Greendale 401

 

It’s about that time of year again everybody. It’s when everything comes together at the same time so perfectly and we can stop watching re-runs because our favorite shows are starting up again, start wearing hoodies (Praise the Lord! My fitteds and headphones have missed them very dearly), enjoy football on Saturdays, Sundays, Mondays and sometimes Thursdays, and being the grueling hell-week that is the fantasy football pre-draft process (which I will be taking very seriously so that I can defend my crown… Thank you Gronkowski)

During this wonderful time of year, I take a look back on my favorite shows from the previous year, sit back, and devote countless hours to re-watching entire shows from the beginning. The shows I’m most looking forward to this season are Community, New Girl and Sons of Anarchy. I’m currently 3 episodes away from finishing Sons for the third time since the last season ended, and if you watch the show, I know you’re as curious as I am to find out what will happen this season since they left it pretty wide open at the end of the fourth.

I’ll get to New Girl soon, but there has only been one season so far so it shouldn’t take more than a week to finish. The way it progressed from being one of those up and down, not sure if this will end up getting renewed for a second season, types to a solid show that was my favorite comedy when Community was having it’s own mid-season troubles, was top-notch. If they pick up where they left off at the end of season 1, not only storyline-wise but humor-wise as well, they’ll really hit the ground running this fall.

This brings us to the topic of today’s conversation: Community.

On a quick side note…

I have a confession to make that I figure I might as well get out in the open. I am a TV junkie. By junkie I don’t mean I watch a couple shows religiously every week throughout the season. I mean I keep up with at least 5 shows throughout a season while re-watching a drama (I’m currently on The Wire but I’m on the last season so I’ve started One Tree Hill as well) and a comedy (I just finished Friends in 3 and a half months so I’m starting on Community and How I Met Your Mother again… for the fifth and third time, respectively) from the beginning. Having both severity and humor coming from two different places tends to create a nice balance for me throughout the whole ordeal. But I digress. Back to Community.

Season 1 and 2 were amazing. Season 3 however, was a disappointment starting with the very first episode. It almost ruined the show for me just as “Abed’s Uncontrollable Christmas” had done in Season 2 (it’s critically acclaimed, and everyone says its one of the best episodes of the whole show but I just don’t see it. I’ve only seen it once and it will most likely stay that way). Overall the show was so negative (even more so, I think, than Pierce was in season 2. On the real, that guy was a dick) with no shining light at the end of the tunnel that had previously been present in the form of Jeff’s winning ability to change the attitudes of everyone in the group. He was able to make it possible for them to be a super group (Like The Traveling Wilburys!), but he just wasn’t living up to his potential.

There were some bright points to the beginning/middle of the season, however. Sprinkled throughout most of the episodes were bits and pieces of the ingenuity that made the first two seasons so great. A big part of that was Troy and Abed. With the possibility of Troy leaving Greendale looming, his and Abed’s relationship grew closer and more intimate. They also rapped together on the Glee episode. That seems so simplistic, but yet it’s the small adventures with them that make this show unique.

Every week I sat through a roller coaster of my own emotions that led to me losing more and more hope. Then, after the hiatus ended, episode 12 came storming to my rescue. Urban Matrimony and the Sandwich Arts was “classic Community”, if you will. Troy and Abed pretended to be normal the entire episode (which was one of the weirdest, most hilarious moments of the season), Jeff and Britta almost hook up drunk and Shirley ends up happy with her ex (soon to be non-ex) husband.

