#289104 - 02/11/2006 23:12
The axe has started to fall on TV
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carpal tunnel
Registered: 12/11/2001
Posts: 7738
Loc: Toronto, CANADA
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Just heard Kidnapped got (or is getting) the axe. Too bad, it's a really good show with some really talented actors.
I'm waiting to hear about the axe falling on Jericho (which I don't follow) - it just seems so rough and cliche. I don't think The Nine will make it - I've seen most of the episodes but it's not really doing it for me.
I've watched most of one episode of Studio 60 but just couldn't get into it. It seemed like the West Wing set in Hollywood. In fact I disliked it quite a bit. Another show I previewed the other night and disliked quite a bit was Ugly Betty. Totally unfunny.
So far the best show by a stretch is Heroes. It's even better than Lost which I'd say is tied for number 2 with Weeds for me.
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#289105 - 03/11/2006 12:24
Re: The axe has started to fall on TV
[Re: hybrid8]
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carpal tunnel
Registered: 08/03/2000
Posts: 12318
Loc: Sterling, VA
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Quote:
So far the best show by a stretch is Heroes.
Of the shows you listed? Yes. Better than Lost? No.
I'm watching Heroes because I love superheros and fantasy stuff, but not because it's a great show. Only half of the actors on the show are any good (the worst being the flying guy, the painter, and the Indian guy - sorry, I haven't bothered to learn their names). Everything seems so cliched.
Spoiler:
Cyrnfr fnl lbh xarj gung gur tvey jvgu gur Vaqvna thl jnf n cynag. Vg jnf cnvashyyl boivbhf sebz fprar bar. Sebz gur zbzrag fur nccrnerq ba fperra. V erfrag gung gurl gubhtug vg jnf n fhecevfr guvf jrrx.
The thing that bothers me the most is that the characters don't have their own free will. Everything they do is entirely to serve the script, and that bugs the hell out of me. Example (possible spoiler): for the first several episodes, the Indian guy was all about discovering more about, and validating, his father's work. He was fairly rabid about it. He was seeking people out. He went to that guy Silas's (sp?) place and became more adamant than ever. The very next episode, the flying guy (is his name Peter?) finds him and tells him about what he's experienced. The Indian guy greets him with the most extreme skepticism, and it's completely out of character from what we've seen already. The entire way to the painter's apartment, he's complaining and being sarcastic and acting like a jackass. I guess the writers decided to give him a line about the default stance of science being skepticism, but that was a cop-out. They just wanted to explain why they needed him to stop hanging out with Peter so they could stretch out the story. It was very frustrating.
The show has its moments, but those moments aren't because I think it's moving or profound, they're just the seriously geeky ones like when Hero comes back from the future with a sword. I know the show is trying to be profound about something, and it thinks it's smart. Ooo, their powers reflect who they are, like the mother who's stretched so thin she wishes there were two of her, or the indestructible teenager, or the cop who reads minds, or the guy who feels so much for the people around them he can use their powers. What's the point?
Good parts: Masi Oka's Hiro is the best thing on the show. They could stick to that storyline the entire time for all I care. I also like Ali Larter's story. My other favorite was Greg Grunberg, but I can barely tell if he's actually in the program!
As usual, I'm having a hard time explaining what I mean. Basically Heroes is not my favorite new show of the year, and it certainly isn't better than a lot of returning shows. I'm going to keep watching, though.
ps- sorry for the rant. I just love discussing TV with people, and most of the people I know don't watch quite as much of it as I do. I don't think I know anyone who watches Heroes, so I'd enjoy discussing it with you.
pps-I'll agree with you on Weeds to a degree. I thought the second season wasn't as good as the first, with people doing all sorts of inexplicable things, but it was still hilarious and the finale was one of the most intense episodes I've seen on TV in a long while.
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Matt
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#289106 - 03/11/2006 12:39
Re: The axe has started to fall on TV
[Re: Dignan]
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carpal tunnel
Registered: 12/11/2001
Posts: 7738
Loc: Toronto, CANADA
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Yes, it was obvious (to me) the girl in the apartment was a plant. I also found Mohinder's actions on the way to Isaac's (the painter) a little forced. I called it the best (for me) because it's the show for which I feel the most anticipation for the upcoming episode. I find the discovery process in the plot to be captivating and interesting. They could have slowed it down a bit and explored the characters further, but I think this half of the season has been written in this fashion to try and get the ball rolling and get people hooked before the network decides to dump the show.
