Shows to watch before you die!!!

[Guest Fiona]

Just saw this on Yahoo. Not sure if I agree with the list totally, but maybe you have some you would like to add or disagree with.

 

 

The Shows You Must Watch Before You Die (and the Ones to Avoid)

By Mindy Monez, TWoP | Thursday, August 27, 2009, 4:14 PM

 

 

In the wake of Ted Kennedy's sad passing, some particularly interesting factoids are emerging about the senator's final days. Namely, that along with quality time spent with his family and friends, he also chose to spend his final days watching every single episode of "24" on DVD. A sound decision -- albeit perhaps an odd one considering all the political assassinations that occur on the show -- since "24" is one of the most consistently entertaining (minus a bum season or two) and compelling series of the past decade, if not ever. Which got us thinking about the shows we'd recommend that the average person with a terminal illness watch for the first time before they pass away, and the shows they should most definitely not their waste precious hours on.

 

Do Watch:

 

"The West Wing"

 

This brilliant, delightful, optimistic melodrama had very high highs ("Two Cathedrals") and lows ("The Stackhouse Filibuster") that are still better than most shows' best episodes.

 

"Buffy the Vampire Slayer"

We can't think of a more enjoyable form of escapism than "Buffy," and though its final season is looked down upon, the series wrapped up with a satisfying conclusion that wouldn't leave a person disappointed on their death bed.

 

"Freaks & Geeks"

There weren't a lot of episodes but you're not going to find more quality in such a scant quantity than this high school series set in the early '80s that was funny, touching and sweetly painful all at once.

 

"The Office" (UK)

At only 14 episodes, the original "Office" series starring Ricky Gervais ended perfectly and is one of best things ever created for the television medium. If you're looking for sitcom to watch before you go, this is the one.

 

"Lost"

If your prognosis leaves you alive until next May's guaranteed-to-be-mind-blowing series conclusion, this crazy ride of a show will get your pulse (and mind) racing one last time.

 

 

Don't Watch:

 

"Sex and the City"

Besides its constant vapidity, everything that was mindlessly enjoyable about this series vanished in its later seasons. This is the shining textbook example of how not to write enduring characters and really not worth sitting through in the final analysis.

 

"Battlestar Galactica"

A beautifully genius show... until the end, which wasn't just disappointing, it was absurd. So much so that it's best to avoid this altogether if you want any resolution in this life.

 

"Heroes"

If you don't have a lot of time left, don't let the decent first season hook you into suffering the following two. Even you have too much to live for.

 

"The Sopranos"

Critically acclaimed, well-acted, thrilling (when it wasn't boring, that is) and groundbreaking television, its open-to-interpretation ending will just frustrate you. It's not worth going there if you can only see one more series.

 

"Grey's Anatomy"

Another example of a show that started out well and just went from good to bad to worse to nearly unwatchable over the course of five seasons. Let's just say we wouldn't prescribe it on DVD to the person without time to spare.

 

Credit - Yahoo Ent.

[Guest Anime Otaku]

Can't argue with the do watch list, but I haven't seen Freaks and Geeks but I love Grey's Anatomy and I'm Surprised to see The Soprano's on their considering how well it did.

[Guest Tommate2k9]

I would say DO watch heroes because its awesome!

[Maxximus 353]

LOST is the single greatest television show of all time.

[Guest Michael89]

I've not even seen any of them, tut.

[Guest Jayfunk]

no Battlestar, not much of a list given the quality of writing pisses all over the to do list in my opinion

[Guest Fiona]

I would add The Wire, Criminal Minds and Supernatural to the Do Watch list.

 

Thought the Soprano's was on the wrong list. All the others on the Don't Watch list, never watched them so can't comment.

[Guest Nemesis Enforcer]

Firefly needs adding to the list of DO watch programs!

 

Awesome series which got cancelled way too soon, wish they would go down the road of making a second series staight to DVD since the DVD of the first and esspecially the movie did so well.

[Guest John Hancock]

They insulted The Sapranos, and completely failed to mention both Deadwood and Six Feet Under, the two greatest T.V. shows ever made EVER.

