Top 10 T.V. Shows
tagged by blacktout
So, not sure how accurate the order is, really, after the first two, but eh. So. Yes. That. Top 10 favourite television shows.
1. Sherlock. Probably one of the most beautiful, magical (and yes, this is cheesy, but fuck it) most important shows I've ever watched. Not only is the cinematography perfect in that not quite typical "practical ethereality" manner it has, and the writing (all up until S03 ep02&03, don't get me started on that) perfect in its ingenuity and adaptation of the original canon, but oh, the hours of roleplaying I've gotten out of this show, jeeze. Simply, it's perfection. It's one of those shows that make you feel smart, even if you're doing nothing. The plot is so intricate, and beautifully intertwined with itself -- it's a piece of art. Collectively, and each episode. Absolutely wonderful television.
2. Doctor Who. If Sherlock's a show that makes you feel intelligent, Doctor Who's a show that makes you feel...important. Aliens are pretty much my no. 1 dislike when it comes to "gimmicks to base tv shows/movies/books on," but Doctor Who is definitely an exception. It does aliens, and though at times it doesn't get them visually right, it nearly always gets them conceptually right. In the very least, it's a different perspective, and even though it's not "preachy," which it could very easily end up being, it somehow manages to take the complete stupidity of human life and make it seem...not so terrible. So. Yes. [First two shows being the biggest tumblr fandoms, look at me, fulfilling stereotypes.]
3. Lie to Me. Oh fuck, I almost forgot this. Jeeze. Jeeze, Tim Roth. Lie to Me is one of my favourite shows because it's...quite frankly, spectacular in the subject matter. Pseudo-science it may be. I've watched this show, completely through, at least three times. It lacks the "every single moment of screen time gives you a leaping feeling in your chest" aspect of the first two, but it brings a few other things to the table - the characters aren't too original, though they tried, but it has an incredibly unreliable narrator aspect to the entire plot, along with individual interactions. Which, honestly, is absolutely imperative in a show about lying. Overall, it's got a great plot, and decently solid camerawork. But the selling point for me, really, was the main character + the gimmick. And seriously, fucking Tim Roth. Tim Roth is one of two actors I will forever have a thing for.
4. Grandma's House. And number two, Simon Amstell. Seriously, though, what's more brave than making a comedy about your life? Anything? Probably not.
5. Heroes. This show got me through the year when I was 13-14 where I was living in my grandmother's spare room and quietly suffering through every moment of it. Also known as "homework." As used in the sentence "no, sorry, I can't watch wheel of fortune with you again while you go on about personal stories each of the words remind you of, I've got 'homework' to do." Besides that, the interconnectedness of the plot? Absolutely spectacular. Sylar had a pretty big hand in forming my fictional tastes, too.
6. Prison Break. This one is mainly for the characters - though it also had a nice interconnectedness, at least for the first season. Started to go a bit downhill after a while...but really, Teddy was the major redeeming factor.
7. Dark Angel. Oh, fucking god, this trashheap of a show. Really, I shouldn't put it on here at all. It's garbage. But oh damn, barcode tattoos for genetically engineered Jessica Alba. Wait. That sound more like a point against it, than a selling point. But, well. First tv show I ever got obsessed with. First show I ever pirated, too (helped with the atmosphere.) Damn. I should watch this again.
8. Gravity Falls. It's a kids show, and at times it has the stupid humor that makes kids shows...kids shows, but seriously. Characters, overarching plots, and conspiracy theories mixed in with a few monsters straight out of the SCP foundation. Everything you need. Also, it's not afraid to be frightening. It has monsters that, if not muted by the "wonky" art style and humorous dialogue, would be creepy and disturbing, which is spectacular. Kids need things that are creepy and disturbing. It's an intelligent show, though, which is the main draw; oh, and it has major plot points that involve cryptography. You can't ask for more.
9. American Horror Story: (Murder House.) Because this is one of the only pieces of mainstream television that can actually genuinely disturb even the most solemn of gore affectionados. It's brilliant, it's creepy, it really made me uncomfortable, which, obviously, is the goal. The characters are a bit disappointing, and it seems like they could definitely work on the actual plot, but seeing as that's not the main idea, it does perfectly fine at what it does.
10. The IT Crowd. Because Richard Ayoade. Also, because I've watched it at least five times all the way through. It's great British slapstick humor, and that's about it. Without Richard it'd be...well, pretty terrible, though.
Honorable mentions: The Office, 30 Rock, Fringe, Orange is the New Black, Breaking Bad, Firefly, The Bletchley Circle, and Joan of Arcadia.
tagging theultimatelifederp, dantesquegrotesque, and adarkerblend
