Unopened Boxsets that I liked the look of from the Pilot: The ILX Television 51 Show Countdown Extravaganza!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

if anyone gives a shit:

1. the sopranos
2. the wire
3. battlestar galactica
4. futurama
5. house md
6. the office (US)
7. dexter
8. tim & eric awesome show
9. friday night lights
10. chappelle's show
11. south park
12. lost
13. mad men
14. burn notice
15. chuck
16. californication
17. brotherhood
18. fringe

(i don't watch much TV)

ok, no friends is not a major surprise. i think i worried it was going to be the only person voting for it on the nominations thread, but seriously, 2000 and on, friends is some of the tightest, best acted trad writer's room sitcom ever. but i can see why people hate it.

slightly surprised by the entourage no show.

From first to last:

American Idol
The Wire
30 Rock
It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia
True Blood
Simpsons
Andy Richter Controls The Universe
Charlie Brooker's Screenwipe
Doctor Who
Oz
The Colbert Report
The Daily Show
State of Play
Time-Life 30-minute infomercials
Sex and the City
Arrested Development
Buffy the Vampire Slayer
The Office (US)
Eastbound and Down
Mad Men
Nevermind the Buzzcocks
Freaks & Geeks
Dead Like Me
Project Runway
POPULAR

100. The Lost World of Mitchell and Kenyon (3v)
98. so you think you can dance (3v, 1 #1)/Extras (7v)
96. Top Gear (6v)/Skins (7v)
95. Dead Like Me (6v)
93. Band of Brothers (4v)/Frontline (5v)
92. Sex and the City (5v)
90. In Treatment (4v)/Tim and Eric Awesome Show Great Job (6v)
88. The Century of the Self (3v)/The Armando Ianucci Show (4v)
86. Match of the Day 2/Sealab 2021 (6v each)
85. IT Crowd (5v)
83. Blue Planet (5v, 1 1#)/Late Night w/ Conan O'Brien (8)
81. The Shield (6v)/Spongebob Squarepants (7v)
80. Weeds (10v)
79. Eastbound and Down (7v)
78. Being Human (5v)
77. Law and Order (8v)
76. The Soup (8v)
75. The Power of Nightmares (7v)
73. Home Movies (6v)/Undeclared (9v)
71. 24 (9v)/Big Love 7v)
70. Big Train (8v)
68. Samurai Jack (6v)/Friends (5v)
67. Damages (6v)
66. SNL (6v)
65. Generation Kill (9v)
63. Nevermind The Buzzcocks (10v)/Nathan Barley (9v 1 #1)
62. Entourage (8v)
60. TV Burp (8v)/American Idol (7v 1 #1)
59. The O.C. (9v)
54. True Blood (8v)/Strangers With Candy (7v)/Mythbusters (9v)/Mighty Boosh (9v)/Life On Mars (7v)
53. League of Gentleman (9v)
52. Charlie Brooker's Screenwipe (10v)

couldn't be bothered typing individual points.

reverse order lists...what is this the southern hemisphere?

thanks sam, great poll. ok really am going to bed now

aaasggggggghhhh League of Gentlemen so close, dead like me so shockingly low

My list

250 Gilmore Girls
240 Buffy
230 Arrested Development
220 The West Wing
210 The Wire
200 Never Mind The Buzzcocks
190 How I Met Your Mother
180 MOTD2
170 30 Rock
160 Gilette Soccer Saturday
150 South Park
140 Futurama
130 Mad Men
120 Angel
110 Jackass
100 Veronica Mars
90 Nathan Barley
80 Skins
70 Have I Got News For You
60 The Daily Show
50 The O.C.
40 Freaks and Geeks
30 masterchef goes large
20 Ideal
10 Charlie Brooker's Screenwipe

ok, no friends is not a major surprise. i think i worried it was going to be the only person voting for it on the nominations thread, but seriously, 2000 and on, friends is some of the tightest, best acted trad writer's room sitcom ever. but i can see why people hate it.

I don't hate Friends by any means. I enjoyed it quite a lot back in the day, but I stopped watching a lot of TV around the beginning of the decade, so I don't know that I've seen much (or any) of the episodes made since 2000. I do hope to rectify this someday, though.

My list (rankings not points)

1. Friday Night Lights
2. Freaks & Geeks
3. The Sopranos
4. Mad Men
5. The Wire
6. Rescue Me
7. Six Feet Under
8. Army Wives
9. Weeds
10. Big Love
11. The Office (UK)
12. Swingtown
13. The Daily Show
14. Veronica Mars
15. Gilmore Girls
16. The Office (US)
17. The Colbert Report
18. Ugly Betty
19. Generation Kill
20. Saturday Night Live
21. Everybody Hates Chris
22. Beauty and the Geek
23. Da Ali G Show
24. King Of Queens
25. Monk

My #1, Rome, didn't even crack the top 100? I'm thinking not enough people saw it, which is a shame.

