• Please read the Announcement concerning missing posts from 10/8/25-10/15/25.
  • This is a political forum that is non-biased/non-partisan and treats every person's position on topics equally. This debate forum is not aligned to any political party. In today's politics, many ideas are split between and even within all the political parties. Often we find ourselves agreeing on one platform but some topics break our mold. We are here to discuss them in a civil political debate. If this is your first visit to our political forums, be sure to check out the RULES. Registering for debate politics is necessary before posting. Register today to participate - it's free!

The "what shows are you watching and what do you recommend" thread

Probably most of them, if not all, have been mentioned before... but here goes my list:

Completed series:

Six Feet Under -- still my favorite!
The Sopranos
The Wire
Breaking Bad

Battlestar Galactica (2003) -- the reference if you're into SF
Cracker (the British original with Robbie Coltrane) -- a little older, from the 90s, but still really good
Dexter -- probably not quite as good as the other shows, but very entertaining


Still running:

House of Cards -- just amazing!
Game of Thrones -- maybe a little over-hyped, but not over-rated
The Walking Dead -- like Dexter probably not in the same league as the "premium" shows, but still very entertaining (at least since season 3)
Boardwalk Empire -- more or less a "Sopranos during prohibition in the 20s"
Borgen -- a Danish mix of "West Wing" and "House of Cards"

Doctor Who (the new 2005 series) -- my fix of harmless, family-friendly, self-ironic science-/genre-fiction. Love its awesome britishness. If you have no idea, it's stylistically maybe a mix of "Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" and "Buffy the Vampire Slayer"


I'm sure I missed some.
 
Oh yes, a few other shows I watched/am watching:

Rome (HBO/BBC) -- amazing historical entertainment. most impressive sets and very insightful
Band of Brothers (HBO) -- what's Rome for the Roman Empire is BoB for WW2
Unsere Mütter, unsere Väter ("Our mothers, our fathers") -- a more dramatic and less accurate German perspective-version of BoB
Big Love (HBO) -- series about a Mormon polygamous family, husband with three wifes. Interesting, but the first three seasons are a little slow and it only really picks up steam in the last two seasons
Nip/Tuck (F/X) -- Bitter satire on beauty freny and materialism. Attempts to copy the early premium shows but doesn't quite reach. Some really good ideas, but quite a few misses too
Sons of Anarchy (F/X) -- a romantized biker club meets Shakespeare references. Quite entertaining if you can stand that kind of subculture
Chris Carter's Millennium (FOX) -- just a 90s show, so it's not yet influenced by the "tv revolution" of the 00s. But IMO very good for a low-budget 90s free tv show, certainly better than the X-Files I like too (at least Millennium's first two seasons)
Carnivale (HBO) -- very atmospheric series set in a magic world of the 30s Midwest, about a circus, Free Masons and a war between good and evil. Unfortunately, it was cancelled after season 2 and thus has no appropriate ending
True Blood (HBO) -- the only vampire series I can *somewhat* tolerate. It starts strong, has many strong moments later too, but also wastes many opportunities and becomes rather mundane
Torchwood (BBC) -- a SF spin-off of Doctor Who. You can easily skip the first two seasons, which are real trash, but it makes a dramatic stylistic turn with season 3 and especially 4 is very good IMO

The only German show I'm watching occasionally is "Tatort" ("Crime Scene"), the sunday night ratings flagship of the major public channel. It's not really a series, but an anthology of 90 minute tv movies. Different German cities have a different separate cast, and they rotate every week. Very classic crime stuff, of extremely varying quality -- some is really old-school crime stuff, some is more action-oriented, some more comedy-oriented and so on. The quality of each movie is hit and miss, too. In general, German tv is hardly ever innovative, so the better episodes are more like a perfection of an old format at best (it exists since 1971).
 
I hate American television shows. I would like to see most of them banned. They are American capitalist propaganda. And programing.

Also, how much does the capitalist news media want to spend to promote Game of Thrones? Jesus. They are begging you to watch it. Even Obama promotes it.

I agree with China on American television. Most of it should be banned. It is degenerate.

edit- I watch more Fox News entertainment more than anything. I watch for the hot conservative chicks mostly. And the hot females arguing with each other over the issue of the day. To me watching a hot conservative chick argue with a hot liberal chick is very entertaining. This is what Fox delivers. It is almost like wrestling. Like watching the WWE Divas fight. Fox News entertainment is awesome. I cant imagine Game of Thrones is any better.
 
Last edited:
Gathomas88 said:
Just started House of Cards this evening. It seems pretty damn good so far.

I'm only like 20 minutes in and we've already had some absolutely epic lines. :lol:

You want me to say those three little words... One of which starts with "L."

Okay, okay. I'll say it.

Christina Gallagher... *looks deeply into her eyes* Lick my balls.

:lamo
Click to expand...

