Recommend me a series...

[Ace!]

For an imperfect and occasionally ridiculous season, the end of Kenny Powers 2 was perfect.

[pwb]

[Ace!]

I think my favorite episode was Fly. When I have the opportunity to immediately move on in a show, I love interlude episodes, episodes where the writers get a chance to sit back and play with the characters and the formula.

I liked the lack of music and how that amplified the interactions between the characters. It was just a tight, incredibly focused episode,

[pwb]

I really like Fly a lot too, it seems to get a lot of flack among fans but I think it re-focuses attention on the heart of the show, which is Walt & Jesse's relationship. Walt's monologue was simply amazing. Cranston really knocked it out of the park there. And when he was trying to tell Jesse he was sorry, but not being able to tell him he was sorry. Powerful stuff.

There was also a nice playfulness to their interaction too, which iirc hadn't really been seen much since season one. I particularly liked when Walt pretended to relent to Jesse's insistence that he get out of the lab, only to lock him outside once they got to the landing. I can't remember what exactly he says to Jesse through the glass, but I do remember finding it really funny.

[leokef]

I missed the last couple Hawaii Five-O episodes and only now do I see that one of the episodes I missed had Bronson Pinchot in it. ARRGGGHHH.

Although I still don't see Wo Fat anywhere. Fuck this new show, I ain't watching it anymore.

[Martin Penwald]

After all the heavy stuff in Breaking Bad, I need some more light-hearted fare, so I'm getting back into Eureka.

[Martin Penwald]

I found the lighting in this scene to be really interesting. So harsh, so hard...I don't really know how to express it.

[Horseboy]

I started watching Dr. Who. It's awesome. I like William Hartnell.

[pwb]

I have seen 3 episodes of Louie now, and I think I am in love. Man, Stephen Root as the Dentalphobe Dentist was simultaneously one of the most hilarious and creepy things I've ever seen. Also saw God which was pretty scary! The Catholic Church is scary!

The other episode I saw was of course the Pilot, I'm gonna try to fill in the blanks here if I can find a decent torrent.

[BaconFat]

There is a specific reason that you must watch THE FIRST THREE EPISODES of Louie!!

[pwb]

I would have watched them in order! But my buddy skipped ahead and was already on episode 7 or 8, and so I watched that episode and the following episode I think. I'm gonna watch the first three episodes, though! I really like this show.

[Martin Penwald]

One thing I really like about Japanese TV series is that they are produced with a much smaller budget than many western series. Sounds weird? Well, for the one or two people who kept reading past "Japanese", let me explain to you why I feel that way:

If you're producing a TV series that runs for 5 season á ~20 episodes and sell said series to countries all over the world, you can pump gigantic amounts of money into setpieces and SFX. In Japan, however, primetime series usually last for only one season with anywhere between 8 and 11 episodes, and that's it. Furthermore, they air only in Japan, i.e. there's no money to be made from licensing them to foreign TV stations/DVD companies. This, in turn, means that there's no money to spend on elaborate setpieces; no money to build twenty different locations for one episode.

The Japanese compensate for that by shooting a great deal of footage outside, not on the premises of some studio where they recreate whole streets, but on location in, usually, various parts of Tôkyô and Yokohama, sometimes also Kyôto. The amount of scenes where the actors walk down real streets, sit in real parks and run around real neighbourhoods is unmatched. Not only does this lend the series a more realistic feeling, it's also really nice for someone like me who lived in Japan and recognizes quite a few of the places. "Oh hey I've been there" is an awesome feeling.

As far as beautiful shots are concerned, Shooting star/Nagareboshi pretty much takes the cake. Some screenshots from episode 5:

Asakusa (Tôkyô)



Dunno where, but the view is awesome:



Guess which mountain this is (hint: yes, it is the one you think it is)

[BaconFat]

The idea of making one series for a show is awesome. I don't have a lot of experience with Japanese television but I liked the fact that Cowboy Bebop was one series and that's it. (Oh, ok there was movie but you know what I mean) I wish Americans could do that sometimes. Shows like LOST or Prison Break could be so much better (perhaps even watchable) if they had a beginning, middle and an end in a series of somewhere between 12 and 24 episodes.

The goal of making shows that span multiple seasons so you can rake in the cash or keep a steady job is often very contrary to making quality television.

[pwb]

[Confucius Rex]

I'm watching The Prisoner right now. It's fucking crazy.