Last week I was hooked on House of Cards. For a few days I watched nothing else but this great show starring Kevin Spacey. I stopped watching TV shows for a while (the last one probably was Breaking Bad where I stopped watching during season 3), but watching this it reminded me how great they can be and how much more depth they can offer compared of a movie because of their longer running time. It also made me wonder about your own personal favorites. Mine definitely would be The Sopranos, The Wire and Lost and the first couple of seasons of 24.
What are your favorite TV shows and what’s the first one that really got you into the format, wanting to follow it “religiously”?
I don’t really follow TV-shows religiously.. though I do watch too many shows throughout the year so I guess I follow the format religiously.
The show that got me hooked was probably One Tree Hill. The first four seasons are still embedded into my mind and that show thought me to love characters. It also thought me that sometimes it’s good to finish before it’s too late. The show definitely ran for too long.
Naming my favorite shows now is impossible. The last marathon I had was Scandal though, it was awesome.
I don’t either, but now having seen House of Cards I want to get into other ones now. Never seen One Tree Hill, but you are right that some shows go on for way too long.
Think it the first TV show I got truly obsessed with and watched religiously was Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I was hooked fairly quickly. Think from then on, I picked up TV shows left, right and centre.
Favourite TV shows ever? Tough one, but …. here goes – Breaking Bad, The Wire, The Sopranos, Buffy, Angel, Battlestar Galacica. The list could go on!
I’d urge you to pick up Breaking Bad again. Seriously, the best show I have ever seen. And now that it’s over, the current TV climate feels a little sad!
Never saw Buffy…but then again I never was interested in vampire stories.
Have not seen Battlestar Galactica (although I did see a lot of the original series).
I stopped watching Breaking Bad during the season where he had issues with his wife. The show started to feel too much like a soap opera and that is when I stopped watching. So you are saying I should give it a chance again?
Definitely give Breaking Bad another go. All that stuff that was going on had a reason to be going on. Do it!
I remember the original BSG, only saw it on and off as a child. The new series is magnificent. More than “just” a sci-fi TV show. Honestly. It’s up there with The Wire and Sopranos.
I just got into watching TV shows “regilously,” and BREAKING BAD, DR. WHO, and MAD MEN are among my favorites. I also love AMERICAN HORROR STORY (yes, I frickin’ love that finale!) and THE WALKING DEAD…with its deeply-flawed zombie muck.
I obviously have a lot of shows to catch on, so it’d be great if everyone suggested theirs in the comments. I’ll be on the lookout! 🙂
I never saw Mad Men either but it seemed interesting, just like Boardwalk Empire…haven’t watched either of those shows though.
I have a huge amount I want to check out still, but usually opt for watching movies instead.
Oh man, If I devoted so much time, joy and effort to my work as I do to excellent TV I’d be the Queen of the world by now 🙂
My favorite shows of all time are respectively in drama and comedy – Deadwood & The Thick of It.
My favorite show currently on air is Game of Thrones, followed by American Horror Story. The first show I loved is probably Friends 🙂
Hahaha, so you missed you chance at being the queen of the world because of those TV shows, what a shame! Still have to watch the last season of Deadwood. Has been in my to watch pile for years now! 🙂
Friends is something I’ll always watch when I come across it on TV.
Good question.
Previously “The Sopranos” and “Battlestar Gallactica”
Currently “American Horror Story”, “Sherlock”, “Game of Thrones”, and “Vampire Diaries”. The only ones I am current with is “American Horror Story” and “Sherlock”.
There are other shows I have gotten into, but I just don’t have the time to keep up with everything.
Except for Sopranos I have seen none of them. Out of the ones you mention I would be most interested in giving Battlestar and Game of Thrones a chance.
PS I’m a huge “Doctor Who” fan, and have been since the original run days with the 3rd & 4th Doctor before dropping out sometime with the 5th Doctor. I loved that the BBC started the series again and liked the 9th and loved the 10th. As for Matt Smith, that’s when the show stopped being must-see TV for me. I liked Smith as the Doctor, but I feel the stories have let him down. Moffat writes great individual episodes, but is not a good show runner.
I must admit I have not seen a single Doctor Who episode and know that it is an epic thing with so many seasons. Guess I will not be able to jump into it and like it…
Great question. Some of my favorites:
Past: The Wire, The Sopranos, Breaking Bad, Seinfeld, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Six Feet Under
Present: Game of Thrones, Mad Men, Parks & Recreation
I am really not up to speed on the newer shows, but have seen some of the older ones you mention. Seinfeld never was my thing and have not seen Curb your Enthusiasm or Six Feet Under.
