Friday, March 4, 2011

Gone but Not Forgotten Blogfest!

Huzzah! Another blogfest! This is the one I thought I forgot about, but fortunately something jogged my memory. Which is ironic, because this is the Gone but Not Forgotten blogfest. Here's the premise:

Nothing is meant to last forever.  Sometimes things run their course and other times things are shot down in their prime.  I’m talking about television shows of course.   As writers or humans who like to be entertains, we spend a lot of time watching television.  It’s cool to get inspiration anywhere.

Sadly there are many AMAZING shows no longer on the air.  Does this mean we forget them? No! They will live forever through fanfiction and blogfest like this.

List your top 5 TV shows no longer making NEW episodes. 


 They may still be on the air but in syndication.  These shows may be GONE BUT NOT FORGOTTEN.
Now, I'm not a great TV watcher. In fact, we haven't had any cable at all for years now. At this point, almost all of the shows that we like and watch regularly (on DVD or Hulu) are no longer making episodes. So this is also sort of my list of the best TV shows ever....

5. Jeeves and Wooster 

Do you know who P.G. Wodehouse is? You should. Aside from being an all around comedic genius he was the author of the stories about the iconic Jeeves, gentleman's gentleman extraordinaire, and the bumbling Bertie Wooster, Jeeves's well intentioned but incompetent employer. What first introduced me to this treasure trove of feel good humor was the British TV show Jeeves and Wooster starring Stephen Fry as Jeeves and Hugh Laurie (that's right, of House fame) as Wooster. This show earns a spot because these two actors were literally born to play these roles. They are in every sense perfect. And the adaptation of Wodehouse's stories is excellently done, successfully maintaining the feel of the originals. The supporting characters are often as hilarious as the stars as every ridiculous situation that Bertie finds himself in is solved ultimately by the amazing Jeeves. Also, you can see Hugh Laurie playing and singing some charming old jazz songs.

4. Firefly

Yeah, you knew it'd be here. Honestly, when we decided to try it out on Hulu, I was sure that all the hype would yield an overrated product. I went into it as a skeptic and I came out as a fan who now owns the DVD set of the show and the movie, Serenity. The greatest things about Firefly are the truly excellent world building, the unique and personable characters, and the just all around great writing. I doubt I need to elaborate. Though I will mention that I adore Inara's costumes and one of these days (if I can ever loose some of this baby weight) I'd like to try to make some of them.

3. Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood

I debated whether to put this or Inuyasha (the show that got me into Anime) on the list. I adore Inuyasha and it opened up a whole new genre to me that I had previously shunned as weird. But Fullmetal was simply the best show I've seen in a long time. The story, the characters, the setting were all top notch. This was a show that had my husband and I totally hooked. The first show since my first viewing of Babylon 5 that would keep us up til the wee hours of the morning because we just couldn't stop watching. It also had one of the most satisfying climaxes that I've experienced in any type of story in a very long time.

2. Stargate SG-1

Honestly, as soon as I realized there was Egyptian mythology involved I was hooked. But I stayed hooked because the characters were really great and had terrific chemistry and the writing was very good and the stories were interesting and... ALL RIGHT!! I admit it. I'm a total Dr. Daniel Jackson fangirl. I just can't resist a sexy archaeologist. (Hence my first character crush, Indiana Jones.) But it really is just a great show. I love the Goauld as villains. They're just so hilariously over-the-top.  And while the show might have started to get really stale at the end, after all the old villains were defeated and they had to introduce new ones, the character of Vala really revived the team. She was awesome.

1. Babylon 5

Quite honestly the best show ever. I am not actually much of a sci fi person, but this show is so well written and well acted that I couldn't help falling in love with it. The fantastic thing about B5 is that it actually follows a prescribed story arc for 5 seasons and then ends of its own accord. It's not one of those shows that drags things on as long as possible and never knows where it's going before it gets there. And the characters are absolutely fantastic. They really grow and develop over the 5 seasons unlike most shows.

Favorite B5 quote to use on my kids: "Understanding is not required, only obedience."

Ok, that's my list. If you've learned anything about me from that it's that to me characters are all important and that I think pretty much all recent TV fails big time. Have a great weekend!

6 comments:

  1. Whedon rules!
    I've never heard of Jeeves and Wooster and now I must watch it!
    Thanks for sharing.

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  2. I should have picked Jeeves and Wooster! I did mention Hugh Laurie in connection with Blackadder, though.

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  3. I've never heard of Jeeves and Wooster -- but I'd so watch a show with that title! Awesome list :))

    Happy Weekend!

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  4. I used to watch Inuyasha all the time on Adult Swim. :) But I have seen Fullmetal Alchemist. Good picks!

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  5. SG1 and Firefly! Woot! Awesome picks!

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