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Post by doc on May 11, 2020 14:06:10 GMT
I've been watching a lot of TV since this pandemic hit - there's so many great shows to watch and only so much time to do it. Not like when I was a kid and you had 3 network channels with shows like Laverne and Shirley, The Brady Bunch, Mary Tyler Moore, Andy Griffith, All in the Family and Mannix. To me Archie Bunker and Barney Fife are two of the greatest TV characters ever. Here are ten who would make my list of best TV characters currently on television today....(based on shows I watch!)
1. Saul Goodman/Bob Odenkirk, Better Call Saul - this show keeps getting better and Odenkirk's Goodman is the reason. Eventually the story line is going to collide with Breaking Bad and the show will be over but it's been fascinating to watch how Jimmy McGill became Saul Goodman.
2. Villanelle/Joy Comer, Killing Eve - a beautiful, young, psychopathic, Russian killer with an awesome smile, penchant for childish mischief and tremendous devotion to fashion.
3. Ruth Langmore/Julia Garner, Ozark - you have to admire a character who can deliver this line without cracking a smile....'“Sounds like you need to go fuck yourself. What you do is, you roll yourself into a ball or whatever, and you take your dick and you put it up your ass.” Ruth steals just about every scene you see her in.
4. Abe Weismann/Tony Shalhoub, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel - Just about every character on this show is great but I find myself laughing the most at Abe's many frustrations in life...his wife, his job, his desire to be a serious writer and trying to come to grips with the fact his daughter is divorced and pursuing a career as a stand-up comic.
5. Gene Cousineau/Henry Winkler, Barry - It's great to see Henry Winkler again. This role is a far cry from Fonzie but the acting is much, much better.
6. The Rose Family, Schitt's Creek - Eugene Levy is the straight man to his family of eccentrics (including his gay son) in this show about a wealthy family who loses everything but a rundown motel in the Canadian town of Schitts Creek. Hard to pick one character so I'll lump them all together.
7. Eleven/Billie Bobbie Brown - Stranger Things - It will be interesting to see where this show gos - Eleven has been the glue that holds everything together but the next season these kids may be close to their 20's and Eleven won't be the cute little girl with the shaved head and incredible powers. (Well I guess she'll still have the powers!)
8. Kim Wexler/Rhea Seahorn, Better Call Saul - Saul's better half. I don't recall ever seeing her in an episode of Breaking Bad so I have to suspect she's eventually going to get fed up with Saul's antics or something much worse.
9. Prince Charles/Josh O'Connor, The Crown - I never thought I'd ever feel empathy for Prince Charles but the 3rd season of The Crown shows life as the future King of England - especially when you're trying to be a regular college student and date the girl you choose - has it's challenges. I doubt any of us ever had to make appointments to see our mother.
10. Ruth Wilder/Alison Brie, GLOW - The central character of the show - she wants to be a serious actress but can only land a part in a women's wrestling show - Glamorous Ladies of Wrestling - opposite her former friend who's no longer a friend because Ruth slept with her husband.
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Post by Bevo on May 11, 2020 19:30:12 GMT
I absolutely love Saul. That's been a terrific show. Started a little slow, but... boy did it pick up.
I've been watching Entourage, from start to finish. I just completed Season 6. Two more to go. It's crude, to the extreme. But, it's funny. And fun to watch. Best Character has to be Ari Gold /Jeremy Piven. His angst seems real.
We've also been watching Third Rock from the Sun. I'd forgotten how funny that show was. There are a LOT of crazy characters in that show. I like Tommy/ Joseph Gordon-Leavit, but Sally/Kristen Johnson is pretty awesome too.
We also started watch the first season of the Beverly Hillbillies. Pa/Buddy Ebsen is the glue that holds that show together. But, I'd wager the fan favorite was Elly Mae... The wonderful Donna Douglas.
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Post by ajbuckeye on May 11, 2020 21:10:51 GMT
I started watching Saul but it was a bit slow and I gave up on it. I still think Breaking Bad was the best series of all time. May need to give that one a second look. Ruth Langmore is a good one. Just finishing up the third season of that show. I also started watching arrested development. I never watched when it first came out but that show has me rolling at times. Both those shows have Jason Bateman. My gay side is starting to show with all of this coronahibernation.
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Post by Bevo on May 11, 2020 22:03:46 GMT
I started watching Saul but it was a bit slow and I gave up on it. I still think Breaking Bad was the best series of all time. May need to give that one a second look. Ruth Langmore is a good one. Just finishing up the third season of that show. I also started watching arrested development. I never watched when it first came out but that show has me rolling at times. Both those shows have Jason Bateman. My gay side is starting to show with all of this coronahibernation. WHOA BUDDY!! Man-Card violation! We'll excuse you, for now... due to quarantine craziness. But, try to keep it together! I need to start watching Ozark. Never seen any. Watched the first couple shows of BOSCH. It seems pretty good, but not compelling. If you liked Breaking Bad, you'll definitely like Saul... once it gets going. I was the same way. I think I quit after 3 episodes... but, that was when it was on, live.. watching it weekly. I waited a year, then started streaming them... and, liked it much better. Kim picks up the pace.
