Best Active TV Show

[JujuFish]

Sherlock, easily.

Breaking Bad is the most overrated show on the list.

 

[ShadowOfMyself]

Breaking Bad, easily.

Game of Thrones is the most overrated show on the list.

Pretty sure this is what you meant... Drunk posting is bad

Yes, Tyrion is awesome, but unfortunately he is not the "main" character nor does he have that much screen time... The problem with GoT is that there are TOO many characters and factions, and while some are very interesting to watch (for me the Lannisters have the most entertaining moments in general) others are incredibly boring (the Starks... yaawn)

With BB Walter and Jesse take up like 90% of screentime, so youre ALWAYS entertained by their shenanigans, and of course, the writing is top notch

 

[Chaotic42]

I voted Breaking Bad. I'd try Game of Thrones, but I'm not getting HBO just for that.

 

[Mixolydian]

I hate being a brainless trend-follower. Hence why I don't watch much TV anymore. God damn trendy shows.

 

[mnewsham]

Yes, Tyrion is awesome, but unfortunately he is not the "main" character nor does he have that much screen time... The problem with GoT is that there are TOO many characters and factions, and while some are very interesting to watch (for me the Lannisters have the most entertaining moments in general) others are incredibly boring (the Starks... yaawn)

For book readers like myself the TV show is actually light on characters so it is much easier to follow than the books which include many more characters and a lot more sub plots.

Also, Tyrion not a main character? What? Main characters:

Spoiler

Cersei, Tyrion, Arya, John Snow, and Daenerys. (more "main" characters are introduced in later seasons though)

Some people don't like the number of view points and characters, well I guess that's your loss, it's a complex story that is multifaceted and needs a lot of characters, the TV show is even cutting many characters in an attempt to make it easier for the masses to get a hold of.

 

[Chaotic42]

I hate being a brainless trend-follower. Hence why I don't watch much TV anymore. God damn trendy shows.

Some of them are pretty good. Not everything which is trendy is without value.

 

[A Casual Fitz]

Parks and Recreation

 

[HopJokey]

I still haven't seen Game of Thrones - was turned off by the fantasy setting, but from everything I've heard about it I'm missing out. Gonna start from the top with it.

 

[Ken g6]

Yeah, I don't have cable, and I don't watch any of these. My current favorite is Person of Interest.

 

[Centauri]

Breaking Bad.

Every time I get afraid that I'm about to watch the show jump the shark, it quickly redeems itself.

 

[RossMAN]

same--I have yet to watch season 2, though.

I prefer Hell on Wheels to Walking Dead and Breaking Bad, tbh.

Blasphemy!

 

[poofyhairguy]

Futurama

 

[pcslookout]

Yeah, I don't have cable, and I don't watch any of these. My current favorite is Person of Interest.

That show sucks.

 

[HopJokey]

Watched Game of Thrones all the way through S3E10 (I haven't read the books), and I love it a lot. Hard to compare it to Breaking Bad since there are like so many story lines.

I'd give the slight edge still to Breaking Bad, especially the way this final season is shaping up.

 

[Perknose]

what the...how is Deadwood so low? Is it because they were saddled with a quick cancellation?

I'm sorry--no way in fuck a show like Lost could ever be put above Deadwood.

Goddamn! Much of Al Swearingens' dialogue was written in Iambic fucking Pentameter! (IFP, for short--often used in critical interpretation of Shakespeare)

This list is full of some asshatery.

For me, Deadwood remains far and away the best written show of all time.

 

[AMD64Blondie]

Person of Interest on the active shows list.

(of all time? Deadwood,no question).

 

[Don Vito Corleone]

Breaking Bad, and it's not close. The fact that GOT is rated so highly in the poll, and Mad Men so low, is, I think, a function of the mostly young-male demographic of this board, because in my view, Mad Men is by far the superior show among those two.

 

[GagHalfrunt]

For me, Deadwood remains far and away the best written show of all time.

Al Swearengen might be the best written character of all time. The rest of the show was pretty meh in comparison, whenever Al was not onscreen going through one of his Shakespearean soliloquies it wasn't all that compelling.

 

[Imp]

Person of Interest on the active shows list.

(of all time? Deadwood,no question).

Just started watching Person of Interest over the summer... Kind of like it. And Amy Acker's a regular guest!

 

[woolfe9998]

Voted Game of Thrones. Homeland and Breaking Bad are about tied for second. I also like Mad Men, Walking Dead and Justified.

