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  • HBO shows

    Any HBO fans in here?

    I love the following shows:
    1 Deadwood - To me, this is one of the best shows ever put on television. The actors are superb all the way down the line, as are the costumes, the dialogue, everything about it. Al Swearengen is the greatest TV character in the history of ever.
    2 Rome - Really liked the first season, and am looking forward to the next season. The relationship between Pullo and Vorenus fascinates me as does Atia and her son.
    3 Sopranos - Was the benchmark for quality television when it started back in 1999. Still a great show, but last season wasn't as good as previous ones, imho.
    4 Carnivale - Weird, weird, weird. But I still liked it. Too bad it got cancelled.

    Other shows that I've heard are really good but haven't followed yet are:
    The Wire
    Entourage

    Hopefully, I'm not the only HBO fan in here. I'm not, am I?

  • #2
    Re: HBO shows

    I'm a huge HBO fan as well. It all started with Sex and the City, then the Sopranos. Later I fell in love with Six Feet Under and Curb Your Enthusiasm.

    In the last year I've discovered Entourage, Deadwood and The Wire.

    - Entourage: The first season was okay, but in the second season there was more character development and the writing got much better. There are a few scenes in the 2nd season that make me laugh as hard as anything I've ever seen. At its core, Entourage is about friendship, loyalty and the things these guys go through for each other. Definitey worth checking out (HBO is doing a 3rd season Entourage marathon this weekend, so I'll be watching that over the next few days!).

    - Deadwood: Wow. Just, wow. I completely agree with your assessment of that c***sucker Al Swearengen, though I have much love for Doc, Ellsworth and especially Calamity Jane. I was blown away by the first season, a little disappointed with the second season, but the third season is back to form. I can't believe Deadwood was cancelled, though, and we'll have to settle for a 4 hour tv movie to wrap things up.

    - The Wire: I find that Deadwood and The Wire share many fans, so if you love Deadwood, you'll probably enjoy the characters and complexity of The Wire.

    Over the last few years, both critics and my friends implored me to watch what they called the best television show ever. Because that statement rarely turns out to be true (and because I like to be contrarian), I put off watching The Wire until about a year ago.

    Well, now it's my turn to evangelize, because The Wire really is that good. My husband and I watched the first 2 seasons of The Wire (25 hours of television) in a week, and eagerly snapped up the 3rd season when it came out on DVD. It really is the best written show in the history of television, and I'd go as far to say it's one of the greatest pieces of art that's been produced in the last 50 years.

    One cannot even really compare The Wire with the rest of television, because David Simon's (creator, writer and producer) vision for the show is so different from everything else on television. He looks at storytelling as a novelist would, taking time to build story arcs and flesh out characters in a a way that is unparalleled in anything outside of literature. Each episode is like a chapter, and each season is like a book. Indeed, The Wire's 4th season employs the talents of writers George Pelecanos, Richard Price and Dennis Lehane.

    The themes of the show include the futility of the drug war, the demise of the working class, the failure of institutions and why political reform is doomed. Depressing, huh? Well, it is, but the writers have enormous love for their characters and for the city of Baltimore so levity, humor and humanity are in abundance.

    The most rewarding way to watch The Wire (or any tv show, really), is to check it out on DVD. Netflix and Diamondhead Video carry all 3 seasons of The Wire. The 4th season started on HBO a few weeks ago and so far it's as good as the other seasons. One might be able to make sense of The Wire by jumping in now, but to get a feel for the epic scope and complexity of the show, I'd recommend starting from the beginning. "I don't want to watch 37 hours of tv!" you say. Don't worry, it'll take about 3 hours before you're hooked, and you'll be tempted to stay up late and call into work just so you can see what happens next.

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    • #3
      Re: HBO shows

      Originally posted by Tiabla
      - Deadwood: Wow. Just, wow. I completely agree with your assessment of that c***sucker Al Swearengen, though I have much love for Doc, Ellsworth and especially Calamity Jane. I was blown away by the first season, a little disappointed with the second season, but the third season is back to form. I can't believe Deadwood was cancelled, though, and we'll have to settle for a 4 hour tv movie to wrap things up.
      Yeah I agree. I was so bummed that Deadwood got cancelled. But I have high hopes the 4-hour movie can tie everything up nicely. My favorite side characters were the Doc, Ellsworth, Johnny, and of course Wu. I loved that guy. I think he's a local boy, too. And I heard that Milch is creating a new show, John from Cincinnati, which is about surfing, so shooooots. Sounds good to me!


      - The Wire: I find that Deadwood and The Wire share many fans, so if you love Deadwood, you'll probably enjoy the characters and complexity of The Wire.
      Thanks for the rec and description of The Wire. I've heard really great things about it, although some people say it can be hard to follow. I'm planning to Netflix it, but not sure I'll have time to watch it all before it's due back, since I got school, work, my wife and keikis taking up most all my time right now. I'll definitely make that a priority in the future, though.