BTW, no Weeds spoilers please. We're still on Episide 8 of Season 2 in Canada. I did think the first season was a bit funnier and "light hearted."
I'm trying not to follow too many shows this year after having followed Surface and Invasion last year only to see them canned by the networks who prefer to show crap like SuperNanny, Deal or No Deal and Dancing with the Stars. Maybe this year we can also finally see CSI:NY get chopped (there are 2 too many CSI shows on TV right now - I'll give NCIS a pass even though I don't follow it).
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#289107 - 03/11/2006 13:04
Re: The axe has started to fall on TV
[Re: hybrid8]
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carpal tunnel
Registered: 08/03/2000
Posts: 12318
Loc: Sterling, VA
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Quote:
BTW, no Weeds spoilers please. We're still on Episide 8 of Season 2 in Canada. I did think the first season was a bit funnier and "light hearted."
Oops, sorry, I'll remember that. I can't wait to hear your reactions to the finale, though.
I'm not sure that Heroes can go any slower. Like I said, they're manufacturing reactions that keep the story stretched out, and if they keep moving the characters like chess pieces, I don't see how they can write fleshed-out characters. The writers just don't seem all that good.
It's funny, but Bryan Fuller seems to create or get attached to really interesting ideas, but nothing he does really meshes with my tastes, or maybe he's just not all that good. I love Wonderfalls, but I'm not sure I would have liked it as much as I did if they hadn't needed to compact the story to fit the short order of episodes. And everyone says how much Dead Like Me went to crap after he left, but despite a few questionable moves and a story that seemed to fizzle towards the end, I adored those characters. I would have done anything to see another season of Mason and Rube.
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Matt
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#289108 - 03/11/2006 14:09
Re: The axe has started to fall on TV
[Re: Dignan]
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carpal tunnel
Registered: 30/04/2000
Posts: 3810
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Overall, I'm pretty happy with Heroes. It didn't occur to me that the neighbor was a plant. I agree that Mohinder's behavior is a bit weak, but his character has gone through an awful lot. I enjoy the pace and all the chance encounters between the characters, but I have many friends who find the pacing to be slow and painful. The ultimate contrast is between Heroes and something like the X-Men movies, where all these mutants are introduced, used once in the plot for their mutant power, and are then promptly killed off or ignored thereafter.
I'm particularly enjoying the confusion over who, exactly, Horned-Rim Glasses Man really is and how he fits into the picture. I'm also quite curious how the whole good/evil Niki thing will play out. Unlike X-Files, it appears that there really is a larger plot here and that the writers are actually going somewhere with it. Time travel / prophetic visions of the future are always touchy in science fiction. If you're a fan of Babylon 5 or other JMS projects, you know that he tends to use these sorts of plot devices very sparingly, and that prophets have a habit of getting killed off quickly. It's interesting to see prophets having a larger role in the plot.
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#289109 - 03/11/2006 18:37
Re: The axe has started to fall on TV
[Re: hybrid8]
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carpal tunnel
Registered: 20/12/1999
Posts: 31565
Loc: Seattle, WA
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Quote:
I've watched most of one episode of Studio 60 but just couldn't get into it. It seemed like the West Wing set in Hollywood.
Which is, of course, precisely why I love it so much. That's all I asked of it: Be just like West Wing. And it's delivering. 
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#289110 - 03/11/2006 19:50
Re: The axe has started to fall on TV
[Re: hybrid8]
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carpal tunnel
Registered: 08/07/1999
Posts: 5539
Loc: Ajijic, Mexico
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So far the best show by a stretch is Heroes.
Ummm... if you say so.
I'm watching it somewhat half-heartedly only because my TiVo grabs it. To me there are too many characters, too many plot-lines, too many good guys/bad guys. I don't want to have to work that hard in order to watch a TV show.
But that's just me, I guess. To each his own.
tanstaafl.