A South Carolina native that uses the term "Iced Tea?"

Laaaaaammmmeee.

It's "Sweet Tea," damnit! smiley-angry008.gif

:lol:
 
Last edited:
There are five shows I've watched all of recently: Breaking Bad, True Detective, Boardwalk Empire, The Sopranos, and Walking Dead.

The show I'm currently watching is Lost.

The two shows I tried to watch and couldn't get into: The Wire, Oz. Everybody says the Wire is great but I gave up after two episodes. It took at least half a season to get into the Sopranos. Breaking Bad, True Detective, Boardwalk Empire, and Walking Dead are all so awesome that you get into them immediately. Boardwalk Empire is my favorite but Walking Dead is a show that probably 90% of people would love. Oz is alright. I watched Orange is the New Black and I didn't like it but I had to watch the whole season because my girlfriend liked it.
 
spangledbanner said:
I hate American television shows. I would like to see most of them banned. They are American capitalist propaganda. And programing.
Click to expand...

Yes, Im sure the 24 hour marathon of Kim Jung Ill speeches on North Korean tv must be far more entertaining...
 
I have started a new series and I am hooked, I am not sure many people are even aware of it: Orphan Black.

I saw it flipping channels Saturday night (airs on BBC America 9:00 EST), and having previously saw mention of it in an article along the lines of "The best shows you are not aware of" decided to see what it was about. The article was spot on, so far it has been excellent.

Instead of starting mid stream (season 2 episode 2 currently) I downloaded season 1 and started watching that. As of last night I am 6 episodes in, and there are 6 episodes remaining for me to see until i get caught up to the episode that will air this Saturday.

Orphan Black (TV Series 2013)
 
Last edited:
True Blood
Once Upon a Time
Sleepy Hallow
 
The Americans
Fargo
Game of Thrones
Elementary
True Blood
At Midnight
Tosh.O
South Park
Sportscenter
Jeopardy
Big Bang Theory
Real Time with Bill Maher
Chicago PD
Anthony Bourdain Parts Unknown
Last Week Tonight with John Oliver
Real History of Science Fiction
Vice
Classic Boxing
Fox News/CBS/CNN
C-SPAN, 2 & 3

My DVR is always teetering around 100%.

8/20 I typically watch by myself, the rest are watched with my wife.
 
Last edited:
I am so anal about my DVR being full. Drives my kids nuts.

"Have you watched this?"
"Um.... yes."
"Then why didn't you delete it??!?!!"
"Um..... "


I usually try to stay as close to 100% clear as I can. I usually stay around 90%.
 
Superfly said:
I am so anal about my DVR being full. Drives my kids nuts.

"Have you watched this?"
"Um.... yes."
"Then why didn't you delete it??!?!!"
"Um..... "


I usually try to stay as close to 100% clear as I can. I usually stay around 90%.
Click to expand...

Yea... I'm pretty much the opposite. I practically horde data on all of my devices on the off chance that I might want to watch something again.

Don't look at me like that. I can delete any time I want! :lol:
 
Gathomas88 said:
Yea... I'm pretty much the opposite. I practically horde data on all of my devices on the off chance that I might want to watch something again.

Don't look at me like that. I can delete any time I want! :lol:
Click to expand...

I delete when I start running out of storage space, and since I have a relatively empty 1 Tb external along with ~500 Gb between my desktop computer, and my netbook "media center" I do not see any cleaning happening soon.

I have never had and probably never will have a DVR, that is completely unnecessary and redundant for me.
 
Gathomas88 said:
Yea... I'm pretty much the opposite. I practically horde data on all of my devices on the off chance that I might want to watch something again.

Don't look at me like that. I can delete any time I want! :lol:
Click to expand...

Good grief, I'd develop a twitch if I looked at your DVR. I am down to 86% and am freaking out, wondering what I could delete that no one would miss! :lol:
 
I don't watch very many TV shows. I tend to find movies I really like - and play them repeatedly while I ignore the TV screen and write stories. Or, I watch sports. I love Hockey and MMA.

Um...

Justified is the only ongoing show I tune into.

Frasier reruns.
 
Aunt Spiker said:
I don't watch very many TV shows. I tend to find movies I really like - and play them repeatedly while I ignore the TV screen and write stories. Or, I watch sports. I love Hockey and MMA.

Um...

Justified is the only ongoing show I tune into.

Frasier reruns.
Click to expand...

I do the same thing, but usually with TV shows, rather than movies. I'll find a rerun of some comedy I like (Scrubs or Futurama, for example), and just leave it on in the background while I work, surf the web, or play video games on my laptop.
 
