Official Television Thread

[Phrubruh]

I've been enjoying Defiance. It's basically a western town show with Star Trek-type aliens. It's really the only sci fi show that SyFy has.

[Scockery]

I'm still watching Defiance. I find the social acceptance of plural marriage, in what used to the USA, harder to believe than the aliens or terraforming.  Not debating/condemning anything, just saying seems like a big culture leap to make.

There's no air transport, they use post-apocalyptic stage coaches....okay....sure.

[BillCable]

Dude - if the apocalypse goes down I am TOTALLY picking up an extra couple wives.

[JediJman]

You bring up some good points there Scockery.  It seems like there's some merging of cultures between the alien races and the humans, so maybe it stems from that?  I'm not in love with the show, but as others have indicated - it is the only real scifi show in play right now, so better than nothing. 

I cannot wait for the SHEILD series.  Great to have you know who back in the storylines - not sure about any of the other actors they brought on board, but they seem okay from the trailer.  I like how the format will allow them to step all around the Marvel U, from bad guy agencies to super heroes to super villians - lots of potential there.  They also have some of the great wit from Avengers.  I love a show that can laugh at itself a little (i.e. what do you think SHEILD stands for?).  Must see TV right here - this will be up there at the top of the list with Walking Dead for me unless they somehow really screw it up.

[McMetal]

I watched about 30 seconds of it recently, two alien chicks being loaded into a paddy wagon or somesuch thing. It did not have the same feel as BSG to me, did not feel very compelled to watch more. I should love that channel but I just feel they consistently fall short for some reason.

[Phrubruh]

The show isn't designed to have a BSG feel. It's more like was said above as an adventure of the week type thing. They could have stuck this show on a different planet and it would have been the same thing.

[efranks]

I've been watching Defiance but I don't really care for it that much.  There's not that much interesting to me, I don't really get where they're trying to go with it...eh.

As far as the 2013-2014 season goes, blah.  It's all crap with the possible exception of SHIELD.  Everything just looks terrible so far.  I haven't done a final look at everything, but what I've seen so far is not interesting, it all has a been there, done that feel to it.  There's not much original. 

I'd rather still have CSI: NY and the original Law & Order back compared to anything new they showed, they're spinning off Chicago Fire, which I like, with another lame cop show and the comedies?  I don't watch network comedies.  At least CBS had the common sense to not go with that NCIS Red show they tried to spring on us.

My main complaint is that my cable feed doesn't include The CW because I think they've got probably the best lineup of any of the networks.  And I'm not happy that FX is splitting off with a second channel that's going to lose me a couple of shows I do watch, like It's Always Sunny and The League.

   E...

[Scockery]

I'm not impressed by SHIELD's trailer, it has the "Gunn" actor from Angel that I thought was not a good actor. I suspect a lot of teasing of characters that won't appear due to movie obligations, like Birds of Prey series teased Batman and Batman villains but didn't use them even during the Batman movie franchise's downtime.

I'm amused Reign, the CW's late in the game attempt to cash in on Game of Thrones, and NBC's Dracula, a late in the game attempt to cash in on vampire schlock.  (3 years from now they'll make their own zombie shows)

I dunno...all these genre soap operas are funny, since in the past soooo many have failed. I won't be watching Drac, because big 3 genre shows I've watched in the past all got cancelled.

[JediJman]

...thus helping to ensure that this one gets cancelled too.   

[Chris M]

This is kind of off the topic of the moment, but a little related...

I was watching a few clips of BSG on youtube over the past couple of days and was reminded of how truly great that show was.  I originally tried watching the first couple of episodes in 2004 when it came out, but just couldn't get into it, largely because of the style it was filmed in.  However, I gave it a chance again last summer on Netflix and absolutely loved that show, from the beginning to the end and everything in between.  IMO, that is the best sci-fi series.

Okay, back to the discussion...

I have a handful of shows I actually watch and a handful I DVR and watch as the week goes on and I don't have something to watch before bed.  I'd be interested in seeing what everyone watches religiously and what you watch just to have something to do.  I'll post a list of my own later after I get back from eating.

