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The Goggle Box Thread

I've watched ep1 of Homeland. Looks very good. Odd because it looked completely "meh" from the trailers (I watch all the new US trailers before each new TV season :geek:)
 
Game of Thrones is too messy for me - stories going on all over the place, I don't really care for any of the characters and am slowly losing the will to remember how they all link in together.

Homeland was great and based on Prisoners of War which is showing on Sky Arts this Thursday. Homeland was the antithesis of GoT - fairly straight forward story telling and although some of the storylines were fairly predictable it was well told. Looking forward to seeing how it develops in series 2.

Fringe is a strange TV show and I'm always surprised that it gets renewed - it is a real left field show that somehow maintains a mainstream edge in a way that X-Files did.

Started to watch Awake this week - interesting idea but not sure its got enough depth to make it very far.
 
We've only got 1 episode of Homeland to watch - we've really enjoyed it. And have set the Sky Box for Prisoners of War too.
 
i've watched all of homeland first series now - i didn't find i loved it. it was ok.

I am watching GoT and up to episode 7 series 1. it's ok. it's obviously different from the books in a number of places but not really a problem.
 
The Saturday Boy said:
Game of Thrones is too messy for me - stories going on all over the place, I don't really care for any of the characters and am slowly losing the will to remember how they all link in together.

Homeland was great and based on Prisoners of War which is showing on Sky Arts this Thursday. Homeland was the antithesis of GoT - fairly straight forward story telling and although some of the storylines were fairly predictable it was well told. Looking forward to seeing how it develops in series 2.

Fringe is a strange TV show and I'm always surprised that it gets renewed - it is a real left field show that somehow maintains a mainstream edge in a way that X-Files did.

Started to watch Awake this week - interesting idea but not sure its got enough depth to make it very far.
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This for me is why the books are way better than the TV programme - in the books you delve much deeper into the characters and you DO care for them. The TV show tries to fit everything into a limited number of episodes so you only really get the superficial basics of the characters. The stories going all over the place is kind of the way it is in the books, but not quite. Each chapter tells the story from the perspective of a new character but it always moves the story on chronologically and you don't get that sense from the TV programme, it does end up feeling a bit 'all over the place'. That said, I think it is really good and I am enjoying it but I think it is flawed.
 
I absolutely love the books - I love the way he's seemingly got a whole dynasty of history in one great series. I've even done some reading about the Targaryen kings of old - there's some meticulous detail in there which would make great books on their own.

The book has so many characters, some of whom you sometimes forget about as there's so much to take in. I find it a well conceived narrative with countless subplots.

It would have been impossible to recreate that on screen in a series of 10 episodes, so I've been really impressed with the way they've adapted it. I would argue that they've made the characters more interesting onscreen than on the page (Cersei being one of the best examples). They've managed to knit together various plotlines that make the action flow better.

Of course, that also means that some characters are sacrificed (something we discussed earlier - Edric Storm, the Reeds, Weese, Aeron Greyjoy and some others don't feature at all) but it can be to the advantage of developing other characters (Tywin, Gendry, Osha, Joffrey, Melisandre) who didn't feature as often by merging them together.

It hasn't been faultless though - I don't think some of the casting is quite right (Stannis, Yara/Asha) and I'm sure it can be confusing if you haven't read the books (have you noticed they've put a hastily edited 'previously on GoT' before every episode?) but overall it's brilliant.

They're currently my favourite series of books, but I still prefer the programme because of the way they've adapted it so well - I think it makes cracking telly.

A lot of people at work watch it too and have read the books - some agree with Toon, others agree with me but it's all down to opinions I guess.
 
Has anyone else seen the 6-part documentary about Monty Python on Sky Arts? It's been really good - very insightful.
 
Langdale Wolf said:
It would have been impossible to recreate that on screen in a series of 10 episodes, so I've been really impressed with the way they've adapted it. I would argue that they've made the characters more interesting onscreen than on the page (Cersei being one of the best examples). They've managed to knit together various plotlines that make the action flow better.

Of course, that also means that some characters are sacrificed (something we discussed earlier - Edric Storm, the Reeds, Weese, Aeron Greyjoy and some others don't feature at all) but it can be to the advantage of developing other characters (Tywin, Gendry, Osha, Joffrey, Melisandre) who didn't feature as often by merging them together.

