Any suggestions for DVD dramas to watch?

[Winston001]

I've decided to catch up on television series which I've either missed or enjoyed enough to see again without adverts.

My first, and favourite of all times is The Sopranos. 86 episodes which I've now finished. The Noo Joisey accents can be difficult to decipher and I missed a lot of dialogue when it was on tv so it was an absolute pleasure to take time and figure out all the minor characters and little pieces of the whole story. Recommended.

Then I turned to The Shield which I'd only seen bits of. Another excellent police drama which I'm working my way through.

Couldn't get The Shield when I wanted it so tried The Wire which has marvellous critical reviews although it didn't win awards. Yep, The Wire is the business. The first series is gripping with the result the second series gets a bit overshadowed. I'm nearly finished the second season.

So - any other dramas or comedies, anything (Simon Sharma's Britain is excellent) you'd recommend?

[rustyrobot]

Stick at it with The Wire, it just gets better! I can't believe it hasn't been shown on TV here. (Season 2 isn't the best).
Also try Generation Kill. It's only a 5 episode mini-series, but a really good look into the life of marines during the Iraq invasion.
Have been watching The Survivors, which is a british drama about a virus that wipes out 90% of the world's population. I'm a big fan of post-apocalyptica so I really like it. Have lots of friends who really enjoy Dollhouse, but I couldn't get into it, might be worth a look though.

[mashman]

Outnumbered... only watched 2 or 3 so far... A family, 3 kids, slice of real life bloody funny..

[BuzzardNZ]

Highly recommend 'Lost'. Watched all 5 seasons so far and am bummed out this is the last season currently airing.

[FlangMasterJ]

Underbelly

[Ronin]

Spooks. The english just don't pull punches in the way they do drama.

[Milts]

Band of Brothers is excellent, much better than The Pacific. It includes exerts from interviews with the soldiers portrayed in the show, is based off soldier's diaries, and is brilliantly directed. Hands down winner for military drama/historical portrayal. I would highly recommend it.

If you want something a bit more lighthearted, you could try Boston Legal, Black Books or Firefly, all pretty funny.

I enjoyed The Wire too, but not as much as many other drama shows and I felt that it didn't live up to the reviews.

You could also try watching Prison Break, but I found that they stretched the story out too much, and each season could probably have been compressed into about five episodes without much loss. Try it if that's your cup of tea, but I wouldn't really recommend it.

[EJK]

If you are after easy comedy (not a killer laugh but shits and giggles), I highly recommend The Office (U.S Version). But this is an acquired taste. Lovers will love it, haters will hate it.

If you want day-by-day thrill, watch Prison Break. It's quite well made. Recommended.

If you want some fun, very little romance with touch of scientific education, watch Bones (My personal fav). However many might disagree. This is also an acquired taste.

If you want B.S. psychological kick-ass awesomeness, watch The Mentalist.




If you are lonely, lame and lack enthusiasm in bed, watch Sex and the City

[Oakie]

'Spooks'. Well crafted stories in which the good guys don't always come out on top. Watching series three at present and it just gets better. Individual stories but with a continuing storyline through the series.

[Quasievil]

there is only one it is called

DEADWOOD

[pete376403]

Canivale - HBO pulled the pin after only two seasons of the planned six, so it doesn't wrap up the way it should. However those two seasons were amazing quality storytelling. Not for everyone. Set in the '20s dustbowl folowing a travelling carny.
Daniel Knauf was the genius behind this - he has also been responsible for some of the later Spartacus epsodes.

Also someone mentioned Firefly* - if you like this get the movie Serenity, but watch the series first, the movie is a sort-of finale.




*
Sheldon (Big Bang Theory) - "which of these men is the most evil; Stalin, Rupert Murdoch, Dr Leonard Hoffstetter?"

Leonard "Rupert Murdoch???"

Sheldon "he owns Fox, they cancelled Firefly"

[Winston001]

Great stuff everyone, I appreciate all the ideas. What I tend to do is use my laptop with headphones which doesn't disturb anybody else and allows me to get engrossed with whatever I'm watching.

RustyRobot - I remember The Survivors from the 1970s and it was so good I thought they'd remake it.

Ronin and Oakie - Spooks is top shelf and on my list. Grim British spy stuff.

Milts - agree entirely about how good Band of Brothers is and I have it already. As a result of flat reviews I've avoided The Pacific.

EJK - Bones is based on the books by Kathy Reichs which are set in Toronto, not the USA. So that's a kind of betrayal of the author but I agree from what I've seen, its a good series.

Quasi - yes you aren't the only person to passionately recommend Deadwood so it goes on the list.

[Drunken Monkey]

If you liked Sopranos that much, you might enjoy Mad Men as well. It's produced by Matthew Weiner (who wrote for Sopranos and produced seasons 5 and 6). Very much a show about superficial style and the dark side of ordinary peoples' character.

[HenryDorsetCase]

I've decided to catch up on television series which I've either missed or enjoyed enough to see again without adverts.

My first, and favourite of all times is The Sopranos. 86 episodes which I've now finished. The Noo Joisey accents can be difficult to decipher and I missed a lot of dialogue when it was on tv so it was an absolute pleasure to take time and figure out all the minor characters and little pieces of the whole story. Recommended.

Then I turned to The Shield which I'd only seen bits of. Another excellent police drama which I'm working my way through.

Couldn't get The Shield when I wanted it so tried The Wire which has marvellous critical reviews although it didn't win awards. Yep, The Wire is the business. The first series is gripping with the result the second series gets a bit overshadowed. I'm nearly finished the second season.

So - any other dramas or comedies, anything (Simon Sharma's Britain is excellent) you'd recommend?

Breaking BAd is really really good. Season three is (I'm told) airing on US TV presently. the first two series have been shown here, but utterly ghettoised to C4 where people think its for kids. Its really not. I would put it equal with The Wire. Its that good.

Brutally funny, but not for all tastes: Trailer Park Boys. Its Canadian.

The guy who was a writer on The Shield has a show called Sons of Anarchy. Its really really really good. Shown in NZ? You'd be joking. Season 1 is out on DVD (I would lend it to you but Ive lent it to a friend who is in love with Jax Teller and wont give it back...) Season 2 is on DVD in a couple of months and season 3 is shooting for an airdate round September this year.

I bought "The Prisoner" boxset a while ago (Patrick McGoohan original, not the dreadful remake).

If you are a sci fi fan the BEST sci fi TV show since the original Star Trek ( which is still good, in a "i remember when" way)... nah its still good.) is Firefly. Made by Joss Whedon, cancelled by morons after 14 episodes. Get the boxset, then get "Serenity" the movie which followed. George Lucas needs a kick in the balls: he released the phantom menace (easily the WORST SCI FI MOVIE EVER MADE) a week after Serenity, and it got drowned.

The seasons of theShield with Forrest Whitaker and Glenn Close are very good, and the seventh, and last, is incredibly good.

[HenryDorsetCase]

Deadwood (three series from a few years ago) was excellent

Get the Father Ted boxset if you dont have it. Also Black Books

I have really enjoyed "Weeds" also: comedy/drama.

True Blood is pretty good too, stars our very own Anna Paquin. (who gets naked a lot, also)