Posted on 11/12/2012 3:14:13 PM PST by Leaning Right
A couple of weeks ago I was aimlessly changing channels when I came across CBS's "Vegas", a drama about the mob in Las Vegas in the early 1960's. It's a fantastic show, with a strong sense of right and wrong, and I didn't even know that the show existed.
So evidently not all of TV is either mindless reality or bland comedy. Any suggestions for other good TV dramas?
Many of the sorter season dramas on the cable networks are pretty good.
They show up at different times during the year:
Burn Notice [getting somewhat stale—it has been on for several years]
White Collar
Suits
Flashpoint (ION TV)
Copper just concluded season 1 on BBCAmerica
Hell on Wheels (AMC)
Justified (FX)
Southland (TNT)
Most of those show up in reruns and marathons at various times.
In no particular order:
Castle
Burn Notice
White Collar
Leverage
NCIS
NCIS LA
Psych
Suits
Royal Pains
Vegas
Funny I see that about White Collar (which hasn’t been on as long) more than Burn Notice.
Netflix is great. Many shows on cable — when I didn’t get cable — are on Netflix now.
http://free-classic-tv-shows.com/Drama/index.php
The good stuff...
Armstrong Circle Theatre
Climax!
Diagnosis Unknown
Four Star Playhouse
General Electric True Theater
Gruen Guild Playhouse
Lux Video Theatre
Man With A Camera
Studio One
Suspicion
Best show on TV=tie between “Sons of Anarchy” and “Homeland,” with “Dexter” a close second. Later, “Suits” and “Hell on Wheels” start up, then later “Boss,” then “Breaking Bad” for it’s final eight episodes. (Guess I should have put “Breaking Bad” first-—fantastic, but the series is almost over).
Justified and The Good Wife are my favorites
Also, if you have never seen Chiklis in “The Shield,” it remains the best show ever on TV. “The Wire” is a close second. Rent them.
If you enjoy the medieval period you might like Game Of Thrones on HBO. It’s fantasy fiction and psychological thriller with a little horror thrown in, sort of Pillars Of The Earth if it were written by Dean Koontz, lol.
Well acted, well cast, beautiful sets, props, costuming and location (Ireland).
It can be quite adult at times, and it can be gory. It’s almost put me off because of this several times.
I’ll say the same for Boardwalk Empire, just a beautiful production, Steve Buscemi is the embodiment of a mob boss, surprisingly enough. Again, quite adult at times, and can be gory. Setting is early Atlantic City, teens and twenties, boom years. Stunning show, but disturbing at times.
The premises that some tv programs just do not hold up well ongoing series. They would be better served to be mini-series, I think.
I enjoyed Political Animals. It has about 6 episodes, IIRC. It didn’t get enough viewership to get renewed, but it didn’t have a cliff-hanger ending the left viewers hanging after it was cancelled.
There are still many TV series from the past 40 years that ended with cliff-hangers and no series resolutions.
The DNC...and the GOP...pretty good corruption and mob’ish like show.
“Last Resort”, Thursday nights on ABC......Absolutely riveting.
I’d go back and watch all the seasons of “24,” possibly the last TV series made by a conservative.
If you don’t mind a show with no sense of right or wrong and you like Michael Chiklis (the bad gangster from Vegas), I can’t recommend highly enough getting all episodes of “the Sheild.” However, as noted above, it is very morally ambiguous and the bad guys often win.
Blue Bloods
THE WIRE.
Best series ever!
As a side note, if you have Comcast cable (Xfinity), past episodes are available for free via their “On Demand” function.........
Coming after the first of the year: Southland and Justified.
You can visit web sites for more info. Just search the names.
If you like gangster fare go to HBO and AMC web sites for Boardwalk Empire (a lot of nudity-heads up).
Breaking bad finishing up next year. may want to check out the first season and see whether to continue.
Check out BBC on wed night for Dramaville (the Hour and author) and other good british dramas.
I like Homeland on Showtime, very much.
Try The Wire if you can find it, perhaps HBO GO. One of the best series ever.
Yes, find a good book. TV today is little more than crap and all you will be getting is Hollyweird agenda.
So, find a good book - then find another.
Dramaville (The Hour AND LUTHOR)
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