The TV Thread

[Sticky Icky Green Stuff]

over the last month or so I finally finished deadwood and the starz Spartacus show and prelude or whatever the fuck. 

Deadwood, whoa, had no idea how bad ass this show was going to be.  flawlessly executed.  insanely great acting.  the writing was perfect.  I liked it more than the wire I think.  as some in this thread have claimed it truly is one of the greatest shows ever made.  Wu was the man.

Spartacus was alright.  lots of penis, vaginas, boobies, and butts.  an orgy or two.  then some fighting and romance.  decent.

[Jaimoe]

over the last month or so I finally finished deadwood and the starz Spartacus show and prelude or whatever the fuck. 

Deadwood, whoa, had no idea how bad ass this show was going to be.  flawlessly executed.  insanely great acting.  the writing was perfect.  I liked it more than the wire I think.  as some in this thread have claimed it truly is one of the greatest shows ever made.  Wu was the man.

Spartacus was alright.  lots of penis, vaginas, boobies, and butts.  an orgy or two.  then some fighting and romance.  decent.

Deadwood is my all-time favourite drama. I love that most of the characters were based on real people. I hear the real Al was even more tough.

I liked the first Spartacus series, "Blood and Sand". It certainly got better as went along. John Hannah was fucking great as Batiatus. Worth checking out is the "Blood and Sand" prequel that just finished up last week on Starz: Spartacus: "Gods of the Arena". It's better than the first series and features even more John Hannah and Lucy Lawless; the series follows how their family came into power and the back-stories of their gladiators.

BTW, Andy Whitfield, the star from the first series (he plays Spartacus), has cancer and will be replaced for season III. Tragic really.

I call Spartacus a "grindhouse" version of HBO's Rome or a bastard cousin of the BBC classic, I Claudius. Both are required viewing. 

[Sticky Icky Green Stuff]

yeah I just finished the prequel or whatever.  it was pretty good.  that's crazy sparty has the cancer, he looked healthy as a mother fucker killing all those people in slow-mo.  that's cool they're making a season three. the love montages and constant flashbacks of his wife kinda made it drag for me.  hope season three is all the gladiators on a rampage wasting people.  I thought the coolest part of the series was the underworld fights.   the season finale of the first blood and sand one was solid too.  it was definitely more interesting getting to know the other characters that might die, it was cool having favorites in the fights who you wanted to win.

Deadwood was so damn good.  That Ian McShane who played Al was fucking brilliant.  some of the best acting I've ever seen.  really impressive stuff.  wish there was 6 or 7 seasons to watch, I grew to love so many of the characters.  E.B., Richardson, and Wu were hilarious and the Doctor was awesome too.  the dude who played Dan was bad ass.  Bullock was pretty bad ass.  Wild Bill was bad ass.  it's pretty packed full of bad assness.

[capt. scotty]

I really need to check out Deadwood. There's no chance it surpasses The Wire for me, but it could go #2 ahead of The Sopranos.

How many seasons are there, 3?

[Sticky Icky Green Stuff]

I really need to check out Deadwood. There's no chance it surpasses The Wire for me, but it could go #2 ahead of The Sopranos.

How many seasons are there, 3?

yeah only 3 seasons.  The Wire is amazing but yet I think Deadwood comes out ahead for me now and before I saw it I thought the wire was #1.   Deadwood is sort of the same type of style as the wire.  tons of characters that you have to get to know and grow to love.  by the end you feel like you lived in deadwood for a little bit, you watch it become built and how all these different people's lives ended up intercepting.  They really transport you back to how it was back then.  Al Swearengen is possibility the most solid character of any tv show that has ever been made.   Plus, he was a real person.   
The Doctor dude is in a few herzog movies.  the same dude who is the alien in the wild blue yonder by herzog.  there's some slow moments but it has that chess/poker motif stuff going on throughout on multiple levels of the story.  But like the Wire it makes you want to break out that inner bad ass but instead of being a west side gangbanger it makes you want to be a whiskey drinkin, prostitute bangin, knife stabbin, gunslingin bad ass.  I kinda want to carry around a revolver like a sheriff in the wild west now, or get a big blade just in case somebody mouths off. 

