XIPHOS TOP 10 TV SHOWS AND MINISERIES OF THE DECADE
It’s December, the end of the year is near, the decade is drawing to a close and what an interesting decade it’s been. Lots of travel and lots of hospitals. I got to thinking about TV today and decided to do a “best of decade” list. It is, after all, the reflective time of year. Like the Counting Crows Adam Duritz warbles, it’s A Long December and there’s a reason to believe this year will be better then the last. Personally I’m throwing the decade in there also.
This list is entirely subjective like all lists are and the shows I picked were the ones that stuck with me for a wide variety of reasons. All the shows, except for one, were/are made in the United States for an American audience. Is this list a case of cultural imperialism? Probably but I don’t care. I don’t watch other countries TV except for Telemundo and that is actually American but more important the women on it are muy caliente! I wouldn’t know Torchwood from Ron Wood or Eastenders from any direction on a compass or Neighbors from Friends. I’ve seen exactly one episode of Dr.Who. I tender no apologies for this.
One other thing, I really didn’t start watching TV a lot until about 2004 or so. That’s when I realized that TV shows on DVD give you a whole lot of hours of entertainment and if you need to fill up a lot of hours in cold places. TV shows on DVD gets the job done.
One final note, I’m doing this list in an inverse order 10 to 1. Why? Why not I say! Let’s kick the tires and light the fires boys and girls.
10. Mad Men (2007): I find this show soothing and I get lost in it week in and week out. It helps that the acting and writing are superb and the adherence to period detail is impeccable. Mad Men is a truly rare show on TV, a thinking man’s drama.
9. Deadwood (2004): I didn’t like this show at first. I watched a couple of episodes and said screw this. Then a couple of years later I watched the first two seasons on DVD and that’s when Deadwood parted my hair and I was hooked. How many other shows out there have a tour de force performance by the anti-hero’s anti-antihero? How many shows have the lead character deliver Shakespearean like soliloquies to a dead Indians skull while getting a knob job? None, that’s the answer.
8. Penn & Teller’s Bullshit! (2003): Thank the Buddha for this show. With all the asshole paranormal shit that oozes across TV screens, this show is an island of sanity in crazy waters. Plus, its funny as hell, has nudity and the occasional midget.
7. Mythbusters (2003): Everything I said above goes for this show except remove the nudity and midgets and replace those with explosions and teaching people valuable critical thinking skills woefully lacking in the world today.Actually, now that I think about it, Mythbusters has featured midgets in a couple of episodes.
6. Supernatural (2005): SN is one of the best structured shows I’ve ever had the pleasure of watching. It smartly and consistently builds on its own mythology and the leads are engaging and surprisingly strong actors. SN is a great show to watch and fuck anybody who says it’s just for teenage girls because of the actors. Those kind of shitbags are liars who have never watched a single episode, right Goatfucker? (On the off chance the Iberian disgrace finds his way over here I hope he chokes on it)
5. ROME (2005): or as I think of it On the Road of the Roman Empire with Lucious Vorenus and Titus Pullo. Rome freaking rock it and rocked it very hard. Everybody in this show did awesome work in my opinion. I can endlessly rewatch ROME. “THIRTEEEEN!”
4. FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS (2006): I unabashedly and unapologetically love this show. It’s probably the single best TV show I’ve ever seen showcasing a marriage and two people in love. All the acting, across the board, is top notch. As an added bonus the music and cinematography are great and the writing is phenomenal. For the sport adverse in the world, FNL isn’t really about football. It’s about people and their lives. Football is the way the window opens on those lives. “CLEAR EYES, FULL HEARTS, CAN’T LOSE!”
3. The Shield (2003): Vic Mackey was probably the most complicated character you ever sort of rooted for. Even at his worst, and his worst was staggeringly bad, you kind of wanted Vic and the rest of the strike team to make it. For basic cable this show was hard and brutal. The Shield was the series that kick started the renaissance of basic cable programming.
