# What Television Shows Are You Currently Watching?



## CitizenUnknown (Jan 21, 2013)

Just curious. I saw there was something for movies, but not television shows, so I was wondering.
Now,  it obviously still counts if you watch it on the computer instead of  television, I haven't sat down to watch an actual TV station in a long  time. So let's hear it!

I just recently got into Game of Thrones.  I don't watch very many movie channel shows because it starts to feel  like pointless nudity or whatever else, but I'm pretty darn happy with  Game of Thrones. I love the story and the characters a lot.

So what shows are you currently in to right now?


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## FleshEater (Jan 22, 2013)

American Horror Story

The Walking Dead


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## MissShakra (Jan 22, 2013)

Jackie Chan Kung Fu Master (2010) ^_^


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## TheSaintsAreComing (Jan 22, 2013)

I watch Mad Men with the lady, Breaking Bad with my sister, and have a party every time a new The Walking Dead episode comes out.


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## MissShakra (Jan 22, 2013)

The Walking Dead rocks


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## Akoya (Jan 22, 2013)

I will stop everything and watch Sherlock the instant it shows in America.  I love that show. Brilliant.
I am lightly watching other shows but I won't freak if I miss one:  *sigh*
Once upon a time
Supernatural (on occasion)
(I hate myself for this one) Vampire Diaries
Arrow (I actually really like this one)
Downtown Abby (when visiting my mother)
(I really hate that I kinda like this one) How I met your mother.

There I said it.  I don't think my boyfriend even knows all the shows I tend to keep up on when I get bored.

I was thinking about watching Game of Thrones because I just finished the book series but do I really need another show to keep up on?


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## moderan (Jan 22, 2013)

Jeopardy
the NHL


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## Arcopitcairn (Jan 22, 2013)

Daily Show and Colbert Report
Mythbusters
Regular Show and Adventure Time
The Office
Top Gear (U.K.)
Walking Dead
Boardwalk Empire
Dexter and Homeland
Untold History of The United States
And Reds games (Go Reds!)


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## CitizenUnknown (Jan 22, 2013)

Other than Game of Thrones, I'm also watching:
The Walking Dead (I'm not doing too good at being patient for the new episodes to start back up)
Burn Notice
Breaking Bad
Once Upon A Time
The Simpsons


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## Jeko (Jan 22, 2013)

None, thankfully.


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## Circadian (Jan 22, 2013)

Doctor Who
Once Upon a Time
Warehouse 13
Bones


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## TheSaintsAreComing (Jan 22, 2013)

Akoya said:


> I will stop everything and watch Sherlock the instant it shows in America.  I love that show. Brilliant.



I heard a rumor that season three might not roll around until 2014. Heartbreaking.


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## beanlord56 (Jan 22, 2013)

Castle, Bones, Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Avatar: The Legend of Korra, and despite the fact they've been off the air for years: Dragon Ball Z, Battlestar Galactica, Avatar: The Last Airbender, Star Trek: The Original Series, and Star Trek: The Next Generation.


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## TheSaintsAreComing (Jan 22, 2013)

So happy to find all three seasons of The Last Airbender on Netflix. This thing is such a godsend. Now if they could only get Korra...


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## Bruno Spatola (Jan 22, 2013)

I tried a few episodes of Suits, but it wasn't my thing. I'm watching Star Trek TNG from the beginning on SyFY at the moment, loving that. New shows though. . . I can't think of any. Dexter, Game of Thrones and Sherlock are the most recent shows I've loved; can't get into The Walking Dead or any of the current horror-inspired TV that's doing so well. The first few seasons of House I loved, and season 8 actually; I felt it dipped quite significantly in between those, but that's me. 

I'm hoping the next big show is around the corner, waiting to sweep me away. I miss that _hooked_ feeling. 24 and The Sopranos had that effect on me, big time, and now that Dexter's off for a while, I'm just stuck with reruns. Breaking Bad seems too full on for me, but I'll give it a try -- still have that trial for Netflix.


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## Morkonan (Jan 22, 2013)

I don't watch television.... I haven't watched television at home in several years, though I have watched it when I am out of town. I have recently watched an episode of "Enterprise" online, but I don't watch any television show in any format regularly. If I must watch something similar to it, I'll watch a documentary online or something of that nature. (I did watch an episode of South Park, last week, but that was online and I hadn't seen an episode in quite awhile.)

Add - I do have a full cable network plan with movie channels and all that jazz, I just haven't made use of it much.


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## Brock (Jan 23, 2013)

I'm the same way.  I make little use of our Dish Network plan.  I mainly watch the news and football.  I like Dexter on Showtime but haven't been able to follow it much this season.  Other than that, I like documentaries if I have the time to watch them.  

Our America with Lisa Ling on OWN looks really good.  I've recorded it.


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## Akoya (Jan 23, 2013)

TheSaintsAreComing said:


> I heard a rumor that season three might not roll around until 2014. Heartbreaking.



No nononono. Don't do that to me.  I thought it had already aired in Britain and would air in the spring some time, like always.  Research, I must do research.

I love The Last Airbender, but I watched it when I was in school and then again when it come out on Netflix a few years ago.  So, it's not a current one I watch but it is a loved one.


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## Charlie (Jan 25, 2013)

> I will stop everything and watch Sherlock the instant it shows in America.  I love that show. Brilliant.



Easily one of the best things written for TV in many years. Having said that, all the good writing is being done for TV these days. There are at least a few good shows. On the other hand, I can't remember the last good modern novel I read or the last good movie I saw.

Sherlock
Blue Bloods (a very literary show BTW--Selleck's character loves to quote from books)
Fringe (just ended last week, and JJ Abrams has finally proven that he knows how to end a story well)
Suits (although it's getting a bit too relationshippy)
Longmire

I just hate that Terriers and Rubicon both got cancelled last year.

And Downtown Abbey is very overrated.


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## Ariel (Jan 25, 2013)

Currently (as in this week because I don't watch normal tv) I'm watching:

Justified
Being Human (U. S. version)

I'm on season 3 of Justified and I'm watching that with the Fella.  It's very violent and has the most hillbilly characters I've ever seen but I like them and can identify (somewhat) with them.  The female characters are strong in ways that are believable.  The show focuses on a US marshal that has been returned to his home in rural Tennessee.

Being Human, well, it passes the time and is noise while I'm home alone.


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## TheSaintsAreComing (Jan 25, 2013)

Arrested Development, anyone?


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## Whisper (Jan 25, 2013)

Justified (best dang show on TV)
Person of Interest (second best)
The Big Bag Theory
Bones
The Following
The Mentalist
Elementary
The Walking Dead
Arrow
Teen Wolf (my guilty pleasure, pls don't judge me except on spelling)
Once Upon a time (although I'm just about done with it)
Game of Thrones
Dr. Who
Sherlock
Longmire
Green Lantern (when the girlfriend isn't arround to judge me for watching cartoons)
Castle
Grimm


Hum, with this list, you'd think the only thing I do is watch television. However, mostly what I do is DVR or download them and watch them while I'm on the treadmill in the morning.


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## JosephB (Jan 25, 2013)

TheSaintsAreComing said:


> Arrested Development, anyone?



This is one of my favorites. I'm cautiously looking forward to the new Netflix episodes. I'm going to be surprised if they're as good. Still, it might be a case of something being better than nothing.


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## Leyline (Jan 25, 2013)

amsawtell said:


> and has the most hillbilly characters I've ever seen



Haha. I was born and raised less than 30 miles from where that show is mostly set. It's almost hilariously inaccurate in every respect.

_I'm_ probably the most hillbilly character you've ever seen.


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## TheSaintsAreComing (Jan 25, 2013)

I'm the same way - cautiously optimistic. I can't in all honesty expect them to live up to Season 1/2, but who knows? They've had six or seven years to write some high-quality material.


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## Leyline (Jan 25, 2013)

JosephB said:


> This is one of my favorites. I'm cautiously looking forward to the new Netflix episodes. I'm going to be surprised if they're as good. Still, it might be a case of something being better than nothing.



It's one of those rare shows where I disagree with almost everyone I usually agree with when it comes to movies and television. I just can't stand it. The characters are like biting tinfoil to me. Not even really sure why. *shrug*


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## TheSaintsAreComing (Jan 25, 2013)

The characters, for me, are the best part. David Cross and Will Arnett were perfect.


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## Leyline (Jan 25, 2013)

TheSaintsAreComing said:


> The characters, for me, are the best part. David Cross and Will Arnett were perfect.



I repeat. *Shrug*


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## Ariel (Jan 25, 2013)

Leyline said:


> Haha. I was born and raised less than 30 miles from where that show is mostly set. It's almost hilariously inaccurate in every respect.
> 
> _I'm_ probably the most hillbilly character you've ever seen.



I never really thought it was accurate.  But some of those people remind me of family.  I have a cousin that is both a second and third cousin on both sides of my mother's family--who wanted to marry one of my first cousins (she was the same relation to him that I am) a few years ago.  Mags reminds me of my recently passed grandma.  Dewey might as well be one of my cousins.  Just slap some beards on some of them and age them a bit.

You, Leyline, aren't nearly as hillbilly as you think.


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## JosephB (Jan 25, 2013)

Leyline said:


> It's one of those rare shows where I disagree with almost everyone I usually agree with when it comes to movies and television. I just can't stand it. The characters are like biting tinfoil to me. Not even really sure why. *shrug*



Heh. I feel the same way about _Friends._ We were at a party a few weeks ago, talking about TV -- I was thinking I was among people with mostly similar tastes. And then _Friends_ came up -- and my wife and I were the only ones not going on and on about it. I've given it several chances -- I never crack a smile.


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## Bruno Spatola (Jan 25, 2013)

Gob, Tobias and George senior make me cry laughing. Can't wait for the return on Netflix, I adore the show. Has the film been canned?


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## Leyline (Jan 25, 2013)

JosephB said:


> Heh. I feel the same way about _Friends._ We were at a party a few weeks ago, talking about TV -- I was thinking I was among people with mostly similar tastes. And then _Friends_ came up -- and my wife and I were the only ones not going on and on about it. I've given it several chances -- I never crack a smile.



I've given it quite a few chances as well. My problem isn't with the humor, really (though I find that pretty banal and unfunny) but the fact that I can, before the first commercial rolls, tell you exactly how the rest of the episode will go down. I don't mind a measure of predictability in my entertainment, but I have to be interested enough in the characters or the style of the thing to be able to just go along for the ride. I'm not either with _Friends_.


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## TheSaintsAreComing (Jan 25, 2013)

BrunoSpatola said:
			
		

> Gob, Tobias and George senior make me cry laughing. Can't wait for the  return on Netflix, I adore the show. Has the film been canned?



Last I heard (and Googled), they're following up the fourth season with a film that _should _wrap things up for good.


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## Bruno Spatola (Jan 25, 2013)

Ah, cool, I hope that's still on schedule. 

I forgot about Liza Minnelli: I think she's absolutely brilliant in the show. The kitchen units, haha, I rewound that so many times. And when she has vertigo, too funny. Her and the original Lucille together more often, pleaaaase.


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## Charlie (Jan 25, 2013)

> Once Upon a time (although I'm just about done with it)



If they would have ended it after the first season and called it a mini series, it would have been great. It was one of the few things you could watch with the whole family and everybody was entertained. I don't know why they tried to drag it out another season. It was obvious the tale had been told.


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## CitizenUnknown (Jan 25, 2013)

Charlie said:


> If they would have ended it after the first season and called it a mini series, it would have been great. It was one of the few things you could watch with the whole family and everybody was entertained. I don't know why they tried to drag it out another season. It was obvious the tale had been told.



