What TV Show Should I Watch?

[hells_half_acre]

Now that Merlin is over and since Sherlock hardly counts as a show - how shall I supplement my TV watching experience this summer while Supernatural is on hiatus?

I was thinking maybe Spartacus, but I'm a little worried that it's too gory for me. I have a hard time with gore, even when it's stylized. I've also heard that it's pretty damn sexy though, which is a bonus. I'm very much of the European sensibility when it comes to sex and violence: sex=good, violence=bad.

On the other hand, I've been reading Teen Wolf fanfiction recently, because I love me some werewolves. My worry with Teen Wolf is that I've heard that the fanfic is actually better than the show....or that, at the very least, the fanfic is NOTHING like the show - so just because I like the fanfic doesn't mean that I'll like the show, or I might be setting myself up for disappointment one way or another anyway.

Then there's Warehouse 13, which was recommended to me, but I don't know anything about - besides, um... there's a warehouse? And it has to do with aliens or supernatural or something? And one of the actresses has a sexy deep voice in real life.

White Collar - someone recommended this to me possibly two years ago... I never watched it, but it was recommended solely because I enjoy threesome dynamics. Other than containing a possible threesome (at least in fanfic), I don't know anything about its quality though.

POLL TIME!

[Poll #1911437]

If you want to recommend another show to me, keep in mind the following:
1) Sex is good, violence is bad!
2) I deal with rape a lot at work and I don't like it in my entertainment.
3) I actually prefer shows that have been on the air for a while and have proven to either be consistent in quality or increase in quality as they age. So, just like when recommending fanfic - when possible, avoid WIPs or at least only recommend WIPs that are definitely going to update to a satisfying conclusion.

Comments

[afastmachine.livejournal.com]

I loved Teen Wolf. It's fun to watch and I really enjoyed it. Though there is a plot line that I despise. Actually, basically all the storylines with Lydia. She, whom I love dearly gets shafted really hard. In the first season finale she's attacked by the Alpha and there's a really creepy scene where he's hovering over her ready to attack while another main character bargains for her life. Then in the second season she starts seeing the guy who attacked her, hallucinating weird things, etc. and eventually we find out that he stuck something in her brain and and she goes to his house and finds his body, where he resurrects himself with her help and she cowers. And nobody calls this guy out on the very uncomfortable facts of the situation. It's not rape because there's nothing overtly sexual, but I really don't like the themes of an older man manipulating and controlling a young girl after violently attacking her and using her body for something she had no say in. /rant I love the show and I love the characters but that whole storyline gave me the heebie jeebies.

White Collar is good but this past season(actually the last two) haven't been quite up to par for me. The threesome dynamic is wonderful though and I love it. Obviously it's not an actual threesome but they are a wonderful OT3, and the one thing I love is that I can actually sort of imagine a scenario where a threesome would result.

I'm deeply in love with Kings, and it might be your cup of tea, but it was short and aborted. I think it's worth it though. Mostly because I would absolutely love to talk about it with you lol.

True Blood was pretty good, but there are some rapey scenes I think. The violence isn't as bad as other shows of the like; when it happens it's like rare short bursts of mediumly gorey stuff. That's my own assessment though so.

I can recommend lots of scifi or fantasy shows if you're interested in any of those, but quite a few are ones that just had one or two seasons.

ETA: I was recommended Warehouse 13 because I loved Stargate and Eureka(which is a really good show; the last season was one of the best on TV imho and the last episode was basically perfect), but I watched the pilot and it just didn't grab me.

[hells-half-acre.livejournal.com]

Hmmm, yeah that does sound like a creepy rapey storyline... and not the only one, since the backstory for Derek in all the fanfic I read is consist (so I'm assuming it's canon) and it also involves statutory rape... which, yeah, the whole adult/teenager thing is the EXACT thing that I deal with at work most of the time, so it kind of turns my stomach. I'd be alright with it if they addressed how horrible it is though, but I can usually count on shows NOT address the actual repercussions at all, sadly.

I've never heard of Kings. Did it end on any closing note, or was it cancelled on a cliffhanger?

I heard True Blood was a cheese fest... which, you know, MIGHT not be a bad thing, I suppose, but maybe you want to argue?

