Entertainment For Lively Minds
Every episode is like a movie. Number of episodes 86. Number of bad episodes 0.
Happened to glance at an article in Radio Times about 30 best box sets in WH Smith at Waterloo, killing time. I didn't buy the mag, of course, as I only ever buy The Word. However, I did take a picture of the article which brought me some strange looks.
The full list is:
1. True Blood
2. 24
3. Blackadder
4. Dr Who Series 1 - 4
5. West Wing
6. Friends
7. Agatha Christie's Marple
8. Fawlty Towers
9. The Wire
10. The Sopranos
11. Inspector Morse
12. Band of Brothers
13. Dexter
14. Sex and the City
15. Life on Mars
16. Buffy
17. House
18. Lost
19. Pride and Prejudice
20. Spooks
21. The Big Bang Theory
22. Battlestar Galactica
23. Grey's Anatomy
24. Mad Men
25. Being Human
26. The Blue Planet
27. The X-Files
28. The Simpsons
29. Frasier
30. Yes Minister
The sentence in the title of the OP refers to one of the programme sets above. It's my favourite TV programme of all time. What's yours?
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Sex and the City?
Blimey Charlie.
And no room for Seinfeld or Curb Your Enthusiasm?
Think it was a readers' poll
Ah!
Still The West Wing.
Sure, it's not big on grit or verisimilitude, but can't be beat for sheer quality of writing, and the likeability of the characters. If Leo McGarry, Sam Seaborn and CJ Cregg really existed, I'd genuinely do an transatlantic autograph pilgrimage just to meet them.
(Funnily enough, Josh is my favourite character, but I wouldn't want to know him in real life.)
I'm one of those
that watches the whole thing and then has to be physically restrained from starting all over again. Josh is so beautifully written and the whole cast act their socks off. Great to see Band of Brothers on the list - so much better than The Pacific - I cared about each of the main characters in B of B but there didn't seem any time for me to care about the ones in Pacific - no set up, not enough back story. And too much of it takes place in the dark with me and Mrs B going 'Who's that?' 'What just happened?'.
Sopranos
rules all in my humble opinion..so much good stuff there though!
No question, Fawlty Towers
has given me the greatest happiness of them all, and "What's your favourite line from Fawlty Towers?" is still the best conversation in town.
Although "How much do you hate Sex and the City?" runs it a close second.
My favourite line
Working in IT I have a favourite Fawlty Towers line that I still use whenever I can: "A satisfied customer... we should have him stuffed"
I've also always rather liked
"Is there anything I can do to help?" "Yes, go and kill yourself!"
I would like to say I've never used this in a real-life work situation, but...
You can see the sea
It's over there between the land and the sky.
Its a bit rough
comparing 12 highly crafted episodes of Fawlty against 100 or so churned out by the US networks week in, week out over 10 years
My faves in no particular order
Lost
BSG
The Prisoner
Sherlock Holmes (Jeremy Brett years)
Larry Sanders
MST3K
Life On Mars
and big props to Curb Your Enthusiasm which I gorged on over the weekend and never gets old. Fresh, funny and brills
Oh and my favourite Fawlty line? - Can't we get you on Mastermind, Sybil? Next contestant - Sybil Fawlty from Torquay. Special subject - the bleedin' obvious
Why make 100 gossamer-thin episodes
when 12 properly written ones will do? So many US series tail off and lose their lustre.
I think my favourite TV programme of all time is...
... James Burke's 'Connections.'
At some point
I am going to get at least one of the US boxed sets of Connections.
Would even watch some of the Burke Special again (I know a little bit is on YouTube) just to experience that early 70s zeigeist that was so strange for a child (10 in 1972)-like arriving late a party that is winding down ...
No Spaced?
No Sherlock Holmes? No Ken Burns documentaries? No Star Trek (Original series of course)? Tut.
No Ascent Of Man?
No Shock Of The New? No Civilisation? No Cosmos? No Heart Of Darkness? No Firefly? Tut again.
Gilmore Girls
That show was class from beginning to end. Excellent dialogue, superb cast, good music, cameos by Carole King and Grant Lee Phillips, among others.
Plus endless music & movie references...
and even an appearance of Tiny Masters Of Today!
i'm Sopranos (when venal and depressed)
And west wing (when hopeful and happy)
I'd like to cast a vote for Studio 60 on the Sunset
Strip, which, I know, is regarded as bobbins by many, but their New Orleans Christmas episode is gorgeous.
Spot on...
My favourite TV Christmas moment. Brings a tear to the eye… and most people have never seen it.
Good call on Studio 60
smart and sassy and much better than the similarly themed 30 Rock which I just find too silly - Baldwin's performance aside
From the list:
- Blackadder
- Fawlty Towers
- Life On Mars
Not on the list:
- Ashes To Ashes (Not as good as Life On Mars, but still worth watching)
- The Young Ones (Fart gags, knob gags and violence)
- Bottom (see above)
- Red Dwarf
- The Sweeney (OK, there a some slightly duff episodes, but I still enjoy it)
Ashes to Ashes...
I started watching it as I needed a fix of those LoM characters again. Plus Keely Hawes was damned attractive.
Then I got fed up of it, but it came storming back towards the end. Insane of course, but strangely brilliant.
In the unlikely event of me having a whole weekend free for a TV binge, I could do worse than a Life on Mars / Ashes to Ashes marathon.
The Young Ones
has dated very badly. I find it pretty unwatchable now, apart from a few particular scenes. Haven't seen it for a long time, but I suspect Filthy, Rich & Catflap has aged much better.
In addition to some of those listed
my personal list would include
Our Friends In The North
Edge of Darkness
House of Cards
Brass
How Do You Want Me?
Spaced
Porridge
The Prisoner
All Creatures Great And Small
A Very Peculiar Practice
To Serve Them All My Days
Twin Peaks
Auf Wiedersehn Pet
Yes Minister
Father Ted
I'm Alan Partridge
Tutti Frutti
The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin
My faves
Bisto, I agree with just about all of your list, your taste is very similar to mine.
A few more to add to the list
Happiness - early 2000,s sitcom from Paul Whitehouse, its about a middle aged man who is suddenly widowed. It plots his attempts to "get back in the saddle" - cant understand what I saw in it.
In a land of plenty - 2001 BBC2 drama - why has it has never been repeated? - superb series.
Brideshead revisited - getting on a bit, but still wonderful.
I am sure many more will come to light (probably the moment I hit the post comment button)
To Serve Them All My Days
just re-watched it, wonderful had me looking for my cricket bat...also I loved Ballkissangel (Series 1 to 3 only)..good shout on "All Creatures" too they dont make em like that anymore, innocent and fun!
newsagent photography is killing writing
and it's illegal.
;-)
"I didn't really photograph the pages
I created a diversion by pretending to have a massive coughing fit and simply ripped out the pages I wanted"
That's what he told me anyway
I lived BSG for a few months last year...
Now I don't know what to do with all this frakin' spare time.
*Pours a large shot of Ambrosia, thinks wistfully about Starbuck*
Ooh..
Probably Frasier. Or maybe Cardiac Arrest. Or the first couple of series of Friends.
The Shield
Picked up the first series (I refuse to say 'season') for a fiver a few weeks back, had never seen it before. Wife and I are now addicted.
I want to go shopping now!
That list has reminded me of loads of stuff I really enjoyed, and haven't seen for a long time. Looks like I need to order a few box sets. Especially Frasier. And can I add Cheers?
I really liked lots of the others but don't need to watch them again just yet. Other things I'd like include:
Nurse Jackie
My Name is Earl
And don't tell anyone, but I do like a Sunday evening episode of "New Tricks". The final pay-off always makes me guffaw.
Ozmium, I can't unravel your riddle. Will you reveal your choice?
sorry kg
it's the description in the article about The Sopranos. One that I totally agree with
For me its...
Columbo (even the bad episodes are great).
The Wire (obviously).
And, possibly, The Sopranos (if LoveFilm even get round to sending the rest of the DVDs to me).
From that list
Frasier, Blackadder and possibly Morse. Would add The Young Ones and that's me done
Unlisted
Another Seinfeld / Curb You Enthusiasm fan here. I successfully converted our daughter to Seinfeld and she has her own box set that she took away to uni.
Other faves are not on the list - Father Ted, Family Guy, Bottom, League of Gentlemen, My Name Is Earl, Torchwood, This Life.
Very surprised to see The Office, Gavin & Stacey and Heroes not on the list.
At the risk of being booted off the site I have to admit that I have never seen any of the West Wing, Sopranos, Mad Men, BSG, Deadwood, House, 24, CSI, or The Wire (tried the first episode but it didn't take).
Minder
Just timeless and 'er indoors agrees.
Favourite Fawlty Towers line -
Basil (to American tourist who was complaining about the motorway)
"I'm sorry if it wasn't wide enough for you, a lot of the British cars have steering wheels."
Not sure if this is my all-time favourite Fawlty Towers
moment, but it's certainly an overlooked gem...
Sybil Fawlty: [about Manuel's rat] Perhaps it would be best to have it put to S-L-E-E-P.
Basil Fawlty: Who, him or the rat? Might get a discount if we have them both done.
Manuel: 'Spleep'?
My favourite line was always
(also from the rat episode)
Basil: It's a rat.
Manuel: No, it's a hamster.
Basil: Well, of course it's a rat. You have rats in Spain, don't you—or did Franco have them all shot?
Just thinking about this today
Sybil is chatting on the phone about her friend who is convinced that a strange man is following her around town. "I don't know what she thinks he's planning to do...vomit on her, Basil says..."
and, of course
Basil: Is there something wrong?
German guest:Will you stop talking about the war?
Basil: Me! You started it!
German guest: We did not start it!
Basil: Yes you did — you invaded Poland.
Sybil: Now, have I got everything?
Basil: (quietly) Handbag, knuckle-dusters, flick-knife...
Favourites
The Wire
Lost
Six Feet Under
Seinfeld
Curb Your Enthusiasm
Dr Who (2005-present)
Teachers
The X-Files
Hustle
I'm enjoying The Sopranos, but I haven't finished it yet. I'm currently on Series 5 and I have to admit I'm not enjoying it as much as some of the previous series. (I assume it will get good in the last 2 or 3, as it usually does.)
What about Decalogue?
I know it's probably not available as a box set at the moment, although it comes and goes, but Kieslowski's Decalogue which was on Polish TV is the most astonishing and powerful drama series I have ever seen. Absolutely magnificent. More lasting and powerful of any of those in that list above. Do try it.
The Killing
would be a late-comer to the list. Mind you, I'm still only halfway through it, so no spoilers please.
Secret Life Of Us, anyone?
I used to love this Australian series, which was shown in the UK in the early 00s. A bit like 20-something, if you like: a group of young, varyingly successful people and their interlocking lives, loves, etc etc. Nothing especially original, but it was very well written and acted (certainly for the first few series - a look at imdb suggests that it might have fallen away after that), and some of the actors were very high quality, particularly Claudia Karvan. Some of the faces might be a little familiar to us over here: Joel Edgerton is making his way in Hollywood, Vince Colosimo and Daniela Farinacci were in Lantana, while Deborah Mailman was in Rabbit Proof Fence.
I'd watch it again.
Heimat
Edgar Reitz's profound, beautiful 15-hour history of life in a German village between 1919 and 1982. An unqualified masterpiece - it will stand.
now THAT
Is a cool and dignified recommendation. Up arrow awarded, curiosity piqued.
A personal favourite.
The theme and incidental music composed by Nikos Mamangakis is wonderful too. Many of major characters have their own theme, and the classical guitar pieces are just wonderful.
Zweite Heimat, set in 1960s Munich is well worth it too, but in a quite different way, and very unusual as the musician characters were all very proficient players or singers. It's my personal favourite of the three Heimats. This of course became Heimat 2 for the numerically inclined, though the title did have its own particular meaning.
Heimat 3, back near the fictional Schabbach village in the aftermath of German reunification, is not as engaging for me, but still good. The German TV company with whom it was produced had a bigger influence on the format than in the original Heimat. It may be a better thing to watch after Heimat for those who like the historical aspect.
It's a shame these box-sets are pretty pricey, especially as the slimline dvd editions have very fragile packaging.
My three would be
Early Doors
The Thick Of It
and naturally the Wire.
Early Doors is the greatest sitcom of the last 10 years; the Thick of It is just brilliant, and the Wire is the Wire.
early Doors
Cracking gift giving comedy
Wot, no Green Wing?
Yes, I know they've slightly sullied the memory with Campus (shudder) but Green Wing still bears repeated viewing - it takes major brains to be that deliciously stupid.
Total Tosh
There's no Degrassi Junior High