Best TV series ever?

[derrick]

Dr who, can't stand american tv and a lot of the new british stuff is rubbish, i ain;t really into tv.

 

[MontyVeda]

...

I've never thought much of American telly, probably for the reason DZ identifies (it's written by committee), but we enjoyed Heroes.

I don't think US TV is written by committee any more than say Emmerdale, Corrie, Eastenders, Casualty, Hollyoaks, Waterloo Road, etc... teams of writers looking at viewing figures and trying to either, be the top of the ratings or doing anything and everything to stop their show being axed.

Dunno how it works in the US though... do they film the entire Season 4 of Lost, then show it... or is it being filmed more like a soap; each episode shot 4-6 weeks prior to airing?

As for Heroes... 1st season was excellent... but after that it all gets a bit Lost... rather than telling the stories they've started, they just continue making new ones... more and more mutants with weirder and weirder powers, it all ended up like soup.

 

[Hitchington]

Is it ok to mention Fred Dibnah? I know his programmes and series were factual but he was probably one of the most watchable fellas on telly.

 

[Hitchington]

You either love him or hate him..."lovely stuff"

Never did get a second series from those ungrateful shoots at the BBC though.

 

[Hitchington]

1. The Prisoner
2. Kojak "who loves ya baby!"
3. The Mysteries Of Edgar Wallace.
4. The Singing Ringing Tree
5. Children Of The Stones.
Showing my age as they are all 60's & 70's series.
The coolest theme tune has to be "Highwire" the Danger Man theme!

Children of the Stones! Scariest kids programme ever!

 

[Herbie]

We've really got into a TV series this last few weeks and it got us thinking; what's the best one ever?

What we do is get in to a long-running series but hardly ever watch it on advert-infested TV so we wait until it's all been released on DVD, then we're going to know if we're going to like it or not, buy the series en-bloc or one series at a time and then watch them, uninterrupted by adverts.

Here's our role of honour in order of preference.

1. The Sopranos. There is literally nothing better than this but...
2= Breaking bad
2= The Wire
4. Band of Brothers



These are all series we've watched in their entirety, The Sopranos actually twice right through!

It's the brilliant Breaking Bad series we're in to at the moment and we miss other programmes and football matches so we can watch more episodes (four episodes, at 45 minutes long each is our record night so far).

There are another two series that COULD challenge the the top series list; NYPD Blue has never been released in its entirety, not in a format watchable on UK DVD players anyway. If that's ever resolved, things might change. The other one is Boardwalk Empire which of course is still running so we haven't bought the set yet.

I know there are other series out there we haven't watched due to time constraints but can anyone add an entire series of programmes that could challenge our list above? I know all those listed are American but so far, I've yet to see a home-grown series that are consistently as good, interesting or contain long-running characters you actually care about as all the above definitely do.

Our Friends in the North

 

[Hitchington]

Judging by long term impact, the original "Survivors" and "Threads" (yes I know it wasn't a series), I haven't seen either since they were first broadcast 30 or more years ago, but they still stick in my memory.

You can watch Threads in its entirety here
View: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_MCbTvoNrAg
Very, very bleak and utterly depressing. Just the thing for a cold wet November evening at the start of the week!

 

[Hitchington]

Brilliant, had me laughing like a hyena when I first watched it... though definitely not for here though

Especially what Suzie calls Cheryl!!! (after the mishap at the carwash)

 

[ufkacbln]

I recently bought and watched the "Travelling Man" series from teh 1980's.

I remember watching it originally, but had forgotten how "dark" it was, especially the ending

 

[Tim Hall]

The Beiderbeck Affair et seq.
Northern Exposure
I'll fly Away
thirtysomething

 

[PaulB]

You can watch Threads in its entirety here
View: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_MCbTvoNrAg
Very, very bleak and utterly depressing. Just the thing for a cold wet November evening at the start of the week!

I well remember the chill I felt when that was broadcast, bringing to light our deepest fears of the time by showing what we could have to live and die through. There's a thread (sorry) right there for those of us over a certain age to think back to the days we all lived in nervous times knowing we could be a mere three minute warning from annihilation.

 

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

OK - just remembered Blake's 7... talk about scaring me as a child...

 

[DiddlyDodds]

Early Doors
Married with Children
Becker
Only Fools and horses

 

[ufkacbln]

Blake's 7

You could tell a lot about a person from their favourites............SooLin or Servalan?

 

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

Blake's 7

You could tell a lot about a person from their favourites............SooLin or Servalan?

Cally