2. Veronica Mars (2004): Sure on the surface this show sounds dumb, teenage girl solves crimes, but nothing about this show is surface. Its one deep as hell, dark noir trip through high school brightly filmed. This show covered it all. Murder, rape, class/race relations, drug use, alcoholism, the whole gambit of the human experience as seen through the eyes of a prematurely jaded young lady. Pretty fidget Kristen Bell was fantastic as Veronica Mars. She was a revelation in the part. Too bad nothing else she’s done to date has reached the heights of her work on the show. The first two seasons of VM were probably the best structured show on TV and it put to shame any other show that had season long arcs. VM was one of the only shows that could pull off a season long arc and pull it off well.
1. Band of Brothers (2001): BoB is a harrowing trip through the European Theater of Operations in World War Two. This show places a human face on this great nations Fighting Men that is all to often absent in most “war” movie. Band of Brothers is an amazing piece of art and I’m a person that doesn’t think movies and TV are art. BoB didn’t play fast and loose with reality and they honored the warriors and real men of Easy Company, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment of the 101st Airborne Division with this mini-series.
This movie took some of the stink off of The Chins and The Beard for that cracked anal fissure of a movie Saving Private Ryan. Now listen up Hairy and Fatty, if you fuck the dog on The Pacific mini-series all hell is a coming and I’m leading the charge. Are we clear on that?
HONORABLE MENTION
These aren’t in any order but they are shows I thought were good and just missed out on the Top 10 for different reasons:
Firefly, 24, House, Carnivale, Rescue Me (minus the last two season), The Wire, the Horatio Hornblower series, Numb3rs (minus the last two years), OZ, Lost, BSG. The last two need a bit of explanation because they share similar problems. The last season of BSG and especially the series finale blew goats like Asshole Life on a Saturday night binge in Oporto. The same goes for the 2009 season of Lost. Outside of the first hour of season 5’s finale and a few episodes with Sawyer and his time traveling band of misfits, this past season stunk like a corpse under a tropic sun.
That’s it that’s my list now go ahead and tell me how wrong I am and why didn’t I include __________ as one of the top 10 shows of the decade.
Mahalo,
Xiphos
Barfy
kloipy
Echo the Bunnyman
Judge Droid
Jarv
ThereWolf
Xiphos0311
Werewolves On The Moon 
Good list.
I like Mythbusters. The 2 dudes in it are genuinely enthusiastic about what they do.
Only glaring omission that I can think of is The Wire.
Oh wait, shit. It’s in the HM bit.
D’oh
You owe me a new keyboard.
Check’s in the mail. No really…
The only one of those I’ve seen is BoB. Need to see The Shield, FNL, and VM. Then check out Rome, Mad Men and Deadwood.
Droid you have several dozens of hours of fine entertainment ahead of you.
Breaking Bad. Shield. Rome. Deadwood. Mad Men.
In that order-mach scnell!
Have to say, BoB would probably be at least Top 3. Fucking brilliant.
You left out Dirty Jobs. The shame, the shame…
I’ve never seen dirty Jobs. I need to check it out. On the list it goes!
Dirty Jobs is beastly-no. I *hate* that show.
Deadliest Catch-Yes. That one is pretty dang legitimate.
Ice Road Truckers-No. That big jerk can’t make driving a Truck over a frozen lake interesting.
Human Wrecking Balls-Yes. Craig and Paul Pumphrey.
Veronica Mars–didnt see that coming–but I agree. Good show. In fact, only one of those Im not a fan of is Penn and Teller’s BS. The aim of the show and the content is good but, I just can’t stand Penn Gellete for some reason. Between your list and the honorable mentions you touched on everything I’ve even bothered to watch on television minus The Office and Alias(it was good for awhile).
I love the first two seasons of VM and even the last quarter of season 3. To bad The CW decided to screw with it after the UPN went away. Man was that a great show
yeah Jonah I get that about Gillete he’s the polarizing type, either hate him or love him. I’m in the later category but I can understand the former.
Yeah I love gillete as well. He wrote a book called Sock. Its about a police diver, and like every paragraph ends with some sort of reference. Its really good, one of my favorite books.
I find him to be a bore and grating to be honest.
Oh and I do like Numbers-it’s another cop gimmick show, but it’s pretty okay.
Xiphos is Mammaries’ biggest fan.
The first 4 seasons of Numb3rs is fine entertainment and the handle the Math well and in an entertaining manner. Who knew that Dr. Joel from Northern Exposure could be a credible bad ass? Plus they’re using LDP more lately and more LDP is a good thing.