I agree. Once upon a time really should have just ended. They killed all forms of longevity a few episodes in, and then they tried to make it long anyways.


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## Ariel (Jan 25, 2013)

I haven't seen any bit the first season of Once Upon a Time but I think the Rumplestiltskin's story is the most interesting.


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## Whisper (Jan 28, 2013)

CitizenUnknown said:


> I agree. Once upon a time really should have just ended. They killed all forms of longevity a few episodes in, and then they tried to make it long anyways.



The rump storyline is good, but I like the redemtion of the Evil Witch better. I just wish they would make up their minds how they are going to do it. They don't seem to have a clue and I don't think that's ever what they had in mind. As the first season developed she became a fav character, so it seems at some point they decided to redeam her. However, to do it, they just edited in a line in the outline that said "redem evil witch" without really going and making the rest of the stories fit.


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## Ariel (Jan 28, 2013)

I don't think she was truly redeemed.  I think she was made sympathetic.  There was foreshadowing of this early on when Snow meets Charming the first time in "fairy tale land." Snow readily admits to having ruined Regina's life.  I expected something much darker than what happened but it is a Disney production (abc is owned by Disney).

About midway through the first season I started to suspect Rump was behind a lot of the tragedy in the fairy tale side of things.  His motivations are a lot deeper and his machinations are a lot more sinister and interesting than Regina's revenge plot.

Again, having only seen the first season I can't tell what the continuation is going to reveal.  Maybe Rump's schemes aren't enough to keep the series going.

He's still my favorite character.


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## Leyline (Jan 28, 2013)

Currently going through Graham Duff's brilliant Ideal with my cousin who's never seen it. He was, of course, hooked by the first episode. The link is to a review of it I wrote a couple years ago.

I'm also rewatching the first two series of Neil Cross' _Luther_, one of the few police dramas I actually like. I love it because the procedural elements are little more than a narrative device. The show is actually a grandly operatic rumination on love and evil. Idris Elba and Ruth Wilson (the strangest looking beautiful woman I've ever seen) give career making performances.


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## Bruno Spatola (Jan 28, 2013)

Idris Elba is one of the best actors I've ever had the pleasure of watching. Can't wait for series 3. The opening is awesome, too. What is it with Massive Attack and classic show themes? They should write for film or TV.


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## Winston (Jan 28, 2013)

_The Big Bang Theory.  _I speak Sheldon's lines seconds before he utters them.

Bazinga!


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## JosephB (Jan 28, 2013)

I admit to watching Downton Abbey. They throw a curve now and then, but it's pretty predictable. Typical soap, pretty much. One annoying and lazy device they use that you always see in cheesy shows like Grays Anatomy etc. is someone "overhearing" some major thing. People talking about something super sensitive -- and then they cut to someone who just happened to be standing around a corner -- they just heard it all -- and then it hits the fan. It's really a lazy way to escalate things and introduce conflict. Still, we have fun guessing what's going to happen and it's pretty addictive. My wife hates that I talk like Matthew for days afterward -- says it sounds just like my Hugh Grant. Oh well.

Not really watching anything else right now -- will pick up on Madmen and Breaking Bad when they come back -- but that's about it. We're slow -- we tend to watch stuff way after it's originally shown.


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## Leyline (Jan 28, 2013)

JosephB said:


> I admit to watching Downton Abbey. They throw a curve now and then, but it's pretty predictable. Typical soap, pretty much. One annoying and lazy device they use that you always see in cheesy shows like Grays Anatomy etc. is someone "overhearing" some major thing. People talking about something super sensitive -- and then they cut to someone who just happened to be standing around a corner -- they just heard it all -- and then it hits the fan. It's really a lazy way to escalate things and introduce conflict. Still, we have fun guessing what's going to happen and it's pretty addictive. My wife hates that I talk like Matthew for days afterward -- says it sounds just like my Hugh Grant. Oh well.



I like _Downton_ as well, and yeah -- it's just a soap, but a beautifully made and acted soap. I haven't watched any of the third series yet. I'll probably wait until it's finished and I'm particularly bored.



> Not really watching anything else right now -- will pick up on Madmen and Breaking Bad when they come back -- but that's about it. We're slow -- we tend to watch stuff way after it's originally shown.



I've tried and tried to get into _Mad Men_ and have finally just decided it's not for me. I loved the first season of _Breaking Bad_ but have never gotten past the halfway mark of the second. It just loses my interest for some reason. My actual favorite AMC show, _Rubicon_, didn't get a second season. Disappointing.


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## JosephB (Jan 28, 2013)

Definitely well made and acted -- that's what makes it watchable despite that it's a little corny at times. Some pretty funny lines too -- every episode the dowager countess gets in a few good zingers.

_Madmen_ - I love the era, and I'm in advertising. There are some universal things about that -- and I get a kick out of those. They nail a lot of the stuff about the client dance and the politics -- things that ring true to me --  in a far less glamorous way, of course.

_Breaking Bad_ -- it becomes less interesting as he becomes more amoral -- and you lose that inner conflict. You just don't care about him that much. Still, I'm totally hooked on it.


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## Leyline (Jan 28, 2013)

JosephB said:


> Definitely well made and acted -- that's what makes it watchable despite that it's a little corny at times. Some pretty funny lines too -- every episode the dowager countess gets in a few good zingers.



Dame Maggie is never less than superb. 

_



			Madmen
		
Click to expand...

_


> - I love the era, and I'm in advertising. There are some universal things about that -- and I get a kick out of those. They nail a lot of the stuff about the client dance and the politics -- things that ring true to me --  in a far less glamorous way, of course.



It's odd. I usually love period pieces, I think the show is beautifully shot and set-dressed, and admire the performances. I also have a ridiculous crush on Christina Hendricks. But it just leaves me cold. 

_



			Breaking Bad
		
Click to expand...

_


> -- it becomes less interesting as he becomes more amoral -- and you lose that inner conflict. You just don't care about him that much. Still, I'm totally hooked on it.



I seriously think the first season is one of the best things ever made for television, up there with _Deadwood_ and the British mini-series _The Singing Detective_. I think maybe my expectations got a bit too high.


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## Eluixa (Jan 29, 2013)

Waiting on Sherlock too.
I lost interest in Person of interest.
Husband and boys watch Castle, I don't, except a glance here or there.
Big bang theory once we have two or three to watch built up.
And I am years into Shameless, watching weekly, the British version. Never seen the American version.
We don't have cable, so everything is netflix, except Big Bang.
Oh, and waiting on more Game of Thrones.


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## Snowball13 (Feb 4, 2013)

How I met your mother
Arrested Development
Modern Family

And my favorite: Community
Too bad they're gonna cancel it soon


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## Ariel (Feb 4, 2013)

Watching a documentary series called "Strange Sex." Today I watched an episode about a couple who are "Feeder and Feedee."

She weighs over 600 lbs and their shared fetish involve him feeding and watching her eat.  It is her fat that turns him on.  It's interesting because it is so completely against the society standards of beauty and love/relationships.


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## Lewdog (Feb 4, 2013)

Monday Night Raw!  They haven't had one woman's match tonight...that's horrible.


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## Vitaly Ana (Feb 4, 2013)

Believe it or not, I am watching re-runs of Cheers. I watched it back in the day, but only a few episodes here and there. Now, I understand the entire story because I am watching every episode in order from episode 1! 

I'll probably be finished in a decade or so.


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## Lewdog (Feb 4, 2013)

Vitaly Ana said:


> Believe it or not, I am watching re-runs of Cheers. I watched it back in the day, but only a few episodes here and there. Now, I understand the entire story because I am watching every episode in order from episode 1!
> 
> I'll probably be finished in a decade or so.



I grew up one town over from where Woody Harrelson was from.


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## moderan (Feb 4, 2013)

Ken Wahl, who was the lead in a series called Wiseguy that ran for a couple of years, was the son of the guy who ran the Shell station at the southeast end of Midway airport. I used to beat him up every couple of days cuz he didn't run fast enough to get away. He lived a couple of doors away from Nils Lofgren.
I was in a repertory company for a few weeks with John Cusack. We used to ditch and go to Cubs games. Andrea Evans, who is a soap actress (Passions, One Life to Live) was my girl for a few weeks in 1977. Denise Richards' mom lives across the street from an old friend of mine, in Downers Grove, IL.
My boyhood hero Stan Mikita lived next door to my dad's boss.
I'm watching the Phoenix Coyotes and the Colorado Avalanche on my laptop while my wife watches the Mary Tyler Moore Show. I can't hear it, but I am reciting some of the dialogue while the show progresses. My wife doesn't understand why I laughed like hell when the announcer for the hockey game said of Colorado coach Bob Hartley "He's a bit of a psychologist", without any intended humor. Boy, the way Glenn Miller played.


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## Lewdog (Feb 4, 2013)

moderan said:


> Ken Wahl, who was the lead in a series called Wiseguy that ran for a couple of years, was the son of the guy who ran the Shell station at the southeast end of Midway airport. I used to beat him up every couple of days cuz he didn't run fast enough to get away. He lived a couple of doors away from Nils Lofgren.
> I was in a repertory company for a few weeks with John Cusack. We used to ditch and go to Cubs games. Andrea Evans, who is a soap actress (Passions, One Life to Live) was my girl for a few weeks in 1977. Denise Richards' mom lives across the street from an old friend of mine, in Downers Grove, IL.
> My boyhood hero Stan Mikita lived next door to my dad's boss.
> I'm watching the Phoenix Coyotes and the Colorado Avalanche on my laptop while my wife watches the Mary Tyler Moore Show. I can't hear it, but I am reciting some of the dialogue while the show progresses. My wife doesn't understand why I laughed like hell when the announcer for the hockey game said of Colorado coach Bob Hartley "He's a bit of a psychologist", without any intended humor. Boy, the way Glenn Miller played.



You're old.


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## moderan (Feb 4, 2013)

And I don't apologize for that. There's no reason to.


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## Lewdog (Feb 4, 2013)

Best John Cusack film, either "Better off Dead," or "One Crazy Summer."


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## moderan (Feb 4, 2013)

The Grifters.


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## genevieve (Feb 4, 2013)

Snowball13 said:


> How I meet your mother
> Arrested Development
> Modern Family
> 
> ...




"meet" or "met" makes no difference really (a matter of conjecture) ... and you _could_ turn that frown upside-down, and be happy (3 cheers and all that, ya' know?, for a revision, "chapelistically" speaking of course)


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## Bruno Spatola (Feb 5, 2013)

The gay couple in Modern Family make me laugh, but the other characters _all_ make me want to go on a killing spree.


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## Trilby (Feb 5, 2013)

Watched 'The king in the car park' last night - Brilliant!


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## Morkonan (Feb 8, 2013)

I've been watching "Enterprise" episodes, from time to time - Star Trek Videos

So far, this year, I have succeeded in _not-watching-my-own-television-at-all._


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## Ariel (Feb 8, 2013)

This week I'm watching "The Adventures of Merlin."


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## Kevin (Feb 8, 2013)

Back seasons of _Mad Men._  Dad, is that you?


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## nicolam2711 (Feb 8, 2013)

I've been hooked on watching every episode of The Following the minute it airs in the UK. Can't resist a programme with a serial killer. And the "cult" carrying out this particular man's plan makes it all the more interesting to see who you can trust.


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## Lewdog (Feb 8, 2013)

nicolam2711 said:


> I've been hooked on watching every episode of The Following the minute it airs in the UK. Can't resist a programme with a serial killer. And the "cult" carrying out this particular man's plan makes it all the more interesting to see who you can trust.



Why wait?  Just watch it on Hulu.