It hasn't been faultless though - I don't think some of the casting is quite right (Stannis, Yara/Asha) and I'm sure it can be confusing if you haven't read the books (have you noticed they've put a hastily edited 'previously on GoT' before every episode?) but overall it's brilliant.

They're currently my favourite series of books, but I still prefer the programme because of the way they've adapted it so well - I think it makes cracking telly.

A lot of people at work watch it too and have read the books - some agree with Toon, others agree with me but it's all down to opinions I guess.
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See, I just don't agree with that bit in bold, I think what they've done makes it seem pretty disjointed. I know it's an impossible task to fit the books into 10 60 minute episodes and they have had to make some editorial decisions about how to cut things down, but I just don't think they could do it without it seeming disjointed and superficial. They've done it as well as could be expected I guess, but it is what it is - an epic story being told in a slimmed down episodic form meaning that a lot of the subtlety is completely lacking. It is still great viewing though.
 
The Saturday Boy said:
Game of Thrones is too messy for me - stories going on all over the place, I don't really care for any of the characters and am slowly losing the will to remember how they all link in together.

Homeland was great and based on Prisoners of War which is showing on Sky Arts this Thursday. Homeland was the antithesis of GoT - fairly straight forward story telling and although some of the storylines were fairly predictable it was well told. Looking forward to seeing how it develops in series 2.

Fringe is a strange TV show and I'm always surprised that it gets renewed - it is a real left field show that somehow maintains a mainstream edge in a way that X-Files did.

Started to watch Awake this week - interesting idea but not sure its got enough depth to make it very far.
Click to expand...

As a fan of the X-Files I enjoy Fringe tremendously, John Noble is terrific. I can however see how people would fail to get into the show particulary after 4 series.

Really enjoyed series one of Game of Thrones and am currently reading book 1( I also have book 2) I don't have Sky Atlantic so am waiting until Series 2 finishes before finding an alternative way to watch it and will then read the 2nd book. I am avoiding reading Toon and Langdale's debate about differences between book and show and staying away from the GoT wiki.

Homeland was ok (watched the final episode last night) but wouldn't say it necessarily deserves all the rave reviews its been getting, though Damien Lewis and Clare Danes have both been excellent.
 
Langdale Wolf said:
Has anyone else seen the 6-part documentary about Monty Python on Sky Arts? It's been really good - very insightful.
Click to expand...

I haven't got Sky so I haven't watched this. Does it come up with anything new on the Pythons? They've kind of been analysed to death so I'm just wondering what else there is to say. I'm a passionate Python fan so would love it if there was something interesting and new out there.
 
I don't think I can answer that to be honest as I haven't seen many documentaries about them. There were a few mentions of sketches that didn't make it in (such as a Last Supper spoof in the Life of Brian that sounded quite funny) as well as footage of the famous debate between Cleese and Palin and Muggeridge and that Bishop, footage of Python fans reacting furiously to the banning of the film etc.

I found it really interesting but I don't know if it's anything that hasn't been documented before.
 
Langdale Wolf said:
I don't think I can answer that to be honest as I haven't seen many documentaries about them. There were a few mentions of sketches that didn't make it in (such as a Last Supper spoof in the Life of Brian that sounded quite funny) as well as footage of the famous debate between Cleese and Palin and Muggeridge and that Bishop, footage of Python fans reacting furiously to the banning of the film etc.

I found it really interesting but I don't know if it's anything that hasn't been documented before.
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Cheers. No doubt I'll buy the DVD regardless.
 
I missed the first few unfortunately.
 
Touch - A really good show that's given me an appreciation of how clever script writers can be.
 
Jason Isaacs of Awake was also Lucius Malfoy in Harry Potter. My mind is officially blown.
 
The ease with which shows are cancelled in America fucks me off. A Gifted Man, NYC22 (cancelled after 3 episodes aired), GCB, The River, The Firm, Harry's Law, Awake, The Finder, Breaking In, Alcatraz, Terra Nova, all decent shows and a few of them were very good indeed.

Good to see Parks & Recreation renewed, though!
 
True. Yet they allow Lie To Me to carry on for a stupid number of series even though it was utterly shite!

I didn't know Alcatraz had been canned.
 
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