After a couple more episodes of mediocrity, the creators finally decided to drop the goldmine of the entire season on us. Basic Lupine Urology a.k.a. the Law and Order episode. This episode was so great for a number of reasons; it took a step away from the severity that had overpowered the 3rd season up until that point and went back to the more balanced, humor coinciding with negativity, concept that they had going throughout the 2nd season. The scenes didn’t drag on like they had been creating opportunities to change scenes right in the middle of Britta’s sentence (a nice twist compared to the normal “everyone wants you to shut up” line), or after a nice pop culture joke. The Law and Order bit was a huge step up from the documentaries they homaged during the pillow fight war, almost to the level of the Dollars Trilogy they homaged for the 2nd season’s paintball epic. They’ve finally come back to referencing more well known TV and film which works much better combined with their lesser known references than when they only do spoofs on things that are not “pop culture”, if you will. Having Michael Williams (the biology professor and Omar on The Wire) quote his own line from The Wire  –“A man gotta have a code” – (Jeff quoted it later too) was ingenius. It was definitely the best episode of the season. Its not an episode made up of knee-slapping comedy, but if you compare it to episodes like the Pulp Fiction/Dinner With Andre or the Goodfellas episode then its up there in the top 5-6 of the entire show.

The up and coming season will be an interesting one to say the least. Creator and executive producer, Dan Harmon, will no longer be involved with the show (I’ve only seen his rants online, but if that’s the true story then he got screwed out of his job. Hard) along with executive producers Neil Goldman and Garrett Donovan (Family Guy, Scrubs) and Anthony and Joe Russo (Arrested Development, You, Me and Dupree) who were executive producers as well as directors on the show. Out of the 71 episodes they directed (together and separately) 31 of them. What I’m getting at is this: “The Quest stands upon the edge of a knife. Stray but a little, and it will fail, to the ruin of all. Yet hope remains while the Company is true”. With a completely new pair running the show in David Guarascio and Moses Port (Aliens in America, Happy Endings), Community fans everywhere will be in for a surprise when the new season starts. Whether that surprise is negative or positive in nature is yet to be determined, but I’m personally hoping/praying for the latter.

 

P.S.  If I could talk to the creators for 2 minutes my only question would be; “why must you change the formula?”  If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. Friends told the same jokes for 10 seasons and it became a timeless classic. Obviously that’s not the only reason why it turned out to be so amazing, but you get my point.

 

P.P.S.

 

Do Two Hours With Dave Chappelle

I mentioned this little segment a while back when I put up the interview with Donald Glover but didn’t ever get around to posting it. Well now you’re in luck. This interview is without a doubt my favorite simply because it’s with two of my favorite people (James Lipton and Dave Chappelle), and because they dive into topics that hadn’t really been discussed until this occurred. The interview that you’re about to watch gave me a new sense of respect for my favorite comedian after he talked about the reasons why he left a 50 million dollar deal with the show that I love so dearly. It’s also the interview that every journalism major probably had wet dreams about while the whole Africa situation was going down. Go into this with an open mind and I promise that you’ll be convinced that he (Chappelle) is not only a great comedian, but a great man. Enjoy 

 

Hooray For Me! Hooray For Me, Billy!

You may have noticed that most of what we write about here tends to segue from previous posts. Well this one here is no different. After Louis came through and dominated his cult tv segment I started to think about other shows that I like that may have been forgotten about, but that I wouldn’t necessarily consider as “cult” in nature.  What I came up with was a list of 5 shows of exactly (mostly) that. Enjoy

5) Whose Line Is It Anyway?  –  “Where everything’s made up and the points don’t matter”. It started as a radio show on BBC Radio 4, then was a tv show in England for 10 seasons from 1988-98. After it ended, it was brought over to the states and enjoyed 8 seasons on ABC. I tend to lean towards the American version the most because it has, in my personal opinion, the best part of the English show in Ryan Stiles and Colin Mochrie, with the addition of the king of improv; Mr. Wayne Brady (if you don’t agree with me on that…well then you clearly haven’t seen Chappelle’s Show and aren’t as scared of him as I am). Every episode includes a guest performer who tend to be less funny the more famous they are (exception: Robin Williams). This is improvisation at its finest, my friends. My favorite game? Scenes From A Hat, without question. Enjoy     

