TV Forum AMA - boneyarsebogman

Mr E

squonk wrote: »

A second is from the late 90's or turn of the century called Now and Again. Margaret Colin, Denish Haysbert and Eric Close in a show about an insurance executive who is pushed under a train. His brain is harvested and put into the body of a younger man (Eric Close) as a weapon in a program run by Denis Haysbert. The problembeing that he's still in love with his wife, Margaret Colin. I liked it because it was the first sci fi show that skipped the fancy computers and focused on the human repercussions. It was also quite quirky and intersting and very well acted by a great cast. Again a one season wonder but it deserved more and even a film would have been great to wrap things up.

Never heard of it, but you can bet that I'm going to look it up! That sounds excellent. Looks like 99-00, which is probably why I never heard of it.

don ramo

what show do you consider the most intelligent show currently airing, where you feel the cast and crew work really hard to put out a great show, and have a storylines that build to very satisfactory endings,

im gonna take E10,000 out of your bank account and put it towards one more episode a show on your behalf, what show would it be

squonk

don ramo wrote: »

what show do you consider the most intelligent show currently airing, where you feel the cast and crew work really hard to put out a great show, and have a storylines that build to very satisfactory endings,

im gonna take E10,000 out of your bank account and put it towards one more episode a show on your behalf, what show would it be

For factual TV I'd say The Sky At Night. For scripted shows I'd really have to say Person Of Interest. There's a slight lull in quality just now however it's never stupid. It's one of the best written and acted shows out there. Watching any documentary about the 60's it gets mentioned how something like Sgt. Peppers came out and blew everything else away. I think the Noughties/teens is the age of television so in years to come when there are documentaries made about this period and the milestone TV series of the time, I think PoI has to be foremost for mention. It seems everyone involved in the show cares about it. As a result I care deeply about the show as well. It doesn't take shortcuts and leaves me to come up with my own conclusions. Nothing is telegraphed and the cast don't ask stupid questions just to catch the casual viewer up. They take it for granted that if I don't know what an algorithm is I'm well capable of independently finding it out. As it happens I'm an IT drone so I know! No other show has wowed me as much of late. It's just special.

ixoy

What was the most disappointing series finale when the writers actually knew it was the final episode?

What theme tune to a show you watch do you actually dislike?

Mr E

Squonk still has some questions to answer and the forum seems a bit quieter this weekend, so we'll resume this on Monday with the next victim candidate.

squonk

ixoy wrote: »

What was the most disappointing series finale when the writers actually knew it was the final episode?

Boardwalk Empire. I just thought it fell flat. I think I complained here at the time too. Things thrown in for no reason and just generally U satisfying.

What theme tune to a show you watch do you actually dislike?

for me for a long time that was Suits. I can't stand the song but I've gotten used to it over time and somewhat enjoy it now. FRIENDS theme is utter cack. It was way overplayed when it was released as a single and it gets worse with every rerun. If I end up in hell I reckon it'll be on constant play in the background!

Mr E

I hated the intro to Dexter. Always skipped it.

The Black Oil

Are you a fan of good production values, or you tend to get sucked into stories and characters and not really care about much else?

Are you into any TV podcasts?

ixoy

Mr E wrote: »

I hated the intro to Dexter. Always skipped it.

I despise the Nurse Jackie theme tune. It doesn't suit the show either.

squonk

The Black Oil wrote: »

Are you a fan of good production values, or you tend to get sucked into stories and characters and not really care about much else?

I love production values. I'm a stickler for details and things being done well in general so I really appreciate that in shows I watch. It's not a deal breaker though. I really admire shows like GoT who go all out. Shows like Rectify, Friday Night Lights and Fargo really have such high values and an overall vision that it makes me love them even more. Like I said though it's not a deal breaker so Hawaii Five O which has cookie cutter production values is find as I like my fix of the knucklehead brothers! I probably end up considering shows with lower or less attentive adherence to production values as more throw away shows though.

Are you into any TV podcasts?

