Jolt Country

Obviously, the correct answer is Family Guy, Dr. Katz, Check it Out w/Dr. Steve Brule, Too Many Cooks and Bowling for Dollars, but for the purposes of this thread, we'll narrow it down to long-form, "serious" television. I don't know why we're doing that, but that's what's happening.

We did this in the IRC channel the other day, but perhaps those who were not there would like to chime in. Or not. It's free, whaddya want.

HERE IS MY LIST, which of course, everyone on IRC already knows.

1. Breaking Bad - Five years with exactly zero filler ("The Fly" wasn't a filler episode, you idiots), and revolutionary in almost every conceivable sense. Besides having all the best acting and writing, it just felt different than any other show. There's a thing about Led Zeppelin. If you switch to a station, and there's a Zeppelin song on it, but you caught the song in a quick break, or moment of space or silence, you can still tell it's a Zeppelin song, even though there's no music being played. BB was like that, except in the form of TV. Any still from that show is instantly recognizable as being from BB, and nothing else. (Well, maybe Better Call Saul, but still.)

2. True Detective SEASON 1 ONLY OF COURSE - I almost want to disqualify this, because any show you have to single out specific seasons of in order to make the list shouldn't qualify as one of the best shows ever. But we'll leave it here, only because 1) the two seasons were completely separate from each other, 2) it was only supposed to be one season but everyone loved it too much, and 3) it was just too amazing to leave off of here. BB is clearly the best overall show, but those eight episodes of TD1 were the pinnacle of TV.

3. Fargo - So incredibly good that as huge a fan of the movie as I am, I almost consider the movie the side-project now, and the TV show the main deal. Season 1 was brilliant, but perhaps followed a little too closely to the movie's arc, a little too homage-y. Season 2 just wiped the floor with all of it. And the love this dude has for the Coen Brothers knows no bounds. If I told you Joel and Ethan did every single episode, you'd believe me.

4. The Young Pope - Absurd, nonsensical, bizarre, goofy, hilarious, ridiculous, with the best anti-hero since Walter White. And yet, underneath all of its surrealistic pinnings and "throw it all out there and see what sticks" mentality, I believe it has something of value to say. Not quite sure what it is, yet, but I believe it! I better go watch it again to make sure.

5. Battlestar Galactica - I tried desperately to come up with a show I could put here so that Battlestar Galactica (do I have to say "the new one"?) wouldn't make this list. It doesn't feel like it should be on it. And yet, here it is. You're just gonna have to live with it. We're all just gonna have to live with it.

You essentially wrote off the entire 20th Century and excluded all of it as if it had nothing. A top five list is very hard because it excludes so much but it might be useful.

In no particular order:
1. "Night at the Movies", "Movie of the Week", etc. Every network eventually developed a series in which they made a 90 minute movie (with commercials it takes two hours) once or twice a week, often using original Made For Television films, where they could explore issues more thoroughly than in a one hour show which with commercials is about half this long.

Steven Spielberg got his start in one of the best short films done, "Duel," with Dennis Weaver.

2. "The Twilight Zone". Rod Serling created an anthology series where some of the best works of sci fi, mystery, horror, suspense and even comedy could be explored.

3. "All in the Family," which was groundbreaking in that comedy shows normally don't do real, serious drama elements, and complex issues, until this did.

4. Sunday Morning Talk Shows. "Issues and Answers", "Face the Nation," "Meet the Press." These shows allowed serious people to discuss complicated political and social issues in a format not requiring 3-sec. soundbites.

5. "The Flintstones". I was caught between this and "The Simpsons," but this was new. Was the first to show you could do a true situation comedy, tuned to adults as well as children, and it did not have to be live action. Some of the jokes are cleverly risque in that adults and kids would get them for different reasons.

Was the first show in 15 years to show a husband and wife sleeping in the same bed.

Tdarcos wrote:You essentially wrote off the entire 20th Century and excluded all of it as if it had nothing. A top five list is very hard because it excludes so much but it might be useful.

This is an accurate and truthful statement about television.

Look, my five favorite shows are Red Dwarf, Community, Breaking Bad, , The Wire and True Detective. But even the ones that I watch just to have them on and realize aren't great ahhhhhht like Walking Dead and Game of Thrones and the first four seasons of Dexter are 1,000,000 times better than most of what came out in the 20th Century.

Twilight Zone was a good pick.

Also, Ben, the reason you have BSG there and are feeling weird about it is because you have not sat down and enjoyed The Wire.

Come on man. 4 seasons at 8 episodes each. 32 hours. You can bang it out in a weekend.

Ice Cream Jonsey wrote:Also, Ben, the reason you have BSG there and are feeling weird about it is because you have not sat down and enjoyed The Wire.

I sat down and watched the first 1.5 seasons. "Enjoyed" was not the word that came to mind.

I can meet you in the middle and choose a different Dominic West, show, though.

The Affair! There ya go. The Affair is the fifth best show.

Also, you're this guy now. I realize I am mostly also this guy, but you are even more this guy.

I understand that. I don't know how anyone can give up on The Wire, but then you don't know how people can give up on BB, which has more of a slog in the middle than The Wire did.

Would you agree that The Wire's second season was not its best?

I'll agree BB's second season wasn't its best! Look, I'm working WITH you here.

Try the Wire season 3. I don't remember which season was which. I mean, try the first episode of season 3 and if does not grab you I will never, ever bring it up on this BBS again.

You gonna watch Young Pope? Are we making a pact here? Are we pactin' it?

If Paul can list "all television movies" and "all news programs" as two of his favorite TV series, then I stand by mine:

#5: Wednesday nights.
#4: Tuesday nights.
#3: Monday nights.
#2: Thursday nights.
#1: Sunday nights.

I'll make a deal with you, that yes, I will binge the Young Pope.

I re-read the thread and Tdarcos listed "SUNDAY MORNING TALK SHOWS" as one of the top-five television shows ever. I think we have become jaded. Paul may be the funniest of us, it's just that it is accidental sometimes. He is a valuable contributor. I never know what he is going to say next.

Flack wrote:If Paul can list "all television movies" and "all news programs"

Stop right there. I did not say "all news programs" I referred to one specific class of talk program, where some famous politician or public figure discussed politics with a professional journalist. I included all three because they basically were identical.

Screw you with your arbitrary numbers 5 is not enough!

"Talk Sex" with Sue Johanson

"LOST"

"Carnivale" (SOOOO mad it got canceled so early)

"Mythbusters"

"Junkyard Wars"

"Monty Python's Flying Circus"

"30 Days" with Morgan Spurlock

"Inside Man" with Morgan Spurlock

"The Walking Dead" (so far anyway)

"Star Trek"

"ST NG"

"Shameless"

"Animal Planets Most Extreme"

"Insomniac with Dave Attell"

"Dexter"

"120 Minutes"

"Insomniac Theatre"

"The Daily Show"

"Late Night with David Letterman"

"The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon"

Limit genres and perhaps I can try to list only 5.

There are probably more not coming to mind at the moment...


"Community" started out great, but fell off for me at the later episodes.

With you for Battle Star Galactica Pinners, that was a very good series.