I just watched the first episode of Justified and it's nice to see bullock gunslingin again.  almost the perfect show to transition to. 

[Jaimoe]

More on Deadwood:

I believe the show was supposed to go 4 or 5 seasons, but HBO didn't renew it (but did not cancel it either - it had good ratings); Rome was a planned 4 seasons, but they squeezed two into one to finish it (when you watch season II of Rome, you'll notice how fast the timeline moves).

The cast is amazing. Some recognizable character actors, TV vets and film stars. I love all the lead characters. Here's some of the support cast get overlooked:

Doc is played by Brad Dourif, who was also in The Lord of The Rings (Wormtongue), One Flew Over The Cuckoos Nest, Ragtime.

Bullock's buddy, Sol Star , was played by John Hawkes, who was nominated for Best Supporting Actor Oscar for Winter's Bone.

The terrific actor, Garrett Dillahunt, played two characters in Deadwood: the sinister Wolcott (in season II and III) and also L.D. Kellog in season I (he's nearly unrecognizable). Dillahunt is also in Winter's Bone, No Country For Old Men, The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford and The Road - he's also the star of a modern post-war movie called Oliver Sherman (I haven't seen it, but I hear it's fucking genius).

Of interest to me, Seth Bullock said a few times that he is from Etobicoke, Ontario. I find this fascinating since Etobicoke is now part of Toronto - it more or less resembles a suburb, but parts still remain from Bullock's era.

I also love Jim Beaver as Ellsworth; Beaver is also a co-star of one of my favourite shows, Supernatural.

[Sticky Icky Green Stuff]

yeah that Wollock dude was sinister.  I knew something was up when he came in season two, I was like that looks like that Jack dude... sure enough.  very cool.  Ellsworth was awesome.  he was such a gold finding bad ass.  If it was 4 or 5 seasons holy shit that would have been great.  that's my main complaint, that it's not longer.  it's still perfect as it is though.  They made me fucking hate George Hearst, what a piece of shit that guy was. 

[capt. scotty]

I just watched the first episode of Justified and it's nice to see bullock gunslingin again.  almost the perfect show to transition to.

First episode of the 1st season or the new season of Justified?? Im an episode behind, but this season hasnt really picked up where last left off, but its been great nonetheless. Feels grittier than the first half of the 1st season, and Im diggin it.

[Sticky Icky Green Stuff]

I just watched the first episode of Justified and it's nice to see bullock gunslingin again.  almost the perfect show to transition to.

First episode of the 1st season or the new season of Justified?? Im an episode behind, but this season hasnt really picked up where last left off, but its been great nonetheless. Feels grittier than the first half of the 1st season, and Im diggin it.

just started the first season last night.  only one episode in, probably will watch a few more today.

[johnnYYac]

I just watched the first episode of Justified and it's nice to see bullock gunslingin again.  almost the perfect show to transition to.

First episode of the 1st season or the new season of Justified?? Im an episode behind, but this season hasnt really picked up where last left off, but its been great nonetheless. Feels grittier than the first half of the 1st season, and Im diggin it.

Mags Bennett is one cold bitch (as played by Margo Martindale, Dewey Cox's momma).  Jeremy Davies (Saving Private Ryan, Rescue Dawn, Lost) is a nice add to the cast, as well.  That whole moonshine family is mighty dysfunctional and brutal.  Hurry and catch up, Sticky, so I can get more specific.

[ManNamedTruth]

More on Deadwood:

I believe the show was supposed to go 4 or 5 seasons, but HBO didn't renew it (but did not cancel it either - it had good ratings); Rome was a planned 4 seasons, but they squeezed two into one to finish it (when you watch season II of Rome, you'll notice how fast the timeline moves).