No, though now you mention it I must go look up some. I wouldn't mind some recommendations. I do watch the after show broadcasts for some of my big shows, like Talking Bad for Breaking Bad but it's not something I commonly do. I like this forum and it's interesting to read everybody's opinions on shows and all your views on major show events

Kirby

1. What show that you otherwise liked really disappointed you with a season/arc/choice. etc. You've already mentioned the end of Boardwalk Empire as annoying you so you cant pick that again.

2. Who do you think is the most unlikely/unrealistic romantic couple on tv?

squonk

Kirby wrote: »

1. What show that you otherwise liked really disappointed you with a season/arc/choice. etc. You've already mentioned the end of Boardwalk Empire as annoying you so you cant pick that again.

Well it's a popular one! Sons Of Anarchy, Season 3 set in Belfast. The whole thing was terrible, right from the B-Roll of an MC riding around some NI scenic spots spliced with scenes processed in a washed out pallet with faux PSNI land rovers earnestly, yet unsuccessfully trying to hide the all to obvious fact they were actually shot in CA, to the awful storyline that was just hard work and difficult to care about. The depiction of Belfast as still being stuck in the 50's wasn't the best either. What was Kurt Sutter thinking?

2. Who do you think is the most unlikely/unrealistic romantic couple on tv?

Well for real life unlikely, Johnny Vegas & Maia Dunphy! Didn't he do well folks!

In general I kind of hate the fact that if a show starts with two leads, male/female, it's a universal rule of television that they must get together at some point. I'm so conditioned that I'm almost expecting the affair episode in Blue Bloods where Danny gets it on with his partner! . Sometimes you just root for them to hook up though, like Annie & Auggie from Covert Affairs! In general I almost zone out the couples stuff but where it completely irked for me was Pete & Mika from Warehouse 13. What was an intelligently handled storyline where Pete was always open to getting with Mika but circumstances and general agreement dictated it wouldn't happen just got turned on its head at the end and an otherwise very intelligently written relationship just became a stupid couple thing. Honourable mention here too must go to Nucky & Margaret from Boardwalk, God that was hard work

Mr E

Thanks squonk!

Next AMA is for TICKLE_ME_ELMO.

1. If you could bring back a TV show from the 80s, which one would you choose?
2. If you could kill any show that is currently running, which one and why?

squonk

1. What show promised so much but ultimately delivered so little?

2. What has been your standout show of 2015?

FunLover18

Who is your favourite TV pet that isn't a character in their own right, so Brian Griffin and Garfield don't count.

TICKLE_ME_ELMO

Mr E wrote: »

1. If you could bring back a TV show from the 80s, which one would you choose?

Jeez, I don't really remember the 80's.... I might have watched Bosco in the 80's....

I would quite like to see The Duke's of Hazard brought back but with a darker tone. Get rid of the "capers" and 1 dimensional characters. Have the Duke's be more grey as characters. Have the law be less inept and add a few more characters.

2. If you could kill any show that is currently running, which one and why?

This is tough because I really don't go in for hate watching. If I don't like a show I ignore it and therefore don't care about it's existence. That said I'd kill The Big Bang Theory pretty quick. It's been using the same basic jokes for 8 years now and the fact the 3 leads get $1 million per episode makes me ill. I would have said Two and a Half Men if it was still on.

TICKLE_ME_ELMO

squonk wrote: »

1. What show promised so much but ultimately delivered so little?

I am tempted to say Glee for this... The first 12 episodes of season 1 were fantastic television. Once it came back for the second part of that season though it was barely recognisable and just got consistently worse as the seasons went on.

More recently I'd say Banished which is currently airing on BBC 2. It's about the first fleet of convicts sent to Australia in the 1780's and the establishment of the colony there. I've read a little bit about the early history of Australia and was excited to see it explored in a drama. There's a pretty decent cast and they filmed on location in Australia, the trailers looked really good but the show itself has, so far, failed to deliver. It's almost like a soap with really high production values. I think I was expecting something grittier and dirtier, more HBO less Eastenders.