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"There Ain't No Such Thing As A Free Lunch"
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#289111 - 03/11/2006 21:48
Re: The axe has started to fall on TV
[Re: tanstaafl.]
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carpal tunnel
Registered: 25/12/2000
Posts: 16706
Loc: Raleigh, NC US
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Quote:
To me there are too many characters, too many plot-lines, too many good guys/bad guys. I don't want to have to work that hard in order to watch a TV show.
Apparently you need to see Ass.
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Bitt Faulk
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#289112 - 04/11/2006 09:15
Re: The axe has started to fall on TV
[Re: DWallach]
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carpal tunnel
Registered: 17/12/2000
Posts: 2665
Loc: Manteca, California
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Spoiler:
Avxv vf qrnq. Ure rk xvyyrq ure ng gur raq bs gur ynfg rcvfbqr. Rira gur qbpgbe'f rcvybt ynzragrq ubj fbzr ribyhgvbanel oenapurf yrnq gb qrnq raqf.
I like this show (Hereos) too much when that happens it always seem to get cut.
I hope, because it's already showing on Sci-fi, there's a chance it can stay alive there.
===========
Eureka just isn't living up to its pilot. Most of the episodes seem to be of the [insert new gadget and guest star here] varitey.
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Glenn
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#289113 - 04/11/2006 18:15
Re: The axe has started to fall on TV
[Re: gbeer]
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carpal tunnel
Registered: 30/04/2000
Posts: 3810
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Spoiler:
Gurl arire pnzr bhg naq fnvq Avxv jnf qrnq. Fur znl jryy whfg or vawherq. Jr'yy whfg unir gb jnvg naq frr.
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#289114 - 06/11/2006 03:10
Re: The axe has started to fall on TV
[Re: gbeer]
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carpal tunnel
Registered: 08/03/2000
Posts: 12318
Loc: Sterling, VA
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Quote:
Spoiler:
Avxv vf qrnq. Ure rk xvyyrq ure ng gur raq bs gur ynfg rcvfbqr. Rira gur qbpgbe'f rcvybt ynzragrq ubj fbzr ribyhgvbanel oenapurf yrnq gb qrnq raqf.
Yeah, I don't think that's the case. And did I mention how I dislike the narrator?
Quote:
Eureka just isn't living up to its pilot. Most of the episodes seem to be of the [insert new gadget and guest star here] varitey.
Really? I loved it! That's one of my favorite new shows. They're also upholding a general good practice for a TV show, which is to have a good mixture of episodic content with overall storyline.
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Matt
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#289115 - 06/11/2006 03:38
Re: The axe has started to fall on TV
[Re: Dignan]
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carpal tunnel
Registered: 17/12/2000
Posts: 2665
Loc: Manteca, California
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Oh I like Eureka, it's just that I'm tired of watching the same story over and over without any progress on the pilot's story line. How many times do they expect people to watch the Sheriff see the trees while the smart people are looking at the forest.
edit: They really need to give the background conspiracy some more play.
Edited by gbeer (06/11/2006 03:41)
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Glenn
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#289116 - 06/11/2006 12:43
Re: The axe has started to fall on TV
[Re: Dignan]
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carpal tunnel
Registered: 12/11/2001
Posts: 7738
Loc: Toronto, CANADA
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Do you dislike the narration that's built into the show by the Mohinder character or the narration that introduces the show going over previous weeks' recaps? I'm fine with the in-show narration which usually hits in the first and last scenes. The voice-over during previous clips, like in Surface, is total cheese and very annoying. I think that despite Heroes, Medium and some decent comedies (Earl and the Office now, Scrubs coming back), NBC is destined to stay at the bottom of the ratings for some time to come. There just isn't much reason to tune in. Unless you want to watch the same episodes of Law and Order that have been on for the past 15 years, ER, or if you're Tony, Studio 60. 
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#289117 - 06/11/2006 15:35
Re: The axe has started to fall on TV
[Re: gbeer]
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carpal tunnel
Registered: 08/03/2000
Posts: 12318
Loc: Sterling, VA
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Quote:
edit: They really need to give the background conspiracy some more play.
That's the thing, the conspiracy isn't the point. Section 5 is what the show (at least so far) is revolving around. It's all about the artifact, and I think they did a great job at addressing it throughout the short 12/13 episode season.
