Rev/Views Top Shows: Other and The Best Shows I Don't Watch

Category: , By Rev/Views

Finally there are two more categories to close this out, they're both relatively short lists and because the Fall season is close to starting I'm going to put them both together rather than string this out any further.

First up is the category of Other, which covers a handful of shows which I like that I didn't want to put under any of the previous categories. These are listed alphabetically because it's hard to compare the shows to each other.

Blue Planet

There are many, many David Attenborough documentaries which I adore, but the one which rises above the rest (for myself) is without a doubt Blue Planet, as there's something about the seas which have always held a mystery and enthrallment for me. Blue Planet is the documentary series which I feel gives the viewer the best picture of the wonders located beneath the waves across the planet.

It's something I can just sit back and watch; educational, fascinating and beautiful.

The Colbert Report

I'm not a fan of the chat show format, but I do enjoy the spin which The Daily Show puts on, creating a satirical news/chat show with plenty of humour. But The Daily Show isn't my favourite in that genre either, it's the spin off show starring Stephen Colbert (who's in two other shows listed in my top shows) which floats my boat.

I believe it's the utterly deadpan delivery of the show which works so well, Stephen runs his show with an aplomb which almost never cracks and is able to sound so sincere about things that many people are quite confused about the differences between Stephen Colbert the character and Stephen Colbert the human being.

He also gets major props for the 2006 presidential Correspondents Association roast - presented here in it's entirety for you to enjoy.

The Guild

I could have put this one into the sitcom category, but I honestly feel it doesn't quite fit there. It's definitely a web show in it's design. But the brilliance of the writing and cast has resulted in something which has become a very real phenomena and one which I can't approve of enough.

Just starting it's third season The Guild is something you should seriously consider watching; it's free on the web, each episode is around ten minutes long and it's brilliant. No excuses, you should at least give it a try.

Finally there's one last list to come, I shan't go into it in too much detail - but it's the best shows that - for one reason or another - I don't watch.

The Sopranos

This is one I'm about to rectify, finally a version of the complete set was released which fits onto a standard DVD shelf so I picked it up and by now I will have most likely started watching it. All that's held me back from watching this show has been the inaccessibility of watching the show over here in Britain - a combination of poorly designed DVD sets and a lack of broadcasting on non-premium channels.

Lost

This one I do intend to watch again, I loved the first season, despised the second one and gave up a few episodes into the third. But I do plan to watch it all once it's finished and released on DVD. The main reason I've stopped watching is simple, for myself I find the weekly release schedule for Lost is irritating. Just like The Wire I don't feel it's a show which works well if you watch one episode a week, it's better watched in bursts or marathons.

24

I thought the first season was groundbreaking and the second season was a wonderful build on the first one (which was a little disjointed in the story front). But the third season really failed for me, I tried very hard to watch it but ended up stopping with about three or four episodes left before it ended. Yeah, despite being exceptionally close to seeing how the story would end and right in the middle of all the 'exciting' parts I actually found myself bored enough to walk away and never return to the show.

As far as I'm concerned 24 is a show which has gone on for far too long.

True Blood

This is one which just doesn't appeal to me, I'm not sure why if I'm honest as I loved Anna Paquin in the X-Men movies, Chris Bauer (The Wire) is also in it and he's fantastic and Alan Ball (Six Feet Under) created the show - a mix which just screams winner. But I just haven't got around to it yet and I don't really feel excited about the show, perhaps because I'm not so interested in the portrayal of Vampires in True Blood, or perhaps because I just don't have time right now.

I can't exactly explain which it is, but it's something I'm not watching and often I feel I should be.

 

2 comments so far.

  1. Dan 15 September 2009 at 10:46
    The slip with Lost and True Blood is a shame. It's great that you intended to have a huge Lost marathon, but it's the kind of show that benefits from the hype/gossip at the time. I'm betting that you've already soaked up some knowledge that will be detrimental to your FULL enjoyment. My brother has a similar problem. He now REALLY regrets never getting into Lost, doesn't have the time to watch all the episodes, and has picked up nuggets of info that will taint his enjoyment anyway.

    As for True Blood: well, have you tried it? I suggest you give it a go. Rent the S1 box-set and if you're not enjoying it by ep6, fine. But you need to give it that chance.
  2. Rev/Views 15 September 2009 at 18:53
    I've avoided 95% of spoilers for Lost, even when I was watching it I wasn't bothering with all the hype and gossip. Most of the time I don't really speculate about what's going to happen in a show (The Shield was an exception to this) and I prefer to sit back and enjoy the ride. :)

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