4) Monty Python’s Flying Circus  –  Before they made their name in movies, the sketch comedy group known as Monty Python had Flying Circus. It was voted as the 5th best British show ever by the British Film Institute, the 5th best cult show ever by TV Guide and was included on Time’s “100 Best TV Shows of All Time” list. Inspiring the early performers from Saturday Night Live, the Pythons did it all. They wrote, directed and starred in all of their own sketches. They chose their theme song not because it was the best option, but because it was free (this isn’t crucial to anything, but I love fun facts. This is my 2nd favorite story about theme songs, by the way…the first being about the How I Met Your Mother theme song. The creators of the show have a band called The Solids that have been together since ’96. Instead of finding a new song to have be their intro, they just used one of their own. Thats just gangster. Anywho…). This style of comedy isn’t what we’re used to here in the States, but by no means does that make it any less hilarious. This is one of those shows that was completely trendsetting and if you don’t like it, it deserves the time it’ll take for it to grow on you. If you already do? Well then just press play and let the tears of joy flow       

3) Chappelle’s Show  –  I’ve been watching this a lot recently, so it’s getting a spot on the list (it’s not number one only because you should already know about it. As a writer, I like assume nothing of my viewers. This, however, is not one of those times).  This is my favorite cult show ever, and its number two on the list of my favorite shows (Even though I support Dave’s actions for leaving the show because of his motivations behind the move, I still hold it right below HIMYM because it only went for three seasons. Two if you don’t count the last season where Dave didn’t play the host). When Dave and Neal Brennan re-connected after having not done anything together since Half Baked, ingenuity ensued. Season 1 of Chappelle’s Show remains the highest selling DVD of a TV Show since it passed the first season of the Simpsons in 2004, the same year that it was released. I’ve put more time into watching Chappelle’s show than any other show, bar none. I can proudly say I still know most of the skits by heart. Unless you’ve been living under a rock (cue GEICO commercial), you should already know about this show. Either way, all 3 seasons are on netflix (or for those who aren’t lucky enough to have netflix/a friend to borrow it from…I personally borrow it from someone else… go to sidereel.com and watch it there for free). Favorite Skits: The Racial Draft, Street Hoops, and the one where Dave is a witness in the trials of OJ, R Kelly and Michael Jackson   

2) Freaks and Geeks  –  Created by Judd Apatow (Undeclared, The 40 Year Old Virgin, Knocked Up), Freaks and Geeks brought together some of this era’s top comedic actors and allowed them make a name for themselves. Seth Rogen, James Franco and Jason Segel all starred in this gem of a show. Linda Cardellini (Grandma’s Boy, ER), Dave Allen (I met this dude’s mom while I was doing a clinical for my CNA certification.  I went crazy when I found out her son was the dean on this show. It made everything else I witnessed that day totally worth it) and John Francis Daley (Bones, Waiting…) round out my favorite parts of the cast. A little side note about Mr. Apatow: He loves working with his close friends and family. His wife (Leslie Mann) has been in five of his movies and whenever he needs to have kids running around in the background, he uses his two daughters. To him its simple; “The money stays in the family”. Freaks and Geeks was ranked 3rd on Time Magazine’s list of shows from the 2000’s. I needn’t say more    

1) Sons of Anarchy  –  I was raised on/by comedy television, but recently I’ve discovered that a good drama show fills the void in my heart when I’m burnt out from laughing too much or when I can predict everything thats going to happen in the show before it happens (turns out new sitcoms don’t fall far from the sitcom tree).  With it’s mix of interlocking story lines, gritty scenarios and awesome casting, SOA is without a doubt, my favorite drama show out right now (The Wire isn’t running anymore, and I have yet to continue Breaking Bad since I saw the first season…please don’t hold that against me, it’s next on my list). Creator Kurt Sutter, who occasionally appears as an incarcerated Son on the show, spent time with an outlaw gang in California as research for the show. His wife in real life plays the matriarch of the club as the President’s (Ron Perlman) wife and the VP’s (Charlie Hunnam) mother. This show has some story lines that last an episode or two, and some that lie brewing for half a season at a time. Without saying too much, I will say that when everything comes together at the end of the third season, it makes for my favorite episode of any television show. EVER. Every time we go through the seasons, the soundtrack is always brought up. Our newest adjectives for it were amazing and genius. I’ll go ahead and add flawless to the mix as well. Seasons 1-3 are on netflix. Go ahead and try it out. I guarantee that before long, you’ll be singing along with the intro just as passionately as I do. “Fire or Knife?”  

