Summer and Fall TV

SHOWS I GAVE UP ON

Homeland

I just couldn't do it anymore. I gave it a few episodes and didn't care at all. I know how the season ended and I still don't care. The series really should have ended after the first season or gone in a completely different direction than it did in its second season. I would have loved to have seen Brody as President. But that's just me I guess.




Masters of Sex

Good enough. Maybe I'll rejoin it at some time. It just wasn't captivating enough for me to keep going. I watched maybe seven episodes. Marc and Jim didn't rave about the second half of the season so I think I'll stay on the sidelines.



SHOWS I GAVE ONE EPISODE TO

The I.T. Crowd

I like the dude from Bridesmaids as much as the next guy but I found this not funny.



J'amie: Private School Girl

I liked Angry Boys and Summer Heights High but I could tell that this wasn't going to be for me. One of the reasons those shows worked was the rotation of characters kept it fresh. There was no way I was going to watch 30 minutes a week of this.



OLD STANDBYS

South Park I was about to give up on this show but I still kind of like it. Plus it is easy to watch on my iPhone. The three part Game of Thrones/Black Friday series of episodes was pretty damn funny.



Parks and RecreationRunning on fumes but I can't quit it. I'm looking forward to Chris Pratt being on more and Rob Lowe/Rashida Jones finally being gone. Lit-erally.

Eastbound and DownWhere the hell did this come from? Easily the best season since the first and probably even better. What TV series ever pulls that trick off? Out of control funny. I'd gladly watch the whole season again tomorrow. And I loved the Fresh Air reference. Terry Gross forever!



The Walking DeadWhy am I still watching this show? It isn't very good. I want more of a Battlestar Galactica study of politics and a commentary on modern culture. George Romero has proven it can be done in the zombie genre. But no. That's just not what this show is about. But I have a hard time quitting on zombies.



Treme

I'm not sure if this show kept getting better as it went or I just got so into the characters and the storytelling structure that I liked it more with each successive season. I posit that it got better once all the celebrity musician/ celebrity chef stuff went away. I feel like I also learned so much about New Orleans from this show that I had no idea about. In particular, the Indian Chief stuff blew me away. And it is a real testament to the show that I think of Wendell Pierce more as Antoine Baptiste now than as Bunk Moreland. How the hell did that happen? I wonder what David Simon will do next.



Boardwalk Empire The best show on TV that no one seems to care about. I'm glad I stuck with this after a slow first season. There's only one season left and I can't even imagine how nuts it is going to be.



Damages

Terrible terrible terrible. I should have quit after the third season. The fifth and final season was just awful. Really awful.



Arrested Development

It took me awhile to get through the fourth season. Everything I read about it is true - it starts off pretty slow. And no, it isn't as good as the first two seasons. But I remember the third season being pretty uneven so this is as good as that season, right? This season definitely got better as it went along. I don't hear anyone calling for a fifth season but I bet it would be good.



Breaking Bad

What's there to say? One of the most memorable shows in TV history. Vince Gilligan decided not to pull a Sopranos and went out in a satisfying frenzy. Was it too satisfying? Perhaps? Would the ending of the penultimate episode been a more interesting way to end the show? Perhaps. Is about the last episode right? That would be pretty cool. But I can't complain too much with how it ended. I'm not sure where I would rank this series in my all time favorites but for episode-by-episode excitement, I don't think any show can beat it.



NEW SHOWS

Orange is the New Black

Yep. Good stuff. It went down easy but that isn't a complaint. I look forward to the next season.



Getting On

This was a very pleasant surprise. I definitely would recommend it. Sweet in the right places, cynical and bitter as well. It struck the right balance. Funny as hell. Six episodes might be all that this show needs but they were a very good six episodes.



Brooklyn Nine-Nine

Everything about this show works. I like it so much that I retroactively regret not having watched more than 2% of the Saturday Night Live episodes over the Andy Samberg era. Andre Braugher is amazing. In fact, the entire cast is great. Plus I have a major crush on Melissa Fumero.



SHOWS I DIDN'T WATCH BECAUSE WE CANCELLED CABLE

Wilfred

I watched the first five episodes of the last season. I guess I'll watch the rest of the season when it arrives for free on Netflix.



The League

I think I'm going to be done. Was the last season worthwhile at all?



It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia

I like this show quite a bit. Will definitely watch when it is free.



SHOWS I SHOULD MAYBE BE WATCHING?

House of Cards

For some reason, I just can't bring myself to watch it. I know I'll like it, but will I lurve it?



Scandal

I can't see myself actually liking this show. But maybe I'll become addicted and I'm scared of that.



Sherlock

Eh. But maybe.



American Horror Story

No interest in the first season but I keep hearing it keeps getting better and the 3rd season is supposed to be really good.



Veronica Mars

I should probably watch this, right? Gotta get caught up before the movie!



The Americans

I gave up after an episode and a half but am seriously considering starting this again when it shows up on Netflix soon.
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