Fan girl Winter is Coming

Kiwichik

No WIW post this morning as I am currently sitting in bed watching Game of Thrones in preparation for Series 4 which airs April 7 over here. I woke up with a headache and no desire to be a trooper and go to work.

Any good shows or movies I can add to my list of guilty pleasures?

11 years ago

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27 replies

Latest reply was from rae

Angie

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Fashion Stylist

Oh my word. Where do I start with the best TV shows of all time? Here's my list:

Battle Star Gallactica (modern version)
The Wire
Friday Night Lights
Homeland
Breaking Bad
Spartacus (An Australian production)
Wallander (with Kenneth Branagh)
The Killing
The Good Wife
Top of the Lake (plays in NZ)
Madmen (a visual feast more than anything else)
The Fall

Yes, I have seen Game of Thrones and rate all of the above as better shows. Very subjective of course.

I did not enjoy House of Cards - season two was awful. Downton Abbey was okay - became quite the soap opera which ruined it for us. Sherlock Holmes was quite fun actually. So was Covert Affairs and The Following.

Enjoy and feel better soon. xo

11 years ago

Caro in Oz

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I haven't seen G of T so bear that in mind Hope you are feeling better.

Agree with Angie &

I loved Sherlock - very clever & funny.

The Bridge
Prisoners of War (the Israeli version)
State of Play
Downton Abbey lost me after the second series - widely inaccurate historically which ruined it for me

11 years ago

Kiwichik

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Clapping hands - nothing I like better when I'm not feeling 100%, or just feeling lazy, than hunkering down and watching some great shows.

11 years ago

pastrygirl

(website)

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Fringe --so, so good. It took me a couple of episodes to get into it, but I was hooked after that!

11 years ago

April

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If you're into gritty, The Shield was pretty compelling. Every character at some point turned out to be other than what you thought they were.

Also Damages.

Also everything on Angie's list, above, plus The Sopranos and Six Feet Under.

11 years ago

Angie

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Fashion Stylist

Oh, yes. Fringe was great. It became REALLY good in Season 3.

The Good Wife was safe in Season 1, but amazingly good after that. Gritty.

High five, Caro. Will have to look into the TV shows you suggested.

I also loved Band of Brothers and Pacific - but you have to be into War stuff to like that. Very, very depressing and harsh - but realistic and brilliant. My parents lived through WW2 - one in Europe and one in the Pacific - so the topic was alive in our home growing up. That's why I enjoyed these TV shows.

11 years ago

rabbit

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So many shows I like from these lists!

Seconding BSG, Sherlock, Breaking Bad, Spartacus, Game of Thrones (I was an OG fangirl of the books, so love some things about the show, other things I rail against).

For War TV (which I find really interesting too) I recommend the Generation Kill miniseries. Takes an episode or two to get the language if you aren't familiar with US marine speak, but darkly funny, insightful, and based on a true account, doesn't glorify war at all, but makes helps you understand it from the POV of a soldier.

Also Orange is the New Black and Orphan Black for incredible female characters you don't see on screen often interacting with other incredible female characters.

For pure adolescent guilty pleasure (absolutely no redeeming value, makes me laugh constantly - you might like if you like Clerks and Office Space and the Office) Workaholics from Comedy Central.

11 years ago

Lyn D.

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Love G.O.T. too!
Just watched 'The Tudors' and thoroughly enjoyed it.
Hope you are feeling better soon!

11 years ago

Deborah

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I addicted to British crime, but don't watch a lot of tv, so my offering here would be "Luther". British crime drama at it's best.

11 years ago

viva

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Definitely agree with Deborah about "Luther" -- that is a fantastic show. I love British crime series and that is one of the best, in my opinion.
Disagree with Angie about House of Cards Season 2. Very dark and over the top, but to me not awful. (This is not a subtle show.) It was really Claire's season and gave insight into both her frailty and her extreme badness.
I've recently discovered "The Americans" on FX (season 1 is available through the FX site and Amazon) and it's fantastic -- 1980s cold war spy drama about KGB operatives living as an American couple in DC. It's quite relevant, given everything that is happening with Putin right now. Stars Kerri Russel of "Felicity" fame and Richard Thomas (John-Boy from the Waltons), among others. Excellent.
Enjoy your viewing!

11 years ago

bella

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True Detective was very good - quite possibly the best mini series of the decade.
I enjoyed the first season of Masters of Sex as well.

11 years ago

bella

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On a related note. These are on my to watch list. I would appreciate your reviews:

- Borgen
- Top of the Lake - I see that Angie recommends it. I liked the Season1 of The Killing, so I am thinking this might be similar?
- Bletchley Circle - fan of British Drama and detective stories. This might be good?
- Red Riding.
- The Returned
- Broadchurch
- Rectify

11 years ago

viva

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Broadchurch! Masters of Sex! YES!!

11 years ago

Angie

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Fashion Stylist

Viva, it's subjective thing of course. House of Cards became very unenjoyable for me in the second season. I didn't find the characters compelling. I love gritty shows (the only ones we watch actually) - everyone in Breaking Bad was flawed - but I found the characters soooooo enormously compelling. Genius show and story line. I did enjoy Claire's style in House of Cards though.

I forgot to mention Suits. A little more light hearted but cleverly written.

Thanks for the extra recommendations, ladies.

If you like gritty - and I mean hectic - detective shows - Wallander is top of list.

11 years ago

rachylou

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I just went through all of Once Upon a Time. That was pretty entertaining.

11 years ago

Kiwichik

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Gosh there are a few of the shows you ladies have mentioned that aren't showing in Kiwiland but on my current watch list are:
Sherlock
Rake (Australian drama/comedy)
Offspring ( love The clothes)
Person of Interest

PS felt much better after a good sleep, just as well because I had a girlfriend's birthday dinner in the evening

11 years ago

Deborah

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Viva, Broadchurch was very good. I must disclose I am a Dr Who fan (in particular David Tennant) so that attracted me initially. It was perhaps a little slow but I didn't work out "who did it" and the the end is pretty unexpected. It doesn't have the edge of Luther, but worth watching.

Also just stumbled upon a show called "The Escape Artist" which is excellent.

11 years ago

Kiwichik

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I watched the whole series of Broadchurch on a long haul flight -really enjoyed it.
PS I don't have square eyes which is what my Mother told me as child would happen if you watched too much TV.

11 years ago

rae

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Rabbit, high five from another OG GOT book fan! Man, 14 years is a long wait for the end to one story, is it not?

I'm probably duplicating, but:
Firefly (!!!) - bonus for a movie that gives the series a killer ending
House of Cards - I really loved Season 2. Character arcs arced, stakes were raised.
Dollhouse
the modern Dr. Who (must watch first season at least)
True Blood
Sherlock - when will we get another season?? :0

11 years ago

MsMary

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Has anybody mentioned "Orphan Black?" Super awesome! And the new season is starting in about a month!

11 years ago

Claudia

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Battlestar Galactica (modern)
Breaking Bad
Six Feet Under
The Sopranos
Freaks And Geeks
Mad Men

11 years ago

rachylou

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Oh definitely Firefly, but they should have done more seasons!!!

11 years ago

Angie

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Fashion Stylist

Interesting. I didn't enjoy Firefly. I wonder why? I should have.

Orphan Black was quite good. Three stars, I'd say. The Following - which we finished last night - was better.

Rae, that's fascinating. As I said to Viva earlier up in the comments, I couldn't stand season 2 of House of Cards. I didn't even want to carry on watching - but Greg suggested we should at least finish - so we did. I'm with you on loving shows that have an end though - like BSG, Friday Night Lights, The Wire, Fringe and Breaking Bad. The story is done and that's that. Brilliant.

High five, Claudia. I worry about The Sopranos being dated. Everyone suggested the West Wing to us because we like political shows - and we found it bit dated and twee. Especially the music. (The music in BSG was sublime. The power of women in that show was absolutely mezmerizing. But perhaps The Sopranos won't feel dated?

I am liking the idea of Broadchurch because it sounds a little like Wallander.

11 years ago

rabbit

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Hi five back to Rae, man I hear you, I used to read GRR Martin's blog about updates to Song of Ice and Fire and then I just got tired of the whole waiting game, it will come out when it does.

Have you read the Dunk and Egg stories though? Those are fun and take place in the same world, I think I found them on audio.

I'm also a Firefly lover. The things that made it work for me were 1) I liked and was very familiar with the genres it was borrowing from: classic westerns and gritty sci-fi. 2) I am a sucker for the found family/team of misfits trope, and character driven story-lines. I tried to watch Buffy because I understand what a cultural icon it is, but by the time I started the first episodes felt too dated for me with the pop culture in jokes, but maybe I should give it another chance.

I'm checking out Fringe based on the recs now....

11 years ago

Kiwichik

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Hmmm Firefly hasn't been shown here but I might see what I can find on line.

I also enjoy a lot of the Brit crime shows - currently watching Silent Witness. I'm a big Sherlock fan. I have tried watching Elementary but it's just not the same.

11 years ago

Claudia

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Angie and other Battlestar Galactica fans, have you ever seen this Portlandia segment about the series? Very funny and very true: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yYjLrJRuMnY

11 years ago

rae

(website)

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Interesting how many of you love Fringe - I could not watch it because I did not find the casting believable at all. Maybe Mulder and Scully ruined me.

11 years ago

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