TV

[andrewducker]

So.

Community season two finishes on the 13th
Desperate Housewives season 7 finishes on the 16th*
How I Met Your Mother season 6 finishes on the 17th
Big Bang Theory season four finishes on the 20th

and then all we have on is Game of Thrones and Doctor Who** until True Blood kicks off at the end of June.

I may end up reading a book if I'm not careful!

Anything I should be queuing up to replace them until they all restart again?

*More Julie's problem than mine, but there ya go.
**And of course that's only on for seven episodes before it takes a break until September!

Comments

[johnbobshaun.livejournal.com]

Hour long dramas:

Breaking Bad. Sons of Anarchy.

Half hour comedy:

Archer, Ugly Americans

[andrewducker]

I've heard good things about Breaking Bad and Sons of Anarchy. Not heard of the two comedies, but I'll give them a look.

[johnbobshaun.livejournal.com]

Ugly Americans is pretty good: has some great episodes and a fun concept but is pretty uneven. I adore Archer though: it's made me laugh more than any other show in recent memory.

Oh. And The Venture Bros. Venture Bros is *amazing* once you get past the first few episodes.

[andrewducker]

Venture Brothers! That was something I meant to pick up.

And with season one being £8 on Amazon... *click*

(Have you tried season one of Avatar yet? There's a Western episode in season two that I'm looking forward to you seeing...)

[johnbobshaun.livejournal.com]

Nope, I have the the first season: haven't got to it yet :-)

I'm sure you'll like VB. It becomes much *much* better as it goes along.

[octopoid-horror.livejournal.com]

I kept not watching Venture Bros because I got the impression it was just a lol random haha! thing like Family Guy/American Dad from the way people quoted some bits of it when it first got popular with internet nerdy types. If this isn't the case then I might well pick it up at some point.

[johnbobshaun.livejournal.com]

It's nothing like Family Guy or American Dad. It's much more like the 90's Tick cartoon (and shares writers with that show) but bigger in scope and far darker in tone.

[johnbobshaun.livejournal.com]

For example, one of the things that I loved about The Tick (apart from the fact it was really, really funny) was that it was so character driven.

The City had all these wacky super heroes that The Tick and Arthur crossed paths with. The other characters had existing alliances and relationships that weren't dependent on the The Tick: you could probably make a show about half a dozen of the secondary characters.

Venture Bros goes far further: by the fourth series you have a couple of dozen main/secondary characters and it rewards you paying close attention.

Also the animation starts off really basic and static (but kind of stylish) by about the third season it's amazingly well done. And probably the reason why they've only managed to make four seasons in eight years.

[despotliz.livejournal.com]

Seconding Venture Bros, although it takes a while to kick in. I tried to look up a funny clip on youtube to demonstrate, and half an hour later I am still watching random clips and I haven't even found the one I was after.

Breaking Bad

[lsanderson.livejournal.com]

If you like the dark. It's a great series for American TV.

Re: Breaking Bad

[andrewducker]

Cheers - it seems to be well regarded, I'll take a look!

[star-tourmaline.livejournal.com]

There's this thing called conversation.

[andrewducker]

What channel is it on?

[octopoid-horror.livejournal.com]

I think you've got it muted, but it's on right now.

Things I have that I could pass on to you, say the word

[marrog.livejournal.com]

Nurse Jackie
Silk
The Walking Dead

Re: Things I have that I could pass on to you, say the word

[marrog.livejournal.com]

Oh, I do also have all of Bones, which I think I passed you some of at some point?

Re: Things I have that I could pass on to you, say the word

[andrewducker]

Thanks - I'll definitely take you up on The Walking Dead.

We have the first episode of Nurse Jackie, and taking another look at it is on the list of things to do!

What's Silk?

Re: Things I have that I could pass on to you, say the word

[marrog.livejournal.com]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silk_%28TV_series%29

Usual UK TV legal drama faire, but it's very well put together - good characterisation, good writing, and I found it rather addictive.

[despotliz.livejournal.com]

The Good Wife. I have watched about 13 episodes this weekend. Yes, it's a lawyer show, btu it's a really good one.

[danmilburn.livejournal.com]

I second that.

[andrewducker]

Just taken a quick look. Looks interesting, and as we've been watching some Ally Mcbeal recently it'd be fascinating to see how the perception has changed in the last 15 years.

[mb2u]

Treme on HBO. It's about New Orleans post-Katrina, and it's the closest thing you'll see on television to what the city was like at that time. The first season is on DVD, and the second season started last week.

Yes!

[lsanderson.livejournal.com]

Treme is great, although it really helps if you like New Orleans jazz.

Re: Yes!

[mb2u]

Dave Walker's "'Treme' Explained" column after every episode on NOLA.com helps explain the episode's local references.

http://www.nola.com/treme-hbo/index.ssf/2011/05/treme_explained_everything_i_d.html

And it does help if you like New Orleans music, but it's not required.

[joexnz.livejournal.com]

Archer is hilarious
sons of anarchy, also very good
Leverage is good fun!
(NCIS, Castle, Supernatural are the ones i'm following atm)

[marrog.livejournal.com]

Castle is good in a Nathan-Fillion-in-Murder-She-Wrote kinda way. Good mindless fluff, pretty consistently diverting.

[joexnz.livejournal.com]

exactly!

[octopoid-horror.livejournal.com]

The Wire.

Generation Kill.

Boardwalk Empire.

[fub.livejournal.com]

If you'd consider anime, I could give you some recommendations.

[broin.livejournal.com]

Like Azumanga Daioh. Just lovely, and not difficult, and you (Mr Ducker) will cry.

[andrewducker]

Happy to have any kind of recommendations!

[fub.livejournal.com]

My favourites are Mushishi and Seirei no Moribito, but they're a bit older and might be hard to find as a download.

Some more recent stuff I like a lot: Fractale, Shiki, Shinryaku! Ika Musume and Kimi ni Todoke. You can find my reviews for these on my LJ under the tag full review.
If you need help locating these as fansubs (recorded from Japanese TV and subtitled by fans), let me know.

[wolflady26.livejournal.com]

I third the Sons of Anarchy recommendation. It's probably my favorite series right now. Awesome characterization and writing.

Also, I've gotten totally hooked on The Killing, which just started recently. I have a hard time putting my finger on why I like it so much, but I've actually been looking forward to it more than Game of Thrones each week, and that's saying a lot.

[broin.livejournal.com]

As just one short series you'll hate finishing, Journeyman. Time travel with ramifications, surprising emotion, and Kevin McKidd rocking.

Sym-Bionic Titan is about 20 episodes in and is a giant robots and teenagers show by Genndy Tartakovsky. Very sweet, lovely animation and an arc that gets moving quickly.

Wonderfalls is a lot like Dead Like Me if you want whimsical and macabre.

And Castle? Pleasantly distracting Nathan Fillion vehicle. <3

[andrewducker]

Ooh - I was kinda looking forward to Sym-Bionic Titan, but wasn't sure if it would live up to his previous stuff.

[broin.livejournal.com]

I really like it. I think it has lots of heart and one of the characters in particular is brilliant - Octus, who's a lot like a robot. Some people feel it needs more action, but I think mostly the action sequences punctuate an emotional moment or character arc. A lot of the asides and tone isn't for kids, for sure - I think you'd get a lot out of it.

As an example, and you don't have to watch this as it's a *bit* of a spoiler:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=plitqKiiqAU

[andrewducker]

Cheers, I'll take a look tonight!

[andrewducker]

That was remarkably cute.