This thread is paying off. I'm almost done with the 1st season of the Reaper and it's getting better (the first 5-6 episodes were average).

As to the TV series, I'll second some and probably add a few new ones:

Sherlock - Great interpretation of Holmes in modern times (especially how he uses his smartphone as an aid).

Game of Thrones - A must see, nothing more to say (although IMO books are better).

The Lost Room - An awesome short TV series (3x90 minutes). There is a mysterious room. No one knows how, or when , it was created, or what happened there (some say a god died in it). All we know is, that there are items from that room that have unique (kind of magical) properties and there are people who would literally kill to get them... Our protagonist accidentally finds himself in the middle of it and is forced by the circumstances to discover all he can about the room...

Firefly - One of the best sci-fi shows and the only space western out there (that I know of).

Castle - The lead character is played by Nathan Fillion (that's why there are many cameos from firefly). A bestselling novelists becomes an object of a murder investigation due to the nature of the crime scenes - the victims were killed exactly as in some of his books. Perhaps a copycat killer? Once the crime is solved he stays on the team as researching writer-consultant.

Doctor Who (new series since 2005) - A classic B class TV show turned awesome. Well, it was awesome, but then Tenant left and we've got a hipster Doctor...

Star Gate and SG Atlantis - It was the first TV series I actually watched episode-by-episode on purpose. There are two thresholds when people said this series should have stopped: Prometheus (they didn't want to name first Terran FTL spaceship Enterprise) and the Ori. IMO, only the last 2 seasons were forced.

Black Adder - An awesome comedy about the clan Black Adder ad their failure at gaining power (Starring Rowan Atkinson).

Lost Girl - A guilty pleasure of mine. A girl finds out, that she was adopted and her mother left her a legacy... she's a fae, a succubus to be exact. It's worth watching for two reasons: great acting ( the episode where they were body jumping... that was impressive) and the girls from the show

Flashforward - scrapped after first season. A mysterious phenomenon caused mass panic and loses. Somehow people all over the world lost consciousness for just over two minutes. The weird thing is, they saw their future from a few months ahead. People want to know why it happened and whether it could happen again. IMO, the book was better.

Supernatural - The first few seasons were really good, then they set off the apocalypse and I stopped watching it (it turned out into one big angst fest for Dean-Sam). the only thing saving the series were Castiel and Crowley.

Haven - Based on Stephen King's novel. An FBI agent arrives in a small, sleepy town of haven chasing a fugitive, only to find out, that there's something weird going on in this place and some people have special abilities, like affecting weather with their moods etc... Not an awesome series, but I recommend it if you're done with the big titles.

Fringe - A sci-fi series similar in a way to the X-files, at least when it comes to the weird cases factor. Still, the weird science is interesting and the two Walters are awesome.

Battlestar Galactica (2004 edition) - The most realistic sci-fi out there. There's no energy shields or Direct Energy Weapons, only the use old fashioned guns. And Nukes. There's no trying to give weird scientific details for the FTL, it's just a plot device. The alternative title should be Backstab Galactica. Seriously, with the amount of sleeper agents and betrayals... However IMO, the last season, or two, were way over the top with the mysticism and godly stuff...

Day Break - A short (only 13 episodes) series terminated after season one. Our main character, a cop, has the worst day ever. It starts ok, at his girlfriend's palce and it's all the usual daily grind... until a point when he's kidnapped and taken to a quarry, where he is told, that as long as he's silent during a trial his girl will be fine. Then the mysterious guys from black SUVs inject him with some serum and... he wakes up next to his girlfriend and it's the same day all over again. Yup, it's a Groundhog Day: the TV series

 

Best TV show of all time?

 

Oh guys, just finished Carnivale and Wow, I don't even know how I can go about recommending this one. I will definitely tell you this its something I am sure DLP members will enjoy completely.

It starts out slow as every review you will read will tell you but its well worth out, with an awesome mythology( though its not fully explored in the two seasons it unfortunately runs through) but you will definitely be well off checking out the mythology first to get a grander understanding of the show.