The cast is amazing. Some recognizable character actors, TV vets and film stars. I love all the lead characters. Here's some of the support cast get overlooked:

Doc is played by Brad Dourif, who was also in The Lord of The Rings (Wormtongue), One Flew Over The Cuckoos Nest, Ragtime.

Bullock's buddy, Sol Star , was played by John Hawkes, who was nominated for Best Supporting Actor Oscar for Winter's Bone.

The terrific actor, Garrett Dillahunt, played two characters in Deadwood: the sinister Wolcott (in season II and III) and also L.D. Kellog in season I (he's nearly unrecognizable). Dillahunt is also in Winter's Bone, No Country For Old Men, The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford and The Road - he's also the star of a modern post-war movie called Oliver Sherman (I haven't seen it, but I hear it's fucking genius).

Of interest to me, Seth Bullock said a few times that he is from Etobicoke, Ontario. I find this fascinating since Etobicoke is now part of Toronto - it more or less resembles a suburb, but parts still remain from Bullock's era.

I also love Jim Beaver as Ellsworth; Beaver is also a co-star of one of my favourite shows, Supernatural.

I just recently started season 3, been taking breaks in between seasons. Glad you enjoyed it sticky. Doc Cochran might be my favorite character on the show, don't forget Dourif was in Blue Velvet too! BTW, Wolcott isn't in season 3.

As for other TV I watched season 6 of Weeds, pretty good season with some good cliffhangers as usual. The show has continued to improve since season 4, but I wonder how much they have left in them.
I've been reliving my youth by watching the MTV animated show Aeon Flux, it's just as weird as I remember. The fetishy stuff is a little much but I like the futuristic look of it. I plan to watch The Maxx again as well witch I recommend much more than Aeon Flux. The Maxx is based on a graphic novel about a homeless guy with amnesia who thinks he's a superhero, it's very trippy.  You can watch both shows for free on MTV's website.

[wolof7]

I just watched the first episode of Justified and it's nice to see bullock gunslingin again.  almost the perfect show to transition to.

First episode of the 1st season or the new season of Justified?? Im an episode behind, but this season hasnt really picked up where last left off, but its been great nonetheless. Feels grittier than the first half of the 1st season, and Im diggin it.

Mags Bennett is one cold bitch (as played by Margo Martindale, Dewey Cox's momma).  Jeremy Davies (Saving Private Ryan, Rescue Dawn, Lost) is a nice add to the cast, as well.  That whole moonshine family is mighty dysfunctional and brutal.  Hurry and catch up, Sticky, so I can get more specific.

I've said it before but I love Justified! Only have caught 2 episodes of the new season but it continues to be fun as hell. Love the characters, the punchy dialouge and the whole feel of the show. Season one is a must watch. Margot Martindale is great as always so far in the new season.

Not sure if there are any Firefly watchers out there. I just started watching this in between episodes of the Wire Season 4 and enjoy it immensely. Not typically a sci-fi guy but it is an interesting premise. Sad it only got 15 episodes and a movie

[Sticky Icky Green Stuff]

I just watched the first episode of Justified and it's nice to see bullock gunslingin again.  almost the perfect show to transition to.

First episode of the 1st season or the new season of Justified?? Im an episode behind, but this season hasnt really picked up where last left off, but its been great nonetheless. Feels grittier than the first half of the 1st season, and Im diggin it.

