TV Series you want to discuss, it's here

It's not an oldie as you guys have been discussing, but I just finished the first season of Revenge. While the acting isn't award worth and the young male lead reminds me of a more grown up version of Darren Criss, I love the plot twists and the overall feel of the show. Can't wait for season 2. It's definitely going to be a new weekly addition to my tv schedule come Fall.

I've only just watched the first season of Smash, so I can't comment on it much.

But from the looks of the ratings of the first season of this adult musical-drama series, it's faring even worse than Glee; despite the supposed better acting and more mature writing

The response of critics to this show is also unflattering for the episodes after the Pilot:

However, the critical reception for subsequent episodes was less enthusiastic. Chris Harnick of The Huffington Post wrote, "How has the rest of Season 1 been so far? Not so phenomenal. That's not to say it has been downright terrible -- there have been some highly entertaining moments -- but it certainly hasn't been goosebumps-inducing, like the final moments of Episode 1, set to "Let Me Be Your Star." Kevin Fallon summed up the response in The Atlantic, writing that "there's been an almost visceral reaction to how rapidly and sharply the show's quality has dipped, and just how much promise Smash has thwarted...In other words: It's bad." Fallon cites other critics in demonstrating the general acceptance of this opinion.

From the looks of things, the pilot was the best episode of the season; so I'm definitely not missing much by dropping this show.

This may go to show that it's really quite difficult to make a successful TV series using a musical format.

emilynna wrote:I wonder if anybody here watch korean drama
There a good drama called "deep rooted tree" and if somebody can suggest other korean drama similar to this

I've seen only three korean dramas : Stairway to Heaven My Princess and recently Rooftop Prince. Personally I'm more into j-dramas.

Delight wrote:I've only just watched the first season of Smash, so I can't comment on it much.

But from the looks of the ratings of the first season of this adult musical-drama series, it's faring even worse than Glee; despite the supposed better acting and more mature writing

The response of critics to this show is also unflattering for the episodes after the Pilot:

However, the critical reception for subsequent episodes was less enthusiastic. Chris Harnick of The Huffington Post wrote, "How has the rest of Season 1 been so far? Not so phenomenal. That's not to say it has been downright terrible -- there have been some highly entertaining moments -- but it certainly hasn't been goosebumps-inducing, like the final moments of Episode 1, set to "Let Me Be Your Star." Kevin Fallon summed up the response in The Atlantic, writing that "there's been an almost visceral reaction to how rapidly and sharply the show's quality has dipped, and just how much promise Smash has thwarted...In other words: It's bad." Fallon cites other critics in demonstrating the general acceptance of this opinion.

From the looks of things, the pilot was the best episode of the season; so I'm definitely not missing much by dropping this show.

This may go to show that it's really quite difficult to make a successful TV series using a musical format.

My hubby watched all of Smash and he (again) recommended me to watch it. So I sat down and watched 2 episodes total. One of which is hte finale. another a few episodes back. All I can say is that after the first viewing I decided to never watch it again. It's just boring as hell and like glee it has so much relationship drama of triangles and other geometirc shapes that I can't even count. None of hte characters are relatable or likeable for me. There's just nothing there worth watching except he music numbers. I like lavishly staged music numbers, not when people are standing there just to sing. for the later I'd rather listen to audio alone so I can at least do something else like playing Angry Birds at the same time.

I remember the last time you told us that Downton Abbey was great I ended up watching it and loving it. So I am looking forward to see if you can recommend another good series.

