Showing posts with label TV. Show all posts
Showing posts with label TV. Show all posts

Best TV Series of 2012

Here are what I think the best TV series that I have watched this year. In no particular order:

Fringe

Fringe is like X-Files but way cooler. The series follows Olivia Dunham, Peter Bishop and Walter Bishop, members of a FBI 'Fringe Division' team. Sounds like X-Files right? Well, Fringe delves more around parallel universe, time travel and advanced scientific theories that are very-very interesting. There's new surprise and twist in every episode that once you started watching you could not stop. Made by the creator of Alias and Lost, J.J Abrams, Fringe is by far the best science fiction series that I've seen in recent times.

Mad Men

Set in the 1960s, Mad Men tells the story of Don Draper who works at the fictional Sterling Cooper advertising agency in New York City. The plot focuses on the business of the agency as well as the personal lives of the characters and depicts the changing moods and social behavior of 1960s America.

What do I love about Mad Men? Everything! The acting, visual style, costume design and the historical authenticity of 1960s America. Don Draper (Jon Hamm) just oozes sexual appeal. Every guy wants to be like Don Draper and every woman wants to be with him. He's like the epitome of coolness. Mad Men is in it's fifth season now and this is one TV show you won't want to miss.

Breaking Bad

Breaking Bad is the story of Walter White, a struggling high school chemistry teacher who was diagnosed with a deadly lung cancer. He turns to a life of crime, producing and selling methamphetamine with a former student, Jesse Pinkman with the aim of securing his family's financial future before he dies. Apparently Walter is so good at making meth that his drug becomes very popular among the drug dealers and junkies. Soon Walter made so much money that he was able to pay for his cancer treatment with a few millions left to spare. But of course running a very successful meth production is not without its troubles. That's when this story gets very interesting. I don't want to spoil the story for you so you'll have to watch it for yourself.

Breaking Bad teaches me that learning and being very good in chemistry can make you very rich and successful in life. It also taught me the proper way to deal drugs and what not to do to avoid being busted by the cops. Really educational stuff.

Sherlock

Now I have watched a couple of Sherlock Holmes movies and TV series before but they were largely shit compared to the contemporary update of the 2010 Sherlock series made by BBC. For one thing it was set in present time Britain and another, Benedict Cumberbatch breaths a whole new life into the Sherlock Holmes character. The producers aspired to produce a modern-day version of Conan Doyle's stories in which Sherlock uses today's technologies to find things out and solve crime.

If you are a fan of Sherlock Holmes or stuff that makes you think a bit then Sherlock is definitely a must watch. The show is 90 minutes long but there are only 6 episodes so far and the third season won't come out until later next year.

Modern Family

Modern Family revolves around 3 American families. In one family there is Jay Prichett who is married to a much younger woman, Gloria who already has a son named Manny. The second family is Jay's daughter who married Phil Dunphy and they have 3 children Haley, Alex and Luke. Jay has a son, Mitchell who is gay and lives with his partner Cameron and they adopted a Vietnamese baby named Lily.

What do I like about this show? Well, it is truly funny! I have quite a high standard when it comes to comedies and most so-called comedies you see on TV today is totally crap. Modern Family however never fails to make me laugh at least a few times in every episode. Too bad you won't see this series on local TV any time soon you know because of the gay couple. But hey, you know where to get them regardless, right?

The Walking Dead

Imagine waking up from a coma one day to find the world dominated by flesh-eating zombies. That's what happened to deputy sherriff Rick Grimes in The Walking Dead which is based on the comic book series of the same name. I'm sure you have watched a few zombies flick before but they don't make them as good as this one. The zombies are so real and the suspense and twist in every episode is so thrilling, you'd be hanging by the edge of your seat. I can't praise this TV series enough, just go watch it already!

Community

Previously I said Modern Family was funny. Community is a bit like that but 10 times funnier. The series follows a group of students at a community college in the fictional town of Greendale, Colorado. I love how the show uses meta-humor and pop culture references, often parodying film and television cliches and tropes. And who doesn't love Troy and Abed. Those two are absolutely hillarious.

The Big Bang Theory

Although I've heard of The Big Bang Theory sitcom before, I didn't grow to like them until recently. The story revolves around 4 stereotypical geeks and their normal girlfriend next door Penny. The geekiniess and intellect of the four guys is contrasted for comic effect with Penny's social skills and common sense. What I like about The Big Band Theory? It's geekiness that I somewhat could relate to and of course Sheldon Cooper. Who doesn't love Shelly?

Suits

I find law dramas to be for the most part, either super boring like Law & Order or simply silly like Ally McBeal. Suits however brings a totally different perspective and outtake for this genre. It's fresh, interesting and the courtroom scene doesn't last more than a minute.

Harvey Spector is like James Bond for lawyers - cool, cunning and sophisticated. Mike Ross, the young and sometimes naive but genius pseudo-lawyer has his own ways of winning the audience's heart. Law dramas will never be the same again after Suits.

Person Of Interest

This series revolves around a former CIA agent John Reese who was recruited by a mysterious billionaire (Harold Finch) to prevent violent crimes in New York City. Finch and his former partner created the Machine, a computer system which uses information taken from 24 hours surveillance from cameras of all kind to predict future terrorist attacks. Finch later discovered that the machines was predicting ordinary crimes as well and while the government was not interested in these results, he was determined to find a way to stop those predicted crimes. Kind of like Minority Report but for television.