A big Northern Exposure fan. Good stuff.
Hmmm…only seen Band of Brothers (which is by far the best thing ever on fucking tv, which I sure don’t watch) and Mythbusters, which my nephew just loves. I just ordered season two on DVD for him, got him season four last year.
If only Journeyman made it Pillow it would have made the list.
Fuck NBC up it’s virus filled ass for that one.
AGREED!
Also, really well written list, Xi, in addition to the content. Fine work!
Thank you Jonah.
Nice goin’, Xi.
As you know, I’m not a telly watcher. I’m still only halfway through the Supernatural Season 1 DVD box set. How long have I had that bugger?
Best get cracking Wolf with Supernatural, some fine stories are waiting for you.
I’ve only really seen your bottom three, and only the first season of Deadwood at that. But I’d still probably put Deadwood on my list anyway.
One huge admission though is Breaking Bad. Mad Men WISHES that it is half as good as Breaking Bad. This is the first year where Mad Men has actually been interesting but I’ve been so bored with the other years I can’t bring myself to finish it.
Also I was thinking of doing a list like this, and I kept thinking about putting Dexter in there. But I’ve only seen the first season, my wife the other night stayed up till 4 in the AM to finish the first series. She loved it, i did. But she said something that probably explained why I haven’t really tired to watch any of the other seasons (i saw season 1 when it was on the air and nothing else since), season 1 kind of wraps up very nicely. Like a really good mini series. There was nothing saying go back to these characters. But we are going to start watching season 2 next week, see if its any good.
Really want to see Rome as well, only heard nothing but good from that show. Is there an episode shown from the point of view of a penis?
Oh yeah, no Lawman?
Yo K-you gonna post the lawman thing at AIBN-or here? It was comedy gold-maybe we should team up?
I gotta watch most of it again, and the second episode. I fell asleep during it, not because I was bored, it was just late.
Understood-some of of us have responsibilities-not me, but i understand that some people have responsibilities.
Well I mean I have to be at work by 8:15, but that doesn’t stop me from staying up till 4 in the AM. Just last night I took a muscle relaxer because my back was all wack, and i couldn’t stay awake. Plus I had already watched The Merry Gentlemen, which I was amazed I stayed awake through. Well I had to watch the ending 3 times before I made it. But still.
alright-lets attempt this.
I’m gonna make a new g-mail account and we can collaborate. you make one as well. I’ll post here, you can ping me.
be right back.
ok here we go:
my new gmail is:
doctorobelisk23@gmail.com
I have the dvr queqed up-ping me, and we will make this happen.
Good times.
-LB
Lord, I can get your other e-mail? You want me to use that? Or use this and deleate this post?
Oh here we go-prepare to hit 500 talkbacks. This is the list I was half-assedly working on for AIBN-because most of the best drama of the last decade sadly enough has had to be on cable television.
Good Job!
for at least the last the decade cable and basic TV has put out more entertainment and better drama then the movies.
Xi’s Utter misses-the barn’s over there! Great list, and I do not disagree with any of the choices.
Sopranos-already mentioned. Most all of the premium cable series owe their business models/success to this original ground-breaking series.
True Blood-adult version of Twilight-yes, it’s dopey porn, but it’s also, like the books, intensely Southern American (domestic) in it’s forward portrayal of Louisiana. First season was forgettable/skippable, but second season rapidly ratcheted up into bug/fuck crazy and addictive very very quickly. Should point out that it dramatically deviates from the books in crazy ways up to and including a parallel universe narrative that literally leaves the book fan not knowing what is going to happen.
Showtime series, none of which I have ever watched-Dexter and Weeds. HBO fumbled the ball, but apparently Showtime was ready to pounce.
Breaking Bad. number one in my opinion-because it is just plain plausible but insane at the same time. High school teacher starts brewing meth because he has cancer and he wants to preserve his family at any cost.
Hung-could be called a ripoff of Breaking Bad, sopranos-the entire genre of respectable middle-classers doing whatever it takes to survive in an economic downturn. redeemed by having one out-loud line laugh per episode, like clockwork. Thomas Jane performs admirably as a loser who used to be a winner. Anne Heche literally plays the Devil herself-god what a bitch.