“Strength is the ability to break a chocolate bar into four pieces with your bare hands and then eat just one of those pieces”

Attention all Nike Heads!!!

So my brother showed this to me and right when it started i said “who is this toolbag” haha.  Give it a shot, the video is beautifully shot, the lyrics are spot on and the story and message is relevant.  The video is also relevant because Nate and I both love and appreciate rap, we both love the urban style, and both appreciate the art of filmmaking.  The video is, in my opinion…perfect, cheesy, but affective.

 

Enjoy

Aronofskynite

Havnt posted anything in what seems to be forever, but once i saw this video i had to share it.  Basically, Darren Aronofsky is the man, and when i met him i told him, stuttering, turning red, i gave him my book REQUIEM FOR A DREAM, opened it to the page which had his foreword and asked him to sign as i said “Darren…just wanted to say…You are the man” which he replied “haha thanks man” and signed “No you are the man, D. Aronofsky”

Genius

Worth 1000 Words (And 250 Words Or Less)

“What, indeed, is a New Yorker? Is he Jewish or Irish? Is he English or German? Is he Russian or Polish? He may be something of all these, and yet he is wholly none of them. Something has been added to him which he had not had before. He is endowed with a briskness and an invention often alien to his blood. He is quicker in his movement, less trammeled in his judgment. . . The change he undergoes is unmistakable. New York, indeed, resembles a magic cauldron. Those who are cast into it are born again”  –  Charles Whibley

I recently came across a project called Humans of New York. It “began as one man’s effort to construct a photographic census of the city of New York.” Brandon Stanton, the photographer behind this continually growing, epic work of art, is capturing the heart and soul of a city that I hold very dear to me. When I first looked through all the pictures (yes, all of them), I was overcome with nostalgia and couldn’t help but feel homesick. Links for the full project are at the bottom. Enjoy

If you haven’t seen Dave Chappelle’s Block Party, I’ll have you know that the concert was actually held right next door to the Broken Angel house (seen in the background) where this guy lives with his wife. They’re some interesting people to say the least

“At the end of a street in Brooklyn, I discovered a castle.

By the door there was a rope, with a sign that said “Pull.”  So I did.

This man came out, and explained his mathematical theory of the universe.”

“Do you mind if I take your photo?”
“What?”
“Do you mind if I take your photo?”
“What?”

‎”Now for the million dollar question.”
“What’s that?”
“Did you break the foot while riding the unicycle?”
“No, I didn’t.”
“OH MAN, I thought I was going to have a great caption.”
“Well, there is good news.”
“What’s that?”
“I broke it playing Quidditch.”

humansofnewyork.com

The Tumblr (The Good Stuff)

“New York still has so much pizzazz, because people make it new every day. Like all cities, it’s self-organizing. People looking for a date on Third Avenue make it into a place full of hope and expectation, and this has nothing to do with architecture. Those are the emotions that draw us to cities, and they depend on things being a bit messy. The most perfectly designed place can’t compete.”  –  Jane Jacobs

A Day That Will Live In Infamy

This letter has been blowing up online. Not positive about whether or not its true, but I’m guessing over the next couple of days it’ll be actual news if it is. Until then, take a gander

“Hello,

After more than 20 years, I’ve finally decided to tell the world what I witnessed in 1991, which I believe was one of the biggest turning point in popular music, and ultimately American society. I have struggled for a long time weighing the pros and cons of making this story public as I was reluctant to implicate the individuals who were present that day. So I’ve simply decided to leave out names and all the details that may risk my personal well being and that of those who were, like me, dragged into something they weren’t ready for.

