Watched anything good on TV lately?

[CARLTON BROWN]

Originally Posted by Greenman

Satellite channel 'Watch' this year had ALCATRAZ which whilst in places was most confusing, was compelling watching but has been cancelled after one season, shame as it was a highlight of my telewatching this year. I also like HUNTED(BBC1) but a little convoluted and could have gone onto a second series(as it has done in the USA) SHERLOCK(BBC1) was very good but it is a shame you have to wait a year for another series.

I've seen a few episodes of Alcatraz and I'm afraid that I lost interest in it after a while. I really don't think they quite knew where to go with the story! Nevertheless, there have been a couple of superior series on US TV this year. The first that comes to mind is Continuum, which deals with a future policewoman sent back to the present day in the trail of a terrorst group. This is good stuff and I'm not surprised a second series has been commissioned. There is also Revolution, which appears to have originated from J.J Abrams who has a bit of a monopoly on US sci-fi. This explores the idea of all the world's electricity has stopping working (almost) and the US has descended into anarchy. I think there is another series of this in the pipeline.

I watched Hunted on the BBC and thought it started really well. However the script soon became really stupid and pondorous, so I wasn't unhappy when it ended and not surprised that the viewing public didn't rate it.

To be honest, I didn't care for Sherlock too much when I first saw it, but I was completely blown away by the last episode and really look forward to the next series. 10/10!

[pierrelm]

Enjoyed the Christmas 'Dr Who' special - the Victorian gothic setting always works well, I like the young doctor and his new assistant is very easy on the eye and a character in her own right. Promising.

The seasonal QI was okay but the panelists, all too readily encouraged by Fry, now too often offer innuendo rather than wit, which is a shame.

The rest of the Christmas offerings have been mostly repetitive bilgewater - I worry that 'Eastenders', which I find genuinely unwatchable, is still the highest rated show. Lots of shouty loutish, self centred imbeciles brought into your living room...mind you, the Mrs watched 'Downton' and apparently they killed off one of the main characters, purely for melodramatic effect. It's a pointless substitute for real writing and proper plots.

Looking forward to the new series (4) of 'Spiral' (Engrenages) the French-made Parisian police series, due to be shown on BBC4 in February.

As a Wodehouse fan, I'm not looking forward to the BBC's horrific miscasting in 'Blandings' which is due to be shown in the spring - the usual suspects (Walliams, Saunders) are shoehorned into a production of one of PG's finest, irrespective of their suitability for the role. Tim Spall is hopelessly miscast as Lord Emsworth - I wish that lazy 'celeb' casting could be put aside and that producers simply get good actors in, whether they are 'known' or not. I watched a 'Making of' the 'Good Life' over Christmas and thoroughly enjoyed it - four brilliant stage actors, at that time practically unknown to TV, who made the comedy work simply because of their outstanding timing and consummate performing skill.
Probably wouldn't get made these days...

[lothian]

Ive been watching ' Dexter ' on CBS action lately . Dexter Morgan is a serial killing Psycohpath who has been taught from childhood by his cop step father (who realises what Dexter is becoming but still wants to protect him ) how to act ' normally ' in order to avoid capture . Dexter becomes a forensic scientist working for Miami law enforcement, who acts out his urges by killing violent criminals . Earning himself the tag of " Bay harbour butcher " . he uses his unique position and his step fathers teachings to stay ahead of his own colleagues who are trying to identify and arrest him .

[GailFan]

Originally Posted by begos

My cable TV provider has been totally screwed up for about the last 36 hours.

As a New Year's Eve/New Year's Day "treat" they've been running a "Twilight Zone" marathon for the last 24+ hours. That means they've been showing ONLY half-hour episodes of that old Rod Serling program from the 1950s and 1960s. In glorious black & white.

It feels like I'm stuck in the damn Twilight Zone in real life, fer cryin' out loud.

If its any consolation, I work in broadcasting and if that happened to us, there would be major repercussions (that is, people would be fired).

The only time I watched Sci-Fi was when I was in New York. They had Twilight Zone then as well, which I quite enjoyed seeing (they also screened Buffy, infomercials, and for some reason soap operas).

[MrInBetween]

Just finished watching What Destroyed The Hindenburg? on Channel 4. Personally speaking, I've always found the Hindeburg disaster much more intriguing than the Titanic. Maybe it's just that it was captured on film; and that the Hindenburg itself seemed like some supernatural object, hovering above the cities, vast as the flying saucers in the black and white B movies of my childhood. This programme combined historical footage with tests of the various theories about the cause of the disaster, building a series of 1:10 scale models and trying to bring them down. A lot of shows with this format lose their way in schoolboy antics, but this retained its focus throughout. And by the end, I was convinced that they'd solved the mystery. Awesome, in every sense. Available to watch on 4oD for the next month.

[tamsmith]

Having spent a lot of time and money on the tables and slots in Las Vegas.

The TV show Vegas set in the early 60's when Las Vegas was just starting as a gambling/tourist resort is a very good watch.

[winebeavis]

Originally Posted by tamsmith

Having spent a lot of time and money on the tables and slots in Las Vegas. * * *

Las Vegas. How I hate that place.

Mrs. Winebeavis's parents retired there. I can never fully enjoy the place without the fear of bumping into the in-laws who are just going in for a buffet while I'm making a drunken ass of myself.

[TCO95]

Grimm is created around the stories of the Brothers Grimm as if the tales and the creatures were real. Historically the 'Grimms' hunt the creatures. In the modern world "The Grimm" is a detective who's cases often involve these creatures. A subplot revolves around a power play of warlocks and witches fighting for control of Europe's most powerful families with strong hints toward the Bilderberg's and similar groups.

http://www.ctv.ca/Grimm.aspx

Once Upon A Time has the storybook characters Snow White, Prince Charming, et al brought into our world by the evil queen Regina. The stories are told about two worlds, the land of magic and make believe and the modern world. Robert Carlyle (Trainspotting) has created one of the best characters on TV as Rumplestiltskin / Mr. Gold. He gained his power by tricking then killing the Dark Lord and stealing his sword.



Maybe the producers consider Jimmy Page the Dark Lord?

http://www.ctv.ca/OnceUponATime.aspx

[theequestrian]

I run the control room of a CW Network affiliate, so the answer would be "No".

[DTravel]

Originally Posted by theequestrian

I run the control room of a CW Network affiliate, so the answer would be "No".

Hee, I should introduce you to a guy I know who does CGI work for TV and Movies. The two of you would get along famously.

As for what I've watched, I just spent the week watching the latest season of Justified which had built up on my DVR.