Generation Kill-BOB modern day in Iraq-I’ve yelled at Xi to check it out-he seems like a pretty sharp guy.
I’m missing one or two, but what the heck.
Also rans-coulda been goods: Heroes, Lost, the 4400, Babylon 5 (season 4 was the best sci-fi ever) Nip/Tuck (god what a beastly show-it’s like licking a nine volt battery-but you keep doing it)
That’s enough for now.
Cannot bear True Blood.
Honestly, I think it’s the worst thing on Telly and I include The X-Factor in that.
True blood in my opinion was an opportunity missed. A few of Ball’s additions worked well but over all I thought they needed to stick closer to the books.
Oh and Generation Kill don’t need to see it.
you *do* need to see it. You will appreciate it. Brad “Iceman” Colbert-the dude out of true blood-this was the role that made him a star.
nobody could act so much staring through a sniper rifle as that dude.
And “i live it is no excuse, sir”-shouldn’t be a problem to merely you watching it kickin back drinking a few brews.
The name is deceiving-makes it sound like an anti marine polemic or something. It really isn’t pro or anti war-I’ve been told it’s quite good by dudes that were over there.
It is Band Of Brothers with Recon Marines in Desert Storm.
No I have just about zero desire to watch this. If I want to watch something about Iraq I can just close my eyes and watch my own movies.
alright Xi-Now I’m gonna rant.
Why, because you do not trust my judgement in things marine exactly because I have not and am not a Marine-or guys in your unit say it sucks or something.
So with respect, I’m gonna bitch and moan about Jarhead-and try and point out the why GK is better than JH.
Jarhead is a 2005 movie based upon a 2003 memoir written by Anthony Swafford-an ex-Desert Storm Infantry Marine.
The movie features many interesting casting choices and many interesting scenes that would resonate with a casual viewer, if only for shallow shock value. I would go so far as to compare it to “Three Kings”, another movie which seems to have written the book on how infantry troops comport themselves in the theater of war-particularly Iraq.
As a casual viewer, said viewer might think that these movies are the defacto definition of the entire military’s experience and contribution to current and ongoing wars in the Middle East.
3 kings is an engaging but ultimately naive fantasy much like Peter Jackson’s Return Of the King. I could say more, but that’s the truth.
Jarhead is lent an air of more credibility owing to it’s source as a memoir written by an infantry Marine, but I think it is also an utter piece of crap.
Not because I doubt that the majority of the events depicted in the movie and the book didn’t happen-but because Swafford,simply put, was in a bad unit with a crappy attitude and most of his bellyaching is his own fault.
I do look at Jarhead as being an inaccurate picture of the reality of the marine’s I have known personally. I find it to be offensive in that in the jarhead universe, there isn’t even a single guy around who’s smart enough to tie his shoelaces.
To be honest, marines are fundamentally tough first and foremost-but they are portrayed in that movie as probably being unable to even operate cell-phones or write with pencils.
I do have to give props to Jamie Foxx for his role in Jarhead-it was the first time I ever truly took him seriously as an actor in anything. He’s menacing, but ultimately correct and a good guy.
To me, Jarhead (the book) is one infantry grunts hand-written fuck you to a commanding officer he didn’t get along with–which has since become a motion picture that has become the a snarky directors production and summation of all military forces in general engaged currently in 2 theaters of war.
To me, the movie does come off as a sly disparagement of Marines in particular, a ham-handed rumination on PTSD, and a filmed document that seriously under represents USMC intelligence from a perspective I have been lucky to enjoy.
GK was shot with a budget-it did have actual Marines in it-it does show a larger moving force that is not run by complete morons, and i believe it does some service to the few and the proud.
I encourage you Xiphos and Jarv to check it out sometime-maybe not while on leave or whatever.
But to me, it seems a lot more even handed and accurate about how marines actually are-particularly ones who have seen more than one tour.
I would actually be very curious as to whether it’s any closer to an accurate depiction that wouldn’t make you throw the remote at the television.
Best Wishes as always for this holiday season,
LB
Also-you don’t owe me anything-kick back and chill-you earned it.
me and K-Boom are probably going to try and desecrate Steven Seagal’s Lawman. Good to see you back for the Holidays-do what you got to.