Maybe I should have put Eureka on the list. I've got friends who really like it too, and I did hear that the last season was really great... hmm...

[katsheswims.livejournal.com]

I would have to recommend Teen Wolf because it's the only show on the list I've seen. It's true that the fanfic can be a lot different than the show. But the show does have a certain something about it. I'd give the first 2-3 episodes a chance and see if it's for you. It does get better as it goes on, so I'd try to watch more than just the first episode. I wouldn't call it a favorite of mine, but I plan to try to watch the new episodes when season 3 comes out this summer.

[hells-half-acre.livejournal.com]

Well, it doesn't have to be a favourite to be fun to watch. I mean, Merlin was kind of a cheesy stupid show, but I enjoyed the heck out of it because the acting and the premise were good.

Maybe I'll give it a shot. :)

[phyllis2779.livejournal.com]

I like Royal Pains -- little to no violence, family dynamics (2 brothers a la SPN), romance, comedy and some drama. Sometimes a little angst or mystery mixed in.

[hells-half-acre.livejournal.com]

What's it about? I mean, is it just about a family or is there more to the premise than that? I've never heard of it.

[ria-oaks.livejournal.com]

Teen Wolf's a lot of fun. The first few eps are pretty cheese-tacular I thought, but then it gets better. I marathoned it while sick and it was addicting... just kept hitting 'next episode' because I didn't want to stand up and I also got more and more drawn in and wanted to know what would happen. It's fairly light entertainment for the most part, but it also has moments of being really genuinely good. And this is a good time to watch, since season 3 will be starting up pretty soon (June I believe).

White Collar is amaaazing and I love it to death. It's so much fun. I was won over about 5 minutes into the pilot - the entire set-up of the first scene is just so ridiculous and yet says so much about a. Neal Caffrey's character, and b. what this show is going to be like. Lots of fun capers and character banter and definitely OT3 goodness. *points to icon* That is an actual promo shot from the first season. I mean what is that even, seriously. So shippy. Also, Neal gratuitously gets shirtless and paints/sculpts/whatever quite a bit. Why he needs to be shirtless to paint something I do not know, but I do not complain. ;) Also I just love that it's a show that is at least partly about art and art theft, where the main character is an artist. I mean, and a con man, but still! Art! :) We're 4 seasons in now (season 5 will be starting sometime in fall I think) and it doesn't appear to be going anywhere. And the seasons are just 12-13 eps so it wouldn't take too super long to catch up.

[hells-half-acre.livejournal.com]

Cool! Your reviews definitely make me want to watch both shows more! :)

[ramblin_rosie]

The only other current drama show I'm remotely interested in is NCIS. I fell out of the habit of watching last season and never got back into it, but it's a good show with a long run, if you like crime drama--Season 10 is airing now. (Some pretty amazing SPN crossover fic out there, too.) From British TV in a lighter vein, there's Top Gear--you don't even have to like cars; it's just a hoot--and Horrible Histories, which is ostensibly a children's show but, in all honesty, leans much more toward Pythonesque humor without the really risque stuff.
My list of dearly departed shows is a mile long, but if you want something silly that will keep you entertained for a day, check out Spy, which is available on Hulu; it's a sendup of both sitcom tropes and spy thriller tropes. Canceled after two seasons, but I inhaled the whole run in one day. I thought it was going to be more like Chuck from my friend's description of the pilot, but it's actually got more of a Scarecrow and Mrs. King vibe, and then the B story usually involves the main character's bratty son but with very deliberate spoofs/homages of classic Hollywood. My favorite character, though, is played by one of the actors from Horrible Histories, Mathew Baynton, and he is a *scream*--largely because he's so completely unpredictable. (Mat's just about as skinny as DJ Qualls but has puppy eyes to rival Jared's.) He's also going to be in another thriller/comedy, The Wrong Mans, which I think is supposed to air on Hulu this summer.
And Stargate SG-1 and Stargate Atlantis are wonderful. Lots of team-as-family goodness, and lots of familiar faces--Vancouver Rep, of course, but other actors you'd recognize from SPN and elsewhere. SG-1 ran for ten seasons, SGA for five. I couldn't get into Stargate Universe because it's so different and because the team dynamic is totally lacking, but if you like BSG, you might like it.

[hells-half-acre.livejournal.com]

Cool, thanks for the suggestions!