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## Whisper (Feb 8, 2013)

nicolam2711 said:


> I've been hooked on watching every episode of The Following the minute it airs in the UK. Can't resist a programme with a serial killer. And the "cult" carrying out this particular man's plan makes it all the more interesting to see who you can trust.



I have to say, after the first ep, I wasn't sure how I was going to like _The Following_, but I just can't stop watching it. I think that and _Justified _are the two best shows on TV.


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## Bruno Spatola (Feb 8, 2013)

Oh is it airing now? I was looking forward to it. Saw the trailer and was impressed -- like Kevin Bacon, too.


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## moderan (Feb 8, 2013)

I've been watching the Caribbean League World Series. AAAA-level ball with plenty of MLB stars and stars-to-be. ESPN and telemundo both had broadcasts. I preferred the ones in Spanish, though I don't speak much Spanish. Adrian Gonzalez' less-well-known brother Edgar, former Cub farmhand, is the MVP as far as I can see, though Mets farmhand Fernando Martinez won the official trophy. The Series is over...the Dominican Republic having won. Former Cardinal third baseman (and current Mets AA Buffalo manager) Ken Oberkfell was the manager of the winning squad. Former MLB third sacker Vinny Castilla hit crucial long balls for the winners.


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## Lewdog (Feb 8, 2013)

moderan said:


> I've been watching the Caribbean League World Series. AAAA-level ball with plenty of MLB stars and stars-to-be. ESPN and telemundo both had broadcasts. I preferred the ones in Spanish, though I don't speak much Spanish. Adrian Gonzalez' less-well-known brother Edgar, former Cub farmhand, is the MVP as far as I can see, though Mets farmhand Fernando Martinez won the official trophy. The Series is over...the Dominican Republic having won. Former Cardinal third baseman (and current Mets AA Buffalo manager) Ken Oberkfell was the manager of the winning squad. Former MLB third sacker Vinny Castilla hit crucial long balls for the winners.



Castilla, one of the Blake Street Bombers.  They used to play some pretty exciting games.  I'll never forget the first game at Coors Field that went into extra innings and Bichette hit the game winning home run.


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## JosephB (Feb 8, 2013)

moderan said:


> I've been watching the Caribbean League World  Series. AAAA-level ball with plenty of MLB stars and stars-to-be. ESPN  and telemundo both had broadcasts. I preferred the ones in Spanish,  though I don't speak much Spanish. Adrian Gonzalez' less-well-known  brother Edgar, former Cub farmhand, is the MVP as far as I can see,  though Mets farmhand Fernando Martinez won the official trophy. The  Series is over...the Dominican Republic having won. Former Cardinal  third baseman (and current Mets AA Buffalo manager) Ken Oberkfell was  the manager of the winning squad. Former MLB third sacker Vinny Castilla  hit crucial long balls for the winners.



Not a bad way to get an off-season baseball fix. My wife probably wouldn't be too happy about it though. Skip Caray used to do a hot stove league show here on radio -- I really miss that.


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## moderan (Feb 8, 2013)

Lewdog said:


> Castilla, one of the Blake Street Bombers.  They used to play some pretty exciting games.  I'll never forget the first game at Coors Field that went into extra innings and Bichette hit the game winning home run.


Yep. That's him. Owns a chain of gas stations now. So does George Bell.



JosephB said:


> Not a bad way to get an off-season baseball fix. My wife probably wouldn't be too happy about it though. Skip Caray used to do a hot stove league show here on radio -- I really miss that.



I like Skip better than his pappy or his son. We get Jim DeShaies this year, replacing Brenly, who I learned to enjoy. DeShaies is hilarious, very dry wit.
Sports tv is at least spontaneous.


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## Lewdog (Feb 8, 2013)

moderan said:


> Yep. That's him. Owns a chain of gas stations now. So does George Bell.
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Who's replacing Mark Grace?


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## nicolam2711 (Feb 8, 2013)

Lewdog said:


> Why wait?  Just watch it on Hulu.



Well it appears Hulu have the same number of episodes that I've seen so I don't mind waiting if there isn't much of a difference.

Personally I wasn't sure if I would enjoy The Following after Kevin Bacon's adverts for EE.  Luckily I could look past those annoying adverts and still enjoy this series.


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## JosephB (Feb 8, 2013)

moderan said:


> I like Skip better than his pappy or his son. We get Jim DeShaies this year, replacing Brenly, who I learned to enjoy. DeShaies is hilarious, very dry wit.



Skip was really funny -- had a real dry wit also -- and he could be silly too. He had this thing where he'd say where the person in the stands who caught the ball was from. Without fail, someone would call into his show and ask him how he knew it. And heaven help you if you called to ask him about the infield fly rule. I grew up listening to Skip and it was great time to be Braves fan. I felt a real sense of loss when he died. I don't like Chip much -- his super-fake announcer voice really gets on my nerves and he makes a lot of mistakes. Nepotism at it's worst.


----------



## Lewdog (Feb 8, 2013)

JosephB said:


> Skip was really funny -- had a real dry wit also -- and he could be silly too. He had this thing where he'd say where the person in the stands who caught the ball was from. Without fail, someone would call into his show and ask him how he knew it. And heaven help you if you called to ask him about the infield fly rule. I grew up listening to Skip and it was great time to be Braves fan. I felt a real sense of loss when he died. I don't like Chip much -- his super-fake announcer voice really gets on my nerves and he makes a lot of mistakes. Nepotism at it's worst.



I used to watch so many Braves games when I was little because they televised almost everyone on TBS.  It would get to be a joke at times when they were playing horribly and Skip and Don Sutton would just go off on tangents talking about stuff that had absolutely nothing to do with the game.  I used to feel so sorry for Dale Murphy, Chris Chambliss, and Ken Oberkfell, because the rest of the team sucked sooo bad.


----------



## moderan (Feb 8, 2013)

Lewdog said:


> Who's replacing Mark Grace?


Dunno. His bartender? He was my favorite player but as an announcer, and apparently as a person, he has some growing to do.



JosephB said:


> Skip was really funny -- had a real dry wit also -- and he could be silly too. He had this thing where he'd say where the person in the stands who caught the ball was from. Without fail, someone would call into his show and ask him how he knew it. And heaven help you if you called to ask him about the infield fly rule. I grew up listening to Skip and it was great time to be Braves fan. I felt a real sense of loss when he died. I don't like Chip much -- his super-fake announcer voice really gets on my nerves and he makes a lot of mistakes. Nepotism at it's worst.


Right, where Skip is nepotism at its best. He behaves more like Vin Scully's kid. TBS was a superstation for a while and I used to watch the Braves, with the third baseman from my college team and Dale Murphy, who I enjoyed, and Greg Maddux, who I missed. Chip is also fond of really corny jokes. Steve Stone used to sound like he wanted to punch him.



Lewdog said:


> I used to watch so many Braves games when I was little because they televised almost everyone on TBS.  It would get to be a joke at times when they were playing horribly and Skip and Don Sutton would just go off on tangents talking about stuff that had absolutely nothing to do with the game.  I used to feel so sorry for Dale Murphy, Chris Chambliss, and Ken Oberkfell, because the rest of the team sucked sooo bad.


Bob Horner. Went from the CWS to the Braves lineup without benefit of a single minor-league at-bat. Needed the infield practice but there was nothing wrong with his bat.
WGN. WOR when I was younger, and then you'd have to put up with their crappy announcing crew. Even Harry Caray sounds good after you've heard Ralph Kiner.


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## JosephB (Feb 8, 2013)

Lewdog said:


> I used to watch so many Braves games when I was  little because they televised almost everyone on TBS.  It would get to  be a joke at times when they were playing horribly and Skip and Don  Sutton would just go off on tangents talking about stuff that had  absolutely nothing to do with the game.  I used to feel so sorry for  Dale Murphy, Chris Chambliss, and Ken Oberkfell, because the rest of the  team sucked sooo bad.



I remember Dale of course -- all the kids knew him, but that was just a little bit before my time. I grew up mostly watching Chipper and the fab four etc. -- the "worst to first season" is a pretty great memory. I was pretty sad to see Bobby Cox go -- and then Chipper last year -- he was the last vestige of those days. My dad died last year -- and going to Braves games with him is one of my best childhood memories. I've got two girls -- they couldn't care less about baseball. Oh well.


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## moderan (Feb 8, 2013)

It took me years, but I got the wife to love baseball. I stressed the history-she's a history buff. How every at-bat, every pitch, has all of those moments of greatness and infamy embodied within.
Great sales job, me.
I used to go see the Braves. In Milwaukee. Hank Aaron and them.


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## Lewdog (Feb 8, 2013)

Yes I had the Bob Horner card where he was holding all 4 balls from the game he hit 4 home runs.

I used to like Claudell Washington too, but he wasn't a great player.  I'm born and raised a Reds fan and they by far have the best broadcasting team in the business.


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## JosephB (Feb 8, 2013)

moderan said:


> It took me years, but I got the wife to love  baseball. I stressed the history-she's a history buff. How every at-bat,  every pitch, has all of those moments of greatness and infamy embodied  within.
> Great sales job, me.
> I used to go see the Braves. In Milwaukee. Hank Aaron and them.



I was kind of joking earlier -- my wife does like baseball -- she follows the Braves and mostly knows what's going on. We have the games on all season and we do go to a couple every year. The girls get antsy after a few innings, but they mostly like the experience. My wife like sports and is a huge college football fan -- especially the S.E.C. -- and really knows the game -- far better then I do. My friends are envious.


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## moderan (Feb 8, 2013)

Lewdog said:


> Yes I had the Bob Horner card where he was holding all 4 balls from the game he hit 4 home runs.
> 
> I used to like Claudell Washington too, but he wasn't a great player.  I'm born and raised a Reds fan and they by far have the best broadcasting team in the business.


No they don't. Marty is good but his son is a putz. Thom used to do Cubs games with Milo Hamilton and DeWayne Staats, who fortunately moved on to the Astros shortly thereafter. I'm in the Vin Scully is the best club. He spends most of his time not talking. Aces. I like Uecker too, though his look at ME antics get old quick. Rick Sutcliffe is good on ESPN but the rest of their crew sucks eggs.
The year after Claudell Washington was traded from the White Sox, a sign started appearing in the outfield. It said "Washington slept here." He was notoriously lazy about going after fly balls. He made fans miss Oscar Gamble.


JosephB said:


> I was kind of joking earlier -- my wife does like  baseball -- she follows the Braves and mostly knows what's going on. We  have the games on all season and we do go to a couple every year. The  girls get antsy after a few innings, but they mostly like the  experience. My wife like sports and is a huge college football fan --  especially the S.E.C. -- and really knows the game -- far better then I  do. My friends are envious.



We're going to a game here between the Cubs and the Dodgers, March 27th. It'll be her first pro game ever. Later this year we're going up to Glendale. She grew up a Bills fan...it's sorta like being a Cub fan except that you get to the big dance and THEN lose. *winces* Four times in a row. Ouch.
I'm working on hockey now-she dislikes football . I suspect PTSD. But she'll watch my Bears with me. She likes Urlacher.


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## Lewdog (Feb 8, 2013)

moderan said:


> No they don't. Marty is good but his son is a putz. Thom used to do Cubs games with Milo Hamilton and DeWayne Staats, who fortunately moved on to the Astros shortly thereafter. I'm in the Vin Scully is the best club. He spends most of his time not talking. Aces. I like Uecker too, though his look at ME antics get old quick. Rick Sutcliffe is good on ESPN but the rest of their crew sucks eggs.
> The year after Claudell Washington was traded from the White Sox, a sign started appearing in the outfield. It said "Washington slept here." He was notoriously lazy about going after fly balls. He made fans miss Oscar Gamble.