Wow, Reno 911! and That Mitchell And Webb Look didn't even make it into the top 100? That is the saddest thing ever. Glad to see Strangers With Candy fell just short of the top 50, though. And Big Train, since I had to sadly omit it from my ballot.

My hypothetical 26 on:

26. The Office (US)
27. That Mitchell And Webb Look
28. Big Train
29. Jam
30. SNL
31. Smack The Pony
32. Campus Ladies
33. Dog Bites Man

...And at that point, I was really stretching for shows that I enjoyed a lot. Twenty-five was a good cut-off point.

My #1, Rome, didn't even crack the top 100? I'm thinking not enough people saw it, which is a shame.

It was in my top 25. I hope it isn't a show that gets forgotten in the mists of time, or worse, become HBO's expensive 00's joke.

I'd heard good things about Rome but never checked it out after it was abruptly canceled after its second season. I've already felt the bitter disappointment of a prematurely-ended HBO show that wasn't given the opportunity for a proper wrap-up (R.I.P. Deadwood).

If there was a supporting characters poll, Posca would certainly be in my top 5.

In fairness, Rome did end satisfyingly. They knew it wasn't going to last beyond the second season, so even though they burned through a lot of stuff at lightning speed, it has a proper ending.

i totally missed swingtown.

Rome completely wraps up the storyline at the end of season two. Arcs complete, characters stories resolved, etc. They could have told more, but there really wasn't any reason to.

x-post

I watched a few episodes of Rome and enjoyed them, but never went back. Seemed fun.

"2000 and on, friends is some of the tightest, best acted trad writer's room sitcom ever."

Wha?? Friends is not the AC/DC of sitcoms!

i keep forgetting about Rome. And The Tudors ha.

fought my way through the first season of the Tudors, gave up two episodes into the second.

Friends was pretty horrible around the time Chandler and Monica got married and only really got it together again for the last season and a half

anybody watched Sons of Anarchy? Looked kind of shit from what I read, but Alan Sepinwall is raving about it now.

last ep of Friends was awful. It was interesting to contrast it with the Frasier finale from the week before, which was much better and actually funny.

if u want forgotten shit, i was into this for about 6 episodes

http://www.tvshowsondvd.net/graphics/news3/Invasion_S1.jpg

with Peggy!

we should do a poll of the post-Lost sci-fi/fantasy serials

or not.

Once again, an ILX poll has underscored the vast amounts of entertainment which have passed me by & which, given time, I would like to investigate. My two main sentiments:

01. More of you should check out The Shield & Breaking Bad. TS does take patience, esp during its middle seasons, but o how your patience will be rewarded.

02. I need to acquaint myself with like the last 20 years of British comedy.

Shows added to my Netflix queue in the last two days because of this thread (in order of how high in the queue the first episode of each is, though that could change, and I promise to give up quick on whatever doesn't grab me right away, since there's so much competition):

- Breaking Bad
- State Of Play
- Once And Again (thanks Scott!)
- The IT Crowd
- Deadwood
- Skins
- Peep Show

Saved:

- The Inbetweeners

1. The Wire
2. Buffy
3. Deadwood
4. How I Met Your Mother

5. The O.C.
6. Band of Brothers
7. Firefly
8. Veronica Mars
9. Undeclared
10. The Unit

11. The West Wing
12. generation kill
13. Dawson's Creek
14. battlestar galactica
15. Top Chef
16. Dead Like Me

17. Angel
18. Oz
19. Sports Night
20. Six Feet Under
21. Mad Men
22. Jackass
23. Gossip Girl
24. Friday Night Lights
25. Chappelle's Show

i can't believe how many ppl don't have The Sopranos on their ballots.

Peep Show is one that should grab you (or not) by episode one, Chuck. I recently rewatched some of the first series and it was the rare instance where the first episodes were just as strong and self-assured and funny as the show was as a whole.

xpost

I kinda can. I rated it rather low on my own ballot. After The Soup. Its strengths were epic, but it definitely had its share of flaws.

sure, but seeing some of the stuff ppl chose instead of it is just...wtf

anybody watched Sons of Anarchy? - I'll rep for this. At its start, it seemed a pale imitation of The Sopranos cept w/ bikers in place of the mafia. But it has a stellar cast & the writing has come into its own as of late. The second season (it is about 2/3 through at this point) has been esp. good. I started watching it b/c of the generally high quality standard of recent FX series & b/c Ron Perlman (hey now) plays the lead, but I almost ducked on it midway through the 1st season. I'm glad I didn't.

Love that Samurai Jack did exactly as well as Friends!

mad men beating lost = ilx voters like being bored
VMars beating US Office is probably my favorite meaningless little victory this poll has produced so far

― solangedarobot (some dude),

^_^
Although I have to say that I felt VM was pretty pedestrian after I rewatched the first season, but I still hold s2 in high regard.