Granted Downton Abbey gets a bit "iffy" too later in teh second season, especially when the Master himself had an affair w/ the maid. I didn't see that coming. I guess there needed to be some more emotional "preparation" of the characters for him to do a thing like that. Oh, and I found that crippled buttler guy and his girlfriend/wife maid slightly annoying. He was very sympathetic in the beginning, but later on I just can't stand his face anymore. And really don't like that nasty gay guy. The old matron played by Maggie Smith is the best. everybody else I can find something to rant about. But then, that's how I watch most of hte shows, and I still love the series and will watch the third season as soon as it comes out.

fantastica wrote:
My hubby watched all of Smash and he (again) recommended me to watch it. So I sat down and watched 2 episodes total. One of which is hte finale. another a few episodes back. All I can say is that after the first viewing I decided to never watch it again. It's just boring as hell and like glee it has so much relationship drama of triangles and other geometirc shapes that I can't even count. None of hte characters are relatable or likeable for me. There's just nothing there worth watching except he music numbers. I like lavishly staged music numbers, not when people are standing there just to sing. for the later I'd rather listen to audio alone so I can at least do something else like playing Angry Birds at the same time.

From your description, it appears that Smash suffered from the same problems as Glee then

I find that when the show deviates from what made it special in the first place, and begins to lean more heavily towards relationship drama instead, it suffers as a result. You've made a good point about the butler guy in Downton Abbey. I liked him a lot better in the first season. In the second season, it's just about him trying to marry his girlfriend/maid and getting thwarted time and again by his manipulative and evil ex-wife. The story of those two characters was a lot more interesting when they were at the UST stage.

And yes, the character played by Maggie Smith is one of the few characters who still remained very like-able on the series. Maggie Smith is a remarkable actress, to give such 'heart' to a character who's supposedly uppity and prejudiced

fantastica wrote:
I remember the last time you told us that Downton Abbey was great I ended up watching it and loving it. So I am looking forward to see if you can recommend another good series.

The TV series that I like are quite limited. I'm extremely picky like that (This is also the reason why I've resisted watching Glee for a long time; and now, because of CC, I'm doomed to continue watching this frustrating show).

Only other recent TV series I would recommend is the British 'Sherlock' series



There are only two 3-episode seasons so far. I would recommend that you watch episodes 1 and 3 of each season (the middle episodes of both seasons had suffered from lower quality writing, even if the acting had remained brilliant).

In my opinion, this series is successful because Steven Moffat wrote the first episodes, and both the male leads are acted by very strong actors.

Do give it a try if you have time

I think we have similar taste @Delight, and I trust your judgment. I am going to watch this Sherlock thingie. the only thing is that I do not like this poor guy's face. I mean, nothign against him because I don't know him at all, and I assume he must be a very good actor consider he's got this face. uhem... all I can say is, I will watch it. but I didn't watch it before because of his face. it's so weird. I do not like this poor guy's face!

and here's a Saturday Night Live spoof of Downton Abey. Can't embed it here but if you click the link you will see the video box:

http://www.styleite.com/media/downton-abbey-spike-tv-saturday-night-live/

It's quite funny.

Any Breaking Bad fans?

fantastica wrote:the only thing is that I do not like this poor guy's face. I mean, nothign against him because I don't know him at all, and I assume he must be a very good actor consider he's got this face. uhem... all I can say is, I will watch it. but I didn't watch it before because of his face. it's so weird. I do not like this poor guy's face!

Benedict Cumberbatch is not a conventionally handsome guy by any means, but he's so great at playing the modern day Sherlock Holmes that he becomes appealing to the audience through sheer personality and charisma alone (well, he did to me anyway)

fantastica wrote:
and here's a Saturday Night Live spoof of Downton Abey. Can't embed it here but if you click the link you will see the video box:

http://www.styleite.com/media/downton-abbey-spike-tv-saturday-night-live/

It's quite funny.

The video is amusing, except for the jibes at Maggie Smith.

zuppid wrote:Any Breaking Bad fans?

Got the series on my hard drive. Haven't gotten to watching it yet. Is it good?

Delight wrote:
Got the series on my hard drive. Haven't gotten to watching it yet. Is it good?