[DC 536]

There are many shows that should/could have been on the list, but the "Don't Watch" list is retarded, especially as it says the reason to not watch Battlestar is because of the last episode ("Yeah, the rest of the series is great, but avoid it anyway").

 

Where are the truly abysmal shows that really should be avoided?

[Naitch 207]

Yep, quite silly. Avoid consistently great television over an 8 or so year, 6 series, 86 EPISODE period (which is a major achievement in itself because not once in its long history did one think 'man, this show is going down the shitter') because the last 5 minutes of said 86 episodes of completely blinding TV, which along with 'Deadwood' and 'The Wire' IS the greatest television show in history, might (with extreme emphasis on 'might' because I personally loved the ending and I don't adhere to this insane viewpoint that 'The Sopranos' was a waste of time because the ending didn't agree with some people) frustrate you.

 

And, yeah, if you only watch three television shows before you do shuffle off this mortal coil, ensure that they are 'Deadwood', 'The Sopranos' and 'The Wire' because on a day-to-day basis, I can never decide which of the three is the best but I can definately decide that they're equally the three greatest shows I've ever seen. The only real downside of 'Deadwood', I suppose, is that it never got a definitive 4th series/ending but as a standalone three series piece of work, it is astoundingly good. The other two's downsides are so miniscule that they're not even worth mentioning because they're both as close to perfection as it gets, really.

 

Of course the show some of us would really like to watch before we die I suppose is a factual news show where some beardy scientist types reveal they've discovered the secret to eternal life.

Edited August 31, 2009 by Naitch

[Guest Saz]

I'll agree the end of battlestar was a little wtf, but I still enjoyed it.

 

Agree about Deadwood too.

 

West wing was rubbish unless you really, REALLY cared about American politics or beautiful people.

 

Never heard of Freaks and Geeks though!

[Guest Inno]

My list of five shows would be:

 

Bones

Criminal Minds

Mythbusters

News Radio

Black Books

[Guest Jayfunk]

I'll agree the end of battlestar was a little wtf, but I still enjoyed it.

 

Agree about Deadwood too.

 

West wing was rubbish unless you really, REALLY cared about American politics or beautiful people.

 

Never heard of Freaks and Geeks though!

 

i loved the last episode it was throught provoking and the bit with Six and Baltar walking on the new earth or earth depending what theories you listen to. to the watchtower song was awesome. i think alot of people didn't like it because they did explain every thing but that wasn't what the series was about it was about thinking for yourself, afterall who thought the final cyclon was who it turned out to be but it was soon much fun guess who it would be especially as there could have been so many people.

 

its my favourite show of all time just beating Babylon 5

[Guest Jimmy Redman]

They insulted...The Sopranos...

 

Yeah, what.

 

The West Wing I'd totally recommend, but I'm one of those people who does like politics and a hundred lines of rapid-fire dialogue.

 

I love how the justification for all of the "Dont Watch" choices is "It was great until the ending, so just dont bother with any of it." For God sakes. They couldnt find five shows that they could say "These are sh*t shows, dont bother" ?

[Maxximus 353]

I'm sure they will say the same about Lost once it's over.

[Guest Nemesis Enforcer]

If one of the Lost people wake up and everything that had happened in the previous 5 series was all a dream then it will leap from my DO NOT watch right into my DO watch list :P

[Guest Anime Otaku]

Space: Above and Beyond and Invasion would go on my Do watch list despite the horrible endings they both had, actually in Invasion it's more of a non ending as it was cancelled after the first season where as with Space: Above and Beyond they knew they were being cancelled so they did a

Kill 'em all

finale.

 

On my Don't list, I'd say X-files post David Duchovney.

[Guest Inno]

Invasion was really cool, I liked it a lot.

 

Third Watch was another show made of awesomeness covered in awesome sprinkles and served with an awesome sauce.

[Nimf 324]

Buffy YAY! But how can Grey's Anatomy be on the don't watch? Mind you, this list will be made by a handful of people so not exactly a fair assessment!