algy
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Ten favourite TV shows
Seemed like a good idea at first but I've just realised that most of the shows I like all got pretty dull or mostly pointless by the end of their run - or they were cancelled before they even got to their prime. Oh well, here's stab:
Fawlty Towers
Twin Peaks
Buffy the Vampire Slayer
The Wire
Deadwood
Babylon Five
Firefly
Odyssey Five
Yes Minister/Yes Prime Minister
The West Wing
I'm not happy with that list. I can't remember anything from more than five or ten years ago (unless I have the DVD a la Fawlty Towers and Yes Minister), and I know that I was watching stuff that I liked. I reserve the right to change it without any notice/reason. Just getting the ball rolling.
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8/18/2007, 3:31 pm
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Fitzgerald Fortune
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Re: Ten favourite TV shows
I thought about creating a thread on this topic. Although there are very few 'great' television shows that are on the go at the moment, there are some wonderful shows in the history of television.
I'm going to limit my choices to dramas; I'll create another list of ten favourite television comedies later. I'll also leave aside mini-series such and one-off dramas such as the BBC's GHOST STORIES FOR CHRISTMAS and Nigel Kneale's QUATERMASS outings.
THE SWEENEY (1974-9)
HAVE GUN - WILL TRAVEL (1959-63)
HOMICIDE: LIFE ON THE STREET (1992-9)
THE WIRE (2002- )
THE OUTER LIMITS (1963-5)
RAWHIDE (1959-1966)
DEADWOOD (2004-6)
CRIME STORY (1986-8)
THE AVENGERS (1961-9)
THE PRISONER (1967-8)
I'm going to give an honorary mention to LIFE ON MARS too, although there's just not enough room for it in my top ten; MIAMI VICE is also in close-running, as is THE PROFESSIONALS and Steve McQueen's WANTED: DEAD OR ALIVE.
I'd love to see Milch's JOHN FROM CINCINNATTI, which is on HBO in the US at the moment; I guess that if it gets shown over here, like quite a few other HBO shows it will be screened on one of the satellite channels 
--- 'Don't let the sound of your own wheels drive you crazy'.
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8/18/2007, 4:17 pm
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Fitzgerald Fortune
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Re: Ten favourite TV shows
Z CARS was damned good too, or at least all of the episodes I've seen were very good. KOJAK is excellent; the new DRAGNET (1993-5) was great, and I can't understand why it hasn't been released on DVD yet. I also like LAW & ORDER, although for the past ten years the quality of the shows has been somewhat inconsistent.
Last edited by Fitzgerald Fortune, 8/18/2007, 4:24 pm
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8/18/2007, 4:19 pm
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Fitzgerald Fortune
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Re: Ten favourite TV shows
Bugger! I forgot THE EQUALIZER. I love that show.
--- 'Don't let the sound of your own wheels drive you crazy'.
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10/22/2007, 4:11 pm
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Edge44
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Re: Ten favourite TV shows
quote:
Fitzgerald Fortune wrote:
Bugger! I forgot THE EQUALIZER. I love that show.
So did I! One of the things that stood out for me (as a writer) was its structure - you could predict exactly what was going to happen in the show, and get the timing of the events down perfectly... a bit like The A Team, really, without slighting the Equalizer, of course 
Last edited by Edge44, 10/22/2007, 4:25 pm
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10/22/2007, 4:25 pm
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Fitzgerald Fortune
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Re: Ten favourite TV shows
quote:
Edge44 wrote:
quote:
Fitzgerald Fortune wrote:
Bugger! I forgot THE EQUALIZER. I love that show.
So did I! One of the things that stood out for me (as a writer) was its structure - you could predict exactly what was going to happen in the show, and get the timing of the events down perfectly... a bit like The A Team, really, without slighting the Equalizer, of course
And Woodward's performance. Along with Sir Michael Caine, Tom Bell and Peter Vaughan, Woodward is one of the few actors I can think of who can do a convincing job of delivering a quiet threat--which is just the kind of thing that those dangerous types of people do in the 'real' world.
My favourite EQUALIZER episode was the one in which Woodward went into a school in order to sort out their problem with teen gangs. (There was also that fantastic episode from the fourth series, 'Sea of Fire', in which one of the characters described a near-death experience and his perception of Hell. That monologue haunted me for years.)
I've perhaps said this before, but THE EQUALIZER is essentially HAVE GUN - WILL TRAVEL transposed to a modern urban setting, with a little bit of Woodward's persona from CALLAN thrown into the mix.
--- 'Don't let the sound of your own wheels drive you crazy'.
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10/22/2007, 7:18 pm
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Edge44
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Re: Ten favourite TV shows
Woodward's calm threat was superb, and was one of the drawing factors of the show, from the point of view of its audience. I loved the way McCall was always calm and assured, no matter how much pressure he was under, which told you just how confident he was in his ability. A bit like James Bond, only with a more realistic edge. Brilliant.
I remember I used to watch it at my grandparent's because my granddad loved it. Which was strange, actually, because when a programme like DEMPSEY and MAKEPEACE came on, he used to turn it off saying "Cops running round England with guns, how ludicrous", yet he loved the Equalizer...
Would it surprise you to hear there's a film adaptation slated for a 2009 release? Paul McGuigan (Gangster No. 1; Wicker Park; Lucky Number Slevin) has signed on to direct.
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10/22/2007, 7:43 pm
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Fitzgerald Fortune
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Re: Ten favourite TV shows
quote:
Edge44 wrote:
Would it surprise you to hear there's a film adaptation slated for a 2009 release? Paul McGuigan (Gangster No. 1; Wicker Park; Lucky Number Slevin) has signed on to direct.
There have been rumours of a film adaptation of THE EQUALIZER for around ten years, but so far every attempt to deliver a big screen adaptation has eventually fallen by the wayside. I would imagine this most recent project will never materialise, largely because THE EQUALIZER isn't a show that's at the forefront of cultural memory, either here or in the US.
Can you remember when Woodward had a heart attack and was replaced for a few episodes by Big Bob Mitchum? Good stuff!
--- 'Don't let the sound of your own wheels drive you crazy'.
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10/23/2007, 12:11 am
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Edge44
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Re: Ten favourite TV shows
I can remember Woodward having the heart attack, but I can't remember Big Bob taking over. I must have missed those episodes. Big Bob has that cool temperament, too, so I bet it went down well with the audience.
You're probably right about the film not taking off because the series is not that well remembered. Producers would rather consentrate on making movie versions of Knight Rider, The A Team, and The Six Million Dollar Man, of which there was once talk of Jim Carey slotting into the bionic shoes of Lee Majors!? Fortunately, the producers sobered up and cancelled the project
Last edited by Edge44, 10/25/2007, 7:52 am
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10/24/2007, 12:11 pm
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