...such great ITV 3/4 fodder as Sherlock Holmes, The Sweeney, The Professionals, Minder, Randall & Hopkirk, Department S, Man In a Suitcase, etc?

Great TV.

I was extremely sceptical but it really is very very good

read a book, make you own film, needle point, poetry, breadmaking,the archers......

these two are not strictly comedy, although the scripts and characters in both are often hilarious.

Minder - probably better to skip the first two series it really hit it's stride around series 3-5.

Auf Weidersehen Pet - definitely first two series only though.

They really don't make 'em like that anymore.

series of Heroes is very good, and it's got Marlo Stanfield in it! It's much better than season 2. I'm also partial to Fringe, although it has got mixed reviews, and Lt. Daniels is in that one! You could get The Corner or Homicide if you need a Wire fix, and don't forget the complete Wire box that's coming in December! That's top of my Santa list!!!

Very much the equal of The Wire and The Sopranos and with the same glacial pacing. This is the Wild West as it really was - dirty, violent and mired in power struggles.

You've got it.

Carefully scripted gripping storylines? Check.

Cliff hanger plot development? Check.

Ahead of its time use of technology? Check.

Huge boxed set with umpteen discs? Check.

There is only one thing to watch next:

Started it last night. Hooked straight away.

Not strictly drama although it does have Johnny 'Drama' in it! Worth it for Jeremy Piven alone but the whole cast are terrific.

Still very good. Plus added bonus of hours of fun to be had looking for before they were famous appearances of now long dead stars.

... one genuine innovation was the "Stand by for action!" trailer at the beginning of each episode, 30 seconds of highlights from the oncoming episode set to Barry Gray's amazing music. We're always being told about shrinking attention spans and trying to stop viewers switching channels, yet no-one (to my knowledge) ever copied this simple technique...

As for the original question, I'd second Homicide: Life On the Street and Dexter, and would suggest giving The West Wing another try unless you're 100% sure you'll hate it, and/or Studio 60 On The Sunset Strip (only lasted one season sadly) unless it's Aaron Sorkin's writing that turns you off. If you're after series that will keep you going for months on end, Buffy and Angel could be worth checking out too unless fantasy brings you out in a rash. Mrs. Mickey would recommend NYPD Blue, but there only seem to be a few seasons available...

I think they started all this, and it was wonderful stuff.

Brilliantly written, directed and acted.

Christopher Eccleston before Dr Who.
Daniel Craig before James Bond.
Gina McKie who's brilliant in everything she does.
Peter Vaughan whose descent into Alzheimer's is one of the most moving things I've ever seen on TV.
Malcolm McDowell as a porn baron.

It's got everything. Politics, human drama, sex and a history of Britain from the sixties to the nineties.

Season sets are around the £11 mark, so great value for a great show also set in Baltimore and which at times dipped a toe into similar waters as the Wire. There's not just the David Simon connection to the Wire too - Clark Johnson was excellent in Homicide as Detective Lewis, before going on to direct the first episode of the Wire and take on a acting role in the final season. Lots of the Wire cast popped up in early roles in Homicide. Homicide has definitely filled my Wire hole these last few months.

I've only seen the first season of the Shield so far, but quite enjoyed it too and have seasons 2-4 ready to watch. Clark Johnson directed its first episode too.

Or Damages, the legal drama with Glenn Close and Ted Danson. I started watching it on BBC4 a few weeks ago but missed last Saturday's episodes so have ordered that boxset too. Better that way really as when it arrives I'll be able to get through the rest of the series in a couple of nights rather than have to run at BBC4's pace of 2 episodes a week.

I'd second recommendations for Dexter, Mad Men and Boston Legal too. I'm new to Boston Legal, having just started on its first season this week. So far am finding it very entertaining and amusing - depends whether you'd take light drama with some (lots) of witty lines and comedic moments.

Honourable mentions also to Six Feet Under, whose box set I've yet to get too but which I have previously seen on tv.

A programme I've hardly seen mentioned here, but it's my favourite recent TV, hands down. I watched the whole of series 1 and 2, pretty much as "appointment TV". Then it went to Sky (*ptooui*!), and we had a long wait for series 3 on DVD. We then went back and got series 1 & 2 on DVD, and they're just as good second time round. When we finish series 3 we'll splash out on 4 on DVD.

Why so good?

- A terrific premise
- Very large and varied roster of characters, most of them played by good actors
- Suspense, mystery, adventure, shock revelations, characters getting killed off, sudden betrayals...
- The ingenious use of flashbacks
- Sawyer's one-liners and inveterate - and hilarious - nicknaming of other characters
- Even though the story is utterly preposterous, it has its own internal logic
- the end of series 3 had a quite brilliant twist

In short, it's unique.

Have you tried Edge of Darkness from the mid 80s. Superb series which Mel Gibson is now remaking as his next project (groan)

Other favourites: Tinker Tailor, GBH

Starts slowly but by the last episode I realised that I would miss the characters and wanted to know - what happened next? Always a good sign.