I like Thom.  They also have Jeff Brantley, Chris Welsh, and Ohio State announcer Paul Keels.  Keels also works on WLW.  Brantley is awesome.  George Grande one of the original guys for ESPN Sportscenter and the MC for the Baseball Hall of Fame also does games from time to time.  He used to work full time.


----------



## ebooklover (Feb 12, 2013)

Definitely the Walking Dead! Its finally back after 2 months off :/


----------



## moderan (Feb 15, 2013)

Right now I'm watching Ancient Aliens because I need the comic relief. That show belongs on TruTV. A friend brought me a dvd with all of the episodes of Louie and I plan to watch that. I was afraid that it was Louie Anderson because my friend has a nasty sense of humor but it's the real deal. It's the only sitcom I find amusing. The others are "remotely amusing" as I use the remote when I see them.


----------



## nicolam2711 (Feb 16, 2013)

Just finished watching the latest Grey's Anatomy... I could actually watch this all day and be happy.


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## moderan (Feb 16, 2013)

My wife watches that. I bought her all of the dvds because it's always getting interrupted. It makes me sleepy, and the music is gawdawful. But I know I'm not the target audience for it. I leave the room when it's on.


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## Leyline (Feb 20, 2013)

Series 2 of Charlie Brooker's _Black Mirror_ -- a sort of techno-paranoid _Twilight Zone_ style anthology series. Just finished "Be Right Back", the opener. Disturbing in a strangely gentle way, taking the rise of social media to one distinct logical conclusion, asking what happens to all the 'you' left lingering on the 'Net after 'you' are gone, and how might that be used?


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## JosephB (Feb 20, 2013)

moderan said:


> My wife watches that. I bought her all of the dvds because it's always getting interrupted. It makes me sleepy, and the music is gawdawful. But I know I'm not the target audience for it. I leave the room when it's on.



We tried watching it. Got hooked the way you can get hooked on a soap -- and actually the first season wasn't all that bad. Both of is gave up on it though. I can see how it could be fun to watch, but the people are all so emotionally stunted and make so many bad decisions --  it gets really old. Despite that, they all seem to be able to launch into these lengthy and amazingly insightful speeches at the drop of hat. Pretty funny. And oh yeah -- the music is so sappy. I heard one of my favorite singer-songwriters once -- A.A. Bondy -- and I was a little shocked. Don't know what got into them.


----------



## nicolam2711 (Feb 20, 2013)

JosephB said:


> . And oh yeah -- the music is so sappy. I heard one of my favorite singer-songwriters once -- A.A. Bondy -- and I was a little shocked. Don't know what got into them.



It's weird... I've never paid any attention to the soundtrack!


----------



## JosephB (Feb 20, 2013)

nicolam2711 said:


> It's weird... I've never paid any attention to the soundtrack!



Heh. Yeah -- my wife said she wouldn't have thought about the music if I hadn't constantly been complaining about it.


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## nicolam2711 (Feb 20, 2013)

JosephB said:


> Heh. Yeah -- my wife said she wouldn't have thought about the music if I hadn't constantly been complaining about it.



Only time I thought about music in this was when they done that horrid musical episode... That episode could happily have been missed.


----------



## Whisper (Feb 20, 2013)

Mostly watching right now:

Justified (excited because I have one DVR'd right now for when I get off work). Best darntoot'n (that's not a 4 letter word, it's 9, i counted, 10 if you count the ') show on TV
The Following 
The Walking Dead


----------



## jlgraber (Feb 21, 2013)

Maybe it's a bit juvenile, but the show Psych makes me laugh. The writing is excellent!


----------



## nicolam2711 (Feb 21, 2013)

Right this moment? Jeremy Kyle, trash tv at it's best while I attempt to write


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## Kevin (Feb 21, 2013)

'Workaholics'  Makes me want to work in an office. It's increasing my vocabulary. Last night I learned ... nevermind. They're Canadians but it's filmed in Rancho Cucamonga, (home of _Afghan Grill, _absolutely the tenderest, bestest Kabob in the world)


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## moderan (Feb 21, 2013)

NHL Network. Hockey, eh? The fastest-moving major sport, an intricate dance of men and object. It doesn't hurt that the team I follow is playing at an unheard-of level, but I'm pleasantly surprised at the level of play after an extended lockout. Less injuries than I had expected-those guys must have arranged to have full-speed opposition, the ones that didn't play in Europe, because there aren't a lot of hammies and most teams look well-coached, playing disciplined styles.
And Jeopardy, which is in the Tournament of Champions mode.
My wife has been watching Downton Abbey, which means that I usually do also. I found it dry, and the plotting plodding and seriously cliche-ridden. The season-ending cliffhanger I found odious.
I watch political shows, especially on Sundays, but we shan't do more than just mention that. And scientific shows that have real science in them, and are reasonably new. I'm not interested in cosmological speculation from 2008.


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## JosephB (Feb 21, 2013)

Kind of with you on Downton Abby. It's pretty corny, but not all that bad. I don't see what all the fuss is about. The season ending "cliff hanger" was amazingly lame. Apparently the actor quit to "pursue other projects" -- but it seems like they could have done better. Why he quit is anybody's guess. If it's for the big screen, I think he blew it -- he's likely pulling a big Caruso.


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## dolphinlee (Feb 21, 2013)

JosephB said:


> Kind of with you on Downton Abby. It's pretty corny, but not all that bad. I don't see what all the fuss is about. The season ending "cliff hanger" was amazingly lame. Apparently the actor quit to "pursue other projects" -- but it seems like they could have done better. Why he quit is anybody's guess. If it's for the big screen, I think he blew it -- he's likely pulling a big Caruso.



Dan Stevens: Why I left Downton Abbey - Telegraph


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## JosephB (Feb 21, 2013)

Thanks for posting that. Not knowing was probably going to keep me up all night. :smile:


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## dolphinlee (Feb 21, 2013)

I have been called a cure for insomnia before now, but usually people use different words.


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## moderan (Feb 21, 2013)

Downton Abbey is cure enough. Hell, the Cure is cure enough.


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## Kevin (Feb 21, 2013)

dolphinlee said:


> I have been called a cure for insomnia before now, but usually people use different words.


 Me too, well sort of. I can 'hypnotize' with my words, as in 'to cause the eyes to glaze over.'  I have this effect on my ... See? There I go....


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## moderan (Feb 21, 2013)

Zzzzzz


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## Erwin (Feb 21, 2013)

I'm watching Ancient Aliens for the kicks.


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## JosephB (Feb 22, 2013)

I've kind of rediscovered PBS -- partly because History and Discover and AE have all turned to crap. I saw two excellent documentaries last night, one about a secret psychological profile of Hitler commissioned by the OSS and written by a Harvard psychiatrist and a team he put together two years before the war ended -- it turned out to be pretty accurate and predicted Hitler would commit suicide. Another was about a Jewish lawyer who took on Hitler and the Nazi party in court as they were coming to power and what happened to him subsequently. I thought they were interesting in that there is still more to be revealed about Hitler -- to me anyway. I grew up watching Frontline -- and after more or less forgetting about it, I'm watching that again. I watch Antiques Roadshow fairly often too. There are other good programs -- it's worth keeping an eye on it if you're looking for things to watch in the "vast cultural wasteland" that is TV.


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## moderan (Feb 22, 2013)

JosephB said:


> I've kind of rediscovered PBS -- partly because History and Discover and AE have all turned to crap. I saw two excellent documentaries last night, one about a secret psychological profile of Hitler commissioned by the OSS and written by a Harvard psychiatrist and a team he put together two years before the war ended -- it turned out to be pretty accurate and predicted Hitler would commit suicide. Another was about a Jewish lawyer who took on Hitler and the Nazi party in court as they were coming to power and what happened to him subsequently. I thought they were interesting in that there is still more to be revealed about Hitler -- to me anyway. I grew up watching Frontline -- and after more or less forgetting about it, I'm watching that again. I watch Antiques Roadshow fairly often too. There are other good programs -- it's worth keeping an eye on it if you're looking for things to watch in the "vast cultural wasteland" that is TV.


If you're in the mood to watch tv, then PBS does offer some good stuff. I like Austin City Limits most of the time. Sometimes they feature artists that are not up to par, but in general they're good. Sometimes they're fantastic, like when Them Crooked Vultures were on.


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## Bruno Spatola (Feb 22, 2013)

Is that where Them Crooked Vultures got their name? Hmm.


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## moderan (Feb 22, 2013)

Bruno Spatola said:


> Is that where Them Rotten Vultures got their name? Hmm.


FTFY. Yes.


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## Bruno Spatola (Feb 22, 2013)

A god of pedantry hath forsaken thee.

I tried watching _Nathan Barley_ today but I couldn't bare it. Started watching a thing about baboons on Animal Planet instead.


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## moderan (Feb 22, 2013)

I've successfully managed to watch nothing at all so far. At 5:30 pm I shall commence watching the BlackHawks trounce the Sharks.


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## Bruno Spatola (Feb 22, 2013)

Is that on Animal Planet as well?


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## moderan (Feb 22, 2013)

Should be, yes? But no. NBC outlet. Ice hockey, eh?


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## JosephB (Feb 22, 2013)

moderan said:


> If you're in the mood to watch tv, then PBS does offer some good stuff. I like Austin City Limits most of the time. Sometimes they feature artists that are not up to par, but in general they're good. Sometimes they're fantastic, like when Them Crooked Vultures were on.



Somebody just sent me a link to Edward Sharp and the Magnetic Zeros on Austen City limits. I need to make a point to check the schedule for it. I've seen some good ones over the years, but usually when I stumble on it or just catch a promo.


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## moderan (Feb 22, 2013)

Gotta beat Honey BooBoo. Never seen that show, but it sounds just awful. I think I saw part of a commercial for it. The other night I watched like ten minutes of The Soup and was so aghast at what I saw that I had to watch 20 minutes of Daniel Tosh just to get my skew back.
What is up with people? Why do you _subject yourselves to this garbage_? *Peter Finch was right!*


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## JosephB (Feb 22, 2013)

So was Newton Minow.


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## Lewdog (Feb 22, 2013)

So was Charles Darwin.


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## Ariel (Feb 22, 2013)

I have no idea why Honey Boo Boo is so popular.  Why would someone allow their child to act in that way?  Why would anyone choose willful ignorance?


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## moderan (Feb 22, 2013)

Is that what the show features? *snorts* I had that with my own kids.


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## JosephB (Feb 22, 2013)

The show just holds this kid and her family up for ridicule. I seriously have to wonder about people who enjoy watching it -- to me there's nothing very funny or entertaining about exploiting ignorant people. Sad.


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## moderan (Feb 22, 2013)

But that's what tv does. Not just the shows but the audiences too.


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## JosephB (Feb 22, 2013)

But this one is an all new low. But yeah -- we're going to watch a movie tonight. Like Springsteen said, 57 Channels (And nothin' on) -- now more like 150 channels for us.

My dad had an NHL package -- he was a big fan. I used to go watch games with him. Followed the Thrashers when they were in town -- went to a couple of games a year -- and before that my dad would take us to Atlanta Knights games. It's a fantastic sport. Just could never catch on here, despite all the transplants.


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## moderan (Feb 22, 2013)

Yah. We have 400+ channels. No movie channels, but everydamnthing else. I watch things like Ovation network once in a while, or Jools Holland's show.
Hockey doesn't do well here either, despite the Coyotes being a perennial contender, at least for a playoff berth. They beat the Hawks last year in the playoffs for their first ever series win and it was hardly a blip. And the Hawks were a year removed from the Cup, considered a contender for Lord Stanley's hardware. I don't think hockey will ever win over the warm-weather states entirely. San Jose and LA do okay, but that's it. Dallas...they do ok.
And of course your dad was a fan, eh? Mine too...and my mom. She was a fan of Les Habitants. Original Six all the way.


