Going to be on the road working a fair bit over the next month (some nice freelance consulting, FTW), so I’d like to download some decent TV to my laptop to while away the hours… what do you recommend?

I’d love something that was like Breaking Bad but that wasn’t. Can’t do The Wire or Mad Men as I need to do them with the wife, so I’m thinking this is my chance to watch blokish nonsense full of fast cars, guns and loose women! Unless, of course, you can suggest something vaguely thought provoking like the West Wing, without it being the West Wing.

Sci-fi is definitely do-able, period stuff not so much.

So, please recommend your TV gems 🙂

Thank you!

This looks interesting:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/8851289/The-Slap-BBC-Four-preview.html

Walking Dead? Battle Star Galactica? Boardwalk Empire? Deadwood? Sopranoes?

All obvious and you may have seen them already…

Sci-fi is definitely do-able

Firefly
Farscape

Tried Deadwood a couple of times in the past – at what point does it get good? Always got bored at episode 3 and stopped watching. And *I can’t believe I’m going to say this*, but I found the swearing a bit OTT.

*Runs away to lie in a darkened room and consider the blasphemy just uttered, and the surest sign yet of impending old age*

sons of anarchy

My wife liked the wire and mad men just as much as I did, by the way!

I have a box set of Firefly here I was going to put on ebay. It is very good. Email in profile.

+1 for deadwood (amazing) and Walking dead (very good)

Battlestar Galactica was a big let down for me, but if you liked the west wing you might be able to tolerate it.

Ooh, second Firefly. Sadly won’t keep you going that long though.

Game of Thrones?

I really liked BSG, not in the same league as Firefly (but what is)… It took itself just a little bit *too* seriously for me.

A bike and some lights?

Deadwood: I read that the modern swearing was included because the swearing of the era just would not have carried any impact with modern audiences, being full of “dangnabbits’s”/”holy cow’s/”consarn-it’s” and the like.

Personally, I bought the boxed set – I thought it one of the best things I’ve ever seen on the telly and I’ve watched it several times over.

Within it, it contains storyline/conversational references to just about every single issue and event that comprised the “birth” of the United States.

Fascinating stuff, and McShane is at his career best.

Sons of Anarchy, that’s a good idea – thank you.

Al Swearengen is the greatest character in TV history.

🙂

+1 for BSG – not amazing but definitely worth watching – some great bits but a few really bad ones too (the ‘detective’ episode, WTF?)
Walking Dead looks good but I’ve not seen it.
If you’re after being blokey Entourage is quite good mindless fun IMO.

I’ve not been able to get into Deadwood either.

Entourage – excellent, that’s been on the to-do list for a while. I susprised myself earlier in the year by watching Californication and loving it – was much better than I’d thought it would be.

Stargate Universe – not lame like the other stargate stuff is. Sadly was cancelled after two seasons but very enjoyable sci-fi.
Spartacus Blood and sand – lots of blood and nudity stuff.
The Unit – special forces shooty stuff.
The shield – corrupt cop gritty action stuff
The Chicago Code – slick cop show that isn’t really a procedural.
Dexter – serial killer blood and (occasional) nudity with lots of profanity stuff.

Oh, and let me recommend a fun, but mindless and far fetched show – Rush. It’s about a special response police team in Melbourne. Absolute nonsense, but good visual bubblegum while cooking or doing other things.

Haven.

RUBICON – great spy/intelligence community drama from a US channel (don’t let that put you off!).
Quite slow paced compared to other stuff, but well written & shot, etc…
Used to be on BBC4, but I down-loaded the entire series instead & watched over a few quiet nights.

The Big Bang Theory – Friends for g33ks – brilliant

Justified – the best US drama I’ve seen

My Name is Earl – except season 2

Serious stuff

Game of thrones

More light hearted

psych
eureka

weirdnumber – Member
Stargate Universe – not lame like the other stargate stuff is. Sadly was cancelled after two seasons but very enjoyable sci-fi.

+1, Robert Carlisle completely steals the show

Justified is great as well.

Big fan of Burn Notice too. Lighthearted, tongue in cheek, secret agents, Miami, explosions, Bruce Campbell

Dexter, GoT and Spartacus for me, “reward my men with wine and ****!”

Shameless is just about the only thing worth watching.. a true modern classic..

Just about every other drama series on TV is trite yanqui tosh IMO.. Mrs yunki likes the True Blood series of you’re into gory sexy vampire stuff…

Hmmm… Shameless was great for a season or two but recently has just become a cartoon IMO.

still quite watchable though grum.. I like cartoons.. and it has a much wider audience now than it did for the first couple of seasons so the message has been watered down..

the 100th episode was a good return to form written by the series original creator..

I reckon it would still appear fairly hard hitting and fresh to the uninitiated

Phineus and Ferb

Deadwood: I read that the modern swearing was included because the swearing of the era just would not have carried any impact with modern audiences, being full of “dangnabbits’s”/”holy cow’s/”consarn-it’s” and the like.

Personally, I bought the boxed set – I thought it one of the best things I’ve ever seen on the telly and I’ve watched it several times over.

Within it, it contains storyline/conversational references to just about every single issue and event that comprised the “birth” of the United States.

Fascinating stuff, and McShane is at his career best.

This.

Also, Game of Thrones

I’ve not got past ep2 of Breaking Bad, seems ok, how long should I keep going? Hasn’t really captured my imagination yet…

Spiral,French cop programme. Top viewing especially the lady lawyer.

A bike and some lights?

Did you even read the OP?

Recent favourites of mine have been Californication, Justified, Dexter & The Walking Dead I would happily recommend any of them.

Did you even read the OP?

Yep. As I read it he’ll be on the road and wanted some tele to watch when sitting in some B&B or Travel Lodge in the evening. I was just suggesting it might be worth taking a bike. Sling it in the boot, work out where some good local riding or hook up with someone on here and have a play instead. He’s only consulting so he won’t be tired 🙂

Not watched it myself yet, but I’m surprised Fringe hasn’t been mentioned.

Strike Back Project Dawn, plenty of tough guy gung ho grrr shooting and a decent smattering of nudity.

Somehow Fringe still has me in it’s clutches, honestly though I’d say it’s mediocre at best.

Romanzo Criminale – an everyday story of drug dealing, violence and whores in 1970s Rome

Been watching Fresh Meat on channel 4, that’s good. Should be able to get it on 4OD. Also Educating Essex, although that’s documentary

The original Danish The Killing was good. I didn’t see the ‘merican one

Working away? Check
Alone? Check
Laptop? Check

Hardcore porn?

backtrack a few years and watch Oz? there’s enough series’ to keep you going for ages and was generally ace. Violence, drugs, swearing and nudity* a-go-go.

*not the nice kind with boobies though