Between the late 80’s and early 90’s, I was what you may call a “decision maker” with one of the more established company in the music industry. I came from Europe in the early 80’s and quickly established myself in the business. The industry was different back then. Since technology and media weren’t accessible to people like they are today, the industry had more control over the public and had the means to influence them anyway it wanted. This may explain why in early 1991, I was invited to attend a closed door meeting with a small group of music business insiders to discuss rap music’s new direction. Little did I know that we would be asked to participate in one of the most unethical and destructive business practice I’ve ever seen.

The meeting was held at a private residence on the outskirts of Los Angeles. I remember about 25 to 30 people being there, most of them familiar faces. Speaking to those I knew, we joked about the theme of the meeting as many of us did not care for rap music and failed to see the purpose of being invited to a private gathering to discuss its future. Among the attendees was a small group of unfamiliar faces who stayed to themselves and made no attempt to socialize beyond their circle. Based on their behavior and formal appearances, they didn’t seem to be in our industry. Our casual chatter was interrupted when we were asked to sign a confidentiality agreement preventing us from publicly discussing the information presented during the meeting. Needless to say, this intrigued and in some cases disturbed many of us. The agreement was only a page long but very clear on the matter and consequences which stated that violating the terms would result in job termination. We asked several people what this meeting was about and the reason for such secrecy but couldn’t find anyone who had answers for us. A few people refused to sign and walked out. No one stopped them. I was tempted to follow but curiosity got the best of me. A man who was part of the “unfamiliar” group collected the agreements from us.

Quickly after the meeting began, one of my industry colleagues (who shall remain nameless like everyone else) thanked us for attending. He then gave the floor to a man who only introduced himself by first name and gave no further details about his personal background. I think he was the owner of the residence but it was never confirmed. He briefly praised all of us for the success we had achieved in our industry and congratulated us for being selected as part of this small group of “decision makers”. At this point I begin to feel slightly uncomfortable at the strangeness of this gathering. The subject quickly changed as the speaker went on to tell us that the respective companies we represented had invested in a very profitable industry which could become even more rewarding with our active involvement. He explained that the companies we work for had invested millions into the building of privately owned prisons and that our positions of influence in the music industry would actually impact the profitability of these investments. I remember many of us in the group immediately looking at each other in confusion. At the time, I didn’t know what a private prison was but I wasn’t the only one. Sure enough, someone asked what these prisons were and what any of this had to do with us. We were told that these prisons were built by privately owned companies who received funding from the government based on the number of inmates. The more inmates, the more money the government would pay these prisons. It was also made clear to us that since these prisons are privately owned, as they become publicly traded, we’d be able to buy shares. Most of us were taken back by this. Again, a couple of people asked what this had to do with us. At this point, my industry colleague who had first opened the meeting took the floor again and answered our questions. He told us that since our employers had become silent investors in this prison business, it was now in their interest to make sure that these prisons remained filled. Our job would be to help make this happen by marketing music which promotes criminal behavior, rap being the music of choice. He assured us that this would be a great situation for us because rap music was becoming an increasingly profitable market for our companies, and as employee, we’d also be able to buy personal stocks in these prisons. Immediately, silence came over the room. You could have heard a pin drop. I remember looking around to make sure I wasn’t dreaming and saw half of the people with dropped jaws. My daze was interrupted when someone shouted, “Is this a f****** joke?” At this point things became chaotic. Two of the men who were part of the “unfamiliar” group grabbed the man who shouted out and attempted to remove him from the house. A few of us, myself included, tried to intervene. One of them pulled out a gun and we all backed off. They separated us from the crowd and all four of us were escorted outside. My industry colleague who had opened the meeting earlier hurried out to meet us and reminded us that we had signed agreement and would suffer the consequences of speaking about this publicly or even with those who attended the meeting. I asked him why he was involved with something this corrupt and he replied that it was bigger than the music business and nothing we’d want to challenge without risking consequences. We all protested and as he walked back into the house I remember word for word the last thing he said, “It’s out of my hands now. Remember you signed an agreement.” He then closed the door behind him. The men rushed us to our cars and actually watched until we drove off.