2. What has been your standout show of 2015?

This is tough because I haven't watched that many of the new shows this year. I have watched The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt which I enjoyed. I'd say it's likely better than any of the new comedies that actually made it on Network TV this year.

If you're talking 2014-2015 season I did enjoy a show called Benched which was on USA Network. Another comedy with Eliza Coupe formerly of Happy Endings. Season 1 aired towards the end of last year and then they cancelled it

TICKLE_ME_ELMO

FunLover18 wrote: »

Who is your favourite TV pet that isn't a character in their own right, so Brian Griffin and Garfield don't count.

Easy. Bossy from Neighbours.

ixoy

What's your worst jump the shark moment?

What show has the best musical score?

dark crystal

1) Which tv character's death affected you most (spoilers obs!)?

2) Who is the most overrated tv character of all time?

TICKLE_ME_ELMO

ixoy wrote: »

What's your worst jump the shark moment?

I want to say Homeland for this but it's very hard to pinpoint exactly where that moment occurred. The entire 3rd season? Plus, they went to quite a lot of effort in the most recent season to get it back to something resembling it's fantastic first season and a half.

Other than that I'd say any supposedly serious show that does a stupid dream episode, or alternate reality episode or *shudder* a musical episode. Sci Fi shows and comedies can get away with this kind of thing because they don't exist in the "real world" but things like Bones, Grey's Anatomy etc. doing it just reek of not having enough ideas to sustain a full 22 episode season.

As an exception to this rule there is one example of a sort of dream episode on a serious show that worked very well for me and it is the answer to another question I see in a different post...

What show has the best musical score?

Funnily enough one of the best scores on TV belongs to one of the worst shows on TV, ever. Once Upon a Time. It is without doubt the dumbest show to ever exist but they have Mark Isham doing the score and it's a wonderfully cinematic one. It deserves much better than the show it's attached to.

Also I do like Murray Gold's score for Doctor Who. Some really nice pieces on there, Clara's Theme is a particular favourite of mine. It feels like a lot of work goes into getting it just perfect and I love how the recurring characters have their own theme and you get slight variations on each of them depending on what's happening to them.

TICKLE_ME_ELMO

dark crystal wrote: »

1) Which tv character's death affected you most (spoilers obs!)?

I was devastated when Noah got shot on Home and Away

In all seriousness though the most upset I've ever been at a TV death was on 3rd Watch. I don't know if I need to spoiler this as it's so old but just in case.....

When Bobby got shot trying to help his brother in Season 2 I was heartbroken.

They spent a whole episode with him in the hospital with doctors trying to save him and all the while he's dreaming he's in a boxing ring with his dad trying to decide whether he wants to "go back" or stay with his dad. (this is the one dream sequence episode that worked for me). This was in the days before spoilers or twitter or knowing someone had been cast on another show while you were still watching them on something else. I had no idea he was going to die and I was genuinely shocked when he did. I still get a bit upset by the Enya song they played at the end of the episode

2) Who is the most overrated tv character of all time?

I could do you a list.... but for the sake of this thread I'll say it's a toss up between Barney Stinson and Dr. McDreamy from Grey's Anatomy.

Barney was okay for about 5 minutes when they had him be in love with Robin but then they decided to derail that and turn him back into a quite detestable excuse for a human being.

I never ever got the appeal of McDreamy. I hated him, actually hated him, the first couple of seasons of Greys. I started to hate Meredith when she was mooning around him for years on end. I actively cheered every time they broke up and threw things at my telly when they started to look like they'd get back together. To be honest I hate most of the relationships on Grey's. They create all these great characters, a lot of them female, and then completely destroy them by throwing them into relationships with these idiot men, or indeed women in the case of Callie and Arizona. But that's probably a discussion for another day.

Also Starring LeVar Burton

Who was your first ever TV crush and who's your current TV crush?

What's your favourite TV Theme Song?

TICKLE_ME_ELMO

Also Starring LeVar Burton wrote: »

Who was your first ever TV crush and who's your current TV crush?

Do cartoon characters count? If so Chip from Chip 'n' Dale - Rescue Rangers.

