Dom's Big-Ass Top 20 TV Dramas of All Time thread - Page 5 - The Lounge Discussion and Review on Literature, Arts, Culture

I'm about halfway through S2 of Babylon 5. I never picked up on it during its run - seemed boring, too much dialog, not enough action. But I had geek friends who swore by it so I've had it in the vault.

So far I'd say good but not nearly as good as BSG.

Maybe I'm just biased because Straczynski wrote He-Man.

The first season of B5 is not as good as the first season of BSG. BSG starts with one of its best episodes (33) while B5 doesn't start so well. But from the middle of season 2 to the end of season 4, B5 is much better than any season of BSG (in my opinion).

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06-04-2011 , 10:19 AM

#103

its_just_me

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Originally Posted by Enrique

word.

1st season was kinda dull and the last season sucked but aside from that, still my 2nd fav scifi tv show.

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06-04-2011 , 11:37 AM

#104

Coffee

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Originally Posted by kioshk

I never liked The West Wing's politics, but the show was so good that I played along.

I'm also in this camp...I mean, my record as a libertarian in the politics forum is pretty clear, but I still greatly enjoyed The West Wing.

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06-04-2011 , 01:04 PM

#105

mrbaseball

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Originally Posted by Coffee

I'm also in this camp...I mean, my record as a libertarian in the politics forum is pretty clear, but I still greatly enjoyed The West Wing.

I pretty much hated everything about it. I did watch most of the first season but quit about 75% of the way through because it just never clicked with me.

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06-09-2011 , 09:30 PM

#106

bronx bomber

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Does Soap get at least an honorable mention for best family show? I think you gota work it in somewhere Dom. It just seems that almost every week you sat there going "No, they didn't just do that did they?"

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06-10-2011 , 02:18 AM

#107

Dominic

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SOAP almost made the list, and it is one of my favorites...but I've recently rewatched the whole series, and while it is still great, it didn't age as well as some others.

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06-10-2011 , 02:42 AM

#108

diebitter

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I don't think drama means what you think it means.

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06-10-2011 , 04:01 AM

#109

Dominic

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Join Date: Jun 2004 Posts: 74,268

lol....oh yeah....it's a drama thread....it's been so long, I forgot

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06-10-2011 , 04:26 AM

#110

kioshk

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Join Date: Oct 2006 Posts: 92,828

I like seeing the Waltons in the original post. I know I've watched every Waltons episode 3 or 4 times over the years. It reminded me of my rural relatives. The only thing it left out was the southern gothic weirdness that's everywhere in that world. Time to remake The Waltons imo!

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06-10-2011 , 04:48 AM

#111

Splendour

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Join Date: Dec 2006 Posts: 18,896

Frasier didn't make Dom's list but I think it's the funniest show ever even edging out Seinfeld though Cramer was hilarious on a level hard to equal.

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06-10-2011 , 04:50 AM

#112

kioshk

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Originally Posted by Splendour

Frasier didn't make Dom's list but I think it's the funniest show ever even edging out Seinfeld though Cramer was hilarious on a level hard to equal.

This would have been hilarious if it had come right after the Soap post.

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06-10-2011 , 08:32 AM

#113

mrbaseball

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Originally Posted by Dominic

SOAP almost made the list, and it is one of my favorites...but I've recently rewatched the whole series, and while it is still great, it didn't age as well as some others.

I rewatched Soap a couple of years ago for the first time since it originally aired and I agree it hasn't aged all that well. At the time it was really cutting edge hilarious. It's still good and funny but the years have softened its edge considerably.

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06-11-2011 , 10:01 AM

#114

Bluegrassplayer

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I've had several people tell me that I need watch Twin Peaks. They say it just totally fits my personality, what I like, what I like to watch etc. but every time they pitch the story to me it just sounds ridiculous and stupid. Something about your review of it reminded me of the last time I tried to pitch ASOIAF to a friend, and at the end he said, "So it's got wizards? Sounds dumb," No........ there's no wizards, there's just a bunch of other ridiculous sounding stuff that is absolutely awesome when it's actually explained.

Think I'll check that out soon. Nice thread gonna read through it now.

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06-13-2011 , 11:03 PM

#115

Clovis8

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Great list Dom. We really do have similar tastes. West wing is by far the best show ever made.

Do check out the wire.

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06-13-2011 , 11:12 PM

#116

Clovis8

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Originally Posted by chymechowder

here's an example of why I couldn't stand the West Wing.

