OT: the best show on television...

Submitted by Hotel Putingrad on
Returns tonight for its fifth and penultimate season. The Americans, 10:00pm EST on F/X...What are your nominees for second-most show currently on TV? Or what show's return are you most anticipating? Or, most importantly, what do you think happens this season to the Jenningses,and to Oleg? DISCUSS!

gmoney41

March 8th, 2017 at 8:37 AM ^

Westworld was fantastic.  Absolutely loved the first season.  Jonathan Nolan is becoming a name that just delivers.  His massively underrated Person of Interest is one of my favorite shows ever.  Really liked the Americans also.  Game of Thrones is always entertaining also.  Rick and Morty is my sleeper pick, that show is genius.   I really like Fargo and Nick Hawley's new show Legion is really really promising.

I have to agree about Ballers being awful.  I like the Rock a lot, but the douche factor is just too high on that show.  I hated Entourage, mainly because every character was a dude brah douche, so Ballers does nothing for me.

rice4114

March 7th, 2017 at 7:47 PM ^

Americans died the second season like so many others. It was a great show though. Im looking forward to the leftovers and house of cards. The leftovers season one last 4 episodes was pretty amazing tv. Otherwise waiting for game of thrones and watching TWD.

ijohnb

March 7th, 2017 at 8:55 PM ^

Season 2. Stick with it. But honestly, if you don't really like it by now you probably won't. It is a complicated show, think of it as an exploration of different kinds of mental illness. The entire show is a metaphor. It may be that you have to have felt a certain way in your life to even understand what the hell it is about.

ijohnb

March 8th, 2017 at 7:25 AM ^

That is completely possible, I don't know you. I was just trying to lend some perspective. People who think they are watching "a show about the rapture" tend not to like it because that is completely secondary (bordering on irrelevant) to the actual themes of the show. Thought perhaps you were one of those waiting for it to "get to the point" that it has no intention of going to. It is kind of like the book The Road where people read 250 pages to try to get to the description of the apocolyptic event that the author has no real interest in. Wasn't trying to impune your watching abilities. I will say, honestly, if you make it through Episode 6 ("Guest") and still don't care for it I wouldn't waste your time anymore. For fans of the show, that is a landmark episode and if that doesn't get you invested than it is just not a show you are going to like.

BeatOSU52

March 7th, 2017 at 9:30 PM ^

In my opinion, last season of The Americans was the best yet.  

I am a big tv drama buff. To answer the OP, I'll go with Fargo  of what I am looking forward to the return most of , especially as there wasn't a season in 2016. . Two (very underrated) top drama shows after that are Halt and Catch Fire and Rectify (okay this just this ended  but I wanted to put it out that show is amazing and I highly recommend it). Better Call Saul is up there too I am looking forward too.  

And yeah, Oleg is a great character on The Americans.  Extremly well-developed. 

 

Edit:  Sorry, I admit that I didn't read all of the thread's replies and see a poster below my endorsed Rectify .  That reminds me of I am looking forward to Bloodline season 3.  I personally think season 2 somehow made it almost just has good as season 1 , which I didn't think was possible.  Just my opinion of course.  I admit it'll be hard to see how they carry on that show in terms of another season.

Robbie Moore

March 7th, 2017 at 10:01 PM ^

A great screen homage to Elmore Leonard. A frenemy bromance. Fequently funny, never too heavy, sometimes breezy and always entertaining without a big emotional effort on the viewers part.  And what can I say, Walton Goggins is a great actor.

Lou MacAdoo

March 7th, 2017 at 11:39 PM ^

I'm not a big TV series guy because I just don't watch a lot of TV, but I have gotten sucked into a few. Justified is a personal favorite. Great writing and casting. Raylon Givens was a great character and as the seasons went by I found myself liking Boyd Crowder more and more. This made for an interesting watch as I found myself pulling for both of them. The other thing that really made the show great was the quality casting of the scummy hillbilly bad guys. Man they had some real scumbags on that show. Oh yeah and Natalie Zea is so damn sexy.

