I don't think The Sopranos is very good, does that make me a cunt?

[kngen]

The Wire goes downhill when McNulty manages to invent a serial killer and nobody twigs, that's ridiculous.

I've said it a million times, but it should have been the dodgy hack that invented the serial killer story, and McNulty could have seen it as a golden opportunity to exploit it for his own ends (and would have required far less intervention on his part). It would have been far more believable, and would have actually highlighted some interesting issues about the reactive nature of the police's relationship with the press.

I honestly can't understand how a former crime reporter and an ex-cop didn't see that as a far better angle. I reckon they tried out all the drugs first before filming them.

[The Boston Crab]

Sopranos is basically Neighbours to The Wire's Sons and Daughters. The themes tunes are also pretty similar, if you never noticed.

[kngen]

Sopranos is basically Neighbours to The Wire's Sons and Daughters. The themes tunes are also pretty similar, if you never noticed.

And The Shield is The Sullivans – a never-ending war ...

[QDRPHNC]

Fuck The Shield OH GOD THE CAMERA IS SHAKING ALL THE TIME THIS IS SO INTENSE

[chveik]

I've never tried The Shield yet. is it really worth it?

[Gulftastic]

I've said it a million times, but it should have been the dodgy hack that invented the serial killer story, and McNulty could have seen it as a golden opportunity to exploit it for his own ends (and would have required far less intervention on his part). It would have been far more believable, and would have actually highlighted some interesting issues about the reactive nature of the police's relationship with the press.

I honestly can't understand how a former crime reporter and an ex-cop didn't see that as a far better angle. I reckon they tried out all the drugs first before filming them.

I'm not sure how that would have worked. A massive part of McNutty getting them to swallow the whole serial killer angle was his access to and ability to doctor old case files, and to piss about with bodies of the recently deceased.

[kngen]

I'm not sure how that would have worked. A massive part of McNutty getting them to swallow the whole serial killer angle was his access to and ability to doctor old case files, and to piss about with bodies of the recently deceased.

True, but if you let the journalist create the narrative, then McNulty doesn't have to be hands-on and fabricate evidence. He could go along with the story and be a little bit more sloppy and vague while 'investigating' unexplained deaths (like the homeless fella), even tipping off the bent hack about deaths that would barely make the papers otherwise and let the media fill the gaps that way. Series 5 was, in part, about the death of print media, but it could also have tackled the folie a deux that is the sensationalised journalism that pressures the police making into rash judgments and locking up the wrong people. (How many times have we seen that happen?) That McNulty could exploit that to get the budget the detectives needed to tackle their real targets would tie it up quite nicely (IMO) - at least more so than the shambles it turned out to be.

[kngen]

I've never tried The Shield yet. is it really worth it?

Yeah, it could barely exist in the same universe as The Wire (even though it's based on true events - the LAPD Rampart scandal) because it's so hi-octane and over-the-top, but it's a lot of fun. Some great characters, some inspired guest stars (Forrest Whittaker), some truly shocking moments - and Walton Goggins!

Just watch the pilot - you'll find out very quickly whether it's for you or not, as its vision is so clearly, perfectly formed from the get-go.

[DrGreggles]

I've never tried The Shield yet. is it really worth it?

Yes, it's consistently superb.
Probably a notch below Sops/Wire, but far superior to the vast majority.

[Mobius]

I've never tried The Shield yet. is it really worth it?

YES

[evilcommiedictator]

I liked The Sopranos when he was still having trouble with his stress, and having a thing for the shrink, when it just started being "the complications of being a Mob Boss" it wasn't as interesting.
Mind you, the old man loves his GodFather, and I eventually go thim watching The Sopranos, and he complained there was too much violence in it.
Uhh Dad, right, you do understand, "it's just business" is the words for "this violence is OK"?

[Jockice]

I've never seen it. And I am a cunt.

[Custard]

The Shield is brilliant. Well written, great characters, and the main character is fascinating and compelling. He's a wrong 'un, but a successful police officer. It works really well, and has some great twists n turns throughout. Another show with a great ending, too

I banged out all 7 series in about two months, a few years back. It's skill

[peanutbutter]

The best thing about the Shield is how for the most part it just keeps ramping stuff up without falling apart. The final season is just ridiculously well executed iirc. A lot of it was luck that everything just paced out so well that they didn't have to take the kind of lulls something like Breaking Bad did in season 5 to ensure everything was resolved okay.

