I recently accidentally discovered Justified, Sons of anarchy and Doctor Who and it has been great entertainment so far. So I figured that there are a lot of TV shows and Movies that not a lot of people here at DLP have heard but would definitely enjoy it if they had them.

DLP being the bastion of all things quality, I think that we should have a thread where members can make recommendations, while others pop in check them out and possibly discover new TV shows and movies.

I will start of by highly recommending:

1.Battlestar Galactica- This is quite honestly the best TV drama I have ever seen. The way there is usually no clearly defined good guy and bad guy but people who all think they are doing whats right for them and there survival makes for a very compelling story. Plus you have two bad ass leaders in Bill Adama and Laura Roslin and there completely believable and enjoyable romance that always happened in the background and never intruded into the story. You have a recipe for the best Drama out there.

The series also completely sold me when,

Spoiler

During the trial of Gaius Baltar(who actually really deserved to be completely punished for contributing to the near annihilation of the human race) one of the protagonists argued on his side stating the obvious that the people on the show and I personally as a viewer had ignored. That one the president had issued a blanket pardon to everyone, that until then people have been getting away with crimes including himself and that when the cylons came to new caprica completely surrounded them and he surrendered what would anyone else had done in his place.

It was this, the show recognising such a thing that makes this show a must see


2.The wire- If you haven't watched the wire yet stop what your doing, look for it, sit down and watch another "best" drama. I absolutely loved how this series progressed like reading an actual novel, where one episode was equivalent to one or two chapters in a book. Any DLP member who values strong quality storing telling will absolutely love this show.

3.Justified-

4.Deadwood- Ian Mcshane and Timothy Olyphant enough said.

5.Sherlock.

Now I have to ask guys would you recommend Deep space 9(I have never watched any other Star trek) and Babylon 5?

 

Cool idea.

TV shows I have enjoyed:

• Person of Interest - Basically Michael Emerson plays a computer hacker who after 9/11 got funding to build a computer which can give him the social security number of someone will be involved in a crime, they may be the one in danger or they may be the criminal. So he enlists the help of a CIA hitman to help him prevent it.
• Homeland - Pretty damn decent show about a soldier who was turned while in captivity.
• Alphas - Sort of like X-men in a real world environment.
• Strike Back / Strike Back: Project Dawn - A military show that I found to be entertaining.
• NCIS: Los Angeles - I'm not a major fan of the original NCIS, I watched it for time killing, but this version here I liked quite a bit with the mystery around the main agent as a side story.
• Hawaii Five 0 - Stories about Navy Seals always interested me, so when I saw this was about a Navy Seal turned cop, I will admit I was excited, and it's pretty good.
• Burn Notice - Been mentioned already on why it's good.
• White Collar - It's a laid back, entertaining tv show about a conman turned consultant for the FBI.
• Suits - A dropout from college manages to wing his way into a top law firm as the associate to a cocky, senior partner.
• Camelot - It's cancelled now, but I enjoyed it while it was on. A slightly more realistic take on the myths.
• Merlin - Used to watch this when there was no football/pub nights planned. Laid back and entertaining.
• Flashpoint - A show about a SWAT team/negotiating unit, better than I expected.

Movies I have enjoyed:

• The Bourne series.
• The rebooted Bond series.
• IronMan 1 & 2 and Avengers
• The Batman series.
• The Fast & Furious series.
• Warrior
• Killer Elite

 

The Wire is dark. Not good for escapism into a happy place.

Avatar has problems if the viewer is over ten years old.

Burn Notice was kinda fun, but after one too many times when I called bullshit I stopped watching it. Many technical things are sloppy, but this took the cake: the American sky supposedly spoke Russian with no accent and fooled a native Russian gangster into believing that he (the spy) was also native Russian. There was also a very egregious mistranslation in written Russian, that 100% means the writers used a dictionary instead of a translator, which explains how such a plot could have been invented in the first place.

Buffy, same as DS9 and B5, is dated. I loved it to bits, many years ago. I am no longer 12, and watching it again would totally ruin it for me.

Firefly: YES.

NCIS: The target audience are clueless middle aged people. The characters are cartoonish. The atmosphere is too gung-ho and too unrealistic. Like CSI, it's completely AU that pretends to happen in the real world and it's jarring. Physics doesn't work this way. The internet doesn't work this way. International politics doesn't work this way.

