Please recommend me a good show!

[Me-Ike]

Some time ago I finished watching Pushing Daisies. Now, many tears and many poor Lee Pace substitutes later, I feel like I have watched the last interesting show there is on tv; of course, it's probably only the grief talking, but I just can't find anything else I might be interested in.

What I have loved so far are shows like the aforementioned PD, Farscape, Firefly, Doctor Who, How I Met Your Mother, Babylon 5, Supernatural, the Star Trek shows, The X-Files, and Buffy.

I really liked Wonderfalls and Dead Like Me, Angel, Battlestar Galactica, Quantum Leap, Scrubs, Dark Angel, Dexter, Eureka, Life, NCIS, and Bones (to a degree). Dollhouse is someplace between here and not really getting into it.

I never could get into Lost, 4400, Chuck, Carnivale, Reaper, the CSIs, and just last night I gave up Fringe after about 30 minutes. I gave up House after the second season.


What did I miss? What great show did I not yet watch? Admittedly, I probably now forgot half of what's still out there and has already been watched, but this is all that comes to mind now.

Help?

 

[Starbreaker]

I just got into Stargate: SG-1 and watched half the series in the span of a month or so. I would also recommend The Big Bang Theory, Weeds, and Curb Your Enthusiasm.

 

[Aragorn]

Good thing you already said Battlestar Galactica. Otherwise someone would suggest it and then TheMasterOfOrion would promptly bash it while spoiling everything about it.

Have you heard of Boomtown? Only the first 18 episodes are available and the show didn't last very long so it's a short commitment. It's a cop show that shows the plot from different characters' points of view, and stars Donnie Wahlberg, Neal McDonough and Mykelti Williamson. Very character driven.

Moonlight is a vampire show that only lasted one season, so that's another short commitment. It makes them more "realistic" if that's possible -- sunlight kills but it'll take a long time, garlic and holy water means nothing, there are reflections, etc. It's more melodrama than anything else, but was still fun to watch.

Have you seen the HBO 10-part World War II miniseries Band of Brothers?

 

[bigdaddy]

Six Feet Under and Weeds are great.

Fringe got a lot better, I too couldn't stand the show and now Ilike it a little.

 

[Turd Ferguson]

Me and my girlfriend have been blowing through TV shows on DVD. Right now, I'm up to season 4 of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and we're going to watch Angel after that.

So far, we've watched (and loved):

The Sopranos
Battlestar Galactica
Rescue Me
Weeds
Carnivale
Robin of Sherwood
It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia
The Office (Steve Carell)

and can't really decide whether or not we like Californication.

 

[doubleohfive]

LOST.

Give it a chance.

Alternatively, Arrested Development.

 

[Me-Ike]

Fantastic, people! Keep it coming!

I've never heard of Weeds or The Big Bang Theory, so I'll make sure to at least check it out. Curb Your Enthusiasm as well as Arrested Development are names I keep reading from time to time, so I really should put these two to the top of my list. Boomtown also sounds promising.

I did watch Band of Brothers and loved it.

Six Feet under as well as The Office and The Sopranos didn't do much for me.

I stuck with Lost for a season before I stopped. I didn't really click with any of the characters nor did I enjoy the piling on of new mysteries without any payoff. Did I stop too early?

 

[Aragorn]

Lost took its sweet time doing a lot of nothing the first couple seasons. But now that there is a set end date and less episodes per season, stuff is flying in left and right and there doesn't seem to be enough time left to tell the story! If you were to watch it again on DVD, having episodes of previous seasons fresh in your mind will be beneficial because you'd be amazed at how much stuff connects together. The show also heads in a different direction quite significantly.

Have you given Alias a try?

Season one of Fringe is due out sometime later this year. It may seem like X-Files with a bigger budget at first, but the true premise of the show does reveal itself midway through and if you weren't spoiled to it, you might be blown away.

Oh, Burn Notice! It's about a spy who's as crafty as MacGyver and he helps different people with their problems each week while dealing with his own problem which is the overall arc of the story.