Unfortunately, we can't watch Hulu in Canada - but I can usually find shows through other means (we're a resourceful people), so that doesn't mean that it's impossible for me to watch those shows.

I've never actually seen BSG. No matter how many times it was recommended to me, I was just never in the mood for a sci-fi. I may still check out SG-1... I think I saw an episode of it back in the day and it didn't seem to be my cup of tea, but my tastes have probably changed since then... because as I remember it, I wasn't really huge into ANY 1 hour show at the time.

[mymuseandi.livejournal.com]

I've tried watching S1 of Teen Wolf, as you already know, and so far it's cheesy, so-so but I've been told that it gets better, so maybe I should try again. And yes, the fanfics seems to be better than the actual show, but who knows, maybe it'll be better in S3?

I do think it's a little rape-y in terms of Derek and the older Argent, and the Lydia thing, and the uncle who first bit Scott looks like a creeper too. Seems to be the adults in the show are creepy towards the teenagers LOL

Firefly? I've just finished watching the whole 14 episodes of the one and only season and it's pretty brilliant. It does have a little of it's plot-holes, but the dialogue is superb and the acting is good. It does help that it's only 14 episodes, so it doesn't really have time to 'turn bad' LOL But those 14 episodes are superb. I'm just thinking I should watch it's following movie Serenity to get the full experience.

Elementary? The pilot is not very strong, but the relationship - not a romantic one, at least not now - between Holmes and Watson is growing stronger as the episodes go by. The latest case is dealing with rape, but it's not shown, only the aftermath. The cases are not so spectacular, sometimes the criminal is patently obvious, and you're left wondering if the police is really that bad/lazy. But the different versions of the characters in Sherlock Holmes canon are fun to watch. Moran, Adler, Mrs. Hudson etc. I think the writers make the conscious effort to be different from Sherlock, and they do a fairly competent job of it.

Grimm is another one that I'm watching. The first half of S1 is rather slow, to a point that I stopped watching for a while, but it picked up again, and from then on it's just full speed ahead. They are almost done with S2 now, and it's much much better than S1. Again, sometimes the cases are rather simple, but the continuity is 80% spot on.If you're into details, which I think you are, then you might appreciate this. Also, I think it makes an effort to be internationally cast, and you can appreciate the diversity as well.

I have an on-off relationship with White Collar, but it's me, not it :p I need to sit down and go through the seasons one by one, in order. But it's good. And the eye candy helps too :)

[hells-half-acre.livejournal.com]

I've seen Firefly! So, that would have been a good suggestion had I not beat you to it by five years or so. It's a good show. It's a shame that it didn't get the run on TV that it deserved - especially since I found that I liked the light-heartedness of the TV series more than the heaviness of the the Serenity wrap-up. But then, it's Joss Whedon, so probably the TV series would have gotten pretty heavy anyway.

I see a lot about Elementary on tumblr. It looks really interesting in terms of the diversity of the characters and the cast. I'm a little concerned about the prominence that they give Sherlock's drug habit, as I generally don't like shows about recovering addicts (it's just something that I have trouble relating to, I guess.)

That being said, I do hear great things about the Watson-Holmes dynamic and the fact that they may have actually managed to make a realistic platonic friendship between a male and a female work without resorting to a "will they won't they" to drive the show.

But, it's also a fairly "young" show, and I wouldn't mind seeing how it ages a bit more before I try it out.

I hear good things about Grimm too - and I also hear that it gets better as it goes. I might check it out in the future too, but right now I kind of feel like the whole "hunting the supernatural" theme is taken care of with Supernatural. I know I've got Teen Wolf in my life, but I'm pretty sure that's more about BEING the Supernatural than hunting it - unless I'm mistaken.

But yeah, I might eventually check out Grimm. Definitely being detail oriented and casting diversely wins it points in my books!

[liliaeth]

In the Flesh. Only three episodes, but the best show you'll watch all year. It's a zombie drama, only unlike The Walking Dead, it's not about gore and boredeom. It's about the characters and how they live with themselves after the zombie apocalypse. It also deals with prejudice, suicide and mental health issues.

Teen Wolf on the other hand. If you're reading the fanfic for Sterek, do not expect it on the show. I have no idea where they get it from, but it's definitely not from the show.