West Wing: annoying fantasy land. People watching this might develop really weird notions about how politics works or what liberals actually want. Instead of being effective liberal propaganda, it achieves the opposite effect. Of course, with the GOP going full retard, it doesn't matter.

White Collar is entertaining.

The Mentalist is entertaining.

Castle is entertaining.

Dirty Jobs and Mythbusters are occasionally entertaining.

House was entertaining for a few seasons, but jumped the shark a while ago. For a season, reading this after watching an episode made it more entertaining.

 

Some people just expect way too much realism out of fiction...

Realism isn't nearly as entertaining as fiction for the most part. I'm happy to stick with my unrealistic entertaining shows.

 

In my opinion, DS9 is the best of all the Star Treks. Admittedly, it was the hardest to get into, and took a couple of seasons to really get into the swing of things, but it's the only Star Trek series that really has a proper overarching storyline across all 7 seasons. The last season of DS9 was just pure awesome - an action-packed climax that brought everything together.

 

New show I find very good : New Girl

Buffy: oldie but goodie.

NCIS: little generic.

Numb3rs: if you like math.

Diagnosis Murder: old but funny.

IT crowd: classic.

Penn&Teller - Fool us/Magic and mistery tour: entertaining and awesome.

Robot Chicken: classic.

Wipeout: if you are into that kinda thing.

EDIT: Better off Ted: awesome and very funny, the second season falls a little short but still entertaining.

 

Dude, West Wing is awesome. It might not be a political documentary, but some of the characters are brilliant.

If you like this, I'd recommend Father Ted. It's written by the same guy, about a couple of Irish priests.

I'd also agree with Buffy and Firefly.

 

Many of my favourite series (Firefly, BSG, Buffy) have already been mentioned, but here's one that is surprisingly absent:

Stargate SG-1

TV series which follows the Steven Spielberg movie of the same name, which I would recommend watching first.

A gate through which you can walk to other planets is found by the US military. The begin exploring the galaxy, finding enemies in the form of ancient Egyptian gods. The find allies too, and one of the long term threads through the series is humanity finding its place among the stars.

Like DS9, this is a series with some major long-term plot points. It's like Buffy in its plotting: you have the "planet of the week", plus each season has a big bad, then you have a couple of series-long plot points. There are a couple of baddies who last a few seasons, though.

It takes a few seasons to really get into its stride, but it's well worth sticking to. Though I think they should have finished after season 8. Season 9 and 10 feel tacked on. They should have started a new spin off show, IMO.

The show has some great humour as well as action and plot. "Window of Opportunity" is one of the funniest things on TV ever.

And here's a show which I'm not surprised isn't here:

Gossip Girl

This is a pure celebration of decadence, wealth and luxury. It focuses on the Manhattan "aristocracy". A teen drama along the same likes as the OC, only set in NYC not California. It's also a lot better than the O.C., in my opinion. The O.C. had a couple of problems. Firstly, Ryan was the dullest main character you'll ever find. Seth was much more interesting. Secondly, they repeated the same bullshit plot point over and over. You know, the "lack of communication leads to misunderstanding, jealousy and resentment, which leads to relationship problems which could be easily avoided by actually talking with each other" one. That sentence basically summarises every conflict in the O.C. ever.

In Gossip Girl there's much more varied conflict. The show actually moves on. The O.C. never got over Ryan/Marissa. Gossip Girl also has its own OTP: Dan/Serena. They do this better than the O.C. in two ways: 1. they actually have them together and happy for a decent amount of time, so we understand why they want to be together - they're happy. 2. The show moves on from this plot point. It doesn't constantly look back. (That said, DAN/SERENA OTP).

Anyway, the show has some pretty good drama and also is just beautiful to watch - beautiful people, beautiful apartments, beautiful clothes. It makes you really really want to suddenly come into a few hundred million dollars. It also has some good humour, especially around the character of Chuck Bas. In the pilot he's rather rapey, but once the season got approved and they went into main production they toned that down, and just made him a hilariously sleazy, entitled, arrogant, self-centred trust fund kid. But actually, his character development is the best across the series. By season 4 he's really gone a way.