 

[Mistral]

Yeah, Burn Notice s1 is a hoot!
If you liked Band of Brothers try From The Earth To the Moon. Same production team and a wonderful miniseries. Also, Over There was cool. 1 season only, about Desert Storm. And I cannot sing the praises enough of the very unusual Canadian/S.African show Charlie Jade. Just one season but wildly clever-about parallel Earths. It starts slow but if you give it a couple eps it sucks you in.

The miniseries Generation Kill was very well done-about the invasion of Baghdad.

Journeyman was excellent. 1 season, but they wrapped it sweetly. I plan to get Kings when it hits disk-I stopped watching when I heard it was canceled so I could watch straight thru on disk.

Jericho and Jeremiah were both interesting. Jeremiah only has the first season available, though. Sad, because s2 was a lot better than 1. Created by J Michael, the same guy who did Babylon 5.
Space: Above and Beyond. WWII in space, basically. Flawed but ambitious-and cheap-about 20$ for the series.

I am a fan of Torchwood, too. Quirky, "veddy English" in some ways but w/an American protagonist.

Hope these help. And I agree with the comments posted already re: LOST. Wow, the last season was like going over Niagra in a bucket!

 

[Sagart]

The Shield. Fantastic!!

 

[Rowan Sjet]

I stuck with Lost for a season before I stopped. I didn't really click with any of the characters nor did I enjoy the piling on of new mysteries without any payoff. Did I stop too early?

As Aragorn says, we've gotten answers to a lot of mysteries now, and the shortened seasons/set end date has certainly helped, but if you didn't click with any of the characters in the first season then no, I wouldn't give it another shot, since the characters are the most important part of a show. I don't why you wouldn't click with ANY of them though, as there were so many I would have thought there'd be something for everyone.

 

[Barbados Slim]

You can't get any better than Friday Night Lights. The way it mixes teen drama, football suspense and family dynamics, all with an unpretentious, earnest feel. Plus the combination of camerawork, Explosions From The Sky-inspired music and the naturalistic, almost improv acting style can make you cry or cheer or both. I know few people that have discovered it and I don't know anyone who has seen it and hates it.

Legend of the Seeker is a surprisingly great series. It's a fantasy series based on Terry Goodkind's "Sword of Truth" series. New Zealand locales, magic, swordplay and really, really hot chicks who actually can act. It's by the Hercules/Xena folks but it's not tongue-in-cheek and is played seriously without being melodrama.

I agree with others on Alias and 24.

For comedy, check out It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, The Venture Bros., 30 Rock, The Office, Arrested Development.

 

[auntiehill]

I will second the nods to Boomtown, LOST, and Burn Notice. All are great shows--some of the best on TV in recent years. I didn't care for the first episodes of LOST, either, but after I stuck with it, I now an ADDICTED. It's wonderfully complex and twisted. Burn Notice is just plain fun. The characters are smart, the dialogue witty and the "how-to" monologues are up there with even the best heist-picture.

If you like Dexter, I would recommend Deadwood. The language may be a bit off-putting, but you quickly get used to it. It's a brilliant, dark, brutal show with some of the most fascinating characters I've seen in a very, very long time.

You might also check out the British mini-series Jekyll. It's deliciously campy and thrilling---and the lead actor's performance is just chilling.

If you can find a way to get your hands on it, try the BBC's original Life on Mars. It's only two seasons, but it's wonderful--far better than the crap that ABC broadcast. The ending is wonderful--far too dark and daring for wimpy American TV networks to try.

And, if you like mysteries, I would recommend my all-time favorite "locked room" mystery show: Jonathan Creek. The seasons are very short, but the plotting is top-notch. Plus, the characters are very likable, but still flawed--not Hollywood "beautiful people" cut-outs. There's a lot of humor mixed into the fast, witty dialogue, along with some brilliant puzzles. The first two seasons are probably the best, IMO.

 

[startrekwatcher]

I stuck with Lost for a season before I stopped. I didn't really click with any of the characters nor did I enjoy the piling on of new mysteries without any payoff. Did I stop too early?

Yes, I think you stopped too early. Right now, it is the best show on tv. The show definitely drags the mysteries out without much payoff for quite some time--in fact some mysteries from all the way back in season one haven't been answered by the time season five ends or haven't even been mentioned since then. But you soon realize they have to do this in order to allow for them to introduce other related elements that they'll be tied in to those earlier elements and set-up.

I'll admit it frustrated me that they wouldn't get on with it. It is such a unique show that I had to adjust my expectations for it. I had to accept that it could be years before we received any payoff. About a third of the way into season three the show took off and hasn't turned back.

There hasn't been one bad or uninteresting episode since then and you know how some arc-based shows can go on tangents and sidetrack with boring filler--not here. Every episode is overflowing with interesting threads so that even when a storyline or character isn't the focus for a few episodes you don't notice because everything is compelling.

And by season four and five the writers have perfected how to handle the season as a volume within the series tackling elements that had only been briefly teased in the first three seasons now they were finally expanding on them in greater detail while at the same time introducing surprising developments.

And I would even argue that you really don't have to connect with the characters to enjoy the show because a lot of times they are just action figures, searching for answers, working together on a crisis, or providing intriguing/interesting exposition. If you really love mysteries this is the best there is. The twists you never see coming, the plot developments are clever, the cliffhangers always leave you wanting more, the pace is perfection, the writers are to be respected for their ability to juggle so many pieces of information and do so without revealing too much in order to maximize the revelations when they come even moreso given the fact that they are faced with the grueling deadlines of network television. This is one of the most imaginative shows I've ever seen.

Also if you end up liking Lost, I'd recommend season one of Heroes.

In addition:
Fringe--It took me half a season to start enjoying it and liking the characters. I almost bailed early on but glad I stuck with it. It is like a hybrid of X-Files and Lost but not nearly so complex as far as the number of mysteries and characters to keep track of.

The Legend of the Seeker- It is a fun action adventure series with three interesting principles.

Damages is great in season one. It stars Glenn Close. I didn't much care for season two.

Prison Break is a fun action series. I thought seasons one and four were the best although season three isn't too bad. It isn't deep but it is exciting.

 

[Spot's Meow]

I'm surprised you haven't heard of Big Bang Theory, it airs right after How I Met Your Mother. I watch both shows and I think the Big Bang Theory is much funnier.

As for Lost and Fringe, I will repeat what others have said. Of course don't force yourself to watch something you don't like just because everyone else enjoys it, but if you do continue to watch there is a good likelihood that you will begin to enjoy it more than you have in the past.

I thought that The Office was absolutely horrible in its first season, so if that's all you've seen I would give it another shot. It really improves throughout the second season and when I go back and watch those early episodes now I just cringe.

I also recommend Arrested Development. If you haven't seen 24 yet I would watch the first and second seasons for sure. You can decide whether you want to continue watching it after that as the subsequent seasons vary in quality.

 

[Agent Richard07]

You might also check out the British mini-series Jekyll. It's deliciously campy and thrilling---and the lead actor's performance is just chilling.

It's also the best take on Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde I've ever seen. I'd recomend this one too.

As for straight dramas, I'll throw in Breaking Bad. It's about a high school chemistry teacher who finds out that he has cancer and realizes that his life is bascially crap. He then decides to hook up with a former student, who's an unemployed deadbeat loser, to start making and selling crystal meth. Far from glamorizing the making and selling of drugs, the show actually shows us a character sho's gotten in way over his head. The show is just finishing up its second season and every hour so far has been engaging.

 

[Caliburn24]

I'd recommend Rome without reservation.

You might enjoy Smallville as well, but it is very uneven and in the later seasons it seems to drag certain things out way past where they should be.

I'll recommend the first season and a half of Andromeda too, after that it goes downhill fast, but up until that point it was a great show.

 

[Kelso]

Check out Mad Men and Boston Legal on DVD.

 

[Temis the Vorta]

Chuck and Breaking Bad.

 

[sidious618]

The Shield. Fantastic!!

Without a doubt you should watch The Shield. It's one of the best television shows I've ever seen and I suggest it no matter your tastes.