Greatest Television Show... Ever

[dubsker]

why does the travel channel have better food shows than the food network?

 

That's a great question! I love Anthony Bourdain. He kicks the butt of anything on Food Network. Zimmer is OK, Man vs. Food is OK.

I agree, Bourdain kicks @ss. Have you ever watched Dinner Impossible with Chef Robert Irvine on the Food Network?

Bits and pieces. It doesn't grab my attention like Bourdain. The only things I watch on FN are Tyler's Ultimate (religiously) and Giada's shows, if they're on when I'm cooking and nothing else is on.

 

I'm a huge Tyler Florence disciple. I have all of his recipes downloaded and I make at least one for dinner every week.

 

I've tracked down recipes from some of the No Reservations shows, too. So far my favorite is Feijoada, which is the traditional dish of Sao Paulo, Brazil. I had a Paulista I met on an MMORPG verify that it was traditional. Not bad, but not something I'd eat every week. Or every month.

I have all of Tyler Florence's and Bobby Flay's cookbooks.

 

Feijoada takes forever to cook but it is quite tasty. Hell, anything with pork for that matter is quite tasty. If you're into South American/Mexican cuisine, I would recommend any videos and cookbooks by Chef Rick Bayless.

 

I like watching Dinner Impossible because I used to work in the catering business. I can empathize with the Chefs when the client throws them a last minute curveball sometimes changing their whole menu. I don't know how many times I had a client entirely change the menu a few days before an event. Talk about pressure, but what do you do? If you want the business, you roll with it.

 

I've always wanted to try Rick Bayless's food after watching the first season of Top Chef Masters.

[knapplc]

sarge, if you're interested, I have all of Tyler's recipes from his show on foodnetwork.com, all of Bobby Flay's from Boy Meets Grill, and all of Giada's from Everyday Italian.

 

They tell you to go to the website and download them, so I did. Several hundred pages of good, free recipes.

 

PM me if you're interested.

[sd'sker]

well, which one is it...

[knapplc]

Never seen The Wire.

[schuhbdoo]

Never seen The Wire.

 

 

 

Seinfeld!!!

[knapplc]

Seinfeld would be hard to beat.

[Husker_x]

It's The Sopranos, people. This conversation has been over for years.

[GSG]

Well, from the poll results, I'd have to say it's definitely NOT The Wire!

 

I've never seen The Wire, but I don't watch a lot of TV except for a few shows which are either comedy or cooking, soooo...yeah.

[sd'sker]

this was a huge failure.

 

edit: also, could a mod merge this with the other greatest television show ever thread, sorry.

[sd'sker]

husker x, this article is for you: http://www.salon.com/entertainment/tv/feature/2007/09/15/best_show

 

for the rest of you (and husker x) here are some good articles, if your interested in the wire or the greatest television show ever (which is one and the same):

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/5095500/The-Wire-arguably-the-greatest-television-programme-ever-made.html

http://www.guardian.co.uk/culture/tvandradioblog/2007/jul/21/thewireisunmissabletelevis

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2007/feb/13/thewire

[Husker_x]

But how could The Wire be the greatest show ever when everyone who watches television (and nobody watched The Wire) knows that the Intergalactic English Dictionary defines the entry 'Greatest Television Show' as that mafia-based crime drama called The Sopranos which aired in the early part of the 21st century?

 

In all seriousness, though, I haven't watched The Wire, but HBO was born of a virgin and can commit no sin, so I'm sure it's balls-out awesome.

 

Having a conversation about the best TV show ever is ridiculous for two reasons. First, everyone knows it's The Sopranos and everyone else is in denial. And secondly, you might as well try to decide the best novel, best song, best form of government, best cigar, or best exotic cheese. Even if we try to abandon subjectivity––which we don't, no matter how much we pretend to (except in the case of The Sopranos, of course)––you'll still have to formulate the criterion we're evaluating. I can give you a dozen 'objective' reasons Shakespeare is the greatest dramatist in the English language, and yet if you ask me whether you should read Stephen King's IT or Shakespeare's 'Taming of the Shrew', and I'm going to give you King.

 

Tastes. All about tastes. And while I think there's definitely a difference in intellectual capacity between someone who thinks Friends is the greatest show ever and people who are talking about Dexter, Sopranos, Battlestar Galactica, or The Wire, it's a hard line to see sometimes.

[sd'sker]

But how could The Wire be the greatest show ever when everyone who watches television (and nobody watched The Wire) knows that the Intergalactic English Dictionary defines the entry 'Greatest Television Show' as that mafia-based crime drama called The Sopranos which aired in the early part of the 21st century?

 

In all seriousness, though, I haven't watched The Wire, but HBO was born of a virgin and can commit no sin, so I'm sure it's balls-out awesome.

