THERE WILL BE SPOILERS!!
To start, a list of shows that are no longer on the air that, if you can, find somewhere and watch the heck out of them!
HBO
The Larry Sanders Show (1992-1998) - The precursor to all those "behind-the-scenes" shows we've come to love (The Office, Parks & Rec, etc.). Brilliant comedy with just about every star of the time coming out to play.
Oz (1997-2003) - So good!! Hard to watch most of the time because of the brutally honest violence that one would see in a maximum security prison. But beyond the shock of some of those scenes was a glorious study of many different characters, inmates, guards, administrators. And you will recognize just about every one of the actors, as most of them went on to star in many shows and movies over the years.
Curb Your Enthusiasm (2000-2011) - If you watched, and liked, Seinfeld in the 1990's, there is absolutely no reason you shouldn't watch Curb Your Enthusiasm. Larry David plays, essentially, himself, a totally neurotic man that was the basis of the George Constanza character. For another comedy about "nothing" there is always something going on!
The Wire (2002-2008) - Oh, man, was this show great! You really never knew what would happen minute to minute. Watching how the Baltimore Police and the drug dealers they're chasing down were really so similar was just the start of this brilliant show. Just like Oz, it is brutally honest in it's depictions of violence, but never gratuitously. And, like Oz, you'll recognize just about every actor in the show because of their successes after.
Entourage (2004-2011) - Ok, I've been told this is a Sex And The City for guys. I guess I could see that, but, for this guy, one who dreamt about going to Hollywood as a kid and making it big as an actor, Entourage brought those dreams to almost reality. I lived vicariously through each of the main characters. It wasn't about the parties and the girls, it was about the friendship and always sticking together.
Other big HBO series: Sex And The City (1998-2004) - never watched
The Sopranos (1999-2007) - never watched
Six Feet Under (2001-2005) - partly watched
Deadwood (2004-2006) - never watched
Rome (2005-2007) - never watched
True Blood (2008-2014) - never watched
Boardwalk Empire (2010-2014) - never watched
Currently Watching on HBO
Veep (2012- ) - Hilarious!!! Brought to us from the brilliant comic minds that gave us one of the funniest movies I've ever seen, "In The Loop", the show follows Selina Meyer, the first female Vice President of the USA, and her incredibly loopy, sometimes horribly inept team. Julia Louis-Dreyfus is perfect as the VP, but she is supported so well by a bunch of great comedic actors, including Anna Chlumsky, Matt Walsh, Kevin Dunn, Gary Cole and Timothy Simons. I laugh out loud while watching this show!
Silicon Valley (2014- ) - Following the adventures of a group of "friends" that created a great compression program that could change their lives, and the world. But when big business gets involved, things start to go sideways, fast. It seems like every episode has a solution to a prior problem only to give way to an even bigger problem. I constantly wonder how our hero, played by comedian Thomas Middleditch, is going to free himself from all his new pressures. Very funny characters, especially Gilfoyle and Ginesh, will keep you involved.
True Detective (2014- ) - The first instalment of this show, starring Woody Harrelson and Matthew McConaughey, was this short of brilliant! I loved it...it was moody, gripping, violent, beautifully filmed, a definite must see. The second season, totally different from season one, left much to be desired. I think part of the problem was the introduction of too many lead characters. By giving us so much to follow, the viewer becomes overwhelmed. The story wasn't as interesting, but it was still acted very well by Colin Farrell, Vince Vaughn and especially Rachel McAdams. I'm gonna give this show one more try when it returns next year, if it returns...
Vinyl (2016- ) - The first season of this blast-from-the-past has ended, and I have mixed feelings about it. It stars Bobby Cannavale as Richie Finestra, the brilliant owner of a record company in the 1970's. All is good in his world, until one coke-filled, scotch-soaked night when he beat a man to death. Never a good thing. The great thing about this show is it's attention to detail, much like Mad Men before it. The fashion, the excesses, the sounds, the freakin' music, it's all there and and it's all amazing! But there is nobody, not one character, that you're pulling for. They're all terrible people! I enjoyed the ride of the first season, and I'm eager to see how the second season turns out.
Ok, let's have a look at some great AMC shows that have run their course.
AMC
Mad Men (2007-2015) - Brilliant story-telling! Brilliant costuming! Brilliant sets! Brilliantly acted! I never thought I'd miss a show so much after Mad Men ended. The characters brought to life on this show will live forever, especially Don Draper, the best and worst of any man alive or dead. Nobody but Jon Hamm could have brought this character to life. Heart-wrenching at times and drop dead hilarious at others, Mad Men could really run the gamut, and it's so worth spending 920 hours watching it!
Breaking Bad (2008-2013) - All the accolades I just bestowed on Mad Men, double them for Breaking Bad. I think I can say that this is the single best TV Drama in the history of the medium. I know that's lofty praise, but I became so anxious waiting for the next episode that it started to become ALL I thought about. There are few shows that completely wrap up everything that had been going on so brilliantly. How can anybody feel for a drug dealer?? Not only did we want Walter White to succeed, we felt like we might die when he didn't. When Hank finally realizes who Walter really was is probably the single greatest scene EVER, TV, movies, plays, books, any of them! I get chills just thinking about it now. When Breaking Bad ended, I felt both sad for never again visiting with my friends from Albuquerque, and incredibly happy for witnessing the greatest show ever filmed!
Currently Watching on AMC
The Walking Dead (2010- ) - I know a lot of people that just won't give The Walking Dead a chance. (Much the same way I won't watch Game Of Thrones). It's a bunch of zombies eating people or getting their heads chopped off. Yeah, that's a big part of it. But there's so much happening beyond that. This group of people, thrown together by circumstance, have become a family. They fight, they love, they watch each other's backs. Their main goal is not to just survive in this near apocalypse, it's to live again. To find reasons for living. To find the strength to continue and thrive. Yeah, it gets a little slow sometimes, but I can't remember being brought to tears so much when someone suddenly dies. I become so involved with these characters that I actually sob when they leave. If you didn't bawl like a pregnant woman when Beth died, you have no heart!!
Better Call Saul (2014- ) - I didn't think it was possible to love a show as much as I loved Breaking Bad, but Better Call Saul is making an argument! It's a prequel to Walter White's escapades, following his slimy lawyer, Saul Goodman (actually Jimmy McGill...you gotta watch) as he maneuvers his way through his career. Bob Odenkirk as Saul/Jimmy is absolutely great, but what's even greater is the introduction of one of the best written characters ever, Mike Ehrmantraut, played by the incomparable Jonathan Banks. Mike met his demise in Breaking Bad, so we know he'll survive everything in this show, but he takes us on a ride every episode. Just a fabulous show!
Fear The Walking Dead (2015- ) - The second season of this quasi-prequel to The Walking Dead is currently playing on AMC. I gotta say, the first season grabbed me. I thought it was put together brilliantly as the main family tries to understand and then deal with a strange virus that brings the dead back to "life". I thought it asked a lot of questions that most people would be asking if this were to happen in real life. It felt real. Now, into it's second season, it's starting to lose me a bit. We're only four episodes in, but we've been on a boat for most of it, and that's just not all that interesting. Although, the last episode did introduce some new problems, so there is hope for the rest of the season.
Alrighty, how about FX? It hasn't been in Canada all that long, but there are ways to see some of these past gems:
FX & FXX
The Shield (2002-2008) - Following another police department, this time in Los Angeles, that did whatever needed to be done to get their criminal. Michael Chiklis was perfect as Vic Mackey and Glenn Close, in her one season in 2005, was fabulous. It's a show that we've seen before on regular TV (NYPD Blue for instance), but the gritty nature and the unapologetic story telling kept you coming back for more.
Rescue Me (2004-2011) - I tell ya, I became a HUGE fan of Denis Leary's after watching this show. Hilarious and highly dramatic all at once, Leary helped create a world post-9/11 through the eyes of a firefighter that was at Ground Zero. Although a lot of the scripts contained some silly humour, the episodes almost always came around to something much deeper. Well worth a watch even if you've never thought too much about Denis Leary.
Sons Of Anarchy (2008-2014) - I enjoyed this show much more than I thought I would...to a point. The story bobbed and weaved a lot, bringing our hero, Jax Teller, much pain and joy. There were some good twists and turns, unexpected deaths, more unexpected actions by some tough characters, but it all fell apart for me by the last season. That's the big shame for this series. It held my interest for a long time, I was enjoying it, but that last season was, in a word, terrible. One of the worst series denouements I can recall. I can't recommend this series just based on that.
Currently Watching on FX & FXX
It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia (2005- ) - This show started on FX and moved to FXX in 2013. Because it's on, like, 15 times a day, I believe I've caught up on many of the episodes I missed before FX came to Canada. It's not for everyone, I know this, but for some reason, the adventures of Charlie, Dennis, Mac, Dee and Frank bring a smile to face more often than not. It's slapstick-y, it's loud, it's gross, but it's funny, too. Just watching Danny DeVito getting into the crazy crap he gets into every week is enough for me to keep watching regularly.
Louie (2010- ) - I find that it's rare for a stand-up comic to make me laugh. It seems like it's all been done before and there is very little new material that can be brought to stand-up. I grew up in the time of Eddie Murphy, listened to old Bill Cosby, Richard Pryor and George Carlin, saw the emergence of Jerry Seinfeld and Rosanne Barr and Chris Rock. Louis C.K. is one of the few that still bring a smile to face consistently. This series that follows his adventures as a divorced father of two is, at times, brilliantly funny. Sometimes it misses the mark, getting a little too serious for it's own good, but it's good far more than it's not.