[Scockery]

If there's a show I watch when I have nothing better to do that is SUPERNATURAL.

I actually avoided it when it first aired, thinking it was another monster of the week show shot in dreary Vancouver where all the monsters look human or take human form. Over the years I'd catch the intro or even leave the t.v. on and see an episode now or then. Then when I was working an evening shift, I started watching TNT's 3 hour block of it in the AM after waking up. I watched the later seasons first (the show is NOT hard to follow). And when they got back to season 1, I realized that every thing I thought about the show was correct...it started out a dreary monster/demon of the week ho-hum series. I think the funny thing about the show is how much it has in common with CHARMED, which TNT replays before Supernatural.  Siblings at the center of THE cosmic good vs evil struggle.   Constantly battling demons. Missing parents. Yup. Supernatural is a chick show! 

That means I've watched Charmed. I admit it. I've watched some of the new Beauty and the Beast, which is pretty lame...Lana from Smallville as an NYC cop. Yeah, right...

DR WHO is another one I can take or leave. Some times it seems really engaging, other times it's shovel full of nonsense that takes its mythology a tad too seriously.

Family Guy is another one. Sometimes I watch, but lately, I do not. I think part of the thing is that all the characters are detestable on some level.

Bob's Burgers I almost got into. But sometimes it's just irritating.

[Chris M]

The shows I religiously watch are:

Hawaii 5-0, The Walking Dead, and Southland.  And I got all caught up on Breaking Bad this past fall on Netflix. So I'll be watching this and Falling Skies over the summer.

The shows I end up DVRing and watching later in the week as I have time:
Revolution
Defiance
Vegas
The Office.

Sometimes it takes me a week or two to watch these.  However, it looks like come the next TV season I'll have three of those shows knocked off my list as Southland was not renewed by TNT (a real surprise to a number of people) and Vegas was cancelled. Vegas wasn't really a surprise.  The plot was decent, but the characters were rather cardboard and a bit cheezy.  Revolution is getting better this time around.  However, the acting is still kind of stiff, but again, it's getting better.  I think NBC is really trying to turn it into a version of Lost.  I can't comment too much on Lost as I never watched it.  NBC has been putting so many twists and turns into Revolution that you can sometimes get lost just trying to figure out what is going on.  Maybe it's best with that show just to keep the storyline simple.

[Tracy]

The shows I watch faithfully are:

The Walking Dead
Game of Thrones
Homeland
Shameless
Dexter
The Big C
The Killing (so glad they are bringing it back!)
True Blood
Mad Men

Seems like a lot - but the alternate throughout the year - pretty much all on Sunday nights. Thank goodness for premium channels and DVRs.

[McMetal]

Simpsons (don't enjoy it anymore but I have never missed an episode and a 23 year commitment is not to be taken lightly)
Family Guy (still makes me laugh...occasionally)
Archer (probably the funniest thing on TV right now)
Parks & Recreation  (a nice little show, not screamingly funny but has its moments, i will watch anything Amy Poehler does though in recognition of her affiliation with the UCB, which was one of the greatest things EVER)
Walking Dead (only the best show on TV period)
Dark Skies (when it returns)
ATHF/Squidbillies/Superjail/Metalocalypse,Eric Andre Show - because Adult Swim is made for weirdos like me )

Each year, I watch fewer and fewer shows. The ones I pick up don't seem to last. And the ones I keep up with are slowly dwindling. That's nice though, because I find as I age I have less and less patience with watching TV.

[Diddly]

I've got...

- Walking Dead (duh)
- Game of Thrones (missed Season 2 so until I catch up watching pretty much for the boobies)
- How I Met Your Mother (not as good as it once was but wrapping up and still humorous)
- Family Guy (meh, still has it's moments)
- American Dad (this show has really evolved into something special but I feel like I'm the only one who watches it)
- The League
- Sunny in Philadelphia (losing momentum with each episode the past few seasons...)
- Various college sports

Recently I got a Hulu account that I share with a coworker in exchange for access to his Netflix, so I'm catching up on Breaking Bad and shows like that. Hulu is pretty bad though. I've only used it a handful of times, usually when the networks decide they want to screw with DVRs and set odd show times.