Watch it this week.

 

Finished watching White Collar up till the 4th season and it's a meh. I laughed and stuff, but they put in a lot of twist just for the sake of twists and it gets boring after a while.

 

I just marathoned all the episodes of Community and there are just two things I have to say: Cool, Cool Cool Cool. and I now love Alison Brie.

What's the word on Chuck?

 

Thanks for mentioning Justified, I've never heard of it before and so far watched the first 2 seasons in three days. That's one awesome show and probably the closest thing to a modern western I've ever seen.

I can only recommend it as well!

 

Chuck is fair. Has plenty of laughs, has some neat stories, and it has its fair share of bugbears. I still enjoyed it up until about episode fourteen or fifteen of the third season. Around there the quality really decreased. In the shows defense, the third season was originally thirteen episodes, but was picked up for an extra six so the added story was rushed and was consequently a mess. The last two seasons have their moments, but it was getting pretty clear (to me) the show had passed its peak.

Basically, it's good for awhile, but it will wear thin around the fourth season at the latest.

 

I wasn't going to bother recommending this, but seeing as people are actually just discovering Stargate SG-1 and Doctor Who, I guess there's a high chance some of you haven't actually seen the genius that is Red Dwarf yet.

It's a British sci-fi sitcom that ran from 1988 to 1999 (with a three part special in 2008 and a new series coming later this year) about four people trapped on a ship three million years from home. They try to get back to Earth and have adventures along the way. Very, very funny.

 

Love me some Red Dwarf.

Lister: Cat.
Cat: Mm?
Lister: Did you ever see the Flintstones?
Cat: Of course.
Lister: Do you think Wilma's sexy?
Cat: Wilma Flintstone?
Lister: Maybe we've been alone in deep space for too long but every time I see that show, her body drives me crazy. Is it just me?
Cat: I think in all probability, Wilma Flintstone is the most desirable woman who ever lived.
Lister: That's good, I thought I was goin' strange.
Cat: She's incredible!
Lister: What do you think of Betty?
Cat: Betty Rubble? Well, I would go with Betty...but I'd be thinkin' of Wilma.
Lister: This is stupid. Why are we talking about going to bed with Wilma Flintstone?
Cat: You're right. We're nuts. This is an insane conversation.Lister: She'll never leave Fred and we know it.

 

I second: Archer, Band of Brothers/The Pacific, Better Off Ted, Blackadder, Chuck (my favorite show), Community, Deadwood, Game of Thrones, Homeland, Louie, Mad Men, Numb3rs, The Borgias, Scrubs, Sherlock, and The Wire.

I recommend:

Horror

American Horror Story - You either love it or you hate it. I'm a big fan of horror/macabre and this is pretty much the only such show on American tv atm.

Documentaries

These aren't strictly fiction but they're so good that I strongly feel they deserved a mention. Basically anything from the BBC Natural History Team: Planet Earth, Life, Human Planet and Frozen Planet. They are the best videography that you can see in this world right now. And David Attenborough's voice makes me wish I was being hunted by a lion just so he could narrate part of my life. Human Planet is the exception, narrated by John Hurt (Garrick Ollivander).

Comedy

Anger Management - The new Charlie Sheen show. It's basically what you'd expect from Sheen. Nothing less nothing more. And Charlie Sheen can deliver deadpan like no one else. About an anger management therapist who's undergoing anger management therapy. Still deserves a mention because Charlier Sheen is winning.

Curb Your Enthusiasm - Dunno why no one mentioned this. Before Louie came along it was the best comedy on tv, since Seinfeld. I daresay it's still the smartest comedy on tv. Larry David (played by Larry David) is the now famous and rich co-creator of Seinfeld whose social ineptitude leads to very awkward situations for him.

Outsourced - Based on the movie but more vulgar. If you're of Indian descent and thick skinned you'll love it. An American goes to manage a sex toys call center in India.

