TV SERIES / BOXSETS (Page 2 of 3)

Hi Rubyjt, thank for the recommendation. I watched one so far...

Highly recommend Homeland, great story and acting. Have not seen the Wire but hear it's amazing. Breaking Bad is great too

I will look for that; thanks so much

Have just finished "The Sopranos", what was that ending ?    anyways i can see why many choose that as their No.1 TV Series,  James Gandolfini portrayl is just mesmerising and huge and infact the whole series story is based around him, brutal and sad it is Epic, but has many side story slow parts that dragged on way too long, i loved his nephew Chris character story and The Soprano family struggles, it was indeed one of the best, and am glad i have it in my collection in The Complete Boxset version.

Still Think "Breaking Bad" was better IMO, for the acting and dysfunctional coping with a multitude of complex storylines, Bryan Cranston was Academy Material and one of the best Characters on screen in TV & Film,  totally unforgettable performance that stays with you for sometime

So went out and got "The Wire" a few days ago, i'm loving the contrast of Urban and High Office fraud and deceipt both poles apart but ruthless in identical ways, The Acting is dare to say better than Breaking Bad, The Sopranos & Game of Thrones as in theyve tackled Police, Lawyers, Drug Dealers, Petty and Murderous Crime with some of the Grittiest Acting i've ever seen, into Season 2 and the characters are wonderful and complex, love McNulty and Omar and Avon Barksdale, this is building up nicely, a small police unit is put together for a short while to deal with Baltimore's out of control drug empires setting up in the projects, the unit is temporary as cutbacks loom within the police dept, they struggle with inept tapping devices, poor resources, no funds from higher up, but they get results on surveillance and this little unit working so hard to keep their jobs, you see this in the drugs empires from the street corners to the fat cats who have the lawyers and some police in on it, clever storylines with scary surprising twists you can see why this is up there with the big TV Series, this is more my meat, and i love Baltimore anyways      can't say too much, but would thoroughly recommend The Wire, it is the Grittiest TV Drama ive seen and right up my alley, it is supremely clever with stellar acting

................ Michael

Breaking Bad is the top of the list, fantastic show.  Before that I watched Fringe.  I was a big X-Files fan so I really enjoyed that and Walter Bishop is a trip, literally!   Even if you're not into zombies, Walking Dead is awesome!  I'm currently into season four of Justified, another very good show.    I hear American Horror Story is suppose to be excellent. 

Jim

The Wire has been my #1 for a long time just for it's plot complexities alone but by the last season of Breaking Bad it may have surpassed even the Wire. Breaking Bad is so excellent in every category: writing, directing, acting, cinematography, editing, even sound design. No weak links. You asked previously about a spinoff. Better Call Saul is supposed to premiere in November. Peter Gould I believe is the showrunner (he originally created the character) and Vince Gilligan (creator of BrBa) is also working on the project. They said it will be more comedy than drama but will have components of both.

I would recommend Treme if you like the Wire. Also created by David Simon. It's about New Orleans culture. It's a slow burn like the Wire but I think most people who like music and who are interested in culture would like it. I liked it more and more each season.

Also, a lesser known one is Rectify. Two of the producers were producers on Breaking Bad. It's excellent. First season has only six episodes so it's easy to marathon.

My opinion of some good ones:

Breaking Bad
The Wire
Deadwood
House of Cards
True Detective
Rectify
Mad Men
Treme
Boardwalk Empire
Game of Thrones
Six Feet Under
Big Love
Justified (sort of a modern day western based on Elmore Leonard novels - the wry humor kills me)
Dexter (the early seasons - unfortunately the quality dropped)
Sopranos

How did I forget to mention Deadwood?  It's raw as heck, but soooo good.  Unbelievably complex characters, dialect and dialog all converging in a post Civil War mining camp in the Dakota territories. It was crushing when HBO would not renew for a fourth season due to the cost to produce.  And also somewhat satisfying to see the creators would not gut the show (to hit a low budget) just to stay on the air.  Like The Wire, you have to pay attention and connect some of the dots.  Another cool thing about Deadwood is the real history and famous people that are part of the story.  Wild Bill Hickok (killed in Deadwood with the "deadman's hand"), Calamity Jane (a totally lost soul by the time she lands in Deadwood), and William Randolph Hearst (poster child for a greedy rich sociopath who happens to employ a known serial killer) to name a few of the biggest ones.  The cut short ending leaves you screaming for more.  Damn you HBO!

Hi Michael! Couldn't resist throwing my 2 cents in here for ya. Surprisingly nobody recommended Sons of Anarchy or as my friends and I call it The Sopranos in leathers. First season took a little time to find its direction, but by season 2 it was off to the races and I couldn't wait for Tue. nights to come around. If you like The Shield, you'll spot a lot of the characters in Sons. 2 others I highly recommend are Deadwood and Justified, you get Timothy Olyphant playing the sheriff/marshall in both. Another "bad cop" series is Cold Winter Sun, which has just completed its first season. A very dark and disturbing expose on the blight of Detroit. Last, but not least, an excellent show like nothing else on TV....Shameless with William H. Macy and Emmy Rossum. Just watch this one!!!!!

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