[hells-half-acre.livejournal.com]

Oh man, yeah, I keep meaning to watch In the Flesh. It doesn't really count as a show, because it's only three episode - so it's sort of in my Sherlock group, where I can watch it any time regardless of whether I'm trying to work my way through a different show or not.

Yeah, I heard that about Teen Wolf vs. Teen Wolf Fanfic - the fact that the Sterek relationship that is so popular is based on pretty much nothing in the show... also that the popular characterizations in fanfic don't actually match up with the characterizations on the show. Teen Wolf is just a weird fandom, I guess. :P

[ellecc.livejournal.com]

I'll throw this out there only because you mentioned werewolves--Netflix just released a new show called Hemlock Grove. It's available only on Netflix, and while I don't know if it's available in Canada, since it's a Netflix-created/produced show, I'm guessing it is.

I'll say that there's some violence and gore, but not tons, and there's probably not enough sex, but it's weird, supernatural, creepy, filmed in Canada (albeit Toronto), and has two good male leads. And maybe most importantly, it has the craziest, most disturbing, most awesome werewolf transformations I've ever seen.

Netflix just released it a couple weeks ago and they released all of season 1 at the same time. I have no idea when/if season 2 is slated to happen. I'm guessing they'll wait to see how it does.

Good luck finding something new! I've been kinda in the same boat since all my good Sunday evening shows are done for the season and SPN's about to wrap up and Merlin's over yada yada yada.

ETA. Oooh I just remembered there is a short non-con scene part of the way into the season. Hmm. Well. I guess take this whole rec with a grain of salt :)

And I just thought about Bates Motel, which is on A&E and now several eps in--good, creepy, not too much violence (not much sex either), but there's a short non-con scene in that, too. TV's crazy these days.

[hells-half-acre.livejournal.com]

Yes, I had another friend recommend Hemlock Grove too - but I think I'm going to wait until the show ages a bit before I start watching. It's airing on TV here in Canada actually, I think on one of the cable channels.

I also hear good things about Bates, but again, it's pretty new, and I prefer to watch things that have a few seasons under their belt (or have wrapped up already). I'm weird that way.

[percysowner.livejournal.com]

I recommended White Collar. I love the dynamic between all of the characters. If you have decent streaming and if you haven't tried it, I really recommend The Lizzie Bennett Diaries over on YouTube. It's based on Pride and Prejudice, so you get an idea of what you would be getting into. It's finished, so you can watch the whole thing. AND they got a Kickstarter together to transfer it to DVD and that is coming out in a few months. It's 100 episodes about 3-5 minutes an episode. It is totally delightful, but not like anything you mentioned in your list. I'm just pimping it because I love it so much.

[hells-half-acre.livejournal.com]

I subscribe to the vlogbrothers on youtube, so I'm familiar with The Lizzie Bennett Diaries, though I haven't checked them out yet. I may do so soon though. Thanks for the rec!

[jeymien.livejournal.com]

I've got to second the Lizzie Bennett Diaries. It was so well done. Takes a while to watch, at 100 episodes varying between 5-10 minutes each. Plus, Lydia's and Gigi's!

[jeymien.livejournal.com]

I definitely enjoy White Collar :) The leads in it are great characters and it has excellent writing.

I also want to say EUREKA AND WAREHOUSE 13! Together! They actually have a couple crossover episodes (though you really don't have to have watched the one to watch the other - they do a good job on the crossovers of explaining the crossover, they're just set in the same universe!) Warehouse 13 is more one of those shows that grows on you, the storylines build, so the first episode is a bit harder to get into - but once you've watched a few, the story just draws you in! :) And Eureka is so funny - it really does remind me of the same sort of comedy in it that Stargate SG1 had if you watched that.

[hells-half-acre.livejournal.com]

Cool! And I didn't know that about Eureka and Warehouse 13, that's fun! I'll keep that in mind. :)

[cordelia-gray.livejournal.com]

The only one of those shows I've watched is Teen Wolf ( I tried Warehouse 13 but it didn't hold my interest).

I do get the impression that Spartacus has a *lot* of violence and rape, so I'd feel hesitant, although I think I may give it a shot myself at some point.