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Matt
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#289118 - 06/11/2006 15:41
Re: The axe has started to fall on TV
[Re: hybrid8]
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carpal tunnel
Registered: 08/03/2000
Posts: 12318
Loc: Sterling, VA
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Quote:
Do you dislike the narration that's built into the show by the Mohinder character or the narration that introduces the show going over previous weeks' recaps? I'm fine with the in-show narration which usually hits in the first and last scenes. The voice-over during previous clips, like in Surface, is total cheese and very annoying.
Well, we agree on the latter, and I think the problem with the Mohinder narration is, as I mentioned before, I'm not a fan of the actor. The dialogue for that narration is fine.
Quote:
I think that despite Heroes, Medium and some decent comedies (Earl and the Office now, Scrubs coming back), NBC is destined to stay at the bottom of the ratings for some time to come. There just isn't much reason to tune in. Unless you want to watch the same episodes of Law and Order that have been on for the past 15 years, ER, or if you're Tony, Studio 60.
I think all the major networks are in the same boat these days. None really stands out in my mind from the others. I watch about the same number on each (except for ABC, which other than Lost is a crap network). I think we're starting to see the effect of cable TV now. There are so many great shows on HBO, Showtime, Comedy Central, USA, SciFi, etc, and it's starting to even the playing field. At least that's how it looks to me...
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Matt
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#289120 - 07/11/2006 03:41
Re: The axe has started to fall on TV
[Re: tanstaafl.]
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carpal tunnel
Registered: 12/11/2001
Posts: 7738
Loc: Toronto, CANADA
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Wow, I just asked that it be funny and entertaining. And it wasn't. I'm not trying to knock anyone else's taste in TV, but I just found it unbearable to watch. I could not even force myself to sit through the whole episode as I deleted it before finishing it. I'll say the same thing about Ugly Betty, the most unfunny show on television.
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#289121 - 07/11/2006 18:56
Re: The axe has started to fall on TV
[Re: hybrid8]
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old hand
Registered: 17/07/2001
Posts: 721
Loc: Boston, MA USA
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My favorite part about Heroes:
Black guys: Slave and Criminal
White suburban girl: Cheerleader
White single mother in Vegas: Whore
Asian guys: Work in a tech company and are social retards
Politician: Douchebag with screw up brother
Artist: Dirty, drug addict
Cop: Fat, bumbleheaded, boring
Indian guy: Intellectual bookworm
Evil guy: White corporate jerk that has a slave
oh, minor character:
Jock: Aggresive rapist
Did I miss any stereotypes?
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//matt
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#289122 - 18/12/2006 16:33
Re: The axe has started to fall on TV
[Re: hybrid8]
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carpal tunnel
Registered: 12/11/2001
Posts: 7738
Loc: Toronto, CANADA
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Trifecta.
Day Break was canceled last week. Along with Kidnapped, I would say those were the two top shows of the year. I still love Heroes, but those two were better.
ABC is replacing Day Break with episodes of According to Jim and the Jorge Lopez show. Two comedies that should have never seen the light of day in my opinion.
Jericho survives at CBS for some unknown reason. The Neilson families must be on some serious holiday crack this year.
I'm just hoping the final episodes of Day Break (13 were originally ordered) are released on the web by ABC. NBC was nice enough to release the unaired episodes of Kidnapped which has so far been great. Of course I don't live in the US so I have to download them from sites other than NBC.
There's a lot of open space on the tube now for plenty of crap reality TV like Nanny 911 and all the other Wal-Mart generation programming.
Though I'm not a fan, I doubt Studio 60 will last the year. It's too intellectual to compete with the likes of America's Top Model and The Apprentice (horrible).
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#289123 - 18/12/2006 16:57
Re: The axe has started to fall on TV
[Re: hybrid8]
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member
Registered: 31/12/2001
Posts: 121
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I think they are intentionally canceling these shows (Vanished, Smith, etc.) and then playing the rest of them out on their website, they are almost trying to force people to go online to watch the rest of the season. most of these streams are only visible if you are in the USA. I was watching kidnapped but I hate to say that it was going no where fast. Day Break however is (was) my new favorite show. However I think it was a little to confusing for the mainstream, but I really enjoyed it.