Modern Family is way overrated. Not that funny.

 

[blankslate]

I still haven't seen Game of Thrones - was turned off by the fantasy setting, but from everything I've heard about it I'm missing out. Gonna start from the top with it.

It's more of a medieval setting with a sprinkle of the fantastic. The plot focuses on political machinations more than most well known fantasy ever does.

Breaking Bad, and it's not close. The fact that GOT is rated so highly in the poll, and Mad Men so low, is, I think, a function of the mostly young-male demographic of this board, because in my view, Mad Men is by far the superior show among those two.

GoT being rated highly is probably also due to a couple of other factors. One is the hardcore book fans who also want to watch a well-done screen adaptation of the source material. It's a pretty good adaptation.

The other factor is the willingness of the author to give the middle finger to certain conventions... think the 9th episode of the shows seasons where shocking things happen that wouldn't happen most works of fiction. Main characters getting gibbed.

Imagine if Draper were killed off by his secretary in the first season...

I'm a rather hardcore book fan personally.


As for best scripted shows ever, Homicide: A life on the streets and The Wire are among my favorites.

I think GoT will also end up on the list. I'll watch Breaking Bad over a few weeks sometime after the series is concluded.

Both are written by the same main writer and Homicide was on NBC in the 90s before the Wire showed up on HBO.

 

[thedarkwolf]

I love GOT but I've read the books and know what is going on. If I had to give up GOT or Breaking Bad I'd give up GOT.

 

[Perknose]

GoT being rated highly is probably also due to a couple of other factors. One is the hardcore book fans who also want to watch a well-done screen adaptation of the source material. It's a pretty good adaptation.

The other factor is the willingness of the author to give the middle finger to certain conventions... think the 9th episode of the shows seasons where shocking things happen that wouldn't happen most works of fiction. Main characters getting gibbed.

Imagine if Draper were killed off by his secretary in the first season...

Also, its primo production values. The sets are sumptuous.

As for best scripted shows ever, Homicide: A life on the streets . . . Homicide was on NBC in the 90s

Ah, Homicide! It's a semi-neglected masterpiece. It came out at the exact same time as NYPD Blue, and that show, starring that hunk of mediocrity David Caruso, was all anyone was talking about. No one seemed to notice Homicide, which kicked its ass for gritty authenticity.

Andre Braugher at his finest! What a great cast of down-home dirtballs, especially in it's first couple of years: Richard Belzer, Clark Johnson, Jon Polito, Ned Beatty, Melissa Leo! All presided over by the OG, Yaphet Kotto.

Then they phased out first Jon Polito and and then Ned Beatty and I was one sad panda.

Jon Polito (Det. Steve Crosseti) & Clark Johnson (Det. Meldrick):

"Homicide: Life on the Street: Son of a Gun (#1.3)" (1993)
Det. Meldrick Lewis: What's that?
Det. Steve Crosetti: I... it's a rosary, alright? I'm praying.
Det. Meldrick Lewis: Praying because you didn't break your hand?
Det. Steve Crosetti: I'm praying for Chris.
Det. Meldrick Lewis: Well that's fine praying for Chris, but you didn't even pray for yourself when you got shot.
Det. Steve Crosetti: [punches the car window three times] I think I broke my hand.

"Homicide: Life on the Street: Three Men and Adena (#1.5)" (1993)
Det. Steve Crosetti: You got toilet paper over there?
Det. Meldrick Lewis: No.
Det. Steve Crosetti: You got five $1s for a $5?

"Homicide: Life on the Street: See No Evil (#2.2)" (1994)
Det. Meldrick Lewis: [Crosetti thinks a shooting death is a suicide] There's no note.
Det. Steve Crosetti: Maybe he wasn't the literary type.

"Homicide: Life on the Street: Gone for Goode (#1.1)" (1993)
Det. Steve Crosetti: That's the problem with this job. It's got nothin' to do with life.

 

[zinfamous]

Oo yeah! good call on Homicide. The same creators as The Wire, so of course it was great. They occasionally did crossovers with L&O, too, which was always nice.

Perk, I think the main reason NYPD Blue was so popular that first season was because of how "visceral" and "shocking" it was perceived at the time. ...and the television audience of the day defined "visceral" and "shocking" as the audacity to show us Dennis Franz's ass, nearly every episode.

Ah, the censors. How far we have come!

 

[jupiter57]

Here Comes Honey Boo Boo.

HeHe!
Yeah, Y'all!:biggrin: