Ok, pick a good tv show and plug it.

I'll start with "MYthbusters": I like it because it teaches serious analytical thought and scientific processes of deduction, experimentation, logic and reason.

Sure it does it  under a coating of whacky fun and people having a good time doing crazy stuff, but hey, it teaches that thinking can be fun and rewarding.  Those are lessons kids sure as hell need today.

I agree, Nox.  Mythbusters is a great way to introduce kids (and adults!) to problem solving and the scientific method.

Put me down for Battlestar Galactica (the new one.)  I hated the show from the moment I heard the premise; apocalyptic fiction leaves me so very cold.  Some friends of mine were totally bullish on the series, though; they won me over with some choice clips (the battle from Resurrection Ship chief among them.)

I grew up in a Navy family and I have a mixed-up nostalgia for the rhythm and flow of life on bases and ships.  Most kids have grandma's cookies and Thanksgiving trips.  I've got SEAL demonstrations and tiger cruises.  That makes BSG a sort of fucked Christmas special for me.

Probably the best thing about BSG is the way my father opens up about his past when we watch it.  It's amazing how much I've learned about my own dad from talking about Eddy Olmos fighting sexbots.

On one hand I could see a "Junior mythbusters set" that could be used to teach kids science and such, with safe, tested "myths" for kids to try busting or confirming with tips along the way to help them learn about science and reasoning. It might make a good DVD or computer CD syle educational game.

OTOH too many little geneticaly defective idiots would then move on to try shit they see on the show and remove themselves from the genepool, which would be a GOOD thing but create too many lawsuits, so skip the idea.

As to BSG, I love it totally. Some eps have flopped but the series is still solid.

I'm sure something along the lines of a Klutz Press book wouldn't be much of a target, even in our lawsuit-crazed culture.  Stuff it with things like the buttered toast experiment and you have a licensed product ready for the future geeks of America.

The Shield. This show is so damn good that of the several people I've loaned season one to, all of them watched the first episode and then immediately watched the rest of the season in a marathon, then went scrabbling for the following seasons so they could catch up. One guy even called in sick so he didn't have to stop in the middle.

Medium

Great concept, great episode premises, great characters, great scripts, great acting.  What's not to love?

"My Name Is Earl".

Pure comedic gold, crystallized into a weekly 22-minute opus likely to feature a toothless hooker, a one-eyed mailman, non-sappy feel-good endings and "Time After Time"in Spanish.  It's optimistic and yet slightly ribald at the same time...not to mention a little bit surreal.

"Earl" is bloody great. Makes me laugh out loud every show.

Here's an...unusual nomination. Won't make any sense to anyone from the US, but, bear with me.

When I was much younger, I enjoyed "You've Been Framed". It just made me laugh. As I grew up, I got kinda 'meh' about it. You can only laugh so many times at a dog chasing its tail, or a kid on a human-powered vehicle hurting themselves, or a baby falling asleep in a bowl of gunk.

BUT, I have to say..."You've Been Framed" in its current UK incarnation, as presented by Harry Hill, is one of the bloodiest funniest things EVER.

- Q

Anyone from the US wanting to understand that, just think of the long list of "America's Funniest ___" video shows.

Quote from: James McMurrayAnyone from the US wanting to understand that, just think of the long list of "America's Funniest ___" video shows.

Which I should qualify by saying: in this case, it's not the format, it's what the host does with it.

Simply put, he takes the piss. Formidably.

- Q

Quote from: Hastur T. FannonMedium

Great concept, great episode premises, great characters, great scripts, great acting.  What's not to love?

I've got a huge crush on Allison DuBois, personally. Mrrow!

I've got a lot of favorite shows, or at least shows that I like a lot. Prison Break, 24, Medium, Lost, Heroes, The Office, Veronica Mars...

Prison Break and 24 have both disappointed me this season for lackadaisical writing. Medium is very formulaic. Heroes and Lost have both dragged out the plot without any resolutions. Veronica Mars can get too melodramatic. The Office is the only perfect show in that lot. But I still love 'em all.

The Wire.

Best show on TV by a country mile.

Screenwipe.

Uk only but very funny programme about TV.  Any programme that puts up a picture of a nice pussycat and goes "Booo! death to the racist!" gets my vote.

Quote from: Dominus NoxOk, pick a good tv show and plug it.

Avatar: The Last Airbender

I look more forward to that show than anything else on TV today.  A children's show with serious and deep plots and philosophy.  Probably one of the best, if not the best, show on TV right now.  Seriously.

Desperate Housewives and Grey's Anatomy are my current "must watch" shows.  Followed closely by Dresden Files.  

The first shows are really excellent TV, while Dresden Files is still coming into its own, but it's really cool so far.  Not much plot between episodes, which is nice, but I can see that developing later.

Ghost in the shell: Stand alone complex is great if you can get it on DVD.

For all the folks wanting THS ideas, this show is a bottomless well of plotlines for THS, as is the whole Ghost in the Shell franchise.