Twenty Twelve - My favorite comedy/satire on tv right now. It's about the 2012 London Olympics and problems the Organizing Committee faces. Another smart and awesome comedy.

Yes Minister/Yes Prime Minister - A classic. Arguably the best political satire ever made. Jim Hack is the Minister (later PM) and tries to get stuff done in spite of his unhelpful Secretary Sir Humphrey Appleby.

The Thick of It - Best modern political satire (since Yes Minister). A parody of the spin of the Tony Blair era.

Veep - Made by the same guy as The Thick of It. A satire on American politics. Selina Meyer is the V.P of the United States and tries to effect change onto the political scene.

Drama/Other

Awake - Same people as Homeland. Short 1 season show. After Detective Michael Britten (Lucius Malfoy) wakes up from a car accident with his wife and teenage son, he learns the devastating news that his wife died in the crash. He wakes up a few days later to realize that his wife is very much alive and his son died in the accident. Now he needs to figure out which is the dream and when is he awake.

Being Human (UK) - One of my favorite shows. A vampire, werewolf and a ghost live together and deal with humanity and the supernatural. No, if you're looking for a sparkling vegetarian vampire this is not for you. If you're looking for evil vampires in a conspiracy to take over the world and/or a properly established mythology it is for you.

Boardwalk Empire - A very good drama about the Prohibition era. It's similar to The Sopranos (shares producers and alumni).

Californication - Hank Moody is a writer whose life is about to go horribly wrong in every possible way.

The Fades - This is a short cult show about the apocalypse and probably my favorite in the genre.

Six Feet Under - It was Michael C. Hall's breakthrough. One of the weirdest shows out there. About a family who owns a funeral home, and the unique situations that arise there.

Treme - It's by the same guys who made The Wire but is more understated (and the closest thing to a sequel). About New Orleans and life after Katrina.

Finally, the last and the best:

Misfits - Because Ashaya said so.

 

I tried, but I couldn't finish the first season of Gossip Girl.

 

A big second for The Fades. So disappointed they're not making a second season of that, it had so much potential.

 

Agreed! In fact it was how I heard about Being Human - because they had to choose one and decided upon renewing Being Human instead of The Fades.

 

Just finished watching this and I have to second the rec. TVTropes described it aptly as a mix between Gossip Girl and Battlestar Galactica and I can see why, it focuses on both the luxury of GG and the religious and political troubles of BSG and does both quite well. Even if sometimes the world feels small due to the shennanigans of a certain MegaCorp. The production values are also good (for 4 million an episode they better be) and there's more action that I thought there would be.

For once I'm sad that America is at a point where networks have a problem promoting the religious aspects in this show (some critics apparently went as far as to call it pretentious). It's amazing. David is a pretty noble character but the challenges they throw at him are interesting as are the characters doing the throwing. Ian McShane is awesome as King Silas and the guy playing David brings a much needed doubt and conflict to such a white character.


And while I'm here I might as well add Generation Kill.

 

I tried the first episode a few weeks ago but there was no spark which motivated me to continue it. Helped me save some space on my NAS

 

I did say it was generic and typical Charlie Sheen. Usually implies a lack of excellent/plot or biting material and just a series of people speaking with a bunch of punch lines in between. You either love it or you hate it.

General observations aside, I personally liked this more than 2.5 Men because I thought it started better - more grounded if I had to phrase it properly...

 

I'm currently on S3 of Gossipgirl and compared to the others I'm finding the storyline dissappointing so far. While it has certainly changed things up I don't like either Jenny's storyline or Dan's atm, the former is new but badly done for me while Dan's is just a repeat of the same things every other one of his storylines has been.

Most of my other TV series have already been recommended however no one has mentioned any documentaries yet so I'll throw out two from the BBC : The Human Planet and Wonders of the Solar System.

 

I just saw Cabin in the Woods and it was fucking awesome. One of the best movies of the year imo. Also Survivorman has returned. :awesome

 

I just caught up with The Newsroom and I think it is amazing. It has the same wittiness and intelligence that The Social Network and The West Wing.