It's nothing like The Wire.

Then go and buy Firefly. Seriously good SF (yes, there is such a thing).

Unless you have already done so and that's why you say it holdds no appeal, I really would give The West Wing a go. If you don't like it after the first couple of episodes, then fair enough. I wasn't expecting to like it, but my mum was watching it and urged me to give it a try and now I think it's the best TV show I've ever seen.

Would also recommend Life, just starting its second series in the States. Stars the excellent Damian Lewis as a police detective who has just come out of prison. He spent twelve years in there for the murder of his friend's family, but he didn't do it. Every week him and his partner solve a case, but he is also trying to find out why he was framed for the crime he went to jail for. Very very good.

I've just gone through the whole of Twin Peaks for the first time since it was originally aired. Must say that I thoroughly enjoyed (again), although it does slow a little half way through series 2.

Also worth considering is the complete X files - not sure if still on, but Amazon had it at ~£60 for the complete 9 seasons plus movie boxset.

Starts in a few weeks (19 November?) on Channel 4.
By Peter Flannery, who wrote Our Friends in the North, and judging by the first episode shaping up to be on a par with it.
English Civil War drama, starring John Simm, Andrea Riseborough and Dominic West - yes, McNutty plays Oliver Cromwell... whatever next, Lester Freamon as Nelson Mandela?
Oh.

On top of this, Mad Men, Six Feet Under, State of Play...

I bought the entire 7 series box of The West Wing for £50 from amazon last week. Also available in HMV shops. My wife says she won't watch it, but she didn't watch The Sopranos either, so what does she know?

Battlestar Galactica (the new one) is superb.

Deadwood was wonderful. Shame they cancelled it.

Likewise Carnivale (probably) - I've bought the 2 boxes but Mrs Jung wasn't wowed by episode 1.

NYPD Blue of course, St Elsewhere, Hill St Blues, all magnificent.

Or, as we did this in one of my other homes recently, look here
http://www.bcb-board.co.uk/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?f=32&t=74920&p=2029157&h...

I started watching it on DVD when we were housesitting for friends over the summer. Yes, it's well written and acted; yes, it's complex and involving; yes, it's dream TV for those who enjoy watching people racing along endless corridors talking over each other.

What shocked me was how sentimental it was. Added to the sheer implausibility of there ever being a President that erudite, virtuous, passionate and generally wonderful [although, fair dos, let's see what happens with Obama...], the impression I was left with, for all the White House verisimilitude the makers worked so hard to achieve, was of wish-fulfilment fantasy, not much less believable than Superman.

Pot growing, dealing single Mum in American suburbia. Brilliant cast Mary Louise Parker, Elizabeth Perkins,the hilarious Kevin Nealon, Justin Kirk and Hunter Parrish. Superb scripts, sardonic humour. I have loved the first three seasons and only hope it doesn't go the way of Lost and 24 where the ideas run out, but they carry on anyway.

Band Of Brothers Box Set (6 Discs) £12.99 delivered @ Play.com. Can't go wrong unless you're squeamish.

The Kill Point - shown on Bravo earlier this year. Stars John Leguiziamo and Donnie Wahlberg (seriously).

Basically Dog Day Afternoon for the 21st century - gripping, exciting and well-acted and very, very enjoyable!

The "defective detective" is one of the few TV shows I waste my time watching.

Monk is a Columbo style sleuth with every phobia known to man. He actually has a graded list. For example his fear of heights evaporates when a snake is let loose in a room.

He specialises in unsolvable crimes. He's only brought in when, "The police are baffled"

Not every episode is great but the best are as good as anything.

Top of the head list of unsolvable crimes solved by Monk.

The only suspect in one case is an astronaut in orbit at the time of the crime. Try breaking that alibi! Monk can and he did.

A man dies in a parachuting incident in the desert, cause of death, drowning. Only Monk could solve that.

Although its a mystery series it has strong comedy elements.

You could try Murder One (Cases One & Two).

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Murder-One-Lesli-Linka-Glatter/dp/B0002DXGOM/ref...

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Murder-One-Season-Anthony-LaPaglia/dp/B0002OI06A...

I agree about the new version of Battlestar Galactica. It's the West Wing in space but with dirty great flying robots. Great stuff. I got a set of the first 3 series in one box at Zavvi for 40 euro (in Dublin) and it's fantastic. Just bought series 4 (shorter due to the writers strike). There is also a great podcast by the producer Ron Moore which is basically a commentary on each episode that is pretty interesting. It's refreshing to hear a TV excec saying things like, "we jumped from this scene to the next without too much explanation as we trust our audience don't need to waste 5 minutes watching what they have already worked out."

Also agree about Edge of Darkness, brilliant production. Gibbo is remaking it is he? Oh dear....

Just a couple of my favourites that haven't been mentioned:

Alias - five series of guns, drama, 'foreign locations' (normally filmed somewhere around LA, but they make every effort to be convincing), amazing costume changes, more twists and turns than a spaghetti factory, Ron Rifkin being particularly villainous, oh, and the hottest spy this side of Hottsville.

