What TV shows are you watching?

[Ian]

Pretty much agree with all of that, Jockie.

I've not seen the most recent episode but I have a horrible feeling they bumped off a character I actually quite liked. Will be watching it tonight. Walking Dead's one of those shows because it's decent but I persevere in the hope it'll get better, rather than because it's so good I can't not watch it.

Also watched the most recent episode of Misfits and have mixed feelings on it. Spoilers incoming, obviously.

I liked that this is one of the few episodes where they've really done something to broaden the scale of the powers and that they did something with the off-the-cuff (or so it seemed) remark about a Jewish guy buying Curtis' time-travel power. The power dealer (whose name I keep forgetting) and the probation-worker's roles within the whole thing made sense too. I'm just not sure the scope of the thing was handled as well as it could've been after being squeezed into 45 minutes or so of television, given it made the time travel power the key plot point without having the time to actually tell us the different effects it had had or how it works when used to that extreme.

I thought the time travel in it was generally a bit nonsensical to be honest.

I still enjoyed it, and I'm still enjoying both Rudy and what they're doing with the power dealer. Just thought the length of a Misfits episode didn't really give them a chance to do this justice. It's nice to have a wider-reaching story to mix up the usual stuff that's predominantly based around a few characters.

[The Innocent]

Another vote for Homeland. I've really been enjoying its slower pace, especially after Rubicon was cancelled.

More importantly, I finally found the complete Deadwood for cheap, so I'm rewatching the whole thing. One of my favorite shows.

[The JG Man]

So, Black Mirror, anyone? I thought it was bloody good.

[spoiler]1. I didn't think it would actually happen. 2. I was not surprised when it wasn't her finger, but I don't feel this was of any detriment.[/spoiler]

[Drake Sigar]

The Walking Dead is a frustrating show, they have a premise that automatically makes it hugely popular and they're actually pretty good at the set-pieces and action. But every episode gets dragged down by turgid character drama, soap opera standard dialogue and plot hooks designed to slow things down.

Stargate Universe, Battlestar Galactica, Lost, and Terra Nova are written the same way. America loves its survivalist dramas.

[Shroom]

So, Black Mirror, anyone? I thought it was bloody good.

I also agree, bloody brilliant incendary television of which we could do with a lot more of in the place of factory-pressed X-Factor garbage.

Although I did think that with the whole [spoilers(maybe)]"artist"[spoilers] thing at the end, Brooker was rather changing the point he was making from the point he'd been making for all the rest of the programme. Was an interesting choice to make in that sense.

[Joseph-Sulphur]

So, Black Mirror, anyone? I thought it was bloody good.

[spoiler]1. I didn't think it would actually happen. 2. I was not surprised when it wasn't her finger, but I don't feel this was of any detriment.[/spoiler]

I'm not sure what I think about it yet. But gorram, I wish more TV dramas were produced that slickly. It was well shot, seamless and perfectly believable.

[Kadayi]

Another vote for Homeland. I've really been enjoying its slower pace, especially after Rubicon was cancelled.

More importantly, I finally found the complete Deadwood for cheap, so I'm rewatching the whole thing. One of my favorite shows.

You sir have excellent taste.

Also Rubicon getting cancelled was tragic. Truxton Spangler and Kale Ingram were two of my favourite TV characters for a long time.

[The JG Man]

Although I did think that with the whole [spoilers(maybe)]"artist"[spoilers] thing at the end, Brooker was rather changing the point he was making from the point he'd been making for all the rest of the programme.

Consider the spoiler as Brooker writing the episode and it still holds up. I also thought that considering certain adverts kept flashing up for a show tomorrow, it was rather good timing. I don't think that added point really meant anything more or changed what was before it.

Reading around, I've seen a lot of people complain that the absurdity of it didn't make it good. I fundamentally disagree. It was darkly comic the actual situation, that what it all boiled down to was [spoiler]having sex with a pig[/spoiler] and that whilst there is obviously social commentary going on it is purposefully taken to absurd levels.

It is very much in the vain of The Twilight Zone; there were interesting ideas and they had a dark comedy about them.

[Xercies]

Hmm Black Mirror, I have no idea about this, what channel is it on?

Stargate Universe, Battlestar Galactica, Lost, and Terra Nova are written the same way. America loves its survivalist dramas.

They are but some writers are better at it then others, like Battlestar Galactica and Lost was really good at its character drama. Terra Nova and Stargate Universe i thought really wasn't.

