What TV Show Should I Rent Next?

[crumbum]

I've polished off all the recent classics -- The Wire, The Sopranos, Deadwood, Mad Men Season 1 -- and some lower-tier stuff like Carnivale. My all time favourites are mostly (the obvious) comedies like Mr. Show, Freaks and Geeks, I'm Alan Partridge and The Office. Now I'm stymied. Some candidates that look OK are Weeds, Dexter and Lost, but I like to finish what I start and I don't know if I'm up for another massive multi-season time investment just now. Something older or a little more obscure would be good. British stuff is nice cause the seasons are short.

Suggestions?

[Pidgeon]

My favorite British show is Only Fools And Horses. Have you ever seen it?

[nec13]

If you're looking for a British comedy, might I suggest Blackadder Goes Forth or Fawlty Towers. They may be cliched choices, but they are funny.

[masterofsparks]

It's not old or obscure, but Season 1 of Breaking Bad is pretty special.

You've seen Arrested Development, right?

[Come on, Jason]

It's not old or obscure, but Season 1 of Breaking Bad is pretty special.

You've seen Arrested Development, right?

And Larry Sanders, I assume?

[Joe Rogaine]

Manimal



[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6iQ-mzYRl3s[/youtube]

[colonel panic]

Big Love.

[sushi cowboy]

Summer Heights High, Frisky Dingo, The Prisoner (seems to go without saying but surprisingly a lot of people I know have never heard of it), Trailer Park Boys (Sorry, Tom, I think seasons 4 and 5 are about as funny as Canadian TV gets, aside from...), The Newsroom, and, of course, season one of Look Around You. Just some randoms, but definitely check out Newsroom if you haven't seen it before.

[buffcoat]

Big Love.

Finishing this last season at last.  This show is incredible - I can't remember a show that kept turning up the tension at this pace and kept getting better.

[crumbum]

It's not old or obscure, but Season 1 of Breaking Bad is pretty special.

You've seen Arrested Development, right?

And Larry Sanders, I assume?

Yes and Yes. I guess I could have been more thorough in my case history.

[crumbum]

Summer Heights High, Frisky Dingo, The Prisoner (seems to go without saying but surprisingly a lot of people I know have never heard of it), Trailer Park Boys (Sorry, Tom, I think seasons 4 and 5 are about as funny as Canadian TV gets, aside from...), The Newsroom, and, of course, season one of Look Around You. Just some randoms, but definitely check out Newsroom if you haven't seen it before.

I remember when the Newsroom was on TV but I never caught it. That goes on the shortlist for sure. I will do some research into the others.

I haven't seen much of TPB beyond the first season and honestly I didn't much care for what I saw.

[crumbum]

Manimal



[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6iQ-mzYRl3s[/youtube]

I'm not familiar with Aaron Eckhart's early work.

[yesno]

Nathan Barley

[Scot]

first season of "saxondale" is top-notch. second season has its moments but is mostly the audio/visual equivalent of tires spinning in mud. you could always do worse than s/coogan with a potbelly though.

"undeclared" has its moments. it's no "freaks and geeks," but what is, really?

SCTV dvds rule.

"weeds" is a smug turd of a show. it's difficult sometimes (all the time) to hear the dialogue over the sound generated by the writers/producers/etc patting themselves on the back in self-acknowledgement of how "edgy" they are. blech.

THAT said, "the shield" was/is absolutely ridiculous and great all at once. the harder it worked to cover up its tracks, the better it got; it's formulaic, but then again so is buffalo rock ginger ale - formulas can excel, too, sometimes!

[orator]

 Black Books. A very fun british comedy that somehow never gets old no matter how much I watch it and how few episodes there are.

 If you liked The Wire, you might also like The Corner and Generation Kill.

 If you don't mind animated shows, you should try Home Movies. It might be better to start in the second season, as the first is pretty rough, especially with the animation. One of the best parts about it (among many great things) is Jon Benjamin, who is somewhat associated with The Best Show. One of my favorite shows ever.

 And Newsradio. A very good sitcom.