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## JosephB (Feb 22, 2013)

My dad was from Toronto and a Leafs fan -- and yeah, always going on about the original 6. He had Flames season tickets back in the day. My mom was born here -- she likes baseball and college football, but we could never get her near a hockey game.


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## Kevin (Feb 22, 2013)

JosephB said:


> The show just holds this kid and her family up for ridicule. I seriously have to wonder about people who enjoy watching it -- to me there's nothing very funny or entertaining about exploiting ignorant people. Sad.


 It's a 'feel-good' show. When you watch it you feel good about yourself. "See? We're doing good compared to them.."


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## JosephB (Feb 22, 2013)

Oh I'm sure that's true for some -- but I know people that watch it who sure don't need the boost.


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## Lewdog (Feb 22, 2013)

It's a shame for you guys to be hating on Honey Boo-Boo child.  She is an inspiration for girls around the nation that eating junk food and drinking Koolade can catapult them onto the national stage.  It's heart warming to watch a family to enjoy living life so simple and yet enjoy it so very much.  They live the way they feel comfortable and don't let others change them in order to fit in.  It's the American Dream brought to life.


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## JosephB (Feb 22, 2013)

I'm not "hating on" her or her family. It's about the people who watch the show.


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## Lewdog (Feb 22, 2013)

JosephB said:


> I'm not "hating on" her or her family. It's about the people who watch the show.




How can you hate on people that watch their show?  People find it entertaining to watch things they themselves can't do.  In today's society very few people can live day to day without worrying what others think about them.  By watching the show they are able to accomplish this feeling second hand.  It's nowhere different than someone sitting down to watch a fishing show about guys catching blue marlin on a boat in the Gulf of Mexico.  People enjoy watching actors run around killing zombies and fighting with other survivors for power and supplies...yet zombies aren't real, so what makes the latter any better than watching real, 'down-home' people?


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## writersblock (Feb 22, 2013)

I am watching Shameless, Californication and House of lies. What can I say, I love expression without censorship!


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## Ariel (Feb 22, 2013)

I'm not hating on anything.  I don't understand the appeal.  I don't watch a lot of normal television so reality tv, for me, is a foreign concept.


----------



## JosephB (Feb 22, 2013)

Lewdog said:


> How can you hate on people that watch their show?  People find it entertaining to watch things they themselves can't do.  In today's society very few people can live day to day without worrying what others think about them.  By watching the show they are able to accomplish this feeling second hand.  It's nowhere different than someone sitting down to watch a fishing show about guys catching blue marlin on a boat in the Gulf of Mexico.  People enjoy watching actors run around killing zombies and fighting with other survivors for power and supplies...yet zombies aren't real, so what makes the latter any better than watching real, 'down-home' people?



People aren’t watching because they somehow envy these people in any way -- that’s ridiculous. People watch it to make fun of them. And I don’t think the show is OK just because the family doesn’t care or isn’t aware of the extent to which they’re being ridiculed. It’s a sad reflection on society that this show is popular -- and that goes for all the crap reality shows that are about making fun of people. Pathetic.


----------



## moderan (Feb 22, 2013)

Lewdog said:


> How can you hate on people that watch their show?  People find it entertaining to watch things they themselves can't do.  In today's society very few people can live day to day without worrying what others think about them.  By watching the show they are able to accomplish this feeling second hand.  It's nowhere different than someone sitting down to watch a fishing show about guys catching blue marlin on a boat in the Gulf of Mexico.  People enjoy watching actors run around killing zombies and fighting with other survivors for power and supplies...yet zombies aren't real, so what makes the latter any better than watching real, 'down-home' people?


I think all of the above are dingbat pastimes. How's that?


----------



## Lewdog (Feb 22, 2013)

JosephB said:


> People aren’t watching because they somehow envy these people in any way -- that’s ridiculous. People watch it to make fun of them. And I don’t think the show is OK just because the family doesn’t care or isn’t aware of the extent to which they’re being ridiculed. It’s a sad reflection on society that this show is popular -- and that goes for all the crap reality shows that are about making fun of people. Pathetic.



There you go judging people and you have no clue what you are talking about.  Did you read the article on Yahoo with Honey Boo-boo's mom?  I'll guess not.  Fact is she may not come across as the best parent in the world on that show, maybe because she is 'real,' or maybe because of editing, but she is a good mom.  I'm sorry she doesn't live up to your standards, but there are several kids out there that wish they could have a loving family dynamic similar to the one on that show.  Yes, do some people watch that show because they view it as a train wreck?  Probably, but for you to make statements that people only watch it to make fun of them, that in itself is more of a sad statement about society than Honey Boo-boo will ever be.


----------



## moderan (Feb 22, 2013)

Come on, man. Good try at the Honey BooBoo advocate position but seriously?


----------



## JosephB (Feb 22, 2013)

I'm not judging the family. And I said absolutely nothing bad about the mom. But people certainly do watch it to make fun of them -- and yes, I think that's pretty sad.


----------



## Lewdog (Feb 22, 2013)

I'm actually quite serious in some respects.  One thing that I can't stand in this world are people who believe that people who act different than them yet receive attention for it, are only getting attention because people want to see them fail or simply to ridicule them.  Truth be told, there are people out there that just enjoy watching other people be happy being themselves.  If you can't see that, or even understand it, because those people aren't up to 'your' standards, then I feel sorry for you.  It means you have become close minded to the point where judging others is more important than happiness or enjoying the moment.  Honey Boo Boo is the extreme of this.  Here is the link to the interview with June Shannon, Honey Boo Boo's mother, in which she points out that she wants her kids to be themselves, and how important her kids are to her.  On a personal note, I wish my mother would have been so caring.

Life Lessons from Honey Boo Boo's Mom, June Shannon | Parenting - Yahoo! Shine


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## JosephB (Feb 22, 2013)

You might have a point if I was criticizing or judging the mother. Clearly, I'm NOT doing that. I'm criticizing the people who watch the program for the purpose of making fun of these people. Two entirely different things. It’s not my problem if you can’t understand what I’m saying -- and I’m not going to argue about it. Defend the show all you want -- just don't drag me into it.


----------



## Kevin (Feb 22, 2013)

Lewdog said:


> It's a shame for you guys to be hating on Honey Boo-Boo child.  She is an inspiration for girls around the nation that eating junk food and drinking Koolade can catapult them onto the national stage.  It's heart warming to watch a family to enjoy living life so simple and yet enjoy it so very much.  They live the way they feel comfortable and don't let others change them in order to fit in.  It's the American Dream brought to life.


 I guess I really shouldn't talk as I haven't seen the show and just assumed it was a freakshow along the the lines of jerry springer or something.


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## Lewdog (Feb 22, 2013)

You can't *assume* why people are watching the show.  The only way you can do so is by using your own judgement and projecting it on others.  If you read the interview, the mother talks about how her and her family have yet to be ridiculed face to face by someone who watches the show.


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## JosephB (Feb 22, 2013)

Oh, yeah -- I'm sure people watch if for the educational and inspirational value -- and that it has nothing to do with mocking the family. I get it now.


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## Lewdog (Feb 22, 2013)

JosephB said:


> Oh, yeah -- I'm sure people watch if for the educational and inspirational value -- and that it has nothing to do with mocking the family. I get it now.





Like I said, close minded.


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## dolphinlee (Feb 23, 2013)

When I returned to the UK I decided not to buy a TV licence (necessary for viewing TV in the UK) or a new digital TV. I have not watched broadcast TV since the 1st December although I do watch the odd video. Why?

After two and a half years of North American TV struggling to find anything worth watching; after trying to find the merit in shows about hoarders, children who take part in pagents, croc hunters, hog hunters, duck hunters, Big Brother, Dance Mums and all the rest of the reality based programs that seem to have taken over the airways and having not been able to get into American football or the NHL because of the amount of advertising during the games I need a break from externally determined 'entertainment'. 

There may be many people who find merit in these programs but they left me feeling sad that a country which is capable of producing such incredibly well written, high quality shows like Law and Order, CSI and NYPD Blues has ended up producing so many programs like Dance Mums which seem to advocate being as nasty to everyone as you possibly can. Whilst I can agree that some have merit, the program about couponing helped a lot of people to understand that they could save money, others like the hoarding program were simply a way for people to watch people suffering. Putting pressure on people to clear out there homes in a limited amount of time is not now, nor has it ever been the way to help someone with a hoarding problem.

So what happened to the world leader in entertainment?


----------



## JosephB (Feb 23, 2013)

dolphinlee said:


> So what happened to the world leader in entertainment?



At any given time there have only been a handful of shows and movies that were worth watching. That goes back to the earliest days of Hollywood when they churned out hundreds of bad-to-mediocre movies. It was the same in the so-called Golden Age of television. We’re only still talking about or watching the movies and TV shows that were the cream of the crop. So it’s easy to look back and say that things were better at any given point.

For TV today, I’d go so far as to say the crap-to-quality ratio is somewhat higher because of all the outlets and the relatively low cost of producing horrible reality shows. That people watch them, especially the ones that make fun of people or focus on the misfortune of others is somewhat disturbing. But it’s not that hard to come up with a list of quality programs -- even if it isn’t that long. Same as it ever was.

The thing that annoys me is this new wave of reality shows that make fun of poor rural white people -- or people who can be perceived as “rednecks” -- and it’s all politically correct to do it. You could never make the same kind of show about any other group of people. Some people defend them as just being about families and we can relate to them and can admire them on some level --  but the truth is, they wouldn’t be on TV in the first place if there wasn’t an element of ridicule -- at the very least on the part of producers. People who defend them just aren’t looking deep enough into what motivates viewers and the people who make these shows.


----------



## moderan (Feb 23, 2013)

Joe is starting a new edition entitled "The Third Glass Teat". Harlan Ellison is watching.


----------



## Leyline (Feb 23, 2013)

Finished the second episode of Charlie Brooker's _Black Mirror_, 'White Bear': nothing gentle about _that_ level of disturbing. Extremely harrowing by the end. (BTW, I highly recommend the first series. The opener 'The National Anthem' is one of the most fascinatingly uncomfortable, bizarrely tragic things I've ever seen. It performed something of a miracle: it made me feel sorry for a politician.)

Currently watching series two of Tom McRae's _Threesome_: pretty much as delightful as the first, transcending the sitcom premise with a portrait of friendship that rings absolutely true.


----------



## JosephB (Feb 23, 2013)

How/where do you watch those, George?


----------



## Lewdog (Feb 23, 2013)

Funny thing, a lot of the reality TV shows in the U.S. are nothing but knockoffs of what was already created in Great Britain, Japan, and Australia.


----------



## dolphinlee (Feb 23, 2013)

Big Brother Yes. Although the Brits axed Big Brother years ago. The rest of the reality shows on my list would never get made in Britain. Partly because we don't have crocs or wild hogs! We are also lacking in 'larger than life' characters.


----------



## Foxee (Feb 23, 2013)

*peeks out warily*

Starting watching Person of Interest from Netflix. Liking it a lot.

*ducks back down into foxhole*


----------



## moderan (Feb 23, 2013)

I'm watching Worst Cooks in America, and wondering why my sister isn't on it. She once burned water.


----------



## Dave Watson (Feb 23, 2013)

Very much enjoying Breaking Bad. Watching it on Netflix and am halfway through season 3. Absolutely brilliantly acted, great story and fascinating character development. I can never figure out if I like any of the characters or not as they are all so layered with good and bad. Great show.


