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Monday, June 7, 2010

Monday Links (6/7)

With my mailbag diatribe about the final episode of "Lost" last week, I think I can officially move on from discussing the show.

And, coincidentally, I'm also just two episodes away from wrapping up my first full rewatch of "The Wire," which takes such an emotional toll on you as a viewer that it'll be a while before I can do it again.

So... now I need a new show to obsess over. Here are my requirements:

1.) Must be a show that I can rent early seasons on DVD to catch up on what I've missed.

2.) Must be a one-hour drama. As I've written before, I fully intend to add "Modern Family" to my watch list for Season 2, but a sitcom won't be enough to fill the void of "Lost."

3.) Must be a show I can watch current episodes of without having to purchase Showtime or Cinemax or some channel I don't really want.

4.) Must require some level of fan enthusiasm that will allow me to write about it on this blog to the extent that fans of the show will be happy and non-fans will have something new to complain about, since I'm no longer writing about "Lost."

5.) My preference would be a show that is still airing new episodes rather than one I need to fully catch up with on DVD, but I'm negotiable on that.

So I'm taking suggestions now. My early thoughts would be: "Breaking Bad," "Sons of Anarchy," "The Shield," "Mad Men" or "Rescue Me." But I'm open to other possibilities as well.

OK, just a handful of links today after a rather light weekend of Georgia talk...

-- Well, it was a good run, but Georgia's quest for a women's college world series title came to an end against UCLA yesterday. Still, they lasted one day longer than Florida did.

-- Like many of you, The Chapel Bell isn't buying those spring combine numbers coming out of Georgia. As evidence, he offers that Georgia had a time at each position that would have been the best at this year's NFL combine -- and usually by a pretty wide margin.

-- About Them Dawgs has some great historical perspective on "The Game" played between Georgia and Auburn in 1971.

-- Today's MLB draft could have a major impact on Georgia's quest to improve on the mound next year. It could also have a big impact on Georgia Tech's football recruiting.

-- ESPN has Georgia slotted eighth in its early recruiting rankings.

-- I can only hope that Colorado State's latest commitment will eventually be cast in "Stone Cold 2" -- a sequel we've waited far too long to see.

-- Dan Wetzel wants to tie the latest expansion rumors to the lack of a football playoff, and I just don't see how the two are related. This is all about TV revenue and a conference championship game.

-- And speaking of TV revenue, the Leather Helmet Blog looks at how the SEC's contract with ESPN gives its members a lot of flexibility in adding to their multimedia revenue by selling their local broadcast rights.

Specifics when it came to expansion weren't discussed much in Destin last week, and Mike Slive did his best to downplay the SEC's role in expansion to this point, but... don't think for a second that the SEC wasn't getting its ducks in a row. The news of the huge revenue boost the league got from its ESPN deal and the repeated mentions of those local TV rights packages were meant to send a message.

And Matt Hinton agrees:

"The Longhorns have a much better chance of launching an all-Texas television network in the Big 12 than in the Big Ten, which already has a network UT would be required to buy into, or the Pac-10, which seems to be hell-bent on launching its own on the Big Ten model. (SEC commissioner Mike Slive, who seems to have more interest in Texas than Texas has in the SEC, has repeatedly emphasized the freedom SEC schools have to pursue their own media rights deals outside of the league-wide contracts with CBS and ESPN, an open invitation to the Longhorns."

-- Yahoo! has an interesting behind-the-scenes look at the life of the writers on "Parks and Recreation."

-- I'm shocked that anyone could possibly still care enough about "Flash Forward" to put this much effort into saving the show.

-- And finally, it's hard to believe that it's been 25 years since we were first introduced to the Truffle Shuffle.

40 comments:

j.leonardjr said...

You already have the two best choices that aren't on a Premium Channel. I would say "The Shield" since it is my all time favorite show. Hard to beat the ruthless hero Vic Mackey.

"Mad Men" is a solid choice too. My wife and I just watched the first three seasons this spring on DVD and can't wait for the start of Season 4 July 25th.

Anonymous said...

True Blood

Anonymous said...

Mad Men

Anonymous said...

Absolutely has to be Breaking Bad. That show is incredible.

Anonymous said...

How to Make It In America, on HBO, is a new show that I really got into this season.

Ward said...

In order of decreasing excellence:
1) The West Wing
2) The Shield
3) Breaking Bad

I was initially a huge Rescue Me fan, but the show lost me 1 or 2 seasons ago.

Finally, the #1 "Premium Channel" show I can recommend would be Dexter

Brannon (BC REAL) said...

"Mad Men" or "Breaking Bad" are excellent choices. "Breaking Bad" is just finishing up the 3rd season and all I can say is WOW! "Mad Men" will start season 4 in late July/early August.