A million things were going through my mind as I drove away and I eventually decided to pull over and park on a side street in order to collect my thoughts. I replayed everything in my mind repeatedly and it all seemed very surreal to me. I was angry with myself for not having taken a more active role in questioning what had been presented to us. I’d like to believe the shock of it all is what suspended my better nature. After what seemed like an eternity, I was able to calm myself enough to make it home. I didn’t talk or call anyone that night. The next day back at the office, I was visibly out of it but blamed it on being under the weather. No one else in my department had been invited to the meeting and I felt a sense of guilt for not being able to share what I had witnessed. I thought about contacting the 3 others who wear kicked out of the house but I didn’t remember their names and thought that tracking them down would probably bring unwanted attention. I considered speaking out publicly at the risk of losing my job but I realized I’d probably be jeopardizing more than my job and I wasn’t willing to risk anything happening to my family. I thought about those men with guns and wondered who they were? I had been told that this was bigger than the music business and all I could do was let my imagination run free. There were no answers and no one to talk to. I tried to do a little bit of research on private prisons but didn’t uncover anything about the music business’ involvement. However, the information I did find confirmed how dangerous this prison business really was. Days turned into weeks and weeks into months. Eventually, it was as if the meeting had never taken place. It all seemed surreal. I became more reclusive and stopped going to any industry events unless professionally obligated to do so. On two occasions, I found myself attending the same function as my former colleague. Both times, our eyes met but nothing more was exchanged.

As the months passed, rap music had definitely changed direction. I was never a fan of it but even I could tell the difference. Rap acts that talked about politics or harmless fun were quickly fading away as gangster rap started dominating the airwaves. Only a few months had passed since the meeting but I suspect that the ideas presented that day had been successfully implemented. It was as if the order has been given to all major label executives. The music was climbing the charts and most companies when more than happy to capitalize on it. Each one was churning out their very own gangster rap acts on an assembly line. Everyone bought into it, consumers included. Violence and drug use became a central theme in most rap music. I spoke to a few of my peers in the industry to get their opinions on the new trend but was told repeatedly that it was all about supply and demand. Sadly many of them even expressed that the music reinforced their prejudice of minorities.

I officially quit the music business in 1993 but my heart had already left months before. I broke ties with the majority of my peers and removed myself from this thing I had once loved. I took some time off, returned to Europe for a few years, settled out of state, and lived a “quiet” life away from the world of entertainment. As the years passed, I managed to keep my secret, fearful of sharing it with the wrong person but also a little ashamed of not having had the balls to blow the whistle. But as rap got worse, my guilt grew. Fortunately, in the late 90’s, having the internet as a resource which wasn’t at my disposal in the early days made it easier for me to investigate what is now labeled the prison industrial complex. Now that I have a greater understanding of how private prisons operate, things make much more sense than they ever have. I see how the criminalization of rap music played a big part in promoting racial stereotypes and misguided so many impressionable young minds into adopting these glorified criminal behaviors which often lead to incarceration. Twenty years of guilt is a heavy load to carry but the least I can do now is to share my story, hoping that fans of rap music realize how they’ve been used for the past 2 decades. Although I plan on remaining anonymous for obvious reasons, my goal now is to get this information out to as many people as possible. Please help me spread the word. Hopefully, others who attended the meeting back in 1991 will be inspired by this and tell their own stories. Most importantly, if only one life has been touched by my story, I pray it makes the weight of my guilt a little more tolerable.

Thank you.”

Source: hiphopisread.com beforeitsnews.com

I’m Not Short, I’m Fun-Sized

A few shorts that I’ve also rediscovered (turns out I’ve forgotten about a lot of movies that I’ve seen).

Validation  

Fifty People, One Question  –  This one is pretty deep, and combined with the music it makes for a great 8 minutes that makes you stop and think  

Oh, The Places You’ll Go at Burning Man!  –  I had heard about Burning Man from an old manager of mine who had gone down for the 25th anniversary last summer. Coincidently, right after that Sean and I were bored on youtube (not cruising on netflix, for once) and he showed me this video that was made by two guys he went to school with. It’s amazing to see what these guys are doing with film. In their mid-twenties, they’re up and comers, if you will, so of course I’ll be checking up on them and feeding any of their ingenuities right here for your viewing pleasure  

Do You Want To Spend The Rest Of Your Life With Me?