----------



## Foxee (Feb 23, 2013)

Dave Watson said:


> Very much enjoying Breaking Bad. Watching it on Netflix and am halfway through season 3. Absolutely brilliantly acted, great story and fascinating character development. I can never figure out if I like any of the characters or not as they are all so layered with good and bad. Great show.


Heard that was good, might have to scare it up on Netflix.


----------



## Dave Watson (Feb 23, 2013)

Foxee said:


> Heard that was good, might have to scare it up on Netflix.



You really should dude. but be prepared to lose hours and get very little writing done!


----------



## cazann34 (Feb 24, 2013)

I'm really enjoying 'Ripper Street' It's a Victorian police drama set in Whitechapel were Jack the Ripper murdered prostitutes. This is some time after these murders but the horrific murders still haunts the streets. Its very atmospheric, you can really believe you're watching people in the squalor of Whitechapel.


----------



## moderan (Feb 24, 2013)

I saw part of an episode and a sniper was using a rifle with a very modern-looking scope. I promptly changed the channel.


----------



## moderan (Feb 24, 2013)

Right now am watching "The Next Knuckler", an elimination competition that brings a group of former professional athletes together and attempts to find a competent knuckleball artist among them and to get that winner into a Major League camp. It's moderated by Tim Wakefield, who threw the pitch, and former MLB first sacker Kevin Millar, an ESPN announcer.
I threw the knuckler in college, as part of a large arsenal of legal and illegal pitches that won me a scholarship, so this is very interesting to me. I find myself practicing grips, getting that old feel of the ball, while I'm watching. It's a goofy pitch, and definitely takes a unique mindset. Most pitches are the result of trying to impart spin. The knuckleball relies on reducing spin.
Fun stuff for a baseball junkie.
Grapefruit League games are on MLBtv. I'm holding out for Cactus League. I did watch Pittsburgh beat Tampa yesterday though.


----------



## nicolam2711 (Feb 25, 2013)

Criminal Minds... love a good hour of "who's the serial killer?"


----------



## Thx (Feb 25, 2013)

I guess for myself it's just as much about what I haven't been watching: commercials.

Recently I have been able to liberate myself from cable and am rockin' the Roku. 

And what a relief!

No more five minute pimple commercials! No more scaley feet and skin tag commercials!

("Daddy, what's ED?) 

After ten solid years of cable I just had to ask myself why I am paying these people big bucks so they can bombard me with nasty ads between mostly re-runs?

Roku to the rescue, and I also put a great deal of programming on the Plex function, just make sure they are ad-backed.

Lately I have been hooked on "The Likely Lads" and "Whatever Happened To The Likely Lads?"...

Whatever Happened To The Likely Lads: S1 E1 - Strangers on a Train - YouTube

A Britcom starring James Bolam and Rodney Bewes.

I watch Crackle and several classic movie channels I bought for about a penny a movie. ($1.99 a year...)

Also, I have been watching a lot of Seinfeld on Crackle, catching up on what everyone else got years ago, lol. 

I paid $59 for the Roku box, had to buy a newer TV which I needed anyway and the first two months savings paid for the lot. add to that a wireless router.

Much of the programming is commercial free, many are as little as one minute of commercials for every hour and the ones that have more frequent commercials have genuine products like shampoo and yogurt...

Thx


----------



## Thx (Feb 25, 2013)

Dave Watson said:


> Very much enjoying Breaking Bad. Watching it on Netflix and am halfway through season 3. Absolutely brilliantly acted, great story and fascinating character development. I can never figure out if I like any of the characters or not as they are all so layered with good and bad. Great show.



I saw most of the "Breaking Bad" episodes and it is a tremendous program, like "The Sopranos" it is superior in every aspect, perhaps the writing most of all.

I will say, IMHO the two finest television programs ever...

Thx


----------



## John_O (Feb 25, 2013)

Right now watching the Washington Nats /  NY Mets spring training baseball game.


----------



## moderan (Feb 25, 2013)

John_O said:


> Right now watching the Washington Nats /  NY Mets spring training baseball game.


That's more like it. Cubs and Dodgers for me. Vin Scully on the mike instead of the Cubs' crew, which I haven't heard yet. Bobby Bonilla is the Mets' highest paid outfielder. Talk about mismanagement!


----------



## John_O (Feb 25, 2013)

I'm a  Pirates fan. 'nough said  lol


----------



## Lewdog (Feb 25, 2013)

moderan said:


> That's more like it. Cubs and Dodgers for me. Vin Scully on the mike instead of the Cubs' crew, which I haven't heard yet. Bobby Bonilla is the Mets' highest paid outfielder. Talk about mismanagement!



Heh that's like saying Ken Griffey Jr. is the Red's highest paid OF.  The Reds will paying him for the next 10+ years.


----------



## moderan (Feb 25, 2013)

Lewdog said:


> Heh that's like saying Ken Griffey Jr. is the Red's highest paid OF.  The Reds will paying him for the next 10+ years.


No, it isn't. The Mets paid Bonilla many times his contract's worth to defer payment and keep him from crying to the Players' Association when they decided to cut him for being no darn good at baseball. He had about four decent seasons and parlayed that into being the highest-paid player in the game-was always a crybaby malcontent according to his former teammates.


----------



## Lewdog (Feb 25, 2013)

moderan said:


> No, it isn't. The Mets paid Bonilla many times his contract's worth to defer payment and keep him from crying to the Players' Association when they decided to cut him for being no darn good at baseball. He had about four decent seasons and parlayed that into being the highest-paid player in the game-was always a crybaby malcontent according to his former teammates.



I was saying it was the same because Griffey took a deferred insured salary with the Reds as well.  



> However, $57.5 million of the money is being deferred, and Griffey won't start receiving it until March 2009. He will not have received all of the money until 2024.


----------



## SouthernRiver4 (Feb 25, 2013)

Been watching Supernatural. 

Love it.


----------



## moderan (Feb 25, 2013)

Lewdog said:


> I was saying it was the same because Griffey took a deferred insured salary with the Reds as well.


Ah. Well, then, you're exactly right. Didn't know that. But Junior played well for a long time. Bonilla was one of those theoretical switch hitters with a hole in the brick in his glove.


----------



## Lewdog (Feb 25, 2013)

I think the Yankees did the same thing with Danny Tartabull when they signed him to one of the richest contracts in the MLB as well.  Ok back on topic.


----------



## moderan (Feb 25, 2013)

Right. Go BlackHawks! Cubbies lost today, Dontrelle Willis (NRI) actually pitched part of an inning before getting hurt. Hawks are behind after two periods. I may need plenty of beer. I have Sam Adams Winter Lager and a bottle of Jagermeister.


----------



## Dave Watson (Feb 26, 2013)

Thx said:


> I saw most of the "Breaking Bad" episodes and it is a tremendous program, like "The Sopranos" it is superior in every aspect, perhaps the writing most of all.
> 
> I will say, IMHO the two finest television programs ever...
> 
> Thx



Sopranos is next on my watch list. I've never seen it but have heard only good things.


----------



## Thx (Feb 26, 2013)

Dave Watson said:


> Sopranos is next on my watch list. I've never seen it but have heard only good things.



You will not be disappointed! 

I first saw The Sopranos about seven years ago and turned it into an all day and night marathon.

The two shows are so close in overall quality you would think they were done by the same production team.

I really can't pick one over the other, when I start thinking about Walt and crew and how cool the whole setup is, I can't but help to think about the time "T's" crew helped liquidate that sporting goods store and the time Pauli and Chris spent the night in that van... 

(Trying not to put any real spoilers in there.)

No Dave, you don't want to miss The Sopranos.

(...now do you? )

Thx


----------



## KarinaRetzov (Feb 28, 2013)

I'm watching Once Upon A Time, FarScape and Bones.  I just ordered every single season of FarScape!  I'm sort of a sci-fi junkie, and the prosthetics/puppeteering are incredible on that show.


----------



## Leyline (Mar 1, 2013)

_The Almighty Johnsons_, a New Zealand show about the Norse gods being reincarnated as mostly working class Auckland residents. Rather brilliant, really.


----------



## Ariel (Mar 3, 2013)

I'm currently watching "The IT Crowd."  British humor at its best.  My ex introduced me to the show and I'm grateful for that considering that I enjoy it.


----------



## nicolam2711 (Mar 3, 2013)

May not be to anyone's taste... But I just feel one hour of Glee is not enough, I get all involved in a little sing song and suddenly it's over


----------



## Lewdog (Mar 3, 2013)

nicolam2711 said:


> May not be to anyone's taste... But I just feel one hour of Glee is not enough, I get all involved in a little sing song and suddenly it's over



I'm putting you on ignore now!


----------



## nicolam2711 (Mar 3, 2013)

Haha I thought there would be a few of this. I like my guilty pleasures, chick lit, Glee, anything else along those lines I probably love.


----------



## Lewdog (Mar 3, 2013)

nicolam2711 said:


> Haha I thought there would be a few of this. I like my guilty pleasures, chick lit, Glee, anything else along those lines I probably love.



lalalala I can't hear you...lalalala!


----------



## nicolam2711 (Mar 3, 2013)

Do you know who One Direction are? I love those cheesy songs haha


----------



## Lewdog (Mar 3, 2013)

I can't wait for the two hour "Amish Mafia" event tonight!  :icon_bounce:


----------



## nicolam2711 (Mar 3, 2013)

What is Amish Mafia? That sounds ridiculous.


----------



## Lewdog (Mar 3, 2013)

nicolam2711 said:


> What is Amish Mafia? That sounds ridiculous.



It's on Discovery Channel.  It's about people who do the dirty work for the Amish people, when the Amish can't do it for themselves because of their religious rules.  They are doing a marathon right now leading up to the new season.


----------



## nicolam2711 (Mar 3, 2013)

Surely, if the Amish people have people doing dirty work FOR them, it is still them breaking the rules. There was an amish show choir on Glee last week


----------



## Lewdog (Mar 3, 2013)

nicolam2711 said:


> Surely, if the Amish people have people doing dirty work FOR them, it is still them breaking the rules. There was an amish show choir on Glee last week




The people who do it are part of the Amish community but not yet Baptized so they aren't considered Amish yet.  The show also has a Mennonite who is like the Amish, yet not accepted as being Amish.  They do things like force people out of the community that sell fake Amish goods, or aren't Amish and try to sell goods in Amish areas.  There are lots of other stuff too.


----------



## nicolam2711 (Mar 3, 2013)

Hm that's interesting. I still considered it would be against their rules to encourage others to do things like that on their behalf but guess not. Then again the only knowledge I have of Amish people is in films like The Village and there's a Jodi Picoult novel in an Amish village.


----------



## Lewdog (Mar 3, 2013)

If you don't have the Discovery Channel where you live, you might be able to check it out on Discovery Channels website.  They also do helpful stuff like collect money to help out families, rebuild buggies that get broken, and stuff like that.


----------



## nicolam2711 (Mar 3, 2013)

I could have discovery if I paid for it but given that we're just big football fans we have a basic package plus sports.


----------



## Lewdog (Mar 3, 2013)

Football? or Futbol?


----------



## nicolam2711 (Mar 3, 2013)

Football as in actually kicked around a pitch. Not carried.


----------



## Lewdog (Mar 3, 2013)

Glee and now a soccer fan.  What ever are we going to do with you?


----------



## nicolam2711 (Mar 3, 2013)

You call it soccer. Which offends me. You can't just make up some weird version of rugby and decide to call it football. I love football. I'm Scottish, it is in our blood.


----------



## Lewdog (Mar 3, 2013)

nicolam2711 said:


> You call it soccer. Which offends me. You can't just make up some weird version of rugby and decide to call it football. I love football. I'm Scottish, it is in our blood.