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#289124 - 18/12/2006 17:09
Re: The axe has started to fall on TV
[Re: hybrid8]
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carpal tunnel
Registered: 08/03/2000
Posts: 12318
Loc: Sterling, VA
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I stayed away from Day Break because the idea didn't appeal to me (not exactly original), and I've never been a Taye Diggs fan. Maybe I'll find a way to catch a couple episodes, but I have a hard time believing it's one of the best two shows of the season. So far this season, even though a lot of people seem to dislike it, I've been a huge fan of Dexter. Hopefully Michael C Hall will be remembered come Emmy time. Dexter and Veronica Mars are the two best shows I'm watching this year. Jericho and The Nine are the only two shows in the last couple years that I've stopped watching. *edit* Quote:
According to Jim and the Jorge Lopez show
Please don't think I'm defending those shows, either. They're terrible. Those types of sitcoms are a dime a dozen, but they keep putting more out every single year.
Oh, and Bruno, have you watched Veronica Mars? Go rent the first season on DVD. I had no interest in the show, and the first episode changed what I thought of it.
Edited by Dignan (18/12/2006 17:23)
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Matt
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#289125 - 18/12/2006 22:37
Re: The axe has started to fall on TV
[Re: Dignan]
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member
Registered: 31/12/2001
Posts: 121
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veronica mars is brilliant, and I am also enjoying dexter alot. both very sharp shows. Vanished started off soooo strong but then it also went no where fast. try to catch the all 3 seasons of bbc's heist if you can.
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#289126 - 19/12/2006 00:52
Re: The axe has started to fall on TV
[Re: spider]
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addict
Registered: 01/03/2002
Posts: 598
Loc: Florida
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I haven't seen Heist but will add it to my list. Currently The Wire is the best show on TV, the 4th season just ended and HBO is giving it at least 1 more season.
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Chad
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#289127 - 19/12/2006 00:59
Re: The axe has started to fall on TV
[Re: Attack]
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member
Registered: 31/12/2001
Posts: 121
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the first and second season of the wire had me on the seat of my pants. seasons 3 and 4 were good but just not as enthralling as 1 and 2. I actually got dvd screeners of season 4 and was able to watch it before it even aired on tv. if you can't tell i watch ALOT of tv (at work).
heist reminds me of the 1990's mission impossible that was on tv, only with a long con aspect to it. they are 1 hour episodes and there are 6 to a season. very smart show and the acting is top shelf.
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#289128 - 19/12/2006 01:01
Re: The axe has started to fall on TV
[Re: spider]
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member
Registered: 31/12/2001
Posts: 121
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forgot to mention Sleeper cell. its currently airing season2 right now. they aired season one this time last year. I love how they air it. every night of the week is a new episode.
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#289129 - 19/12/2006 15:50
Re: The axe has started to fall on TV
[Re: Attack]
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carpal tunnel
Registered: 23/08/2000
Posts: 3826
Loc: SLC, UT, USA
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Quote:
I haven't seen Heist but will add it to my list. Currently The Wire is the best show on TV, the 4th season just ended and HBO is giving it at least 1 more season.
I've JUST started watching The Wire 2 days ago (viva la bittorrent) and am already on episode 10 of the first season... I was up til 4 am last night watching episode after episode. Dangerously addicting. It's everything everyone has said it is.
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#289130 - 11/01/2007 15:17
Re: The axe has started to fall on TV
[Re: loren]
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addict
Registered: 23/12/2002
Posts: 652
Loc: Winston Salem, NC
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Sorry to resurrect this old thread, but I'm just catching up on the first season of 30 Rock, which is a darn funny show. And yes, we're a little behind here in the Middle East.
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#289131 - 11/01/2007 16:06
Re: The axe has started to fall on TV
[Re: Cybjorg]
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carpal tunnel
Registered: 27/06/1999
Posts: 7058
Loc: Pittsburgh, PA
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Quote:
Sorry to resurrect this old thread, but I'm just catching up on the first season of 30 Rock, which is a darn funny show. And yes, we're a little behind here in the Middle East.
Agreed. A very underrated show that I think more people will pay attention to now that it's in a better time slot.
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