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Post by Bevo on May 11, 2020 22:05:43 GMT
WHOA BUDDY!! Man-Card violation! Sorry! Told you I've been watching Entourage. It was all filmed PRE-#MeTOO. I feel I might have to go to therapy.
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Post by Bevo on May 11, 2020 22:08:00 GMT
I also started watching arrested development. I never watched when it first came out but that show has me rolling at times. Oh... I forgot. I also never watched that show when it came out. But, I watched a couple on an airplane a while back and, it was hilarious. I think I'll get the wife to watch some with me.
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Post by doc on May 12, 2020 12:54:21 GMT
I watched the entire Arrested Development series a couple years ago - the Afternoon Delight episode may be one of the best sitcom episodes ever. And watching Charlize Theron played a mentally challenged woman was a treat - unfortunately she was only in a few episodes. I just finished up Barry on HBO GO and it's well worth watching - very quick, also - 2 seasons, 8 thirty minute episodes.
GLOW is very good on Netflix and don't judge but there's a show called Derry Girls on Netflix that I thought was great. About 4 teenage, Catholic girls growing up in Derry, Northern Ireland in the early 1990's.
Loved Ozark - unfortunately I've watched season 3 so it will be about a year and a half before we get new episodes, especially since they probably wont be able to film for a while.
BTW, I used to think Jason Bateman's SISTER was kind of cute back in the day - remember her from Family Ties with Michael J. Fox?
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Post by EvilVodka on May 12, 2020 14:25:48 GMT
I absolutely love Saul. That's been a terrific show. Started a little slow, but... boy did it pick up. I've been watching Entourage, from start to finish. I just completed Season 6. Two more to go. It's crude, to the extreme. But, it's funny. And fun to watch. Best Character has to be Ari Gold /Jeremy Piven. His angst seems real. We've also been watching Third Rock from the Sun. I'd forgotten how funny that show was. There are a LOT of crazy characters in that show. I like Tommy/ Joseph Gordon-Leavit, but Sally/Kristen Johnson is pretty awesome too. We also started watch the first season of the Beverly Hillbillies. Pa/Buddy Ebsen is the glue that holds that show together. But, I'd wager the fan favorite was Elly Mae... The wonderful Donna Douglas. Better Call Saul is awesome
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Post by Bevo on May 12, 2020 17:08:59 GMT
BTW, I used to think Jason Bateman's SISTER was kind of cute back in the day - remember her from Family Ties with Michael J. Fox? Yea.. Me too. We had simple taste. She has NOT aged well.... don't go looking. Trust me!
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Post by doc on May 12, 2020 20:17:57 GMT
Well that's sad. I'm afraid I've aged better than a lot of the Hollywood crushes I've had along the way (and that's not saying much) - Uma Thurman, Darryl Hannah, Melanie Griffith to name a few. Hopefully Jennifer Lawrence won't follow that trend!
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Post by ajbuckeye on May 12, 2020 20:27:13 GMT
Well that's sad. I'm afraid I've aged better than a lot of the Hollywood crushes I've had along the way (and that's not saying much) - Uma Thurman, Darryl Hannah, Melanie Griffith to name a few. Hopefully Jennifer Lawrence won't follow that trend! I used to think Meg Ryan was hot until she Michael Jacksoned herself.
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Post by ajbuckeye on May 12, 2020 20:36:41 GMT
Looks like better call Saul is next in the queue. Regarding characters I would add the brother in law cop on Breaking Bad.
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Post by doc on May 12, 2020 21:22:33 GMT
Looks like better call Saul is next in the queue. Regarding characters I would add the brother in law cop on Breaking Bad. Give it a shot, keep watching and you may even see Hank (the brother-in-law) down the line in season 4 or 5.
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Post by doc on May 12, 2020 21:24:17 GMT
Well that's sad. I'm afraid I've aged better than a lot of the Hollywood crushes I've had along the way (and that's not saying much) - Uma Thurman, Darryl Hannah, Melanie Griffith to name a few. Hopefully Jennifer Lawrence won't follow that trend! I used to think Meg Ryan was hot until she Michael Jacksoned herself. OMG, did she mutilate herself, or what - a damn shame!
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Post by doc on May 13, 2020 13:44:27 GMT
When I was putting together my list I was thinking about characters who are in current shows. Here's a list of characters I consider among the greatest in television history...in no particular order although Barney Fife would be my favorite of all time...
1. Barney Fife/The Andy Griffith Show 2. Archie Bunker/All in the Family 3. Homer Simpson/The Simpsons (didn't include him above because I haven't watched The Simpsons for a few years. 4. Walter White/Breaking Bad 5. Ted Baxter/The Mary Tyler Moore Show 6. Lucy Ricardo/I Love Lucy 7. Mary Richards/The Mary Tyler Moore Show 8. Felix Unger and Oscar Madison/The Odd Couple 9. George Costanza/Seinfeld 10. Michael Scott/The Office
I never watched The Sopranos, Game of Thrones, Dallas, Entourage or much TV in the 80's and 90's.
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