Mags Bennett is one cold bitch (as played by Margo Martindale, Dewey Cox's momma).  Jeremy Davies (Saving Private Ryan, Rescue Dawn, Lost) is a nice add to the cast, as well.  That whole moonshine family is mighty dysfunctional and brutal.  Hurry and catch up, Sticky, so I can get more specific.

alright i think I'm caught up.  Season 2 episode 4 is the last one I've seen.  it's a pretty solid show.  super easy to watch a bunch of them in a row.  the casting has been really cool so far.  they've already had like 5 or 6 people from deadwood and quite a few from lost.  two of my favorite shows with some of my favorite actors from those shows makes it fun to watch.  from deadwood so far I've noticed:

1.) Jen the whore from the Gem that Johnny loves.
2.) Brent Sexton/Harry Manning
3.) Sean Bridges/Johnny Burns
4.) W. Earl Brown/Dan Dority
5.) Bullock

it seems like there was another one but I can't remember.  then lost you get:
1.) Faraday
2.) Bram
3.) Jack's grandpa
4.) Tom

hope there are more deadwood cameos.  those episodes have a little something extra to them.

[wolof7]

I believe last night was episode 5 of Justified's second season. Haven't seen it yet but the write up on the A/V club said it may be the best of the series so far, so, yeah I'm looking forward to that one.

Sticky, I agree that any Deadwood cameo adds more to the show. Loved W. Earl Brown's episode!

Beware of spoilers for those who have not caught up: http://www.avclub.com/articles/cottonmouth,52841/

[Sticky Icky Green Stuff]

I believe last night was episode 5 of Justified's second season. Haven't seen it yet but the write up on the A/V club said it may be the best of the series so far, so, yeah I'm looking forward to that one.

Sticky, I agree that any Deadwood cameo adds more to the show. Loved W. Earl Brown's episode!

Beware of spoilers for those who have not caught up: http://www.avclub.com/articles/cottonmouth,52841/

Ellsworth was in last nights episode! crazy shit,  cast as the head of the mine.  awesome awesome.  I'm not sure if that's a spoiler or not.

[johnnYYac]

So, is there some other overlap/connection between Deadwood and Justified besides the cast?   Writer, producer, director, creator, cousins, neighbors, they all belong to the same fan forum?  I haven't had a chance to look it up.

[Jaimoe]

I just watched the first episode of Justified and it's nice to see bullock gunslingin again.  almost the perfect show to transition to.

First episode of the 1st season or the new season of Justified?? Im an episode behind, but this season hasnt really picked up where last left off, but its been great nonetheless. Feels grittier than the first half of the 1st season, and Im diggin it.

Mags Bennett is one cold bitch (as played by Margo Martindale, Dewey Cox's momma).  Jeremy Davies (Saving Private Ryan, Rescue Dawn, Lost) is a nice add to the cast, as well.  That whole moonshine family is mighty dysfunctional and brutal.  Hurry and catch up, Sticky, so I can get more specific.

I've said it before but I love Justified! Only have caught 2 episodes of the new season but it continues to be fun as hell. Love the characters, the punchy dialouge and the whole feel of the show. Season one is a must watch. Margot Martindale is great as always so far in the new season.

Not sure if there are any Firefly watchers out there. I just started watching this in between episodes of the Wire Season 4 and enjoy it immensely. Not typically a sci-fi guy but it is an interesting premise. Sad it only got 15 episodes and a movie

There's a number of Firefly fans on the board. I watched the show when it first aired on Fox and saw Serenity in the theatre. I love that Firefly is a western in space. Great cast and I think Firefly is equal to Joss's other great shows.   

[Sticky Icky Green Stuff]

So, is there some other overlap/connection between Deadwood and Justified besides the cast?   Writer, producer, director, creator, cousins, neighbors, they all belong to the same fan forum?  I haven't had a chance to look it up.

I looked a little and didn't see anything about who created justified, it's listed as FX something.  looked on google and noticed that the preacher from deadwood was the hitman too.  damn.  Not sure what the deal is but I like it a lot when the ol' gang pops up.

[Jaimoe]

The creator/writer/producer of Justified is Graham Yost, who was a producer/writer for The Pacific and From the Earth to the Moon and was a writer on Band of Brothers. Perhaps Justified's casting director uses ex-Deadwood actors because they are comfortable being in a western, even if it is a modern western. 

[Sticky Icky Green Stuff]

Zach is hosting SNL again tonight.  opening monologue with him as orphan annie.