Not sure it has anything like the resonance of some other shows but it's one you could easily binge all seven seasons of in about 2 weeks and never feel tired of it or that it's gaming you into binging it (which is something I feel like some Netflix shows do)

[chveik]

re The Shield: I've almost finished the first season. it's really cartoonesque at times but I'm enjoying it so far. good holiday binge

[Fishfinger]

I love The Shield, it may well be the only series I've watched that is literally never boring.

[Sebastian Cobb]

Star Trek: TNG is a good example. The first two seasons are fucking woeful. Luckily, it's episodic, so you can just tell someone to start from season 3, when the difference in quality is night and day. If it was made today it would be too heavily serialised to be able to do that.

I've thought The Sopranos was a bit like TNG in that it has a good mixture of long arcs but individual episodes. The X-Files did that too; I think The Sopranos paved the way for cinematic television though, and HBO have run with it ever since (yes I know X-Files and TNG used film).

[Nice Relaxing Poo]

I got to series 3 of the Sopranos and just drifted away from it. There wasn't a character I gave a shit about or liked which is a death knell for a series for me.

[Sebastian Cobb]

Series 3 is probably the best of it, but if you'd made it that far and can't give a shit then yeah, you're never going to like it.

[jobotic]

Been re-watching this, looking forward to the later seasons which I've not seen for years. Season One seems pretty good to me, but just seen the episode with the flashbacks to Tony's childhood - they're bloody awful, like some shite badly acted TV gangster movie.

[cliggg]

Series 3 is probably the best of it, but if you'd made it that far and can't give a shit then yeah, you're never going to like it.

Funnily enough I am liking it more now than before I started this thread. They have finally started developing storylines that were hinted at from near the start and more stuff keeps happening to intensify things even more. I am still a cunt obviously but am liking the show more now. And it is also quite funny as a show, funnier than that Gavin and Stacey shit from last night for sure.

[Spode]

Love The Sporanos but Pine Barrens is one of the most overrated episodes of anything that's ever been on television. On the flip side, the Evidently Chickentown ending to one episode is one of the most underrated. Which I suppose means the 2 episodes, on average, are rated.

[mr. logic]

Pine Barrens is absolutely superb. What's always forgotten is that alongside the hi-jinks in the woods, it has the beautifully observed drama of Tony and his chaotic affair. It's a perfect hour of drama, why do you consider it overrated? Also, what's the Chickentown episode?

[Better Midlands]

Also, what's the Chickentown episode?

Stage 5 - Season 6, Episode 14

[mr. logic]

Phil's rant at the christening? Yeah, that's class. Jesus, the Sopranos was so good.

[Schnapple]

Phil's rant at the christening? Yeah, that's class. Jesus, the Sopranos was so good.

i think this bit is probably the most exciting bit of television ever recorded. I watch it in isolation all the time. The first time I saw it I remember thinking I was going to explode with excitement/anxiety. Magical.

[Spode]

i think this bit is probably the most exciting bit of television ever recorded. I watch it in isolation all the time. The first time I saw it I remember thinking I was going to explode with excitement/anxiety. Magical.

The look on Tony and Christopher's faces, behind each other's back, at the church too as they both realise what path theiy're set on. Combined with the Leotardo/Leonardo bit, it's probably the only time during any TV series I got a feel for how genuinely high the stakes were for the characters.

As for Pine Barrens, I think I just found the Paulie/Christopher part a bit cartoonish. Hasn't been helped by how many times I've heard people quote the interior designer line since either. Obviously not a shit episode, but nowhere near one of my favourites.

[bgmnts]

I really like the episodes with Drea de Matteo in her undies.

[DrGreggles]

As for Pine Barrens, I think I just found the Paulie/Christopher part a bit cartoonish. Hasn't been helped by how many times I've heard people quote the interior designer line since either.

It may be cartoonish and slightly out of kilter compared to the rest of the show, but it's still fucking funny.
Most good comedies don't have a scene as funny as that.

[QDRPHNC]

The Chickentown ending might be their best ever, along with the Moby ending and the ending.