[Ravelle]

As someone who has read the comics, this show is painful to watch because they change the timeline of certain events, add and remove things from the original comic script, including the characters and most important of all changed character key actions. Like

Hershell sitting there while the crew is executing his undead family, while in the comics it's Hershell who's doing all the shooting and apologizing after every execution.

And then they killed Sophia, making the whole search for her useless and dragged it out for nothing as well while she's a surviving character in the comics.

The Show also has added passive characters like Theodore, he doesn't add anything to the show or plot and also doesn't show up at all in some episodes.

[Xercies]

So I just watched Black Mirror, have to say it was an interesting and funny concept done in a way that I thought really wasn't that funny. I guess the idea was for it to have a silly idea but done really straight but I thought that killed the comedy for me and really it ended up as a kind of sick drama. There was moments of funniness and I get what Brooker is trying to say, i think it probably would have worked more as a 30 minute Twilight Zone episode. That coda at the end though I thought was way to dark in how it handled its character.

[Drake Sigar]

As someone who has read the comics, this show is painful to watch because they change the timeline of certain events, add and remove things from the original comic script, including the characters and most important of all changed character key actions.

Tell me, do the comics flesh the black guy out a bit more? I reckon everyone has had at least part of a series 2 episode focused on their character, but the black guy's (I don't remember his name because nobody talks to him) presence is barely acknowledged to the point where the few times he does show up in a scene my brain is almost suprised. "Oh that's right, he exists!" I hope he's got his episode coming and we just haven't gotten to it yet.

[Alex Bakke]

I finished season 1 of Mad Men a few nights ago. Really quite good. Jon Hamm was great, Alison Brie etc. etc.

One thing though, spoilers:

Where the fuck did Peggy's baby come from? On moment she's gaining a slight amount of weight around her face only, and then next, baby.

[DigitalSignalX]

Chalk another up for Homeland. Great show. Also have found the new Kelsey Grammar show "Boss" to be an exceptional bit of political drama. Its well worth the download if your cable co. doesn't offer the Starz network. I'll for sure be picking up the DvD box when it comes out next year. I'd go as far as to say it's the best new show of the season.

[Kadayi]

I wouldn't get too precious about the comic to show translation with The Walking Dead. Plain truth of the matter is, what works on a comic page doesn't necessarily work that well when it comes to television or film. There's a lot of that gets left between the panels that you can't necessarily get away with in moving pictures.

@Alex Bakke : Pete Campbells soup. You've got to bear in mind that she's fairly innocent and that the show is covering almost a year in time.

[Splynter]

I've also been enjoying The Walking Dead, though lately I've found it a bit tedious. I'm not sure exactly what's bothering me: it may be that I'm just not too invested in the characters, or that the at times blatant "American" flavour of the show puts me off **SPOILERS** (conspicuous American flags especially in the first season, Christian themes in the second when they get to the farm, heavy focus on guns, though understandable given the circumstances) **END SPOILERS**
Don't get me wrong, not hating on America, it's just a little hard to relate to the show at times.

I've just finished watching Shameless (the US version). I enjoyed it quite a bit, and only just recently found out that it's based on a British show of the same name. Anyone here seen that one and have any opinion on whether it's worth watching? If you've seen both versions, I'd love to hear your thoughts as well, though I know remakes are a bit of a mixed bag.

[Ravelle]

In the comics he doesn't exist at all but there there the orginal black fellow called Tyrese who's badass and has is own story to tell, he's one of my favorite characters.

@Splynter

The first season began like the comic, then they decided to American it up with unneeded sex,religious and drama scenes

@Alex

I loved Madmen it's a shame we have to wait this long for a new season.

[Jockie]

The black guy in The Walking Dead is awesome - he has no lines, does nothing, has no personality, no family, no backstory and no opinions. He is just a guy who stands in the background (very occasionally) and has a couple of reaction shots where he looks surprised or confused.

That makes him a more likeable character than all of the women on the show at least (bar Maggie).

At least when they decide to kill one of the core cast off, they have a ready made choice.

[Ravelle]

What about Andrea?

[The Innocent]

Also Rubicon getting cancelled was tragic. Truxton Spangler and Kale Ingram were two of my favourite TV characters for a long time.

You break my heart. That entire season was hard for me, what with both Rubicon and Terriers getting axed. Four of my favorite television characters in recent memory, cut off much too early.