The TV Series discussion thread

I strongly suspected George RR Martin to be a sadistic little troll after watching season 1 of GoT.

Now, after S3E09 - I don't have to suspect anymore.

But he does write well. I just wish he was less about shocking his audience and more about subtlety.

Originally Posted by Drithius
Finishing up on Breaking Bad, about halfway through Season 5 now. My opinion remains largely unchanged: for having received such widespread praise, I had expected far better content. With a few exceptions here and there (and a stellar season 4 finale), I don't feel much enthusiasm for this series at all.

It was intriguing when the main character was battling cancer and a person could empathize with the loneliness and despair he was feeling to come to the decisions he made. But the latter seasons in which he evolves into some wanna-be Don Corleone really don't appeal to me at all. The changes in his personality from scene to scene feel more and more contrived.

I agree.

Breaking Bad started out really interesting with a strong premise - but it never really took off.

I'm not impressed.

Some people here wouldn't know good writing if it farted in their face.


On a side note: here's an interesting opinion piece on the 101 best written TV shows of all time named by the Writers Guild of America.

http://www.deadline.com/2013/06/wgas…complete-list/

Originally Posted by JDR13
Some people here wouldn't know good writing if it farted in their face.


On a side note: here's an interesting opinion piece on the 101 best written TV shows of all time named by the Writers Guild of America.

http://www.deadline.com/2013/06/wgas…complete-list/

Mad Men ranks above The Wire?

Ehm, ok

Mad Men is even more overrated than Breaking Bad.

I guess I know what I need to know about that list now….

JDR that list includes Lost and skips Xena.
Includes EL Raymond, skips Farscape.
OMG Roseanne is in it, but hell, the season 1 of Veronica Mars ain't.
Etc.

Find me another list please. This one sux.

Ooooh lookie here … a list of things and people disagree about items included and excluded and the ordering … never seen THAT before …

Yeah, because we all know that Xena: Warrior Princess was a true masterpiece of television writing.

Originally Posted by txa1265
Ooooh lookie here … a list of things and people disagree about items included and excluded and the ordering … never seen THAT before …

I found it pretty shocking, myself

Originally Posted by DArtagnan
I found it pretty shocking, myself

One issue with lists like these is that it is nearly impossible to address shows that start strong and very quickly go down the toilet (Twin Peaks, Veronica Mars, Heroes, etc) … and also those that might not have the greatest writing but were massively influential or important in other ways.

Originally Posted by txa1265
One issue with lists like these is that it is nearly impossible to address shows that start strong and very quickly go down the toilet (Twin Peaks, Veronica Mars, Heroes, etc) … and also those that might not have the greatest writing but were massively influential or important in other ways.

As well as the fact that quality writing is as subjective as anything else.

Quality writing is what works for you - and that's pretty much it

Personally, I'm very big on human nature - and I have this idea of how we work and how we don't work as human beings.

So, I will always appreciate writing that reflects that - which is possibly why I don't like Game of Thrones all that much (it IS entertaining, though) - and why I love The Wire.

Even so, there will be lots and lots of people claiming that the characters in Game of Thrones are entirely plausible - and that The Wire doesn't feel realistic.

There's just no objective way to establish anything like this.

Originally Posted by JDR13
Yeah, because we all know that Xena: Warrior Princess was a true masterpiece of television writing.

Think about it again. If it was not, what got the viewers? Just boobs?

Originally Posted by joxer
Think about it again. If it was not, what got the viewers? Just boobs?

What got the viewers in Bold and the Beautiful?

Originally Posted by Jaz
With hubby out of the house, I watched S3 E2 of TCW, with this scene as an endless loop …

Ventress is hawt

Finished Downton Abbey Season 3 and managed to get my wife hooked as well. Now we're all set to see season 4… in January here in the US

Overall, imo this is the weakest of the series with the exception of the Dowager & her exchanges with Shirley McLane. This was some of the best dialogue of the series.

Originally Posted by joxer
Think about it again. If it was not, what got the viewers? Just boobs?

Um … Baywatch? Reality TV? Touched by an Angel? Big Bang Theory? Popularity is NO reason to assume quality of ANY sort.

txa, I'm not sure what are you trying to say because I'm not watching or watched any of those things you've numbered.

I've just asked JDR is he sure that the writing in Xena was not great compared to another entry or entries on the list.

Personally, I never really got into Xena. That amazon warrior yell of hers was just so damn irritating.

That's not the writing.
I'm talking about the stuff you couldn't see anywhere else, for example fashionable beaver. That steals rags. Of course, it doesn't steal rags assuming it's the current fashion trend, but saying a word more about it would mean an unwanted spoiler. Watch the show then tell me that writing didn't deserve a spot on the list linked above.

I don't want to watch the show, it annoyed me to no end when it initially aired.

Writing doesn't matter if the rest of it is trash to me. Now, the pilot for Sorbo's Hercules w/ Anthony Quinn - that was memorable (and not in a Lucy Lawless piercing my ear drums kind of memorableness either).

That list is awful…..The Simpsons??? Haven't watched that since 1990 or so, and if that show is within 50 places of The Wire, they just invalidated their whole list.



-Carn