That's why Finch hires Reese to condict surveillance and intervene as needed, using his kick-ass skills acquired in the military and CIA. Produced by J.J Abrams, I knew from the start that this TV series is just going to be awesome. Abrams has this golden touch when it comes to TV shows. I love the fast-paced plots, believable stories and the fact that no super powers or supernatural elements were introduced in this drama series. For once it's just brains and braun.

Dexter

Aaah, America's favorite serial-killer. Dexter Morgan is by day a harmless and seemingly boring bloof spatter pattern analyst for the Miami Police Department. But he also leads a secret life as a serial killer. Here you will learn how to stalk people, kill them in cold blood and most importantly how to dispose off the body properly. That is also why we might never see this series being aired on local TV. That's just too bad.

American Horror Story

This particular TV series is not for the faint-hearted. If you like really-really scary stuff, this one is definitely for you. The first season - Murder House follows the story of a family that moves into an old mansion that is haunted by its former (dead) inhabitants. In fact, most of the family that lived in the house will turn out invariably dead either murdered or by suicide. Best watched alone, at night and with your doors locked.
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Mad Men

Mad Men is a television series set in the 1960s at the fictional Sterling-Cooper advertising agency on Madison Avenue in New York City. The focal point of the series is Don Draper (Jon Hamm), creative director at Sterling-Cooper and a founding partner at Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce, as well as those in his life, both in and out of the office. The show regularly depicts the changing moods, social mores, and political correctness of 1960s America. Mad Men has received critical acclaim, particularly for its historical authenticity and visual style, and has won multiple awards, including thirteen Emmys and four Golden Globes. It is the first basic cable series to win the Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama Series, winning it in 2008, 2009, and 2010.
In another word, Mad Men is the hottest television series there is out there at the moment. Everybody is raving about Mad Men right now and if there's any TV shows worth watching or downloading, it's Mad Men. Don Draper/Jon Hamm is the sexiest man alive on television today. Everybody wants to be like Don Draper, successful, confident, charismatic, SEXY, he gets any girl he wants. Yet his life is flawed, bereft of true happiness, filled with lies and cover-up and mired in sadness. Season 4 of Mad Men has just finished airing in the U.S and you can get it at your favorite torrent site or watch it online at TV Shack (just ignore the reported attack site warning). Check out the season 1 promo and recap below to get a taste of what Mad Men is all about.



Dexter

Aah Dexter Morgan, everyone's favourite serial killer. If you think his face looks familiar, Michael C. Hall used to play that gay funeral home director in Six Feet Under. I still can't believe I watched all six seasons of the wretched show. Anyway this show is about Dexter Morgan, a charismatic blood spatter analyst who works in the forensics at the Miami Metro Police Department. On the outside, Dexter seems like the perfect guy - he has a sister, Debra, that adores him and a steady girlfriend, Rita, with two kids that look up to him. However, what they don't know is that Dexter moonlights as a serial killer, only he isn't your typical killer. Basing his life on the teachings of his foster father, Dexter only kills people who truly deserve it: he ensures that those who got away with horrible crimes will never kill again.
Season 1 tells of the hunt for the ice-truck killer who kills women, mostly prostitutes, drains their blood dry and cut them into tiny little pieces. The ice-truck killer was actually Dexter's biological brother Ryan who like Dexter turned into a serial killer following their mother's brutal murder. When Ryan tried to make Dexter kill Debra, he killed his big brother instead making it look like a suicide.

In season 2 the Miami-Metro police dept accidentally stumbled into a few dozen cut up bodies in garbage bags in the ocean which were Dexter's lifetime of handy work. His colleague Sargent James Doakes succeeded in tracing the murder back to Dexter but Dexter's new but mentally unsound girlfriend Lila managed to finish him off before Dexter get to figure what to do with him. In the end Dexter also kills Lila because of her violent tendencies.

Season 3 saw Dexter finally tying the knot with his long time girlfriend and mother of 2, Rita who was pregnant with their child. Dexter somehow befriended a prominent assistant District Attorney, Miguel Prada. They became so close that he eventually found out about Dexter's after hours hobby and tried killing a man himself just for kicks. Miguel got carried away with his newfound past time and started to kill more people. Dexter decided to stop the monster he helped created by killing Miguel in the end.

In season 4, Dexter, Rita and their 3 children moved to a new neighborhood. Dexter struggles to balance his new role as parent and work. An veteran serial killer called the Trinity killer (because he kills in 3s) showed up in town and Dexter managed to track him down and befriends him. In the end Dexter succeeded in killing the Trinity killer (as always) but comes home one night to find his wife Rita dead in a pool of blood in their bath tub.

Season 5 is currently airing halfway through in the U.S but I'd rather wait till the season finishes before watching them at TV Shack. There's no way any local TV station is going to show Dexter here anytime soon so the only place you can see Dexter is from the Internet. Go on and watch Dexter, I'd highly recommend it. Just don't get carried away with all the killings okay.

Fringe

Fringe is a mystery-sci-fi TV series which revolves around the FBI fringe science division. special agent Olivia, "mad scientist" Walter Bishop and his son Peter got roped in to investigate a series of strange and unexplained events, rare diseases, chimeras, mutants, psychic abilities, teleportation, parallel universe, you named it. Yeah it's pretty much like X-Files but way cooler.
Fringe is my new favourite sci-fi TV show. You can catch it on NTV7 or Fox. Season 3 has just began in the U.S but you can already catch it free on TV Shack.