As you know, I love films that come in all shapes and sizes. So when I came across a short called “Forevers Not So Long” back in the beginning of last year when I had a serious addiction (should’ve gotten a shrink for it) to stumbleupon, I was ecstatic. After the 12 minutes it took to watch, I immediately had an excuse to continue my “addiction” (its not bad when its for a good cause…right?). Its the best film short I’ve ever seen, and if you know of a better one, please send it my way because I’d love to take a gander. I’m not sure why I just remembered this now, but I know you’ll take a liking to this one.

After I showed it to Louis he put me on another short called “I’m Here”. It took some getting used to only because its a love story portrayed in a way that I’ve never really seen before. By the time it was done, I too was in love (stories like these get me all choked up inside). They wont let me share it, so check the link below. Enjoy

http://www.imheremovie.com/

– EL RCNTR

“Discovery can be such a beautiful thing. Maybe even more beautiful, is finding something you forgot about, then recapturing the feeling you had when you discovered it in the first place”

 

Bring on the Cult TV

I’m here from Mitch and Murray. And I’m here on a mission of mercy!

Now that we got the pleasantries out of the way, I’ve been called upon to be a guest writer on this marvelous and mind-altering blog to talk to all you fine people about some good old fashioned cult TV. We’re gonna talk about some shows that didn’t receive the claim it should have, or, in my opinion, receive more than it already has.

Think of this as an elaborate recommendation/nostalgia list for you to see what you’ve been missing out on all these year amongst the evils of the Jersey Shore and the Kardashions (I refuse to look up how to properly spell their name), and all those other reality show entities that are simply weapons brought upon us by the almighty Cthulhu.

Sherlock (BBC)

I was torn between putting Sherlock or Luther as my first recommendation, but since Luther tends to drag itself down by Series 2, I figured I’d pick Sherlock. The shows is able to take a character that has been redone so many times over and over again (including the newest Robert Downey Jr adaptations) that the concept of this show would instantly turn you off to the idea.

But the writers and actors of Sherlock are able to take a modernization (set it in present times) of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s material and make it something so much more fresh, new, and exciting. The end result is a product that easily trumps the newer Guy Ritchie adaptations. While the Downey films are much more action packed, making the mental components take a back seat, Sherlock puts the mental complexities of the character at the fore-front while giving him new quirks and attitudes based on the technology now given to such a character.

The duo of Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman is a showstopper to put it in the corniest terms. They both perfectly embody the parts, and have wonderful chemistry together. I always love a good bromance, and Sherlock and Watson is one the oldest bromances in history, which this show loves to flaunt.

While Series 1 ends on an awesome cliffhanger, I have yet to watch Series 2, but have heard nothing but good things (wish i could say the same about Luther). But, the three 90 minutes episodes on Series 1 hooked me in completely and I’m sure they can hook you in as well.

If you’re looking for something much more intelligent and better styled than the action packed romp that is Ritchie’s Sherlock Holmes, give Sherlock a try. Series 1 is on instant view, so it shouldn’t be too hard to locate and watch.

Dinosaurs

I am NOT talking about the awful CGI film made in 2002. This is simply one of the best sitcoms I’ve ever seen. When I was growing up in the ’90s, this was one of my favorite all time shows. Even when I got a little older, I never grew tired of popping in the VHS tapes I had of Dinosaurs. Sadly, I only owned a couple of episodes, and could never scrounge up more VHSs.

Luckily in around 2005, Disney finally released the entire series on DVD. Being older now and watching Dinosaurs I was SHOCKED. The show is so adult. It finds the perfect “Jim Henson” tone of balancing out adult humor with children humor.