I’ve got the Civil war Melt down here in oregon at 6 oclock-college ball as crazy as it gets.
-LB
“Why, because you do not trust my judgment in things marine exactly because I have not and am not a Marine-or guys in your unit say it sucks or something.”
Sir,
I apologize if you came to this conclusion from my responses. They weren’t meant to lead to that conclusion but upon rereading them I see how the sparse and terse nature of my posts could lead you to think what you wrote.
I’m a man I stand up when I make a mistake and If an apology is needed I have no problem saying it. I’m sorry if what I wrote offended you it certainly was not intended and I apologize for that.
If you have a moment and would let me expand upon my earlier poorly written statements I believe I can show their intended meaning.
I’m not at the point yet where I can watch any movie about Afghanistan or Iraq. The reason being they are still ocurring. Maybe a few years down the road with time and distance I will, but not now.
No matter how good a writer is books are filtered through said writers temperament and experience. Then there are screenplays which require another writer and their experiences and outlooks. Then the rewrites, more writers. No matter how truthful and accurate ideas start out they become fungible through the process and I’m not yet capable of going with the flow because its still happening. I fully realize that movies are never accurate portrayals because of their natures and the accommodations that have to be made to make them. At this time I chose not to view these movies because me and my friends are still going into harms way. Although I am considering breaking this guideline to watch The Hurt Locker.
Now about Jarhead. It is a wildly up and down movie mostly sort of down. Jarhead, like Three Kings, got one thing very right, just how god awful boring the first Gulf War was(much like the Iraq war today). I was in a unit in the Army that did things prior to the initial ground assault and we were bored off our ass most of the time. I can’t imagine how it was for the poor bastards that weren’t doing anything but waiting in the sand. TDK could answer that question better then me he was in an artillery unit.
Anyways I hope this clears up any misunderstanding we’ve had and if it doesn’t please allow me the opportunity to fix the issue.
All the best to you and yours,
Xiphos
Respect! No Worries. I’ve belaboured the point maybe more than I should have. No offense given-No offense taken.
Myself, I completely see your point coming right off a deployment both for you and your friends.
I had one incident towards the end of my career that your post reminds me of.
I went home after a regular shift-not much to it as usual.
I booted up a First person shooter game “Soldier Of fortune”-and out-of date shooting sim these days.
Put it on easy mode, and missed once.
I physically almost threw up-just like that.
I uninstalled the that piece of shit and didn’t play a shooting simulation for about 3 years, if ever.
Still don’t, even to this day, despite being an avid video gaming geek.
Finally, my first quoted statement is a stupid one. I project or imagine what you or your unit might presumably say-and that was stupid. I am sorry.
What I was trying to communicate, inelegantly, was how hard the training is that one is subjected to become a Marine. I was trying to show respect to the process which I witnessed second-hand that ROTC candidates attempt, and many times fail.
Some very,very good people who would have made it to become what I would consider to be great soldiers got to and had to be beat down and eliminated.
Great people, and the the physical and mental toughness that I witnessed personally really was humbling. And I really do see your point that no one movie or script can or really ever would do it justice.
And to give yourself space and watch modern war depictions when you feel more like it-that’s exactly what you earned. Understood.
Xi-I’m happy-been having a good month, I’m fine-I have way too much time on my hands as you can see from all my crazy posts.
Your lists have been mint professionalism-so it’s always good to hear from you.
I’ve been clowning around for a year stateside packing on weight from being a lazy ass-I can’t say I haven’t been having fun.
So again, no worries.
While Sopranos is a fine show it did premier in 99 so I left it off the list. I guess I could have included it because it did stop believing in 2007 I think.
let me address the Wire/ Breaking Bad situation since I knew this one was the one that would generate the most questions asked of why isn’t this on the list.
The Wire. I like the show but there has always been something about I found just a wee bit off. Until I did this list I never quite figured out what it was but now I do. I really love Simon’s Homicide: Life on the Streets(just picked up the first 3 seasons at the used book store) and I think The Wire loses out a bit to Homicide, entirely subjective I admit that. There was something so perfect about Homicide that I find not present in the Wire.
Breaking Bad. Its not a good show didn’t make the list.
