Which show on Netflix, Hulu, HBO etc should I watch next?

[HorseTears]

Posted: 7/11/14 at 1:21pm

Help me with my indecision. I've actually been doing a ton of reading in my spare time lately, but I'm getting the itch to get back into some good tv and have renewed some of my online memberships. Help me choose one - yes, just one - of the shows from the list below to get started on. I haven't seen a single episode of any of these. My 5 or 6 favorite dramas of the past 10 yrs would probably be: The Sopranos, Mad Men, The Wire, Friday Night Lights, Breaking Bad, The Killing. Nothing surprising there, I know.


HERE'S WHAT I'M CHOOSING FROM:
The Good Wife
Treme
Fargo
The Americans
Justified
Game of Thrones (not a fantasy fan at all, but heard that doesn't matter)
The Newsroom
The Good Wife
Parenthood
Nurse Jackie
The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency
Ray Donavan

[bdwaygirl]

Posted: 7/11/14 at 1:23pm

Since The Good Wife is listed twice, I'd say you already made up your mind.

[madbrian]

Posted: 7/11/14 at 1:25pm

Not on your list, but my recommendation would be Sleepy Hollow.

[HorseTears]

Posted: 7/11/14 at 1:26pm

Since The Good Wife is listed twice, I'd say you already made up your mind.

Oops. Ha. I guess, subconsciously, I had!

[bdwaygirl]

Posted: 7/11/14 at 1:38pm

One of my favorite shows.

[MaddieBB12]

Posted: 7/11/14 at 1:45pm

I must vote for THE NEWSROOM and PARENTHOOD, once you're done with The Good Wife.

[madbrian]

Posted: 7/11/14 at 1:57pm

Again, not on your list, but I'd also recommend binge-viewing the current 24 mini-series, then catching the finale on Monday. So far, it's been terrific.

[EricMontreal22]

Posted: 7/11/14 at 2:32pm

I would say avoid The Newsroom at all costs.

Game of Thrones really is appealing but you have to have the concentration for it, especially at first, as it can seem hard to keep characters apart. However, I do think it's true that you don't have to be a big fantasy fan to get into it--my mom dislikes most fantasy, but she got into it (the books--she can'thandle violence on screen) because of her love for historical fiction especially related to The War of the Roses. Watching it can feel like reading an involved novel, but it wouldn't be the equivalent of a light Summer read.

Ray Donavan is worthless IMHO.

The Good Wife is mostly pretty great--there's a lot to catch up on since it's a network show, but...

Parenthood goes back and forth. It's not remotely as good as Katims' earlier Friday Night Lights, but it has some great moments. Katims came from the Herskovitz/Zwick domestic drama shows as a writer, and Parenthood is probably the best show in that style currently on though it never reaches the greatness of H/Z's thirtysomething, Once and Again or My So-Called Life (and if you never liked any of those shows, than stay clear away.)

If you like Mad Men why not catch up on Masters of Sex (which became a great show by the end of season 1) which is about to launch into season 2?

[Sutton Ross]

Posted: 7/11/14 at 2:38pm

Treme is absolutely brilliant. A lot of the same people involved in The Wire (one of the greatest shows of all time), are involved in this heart breaking, gem of a show, so you know you're in good hands. Enjoy!

[Adair Haywind]

Posted: 7/11/14 at 3:00pm

I would highly reccommend The Newsroom. It's brilliantly written and acted. Anxious for the Season 2 Blu-ray release that still has yet to be announced.

[Roscoe]

Posted: 7/11/14 at 3:57pm

The first season of TREME is marvelous, I'll second that. Things went off a bit after that, though.

I'd say watch the original BBC version of HOUSE OF CARDS, if you haven't already.

[EricMontreal22]

Posted: 7/11/14 at 4:49pm

I have a friend who loved the Newsroom, so to each their own, although even he admitted it fell apart in season 2. However, being extremely presumptuous, Horsey, I think you would have many of the same issues with it as I have, knowing your previous taste in TV (to an extent.)

[WhizzerMarvin]

Posted: 7/11/14 at 5:55pm

Fargo is basically a masterpiece and easily the best thing I watched all year. You could probably binge watch the whole thing in a weekend. SO good!

The Good Wife is fantastic, but if you want a follow up to Fargo go with Parenthood. Both TGW and Parenthood are proof that there is still quality programming on network and it doesn't get better than these two shows (except for Hannibal). Make sure you have tissues you handy because Peter Krause and the wonderful Monica Potter will break your heart.

[Wickedlover56]

Posted: 7/11/14 at 6:26pm

It isn't on your list but try The United States of Tara if you never watched it. It ended after 3 seasons, but it really is fantastic. I'm completely obsessed with it and binge watched last weekend. There is an earlier thread about it that I started.

[MikeInTheDistrict]

Posted: 7/11/14 at 6:37pm

MISFITS

It's on Hulu, I think. You can thank me later. But if you really have to choose from that list, FARGO.

Updated On: 7/11/14 at 06:37 PM

[HorseTears]

Posted: 7/15/14 at 7:19am

So, I'm an asshole and totally ignored your recommendations. Not because i don't value them, but because FX is getting stingy with the availability of their programming. I wanted to do Fargo or The Americans, but neither is available on Hulu. So I went with the only FX drama on there, and one I hadn't even heard of, THE BRIDGE, an American adaptation of a Danish/Swedish show about a the pursuit of a serial operating on the El Paso/Juarez border. Quite like it thus far - especially the lead performances of Diane Kruger as an unlikely American detective with (what I assume is) high-functioning Autism and Oscar nominee Demian Bichir as her Mexican counterpart.