What are you watching on the television?

I'm intrigued by Westworld and any other [INSERT TRENDING TV SERIES] but I've always started TV series (especially the American HBO stuff) once they are about three seasons deep. I know a lot of people that didn't like how Prison Break got worse, or the way Lost ended, or Heroes etc. etc. There's also the fact that I simply don't have the time like I did in my uni days when I'd binge watch The Wire or Deadwood or The Shield. Outside of Breaking Bad and Game of Thrones, the only show I've watched for numerous seasons is The Sopranos.

What shows are still really good and are on their 3rd season at the moment?

Drunkalilly wrote:

They're both produced by Abrams, I believe. I think all Jimbob was referring to was the general problem of a show introducing lots of appetising mysteries but never properly solving them.

Westworld hasn't had that issue yet. I was satisfied by the ending of its first series, whilst still hungry for more.

Only massively late to the party, I've been sat down in front of The IT Crowd, seasons 1 and (most of) 2. While genuinely funny, so much of it is massively awkward cringe-humour, and has me hiding behind whatever's available. But I have it on good faith that working in IT is genuinely like that.

The IT Crowd is much better than the American remake where they removed all the jokes and called it The Big Bang Theory.

See, I've never hated TBBT.  It's not world-beating, but it's alright.  I think it cops a lot of flack from people who think that's a stereotype of how nerds behave, whereas Roy and Moss are less 'laughed at' in TITC.  Trouble is, I've known (in my time) people who are pretty close to Sheldon, at the very least.  Super-intelligent nerds operate on different planes of social awkwardness to even normal nerds.

It is of course American, so it's never going to be as good as the pinnacles of British comedy.

I don't necessarily hate it, but it has way overstayed its welcome. On top of that, Sheldon is very inconsistently written in a way that feels disrespectful and it has a habit of "jokes" which are actually just a string of vague references to geeky things.

At the end of the day, Big Bang Theory isn't actually aimed at me. Every science or maths or geek culture reference is painstakingly explained right after it's dropped. In something like How I Met Your Mother, New Girl or Brooklyn 99, occasional geeky jokes are dropped but they're allowed to breathe on their own and if you don't get it, it moves on.

There are a lot of issues with BBT though, to me it reminds me of the "humour" on display recently on Facebook, with the "tag X, *implication that they've had sex*" posts. It's just pointing and laughing at people and the things they like. There is a laugh literally every time someone mentions something that a nerd would like. Supposedly it's not a laugh track, so I have no idea where they find morons to laugh at that stuff.

Then you have the fact that (at least in older episodes/ones I've seen) it basically has 4 -unfunny character specific jokes (nerd, scared of girls, girl, guy on autistic spectrum) that they lean ridiculously heavily on for every single episode and I just find the show offensive. I genuinely don't think I've ever hated a show so much in my life. The worst.

There's much better ways to handle somebody who is on the spectrum and I think that is not the way to do so, I especially feel that way after seeing it handled well in Fantastic Beasts.

Considering that my family directed most of the jokes about TBBT at me... I'll agree that it's not great towards autistic people, but otherwise (as somebody who's close enough to the stereotypes being parodied) I feel it's inoffensive enough. And it manages to make me laugh occasionally.

Glad to see others that hate TBBT. It's one of numerous sitcoms that operates without any actual jokes (looking at you Mrs Brown's Boys... ). What I don't understand is how it's a Chuck Lorre production yet I loved the first 8 seasons of Two and a Half Men. Different writers perhaps.

I've got no issues with TBBT and is to me is just part of the American Comedy's such as How I Met Your Mother, New Girl or Brooklyn 99.

Some may find it offensive but then I've been told by owner of a comic book shop that likes of TBBT and Comic Book movies being in the mainstream has helped the shop loads as you now have people who would have never went near the shop, now go in there.

I don't think you can say the 2 things are equal to contributing to that though. I think the Marvel films in particular would have opened up the audience for comic books than something that just takes the piss out of people for being into something.

Just thinking about that show genuinely makes me angry...

Its just what Tony said when we were in the shop playing Magic one night and how the shops fortunes really turned around with these things in the mainstream.