If not..... probably Zach from Saved by the Bell or Shawn from Boy Meets World.

Current... oh, it's slim pickings at the moment, or I'm watching the wrong shows. Gabriel Macht from Suits is a damn fine looking man, I'd probably say him. I don't watch Supernatural but I've had a thing for Jensen Ackles since he was on Dark Angel. Is James Lafferty still on TV?

What's your favourite TV Theme Song?

Hell on Wheels is the one that stands out for me. Theme songs had disappeared for a while there, it's nice to see them making a comeback.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W7ApR8GOq7o

ixoy

Has any show's ending, or even its final season, left a bad enough taste in your mouth that it'd stop you watching again or recommending it?

What's the one show you think is under rated, including by us here on boards? 'Rectify' was a good example as it barely has a thread but has been very strong.

don ramo

what show do you consider the most intelligent on at the moment, where the cast and crew work hard to put out a good quality show, that doesnt insult your intelligence

if you had to give E10,000 to a kickstarter fund for one more episode of a canceled show, what show would it be

TICKLE_ME_ELMO

ixoy wrote: »

Has any show's ending, or even its final season, left a bad enough taste in your mouth that it'd stop you watching again or recommending it?

I probably wouldn't recommend How I Met Your Mother to anyone but the way that ended was terrible. I'd warn people if they were thinking about watching the whole thing that they won't be rewarded for their efforts. I don't really rewatch things, to be honest, except comedies which you can just sort of dip in and out of. I used to watch the odd episode of HIMYM because it's nearly always on E4 at some point but again the ending annoyed me so much that it kind of makes even the better earlier episodes unwatchable for me now.

What's the one show you think is under rated, including by us here on boards? 'Rectify' was a good example as it barely has a thread but has been very strong.

I'm tempted to say The 100 here but it's actually quite well rated by critics, it's just not got as big an audience as it deserves. There's also a decent thread for it here on Boards.

I'm quite bad at watching TV shows in that I forget some weeks and then have to catch up which means I don't really participate in the TV section of Boards all that much, so I'm not sure what is and isn't popular.

I'm going to say 30 Rock. I know it's quite well appreciated on t'internet but it never got ratings like Two and a Half Men, Big Bang Theory, Modern Family etc. Comedy Central and TV3 were the networks that bothered to show it over here and even then they changed it around in the schedule so much that it made it nearly impossible to watch properly.

Speaking of Rectify, I started watching it today. I meant to watch it a while ago but could never find it anywhere, this thread reminded me and it's on Netflix now so I said I'd give it a go.

TICKLE_ME_ELMO

don ramo wrote: »

what show do you consider the most intelligent on at the moment, where the cast and crew work hard to put out a good quality show, that doesnt insult your intelligence

I have a few.

The 100 - It's constantly moving forward. They have quite a big cast and a number of story threads on the go and yet always manage to keep the pace and suspense when jumping between characters and plots. The moral and ethical issues raised throughout are more thought provoking than on most other shows I can think of. The characters all float in a grey area being forced into making terrible decisions and yet everything leading up to these decisions make it so you can't really judge anyone too harshly for anything they do. The writing is so good that it never goes where you assume it's going to go, where every other show would have it go. I have been genuinely shocked by a twist a number of times and yet when you think about them afterwards they all make perfect sense because they have come naturally from very well developed characters. The cast are all excellent from the leads right down to weekly guest cast. It looks great too and being a CW show it can't have that high a budget. They seem to know how to get the most out of their budget though and the fact the shoot almost entirely on location makes for some great shots.

Happy Valley - There's a second series of this coming so I may change my mind but the first series was definitely the best thing on British TV last year. The whole series arc was perfectly written, the acting was incredible, who knew Sarah Lancashire was so bloody good? Her character was so well written too. People bang on about seeing "strong women" on TV and obviously that's nice to see but real women, real people, are flawed. They're strong and weak and smart and stubborn and silly and brave and selfish and loads of other things in between. This character was all of those things and it made you care about her all the more because you felt like you might know her.
Again a rather large cast who all delivered no matter how big or small their parts were. It was beautifully shot too. I remember one opening to an episode where there were a few different characters heading to the same place and it was all shot just as it's starting to get dark. I remember thinking that must have taken some precision planning to get all of that in a relatively short window of time. Also one character got a pretty nasty kicking and rather than just give her a few cuts and bruises they gave her bloodshot eyes too. I remember noticing it because you never see that attention to detail.

if you had to give E10,000 to a kickstarter fund for one more episode of a canceled show, what show would it be

Purely for my own selfish enjoyment I'd have a few more episodes of Happy Endings made.

The Black Oil

Have you ever groaned audibly in response to a particular scene or character moment?

TICKLE_ME_ELMO

The Black Oil wrote: »

Have you ever groaned audibly in response to a particular scene or character moment?

I groaned a lot during S3 of Homeland. Every time they cut back to Dana Effing Broady. Also in the most recent season where it looked for a second like

Broady was still alive

.

Every time Christina and Owen got back together on Grey's Anatomy despite still holding the exact same differing opinion that caused them to break up in the first place. This happens a lot on Grey's actually. Supposedly smart people going round and round in circles with relationships that are never going to work because they keep ignoring the thing that they fell out over in the first place.

I groaned at a lot of Matt Smith's hammy Doctor Who. Groaned, cringed, same difference.

My memory is awful, I'll think of much better answers for all of these randomly at different points over the next week or so.

TICKLE_ME_ELMO

WAIIIIIT!!!

I want to change my answer for this one....

ixoy wrote: »

What's the one show you think is under rated, including by us here on boards? 'Rectify' was a good example as it barely has a thread but has been very strong.

I'm going with the US version of Shameless.

Many millions times better than the UK version. Granted it starts out as an almost scene for scene remake but it quickly found it's own footing and does a much better job of making the Gallagher's likable while still keeping them on the lower rungs of societies ladder. Emmy Rossum has had done amazing work as Fiona and how she is never even nominated for any damn awards is beyond me. They've had to start putting it forward as a comedy to even stand a chance of getting nominated which is ridiculous. As I said I'm not too actively involved in the TV section on this site so I don't know what reaction it gets but as far as other forms of appreciation go this show is sorely underrated.

CastorTroy

Are there any scripted shows you're reluctant to admit you watch, maybe due to you not being the target demographic? Or I guess a better way to put it: What's your guilty pleasure?

Which film actor would you like to see get his/her own series?

The Black Oil

Leaving aside fictional TV for the moment, do you watch any news broadcasts? If so, what's good/bad about them?

FunLover18

Is there a show that has been on your 'To watch' list that is constantly getting put back down the list because other, more interesting shows come along

TICKLE_ME_ELMO

CastorTroy wrote: »

Are there any scripted shows you're reluctant to admit you watch, maybe due to you not being the target demographic? Or I guess a better way to put it: What's your guilty pleasure?

Depends on what you mean by scripted. I'm pretty sure a lot of "reality" TV shows have scripts. In which case I'd have to say Made in Chelsea. I'm not even ashamed of that though, I love it. I just watch it like it's a soap though, I don't believe any of it's real.

I used to watch The Vampire Diaries which I never admitted anywhere other than online. It was actually quite good for a while though. Still wouldn't have said I watched it out loud though.

Which film actor would you like to see get his/her own series?

Might be an odd choice given she started on TV but I really like Margot Robbie. I thought she really stood out when she was on Neighbours and wasn't really all that surprised when she popped up in Hollywood not that long after she left. I think she's got the talent and onscreen presence to carry a TV show. Probably one of these "event series" that they're doing so much on US TV now, like Fargo or True Detective would be a more realistic choice for someone just breaking into the movies rather than committing to 6 seasons and a movie

Or....

Mark Ruffalo. He's one of my favourite actors and he manages to do so much with a character in the relatively short time a film generally allows. I'd love to see him get to see what he could do if he was given a whole series to develop a character.

TICKLE_ME_ELMO

The Black Oil wrote: »

Leaving aside fictional TV for the moment, do you watch any news broadcasts? If so, what's good/bad about them?

I never willingly watch the news. I might stick on one of the 24 hour news stations if something major happens, last week's plane crash for example. I do keep up with what's going on in the world but I tend to read most of my news. I detest 24 hour rolling news. They're like vultures when something tragic happens. Kay Burley in particular is a vile human being but they're all guilty of it. They'll have enough actual information to fill about 5 minutes of airtime and the rest is speculation or exploitation. No time for it.

Current affairs type shows I don't really watch either unless there's something specific they're covering that I want to see. I feel the advent of social media, twitter in particular, has altered the focus of things like Newsnight or Prime Time. They want automatic reaction and #'s and what not and the presenters think they're the stars of the show rather than the content. I don't know... they're just not for me.

CastorTroy

Yeah I meant scripted in the sense that it wasn't pretending to be reality tv. Vampire Diaries was good until they started introducing the multiple doppelgangers. That's around about when I stopped watching. When they went to college.


What series that you watch is much better than you expected it to be from either the fact it sounded stupid or was a remake/based on a movie? So basically it has no right to be as excellent as it is

TICKLE_ME_ELMO

FunLover18 wrote: »

Is there a show that has been on your 'To watch' list that is constantly getting put back down the list because other, more interesting shows come along

I think I mentioned earlier that I'd been meaning to watch Rectify for a while but had forgotten about it until it kept popping up in here.

There's actually a lot of the "big" shows from the last few years I haven't watched. Breaking Bad, The Wire, Walking Dead etc. etc. I can't say I have any real desire to watch them though.

I watched the first series of Luther a few months ago and have been meaning to get through the other two series, especially now they're making the specials. Also Hell on Wheels was something I was enjoying on TV but they messed around with it's scheduling so much I lost track and have been meaning to finish it.

I started watching the new Netflix show Bloodline last week but got distracted by an Australian show called Upper Middle Bogan.

I've added Banshee to my list thanks to this thread too.

small town girl

What do you consider the top three Irish made television shows ever made?

TICKLE_ME_ELMO

CastorTroy wrote: »

Yeah I meant scripted in the sense that it wasn't pretending to be reality tv. Vampire Diaries was good until they started introducing the multiple doppelgangers. That's around about when I stopped watching. When they went to college.

I didn't even make it that far. I think it was when they got rid of Katherine for too long and were trying to make hybrids and all that nonsense I lost interest.

What series that you watch is much better than you expected it to be from either the fact it sounded stupid or was a remake/based on a movie? So basically it has no right to be as excellent as it is

I hate to keep giving the same answer but I'm going to have to say The 100 again. I remember reading the premise when all the shows getting a pilot were announced and thinking "that sounds dumb." Then I remember seeing the extended trailer for it and I only watched that because I recognised two former Aussie Soap stars in the pictures and again thinking" this looks so dumb". I didn't even watch it originally. I stumbled on a review singing it's praises after about 6 episodes had aired. I was surprised anyone was giving it good reviews so I decided to have a look. It took about 4 episodes to establish itself properly and I was hooked after that. Initially I would have said it's good for a CW show but now, after 2 seasons, I'd just say it's good by any Network's standards. It's the only show I watch as soon as I can after it's aired in the US.

TICKLE_ME_ELMO

small town girl wrote: »

What do you consider the top three Irish made television shows ever made?

Oh God... can I even think of 3 good ones?

I remember liking Bachelor's Walk when it was on. Not sure I was of an age to judge standards back then though.

Corp agus Anam on TG4 is actually really good, better than anything I've seen on RTÉ.

There was a thing on RTÉ ages ago called Love Is The Drug which I loved too. As with Bachelor's Walk though I'm not sure I was at an age to judge quality with this one either.

I remember Pure Mule being decent for maybe one series too.

Tough question.

If you're including co productions I'd include The Fall but I'm not sure we had that much input there. I suppose you could say Father Ted too but again it's really a Channel 4 show so not strictly Irish.

