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maxwellyoung

What are the must-see TV series?

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The Wire

It's so good. I've watched the whole run several times, and I plan on doing so again soon.

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Would it be a good idea to limit it to one or two shows per genre or decade or some combination of the two?

The Simpsons is absolutely essential, and would be my choice if I could only pick one.

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To throw in a show that no one has mentioned yet, The Shield. The Shield is something I consider a The Wire-level pantheon show.  Season 1 is easily the worst season of that show, so it's something you have to slog through a bit in the early going, but that show just goes for it.  I'm having a hard time thinking of any other TV show that completely nails the ending in the way The Shield does. 

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The Prisoner - 2 year series from 1967 - 68, a 17 episode master class of cold war paranoia meets surrealism that sets the stage for basically all modern TV. Great commitment to modern style, midcentury furniture, etc...

 

I love this series. It's fantastic. :tup:  Also it's completely shot in England, in a real hotel that is still running today. You can go there and buy a 'prisoner experience'. I've always wanted to go.

 

I would like to suggest that the list only includes series that have ended, and have no intention of continuing. Also nothing like 'Family guy up to season 4'. It has to be solid work throughout.

 

With that in mind, I'd like to add My Name Is Earl, the Office (UK (best) Version), Tatami Galaxy, Spaced, and Adam and Joe.

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Are we doing skippable style, "this is good if you skip these episodes/seasons" ?

 

If not, I will ditto Spaced and Paranoia Agent and add Foyle's War.

If yes, I will also add Hustle.

 

Hustle is pretty lighthearted material (kind of like the brit prototype for leverage) but it really is my favourite show aside from: 

1) the season where Adrian Lester is off doing something else

and 2) episodes where any of them try to fake an American accent (which are pretty uniformly unconvincing).

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I read a New Yorker (or maybe it was the Atlantic) article that talked about how Too Many Cooks was complete nonsense and had no potential critical meaning. It was hard to understand how the author had such a prestigious position to write affirmations of their own oblivion. For one thing, Too Many Cookd addresses the perpetual runs that a lot of american television suffers from. I'm a fan of the 16-episode format.

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Are we doing skippable style, "this is good if you skip these episodes/seasons" ?

 

If not, I will ditto Spaced and Paranoia Agent and add Foyle's War.

If yes, I will also add Hustle.

 

Hustle is pretty lighthearted material (kind of like the brit prototype for leverage) but it really is my favourite show aside from: 

1) the season where Adrian Lester is off doing something else

and 2) episodes where any of them try to fake an American accent (which are pretty uniformly unconvincing).

 

Agreed, Hustle is one of the few series which is permanently in my new-fangled DVD collection. Killed opening and it oozes style.

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Too Many Cooks.

 

How have I not seen this. This is genius!

 

 

Green Wing

 

Idk, the second season was kinda naff. It felt like it was trying too hard to be random, but without reaching the greats of the first season. And also quickly routing to being crass.

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Seinfeld

The Simpsons through season 9

The Wire

I don't really know what the rules of this thread are so I'm just going to include other shows that I like a whole lot.

Venture Bros

Home Movies

Scrubs

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When devising a "television canon," how would one handle ridiculous long-runners where a person couldn't possibly be expected to watch or enjoy all of it? Think Saturday Night Live or Sesame Street.

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Also worth keeping in mind that shows like Saturday Night Live or Dead Ringers or The Chaser's War on Everything don't travel, and so calling them 'must-see' only really applies to the country of origin.

 

And also there are shows like Sesame Street that are remade in many different countries, so which specifically are you referring to.

 

That said, I was really surprised when Katherine Cross was singing the praises of Media Watch on Twitter, because that is a show that totally does not travel. It is a 15 minute critical look at the behaviour of journalists in Australia over the past week, its smugness only eclipsed by its precision. 

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When devising a "television canon," how would one handle ridiculous long-runners where a person couldn't possibly be expected to watch or enjoy all of it? Think Saturday Night Live or Sesame Street.

 

M.A.S.H.

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I think some shows can travel, you just have to provide them with context. Like when I say The Thick of It is the funnier version of Veep and one half of the greatness that was In The Loop. 

 

Also BBC's Miranda is great.

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