Amph I am addicted to television.

Sorry to intrude on this riveting debate, but another show I really enjoyed recently was Stephen Fry filling in for the unavailable Douglas Adams on the 20-years-later followup to Adams' radio show & Book "Last Chance to See".

While the BBC / Attenborough pairing are the definitive nature docos, this BBC production is as much about conservation efforts as it is the animals themselves. As you'd expect from an Adams / Fry pedegree, it is very well written and rather hilarious in parts.

And if you've never seen the Charlie Boorman/ Ewan Macgregor "Long Way..." (Long Way Round, then Long Way Down) global motorcycle excursions, they're essential viewing.



I know you didn't mention documentaries in your list, but I think you'd like the above shows. So there.

 

Better Off Ted was cancelled this season because it was criminally ignored by the American public but I still recommend it whole heartedly. It's definitely up there with Community and Parks & Rec IMO. Check out the two existing seasons if you get a chance.

 

I think Better off Ted is the best sitcom since Arrested Development. Poor Portia de Rossi being awesome on critically acclaimed but ratings-doomed shows Everyone should definitely watch this show's short 2 seasons and weep for humanity.



Also, hello thread about TV addiction. My dear old friend. Anyone who knows me knows how much I'm always trying to get people to watch new TV shows. And yes, it's possible I'm on my second re-watch of Lost since the show ended 6 weeks ago. I like I watched 25 series this TV season, all the episodes. So yes, you might say I'm slightly addicted

And now I"m interning in TV, so when we're working on something that is automatic (like waiting while footage is captured), we are allowed and encouraged to turn on the TVs in our edit bays and watch some more. Ahhh, it's the life.

 

They're enablers! They're not helping you!

 

I started watching Generation Kill. I love seeing all that hardware in action, **** yeah.

Haven't watched any sci-fi TV lately, I think the last one was Terminator.

 

OK, I'm going to catch up on Better Off Ted, I've just checked out its Wiki entry. Sounds great.

Has the unscreened finale leaked online? Or is it being held back as a DVD exclusive?

 

i feel like this is maybe television's new golden age. obviously, if you have cable there is more garbage out there than ever before. but without cable and just netflixing shows i want to watch and watching things online i feel like i'll never run out of great material. and it's mostly all stuff from the last ten years. a few favorites:

the venture brothers
30 rock
mad men
deadwood
league of gentlemen
the office (uk)
extras
it's always sunny...
rescue me
arrested development
the sopranos
futurama
metalocalypse
firefly
supernatural
slings and arrows
breaking bad
flight of the conchords
black books
the it crowd

i could keep going for a while.

 

Three shows I absolutely adore are 24, Psych, and The Unit. You probably aren't interested in any of them, but I highly recommend them nonetheless.

 

Yeah, it says that the main characters TEND TO BE fictional. Not ARE ALWAYS fictional.

Listen, this is basic logic, your two options are "fiction" or "nonfiction" and if you look at what Wikipedia says about Band of Brothers (since we're using Wiki as the source of wisdom in this discussion):

"A large amount of literary license was taken with the episodes, with several differences between recorded history and the film version."

It's pretty clear that not only is Band of Brothers "fiction" (fiction that relies very heavily on real people and real events, but fiction nonetheless), it's actually pretty offensive to consider it "nonfiction," since it doesn't portray history completely accurately and changes and omissions were made not just for time/ease/clarity's sake, but for ARTISTIC SAKE. It's a show about mostly-real people and mostly-real events, and it's based on a nonfiction book, but that doesn't make the show itself nonfiction.

 

A show like Band of Brothers may not neccessarily have characters that existed in real life, but if it's accurate to the history and technology/clothes/language of the time than I don't really mind.

This is my problem with shows like Sparticus: Blood & Sand, Rome and The Tudors. All are entertaining enough with a very good acting cast, but history is often thrown out of the window at the expense of too much sex & violence. A great show could teach you about history (especially teach an overseas audience about a different country's history) and still be involving and entertaining.

 

Ugh, don't get me started on The Tudors, what a joke.

 

Ridley Scott's Robin Hood has a similar problem in terms of messing with history at the expense of entertainment value.

I don't wish to cause offense, but there are reasons why when we get films or TV about British history that have little regard for history we say "it was made by/for foreigners mainly for the overseas audience". I think many people, especially those who don't go outside their country or who don't know much history, rely upon TV and movies to give them a grasp of history. Watching a film like Robin Hood there are going to be people assuming Robin had a hand in the signing of the Magna Carta and King Richard was killed in battle and was a proper Englishman, or watching The Tudors that Henry VIII wasn't a fat ginger bloke.

I am all for suspending disbelief, but if I can be educated aswell even without really knowing it then it makes a historical drama all the better.

 

I like that a slender hottie plays Henry VIII in that show, instead of an enormously fat and disgusting guy.

 

Well to be fair, Henry VIII was quite athletic until late in his reign.

 

Henry VIII was a young handsome guy to begin with, I've no problem with that or with Jonathan Rhyss-Myers' portrayal of him which is good. Thr problem is he doesn't gain wieght or get ugly or look much older as the series progresses. Heck he was on wife number 5 by the end of the last series (not had the final series here yet) and he still was slim and handsome.

The Tudors has done some good things though, like drawing attention to Henry's leg injur he got when jousitng which plagued him for years and some say caused a big change in his character and made him more tyranical in the later part of his life. Most other adaptations have never tackled such a thing so that is worth noting.

But historical dramas in general do seem to have a problem with regards to accuracy. Ok you can suspend disbelief for the most part, but unless it's clearly stated it is fictional I think it should make effort to be educational about historical events and people. Especially if made in a foreign country about another nation's history.

 

Yes, everyone watch Better Off Ted now that it's canceled. Just like you did with Arrested Development

 

Hey, I watched the original broadcast of AD from like the second episode.



Not Better Off Ted, though. I'll just be a poser fan if I start watching that.

 

Eh, no. Better to watch it anyway. Same with AD. It just makes me angry at the networks because clearly shows like that take a couple years to build up an audience. But you must watch Ted anyway, Evan. MUST.

 

After two fairly hard dramas (granted, with some humor), I'm probably gonna go with a sitcom. Most likely either Always Sunny or Extras (though I've seen plenty of clips on YouTube) or Better Off Ted. But if I go with the last one, is it just gonna look like I'm placating you, Rachel?

 

Well, I love all three of those shows, so you are doomed no matter what you do

 

The final season (the 6th) of New Zealand's Outrageous Fortune starts here tonight. It's brilliant, an amazing drama with a very, very healthy slice of humour.

It has been remade in other regions as Scoundrels (US) and Honest (UK). The UK version lasted a season, and Scoundrels is airing in the US now to mixed reviews, but regardless of its remake quality, I'd urge you (the general "you") to acquire the Outrageous Fortune seasons from NZ (PAL DVD) or via other more sneaky means.

 

Dammit all to hell.