guild Best Drama, People's Choice Best Drama and plenty more...

doesn't mean it isn't trash

 

[BudAshes]

Yeah there are lots of good tv shows on right now. I dont necessarily agree with everything on your list as im pretty picky about tv(like i can't stand that heroes show) but between The Office, Lost, 30 rock, Battlestar Galactica(although it sucks this season) i'm quite happy with tv.

 

[LS20]

I watch the Office every week. everything else is trash

 

[purbeast0]

i disagree. tv right now is actually slacking compared to last year at this time

monday - prison break and 24 both lost their touch and both aren't that exciting anymore
tuesday - no good fx show to watch
wednesday - 10pm LOST - best show on TV period.
thursday - survivor is back on but i am not sure about this season.

not to mention, your poll is the opposite of your topic question, and it made me vote for the wrong one.

 

[Ilmater]

Originally posted by: MmmSkyscraper

Originally posted by: Ilmater
Didn't make my list:
Deadwood (too much cussing for me, and it's over now, but everyone I know loved it)

Get over the language and watch some AMAZING television.

IRL, nobody loves cussing more than me. I just felt like the cussing in that show is forced. Like the writers sit in a room and say, "How many times can we work the words "cvnt" and "fvck" into this next scene?" Seriously. It's just over the top. Hell, my favorite comedy of all time is "The Big Lebowski," and I think they say fvck more in that movie (on a per-minute basis) than any other movie in history, but it doesn't seem forced.

I've tried 4 times to watch it, and twice I've had someone in the room that was a fan watching with me. Both times I said something to the effect of, "OK, so why did they just say 'cvnt' 5 times in that sentence," and they would answer, "Yeah, OK, I see what you're saying."

 

[Ilmater]

Originally posted by: Minjin
Where's Grey's Anatomy?

2007 - Golden Globe Best Drama, Producer's Guild Best Drama, People's Choice Best Drama and plenty more...

A woman's ER? Bah! OK, you're right, apparently it's good. I nearly bashed my face in watching one episode, but it's one of the biggest shows on TV right now, so something must be right with it.

Added.

 

[Ilmater]

Originally posted by: BrianH1
American Idol?

I'm excluding anything that's reality TV because I think the entire genre has questionable merit as "valid" TV/art form. If you can consider Big Lebowski or The Departed works of art, I think you could consider Friday Night Lights or Heroes works of art as well... even 30 Rock. But American Idol is just a popularity contest that's on TV. I leave game shows out as well.

 

[TecHNooB]

Seinfeld. It's still good!

 

[MmmSkyscraper]

Originally posted by: Ilmater
I've tried 4 times to watch it, and twice I've had someone in the room that was a fan watching with me. Both times I said something to the effect of, "OK, so why did they just say 'cvnt' 5 times in that sentence," and they would answer, "Yeah, OK, I see what you're saying."

Your friends suck

I have no problem with it. People spoke differently then and some of it is hilarious, especially in the delivery. It's a shame you're missing out. Gripping story lines, powerful characters and awesome acting.

 

[JeffreyLebowski]

Originally posted by: Ilmater

Originally posted by: JeffreyLebowski
Apparently it's so good that I don't even watch TV anymore aside from hockey, the History Channel, and Discovery

You're the dude. Do you even own a TV?

OK seriously, have you even tried any of these shows? I think people like you (and please don't take this the wrong way, I truly mean no offense) just have the idea in their head that most TV is crap so they don't watch. Or, maybe you just don't like fictional medium (TV, movies, fictional books, etc.)? Heck, my conservative, sheltered parents even like Friday Night Lights.

Maybe it's because my TV is from the early 90's and has a tinfoil wrapped coat hanger for an antenna???
My GF watches lots of TV. I've tried to watch Lost and Heroes but I can't sit still that long for these shows. I don't like them because the plots are so out there and ridiculous. Also they don't seem to be able to answer anything in an episode without only giving very vague answers and only bring up more "questions". I hate that. I guess I'm a product of Early 80's TV. I can sit down and watch Knight Rider, A-Team, Star Trek, shows that have a theme to it, but the whole plot is drug out slowly over an entire season or series. I like for each episode to be contained. I know why shows like 24, Lost, and Heroes where made the way they are. It's so you buy the DVDs because you have to watch them in order to understand the show.
She watches Weeds, the L word and various other "dramas" an dI can't stand the ones on cable at all. Are writers really so bad at making dialog that they have to interject, f*ck and it's derivatives every other word? I swear (a lot) but these TV shows make me look like a catholic nun. I can't even be in the room when she watches them.
I think the last show that was on that I lied was Firefly. It had a overall plot that was followed through the series, but each episode stood on it's own.

 

[Ilmater]

Originally posted by: purbeast0
i disagree. tv right now is actually slacking compared to last year at this time

monday - prison break and 24 both lost their touch and both aren't that exciting anymore

Are we watching the same show? A freaking nuke went off and now we know that the greater plan is to hit some seriously heavy targets in the US. How is that not exciting? I have heard Prison Break is down this season, but 24? C'mon.

tuesday - no good fx show to watch

FX had good programming? Yeah, there is nothing on TV on Tuesday night.

wednesday - 10pm LOST - best show on TV period.

Also FNL. Watch it. You'll love it.

thursday - survivor is back on but i am not sure about this season.

And The Office, and 30 Rock.

not to mention, your poll is the opposite of your topic question, and it made me vote for the wrong one.

Sorry about that, I noticed the wording was off, that's why I put in long descriptions.

 

[zeruty]

Um yeah so I watch ER(some earlier seasons were way better), Heroes, and Smallville(got stuck on it a couple of years ago, don't even really like it anymore but I watch it anyways...)
I catch CSI occasionally but can't stand CSI:NY or Miami...
My brother watches NCIS, but to me that show is a comedy... I laugh at every episode I see, so cheesy and lame....can't stand it.

I watched Surface and Invasion when they were on, they were pretty good shows.. but both got canned of course...
I get pretty damned sick of shows I like getting cancelled, so a lot of times I don't even start watching a show until its a couple of seasons in. I didn't watch Smallville til season 2, ER til season 10 (haha, got seasons 1-6 on dvd now though). And... Heroes better live up to the hype and deliver some good plot development or I'll be pissed...


If I wanted to get started on some of those other shows, what would you recommend? I don't want to bother with shows that will get cancelled, so which ones do you expect to stick around? And... I didn't/don't like friends, seinfeld, survivor, big brother, etc...