Current Circulation:

Star Trek: Voyager
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Mad Men
True Detective
Wallander
Borgen
I, Claudius
Doc Martin
Treme
Game of Thrones
The Walking Dead
Hell on Wheels
Justified
Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown
House of Cards (both Brit and American)
Lilyhammer
Top Gear (Brit)
Boardwalk Empire

Soon:

Turn (AMC)
Bosch (Amazon)
Transparent (Amazon)
Silicon Valley (HBO)
 
Gathomas88 said:
Yea... I'm pretty much the opposite. I practically horde data on all of my devices on the off chance that I might want to watch something again.

Don't look at me like that. I can delete any time I want! :lol:
Click to expand...

I DVR things rarely, but it's nice to have the option. Now, my Netflix Instant account has been bombarded with hundreds of titles for years. I keep them in my list for some crazy hope that I will get through them all (many are documentaries), and of course I have about 600 blu-ray discs and 150 DVD's, so I'm filled to the brim with media. That being said, I don't know who it was, but there was someone on this forum that made me envious with film collections ;)
 
Thomas - remember the HD that I was using to transfer all my DVDs and Blurays to it, to make my movie server?

My DVD burner on my laptop crapped the bed after about 30 DVDs. :lol:

Now I am going to have to take my husband's laptop and use his.

He is not amused.
 
TV viewing habits have changed being I cut the cable 6 months ago and don't miss it at all... I do have access to HBOgo (thank god) through a family members subscription, I'd buy it directly if they'd let me.

Watch the Daily Show, also watch Bill Mahr, but he's kinda meh most of the time. The new John Oliver show on HBO looks like it has promise, I also like Vice.

Non newsy shows:

Game of Thrones
The Americans
Warehouse 13 (watched the first 4 seasons in a semi-marathonish run) Fun show, not too serious
Orphan Black (Bought this one as season 2 just started)
Downton Abby
Sherlock - love this show

And oh yeah, I watch The Voice and Survivor. :3oops:
 
Winchester said:
TV viewing habits have changed being I cut the cable 6 months ago and don't miss it at all... I do have access to HBOgo (thank god) through a family members subscription, I'd buy it directly if they'd let me.

Watch the Daily Show, also watch Bill Mahr, but he's kinda meh most of the time. The new John Oliver show on HBO looks like it has promise, I also like Vice.

Non newsy shows:

Game of Thrones
The Americans
Warehouse 13 (watched the first 4 seasons in a semi-marathonish run) Fun show, not too serious
Orphan Black (Bought this one as season 2 just started)
Downton Abby
Sherlock - love this show

And oh yeah, I watch The Voice and Survivor. :3oops:
Click to expand...

John Oliver - is he the guy who got on last week and was yelling, saying "EFF YOU" to Poptarts or something because they didn't have real fruit? That guy was kind of funny.
 
Superfly said:
John Oliver - is he the guy who got on last week and was yelling, saying "EFF YOU" to Poptarts or something because they didn't have real fruit? That guy was kind of funny.
Click to expand...

That's him, he's a Daily Show alumni.
 
Superfly said:
Thomas - remember the HD that I was using to transfer all my DVDs and Blurays to it, to make my movie server?

My DVD burner on my laptop crapped the bed after about 30 DVDs. :lol:

Now I am going to have to take my husband's laptop and use his.

He is not amused.
Click to expand...

I am not sure what kind of money you have to throw around, but either a flash drive or even better an external USB hard drive are not all that expensive. You can probably get a 1 Tb external HD for about $80 (I just did a very quick check at newegg). I actually see little need for a DVD drive/burner anymore - they are on the verge of becoming obsolete, so skip replacing that and buy some storage :)

Just for the sake of staying topical for this thread...

I reiterate my recommendation for Orphan Black, it has been a fantastic show with plenty of surprises and twists and turns. I finished watching season 1 last night (entire season in 6 days :roll:) I have not started season 2, but I think I am going to watch episodes 1 and 2 before 9:00 this evening (hopefully there will be some resolution to the season 1 finale cliffhanger), and I will be caught up and can watch episode 3 as it airs tonight.
 
marduc said:
I am not sure what kind of money you have to throw around, but either a flash drive or even better an external USB hard drive are not all that expensive. You can probably get a 1 Tb external HD for about $80 (I just did a very quick check at newegg). I actually see little need for a DVD drive/burner anymore - they are on the verge of becoming obsolete, so skip replacing that and buy some storage :)

Just for the sake of staying topical for this thread...

I reiterate my recommendation for Orphan Black, it has been a fantastic show with plenty of surprises and twists and turns. I finished watching season 1 last night (entire season in 6 days :roll:) I have not started season 2, but I think I am going to watch episodes 1 and 2 before 9:00 this evening (hopefully there will be some resolution to the season 1 finale cliffhanger), and I will be caught up and can watch episode 3 as it airs tonight.
Click to expand...

I found a 2T at Staples for like $65. I snatched it up because I knew what I wanted to do, and this is a perfect size for my standard def DVDs. I'd have to buy a different one for Bluray but this works for the rest.

Thanks!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom