Best tv show of the last 10 years or so.

[matrixman]

The Sopranos was mentioned as one of the possible best shows in television. Well, this brings up one of my quirky attitudes about certain things. The Sopranos never appealed to me because I generally don't care for entertainment that celebrates/romanticizes/glorifies the Mob. This is probably the same reason why The Godfather films leave me cold. (But I can enjoy The Untouchables, because it is about Elliot Ness going after the mob scum.)

So, yes, the Sopranos may very well be a great show, but I have no intention whatsoever of watching it.

However, bring that Tony Soprano guy to be grilled by the good people of Law & Order, and you've got an audience in me.

[sindatur]

comedy : Scrubs. for the balance between the surreal, the slapstick, the drama. (the only comedy I like)

the Shield is brilliant. Mackey is the most compelling character in a drama.

Homicide is the best ensamble.

Lost is the best Sci-Fi.

Rescue Me is also excellent.

Iron Chef is the best reality show.

Interesting. I would call LOST amongst the best of the ensembles (Can't speak to Homicide, never watched it). LOST has some SciFi elements (Possibly) but, they hide from the label, and claim everything will have a scientific (or Psuedo science) explanation, so, I'm not sure I could call it best SciFi. Certainly an awesome show that I never miss, but, the main thing they focus on is character and ensemble, and we can't be sure yet, how scifi or supernatural the elements really are that appear to be that way.

[Elfgirl]

Yes!! Lost!

Also (if not previously mentioned - too lazy to go back & check)
Firefly (even if it was cancelled - stupid network!)

Boston Legal rocks too.

[dlbpharmd]

Boston Legal rocks too.

Good call.

[iQuestor]

Battlestar Galactica!

Also Like:

House
Scrubs
Sopranos
Carnivale (Wish HBO would bring it back!)


Never saw:
Lost

[dlbpharmd]

Carnivale (Wish HBO would bring it back!)

Another good call.

[Cagliostro]

The Sopranos was mentioned as one of the possible best shows in television. Well, this brings up one of my quirky attitudes about certain things. The Sopranos never appealed to me because I generally don't care for entertainment that celebrates/romanticizes/glorifies the Mob. This is probably the same reason why The Godfather films leave me cold. (But I can enjoy The Untouchables, because it is about Elliot Ness going after the mob scum.)

Hear, hear! I couldn't agree more. I watched the Godfather films, and I mildly enjoyed them, but the did leave me cold. I don't see the appeal of these things. I sit there the entire time just wondering why someone would get into the mob. Yeah, you have power, but it is so fleeting. But the best mob movie is Johnny Dangerously. And he got out and was price stickering puppies.

And the same goes double for gang movies.

I do intend to see the Sopranos some day though, but I'm not expecting it will hold my interest much.

[Marv]

That would be a good thread! Best mob movie. I would go for Donnie Brasco.

[[Syl]]

I'd go for My Blue Heaven.

[danlo]

HaHa! <that's what we call Rio Rancho out here...that city has so many transplanted New Yorkers (and we don't really know what they do for a living)...that it must be that famous anonymous 'relocation' town )

[SoulQuest1970]

I am actually pleasantly surprised by "Kyle XY." I hadn't watched it, but my roommate caught the first episode two weekends ago before the season 2 premier and came in to tell me it was really quite good. There was a marathon happening so we saw the next 2 episodes. Then we went out shopping and I was so interested I bought the first season. I thought it would be a silly teenager kinda show, but it is really quite good.

[Edge]

I am actually pleasantly surprised by "Kyle XY." I hadn't watched it, but my roommate caught the first episode two weekends ago before the season 2 premier and came in to tell me it was really quite good. There was a marathon happening so we saw the next 2 episodes. Then we went out shopping and I was so interested I bought the first season. I thought it would be a silly teenager kinda show, but it is really quite good.

I enjoyed 'Kyle XY' - but at the same time, I couldn't help thinking it was a bit of a 'John Doe' ripoff - almost exact same premise and many similarities, right from the opening shot of the first episode. Speaking of which, I'm still peeved that JD got cancelled, and left the whole shebang unresolved!

No-one's mentioned Buffy? At its best, BTVS was brilliant and hugely influential - great writing, quirky humour, strong characters, and a great slant on the paranormal.

[lucimay]

my two favorites:

[Ki]

Lost...without a doubt. I never know what is going to happen next and that's what I love about it.

And Feb 08 seems forever away to wait for the next episode.

[Zarathustra]

iQuestor, I'm sure others have told you before, but you simply must watch Lost. I'd mail you my DVDs, but I can't live without them. Don't watch any out of order. Get the DVDs any way you can, start at season 1, ep.1, and sit back for a real treat. I envy the journey awaiting you, to actually see these for the first time without having to wait a week or many weeks between episodes. You still have time to watch the first two seasons before season three comes out on DVD, and then the 4th season starting in Feb08.

There are 48 episodes left. The end date for the whole thing is already set in stone. How many shows end like that? With that much certainty. They've already got it worked out--like a Donaldson book. This is going to end with the mother of all endings.

[SleeplessOne]

lots of great shows already mentioned, here's some of my faves ..

the League of Gentlemen - not to be confused with the dodgy effects-laden film starring Sean Connery - the League of Gentlemen was one of the funniest, blackest bbc comedies I've ever come across - written and performed by 3 brilliant gents (there's also a fourth non-performing writer amongst their troupe); Reece Shearsmith, Steve Pemberton and Mark Gatiss (Gatiss has written a few eps of the new Dr Who series apparently), the League of Gentlemen was set in the fictional town of Royston Vasey, and the 3 aforementioned gents played the vast majority of the towns bizarre inhabitants both male and female.
Some excellent make-up effects brought a grotesque dimension to the already freaky characters. The League of Gentlemen ran for 3 series, all equally superb. A movie was released a couple of years ago, but alas it was a bit of a dud - nonetheless, I couldn't recommend the tv version more highly; genius.
The format and even some of the characters were fairly blatantly cribbed by the poxy pale imitator 'Little Britain', which gained far more success by aiming for a lower common denominator ..

the Office (and Extras) - Ricky Gervais is just awesome; surely everyone on KW has already seen these two great comedies ..

Curb Your Enthusiasm - Larry David's non-p.c. shennanigans are endlessly entertaining to me; the guy has no shame

Carnivale - loved the first series of this stylish but short-lived HBO show

Six Feet Under - the first 3 seasons were amazing, some of the finest writing backed-up with sterling performances from the entire cast - probably the only 'drama' series I've ever truly loved

Dr Who - been watching the newer eps on dvd the past week or so, and I really love David Tenant's Dr ... contemporary and fun, while also matching the spirit of the original production

the Mighty Boosh - series one of this BBC comedy was one of the most delightfully original laugh-fests I've ever viewed; Julian Barrat and Noel Fielding are a classic odd couple ..

[emotional leper]

I know it's, erm, a bit more than a decade or so, but anyone remember Forever Knight?

[[Syl]]

Vaguely, EL.

Looking back, the question of Lost being SF came up a couple of times. How could there be any question? It's fiction, and major plot elements involve scientific devices and principles (the button, the EM thing, etc.).

[Cail]

7 years later, time to reassess as lots of the previously mentioned shows are more than 10 years old now.

- The Shield - Holy cow what a show.
- Battlestar Galactica - Suffered a bit from unevenness, but a masterpiece overall.
- Fringe - Great cast and writing.
- How I Met Your Mother - Redefined the multicamera sitcom.
- Louie - Funny and awkward, Louis CK is a profane Woody Allen.
-Arrested Development - What else needs to be said?

I'd love to place Breaking Bad into this list, but the ending was so horrifically bad that it colors my view of it.

[Cagliostro]

Wow...toughie. I'd have to say for me:

How I Met Your Mother - So very funny, and lots of rules broken. While I did honestly like the ending of it, it soured the taste just a bit.

Louie - Really enjoying on Netflix, and I wish they would keep the episodes coming.

Phineas And Ferb - Now that I'm forced to watch kids shows quite a bit, there are a heap of insipid dreck out there, but this one rises like cream to the surface. It may be a kids show, but the writing is clever enough to stand up to any of the more adult animated shows like the Simpsons and Family Guy. And I just found out this last weekend that my sister was a roomate with one of the creators of the show.

I'm having trouble coming up with something in the Drama category. I enjoyed Fringe, but often found it wildly uneven. Same with Dollhouse. Both shows, when good, were REALLY good.