Fargo (2014- ) - There are things to love about each of the first two instalments of Fargo. The first season was fabulous with some wonderful performances from Martin Freeman, Billy Bob Thornton, Colin Hanks and Allison Tolman. It completely kept the feel of the Coen brothers' film from 1996. I had high hopes for the second season, and, although I didn't completely agree with the alien storyline, I still loved it! Again, great performances from all involved, especially Patrick Wilson, Ted Danson, Kirsten Dunst and my favourite character, Mike Milligan, played by Bokeem Woodbine. Can't wait for season 3!
Let's take a look at Showtime. Some of their shows no longer on:
Showtime
It's Garry Shandling's Show (1986-1990) - Before The Larry Sanders Show was It's Garry Shandling, and it was great. Maybe not as ground-breaking, maybe not as bitingly satirical, but funny as hell and certainly worth a watch.
Dexter (2006-2013) - I was a big fan of this serial killer, but I hated the last episode. I eagerly anticipated this show every week and made sure I was home to watch it live so I didn't hear what may have happened the next day at work. We all lived a little vicariously through Dexter, played chillingly well by Michael C. Hall. There were some great arch enemies such as Colin Hanks in Season 6 or Christian Camargo as The Ice Truck Killer from Season 1. But nobody, NOBODY, could top John Lithgow's turn as The Trinity Killer from Season 4!! A really great ride, until the final episode where the writers seemed to try to wrap everything up in a tight little ball in less than an hour...and, unfortunately, failed.
Californication (2007-2014) - I absolutely LOVED this show, and I can't even tell you why. Maybe it was because of the unapologetic script, making our hero, Hank Moody, seem larger than life and the most deeply flawed human on Earth. Maybe it was the secondary players; the gorgeous Natascha McElhone as Hank's often emotionally abused wife Karen; Evan Handler as the almost equally horrible best friend Charlie; Madeleine Martin as the older-than and wiser-than offspring Becca. Maybe it was the smartly written scripts that made you laugh and think, until it was time to look away because of the stupidity of Hank, played perfectly by David Duchovny. I don't know, it's hard to explain, but I enjoyed every minute.
Other big Showtime series: Queer As Folk (2000-2005) - never watched
The L Word (2004-2009) - never watched
Huff (2004-2006) - watched a couple of episodes
Weeds (2005-2012) - watched first two seasons
United States Of Tara (2012-2014) - never watched
Nurse Jackie (2009-2015) - never watched
The Big C (2010-2013) - never watched
Currently Watching on Showtime
Homeland (2011- ) - Well, kind of. I actually gave up on Homeland after the third season, although I'm told it has got better again. But the first season was soooooooooooo good! Claire Danes is super as Carrie Mathison, a sometimes employee of the CIA and Homeland Security trying to gain intelligence from the Middle East. Mandy Patinkin is Saul, her sometimes boss and mentor, and he is watchable at all times! Damian Lewis, a current day Steve McQueen in my opinion, is fantastic as well. I think I need to pick this one up again and see how it goes...
Episodes (2011- ) - Matt LeBlanc was...ok on Friends. He shines bright on Episodes. Even though his character isn't necessarily central in this comedic series, he fills the gaps with some hilarious scene-stealing appearances. The greatness of this show lies in it's writing and the under-played performances from it's two British stars, Tamsin Greig and Stephen Mangan. Although there are some slapstick kind of moments, most of the episodes are filled with smart, hilarious writing.
Ray Donovan (2013- ) - Liev Schreiber IS Ray Donovan. He envelopes the character perfectly and there is no doubt you're dealing with Ray in every episode. He helps the rich fix their problems, but he has a whole lot of trouble fixing his own. Dealing with his ever-conniving father, played brilliantly by Jon Voight, his down-and-out brothers and his failing marriage, Ray Donovan tries desperately to do the right thing...often falling short. A really good, moody drama.
The Affair (2014- ) - A fabulous premise introduced in Season 1 fell to the wayside in Season 2, but there's still hope. It starts off with Dominic West (he of The Wire) falling for and having an affair with Ruth Wilson. We see how each character recalls certain moments in their relationship as things become more and more complicated. The side stories are important, like the family of Josua Jackson's and Maura Tierney's, the ones being cheated on, but the reason to watch are the two central characters and how they try to deal with what they've done. Season 2 jumps ahead in time, introducing more complications and more side stories that sometimes work and sometimes don't. But the first season is definitely worth a viewing!
I have one more show to talk about, put out by Cinemax but can be viewed on The Movie Channel here in Canada:
The Knick (2014- ) - The series is directed by Steven Soderbergh, one of my favourite film directors. It stars Clive Owen, one of the best actors going today. It deals with hospitals and medicine during the turn of the century, the early 1900's. It is unbelievably interesting, realizing the "advances" in medicine from that time and how people regarded them. Our hero doctor played by Owen, Dr. John Thackery, has a great many personal demons to work through. He is fantastic, and his story leading to the final scene of Season 1 is incredible! All the secondary actors are great, but it's really the stories and the look of the show that draw you in. Can't wait for Season 3!
Well, that's that. If you have any shows you think I should binge watch, let me know in the comments section. And, no, I won't binge watch Game Of Thrones. Not yet, anyway.
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