More than "good".It's AMAZING!
It's that kind of tv-serie in which every single scene has its importance in the story.I love the photography is mind blowing

Anyone ever watch The Vampire Diaries? I started watching it about a month ago and I love it.

Sherlock is brilliant. Nuff Said. The American version will fail epically, and I'm sorry for both Lucy Lu and Jonny Lee Miller.
I have both Breaking Bad and Vampire Diaries but haven't watched them yet. I did start VD when the first season premiered but I wasn't overly impressed and stopped 5 episodes in. Some people told me it got much better since then, so I will give it a chance some time.

I'm currently downloading The X Files - I'm on season 8 now (that is one big ass show) and have started to re-watching it. I'm at the beginning of season 2 and it's still as good as I remember it, although my favorite season is 6 - it's so lighthearted and genuinely really funny.

I think the only reason why I haven't watched Vampire Diaries yet is because I hate love triangles, and it reminds me of a Twilight... but I will probably give it a try someday.

Anyone seen Teen Wolf or Game of Thrones?

Game of Thrones

If you like epic fantasy fiction and aren't allergic to gore and important characters biting the dust - you are gonna love it like I did. It's high production value show. Also, the show does multiple POV's like nobodies business, but it can be a bit tiring and hard to fallow if you don't pay attention. You will be Peter Dinklage bitch in no time - he is just out of this world good in this show. Most deserved Emmy and Golden Globe wins in a long time (not counting Chris of course).

Haven't watched Teen Wolf, but looking at the love they get from AfterElton - it's fun to watch and has a lot of buff looking semi naked guys in it.

Teen Wolf

I started watching the first season from the fourth episode then went back and fell in love with the show. Personally, I thought the second season was way better. My favorite characters are Scott and Stiles.

I thought Vampire Diaries was boring at first because it reminded me of Twilight but from the fourth episode on I can't stop watching.

@Delight, thank you for the recommendation. I am watching Sherlock right now. It's hard to understnd everything easily w/o subtitles but still, it's very enjoyable so far. As far as the main actor is concerned, I think his long neck doesn't blend well w/ his puffy hair but otherwise he's got a very handsome side profile. And i like this dr. wattson a lot. I didn't like him int eh begining, but grew to like him. He made Sherlock's annoyance more tolerable.

This series reminds me of an earlier Japanese detective series. I need to look it up to find the English name for it, for I only know the Chinese name. The main detective is a very much like this Sherlock Homes, even in appearance (the hair...) although the side kick is a nerdy but beautiful female detective/cop. There was a movie derived from this series, and it was huge tear jerker. I need to look it up. It's a great series.

fantastica wrote:@Delight, thank you for the recommendation. I am watching Sherlock right now. It's hard to understnd everything easily w/o subtitles but still, it's very enjoyable so far. As far as the main actor is concerned, I think his long neck doesn't blend well w/ his puffy hair but otherwise he's got a very handsome side profile. And i like this dr. wattson a lot. I didn't like him int eh begining, but grew to like him. He made Sherlock's annoyance more tolerable.

Yeah, Sherlock talks a mile a minute when he tries to show off to other people how clever he is, so it can be difficult to catch everything he says if English is not your first language

Just like the books, Watson is vital in 'humanizing' Sherlock Holmes. Martin Freeman is the actor who plays Watson, and he's good enough not to be overshadowed by Benedict Cumberbatch in the TV series, and that's saying something.

fantastica wrote:This series reminds me of an earlier Japanese detective series. I need to look it up to find the English name for it, for I only know the Chinese name. The main detective is a very much like this Sherlock Homes, even in appearance (the hair...) although the side kick is a nerdy but beautiful female detective/cop. There was a movie derived from this series, and it was huge tear jerker. I need to look it up. It's a great series.

Hmm... Could the Japanese TV series you're thinking about be 'Galileo'? However, the protagonist of this TV series is a genius physicist/scientist instead of a detective, so I'm probably wrong in my guess.

tanita_mors wrote:
Haven't watched Teen Wolf, but looking at the love they get from AfterElton - it's fun to watch and has a lot of buff looking semi naked guys in it.