 

Having a conversation about the best TV show ever is ridiculous for two reasons. First, everyone knows it's The Sopranos and everyone else is in denial. And secondly, you might as well try to decide the best novel, best song, best form of government, best cigar, or best exotic cheese. Even if we try to abandon subjectivity––which we don't, no matter how much we pretend to (except in the case of The Sopranos, of course)––you'll still have to formulate the criterion we're evaluating. I can give you a dozen 'objective' reasons Shakespeare is the greatest dramatist in the English language, and yet if you ask me whether you should read Stephen King's IT or Shakespeare's 'Taming of the Shrew', and I'm going to give you King.

 

Tastes. All about tastes. And while I think there's definitely a difference in intellectual capacity between someone who thinks Friends is the greatest show ever and people who are talking about Dexter, Sopranos, Battlestar Galactica, or The Wire, it's a hard line to see sometimes.

well i was just interest in people's opinions, i was not expecting a consensus, by any means. however, i would definitely recommend the wire to you, it may not surpass your love of the sopranos, but it will be worth your time. get back to me if you do start watching it. my wife has started watching the sopranos, and she has quickly become a fan.

[Husker_x]

But how could The Wire be the greatest show ever when everyone who watches television (and nobody watched The Wire) knows that the Intergalactic English Dictionary defines the entry 'Greatest Television Show' as that mafia-based crime drama called The Sopranos which aired in the early part of the 21st century?

 

In all seriousness, though, I haven't watched The Wire, but HBO was born of a virgin and can commit no sin, so I'm sure it's balls-out awesome.

 

Having a conversation about the best TV show ever is ridiculous for two reasons. First, everyone knows it's The Sopranos and everyone else is in denial. And secondly, you might as well try to decide the best novel, best song, best form of government, best cigar, or best exotic cheese. Even if we try to abandon subjectivity––which we don't, no matter how much we pretend to (except in the case of The Sopranos, of course)––you'll still have to formulate the criterion we're evaluating. I can give you a dozen 'objective' reasons Shakespeare is the greatest dramatist in the English language, and yet if you ask me whether you should read Stephen King's IT or Shakespeare's 'Taming of the Shrew', and I'm going to give you King.

 

Tastes. All about tastes. And while I think there's definitely a difference in intellectual capacity between someone who thinks Friends is the greatest show ever and people who are talking about Dexter, Sopranos, Battlestar Galactica, or The Wire, it's a hard line to see sometimes.

well i was just interest in people's opinions, i was not expecting a consensus, by any means. however, i would definitely recommend the wire to you, it may not surpass your love of the sopranos, but it will be worth your time. get back to me if you do start watching it. my wife has started watching the sopranos, and she has quickly become a fan.

 

Oh, it's a fun enough conversation to have, all right. I'm more of a film guy, really, so my experience of television is pretty limited compared to your average TV nut. IMO there's like a threshold, or a certain point where once a film has cracked into my top, say, 25, trying to decide the best becomes virtually impossible because I like them for different reasons. Citizen Kane, American Beauty and Fight Club, for example, are three of my favorite films. Which is the best? Uhhhhhh....what are we comparing, exactly?

 

Or The Godfather Parts I and II, which I recently watched on blu-ray for the first time. Both as close to perfect as films can get. Which is the better of the two, one might ask? Again, hard question, because they're extensions of the same story; and similarly American Beauty and Fight Club are extensions of the same theme. I personally would rather watch Godfather 1. I like the story a little better, and with every 'objective' category being virtually the same between the two, taste becomes the ultimate arbiter.

 

I'll PM you if I get to The Wire. LOST is just about finished taking a dump all over itself (what a sh**ty season #6 has been), and afterwards I'll probably need some new material.

[sd'sker]

But how could The Wire be the greatest show ever when everyone who watches television (and nobody watched The Wire) knows that the Intergalactic English Dictionary defines the entry 'Greatest Television Show' as that mafia-based crime drama called The Sopranos which aired in the early part of the 21st century?

 

In all seriousness, though, I haven't watched The Wire, but HBO was born of a virgin and can commit no sin, so I'm sure it's balls-out awesome.

 

Having a conversation about the best TV show ever is ridiculous for two reasons. First, everyone knows it's The Sopranos and everyone else is in denial. And secondly, you might as well try to decide the best novel, best song, best form of government, best cigar, or best exotic cheese. Even if we try to abandon subjectivity––which we don't, no matter how much we pretend to (except in the case of The Sopranos, of course)––you'll still have to formulate the criterion we're evaluating. I can give you a dozen 'objective' reasons Shakespeare is the greatest dramatist in the English language, and yet if you ask me whether you should read Stephen King's IT or Shakespeare's 'Taming of the Shrew', and I'm going to give you King.

 

Tastes. All about tastes. And while I think there's definitely a difference in intellectual capacity between someone who thinks Friends is the greatest show ever and people who are talking about Dexter, Sopranos, Battlestar Galactica, or The Wire, it's a hard line to see sometimes.

well i was just interest in people's opinions, i was not expecting a consensus, by any means. however, i would definitely recommend the wire to you, it may not surpass your love of the sopranos, but it will be worth your time. get back to me if you do start watching it. my wife has started watching the sopranos, and she has quickly become a fan.