Of those not on your list, "Justified" is a new Timothy Olyphant show on F/X that my wife and I have found entertaining. It is close to finishing up season 1. I assume it is On Demand.

On your recommendation we have started Friday Night Lights on Netflix, and you have not steered me wrong. Big thanks to you on that suggestion David!

mdhenshaw said...

Justified on FX is the best new show on TV.

Anonymous said...

Arrested Development is over and done with. I have no idea why this show is still not on the air, but you can buy the complete series on DVD. Currently watching my way through season 3 for the second time.

AC in Boulder said...

Breaking Bad, Dexter and Mad Men are the 3 best by far in that order (in my opinion). However Dexter is on showtime, but well worth it. Justified is good and Elmore Leonard's influence is all over it, but it's new and the Shield was entertaining. This is coming from someone who thinks The Wire was the best show in the history of TV.

Anonymous said...

Chuck! But I think you're already watching it?

BullyMack said...

Dave-Man, I have to throw my hat in for Sons of Anarchy. I just got in on the last season and got through with friends helping with some of the back story. Now I'm into the first season. It had me on the edge of my seat looking forward to each week. The SAMCRO motorcycle club, family legacies, loyalty, in-fighting, crooked cops/ Feds, kidnapping, drugs, running guns, murders, broken alliances, Mexican gangs, White Supremists, jail, ball-busting hot chicks, sex and good music in the episodes for the cherry on top. Season 3 starts in Sept.

Anonymous said...

sons of anarchy is fantastic.

Anonymous said...

24 was much better than lost. i know it doesn't have new episodes, but it would hook you in one weekend...

Unknown said...

Surprised by the lack a response for Rescue Me. I think it could be the best show on TV right now. I continue to turn people on to this and everyone has thanked me. It is a show that pushes limits on some things but the guy humor gives a couple good chuckles every show. This season starts at the end of June so you would have to hurry to be ready in time.

Anonymous said...

When did they get those combine stats, anyway? Do you have the date?
I am wondering if Washaun or Caleb participated in any of the run/jump stuff because of their knees (both of them... I mean both of the players, not both of their knees).

Unknown said...

Echoing many of the other posts, "Mad Men" and "Breaking Bad" have outstanding actors and storylines.

I think AMC deserves to get highest marks of basic cable networks for their original programming.

Anonymous said...

Why is nobody listening to the fact that those times were all done by hand. In order to convert hand times to automatic timing, you must add .24 seconds. That's the international standard for conversion in track and field. Do that, and the times are much more reasonable.

As for the show, I recommend Leverage. I just started watching it On Demand the other night and got hooked.

Anonymous said...

I actually like the show "Leverage". New episodes start back on TNT June 20th. It's kind of in the mold of Ocean's Eleven.

Not deep, but twisty enough to hold your interest.

Anonymous said...

Mad Men

Big Phil said...

Sad to see LOST go but, as you know, there is plenty more to see out there...

If you've never seen Arrested Development you must watch it. Hands down my favorite comedy TV show of all time. I know you didn't ask for comedies but this will be the only one I suggest. Endlessly rewatchable too because the jokes just stack on one another and get funnier with each viewing. So much blatant humor for the average viewer and hidden treats for the diehards like myself.

Justified has been my favorite new show of this year, the characters are great and the southern accents (which are usually hard to pull off by non-southerners) are believable and not over the top for the most part. The story builds each episode and will culminate in a great finale that comes on tomorrow at 10.

Sons of Anarchy on FX is outstanding, that is the one you should check out for sure. Katey Sagal finally gets to show off what a great actress she is. Ron "Hellboy" Perlman and Charlie "Green Street Hooligans" Hunnam are also outstanding. 2 seasons have passed and the 3rd will come out in the fall.

I've also heard that Treme on HBO is good, I believe it is about post-Katrina New Orleans. Maybe that floats your boat (pardon the pun), maybe not.

True Blood is fun to watch on HBO. It doesn't take itself too seriously and is based off of some books. I've read a few and liked them, but like the show a lot better. And you get to see Rogue from X-men naked so that's a plus.

One I haven't seen mentioned yet is Spartacus: Blood and Sand. Starz shows that one. Another fun one to watch. I think the guys who did Xena are behind this show. Be forewarned though, there is so much tna it's borderline soft core pornography sometimes.

Mad Men is a tricky one. It is well-acted and portrays the 1960s better than anyone else, but my problem with it is that I just couldn't grow to like the characters (except for January Jones, but that is just because she is a smokin' hottie). If you like shows that you "root" for characters on, then Mad Men probably isn't a great fit.

Never seen Rescue Me but plan to when it climbs up my Netflix queue. Same with Breaking Bad.

The Shield was a good one too. I pretty much marathoned it via Netflix and really enjoyed it. Great characters, and superb acting in the later seasons by Glenn Close and Forest Whitaker.