Every episode of Dinosaurs is delivering some sort of message. The message is buried under innuendoes and metaphors within the universe of Dinosaurs. For example: The young daughter of the Sinclair family gets extremely embarrassed when her tail finally starts growing in. The guys at her school begin to notice her more, and her dad & brother get nervous. This is an obvious metaphor for girls going through puberty, but it is so perfectly buried into the universe setting that younger kids wouldn’t be able to tell.

The tackle a lot more touchy issues such as racism, sexism, the abuse of TV, and even the mistreatment of senior citizens. The shows deeper meanings are only further supported by the hilarious comedy that comes with the hijinxs of the Sinclair Family. Earl Sinclair has hands down been one of my favorite TV characters of all time. His crowning moment comes in one of my favorite episodes “And the winner is” in which he become a pawn for his boss when he tries to run for Chief Elder (political satire much).

(start at 5:22)

As you can see the show is extremely easy to find on youtube. The DVDs are also very cheap to purchase on amazon. If you’re into amazing puppetry work, Jim Henson style humor, and some of the best voice overs ever (the mom is Lucille from Arrested Development for starters!) this is the show for you!

Spaced

I was sitting on a big fat pile of money during the hay day of my summer job, so I decided I blow some of it on amazon. On the top of my recommendations list was a show unknown to me called Spaced. It had recommendations from guys like Kevin Smith, Quentin Tarantino, and Bill Hader (all my idols). It also had a high review rate, so without hesitating I purchased it. I was NOT dissapointed.

Spaced is a TV series from the guys that did Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz (and also the director of Scott Pilgrim VS The World); and let me tell you, it shows! This series is for all of those super-nerd out there. They fit a very simple plot into a world filled with pop culture. Comic artist Tim and wanna-be writer Daisy pretend to be a couple in order to live in a “couples-only” flat. In doing so, they need to constantly be pretending that they are together in front of the other house mates.

Now this seems extremely easy going and traditional, but when Edgar Wright whips out his big guns of fast editing, bazillion pop culture references, and awesome actors, you see why this is such a hidden gem of fandom and awesomness. They talk about everything from Star Wars to Pulp Fiction. The homages/tributes are so endless, there’s a pop up on the DVD that can inform you when something is being homaged. But, it’s not just about the homages, the show is also able to create its own niche which make these pop culture tributes all the more enjoyable.

More importantly you grow to really love all of the characters. They are just zany and crazy and filled with hilarity that you never want to stop watching the show. The beauty of it is, the entire series is neatly wrapped into two season/series and feels like just enough to cease you from ever getting bored or tired from watching the same old thing. If you’re a super sci-fi/comic/horor/brit nerd this is without a doubt the show for you.

The Wire

What can one say about The Wire? It could potentially be the best TV drama of all time. I have it neck and neck in my book with Breaking Bad. But no matter what you say about it, The Wire is THE most realistic show in TV history.

The story is a sprawling epic about Baltimore police trying to take down the ever growing drug trafficking business in Maryland. Every season, their investigations shift main cases (Season 1 is one main drug dealer, but then get down to Season 4 and it becomes more about the school systems). The beauty of the show comes from its ability to be constantly creating unforgettable characters and scenarios that just always have you aching for more.

No one on the show looks like make-up’d super models or one of the crap actors from CSI. These all look like REAL human beings. A lot of the “drug” related characters in the show were casted straight from streets in Baltimore. Things like this just make the show better. Nearly every cold opening for episodes just rocket you into the drama and intensity that the world of the Wire is more than ready to deliver.

People’s main problems with is that there is too much material in the show for the brain to handle. But, I’ve only felt that way when I wasn’t completely paying attention. You go into The Wire with a deep concentration, you will guaranteed be in for a treat.

I don’t wish to start naming all of the characters because the list will double the length of this blog, but you will see a lot of familiar faces and super-underrated actors such as Amy Ryan and the brilliant Idris Elba pop up throughout the duration of the show.

Take it from me The Wire is the #1 show you want to add to your netflix as soon as possible.

Well this was fun, I hope you all enjoyed it, and felt decently informed on new shows to get into. If you didn’t…well…I just can’t help you anymore. I’m out of time.