SMUG OVERDOSE

I mean, c'mon. I half expected Martin Sheen to hold his pinky to his mouth a la Dr. Evil each time he scored on the girl.

As for my politics, yes, I'm a registered Republican, but that has nothing to do with why I don't like the show. I think the Daily Show and Colbert Report are among the best things on TV right now.

and with regard to the clip, I'm not opposed to gay marriage. So it's not like that clip bugs me because the anti-gay conservative talk show host was made to be the president's whipping boy. the clip bugs me because it drips with self-satisfaction. (I'd never seen it before, btw. just went on youtube and it was the first one I grabbed, honestly.)

yes, it's well written and well acted. but the smug, self-satisfied tone is just too much for me.

Jesus really? You are are going to take one scene out of context and claim the whole show was like that!!!!!!!!!!!

That scene is in fact THE ONLY ONE in 7 seasons like it. The whole point of the scene is his condemning the very smugness you are railing against. He is saying that he knows both sides of the issue and understands it better than those who spew rhetoric.

In the series he is a devoutly religious man throughout.

Nobody could watch the series and say it is smug unless you are the type of conservative (sadly the majority) who feel education and smugness are synonymous and only being an idiot makes a person an every man.

Last edited by Clovis8; 06-13-2011 at 11:18 PM.

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06-13-2011 , 11:20 PM

#117

Clovis8

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Originally Posted by Bluegrassplayer

You like Lynch? If so you will LOVE Twin Peaks. It is brilliant.

Of course it is ridiculous but so what, it's ridiculousness is partly what makes it great.

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06-13-2011 , 11:50 PM

#118

Rick Nebiolo

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Originally Posted by sailorsaint

Homicide: Life on the Street

The show that followed the book that followed the newspaper career that introduced David Simon.

Andre Braugher, Kyle Secor, Jon Polito, Daniel Baldwin, Melissa Leo, Yaphet Kotto, Ned Beatty, Richard Belzer, Clark Johnson, et, al - perhaps the epitome of network televsion ensemble acting.

Red ink. Black ink.

The telephones.

Red balls.

The box.

i love the wire but for network tv this is the all time best cop/detective show. also flips me out that dom has never seen the wire.

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06-14-2011 , 06:13 AM

#119

kioshk

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Join Date: Oct 2006 Posts: 92,828

I agree with chyme about The West Wing being way smug. I ended up tolerating the smugness and liberal politics and enjoying the show.

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06-14-2011 , 08:25 AM

#120

Clovis8

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Originally Posted by kioshk

I agree with chyme about The West Wing being way smug. I ended up tolerating the smugness and liberal politics and enjoying the show.

You would be wrong.

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06-14-2011 , 08:31 AM

#121

kioshk

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Join Date: Oct 2006 Posts: 92,828

Damn, almost everything Sorkin has ever done has been smug as hell. Wake up to the obvious. Go watch Sports Night or The American President and tell me that **** ain't smug.

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06-14-2011 , 08:41 AM

#122

Clovis8

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Originally Posted by kioshk

Damn, almost everything Sorkin has ever done has been smug as hell. Wake up to the obvious. Go watch Sports Night or The American President and tell me that **** ain't smug.

again intelligence and smugness are not the same thing no matter how many times Sarah Palin says so.

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06-14-2011 , 08:42 AM

#123

kioshk

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Clovis, you try to make everything political. Everything isn't political.

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06-14-2011 , 08:46 AM

#124

Clovis8

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Originally Posted by kioshk

Clovis, you try to make everything political. Everything isn't political.

You are correct everything is not political but West Wing sure was and people hating for being too intelligent sure is political.

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06-14-2011 , 08:50 AM

#125

kioshk

Nixonian

Join Date: Oct 2006 Posts: 92,828

Quote:

Originally Posted by Clovis8

You are correct everything is not political but West Wing sure was and people hating for being too intelligent sure is political.

Mischaracterizing the criticism of Sorkin's smugness as criticism of intelligence is a little smug.

The West Wing wasn't all political, no way. I've already said I didn't like the lefty politics. It was a show about decent people trying to run the US government. The way it did so was very effective in many ways, but it also was very smug and very liberal.

I appreciate the intelligence of everything Sorkin does.

Maybe "ideological" works better than "political" here.

Last edited by kioshk; 06-14-2011 at 08:57 AM.

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