 

Oh, it's a fun enough conversation to have, all right. I'm more of a film guy, really, so my experience of television is pretty limited compared to your average TV nut. IMO there's like a threshold, or a certain point where once a film has cracked into my top, say, 25, trying to decide the best becomes virtually impossible because I like them for different reasons. Citizen Kane, American Beauty and Fight Club, for example, are three of my favorite films. Which is the best? Uhhhhhh....what are we comparing, exactly?

 

Or The Godfather Parts I and II, which I recently watched on blu-ray for the first time. Both as close to perfect as films can get. Which is the better of the two, one might ask? Again, hard question, because they're extensions of the same story; and similarly American Beauty and Fight Club are extensions of the same theme. I personally would rather watch Godfather 1. I like the story a little better, and with every 'objective' category being virtually the same between the two, taste becomes the ultimate arbiter.

 

I'll PM you if I get to The Wire. LOST is just about finished taking a dump all over itself (what a sh**ty season #6 has been), and afterwards I'll probably need some new material.

that's great, fight club is probably my favorite movie. i also really enjoy jfk and casino (right now those may be my top three, it's a floating scale). those are the movies i can probably rewatch the most. of late, i was impressed with there will be blood, no country for old men, and the departed. but you are right, once it gets to the top 25, it is hard to rate. i place movies into tiers; but it is probably too idiosyncratic to explain. other than that it is mostly documentaries. i always enjoy a good movie; however, the best movie ever is 'the room', i hope you've seen it.

[Husker_x]

But how could The Wire be the greatest show ever when everyone who watches television (and nobody watched The Wire) knows that the Intergalactic English Dictionary defines the entry 'Greatest Television Show' as that mafia-based crime drama called The Sopranos which aired in the early part of the 21st century?

 

In all seriousness, though, I haven't watched The Wire, but HBO was born of a virgin and can commit no sin, so I'm sure it's balls-out awesome.

 

Having a conversation about the best TV show ever is ridiculous for two reasons. First, everyone knows it's The Sopranos and everyone else is in denial. And secondly, you might as well try to decide the best novel, best song, best form of government, best cigar, or best exotic cheese. Even if we try to abandon subjectivity––which we don't, no matter how much we pretend to (except in the case of The Sopranos, of course)––you'll still have to formulate the criterion we're evaluating. I can give you a dozen 'objective' reasons Shakespeare is the greatest dramatist in the English language, and yet if you ask me whether you should read Stephen King's IT or Shakespeare's 'Taming of the Shrew', and I'm going to give you King.

 

Tastes. All about tastes. And while I think there's definitely a difference in intellectual capacity between someone who thinks Friends is the greatest show ever and people who are talking about Dexter, Sopranos, Battlestar Galactica, or The Wire, it's a hard line to see sometimes.

well i was just interest in people's opinions, i was not expecting a consensus, by any means. however, i would definitely recommend the wire to you, it may not surpass your love of the sopranos, but it will be worth your time. get back to me if you do start watching it. my wife has started watching the sopranos, and she has quickly become a fan.

 

Oh, it's a fun enough conversation to have, all right. I'm more of a film guy, really, so my experience of television is pretty limited compared to your average TV nut. IMO there's like a threshold, or a certain point where once a film has cracked into my top, say, 25, trying to decide the best becomes virtually impossible because I like them for different reasons. Citizen Kane, American Beauty and Fight Club, for example, are three of my favorite films. Which is the best? Uhhhhhh....what are we comparing, exactly?

 

Or The Godfather Parts I and II, which I recently watched on blu-ray for the first time. Both as close to perfect as films can get. Which is the better of the two, one might ask? Again, hard question, because they're extensions of the same story; and similarly American Beauty and Fight Club are extensions of the same theme. I personally would rather watch Godfather 1. I like the story a little better, and with every 'objective' category being virtually the same between the two, taste becomes the ultimate arbiter.

 

I'll PM you if I get to The Wire. LOST is just about finished taking a dump all over itself (what a sh**ty season #6 has been), and afterwards I'll probably need some new material.

that's great, fight club is probably my favorite movie. i also really enjoy jfk and casino (right now those may be my top three, it's a floating scale). those are the movies i can probably rewatch the most. of late, i was impressed with there will be blood, no country for old men, and the departed. but you are right, once it gets to the top 25, it is hard to rate. i place movies into tiers; but it is probably too idiosyncratic to explain. other than that it is mostly documentaries. i always enjoy a good movie; however, the best movie ever is 'the room', i hope you've seen it.

 

Haven't seen The Room, but I did see Battlefield Earth, which would be a close second to the best film ever made.

 

Loved There Will Be Blood and No Country (and The Departed, for that matter). Recently Crazy Heart wasn't bad, and Pixar's UP was astounding. Going back a ways the most interesting movie I've seen in awhile is probably David Crongenberg's Dead Ringers, which was bizarrely awesome. Hurt Locker was a tad overrated IMO.

 

As far as documentaries go, I'm new to them but have watched quite a few recently. The best of the bunch that I've seen in the past few months was Brother's Keeper.