Always a good reason to start watching a new TV show.

Kurtsie4ever wrote: Teen Wolf
I started watching the first season from the fourth episode then went back and fell in love with the show. Personally, I thought the second season was way better. My favorite characters are Scott and Stiles.

I agree. The season 2 is so much better... I do also like season 1, I actually just started re-watching it, but I gotta say some of the acting is quite bad...
I like Derek and Lydia, but Stiles is my absolute favorite. I just love him.

Sani wrote:

Kurtsie4ever wrote: Teen Wolf
I started watching the first season from the fourth episode then went back and fell in love with the show. Personally, I thought the second season was way better. My favorite characters are Scott and Stiles.

I agree. The season 2 is so much better... I do also like season 1, I actually just started re-watching it, but I gotta say some of the acting is quite bad...
I like Derek and Lydia, but Stiles is my absolute favorite. I just love him.

Haha. Yeah, Stiles is so funny.

tanita_mors wrote:Game of Thrones

If you like epic fantasy fiction and aren't allergic to gore and important characters biting the dust - you are gonna love it like I did. It's high production value show. Also, the show does multiple POV's like nobodies business, but it can be a bit tiring and hard to fallow if you don't pay attention. You will be Peter Dinklage bitch in no time - he is just out of this world good in this show. Most deserved Emmy and Golden Globe wins in a long time (not counting Chris of course).

Preach! I love the show to death! I might rewatch it some time before S3 airs. Ugh, I hate the wait. Especially after the cliffhanger in S2 finale.

Sani wrote:
I agree. The season 2 is so much better... I do also like season 1, I actually just started re-watching it, but I gotta say some of the acting is quite bad...
I like Derek and Lydia, but Stiles is my absolute favorite. I just love him.

Another Stiles fan here. He's such an adorable sidekick, isn't he? However, I don't get why he's so underappreciated in the show, he's amazing even without the "werewolves skills". And I really want him to get over Lydia, my heart broke a little when I saw him pining over a girl that barely notice him. Derek and Lydia are my favorites, too. They're a lot more interesting than the Scott. Besides, am I the only one who is tired of the romance between Scott and Allison? Sometimes, I feel that Scott is just way too obsessed with Allison and neglect the other good things in his life (*cough* Stiles *cough* ).

I just finished ep 6 of S2 and I agree that S2 is much better and more entertaining than S1 (probably because of the Kanima ), let's hope that S3 will be even better. The acting is not great (the cast is quite young, afterall) but overall it's satisfactory and doesn't ruin the show for me

Here's an article titled "The 18 Best Things About Teen Wolf Season 2" : Teen Wolf

You know, before watching the show, I've searched around the internet about it and the most interesting I found is...Stiles/Derek, aka Sterek. From what I've read, it's one of the most popular ships of the show. I know both Stiles and Derek are both single and might make a cute couple but I don't get the craze of Sterek. I can't see any romantic sparks between the 2 characters in the show so far, not to mention that they both are/were attracted to girls (Lydia and Kate). I really want Stiles to be appreciated by someone but the ship just baffles me.

Another Stiles gif:

Sigh, he's just so cute

Delight wrote:

fantastica wrote:This series reminds me of an earlier Japanese detective series. I need to look it up to find the English name for it, for I only know the Chinese name. The main detective is a very much like this Sherlock Homes, even in appearance (the hair...) although the side kick is a nerdy but beautiful female detective/cop. There was a movie derived from this series, and it was huge tear jerker. I need to look it up. It's a great series.

Hmm... Could the Japanese TV series you're thinking about be 'Galileo'? However, the protagonist of this TV series is a genius physicist/scientist instead of a detective, so I'm probably wrong in my guess.

you are right! I forgot that name (how could I!). yes there are differences but there are plenty of similarities to remind me of that show. Love that show btw.