I don’t watch a lot of TV shows as it’s hard for me to start with one and then follow it along. Yet, there are some shows that I do watch whenever a new episode is on. Boardwalk Empire, Eastbound & Down, and South Park while the newest show that I do like is Masters of Sex.
Except for South Park (which I don’t watch anymore) I have not seen any of the other shows you mention…really need to get into TV shows a bit more.
Nice question. My all time favorite is The Sopranos, followed by The Wire, Breaking Bad, The Simpsons, Seinfeld, Twin Peaks, Arrested Development, Mad Men, The Daily Show, South Park, and so on. The one I first became obsessed with was The Simpsons.
Twin Peaks is another show I really should be checking out as I never saw that. Think a friend of mine has the show on DVD, will need to borrow it. I watched a lot of Simpsons too when I was young!
Twin Peaks is great, very bizarre but incredibly addicting. The show falls off a bit in season 2 but it’s still one of television’s greatest series in my opinion.
I haven’t watched a TV show ‘religiously’ for ages. I think the last one I saw was this pure guilty pleasure vampire show MOONLIGHT on CBS. Since then I’ve only caught stuff on Netflix but never really become ‘obsessed’ with anything yet.
Have you seen House of Cards Ruth? If not you should check it out…you will finish it in no time 😉
Buffy was definitely the first show that I was obsessed with. I’m re-watching it all with my girlfriend, as she hasn’t seen it. I highly recommend it, even if you’re not fussed by vampies.
Another great show, which I’m surprised hasn’t had other mentions here, is The West Wing. The dialogue in the show is just perfect, and if you like ‘House of Cards’, you’ll like The West Wing.
I have never seen it and doubt I could really get into it, but maybe I should give it a chance.
I know my sister has all the seasons on DVD, so might borrow it from her.
Hi, Nostra:
As a kid, I would watch ABC’s ‘Combat!’ and ‘The Outer Limits’ throughout its many 1960s seasons. Had a B&W Zenith. So color didn’t matter. Both series were made for B&W.
Didn’t get back into religiously watching a series until NBC’s ‘Hill Street Blues’ through the early and mid 1980’s. Still the best written, pre-cable ensemble cop show on television!
Followed HBO’s ‘The Wire’ from beginning to end. Superb writing and wickedly believable characters!
Big fan of FX’s ‘Justified’. The logical extension of Timothy Olyphant beyond HBO’s ‘Deadwood’. Walton Goggins is an incredible nemesis for Olyphant’s Marshall Raylan Givens.
Big kudos to Cumberbatch’s ‘Sherlock’ and BBC/America’s ‘Orphan Black’!
I have heard of The Outer Limits, but do not know if I ever saw it. Hill Street Blues was on when I was growing up, but never watch that one.
The Wire is the best police show ever to me exactly for the reasons you mention.
Have not seen Justified, but thought was Deadwood was good (although I generally am not a fan of westerns). Still have to watch the last season though. Had not heard of Justified before.
I go through phases with TV shows. I’ll become obsessed but then won’t watch any for ages. It all kicked off with X Files for me and since then I’ve really enjoyed watching The Wire, The West Wing, The Walking Dead, Mad Men and Game of Thrones. Breaking Bad is next on my list though.
I guess that is the way it works for me as well. Still curious about checking out Game of Thrones. I might pick up Breaking Bad again…
My favorite TV-shows are The Decalogue(technically a mini-series), Twin Peaks, Fawlty Towers, and The Office (UK)
As you can see from that list, I’m a fan of series with a short run. Just don’t have the patience to follow something that goes on for 5 seasons. I guess that’s why I usually prefer movies 🙂
I heard a lot of good things about The Decalogue and have noted it down as one to watch ages ago. Forgot to mention another show I really love, which is Green Wing. I like shorter shows as well. I remember there being a show about an agent waking up the same day each day. Only one season, but it was very good.
Well lately, I am hooked on The Walking Dead, Sons of Anarchy, and Game of Thrones. I also recently watched all the available Dr. Who and X-files episodes. The first show I was hooked on had to be Magnum PI. 😉 also available for streaming on Netflix.
That’s quite a lot of shows! Magnum PI, says something about your age 😉