You won’t find a more compelling 7 hours of television then the first season of Breaking Bad. Plus theres a reason Cranston has won best actor two years in a row. When you see schmucks doing the same thing OVER and OVER again (Cloondawg) and then you see Cranston in Breaking Bad, your just like what the fuck?
I kind of hated Cranston before that show, totally changed my mind.
It is a good show-beacuase meth is that messed up-it’s tame in comparison to the reality-well-about accurate.
Anyone remember older Showtime shows? Or HBO shows? Like Dream On, or that show Rude Awakening?
I remember…John in Cincinnati.
Yes-the worst, most half-baked, retarded, moronic, imbecilic, maybe Dave Lynchian, brain-fried waste of time to ever grace the airwaves.
This the Deadwoods producers followup to Deadwood, *after* he was given the option to wrap up the sries in a 6 hour freakin’ mini-movie.
“I’ve got my eye on you…”
Jesus is a stoned surfer, or something…made Lost look like the Dead Sea Scrolls.
watched the first episode and bailed quickly. The creator should have finished Deadwood and not that John trash.
I enjoy and like Three Kings for what it’s worth. Marky Mark, Ice Cubed and that Clooney guy are a good time. Plus it has camels.
Ah yes-Sons Of Anarchy.
Season one, again, skippable not very involving. I mean i do hate criminals and white trash.
season two-let’s invite white trash that are ten times worse than your worst nightmares and have them mess with the cast.
Henry Rollins, Adam Arkin, Ron Perlman…The entire season was kind of ruined in the very last 5 minutes of season 2 finale, but the episode before that. Yes.
Bronco, brother, Sons of Anarchy fucking sucks. Outside of Peg Bundy and maybe Jax’s old lady there is nothing good about that show. The stories are boring. SAMCRO is the only biker club in history that doesn’t deal drugs, run hookers, deal in stolen motorcycles and parts, no hits, no identity theft and no crimes? Bullshit. Thier weapos deals would get shut down in heart beat and you make about 12% on illegal gun trading anyways. there isn’t a big profit in guns legal or other wise. No way the club survives on that alone. That Jax kid is a pussy and about as tough as a ballerina class filled with 7 year olds. To be fair though Bikers are about that tough so maybe the casting is good.
Alan Arkin as a white supremacist? Good actor but he couldn’t be any more Hebraic looking if he wore a yarmulke and was named Jewy Jewman. Same goes for Ron Perlman entirely miscast. A fucking all inclusive multi-ethnic scooter trash club? fuck that that’s Hollywood bullshit. The only thing that comes close in real life is the club the Mayans are based, on the Mongols, and they are in the process of kicking out the white members. Plus Bikers and Warrior whites are locked tight. That whole alliance storyline made zero sense.
That fucking asshole Henry Rollins is a no talent hack. His “tough guy” stare isn’t. He looks like he’s confused all the time and that he needs somebody to come and change his shit filled diaper and the crap is running down his legs. Fuck SoA its almost as bad as Fringe the worst show ever created. I fucking hate I was forced to watch this crap about a bunch of leather queens that ride homo Harley’s. Real men fork Ducattis.
I watched one episode of Sons of Anarchy (not the best ‘sample’ to judge, but…) and I didn’t find it that interesting or good. But again, I saw just one episode.
I think for like every good episode there are 2 ok ones and 1 boring/bad one.
Pillow you did your usual fine job of judgment.
Excellent post, Brother.
You are correct-as an “outlaw biker gang”-the reality is that if such a white biker gang were to exist-*they* would be the ones slinging the crystal meth, guns do not sell for a profit, and no “gang” able to pay it’s rent unless it’s slinging serious narcotics.
Today’s reality is that every single age 40 to 50 asshole I see in America on a Harley is some yuppie middle management type who is so stupid he shouldn’t be allowed to breathe.
A fucking wanker who’s wife dumped his ass-screwed him for child support, and is trying to prove he’s wild and crazy while at the same time obviously flashing a resume.
Harley’s suck-they are mechanical pieces of shit which can only be compared to late model Volkswagen buses or fucking Volvos and Jaguars.
I gotta disagree about Rollins, though.
However, his real tattoos versus his airbrushed ones were hilarious in the second to last episode.
