The TV Show Thread :)

**LitTrog** · 13th January 12, 10:04 AM

Game of Thrones! I murdered those books one after another and just reread the series. Have you read the books? If so, how well do they translate to the screen. I'm not a big TV watcher (mostly due to my rabid stance on non-TV family time) but I love a well-done show. Waiting until season one is released on DVD so I can indulge in an orgy of rapid-fire television brilliance!

**piperdown** · 13th January 12, 10:51 AM

Doc Martin...beautiful scenery, a doctor who can not stand the sight of blood with a tongue that would reduce a grown man to tears.

**MacMillan of Rathdown** · 13th January 12, 10:57 AM

Originally Posted by Jack Daw

I watched Downton Abbey last season and was glad to see season 2 on air last Sunday. I like the series very much, but I was a bit peeved last season when they lifted an entire story line from the 1940's movie, Mrs. Miniver (The flower contest). Did anyone else recognize it?

Yup.

**MacMillan of Rathdown** · 13th January 12, 11:00 AM

Originally Posted by WBHenry

I have never seen this show. And although I love Maggie Smith, it sounds like a complete rip-off of "Upstairs, Downstairs" (go Jean Marsh!). Am I off base here?

Yeah, sort of. It's really more of a crunchy gravel country house soap opera. At the end of the day almost any story set in upper crust England in the period 1900-1940 will have similarities with USDS, intended or otherwise.

**Joshua** · 13th January 12, 11:39 AM

Fiction Series:
Game of Thrones
Breaking Bad
Walking Dead
Boardwalk Empire
Dexter
Wilfried
Californication
(Geez I have a dark sense of taste!)

Other stuff watched often:
BBC's various Naturalist series (David Attenborough and others), usually watched with my son as he loves Natural Science.

BBC's various Historical/Anthropological series, usually watched with my wife as we both love anthropology, and I love history.

I also like the various travel series on BBC, such as a couple (name escapes me) that are hosted by Martin Clunes about the islands of Great Britain... never have I wanted to move away from the US as much as after I saw that series. I also have another I've only seen bits and pieces of about the natural beauty of Wales called "The Jewels Of Wales".

"The Great British Food Revival" (Foodie/Locavore MECCA show)

Dual Survival (If you took those two guys, joined their philosophies together, you'd pretty much have me)

Colbert Report

An Idiot Abroad

Dirty Jobs (my wife has a crush on Mike Rowe that I like to harass her over).

**Whidbey78** · 13th January 12, 01:29 PM

I recently watched The Young Ones from beginning to end. My ribs still hurt from laughing!

I never miss The Daily Show, Big Bang Theory or Hell on Wheels. I watch more cartoons than any healthy adult should. Family Guy, Squidbillies, ATHF and AUPS1, etc. I don't watch reality shows though. I deal with enough real reality all day that staged "reality" just isn't entertaining. I did watch one episode of Celebrity Wife Swap because Gary Busey was on it. I was hoping for a full-blown mental meltdown, but he was cool and collected and made new lifelong friends. Disappointing.

**Joshua** · 13th January 12, 01:40 PM

Originally Posted by Whidbey78

Big Bang Theory

Doh! Forgot about the ONLY sitcom I can tolerate.

**Meggers** · 13th January 12, 02:10 PM

Originally Posted by WBHenry

I have never seen this show. And although I love Maggie Smith, it sounds like a complete rip-off of "Upstairs, Downstairs" (go Jean Marsh!). Am I off base here?

Its also very similar to Gosford Park.

It probably "rips off" a lot of shows if the show/movie is about high class/beneath stairs British society. Thats just the basic plot so its bound to share similarities.

**Meggers** · 13th January 12, 02:14 PM

Originally Posted by LitTrog

Game of Thrones! I murdered those books one after another and just reread the series. Have you read the books? If so, how well do they translate to the screen. I'm not a big TV watcher (mostly due to my rabid stance on non-TV family time) but I love a well-done show. Waiting until season one is released on DVD so I can indulge in an orgy of rapid-fire television brilliance!

Im in the process of reading them so I cant really contribute much here...and Im reading them very slowly since I have 290849028340823048923 books to read for school (being an English major sucks when you want to read your own books. You almost have to wait 4 entire years to read your own stuff again). But I am noticing a few thigns so far: Firstly, I was surprised at how the tv show has made Khal Drogo and the Dothraki people a lot more "savage" then they seem in the books. The scene with Daenerys and Drogo's "first night" was also a lot less concentual in the shows. haha. They also really played up the ages of the characters, im sure, to fit todays culture. theres no way Jon Snow/Sansa/Rob Stark/Daenerys could be as young as they are in the books if they are doing the things they are doing in the show. Sansa comes off as being about 14-15 in the show when shes only 11 in the books. Daenerys is meant to be 13, but she is shown as being 16-17 or so in the show. Jon Snow and Rob are around 14 years old in the book but are shown as men in the show. I guess its just to fit our cultural standards on appropriate ages for things like sex/marriage and what ages we consider a boy to be a man.

**Meggers** · 13th January 12, 02:17 PM

omg I completely forgot about Modern Family. I watched the entire first and second season over this winter break. I freaking love that show. It reminds me so much of The Office for some reason.

My thing to do this break was to take a shower, lay in my bed with the heated blanket on, watch Modern Family on my laptop while eating green olives, fudge, and almonds. hahaha. It was the life.