 

DS9 is the best Star Trek because it's the one that has gone the farthest from Gene Roddenberry's ideas. For one, it's not a socialist utopia.

There is a huge difference between fiction, which means it didn't really happen, and speculative fiction, which means that not only it didn't happen but also it couldn't have happened. I love sci-fi and to a lesser degree other speculative fiction subgenres, but I find almost-but-not-quite our-universe worlds jarring. It's exactly like uncanny valley. The closest it is to the real world without being real, the weirder it is. The way to fix it is to either make me believe it's the real world, or make it very obviously not the real world. Add elves or FTL communication, and I'm willing to be entertained. Make a GUI interface using visual basic to track the killers IP address, and I'll stop torrenting your show. A huge loss to the studio, I know.

 

Black Books is also by the same creators as Father Ted and The IT Crowd and it's also awesome.

Louie is the best comedy on TV right now.

Bored to Dead is about a writer moonlighting as PI.

The Increasingly Poor Decisions of Todd Margaret is a awesome sitcom starring David Cross and Will Arnett.

Luther is about a British police officer. It's a pretty epic series starring Idris Alba

 

More like the Roland Emmerich movie.

 

Just finished watching the first season of spooks and it's been great from start to finish. Recommend it if only the first.

I would like to know if it maintains the quality in later seasons?

@Taure glad to know I am not the only one who enjoyed Gossip, just watching their self destructive actions was fascinating.

I would like to know what you think about Skins which I've been told is kind of similar to Gossip girl, is it worth the 40-45 minutes?


Oh and to all the blokes who are UK internationals or from other countries Im sure you have some superb local tv. Wouldn't mind recommendations

 

I don't know if it's similar to Gossip Girl, but I'd say the first two seasons are definitely worth a watch. They changed all the characters about after the second season, which ruined it in my opinion.

 

The first three series were amazing; after that it started to go downhill. In fairness, I stopped watching around series 5, so whether it picked up again after that I don't know.

Other recommendations.

Pushing Daisies - one of the most heartwarming, quirky and hilarious shows I've ever seen. A true original, and a must see.

Due South - the adventures of Benton Fraser, Mountie posted to Chicago. A police procedural with a sense of fun, and a good heart. Awesome stuff.

Jekyll - Stephen Moffat's take on Jekyll and Hyde. Similar to Sherlock in that it's a modern update, but it's set in a world where the book still exists. Six episodes long, and brilliant from start to finish, bar a bit of fridge logic. Wonderful performance(s) from James Nesbitt as well.

Green Wing - kind of like Scrubs, but British and far more surreal (and without the sentementality at the end of each episode). Probably the funniest thing to come out of UK tv in the last twenty years.

Frasier - probably the funniest show ever.

Zen - Italian set crime drama with an all British cast. Only got one series (three episodes) before being quietly dropped, which was a crying shame. Apparently the BBC felt it was too similar to other shows on the air. True, it doesn't do much that you won't have seen before, and it's not a great adaptation of the books that inspired it, but it was damn good fun, and well worth a watch.

Bones - not really a must-see, but it's good fun. Haven't seen the last couple of series yet.

Cowboy Bebop - fantastic anime, about a group of bounty hunters (cowboys) trying to stay solvent in space. If you like Firefly, you'll probably enjoy this.

Homeland - I wasn't expecting to enjoy this as much as I did, but it quickly became must see TV. I can't remember being so utterly gripped by something before.

Downton Abbey - it's a bit cheesy, and they've dragged the will they/won't they aspect out longer than necessary, but it's worth watching to see Maggie Smith being awesomely bitchy.

Usual suspects as well - Firefly, The Wire, Buffy/Angel, Castle, Supernatural, Doctor Who...

 

If we're talking current shows, you can't go wrong with some of the obvious choices: How I Met Your Mother, 30 Rock, Big Bang Theory.

I'll second Burn Notice. The characters are interesting, and it's just a fun, quirky show. Plus, Bruce Campbell.

Suits comes on right after Burn Notice, so you may as well just watch it, too. I actually prefer it over Burn Notice. Now, the premise of the show requires a bit of suspension of disbelief, but it's well worth it. It's the best legal show currently airing (and I prefer it to Boston Legal, honestly). And things are really heating up right now.