Bones on FOX is also a good one. I think it has been around for 5 seasons now. That is a good one to watch with a girlfriend/spouse because it has some drama, comedy, and sexual tension rolled into every episode.

Unknown said...

Fringe is a good show that no one has mentioned. And like LOST, JJ Abrams also did this show. Its a great show that brings most of the fringe science questions, like time travel for instance, to reality.

Anonymous said...

Breaking Bad and the Shield without a doubt. Breaking Bad is the best show of TV.

Chilly P said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Chilly P said...

I thoroughly enjoy Mad Men, but there's really not much to write about. If you want a show you can theorize about, then I'd suggest the remake of Battlestar Galactica. Unfortunately, that show is over...and the ending is even more controversial than LOST's (This suggestion is coming from someone who's never seen Star Trek...except for the Abrams movie).

Might I also strongly recommend Dexter? Season 4 isn't out on DVD yet, but you can the other 3 through Netflix (and the first is on Instant Queue).

I would also like to strongly advise against 24. That show was terrible outside of the first season.

Unknown said...

Fringe! It would be right up your ally after lost. Great great show.

Carter said...

I've recommended Breaking Bad and Sons of Anarchy to you before. Bryan Cranston is the best actor on TV and Katey Sagal is the best actress. Breaking Bad is in the Sopranos/ Wire/ Deadwood category of all-time great dramas. The promos for SOA actually turned me off from watching the show in the beginning, but that was a big mistake. Plus, there is a self-righteous do-gooder sheriff on SOA named David Hale.

Klesko12 said...

The Shield: Excellent show with great character development, only problem is it ended 3 years ago after 7 seasons.

Fringe: Similar to Lost in that every episode is building towards revealing more and more about the plotline/universe, I really enjoyed this season especially the last 2-3 episodes.

Dexter: This show alone is worth the price of Showtime, plus you get the tudors, weeds, and Californication on there. Dexter's season finale was AWESOME this past year and you can watch season's 1 and 2 on netflix streaming

Archer: Probably the most overt sexual humor Ive seen and hilarious, first season on netflix streaming

Sons of anarchy: I missed the 1st few episodes of season one but overall a good show

Rescue Me: Ends this season, great guy's humor

Spartacus: Terrible show but entertaining, can't see you blogging about this.

I think for your blogging about a show, Fringe and Dexter are your best bets, Shield would be great if you started it from scratch but it isn't on anymore.

Mr.Layhe said...

Trailer Park Boys on directv channel 101 thu.10:00 p.m.

Anonymous said...

criminal minds

EmotionalFescue said...

I've watched all those shows you mentioned and I am a big fan of them. But Breaking Bad has to be where you go to next. Its been on for 2 seasons and Bryan Cranston won the Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actor in a drama both years. Last night's episode was jaw dropping.

Stuart said...

On now would be JUSTIFIED and PARTY DOWN. Coming soon would be MAD MEN

Joeski said...

Justified for sure.
Dexter for sure.
If you like Crime/procedural stuff like Law & Order, I highly recommend The Mentalist. Season 1 is out on DVD.

My guilty pleasure is Burn Notice. All of the episodes are watchable, and some are really freaking good.

If you haven't seen them, watch Rome and Deadwood on DVD.

Daniel said...

I don't see how people watch most of the USA/TNT stuff. I just can't get into it, outside of Men of a Certain Age. Tried watching Leverage and it was god awful.

Anyone who is interested in Ocean 11-y or Leverage-y type shows, check out Hustle on Netflix. It's a BBC show and kicks the crap out of Leverage.

meat said...

Absolutely Breaking Bad. The show can effortlously go from great action one episode to pure dialogue character development in the next. Bryan Cranston is unbelievably good. As well as Aaron Paul.

I stuck with Mad Men and I now love it despite the slow start. So many good characters. I am almost done with season 2. Since you are looking for one to blog about though, BB is about to finish up it's season. Mad Men starts up at the end of July.

Anonymous said...

Damages - easily the best show currently on.

The Watch Dawg said...

Sons of Anarchy. Absolutely loved season 1, and have catching up on season 2 at the top of my list of things to do before season 3 arrives. Outstanding show with a great cast.

Anonymous said...

1) No question: Dexter. Season 1 was like a classic novel in a modern format. The successive seasons have been excellent as well. (I know it is on Showtime but well, it is the best)

2) Mad Men

T-Rey594 said...

SONS OF ANARCHY! or the Shield

David said...

Can someone explain to me why UGA is ranked 8th on ESPN and Florida is ranked 7th, yet UGA has more commitments and more "ESPN 150" commitments than Florida? Doesn't math seem to indicate that when UGA has 10 commitments, 8 of which are 4 stars, and UF has 4 commitments, all of which are 4 stars, we average out better? Am I just missing something?