Need some TV Series on Netflix recommendations

[J T]

I just realized there is no mention of True Blood. That show is awesome.

It was ok for the first season. Season 2 wasn't bad, but when they introduced the wolves, and the fucking wereCATS.. good lord it just got stupid. And don't get me started on the stupid witch lady that would not die.

And now Billith? bah hahaha.

Oh and as far as I know, True Blood isn't on Netflix, since it's an HBO show.

Season 2 was my favorite. I love Maryann. She has to be one of my favorite villains ever. Admittedly, it gets worse after that, but I still find there is enough I enjoy to keep watching.

[Gamerforlife]

We fought off watching Buffy for 3 years after the series had completely ended, largely because we found SMG so damned annoying as an actress in "I know what you did last summer", we just couldn't fathom enjoying a show with her in it.

This is exactly why my wife and I have been avoiding Buffy, despite being told by others we respect that it is fantastic.

Ever try Angel? Granted, you get a bit more out of the show if you've seen Buffy (since they have the occasional comic book style crossover), but it's very much a stand alone show. It has a slightly more grown up feel than Buffy too, which I always liked. There's no teen angst or high school drama on Angel.

Regarding SMG, I think Joss Whedon has a way of getting the best out of his actors and actresses and I think he did that with her. He's a good director, and people who have worked with him usually speak very highly of him. She'll probably never be as good in anything else as she was in Buffy in my opinion. If you guys have any doubt about what she is capable of with a great director like Joss, watch the season 5 episode, "The Body"

On a related note, for people who think Eliza Dushku can't act they should watch the season 1 Angel episode "Five by Five". That's a real stand out performance for her. Eliza and Sara CAN act when given good roles and a really good director

[mjmjr25]

I already know we are going to have a hard time stopping Heroes after season 1. Is it that bad? Truly? We are very into it already after 6 episodes - and are already feeling saddened that we have to stop after 23 episodes.

Someone mentioned Psyche - yeah, we've watched all 6 seasons that are currently on. I can't hype this show enough - from previews originally it looked strictly like a cash-grab on the tails of Monk's success. It is nothign of the sort - it may have been USA's original intent, but the chemistry of the main characters is amazing, the show is just so good. Witty and funny, makes fun of pop culture in so many clever ways, and they pay homage to the things many of us loved as kids, 1980's WWF wrestling, Dr. Dre and Ed Lover, etc. The supporting characters at first seem a bit forced and typical "B" series supporting actors, but the majority turn out to be pretty damned good at their role and you actually start enjoying their scenes. Show is so so good.

@marurun - fight the urge and get past the SMG hate, it's tough, I know firsthand, but the show is so rewarding. Like many i'm sure, i'd rate the musical episode as perhaps the best episode of TV...ever. I felt the show suffered a bit the first part of season 4? (first year at college) and that season took awhile to get going and regenerate the charm that had developed in Giles office at the high school. The developement of Spike's character though and the evolution of Willow brought the show in a different direction. And of course, Buffy's sister, i'm sure i'm not the only one who thought they were ruining the show bringing in this annoying new character and of course Joss was able in a 30 second scene to cause you to fully appreciate all of those annoying episodes with one perfectly planned twist. Such a good show and Angel is as good, in completely different ways though.

@JT - agree wholeheartedly on the Eliza/SMG takes. Both are actresses I feel like should be annoying...yet in these roles they were superb. As for Eliza, if peopel think she can't act (and I was one of them after her first couple episodes on Buffy), wow, she is actually and exceptional actress. Her role on Dollhouse she had to be as she was a new (and convincing) character each week...all the while developing a permanent character underneath the weekly characters. She was super on that show.

@gamerforlife - my cousin actually bought us the season 8 comic book after we started taking our no-more-buffy-anti-depressants. It was cool and we liked having continuation, but it wasn't the same, mostly because we couldn't experience it together (wife and I).

[Retrodude]

On a related note, for people who think Eliza Dushku can't act they should watch the season 1 Angel episode "Five by Five". That's a real stand out performance for her. Eliza and Sara CAN act when given good roles and a really good director

There's no question Eliza Dushku can act. Just look at Dollhouse. Due to the nature of the premise, she had to play a completely different character every week and in most episodes, she pulled it off nicely. It sucks that that show got cancelled after a couple dozen episodes, but at least Fox was courteous enough to let Joss know ahead of time so he could give the story a proper conclusion, even if it was extremely rushed.

[marurun]

There's no question Eliza Dushku can act. Just look at Dollhouse. Due to the nature of the premise, she had to play a completely different character every week and in most episodes, she pulled it off nicely.

I disagree. There is definitely question in my mind. Sure, she took on many "personalities" but they were all either shallow or bland. There were some really good actors on that show that I really like, like Alan Tudyk, but Dushku was not, IMO, among them.

[dsheinem]

I already know we are going to have a hard time stopping Heroes after season 1. Is it that bad? Truly? We are very into it already after 6 episodes - and are already feeling saddened that we have to stop after 23 episodes.

Yes, it is bad: you will feel let down and disappointed.

On the other hand, you will reach a point where it becomes a struggle to even want to continue watching it (if you can imagine that). I know that the writing got so horrid so fast that I couldn't bear to see it through to the end.

I'll go back to this:

Do me a favor: watch The Sopranos and TNG and thank me later.

If you are looking for two series that, on the whole, have consistently good writing throughout their whole run than these are worth watching. Even the "poorer" seasons of each were much better than almost anything comparable on TV at the time, and are only lackluster when compared to each show's strongest seasons.

[Retrodude]

There were some really good actors on that show that I really like, like Alan Tudyk

Speaking of him, was anyone else impressed by his performance as King Candy?

Mainly knowing him from Dollhouse, where he played an especially creepy villain, I was genuinely surprised he could do such a good job with such a goofy character. I mean, he's funny on Suburgatory, but King Candy goes way beyond that. I think he's now made the list of actors where I'll watch anything they're in because they're in it.

[fastbilly1]

You might like Terra Nova. Its kinda like Lost meets Lost in Space, but not nearly as campy. Ive not watched passed the pilot, but everyone tells me it is fairly strong.

Also do give Jericho a go. Its a bit of a stretch in some parts, but it is a solid run through.

Speaking of him, was anyone else impressed by his performance as King Candy?

His best role, period. Even better than Wash and Pirate Steve. It was just so out there.

[indecks]

He was really good in Death at a Funeral. And as Sonny in I Robot. And as the gay german body guard in the last terrible transformers movie.

Alan Tudyk really is amazing.

[Gamerforlife]

Eliza's acting is just fine. I especially like when she's playing a character having an emotional breakdown of some kind. The last episode of Dollhouse and the season 1 episode "Five by Five" of Angel are two good examples. There are scenes in those episodes where she loses it in some way, and it's powerful stuff, especially in that Angel episode. Five by five is one of my favorite episodes of any show. She also did an amazing job imitating Sara Michelle Gellar in a season 4 episode of Buffy when they did a magic induced, body swap. An episode which once again, showed her character having an emotional, as well as mental breakdown at one point. Her arc between Buffy and Angel was pretty amazing, but Joss is good with character arcs. He took characters from Buffy and had them become entirely different people over the course of Angel's TV run

Some of the characters she became in Dollhouse weren't all that great. I blame the characters more than I do Eliza. Honestly though, it's a difficult challenge for any actor to have to play multiple roles on a show. Most actors have the luxury of growing into a role and getting comfortable with it, not being a new person every episode. But Dollhouse was quirky that way