On the subject of shows that have gone off the air:

I can't recommend 24 enough. The first three seasons in particular are some of the best television you'll ever see. It's about a counter terrorism agency in Los Angeles, with some good action scenes and great drama. Easily the best thing Kiefer Sutherland has ever done.

Monk was excellent. It was about an obsessive compulsive, germaphobic detective.

Scrubs is one of my favorite comedies. Definitely worth a watch.

And, of course, the Twilight Zone.

 

Band of Brothers and The Pacific. WWII miniseries that are just mind-blowingly well made. The characters are brilliantly portrayed, and is on the whole very moving

Twilight Samurai- A Japanese movie made in 2002. 99% on Rotten Tomatoes. An excellent human story about a Father more interested in his children then he is in the samurai way.

Iron Giant - The First Movie ever made by the precursor to Pixar. It is cool

Better off Ted is hysterical

5 centimeters per second. A short movie about relationships. Forewarned: it is an anime movie.

Into the Wild - Movie about Christopher McCandless. A guy who gave up everything he owned and wandered the country. Oscar Nominated Best Picture.

The Sting. Robert Redford and Paul Newman in a con movie 'nuff said

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. Impossible to describe, just watch.

Memento - The BEST movie Christopher Nolan has ever made.

Old Boy - A revenge story taken to several extremes.

Dear Zachary: Amateur Documentary that WILL force you to shed (manly) tears, in a good way.

Blood Diamond - Some don't think this is that great, but this is my favorite Dicaprio movie. About African conflict diamonds and the crazy white people who get caught up in it.

Eastern Promises. Russian Mob in England. Great Characters. Vigo Mortenson at his best.

I second : Cowboy bebop, Firefly, Supernatural, Avatar, The Wire Pushing Daisies, Louie, And Sherlock.

Edit:

I am very pleased that MLP has not come up yet.

 

Top Gear. It doesn't matter if you don't like cars, the show stands up on it's own regardless. the UK version, at least. Aussie and US versions are alright. There's nearly 20 seasons, with most of the shows an hour long, so watching them all could take quite awhile.

Firefly. Awesome show. There's not much to say about it that hasn't already been said a thousand times on this forum.

Scrubs. Great show. Funny, childish, etc. The first six seasons are the best, and then it starts to go down hill, but still worth watching all 9. Dr. Cox is awesome.

House M.D. Awesome show, and the character interactions are quite entertaining.

 

Movies wise...

The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford - almost as long as its title, but a wonderful film about...well, what do you think? Outstanding performances from Brad Pitt and Casey Affleck, and some filming that borders on genuine art.

Gone, Baby, Gone - Casey Affleck again, this time as a private detective investigating the disappearance of a young girl. A decent, gritty drama that isn't afraid to make you think about the rights and wrongs of the case; no black and white here.

The Fountain - Hugh Jackman and Rachel Weisz as lovers. Depending on your interpretation, this might take place in two or possibly three different time lines/realities. Awe inspiring photography, brilliant acting, and genuinely moving.

The Princess Bride - very funny, and the greatest sword fight ever filmed.

The Prestige - to go along with Memento, another excellent film from Chris Nolan (his second best). Two rival magicians (stage, not actual magic) wage a feud, constantly trying to one-up the other. It ends badly, as you might expect.

Secretary - yeah, ok. It's the kinky romance film, but it's genuinely good, not just an exercise in titillation.

In Bruges - the most hilariously foul-mouthed film I've seen. Two hitmen have to hide out in Bruges following a botched hit, and one of them is not impressed. Contains hookers, racist dwarves, bloody violence and some virtuoso swearing.

The Bourne Trilogy - no idea about Legacy, out soon (now?), but the trilogy is excellent. The story is decent, but the real draw is the outstanding action and car chases. Without them, Craig's Bond wouldn't exist.

Scott Pilgrim vs the World - rating: awesome.

A Cock and Bull Story - Michael Winterbottom tackles a book thought to be unfilmable - Tristram Shandy - and makes a film about...how hard it is to adapt the book. Probably funnier if you've studied English to graduate level, but still worth a watch.

Adaptation - similar to the above, Charlie Kaufman decided the book 'The Orchid Thief' defied adaptation, and so wrote a book about himself trying to adapt it and failing. Watch this if only to see that Nicolas Cage is a pretty good actor when he tries.