EDIT: Wait! I forgot about Paths to Freedom. A brilliant spoof documentary following two men from opposite sides of Dublin who are released from prison and try to adjust to life on the outside again.

CastorTroy

Ha, so 100 to you is like Banshee to others here in how it's a common answer for positive reasons. But I agree it was one that sounded bad. A load of teenagers alone on Earth would just usually mean teen drama and the usual scenarios. But it turned out much better than that.


What's the most shocking/surprising moment in tv for you?

What's the saddest moment?

(Probably better to name the series then spoiler tag the event)

small town girl

TICKLE_ME_ELMO wrote: »

Oh God... can I even think of 3 good ones?

I remember liking Bachelor's Walk when it was on. Not sure I was of an age to judge standards back then though.

Corp agus Anam on TG4 is actually really good, better than anything I've seen on RTÉ.

There was a thing on RTÉ ages ago called Love Is The Drug which I loved too. As with Bachelor's Walk though I'm not sure I was at an age to judge quality with this one either.

I remember Pure Mule being decent for maybe one series too.

Tough question.

If you're including co productions I'd include The Fall but I'm not sure we had that much input there. I suppose you could say Father Ted too but again it's really a Channel 4 show so not strictly Irish.

EDIT: Wait! I forgot about Paths to Freedom. A brilliant spoof documentary following two men from opposite sides of Dublin who are released from prison and try to adjust to life on the outside again.

Thank you

I was hoping you'd unveil a few hidden gems that I hadn't heard of before

Similar to yourself, I'm struggling to come up with three solid homegrown programmes

I think I'd go with Love Hate (obvious) as the best
Reeling in the Years might seem like a bit of a cheat but I think it's just so clever and well done
In third place, I really liked the Clinic

The above seems a sorry list, are we omitting some obvious choices?

small town girl

TICKLE_ME_ELMO wrote: »

Oh God... can I even think of 3 good ones?

I remember liking Bachelor's Walk when it was on. Not sure I was of an age to judge standards back then though.

Corp agus Anam on TG4 is actually really good, better than anything I've seen on RTÉ.

There was a thing on RTÉ ages ago called Love Is The Drug which I loved too. As with Bachelor's Walk though I'm not sure I was at an age to judge quality with this one either.

I remember Pure Mule being decent for maybe one series too.

Tough question.

If you're including co productions I'd include The Fall but I'm not sure we had that much input there. I suppose you could say Father Ted too but again it's really a Channel 4 show so not strictly Irish.

EDIT: Wait! I forgot about Paths to Freedom. A brilliant spoof documentary following two men from opposite sides of Dublin who are released from prison and try to adjust to life on the outside again.

I hated Paths to Freedom, I can't remember if I gave it a good chance but I was allergic to what I saw

But what I remembered as absolutely brilliant was The Family, I was an early teen when I saw it but I remember it being shocking and sad and at the same time funny and emotional. I'd love if they re showed it

TICKLE_ME_ELMO

CastorTroy wrote: »

Ha, so 100 to you is like Banshee to others here in how it's a common answer for positive reasons. But I agree it was one that sounded bad. A load of teenagers alone on Earth would just usually mean teen drama and the usual scenarios. But it turned out much better than that.

Yeah one thing I really appreciate about the show runner, writers and cast is that they're really really not into the shipping thing. Obviously there are romantic relationships here and there but they're not the focus of the show and there is exactly 0% chance of events being led by preference for a particular romantic pairing.

What's the most shocking/surprising moment in tv for you?

What's the saddest moment?
(Probably better to name the series then spoiler tag the event)

Hmmm.... will I go to The 100 again here....

No, I'll try to vary it a bit.