Chalky White

March 8th, 2017 at 8:01 AM ^

Some women at work this morning were talking about The Amerikans. They love that show. She also likes Fargo. I watched seasons one and two. I watch these while I walk in the treadmill at night. Fargo served its purpose but I thought it was extremely far fetched.

 

It's difficult for me to have a favorite show because by nature, I micro-analyze everything I watch on tv. I can't help it. I lose interest quicker than most.

schreibee

March 8th, 2017 at 1:21 PM ^

This is a dual response to Kevin & Chalky (who although he claims he doesn't like TV has an avatar named after a TV character?):

"Far fetched'? Fargo? Whatever would make you say that? That show could NEVER have been condensed into 2 hours without losing so much of it's ambience and detail - Season 1 or especially 2.

I think the Kevin reply is just a direct result of the bombardment of the interwebs - I'm actually surprised you're willing to give anything 2 hours anymore. It takes an event of Logan proportion to get my 14-year old to invest that much time and attention into anything. He's a serial (I think the guy's name is) Matthew Santoro & Ridiculousness watcher. That'll be the length of attention anyone will have to give in the not too distant future.

AS for shows aside from Fargo I enjoy:

Lots have been mentioned and are obvious (GoT, TWD), some less obvious (Justified, Person of Interest), some pretty new and not fully ingrained into the mass consciousness yet (Legion).

Here's 2 shows I haven't seen a mention of yet that I highly recommend:

The Expanse on SyFy (maybe the best thing on TV these days, No Shit!)

Six on History Channel (so much better than it needed to be or I ever expected it would be).

Check those out. Expanse is already into S.2, so you'd have to stream S.1 to catch up, but if you haven't seen it and shows like GoT & Battlestar Galactica were for you, DO IT!

Chalky White

March 8th, 2017 at 3:05 PM ^

I didn't say I don't like tv. Some of these storylines get a little ridiculous. I can appreciate the fantasy genre like GOT because at least I know I'm dealing with fantasy. 

Believe me, I was on the verge of dropping Boardwalk Empire when Margaret gave away that land to her church and lived to tell it. I gave the show a chance. It turned everything was resolved and everyone who needed to die, actually did die. That's all I ask. 

 

The second season of Fargo started off and basically ended with an alien aircraft. They never addressed what that was all about. I can't take stuff like that seriously when you don't even attempt to resolve major parts of your plot.

schreibee

March 8th, 2017 at 4:05 PM ^

So, like on GoT Dragons are totally OK cuz "Fantasy", but on a show set in our general time & space an alien craft is just ridiculous?

I guess if that's the way you intake your entertainment I cannot argue with that.

However, I believe a word you might look up and apply to things you find "unresolved" is 

ab·surd

 

əbˈsərd,əbˈzərd/
adjective
  1. wildly unreasonable, illogical, or inappropriate.
    "the allegations are patently absurd"

There's some pretty great stuff out there that's patently absurd - take Airplane for example, or anything Coen Bros. Take Big Lebowski totally literally, did ya? 

In the best works of creativity (books, films, TV, etc) not everyone who needs to die actually does die (Anton Chigurgh, not to dwell over much in Coen Land). Not every plot twist is neatly resoved. Those take some creative input from the reader/viewer. I personally love that!

But, Hey, maybe S.3 of Fargo will start right up with what that space ship was all about, and suddenly it will all become clear. Doubt it tho...

ijohnb

March 7th, 2017 at 7:51 PM ^

2. Rectify (just finished but it counts, and if you haven't watched this show, do so). 3. The Leftovers (just so underrated it is crazy). 4. Better Call Saul (doesn't have the chops of its predecessor but it is really good). 5. Bloodline (Season 2 slumped a little at the end but that cast is like an acting clinic).