What classic TV have you never seen ?

Phil_aka_Pip

As I have had no TV licence since licence renewals were taken away from Post Offices, and no means of receiving broadcast telly since they switched off analogue, the chances are that my answer is quite a lot.

I do have lots of DVDs of Sgt Bilko, Dads Army, Tony Hancock etc so I guess what is really classic is still covered.

thomasross20

I hate US comedies - think they're poor.
In fact I rarely watch TV these days! Still like a good film, though.

WezV

boogieman said:

Why is Lost up so high? I did see the whole thing but it was torture to watch, especially the last couple of series: totally dire. I'm amazed it's so better ranked than Band of Brothers, that was a great series.

probably due to influence rather than actual brilliance.

 

Sci-fi series like Buffy, and BSG had always done the big story arc thing.  but at this point it was usually just something rumbling on in the background and still relied on an episode of the week style of story telling.  As they get past 1st and second series they become more focused on the story arc with less one off stories.  Less episodes that can be watched in isolation to fill an hour

 

Lost was always about the story arc and nothing but the story arc.  you don't just watch one episode of lost because its on, its all or nothing.   they have back stories and certain characters they focus on each episode - but  only to help us understand why they have an influence on the story arc.   This had been done before, but usually in drama mini-series or sci-fi.   Never on this scale. 

Losts failing was that the ending, the whole thing never led anywhere. Everyone was after gold at the end of the rainbow because thats what the story was forcing us to focus on.  

BSG has a pretty poor ending, but it doesn't put me off watching it again because the trip was so good.   I like it the ending more on 3rd or 4th viewing but hated it when the series first finished. 

 

 

boogieman

thomasross20;476285" said:

I hate US comedies - think they're poor.

But, but.....Cheers? Frasier? Big Bang Theory? Some great stuff there, particularly Frasier.

mike_l

boogieman said:

thomasross20;476285" said:

I hate US comedies - think they're poor.

But, but.....Cheers? Frasier? Big Bang Theory? Some great stuff there, particularly Frasier.

I like BBT, but, despite trying to watch Cheers, Fraiser et al, I just don't get them.

Phil_aka_Pip

mike_l said:

boogieman said:

thomasross20;476285" said:

I hate US comedies - think they're poor.

But, but.....Cheers? Frasier? Big Bang Theory? Some great stuff there, particularly Frasier.

I like BBT, but, despite trying to watch Cheers, Fraiser et al, I just don't get them.

I know what you mean. Most American "comedy" just isn't funny. Except Sgt Bilko ...

thomasross20

Frasier is good. Cheers is cool. I guess it's the new stuff I'm not into. BBT is awful IMO lol...

not_the_dj

Sgt Bilko.

ESBlonde

In the OP I watched life on Mars but none of the others. I find I'm watching less TV and more You Tube (I'm not really a hipster though) with people doing real stuff that I enjoy.

maidenfan

mike_l said:

Out of the OP's list, I've watched House. I got into it while recovering from surgery, so it filled 2 hours a day of not being able to do much. Kind lost it's way a bit in the middle seasons, but pulled back. Killed off at the right time (IMO).

Whilst I'm not a regular television viewer, I do like House, the whole hunting for zebras in a herd of horses does get a bit staid as well as the misogynistic wounded healer thing but its still enjoyable........its most often lupus by the way!

Flanging_Fred

There appears to be a mistake in that list. I can't find 'Dapper Laughs: on the pull" anywhere??

mike_l

maidenfan said:

Whilst I'm not a regular television viewer, I do like House, the whole hunting for zebras in a herd of horses does get a bit staid as well as the misogynistic wounded healer thing but its still enjoyable........its most often lupus by the way!

Yes, after Gillion Barre (Not sure of the spelling).

But the forula worked really well, but it was killed off at the right time.

chillidoggy

I watched an episode of 'House' once. But try as I might, I just couldn't get my head around Hugh Laurie's fake American accent, so I gave up on it.

Philly_Q

chillidoggy said:

I watched an episode of 'House' once. But try as I might, I just couldn't get my head around Hugh Laurie's fake American accent, so I gave up on it.

Agreed.

I honestly can't tell if it's a bad American accent or not, it's just impossible for me to get over the knowledge of what he really sounds like.  Or at least what he sounded like as Bertie Wooster.  What ho!

I can't quite believe in him as a blues singer, either.

chillidoggy

I reckon he should have just played himself, in his own accent, and he'd have been fine, better, in fact. And yes, I struggle with his blues thing, but there's no denying his commitment to the cause.

ICBM

chillidoggy said:

I reckon he should have just played himself, in his own accent, and he'd have been fine, better, in fact. And yes, I struggle with his blues thing, but there's no denying his commitment to the cause.

I love his blues piano playing and I think he's genuinely good at that, but can't stand him on guitar or singing with that horrible fake accent and I think he isn't.

fretmeister

Philly_Q said:

chillidoggy said:

I watched an episode of 'House' once. But try as I might, I just couldn't get my head around Hugh Laurie's fake American accent, so I gave up on it.

Agreed.

I honestly can't tell if it's a bad American accent or not, it's just impossible for me to get over the knowledge of what he really sounds like.  Or at least what he sounded like as Bertie Wooster.  What ho!

I can't quite believe in him as a blues singer, either.

He got the House job because the director wanted an American and saw his audition video.

He was amazed to discover he was a Brit.

I went to see his blues band. Best gig I ever saw by anyone. Including Prince.

Handsome_Chris

@Paul_C, does this mean that you've watched Battlestar Galactica?

Danny1969

I've seen just about everything on that list, some of it is not so great but some of it is truly brilliant drama. 

The Soprano's and The Wire are probably the best TV I've ever seen in terms of writing. 

Also not not on the list but highly recommended are Engrenages (Spiral ), The Leftovers, The Returned, The Killing (Danish version) Gomorra (Italian crime drama) The Affair, Big Love and The Fall

Paul_C

Handsome_Chris said:

@Paul_C, does this mean that you've watched Battlestar Galactica?

some of it, yes - though the episodes where it all got a bit political didn't thrill me, such that I stopped borrowing box sets from @fretmeister ;