Saddest, hmmm... the episode of 8 Simple Rules after John Ritter died was pretty sad, I must say. Also there's an episode of Shameless (US) when Monica comes back and tries to get all the kids back on side and Fiona loses it at her about how she's supposed to be her mother too.
Bit left field here but.... there was a two part TV show on BBC 3 last year or the year before called The Crash. It was about a gang of friends who were involved in a car crash where some of them died and then how the rest of them and their families coped after. The first episode was just introducing them all and was fine but the second episode had me full on ugly crying from the very start. I don't know what came over me. They talked to loads of people who had been in crashes and families of people who died in crashes and I guess they nailed the emotions because I was a mess.

Shocking... I don't know. It' generally quite hard to be shocked by anything these days. I suppose Homeland managed it a few times in it's most recent season.

The kid Carrie was using to get to his uncle being shot by said uncle was quite shocking. Also, I've forgotten her name but the analyst Carrie brought over being killed during the siege at the embassy shocked me.

TICKLE_ME_ELMO

small town girl wrote: »

But what I remembered as absolutely brilliant was The Family, I was an early teen when I saw it but I remember it being shocking and sad and at the same time funny and emotional. I'd love if they re showed it

I remember The Family being on when I was in primary school but we were all far too young to watch it. Only the kids who had older brothers or sisters got to see it and they would tell us all about it in the yard. Never saw any of it myself.

squonk

Family was good. I was in Leabving Cert I think when it was shown. Very unusual to see something as hard hitting on RTÉ at the time. Paths to Freedom is gold! One of my favourite home grown shows ever. I'd love to see it and Bachelors Walk again. I'd love to see Love Is The Drug too as I knew one or two in it and it also had Ruth Negga as well in her pre Agents of SHIELD days! Some more questions if I may...

1. Do you watch any US soaps or is it all UK/Aussie?

2. What would be your idea of the best show ever?

TICKLE_ME_ELMO

squonk wrote: »

1. Do you watch any US soaps or is it all UK/Aussie?

Home and Away is the one I'd watch most of but I don't watch it religiously. I got into Eastenders during the Lucy Beale thing but once the reveal happened and some of the characters left I stopped watching. I haven't watched a US soap since Sunset Beach was on. I loved that. It was completely ridiculous and the acting was awful but it was highly entertaining.

Generally speaking I find the UK soaps a little depressing. I know they are supposed to reflect real life but they're a bit too much gloom and doom for me. At least the Aussie ones have sunshine and attractive casts to look at.

2. What would be your idea of the best show ever?

Friday Night Lights. Loved it from start to finish. I think what I liked most about it was it was character driven. The drama, for the most part, was honest and believable. There were teenagers and relationship drama and all that stuff too but it was never soapy or over the top. Coach and Mrs. Taylor were the greatest married couple of all time and I will fight you if you disagree. I loved the way it was filmed and how the script felt like the actors were given a lot of freedom with their scenes. Also the way Texas felt like a character in itself. I love when TV shows are filmed where they're set, or at least in real locations.

So yeah... but I think the most important part was that it was character driven. I find I look for that more on TV now. I don't like shows that feel like they have certain relationships or events pre planned and force the characters into doing or saying things to get to these points, Shows that pander to fan reactions or rely on romantic pairings to drive plots etc.

But I'm rambling now..... Friday Night Lights is the answer to your question.

squonk

Great call on FNL! I fell I should have mentioned that show in my AMA somewhere! It was great! I have serious time for Kyle Chandler after that show and it was the reason I gave Nashville even half a chance because of Connie Britton's involvement. Unfortunately she hasn't the canvas on Nashville to really showcase her full talent. It's an OK show but I'm slowly losing interest.

TICKLE_ME_ELMO

squonk wrote: »

Great call on FNL! I fell I should have mentioned that show in my AMA somewhere! It was great! I have serious time for Kyle Chandler after that show and it was the reason I gave Nashville even half a chance because of Connie Britton's involvement. Unfortunately she hasn't the canvas on Nashville to really showcase her full talent. It's an OK show but I'm slowly losing interest.

The entire cast is cursed to never do good work again. God, they've all done some terrible shows since. Actually, the guy who played Luke Cafferty has been on Parenthood which is another show I've been meaning to watch for ages. And something about MMA called Kingdom which is supposed to be good. Maybe the curse is starting to break.