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meangradin
Joined: 10 Mar 2006
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 Posted: Sun Jul 17, 2011 4:50 am Post subject: HBO shows |
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Anyone else find the quality of HBO shows declining? The Larry Sanders Show, The Sopranos, The Wire, and Deadwood are all amazing but the last 5-6 new shows have been disappointing, not necessarily bad, just not what I hoped for. To recap:
The Pacific was terrible.
Eastbound and Down S2 was very funny, so no complaints with this one.
Entourage has lost its way and overstayed its welcome as evidenced by the last season.
Mildred Pierce was unsatisfying.
Boardwalk Empire looked great but didn't seem to have much to say.
True Blood, like Entourage, seems to have lost it way, but I hold out hope.
Hung is limp (couldn't resist)
Bored to Death was ok.
Which brings me to Game of Thrones. I was really looking forward to this series, but like the rest, although watchable, it was ultimately disappointing. I have heard from fans of the books that Games was the weakest book, so perhaps it will improve next season, like I hope Boardwalk will improve. |
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420trader
Joined: 22 May 2011
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| Posted: Sun Jul 17, 2011 4:56 am Post subject: |
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Eastbound and Down is great.
I watched like three episodes of The Pacific and stopped.
I watched the first season of Boardwalk Empire. It wasn't great and I think I got through it all because I've been going to AC all my life and really love it there.
Stopped watching Entourage.
I saw a season of True Blood but not that into it.
I loved Game of Thrones though. I really, really enjoyed it. |
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northway
Joined: 05 Jul 2010
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| Posted: Sun Jul 17, 2011 4:58 am Post subject: |
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I really enjoyed Game of Thrones, having read the books. It was slow to start but really picked up at the end.
The rest I agree with, with the possible exception of Entourage, as I think they finally went in the darker direction that they needed to last season. I believe they're currently planning a six episode season followed by a movie to end it all.
I would also add that Treme hasn't really been as good as I hoped it would be.
Boardwalk Empire is the most disappointing of all. I've heard it's a bit better on rewatch, but it really never engaged me.
I'm still confused as to how The Pacific made war so damn boring. |
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furtakk
Joined: 02 Jun 2009
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| Posted: Sun Jul 17, 2011 5:06 am Post subject: |
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i was disappointed by the pacific, but i thought game of thrones, east bound and down and boardwalk empire were all fantastic.
never liked true blood and i haven't really watched much else of their new offerings.
amc has a lot of great hbo-esque shows as well.
breaking bad premiers tonight! |
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northway
Joined: 05 Jul 2010
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| Posted: Sun Jul 17, 2011 5:23 am Post subject: |
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| furtakk wrote: |
| amc has a lot of great hbo-esque shows as well. |
I think you can trace HBO's decline to the moment its executives turned down Mad Men. |
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meangradin
Joined: 10 Mar 2006
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| Posted: Sun Jul 17, 2011 5:26 am Post subject: |
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I forgot about the fantastic Treme, but I haven't watched S2. I suspect that I may be in the minority with Game of Thrones, which wasn't bad, just disappointing.
Did HBO really turn down Mad Men? What a horrible decision. |
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2i2dk1ny2i3
Joined: 26 Jun 2011
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| Posted: Sun Jul 17, 2011 6:03 am Post subject: |
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Entourage - I love Entourage, it�s a great escape from the more serious shows
Boardwalk Empire - not my cup of tea and stopped after 1st episode
Hung - yeah, this show was interesting for about 1st three episodes then stopped watching
Game of Thrones was a pleasant surprise for me since I didn�t read the books but found it entertaining and a great replacement for Spartacus - the original main actor got some form of Cancer and I hope he recovers because he made that show�Season 2 guy just seems too soft and unbelievable
Showtime (Weeds was good but got too unrealistic after 1st couple seasons) & Starz has some good stuff and USA Suits is freaking awesome |
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repeatpete
Joined: 24 Oct 2010
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| Posted: Sun Jul 17, 2011 8:36 am Post subject: |
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not sure if it fits in as neither were a series but....
I was impressed with Path to war and Too big to fail. |
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madoka
Joined: 27 Mar 2008
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| Posted: Sun Jul 17, 2011 8:49 am Post subject: Re: HBO shows |
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| meangradin wrote: |
| I have heard from fans of the books that Games was the weakest book |
If you heard anyone say this, then that person had not read the steaming turd that is Feast for Crows. |
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northway
Joined: 05 Jul 2010
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| Posted: Sun Jul 17, 2011 2:30 pm Post subject: Re: HBO shows |
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| madoka wrote: |
| meangradin wrote: |
| I have heard from fans of the books that Games was the weakest book |
If you heard anyone say this, then that person had not read the steaming turd that is Feast for Crows. |
Yeah, that was the only one I had to force myself to read in order to get through it. |
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ElephantJumper
Joined: 26 Apr 2011
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| Posted: Sun Jul 17, 2011 2:55 pm Post subject: |
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| I think Boardwalk Empire and Game of Thrones are great. Agree with you on everything else though. |
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Greyjoy
Joined: 12 Jun 2011
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| Posted: Sun Jul 17, 2011 3:20 pm Post subject: |
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What didn't you like about these shows?
Game of Throne was perfection. Sorry if it wasn't your cup of tea. |
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cj1976
Joined: 26 Oct 2005
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| Posted: Sun Jul 17, 2011 3:37 pm Post subject: |
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I watched both seasons of Treme and thought it was pretty good. Very slow and no real action to speak of, but the character arcs are all intriguing.
I was disappointed with the new Curb Your Enthusiasm episode. It seemed like it was trying too hard to be funny. |
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meangradin
Joined: 10 Mar 2006
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| Posted: Sun Jul 17, 2011 10:10 pm Post subject: |
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| Quote: |
| What didn't you like about these shows? |
Unfortunately, I find it very hard to express the exact reasons I like or dislike something, I just feel it. As I mentioned, I thought Game of Thrones was very watchable, but it lacked that something that Breaking Bad has or Sopranos had. I know that I enjoy period pieces, character development, and stories that engage. I think that Game of Thrones didn't really develop the characters. Yes, perhaps that is the problem; it felt like the first part, an introduction, if you will. The Pacific was awful on so many levels. Mildred Pierce was rather good, and it worked as a snapshot in to a persons life, but it was far too stretched out and in the end I'm not sure what the point of it all was. As for Entourage, it has always been a show I have liked, but never found to be overtly funny - I don't ever recall laughing out loud. The set up is intriguing and that is why I watched it - a chance to see the life of a young actor and his friends in Hollywood. It definitely got darker in the last season, but that's not why I watched it. I think a comedy should be a comedy and a drama should be a drama. This is one of the things I loathe in Korean cinema, they blend too many genres in to a movie and the whole things just falls apart
The best thing I watched last year was a British show called Downton Abbey which absolutely blew me away. |
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ChrisLamp
Joined: 27 Jul 2010
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| Posted: Mon Jul 18, 2011 5:10 am Post subject: |
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Treme and boardwalk empire are both fantastic shows. They rank up there with the wire, early Oz, early deadwood.
Looking forward to Game of Thrones.
Yeah, Entourage has jumped the shark, although I like the Idea of Drama as a talking monkey. |
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