It’s all good.
Maybe we can also compare SOA to Return of the King? Dopey fantasy?
I think we can.
Thanks for reply,
-LB
But Lord Bronco, I sell drugs to people in this town?
Oh that’s weird. Got confused for a minute about SOA. Cuz that’s the name of Rollins’ first band. WHat a coincidence…….
I kinda think Black Flag was better pre-Rollins. Haven’t seen Sons of Anarchy. And probably won’t.
Yeah I agree with Xi on SoA. Peggy Bundy is really good. Though I don’t hate it as much as him. I like Rollins in it and Hellboy, but Heath Leger two is a pussy. And it isn’t dirty enough. Just reading shit I think from Hunter S. Thompson about rolling with the Hells Angels is harder then any aspect of that show.
Plus after the South Park episode its hard to get into it anymore. NOT SAYING South Park is good or anything, in fact its pretty awful. Never thought my favorite show at one point would be one of my least favorites.
Henry Rollins there’s just something about that guy that I flat out I don’t like. I’ve hated that douche since the early 80’s it’s something chemical. I wouldn’t be surprised if it turns out he’s a cannibal and a serial killer.
No but it’s been said that he likes speaking tongues in Portuguese, so you know there’s at least a Little off about him.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rQzNxgCRHv8 oh hell this beats’em all. You know I’m right.
JOHNNYYYYYYYY SOCKOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!! I have not seen any of those episodes in probably 30 years, thanks Tom.
That is where I got the Giant Robot(s) sickness wayyyyyyy back. Sad but true.
I’ve got a friend, ex-con, used to run drugs for the Monguls. And he says the same thing that Xi says, where is the drug dealing? That is what every biker gang does (plus theft, prostitution and extorting money from bike shops, tattoo parlors and strip clubs).
Plus, I liked OZ, and JK Simmons was good in that show, but the AB in that series was portrayed so outdated. They are not a bunch of Klansmen and dumb Nazis; the guys with the brand are pretty smart, psychotic criminals. And they are not blinded by their racism, they use race as a tool/weapon. They will work with even black gangs if it is for a profit. As one AB member said, it isn’t about White Power, it is about Power.
And that wasn’t a defense or praise of them. The AB is still some despicable guys, but they are no more despicable than the Mafia, La Eme, La Nuestra Familia or the Black Guerilla Family. All of them are criminals and scum and just as racist as the Aryan Brotherhood.
The thing about the AB kind of groups (currently the “AB” of common knowledge is fractured) there are sort of two different branches, inside the walls and out. The outside group is more the warrior white mentality don’t work with the mud peoples (which is kind of BS because they do conspire on limited basis) All white is all right types. The inside group, in order to survive, works with the Blacks and Mexicans usually the dominant groups in a majority of prisons. Inside the walls Aryan groups are usually the most violent of the prison gangs, that’s how they survive.
OZ never did get the AB thing right nor most of the way gangs operate but still it was a very good show. It’s funny how many of the actors on that show went on to play cops on the Law and Order franchise.
Yeah, I agree. They are basing the AB on Oz on the old Southern AB’s and white gangs, not on what they became in California and the Federal prisons. LA Weekly did a great write up about them a couple of years ago. I don’t know if this link is really working, but check it out:
http://www.laweekly.com/mobile/general/features/wholl-stop-the-reign/968/
Another scary, great villain on that show who was killed to quickly was Supreme Allah, the 5%er. Him and Adibisi were to sick fucks.
AB??
Tom,
AB=Aryan Brotherhood.
I would also put Arrested Development and Curb Your Enthusiasm on the list.
I wouldn’t. Arrested Development blows. I mean yeah its funny at times, but my god everyone in that show is SO fucking annoying that watching more then one episode at a time I want to punch them all in the face.
C’mon, Gob and Tobias might be annoying, but they are also damn funny.
Curb, definitely. This latest season went by waaaaay too quick. Never got around to watching more than a random episode or two of Arrested Development. No tv nor internet during it’s heyday.
Conti, weren’t you watching BSG at some point? Did you stick with it?
I saw the mini series, and I am planning on watching thecrest of the series as soon as I get ahold of the DVDs. A friend of mine owns all of them and is going to lend them to me as soon as she gets back into town in January.