      If you can, you should check out Rome, Tiabla. I think you'd really like it. It's got all the HBO hallmarks: great actors, multi-layered characters, fantastic dialogue, etc. And I've always been fascinated with Roman History: Julius Caesar, Mark Antony, Pompei...

      You should try see if that's out on Netflix and catch up on the first season before season two comes out.

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      • #4
        Re: HBO shows

        Originally posted by Marco
        Yeah I agree. I was so bummed that Deadwood got cancelled. But I have high hopes the 4-hour movie can tie everything up nicely. My favorite side characters were the Doc, Ellsworth, Johnny, and of course Wu. I loved that guy. I think he's a local boy, too. And I heard that Milch is creating a new show, John from Cincinnati, which is about surfing, so shooooots. Sounds good to me!
        Oh, I forgot about Wu! I really love him, too. If you ever see a guy here on Oahu wearing this shirt, that's my husband!

        Originally posted by Marco
        If you can, you should check out Rome, Tiabla. I think you'd really like it. It's got all the HBO hallmarks: great actors, multi-layered characters, fantastic dialogue, etc. And I've always been fascinated with Roman History: Julius Caesar, Mark Antony, Pompei...

        You should try see if that's out on Netflix and catch up on the first season before season two comes out.
        Yep, I've got Rome in the queue. I'm very excited about it! We're finishing Michael Apted's 7-Up series tonight, and I see that he directed a bunch of Rome episodes as well.

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        • #5
          Re: HBO shows

          Originally posted by Tiabla
          Oh, I forgot about Wu! I really love him, too. If you ever see a guy here on Oahu wearing this shirt, that's my husband!
          Haha, great shirt! If you see another local boy wearing it, chances are it's me cuz I'm gonna order one too!

          Originally posted by Tiabla
          Yep, I've got Rome in the queue. I'm very excited about it! We're finishing Michael Apted's 7-Up series tonight, and I see that he directed a bunch of Rome episodes as well.
          It's a great show. I heard that HBO spent like $100 million for the first season, and it shows in the quality. Hope you like it as much as I do.

          Looks like me and Tiabla are the only HBO fans here. Oh well. If we managed to get even one person in here to watch Deadwood, Rome or The Wire based on our recs, then I'll be happy.

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          • #6
            Re: HBO shows

            For my money, Six Feet Under was by far the best television show ever, and the final montage at the end of the very last episode, was the best 5 minutes of television ever aired, IMO. If ever there was a show that could make you think, it was Six Feet Under. I still miss those characters.

            I'm a huge Sopranos fan too, and being Italian from the East Coast, the stuff on that show that makes me laugh out loud, lots of other folks don't get, because they're so familiar to me, and real to life. No so much the MAfia parts, but the banter, the characters themselves, and most of the everyday stuff, like the dinner table scenes. For Portraying NY/NJ Italians, they nailed it.

            Entourage is my other favorite on HBO. Again, it's my East Coast roots that make me love this show, the characters are great, and Ari reminds me so much of my old band's manager, it's frightening. And Johnny Drama...genius.

            I pretty much don't watch anything BUT HBO, and sometimes Showtime... After Six Feet Under, I felt like tv was ruined for me because it raised the bar so much. I love HBO.

            That being said, I tried to get into Big Love, and, as much as I love Bill Paxton, I couldn't sign on. Maybe someone in that world of Utah and Mormons say the same thing I say about the Sopranos, but since that world is so bizarre to me, it just didn't appeal to me.

            Lucky Louie makes me laugh, but it just reminds me of the Honeymooners too much. I mean, that simple stage setup and the characters...very Ralph Kramden. Still funny sometimes tho'

            I AM interested to see the new Showtime show Dexter, which stars the guy from Six Feet Under who played "David Fisher". He protrays a Serial Killer in this show....talk about walking the line for a tv show...yikes.
            http://tikiyakiorchestra.com
            Need a place to stay in Hilo ?
            Cue Factory - Music for your Vision

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            • #7
              Re: HBO shows

              Oh, I forgot about Curb Your Enthusiasm....LOVE that show.
              http://tikiyakiorchestra.com
              Need a place to stay in Hilo ?
              Cue Factory - Music for your Vision

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              • #8
                Re: HBO shows

                Originally posted by Tiabla View Post
                - Entourage: The first season was okay, but in the second season there was more character development and the writing got much better. There are a few scenes in the 2nd season that make me laugh as hard as anything I've ever seen. At its core, Entourage is about friendship, loyalty and the things these guys go through for each other. Definitey worth checking out (HBO is doing a 3rd season Entourage marathon this weekend, so I'll be watching that over the next few days!).
                http://tv.yahoo.com/blogs/tv-news/wh...234316650.html

                They're acting like the Sex in the City actresses.

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