BlueJazz wrote:

You know, before watching the show, I've searched around the internet about it and the most interesting I found is...Stiles/Derek, aka Sterek. From what I've read, it's one of the most popular ships of the show. I know both Stiles and Derek are both single and might make a cute couple but I don't get the craze of Sterek. I can't see any romantic sparks between the 2 characters in the show so far, not to mention that they both are/were attracted to girls (Lydia and Kate). I really want Stiles to be appreciated by someone but the ship just baffles me.

Another Stiles gif:

Sigh, he's just so cute

Agreed. I've seen some people on Glee Forum ship Sterek and I don't get it either. Personally, I think Scott and Allison are pretty cute together.

Love that gif!

BlueJazz wrote:Preach! I love the show to death! I might rewatch it some time before S3 airs. Ugh, I hate the wait. Especially after the cliffhanger in S2 finale.

I loved the season 2 finale, and seriously can't wait for what happens. I've been thinking about reading the books to find out what happens next...

Besides, am I the only one who is tired of the romance between Scott and Allison?

I can't stand them together either, but that maybe because I'm not huge fan of Allison's to begin with... although I did start liking her bit at the end of the season 2.

You know, before watching the show, I've searched around the internet about it and the most interesting I found is...Stiles/Derek, aka Sterek. From what I've read, it's one of the most popular ships of the show. I know both Stiles and Derek are both single and might make a cute couple but I don't get the craze of Sterek. I can't see any romantic sparks between the 2 characters in the show so far, not to mention that they both are/were attracted to girls (Lydia and Kate). I really want Stiles to be appreciated by someone but the ship just baffles me.

Oops, I kinda ship Sterek but that doesn't mean I want them to be couple next season, the less couples the better, imo. I'm not exactly sure why the ship got so popular, but I do think one of the reasons is because Dylan and Tyler have great chemistry together, and they also kinda play in to that If you have seen some of their interviews together...

fantastica wrote:

Delight wrote:

fantastica wrote:This series reminds me of an earlier Japanese detective series. I need to look it up to find the English name for it, for I only know the Chinese name. The main detective is a very much like this Sherlock Homes, even in appearance (the hair...) although the side kick is a nerdy but beautiful female detective/cop. There was a movie derived from this series, and it was huge tear jerker. I need to look it up. It's a great series.

Hmm... Could the Japanese TV series you're thinking about be 'Galileo'? However, the protagonist of this TV series is a genius physicist/scientist instead of a detective, so I'm probably wrong in my guess.

you are right! I forgot that name (how could I!). yes there are differences but there are plenty of similarities to remind me of that show. Love that show btw.

"Galileo" is one of my favorite Jap series I love the genius physicist. I've watched the movie but I prefer the series to it.

Kurtsie4ever wrote:

Agreed. I've seen some people on Glee Forum ship Sterek and I don't get it either. Personally, I think Scott and Allison are pretty cute together.

Scott/Allison is cute in S1 but I got tired of them in S2. Plus, Scott forgave Allison way too easily in the S2 finale. My reaction was "WTF? Seriously? After what she did?" when he said "It's ok" to Allison. I hope he stops acting like a lovesick puppy in S3.

Sani wrote:
I loved the season 2 finale, and seriously can't wait for what happens. I've been thinking about reading the books to find out what happens next...

I'm tempted to read the books, too, because I heard they're good. However, I'd like to remain unspoiled before watching S3.

Sani wrote:
I can't stand them together either, but that maybe because I'm not huge fan of Allison's to begin with... although I did start liking her bit at the end of the season 2.

I was more indifferent to Allison until the last few eps of S2 where she went bat-crap crazy The bad-ass look suits her so well Too bad she turned back into old!Allison at the ending of finale. She's probably gonna redeem herself in S3. Sigh...