One of those he brought up was TBBT, I don't know how if it was people coming in to buy a flash shirt for instance but he see saw it a positive and no one said they disliked the show when we their and we were playing magic the gathering on a Tuesday night in a comic book shop, can't much more nerdy then that.

gjones wrote:

Glad to see others that hate TBBT.

Honestly, I feel I'm more in the minority, even just being okay with it. I see a looot of hate for the show flying around.

Anyway I've not actually watched it in ages, and I've enjoyed TITC thus far.

One contributing factor might be that I'm really into comedy; I love Stewart Lee and Bojack Horseman, so your Michael McIntyres and Big Bang Theories just do my nut in. I can see how someone who doesn't spend their whole life reading and writing and listening to and seeking out jokes and comedy might sit down at the end of a long day and laugh at this mainstream stuff, but it just doesn't do anything for me.

TV for me is almost never a primary activity.  I'm either watching it with friends, so the socialising takes priority, or I'm doing something else at the same time: the latter in the case of TBBT.

Michael McIntyre, though?  There we agree.  Suspect it might just be his delivery, but I've never found the man funny.

He doesn't tell jokes, he just lists things . . .

TBBT is about four or five years past its prime. It's a shame that American TV companies let successful things run and run: see later seasons of Friends and The Simpsons, where once well-rounded characters are pushed to more and more extremes so that episode ideas can be mined. I think it used to be fun, though.

As a fan of stand-up, I also agree with the assessment that Michael McIntyre ain't great. I see him as stand-up for people who don't like stand-up. The best stand-up has me helpless with laughter - Michael McIntyre might elicit a half-chuckle from me, if he's lucky.

I don't think Michael McIntyre and Peter Kay are quite as bad as people say - Peter Kay has his gags in unexpected stacks, for want of a better way of explaining it. There are a lot of mainstream "I have a DVD" comedians, though, that aren't as clever as the ones I/we grew up on. I shouldn't be able to beat you to the punchline, with the suspicion that I could have told it better.
Mr. Bishop.

I fucking hate The Big Bang Theory. I love the IT crowd, but really I mean a bit of series 1, and series 2, like a lot of Linehan's things.

Yeah Michael Mcintyre is alright, he essentially stole a lot of what made Lee Evans so successful. I liked Peter Kay but he did the right thing and moved towards television work.

What I will say is that many of the popular, modern comedians aren't as sharp as the previous generation - the Frank Skinners, the Paul Mertons. Ross Noble is up there though.

I am glad that the winner of The Apprentice won the programme. Of the final two, the winner was the person I was cheering on - the other person was a bit of a muppet, if I'm honest. Who needs spoiler tags?

Also, Modus, the latest Scandinavian super-slow police thriller that BBC Four have got their hands on. It's pretty good - moody, atmospheric, slow. Can't say fairer than that.

Who needs spoiler tags when you can just blurt out the winner on the radio at 2AM?

I woke up for seconds last night and heard the winner, who needs to know that badly that they didn't see the show?!

Out of the final 2 yes, but that's probably because I didn't rate the other contestant at all. I still reckon Francis should've won overall...

I thought she was plucky up until the interviews episode, where I went right off her. She became arrogant and slippery. Not good.

Sherlock anybody?

That was...:

Well I don't come here often given that I've nae telly but the Crumpster absolutely nailed it for me when it comes to TBBT. Hate that show. But that's far from a majority opinion, it was popular in my old workplace and people assumed I'd like it because I openly play video games.

Also the fact that Drunka lists Stuart Lee and Bojack Horseman as his favs is all on me and Billtho. I honestly feel like I've ruined the rest of comedy for the fella, and he expresses that damn near daily       .

Out of curiosity I watched a few episodes of Time Commanders the other day. What a bizarre show that was back in the day right. Get a load of randos to play a modified Rome Total War Game in some minging warehouse setup. Totally worked on me as a kid though. They've changed things up for the re-make, with teams pitted against each other and battles not exclusively ancient. It's still very odd, more so by the fact that that bloke from masterchef is running around shouting at everyone, but I sort of like it.

Honestly that and Robot Wars is the only TV I watched all last year that wasn't wrestling or Black Mirror/Game Of Thrones. I think I've watched more telly at the gym than in anyone's house.

I've always heard nice things about Sherlock but I've never watched it.

I haven't watched Sherlock yet as I'm currently avoiding iPlayer to convince the police I don't need a TV Licence