Millennium - the X-Files without the humour and with the darkness and evil turned right up to 11. Not one for the kiddies, certainly, but I love every creepy minute of it. And after watching the finale to Season 2, you'll never hear Patti Smith's Horses the same way again.

Due South - just sublime. Not the sort of drama the OP was after, I grant you, but it's funny, well-written and beautifully performed, and has a soundtrack of (mostly) Canadian artists to die for. Its use of Sarah McLachlan during a two-parter with Fraser's ex is spellbinding.

Also, slightly more obscure:
The One Game - an '80s miniseries that only I seem to remember about a games designer forced to play a real-life game. With Stephen Dillane before he found Hollywood and Patrick Malahide. I was delighted to find it on DVD.
Bird of Prey - Richard Griffiths as a bumbling civil servant who uncovers an international conspiracy. Slightly dodgy BBC production values by today's standards, but very entertaining nonetheless.

You can get the complete Six Feet Under for about £60 now and it's suberb.

As for ongoing, Lost and Heroes have me hooked.

Obviously a doco rather than drama, and bits of it will probabaly be very familiar, but sitting down over a couple of weeks to watch the whole thing in sequence is certainly worth doing.

There's also a box around of large swathes of Dennis Potter's work: Pennies From Heaven, Singing Detective, Brimstone and Treacle etc. I've a feeling you might need to hit ebay, but well worth the investment.

Joss Whedon is one of the great televison creators of our time.

Buffy, just works on so many levels. At first i did not want to know, "american teenage nonsense" and yet it reaches some stunning heights, the wrting and the performances are at times breathtaking and , for me, can take repeated and repeated veiwing, such is the witty and razorlight script.

BROTHERHOOD
THE SHIELD
The final season of the Shield which is on inthe US at the moment is absolutely brilliant.
season 3 of Brotherhood starts next week.
both highly recommended

I have watched Season One and most of Season Two in the space of a week.

The Shield , with the wonderful Michael Chiklis, Jay Karnes and CCH Pounder is gripping, gritty and morally grey.

Vote for Deadwood, Weeds, and mad Men too

May I suggest Silent Witness ...

for your suggestions which veer from the sublime to the, er, not so sublime.

Many of your suggestions are already well known and loved in Waring Towers - but many more are noted with interest.

For the record, today I went out and bought the first series of Mad Men, The Shield and CSI (the last at Mrs. W's insistence) and will report back. Would have bought Homicide if I could have laid my hands on Series One.

Tried 'Lost' and gave up around the middle of Series 2 (Mrs W hated it from the first episode) and Heroes would be a non-starter with herself also.

We did Series one of Millennium a while back - may need to pick up Series 2 at some stage.

So thanks once more - gentle shoulder charge to you all.

Public Eye with Alfred Burke. The Power Game with Patrick Wymark. Big Breadwinner Hog with Peter Egan. Hadleigh & Adam Adamant with Gerald Harper. Ace of Wands (what's left of it.). All the drama & fantasy & real actors you could possibly need. Sod the camera technology & SFX, you can't beat excellent drama written by genuine writers & not a committee, involving well-drawn characters.

I would thoroughly recommend the "Brideshead Revisited" box set. Quality television drama that has never been bettered.

Craig Cash and Phil Mealey are the best writers in the UK today, and the two series of the terribly underrated and bittersweet Early Doors are outstanding.

To top this off, Sunshine is the most poignant, lovely 'film' (its a 3 part 1hr show) written about life with an addict written in a long time. Funny, sad, and uplifting. The young lad in it, Dominic Senior, is a star in the making.

"To the Regiment. I wish I was there"

I'm a good year late, but I'm finally catching up with Californication, and enjoying it a hell of a lot more than I thought I would.

I missed it on TV completely but heard some good things about it...boxed set was expensive so didn't want to gamble but it's now in HMV for £15.00 - is it worth a go at that price?

Don't think anyone's mentioned Rescue Me. Look, I know: it's written and stars Denis Leary and I thought that too. But it's really good – and funny. It's not the W••e or Sopranos, but it's well up there with Californication – which is pretty darn good in my book. Plus it answers the question of what Tatum O'Neal's been up to (apart from being arrested for possession of crack).

Breaking Bad is about a high school Chemistry teacher that is diagnosed with terminal cancer.His wife is going to have a baby soon, and he does not have enough money saved for their future.He decides to get into the drug dealing business with a former student.And he starts making the best Crystal meth anyone has ever seen.It is very funny and good drama.
Deadwood is the play Shakespeare would have written if he lived during the wild west of the 1880's.Lots of swearing, and the best TV series character ever -
Al Swearengen.
Rescue Me is about the firefighters that survived 9/11.Dennis Leary is the main character that is an alcoholic,and hauted by the ghosts of his past.This is also very funny and a great drama.PS you can watch scenes on Youtube.