Sani wrote:
Oops, I kinda ship Sterek but that doesn't mean I want them to be couple next season, the less couples the better, imo.

If shipping means that you find their interactions and dynamic enjoyable and interesting, then I platonically ship Sterek, too I really like their weird and awkward friendship on the show The scene where they're both paralyzed in 2.10 is one of my favorites. (I laughed when Matt said "I think you 2 make a pretty good pair" He's like the voice of Sterek shippers) I suspect that was a fan-service for Sterek shippers, though However, I don't get why so many people want to see them as a couple because I fail to see anything romantic between them, in fact, they're not even close friends now.

I don't mind if Sterek becomes canon, because I ship both Stiles and Derek with happiness and I'd like them to find someone who can make them happy. But, I really hope the show gives them some proper development (maybe Stiles can come out as a bisexual first) instead of making them fall in love with each other out of nowhere just to please the fans.

Sani wrote:
I'm not exactly sure why the ship got so popular, but I do think one of the reasons is because Dylan and Tyler have great chemistry together, and they also kinda play in to that If you have seen some of their interviews together...

Yeah, I've seen those gifs on tumblr. They even held hands at comic-con, right? Well, I gotta say they're pretty good at trolling and teasing the fans I think the other factor that made the ship so popular is : fanfiction. I've read a few well-written ones and I understand they can be quite um...persuasive

BTW, I saw that MTV held a TW fanfic contest. Here's the poster:



I sincerely hope they won't go overboard on fans-pandering. I really don't want TW to end up like...Glee.

Besides, I really hope Scott and Stiles will join Derek's pack in S3, mostly because I want Stiles to have more scenes with other werewolves like Derek and Erica Besides, an Alpha pack is coming to town, so they better have each other's back when something bad happens. BTW, what does an alpha pack mean? How can a group of leaders (aka Alphas) form a pack? Or maybe they're just coming to meet the new Alpha, Derek?

Lastly, have a funny Derek gif:


Sigh, those abs...

BlueJazz wrote:I'm tempted to read the books, too, because I heard they're good. However, I'd like to remain unspoiled before watching S3.

I have the same problem too, and I've also heard that they've changed some storylines for the series... and some were disappointed by the changes. So that doesn't make me want to read the books yet.

If shipping means that you find their interactions and dynamic enjoyable and interesting, then I platonically ship Sterek, too I really like their weird and awkward friendship on the show The scene where they're both paralyzed in 2.10 is one of my favorites. (I laughed when Matt said "I think you 2 make a pretty good pair" He's like the voice of Sterek shippers) I suspect that was a fan-service for Sterek shippers, though However, I don't get why so many people want to see them as a couple because I fail to see anything romantic between them, in fact, they're not even close friends now.

Yep, I agree, but I do think they would make a interesting couple, but I don't think making them couple would be very believable... but I guess it would come down to the writers, and how they'd handle it.

I sincerely hope they won't go overboard on fans-pandering. I really don't want TW to end up like...Glee.

This!!! please no fan pandering.

Besides, I really hope Scott and Stiles will join Derek's pack in S3, mostly because I want Stiles to have more scenes with other werewolves like Derek and Erica Besides, an Alpha pack is coming to town, so they better have each other's back when something bad happens. BTW, what does an alpha pack mean? How can a group of leaders (aka Alphas) form a pack? Or maybe they're just coming to meet the new Alpha, Derek?

I'm looking forward of the Alpha pack coming to town, I'm expecting there to be lot of conflict, and I'm interested to find out who the new characters are. I think season 3 is going to be awesome... well I hope so.

I kinda would want to see Stiles as a werewolf, I think it would be pretty interesting... but I'd also like if he stayed as a human.

Lastly, have a funny Derek gif:


Sigh, those abs...

Yes, the abs. Lol, that gif, tumblr is pretty entertaining.

Has anyone here watched The New Normal yet? I love it! My fave characters are Bryan and David.