I probably overranked Doctor Who -- above F&G! -- because I am impatient for the next installments.

Never cared for Deadwood. Arrested Development was aite but never felt compelled to watch the second season. Sopranos rarely worked for me.

I am actually quite disappointed that Top Model didn't make it to the top 100!!! Tickled that SYTYCD made the 100, though.

Lost and 24 were two shows that made me want to punch my tv thru its screen the most. Lost was either terminally boring or fatally terrible from s2 to s4, and I hate all the characters except Desmond. Though, uh, it gets props for uh reminding me of Bai Ling. 24 had one awesome season total between s1 and s2 and was just some of the most inane narrative idiocy thereafter. I still voted Lost -- GRUDGINGLY -- because s5 was castrated me with twists.

I don't know what to think of a poll conducted by someone who so easily dismisses Pynchon. j/k excellent job vote man.

I've rewatched the first four seasons of The Wire and oddly, season 4 was almost a complete miss for me even though I loved it the first time I watched it. No idea why. But season 3 was immense as was the second. It's still my #1 because I guess I am a "Stanley" for it.

1. The Wire
2. 30 Rock
3. Doctor Who
4. Freaks & Geeks
5. Sports Night
6. Justice League Unlimited
7. Generation Kill
8. America's Next Top Model
9. Bones
10. Friday Night Lights
11. Teen Titans
12. So You Think You Can Dance
13. Project Runway
14. Terminator: The Sarah Conner Chronicles
15. State of Play
16. Da Ali G Show
17. Survivor
18. Undeclared
19. Lost
20. The Amazing Race
21. The West Wing
22. The Simpsons
23. Veronica Mars
24. Battlestar Galactica
25. Futurama

Btw, All Of The Wire > 30 Rock S2 > America's Next Top Model S6 >>>> everything else.

Samuel, where did ANTM end up?

1. The Wire
2. The West Wing
3. The Daily Show
4. How I Met Your Mother
5. The Venture Bros
6. The Soup
7. 30 Rock
8. Lost
9. Planet Earth
10. American Idol
11. Home Movies
12. Freaks & Geeks
13. Veronica Mars
14. Saturday Night Live
15. Chappelle's Show
16. Futurama
17. Two And A Half Men
18. CSI
19. Late Night with Conan O'Brien
20. Pushing Daisies
21. Foster's Home For Imaginary Friends
22. Meerkat Manor
23. Party Down
24. True Blood
25. Damages

Sopranos was my number one. Obviously I'm outraged, but only at these two things, really:

1) Lost over The Sopranos? Dumb.
2) Mad Men over The Sopranos? A show that owes so much to, and borrows so much from, that show placing above it? I voted for MM, but it has so much less humor and great acting (I love a lot of that cast but Gandolfini, Falco, Imperioli, etc are tops) and sheer entertainment value, and is way more "up-its-own-ass" than Sopranos ever was, despite having less dream sequences. I know we were all disappointed by season 6 (part 1), but let's think straight here.

TV Burp lost out to The Wire? Lighten up people.

1. The Wire
2. 30 rock
3. Freaks and geeks
4. The Daily Show
5. Mad Men
6. Arrested Development
7. How I met your mother
8. Friday Night Lights
9. Party Down
10. Nevermind the Buzzcocks
11. The office (UK)
12. The office (US)
13. Extras
14. It's always sunny in philadelphia
15. Chappelle Show
16. The Colbert Report
17. Curb your enthusiasm
18. Da Ali G show
19. Flight of the conchords
20. Generation Kill
21. Andy Richter controls the universe
22. Spaced
23. The Joe Schmo Show
24. America's Next Top Model
25. The OC/Family Guy

I have the same top 6 as the poll. I AM ILX

Can't believe I forgot to send my ballot in:

Top 20

1. Roobarb and Custard
2. Bobinogs
3. The Least Of All Worries
4. No One Was Hurt
5. Housing Show (Bungalow season)
6. Kitchen Bin
7. Ask Batman
8. Battlebore Britannica
9. Ship Shape and Bristol Temple Meads
10. My Family
11. Castle of the Lovely Girls
12. Kitchen Bin II: Not In My Bin
13. Call My Bluff
14. Mickey and Goofy's Puzzle Corrections
15. The Wir
16. 11 Rillington Place
17. An Audience With Joe Bugner
18. Crimson Flapps
19. The Hoobs
20. Dynamito

I dreamt about this thread last night. I went to bed after Arrested Development, realising that boring old Wire was taking the top slot, but in my dream an online Japanese puzzle cartoon called Wierdgan (I am not making this up) won. It was an usual programme in that you had to watch each programme and work out the clues to get a code to download further episodes. It's main character was a giant bird like a multicoloured Big Bird.

wow.