I'm sorry if it offends you.   I just can't call it football, because it's not football to me.


----------



## nicolam2711 (Mar 3, 2013)

Haha well, I get that I guess. Grow up British though and our whole nation gets overly excited about games of football/soccer haha.


----------



## Lewdog (Mar 3, 2013)

There is a new show about Vikings coming on the History Channel right now.  They have been hyping it up pretty good.


----------



## CitizenUnknown (Mar 3, 2013)

Lewdog said:


> There is a new show about Vikings coming on the History Channel right now.  They have been hyping it up pretty good.



I'm looking forward to watching it. It falls in a time slot that doesn't work for me, but I'm definitely going to check it out somehow.
I just started watching a Netflix original series called _House of Cards_. Must say I am very intrigued and it has plenty of places to go. Shouldn't be surprised though, it's directed by David Fincher. The man is a genius.


----------



## Whisper (Mar 4, 2013)

nicolam2711 said:


> You call it soccer. Which offends me. You can't just make up some weird version of rugby and decide to call it football. I love football. I'm Scottish, it is in our blood.



Sure we can. Rugby is just a new name for "Kill the man with the ball." So if you can do it, we can to.


----------



## Whisper (Mar 4, 2013)

Lewdog said:


> There is a new show about Vikings coming on the History Channel right now. They have been hyping it up pretty good.



I have this DVR'd. Hoping this is good.


----------



## JosephB (Mar 4, 2013)

Didn't catch the Viking thing. We watched the History Channel Bible thing that came on before it -- not sure why. Just got caught up in the extraordinary cheesiness, I suppose. So overwrought and overacted. Plenty of opportunities for cracking wise and filling in silly dialog, if you like doing that. Apparently, Noah was Scottish. The Pharaoh's court was decorated like an Egyptian themed family restaurant. Definitely good for a few laughs. I hope the Viking thing is better -- and it wouldn't take much.


----------



## John_O (Mar 4, 2013)

Watching the the Tampa Bay / Pittsburgh hockey game.


----------



## Lewdog (Mar 6, 2013)

I'm watching this "Robot Combat League" show on Syfy.  I'm torn on whether it is worth watching or if it is cheesy.


----------



## Rustgold (Mar 6, 2013)

Lewdog said:


> I'm watching this "Robot Combat League" show on Syfy. I'm torn on whether it is worth watching or if it is cheesy.


It was interesting ten years ago.


nicolam2711 said:


> You call it soccer. Which offends me.


You call the girl's sport football, which offends me :tongue:


Btw: Now that I've seen most of Horrible Histories, I'm watching a black screen (technically dark grey with a [maybe] hint of green).


----------



## Lewdog (Mar 6, 2013)

Paul Bearer died today.  R.I.P. the father of Kane and the Undertaker.


----------



## Whisper (Mar 7, 2013)

JosephB said:


> Didn't catch the Viking thing. We watched the History Channel Bible thing that came on before it -- not sure why. Just got caught up in the extraordinary cheesiness, I suppose. So overwrought and overacted. Plenty of opportunities for cracking wise and filling in silly dialog, if you like doing that. Apparently, Noah was Scottish. The Pharaoh's court was decorated like an Egyptian themed family restaurant. Definitely good for a few laughs. I hope the Viking thing is better -- and it wouldn't take much.



I caught both. I actually stopped watching the Bible a few minutes into it because it was everything you said. Just laughable. I'm not a religious guy by any means, but from a watchable standpoint, this could have been so much better.

And speaking of so much better. The Vikings was outstanding. When I first saw this I thought this was a historical program, but not really. It's a regular drama series and it's very good.


----------



## Lewdog (Mar 15, 2013)

Just saw this article on Yahoo! and thought it was worth posting.

Miranda Lambert


----------



## Whisper (Mar 15, 2013)

that's just sad.


----------



## Lewdog (Mar 15, 2013)

Well she is at least one person who doesn't watch the show just to make fun of the family.


----------



## moderan (Mar 15, 2013)

The World Baseball Classic. Right now I'm watching the elimination game between the MLB-studded rosters of the USA and Puerto Rico. AAAA-level competition, played for keeps. Better than early spring-training ball with all of the AA people still wandering around and the national pride angle makes some players go all-out. The Italian team in particular was interesting, powered by young Cubs 1st baseman Anthony Rizzo. The Netherlands' team, filled out with players from Caribbean island republics, is in the final four. They eliminated perpetual powerhouse Cuba to get there.
The center fielder of the World-Champion Giants is facing one of their starting pitchers, to give you a clue about the level of competition.
And you can too take a "weird version of rugby" and call it "football". Too bad if people don't like it. I don't like "soccer". Too bad for me. I don't like "golf" either. The damn ball should explode, or tackling should be allowed. Soccer should be sold as a soporofic.
But then, so should baseball. I especially recommend the middle innings.


----------



## Lewdog (Apr 4, 2013)

Just watched the new show "Hannibal," it wasn't knock your socks off good.


----------



## Whisper (Apr 5, 2013)

The Vikings on History
The Following
Game of Thrones

Justified and Walking Dead just ended

Surprisingly, I'm finding I like The Americans.


----------



## moderan (Apr 5, 2013)

Freak Show. Just because. It isn't very good but the characters are sorta interesting.


----------



## Ariel (Apr 5, 2013)

Just finished Merlin season 4.  It's so horribly done but I love it.  I like the characters and (I have no idea why) but I cry at every re-telling of King Arthur and at the original stories.


----------



## Hunter (Apr 5, 2013)

Just finished the Walking Dead and now onto Game of Thrones!!!!


----------



## moderan (Apr 8, 2013)

Route 66. It's on at 3 am every Sunday night/Monday morning. One of my favorite shows ever. The episode that's on tonight (Suppose I Said I Was the Queen of Spain) has Robert Duvall, Harvey Korman, and Lois Nettleton and co-star George Maharis does not appear. Lois and Martin Milner are a bad fit in the LA oil fields. Great stuff-extremely well-scripted and acted. Highly recommended.


----------



## Ariel (Apr 8, 2013)

Bob's Burgers and Scrubs.  Bob's Burgers is funny in a way that is completely wrong.  The guy's kids are all "special."

Scrubs, despite my best attempts to avoid it, was pushed on me by Fella.  I'm surprised that I like it but the characters are more complex than I gave them credit for and are more interesting than I thought they would be--overall I'm happy he made me watch it.


----------



## JosephB (Apr 8, 2013)

Yeah -- I've watched a few _Scrubs_ and thought I could get into it if I gave it a chance.

We're not watching anything now except _Madmen_ and the new season started last night. Two hours and a little slow. But I remember the last season opener was more or less the same and things generally got off to a slow start -- so I'm not overly concerned. Last season, I thought they did a good job showing how the ad industry and the characters were affected by civil rights -- this episode touched on the war in Vietnam and the advent of the "hippie" movement. It makes for good contrast, the world of selling soap with the social upheavals of the era. Just as long as they don't get too heavy-handed or preachy about it.

I watched _Route 66 _with my dad on Nick at Night. I remember being skeptical, but the stories and acting were solid. I'd really like to see it again -- I think I'd appreciate it more now. And I'm surprised they haven't tried to make some lame movie version of it.


----------



## Nickleby (Apr 8, 2013)

My other half has gotten hooked on _Frasier_ on the Hallmark Channel. It was a good show, but four hours at a stretch?


----------



## moderan (Apr 8, 2013)

JosephB said:


> I watched _Route 66 _with my dad on Nick at Night. I remember being skeptical, but the stories and acting were solid. I'd really like to see it again -- I think I'd appreciate it more now. And I'm surprised they haven't tried to make some lame movie version of it.


I am too. If for nothing other than the cool car.
I just bought the dvd set. It was pretty cheap. Odds are I'll be up at that time anyway, but I'd like to see them in sequence. I was four years old when the show ended, and when the show was syndicated to Nickolodeon, it was random episodes. I haven't seen them all.
Some of the episodes were written by name writers of the time, especially Stirling Silliphant. There was a sort of-companion series, Naked City, which was also in that anthology style. That comes on before Rt 66, along with Craig Stevens as Peter Gunn. It makes for a pretty cool couple of hours there in the middle of the night. Some local tv station syndicates the shows.


----------



## JosephB (Apr 8, 2013)

Forgot to mention -- the _Route 66_ theme song may be the coolest TV theme song ever. I'm sure you're familiar with the writer/arranger, Nelson Riddle. I think he did Peter Gunn too.


----------



## WechtleinUns (Apr 8, 2013)

Nickleby, Frasier is a show that comes close to being like Seinfield. It's that good. I haven't heard of Route 66 before, which means it probably came out before 1992(haha. Shut. Up.).

Of course, I've been watching a bit of Samurai Champloo on Netflix. Which reminds me... I wonder if Stand Alone Complex is on Netflix? Hmm...


----------



## JosephB (Apr 8, 2013)

Frasier can be pretty clever. I'd like to have a dollar for every time Frasier said, "Niles -- may I have a word with you in the kitchen." Or vice versa.


----------



## moderan (Apr 8, 2013)

JosephB said:


> Forgot to mention -- the _Route 66_ theme song may be the coolest TV theme song ever. I'm sure you're familiar with the writer/arranger, Nelson Riddle. I think he did Peter Gunn too.


That was Mancini. But yes. More than faniliar. We had wax when I was younger. Ella and Sinatra and solo work. He did the background music for Batman, too. Not the theme song, but the tv show music.


----------



## JosephB (Apr 8, 2013)

Not really familiar with Mancini. For some reason, I associate him more with "easy listening" songs for lack of a better term. I know Riddle from his work with Sinatra and Nat King Cole -- I go through phases where I listen to them. I listen to Nat King Cole mostly to marvel at his voice -- not for the songs so much.


----------



## Kevin (Apr 8, 2013)

I always thought of him as the 'Pink Panther' guy.  I just wikied him. I knew he was big but never realized how prolific he was (90 albums).

I watched 5 minutes of 'the Saint' the other night. Who was that striking female opposite Roger? Julie Christie...I guess before she was bigtime...


----------



## JosephB (Apr 8, 2013)

Yeah -- that's right. I forgot about the Pink Panther. The other one I remember is "Moon River."


----------



## moderan (Apr 8, 2013)

JosephB said:


> Yeah -- that's right. I forgot about the Pink Panther. The other one I remember is "Moon River."


Another one is from tjhe movie Hatari:
[video=youtube;tgOQIo42oc0]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tgOQIo42oc0[/video]


----------



## JosephB (Apr 8, 2013)

Heh. I know that one -- when my wife was teaching preschool, they put on a show and did a dance to that song. When I played it just now she automatically went into the routine.


----------



## Ariel (Apr 8, 2013)

X-Men: Evolution


----------



## Ariel (May 4, 2013)

Dark Matters--it's a syfy dramatization of real experiments.  Well, I'm watching the first episode.  It's going over an "experiment" that is commonly held to have been a hoax.


----------



## mathmaster12 (May 4, 2013)

BBC Merlin
Grey's Anatomy
Star Trek


----------



## Dave Watson (May 4, 2013)

Recently been getting right into Six Feet Under. Great program.


----------



## JosephB (May 4, 2013)

^ We really liked Six Feet Under. Finished watching not too long ago. It kind of peters out at the end and gets a little too far-fetched -- but it's all still worth watching. And the last episode includes a pretty inventive twist. Sometimes I felt like punching out that mom though -- she's so darned annoying.  I wish they made more good character focused shows like it.


