I couldn't agree more. I own all 5 seasons on DVD, and sketch comedy has (with the possible exception of Python) never been done better.
Ronnie Dobbs is probably the shows funniest sketches. The movie they tried to make ended in disaster and I remember being Meh at best. It is a seriously funny show.
Don't know if many people read this thread since it's rarely commented on but Im actually digging "Orange is the New Black." It's the new Netflix series from Weeds creator Jenji Kohen. It's basically the same general concept as Weeds. Upper crust white woman is a fish out of water in the criminal world. In this case she's sent to prison to experience everything as a new fish. It shares a lot of the same comic sensibilities as Weeds so it's not particularly deep in the humor department and heavy on the leftie causes. Now unlike Weeds it hasn't spiraled out of control, yet. It started with a lot of caged heat boobies, even series star Taylor Schilling, but has tapered off now that they are more onto the plight of the girls. Though it never gets Scared Straight serious. Some big names from a decade ago round out the cast, the redhead from That 70's Show (now a dyed black hipster lesbo), Jason Biggs, Natasha Lyonne, and Captain Janeway. Honestly I don't think I could have gotten into a show like this having to make it a part of my TV show rotation. I binged about half the other night and am trying to polish the rest in the next weeks.
Re: Re: Recommend a Show The Bridge is another great show, I don't know if it's better than Ray Donovan but it's definitely quality TV. Orange is the new Black on Netflix is very good as well, long as you don't mind the liberal rant every now and again, the wife and I chewed through the first season this weekend.
Agree on Ray Donovan & The Bridge--welcome relief for the summer viewing doldrums. And thank God Suits has kicked back up. Haven't seen Orange is the New Black yet, but I read the book and I really enjoyed it, so I'm looking forward to the show. Is anyone else watching Naked and Afraid?. I'm not much for the reality genre, but this is just plain insanity. Premise: a man and a woman who do not know each other are put in an extreme, harsh environment with no clothes and each only getting to bring one tool. They have to survive for 21 days while making their way to their extraction point. What do they get if they make it? Nada, other than bragging rights. Catch an episode (the Louisiana swamp was good- I wouldn't last 21 minutes, let alone 21 days.). TDC I think.
I've watched a couple episodes of it. I really like it. I really enjoyed the ones where the guys were all tough on paper, but turned out to be little bitches when faced with reality. Like the one with the hot chick from New Hampshire and the "bro" from Indiana. He was such an asshat and it made her look unstoppable.
Broadchurch, currently airing on BBC America. The best drama currently on BBC.. it dwarfs Whitechapel and is comparable in quality to Sherlock. And the best thing about BBC America is that once you're hooked on a television show, you can download the whole season on BitTorrent since the episodes air a few months prior in the UK
John Voight is really killing it as a shitty father in Ray Donovan. It's like he isn't even acting. His level of douchebaggery is so off the charts that it's more like a reality show than a TV drama. If you aren't watching this show, you should be.
My brother sat us down to watch these since we were such Twilight Zone fans growing up. This show is really fucking good. Like The Twilight Zone it is an anthology of stories that aren't related. There is an underlying theme of the effects of technology and social media on us. I would however suggest not watching the first episode of the first season first, it's good but the plot has some uber ridiculousness in it that might turn people off to the show before it has a chance. The first one I watched was about a future where everyone has a recording device implanted in their heads that records their entire lives. The main character, the druggie son from RocknRolla, plays a lawyer who starts having trust issues with his wife after a dinner party they go to. How the technology feeds into the themes of weakness and jealousy are great. I guess Robert Downey Jr optioned this script for a Hollywood movie. The others Ive seen have such big twist I don't want to blow them for anyone. What I really liked about it, like the Twilight Zone, is that the self contained stories go all out on what ever concept they envisioned. The writing, acting, and over all execution are all top notch.
The Returned. It's a French show subtitled in English, currently airing on the Sundance Channel. All of the episodes aired in France already, though, so they're available for immediate download. From Metacritic(where Breaking Bad is the only show which got a higher score than The Returned this year): "People long dead return to a small town with no knowledge of their death including a 15-year old girl (Yara Pilart) killed in a car accident four years ago, a groom (Pierre Perrier) who committed suicide ten years ago, a young murdered boy (Swann Nambotin), and a serial killer (Guillaume Gouix) in this French drama."
Maron I listen to WTF a lot, sometimes Maron has obscure guests on that I skip but his TV show which is available on Netflix (Season One) is great if you like his style of comedy. The podcast's are great and his show is worth watching as well, it airs on IFC but I just happened to catch it on Netflix. Worth watching. 7/10
Black Sails. This is Sons of Anarchy on the high seas. Lots of sex, violence and cursing and it is fucking fun. Starz did a decent job with Spartacus, and this is in the same vein. Bitten. A Canadian show about werewolves that reminds me of "Hemlock Grove" without teenage angst. It's pretty enjoyable and less embarrassing to watch than "Teen Wolf" (my guilty pleasure).
Anyone else watch the new comedy Sirens on USA last night? Produced by Denis Leary, that was some pretty funny shit.
Orphan Black was recommended by some radio folks a few weeks ago, they said the second season would be starting in April on BBC America. I am able to watch the first season free with Amazon Prime, so I'm 4 episodes in and liking it. Sarah is a punk loser who witnesses a girl who looks just like her kill herself in the first few minutes of the show. The lookalike had left her purse, so Sarah takes it and finds out about this other girl...eventually discovering that she wasn't the only lookalike. Tatiana Maslany is now my current girl crush.