I never much got into Arrested Development or Curb.
You know what distresses me about this list? The lack of British TV- Rome doesn’t count.
Every decade, we’d bang out something fucking superb- Ultraviolet or Spaced in the 90’s for example. All I can think of now is Life on Mars.
We need to wait to see the American re-make of it before we know if its any good or not.
Fuck. Off.
Except for Telemundo and Univision(smoking hot chicas and telenovelas which are hilarious) I don’t watch TV from other countries. I’ve never seen any of the shows you’ve mentioned. I am thinking of getting life on Mars though.
yeah I have to check out the Brit Life On Mars and its sequel. I really liked the American version, it was a lot of fun. Also I’m glad they got to end it. Wheather or not they wanted to, it was kind of cool not having a show GO ON for 5 years after it was really good. In that respect I think its the first ever show on American TV done like a british show.
Or it probably just looks like a miniseries.
Don’t watch the sequel- Ashes to Ashes. It’s utter shit on every level.
Cracker!!!! At least, the first half. Then it sorta goes downhill, I think.
Soooo….Life on Mars is one to watch? What about the other one, the sequel series, I can’t remember the name right now…I hear both The Pop Group and Visage feature in episodes, which is sort of enough to make me want to watch it.
The American remake of Life on Mars sort of grew on me and I got interested in seeing the original.
Ashes to Ashes and it’s complete wank.
Well there’s always Keeping Up Appearences…
ROME!!! I think I need to watch that series once a month. Nothing on TV ever mesmerized me as much as those two seasons did.
My only problem with ROME is it covered too short of span. It should have been like 4 or 5 seasons and started from the Third Servile Wars to when the show ended. About 40 years of awesome events.
I think the BBC and the actors wanted the show to run longer but production was so expensive they just hit the high lights. But I agree if they started earlier or went longer it would have been great. Or maybe do separate stories out of Roman history like Hannibal in Italy or e Battle of Teutoburg Forest disaster or even the fall of the empire.
Exactly. Show the chaos of about 406-454, say, the Barbarians sweeping into Gaul/Spain/N Africa, Alaric sacking Rome and Attila doing his thing in the Balkans etc.
Plus you have that neat Lombard Giant Robot mucking about the Appenines and making things rather sucky for the Romans. I like Lombard Giant Robots.
Giant Lombardian Robots always come with good wine and cheese. They are welcome at any holiday get together.
Hey HOD welcome nice to see you here.
Band of Brothers. Best part of the series was Battle of the Bulge. And you know what-they shot that all indoors from what I remember the commentaries etc saying(!) pretty cool.
I had a couple uncles who were there.
The Battle of the Bulge section had my favorite episode of the series in it, the one focusing on the medic. Combat medics and corpsman are a special breed. When everybody else is hunkered down when bullets are flying those cat are running around like mad men.
Xiphos–what’s your take on the extra 30,000 headed to Kabul and etc now?
If Gen. McChrystal is in charge (big If little O wants to sack him badly big mistake) then they might do something. I’m waiting to see what types of units they are sending, what the time table of deployment is and if there really will be that many sent. At this point I have no opinion until I see some facts and facts when dealing with jerk off politicians has an entirely different meaning then with human beings.
They did something good today by launching operations in the south east area of operations. Now is the time of year that you can really do some good. All the upper passes are closed and most of the middle passages are nearly closed so the contracted Paki tribal fighters have left. Operationally they can really start clearing some ground and preparing for the spring war season.
Ah. You’re def. the go-to guy here. I’ve had family members over there at least a couple times now, it’d be nice if they could really ‘take care of business’ though Afghanistan always been a massive CF for anyone thruout history. That made for some interesting reading, I learned more in your reply than in the days since Obama’s address combined.
Tom, sun shines on a dog’s ass once in awhile which is about the same time table for me offering up something interesting and useful.
Well they didn’t listen to the Giant Robot Lions angle you gave’em at the Pentagon there Xiphos, it’s not like you didn’t TRY–
yeah the bastards.
Currently watching ‘Tears of the Sun’ w/ Bruce Willis and a nice Hawaiian backdrop. Xiphos’ fave flick by far.