----------



## moderan (May 4, 2013)

The oldies channel Antenna tv ran a Barney Miller marathon last night. I had forgotten how funny that show was, and how very excellent the jazzy theme was, as well. Steve Landesberg had all five of us grownups screaming by night's end. Included was the story arc where the detectives were all reassigned to the Homicide division, with the classic episode of the lady who hired a hit man and was there in the station trying to call it off when the hit man (who had been unsuccessful) and the husband were brought in.


----------



## Rustgold (May 4, 2013)

moderan said:


> Another one is from tjhe movie Hatari:
> [video=youtube;tgOQIo42oc0]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tgOQIo42oc0[/video]


It's amazing how many opening tunes make the shows; so much so, I wonder whether certain shows would have flopped without them.  Ally McBeal was all about the music, but there are/were others; Absolutely Fabulous, and too a lesser extent Buffy are two shows which probably owes so much to their opening tunes.

And I play Mancini on a rotation every 5-6 months or so.



Kevin said:


> I watched 5 minutes of 'the Saint' the other night. Who was that striking female opposite Roger? Julie Christie...I guess before she was bigtime...


The Saint is a really good ager as far as TV shows go (better than many 80s or 90s shows).  Some of these older shows have character which we've seemed to have lost in modern TV.


On my TV watching: Other than occasionally Mythbusters, and occasional random, I don't watch much TV.


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## moderan (May 4, 2013)

The Saint comes on after Route 66 on the Sunday Night Noir thing I watch when I can't sleep...Julie Christie, Honor Blackman (later of the Avengers) and Samantha Eggar were some of the female co-stars.
Most of my favorite tv themes are by either Mancini or Mike Post. Once a friend compared my music to Post's. To borrow an Englishism, I was chuffed.
Other than that, I generally watch televised sports. Sometimes the music makes that work too.


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## Tiamat (May 5, 2013)

I'm not a big fan of TV in general, so I'm nearly always behind the times on that one.  I just finished watching season two of The Walking Dead, which I've been trying to catch up on just to see what all the fuss is about.  Kind of cool, though.

And I've got I think four episodes of Revolution on the DVR that I haven't gotten to yet.  I really like the concept of the show, but hate the execution.  The whole darn thing is just so contrived I'm surprised it made it to season two.


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## ppsage (May 5, 2013)

Boston Legal


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## GonneLights (May 5, 2013)

Neon Genesis Evangelion!


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## Ariel (May 5, 2013)

I watched Evangelion to see what the fuss was about.  Watched a lot of other anime too.  I came to the conclusion that, except for a few and for cosmetic changes, they all really follow the same story.  So now I just watch a few favorite animators' work.

Namely, Sinchirô Watanabe and Hayao Miyuzaki.


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## moderan (May 5, 2013)

Never got the point of anime, with the impenetrable and often arbitrary storylines. The art style, especially manga with the big eyes and stuff, is bothersome. I can't tell you how many times I've tried to watch Akira, or how many wee hours have been spent trying to make sense of events in the things that are on Adult Swim here in the states. I did connect with Cowboy Bebop, mostly because of the excellent music, and have the whole series and the movie on disc.
Ensemble dramas and cop shows and medical shows and all like that just have no appeal. I watch the occasional cooking show but even those have begun to pall as they become more and more about product placement and not about generating good food from not-so-prime ingredients. I'm not gonna be using truffle oil anytime soon.
My wife is an anglophile, and gets me to watch things like Downton Abbey, which is a wonderful soporific, as As Time Goes By, which has Judy Dench and is superlative.
I have seen a couple of episodes of American Horror Story, whch were decent enough, and I like Louis CK's show, which is surreal.


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## msherman94 (May 6, 2013)

I'm going through the Battlestar Galactica reboot. Excellent program.
Also, Breaking Bad and The Walking Dead


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## GonneLights (May 6, 2013)

amsawtell said:


> I watched Evangelion to see what the fuss was about.  Watched a lot of other anime too.  I came to the conclusion that, except for a few and for cosmetic changes, they all really follow the same story.



[gasp]

You just didn't _understand _NGE, obviously  I like it for the Lacanian exposition of the characters and the heavily Kierkegaardean themes, and the allusions to Cabalah. It's a huge cut above any other anime I've seen.


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## Case (May 7, 2013)

After Season Three of "The Walking Dead" finished, I decided I'd delve into the latest Doctor Who incarnation, which I am currently enjoying. I'm not a Whovian, but I do have a soft spot for the ol' Doctor.


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## Folcro (May 7, 2013)

Like many others, I'm a Game of Thrones guy. Though I only find half the characters interesting. Also waiting for It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia to return.


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## JosephB (May 7, 2013)

_Always Sunny_ fan here. Just so ridiculous.


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## Robert_S (May 7, 2013)

I am watching "Defiance," but my interest is sporadic. I'm not certain if I'm engaged or not. I tried watching "Zero Hour" but lost interest rather quickly.


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## Folcro (May 7, 2013)

Robert_S said:


> I am watching "Defiance," but my interest is sporadic. I'm not certain if I'm engaged or not. I tried watching "Zero Hour" but lost interest rather quickly.



Same here, Zero Hour had nothing going for it.


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## Jeko (May 8, 2013)

A new series of The Apprentice! Na-nuh Na-nah Na-neh Na-nah Na-nuh Na-nah Na-neh Nerrrr! 

Only show on TV worth watching.


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## Mariner (May 8, 2013)

Doctor Who- Totally different from the show that made me a nerd.

The Apprentice- Top class. Looks an interesting bunch this year...


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## Jeko (May 8, 2013)

Matt Smith sucks. His writers similarly suck (apart from Neil Gaiman - his episode was _awesome_).

I have stopped watching Doctor Who, and I am currently feeling the benefits of my decision.


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## Mariner (May 8, 2013)

I've been watching for a while, since Tennant but went back to Eccleston, but Smith could be ten times better if he had better writers. Which was one was Gaiman's episode by the way?


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## popsprocket (May 12, 2013)

Da Vinci's Demons

Not for the purists who would cringe at the thought of someone taking history and turning it into a drama, but an extremely good show.


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## Robert_S (May 14, 2013)

I was watching Defiance, but after this last episode, I'm done.  Firefly was the mold of the wild west theme sci-fi, but no other show has been able to recapture that particular feel. Perhaps because the cast was small and enclosed in a smaller space, but this show is turning into a prime time soap opera with moments that are supposed to be shocking, but just make my eyes roll. It's not working for me.

At the moment, I watch nothing on tv regularly.


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## Case (May 15, 2013)

Robert_S said:


> I was watching Defiance, but after this last episode, I'm done.


I sympathize. The show seemed to have an interesting premise. I tried watching the premiere episode of "Defiance," but as soon as the protagonist chose to jump into the typical cliche of the underground fight for money, I rolled my eyes harder than I probably should have and I turned it off right there. lol - Since you've seen more of the show and you also indicate "eye-roll," I probably saved my peepers more strain by cutting out early. 



Robert_S said:


> Firefly was the mold of the wild west theme sci-fi, but no other show has been able to recapture that particular feel. Perhaps because the cast was small and enclosed in a smaller space


I got into Firefly late, mostly because I wasn't a fan of marrying sci-fi with the wild west. To me, making a show with a western theme was often the cheap route on TV, so I missed out of its initial run. But I became a convert later and I have to say that the show is excellent, and I enjoy watching it whenever I have the chance. 


At the moment, I watch nothing on tv regularly.[/QUOTE]


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## Robert_S (May 15, 2013)

Case said:


> I got into Firefly late, mostly because I wasn't a fan of marrying sci-fi with the wild west. To me, making a show with a western theme was often the cheap route on TV, so I missed out of its initial run. But I became a convert later and I have to say that the show is excellent, and I enjoy watching it whenever I have the chance.



I learned of Firefly long after the show was canceled. I'm rarely engaged these days, but occasionally, a show comes along that catches me, usually long after the start. I didn't start watching Stargate SG-1 until the cast change, so it was almost over by that time.


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## JosephB (May 15, 2013)

Only show we're watching is Madmen. Just when you think nothing is happening, they hit you something big -- and it doesn't seem contrived. And I have to say the girl from _Freaks and Geeks_ turned out well. She's on the show now.


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## Kevin (May 15, 2013)

I noticed a bunch of the actors were from _Buffy (Angel?). _


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## TheWritingWriter (May 15, 2013)

*My top picks, when I'm ready for TV time:* 

_American Horror Story
Medium
Ghost Whisperer
Alias
Vampire Diaries 
Whitney 
Doctor Who
Game of Thrones_


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## Lewdog (May 16, 2013)

Kevin said:


> I noticed a bunch of the actors were from _Buffy (Angel?). _



Angel was a spin off of Buffy.  Buffy was going to kill Angel but fell in love with him, and Angle eventually got his soul.

I have Netflix and found Firefly on there.  I am watching the first episode.  They only have 14 episodes listed, is that all there is?


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## Angelicpersona (May 16, 2013)

I watch a ton of different shows. I think I have like 15 different ones that I keep up with regularly, but the ones that I most look forward to are GoT, Once Upon a Time, Grimm, Dr. Who, and for something completely different - Criminal Minds and Bones. I also watch a few comedy and drama shows. Yeah, I've got a very eclectic taste lol


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## Leyline (May 16, 2013)

Recently re-watched (4th go through) _Deadwood_, for my money the single finest thing television has ever produced. A masterclass in dialogue, fascinatingly balanced characters, oblique approach to theme, often hilarious, frequently horrifying, and always close to hypnotic. Ian McShane gives one of the finest extended performances I've ever seen, and there's not a duff member of the cast on hand. Some of the actors seem positively delighted to finally be given something worthy of their talent (career topping roles for Brad Dourif, Powers Boothe and Keith Carradine, for example) while others are keenly aware that their careers have just been defined (Robin Weigert, Jim Beaver, Paula Malcolmson, and Dayton Callie amongst others).

Currently watching, with my cousin, _Breakout Kings_. It's nothing really special, but enjoyably time-wasting enough. Recently did the same with _The Walking Dead_ and -- to be honest -- was simply not impressed. It's a fairly well made and acted series, but I found most of the character conflict to be unintentionally funny. People who should be traumatized and in sheer survival mode arguing about whether they should let their son learn to use a gun (of friggin' course they should!), enraged and horrified that a veterinarian is offering to operate on their dying child (proper answer: "Thank God we found an actual vet amidst all this carnage and depopulation!"), and boringly obsessed with who might be sleeping with who (which may be realistic. It's still boring).


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## Leyline (May 16, 2013)

Lewdog said:


> Angel was a spin off of Buffy.  Buffy was going to kill Angel but fell in love with him, and Angle eventually got his soul.
> 
> I have Netflix and found Firefly on there.  I am watching the first episode.  *They only have 14 episodes listed, is that all there is?*



Yep. That's it. And a movie.


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## Lewdog (May 16, 2013)

Leyline said:


> Yep. That's it. And a movie.



Damn...I have a lot of stuff to watch in between finishing my judging of the LM stories.  I don't like to do them all in a row because I tend to start to compare them to each other verses judging them for what they are.


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## Dictarium (May 16, 2013)

Doctor Who
Game of Thrones (the best produced and most well-made television show ever, in my opinion)
Re-runs of That 70s Show when I can because it's my favorite show ever.


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## popsprocket (May 16, 2013)

Currently watching Veronica Mars.

When it was airing I wrote it off as a girl's show, but I was looking through some funny quotes from it and figured it would be worth a shot. It's actually really good. If it maintained the almost-noir feel of the very first episode all the way through then I would consider it pretty much perfect.


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## hamster892 (May 20, 2013)

I have some variety here.

Modern Family. 

Deadliest Catch

My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. 

Eagerly awaiting various web series: Red vs. Blue Season 11, Day 5, RWBY.


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