Teen Wolf is UTTERLY RIDICULOUS. And I say this as someone who watched Merlin all the way through :D It's very fun, but you can't try to think about it with your brain at all, because OMG. It's fluffy fun, though, and the seasons are short, so it's easy to watch. Like cheese-covered popcorn: you can eat the whole bag without even noticing!

I have two alternate suggestions: Haven, and Elementary.

Haven is shot in the Maritimes pretending to be Maine, and features a delightful who's who of East Coast Canadian actors in various parts. It's about a town where people have mysterious supernatural abilities/afflictions, known as the Troubles. These are being investigated by an FBI agent named Audrey Parker, the local police led by Nathan Wuornos, and his frenemy, a smuggler and ne'er-do-well named Duke Balfour. It is well-written, has interesting cases, and MASSES of OT3 potential in the Audrey/Nathan/Duke interactions. And Audrey Parker is just a really great, complex character. I'm a little leery of where they seem to be taking the overarching story at the end of the most recent season, but overall it's extremely enjoyable, and surprisingly complex and compelling for a series based on a Stephen King novella.

Elementary is yet another Sherlock Holmes adaptation, and the premise seemed gimmicky to me (US setting, female Watson). But I thought I'd give it a shot, and I'm really glad I did. It's definitely a procedural, and the cases themselves do tend a bit to the formulaic. But the characters of Watson, Holmes, the detectives they work with, and the people around them, are really lovely. I watch a lot of shows which are about basically bad people, and it was surprising to me how much I am enjoying watching fundamentally decent characters dealing with complex situations. Really interesting and non-sensational treatment of addiction and recovery issues, as well - mostly recovery. I have to say at this point I like it much more than the BBC's Sherlock, even if it's less showy in some ways. This is a *human* Holmes, who is smarter than almost everyone, and doesn't suffer fools at all, but who is also a genuinely good person. It just makes me happy!

[hells-half-acre.livejournal.com]

I do get the impression that Spartacus has a *lot* of violence and rape, so I'd feel hesitant, although I think I may give it a shot myself at some point.

Yeah, it's totally losing my poll completely! Probably I should take that as a hint and watch something else. I AM really concerned about the gore in it, and if it's also really rapey then... yeah, might not be something I'd be into.

Teen Wolf is UTTERLY RIDICULOUS. And I say this as someone who watched Merlin all the way through :D It's very fun, but you can't try to think about it with your brain at all, because OMG. It's fluffy fun, though, and the seasons are short, so it's easy to watch. Like cheese-covered popcorn: you can eat the whole bag without even noticing!

Well I'm sold! I loved the cheesy ridiculousness of Merlin, so if Teen Wolf is equally or even more cheesy and ridiculous, then that's pretty damn appealing to me! I kind of feel sometimes that Supernatural gives me enough angst and my other shows can be ridiculous fluffy times.

I hadn't heard of Haven. It sounds really interesting! I'll definitely put that on the list of potentials to check out. Thanks!

I hear really good things about Elementary too. I wasn't watching it because it was new - and I watched the pilot and it didn't really grab me... but everything I hear about it seems to suggest that it's only getting better as it goes. I was also a bit hesitant because of the drug-recovery storyline... I was a bit worried that bit would be too heavy... but I do like some of the change-ups they've made to the traditional Holmes story. And I like the fact that there's actually a female and male team that DOESN'T feel the need to carry the plot with romantic tension. I don't know... it might be something that I check out once they're in S2? I usually give shows a little more time to mature before I check them out.

[ratherastory.livejournal.com]

I can definitely speak to the fun and overall good quality of White Collar and Warehouse 13. Consistent quality of writing and acting, though neither show is particularly deep. Warehouse 13 is better at emotional follow-through, but is somehow more lighthearted than White Collar.

Another show you'll definitely want to check out is Person of Interest. It's probably one of the best shows on network TV right now without being too violent for your tastes (otherwise I'd have recommended Southland, but that will send you screaming for the hills). It's in its second season and is consistently quite excellent.

Spartacus is SUPER violent and gory and pretty rapey and... yeah. Not for the squeamish. I've only seen S1, so I can't speak to the rest, but I've heard it gets worse rather than better. Good TV, very difficult subject matter.

Teen Wolf is adorable, but inconsistent and not super good on emotional follow-through. I think the fic is probably very different from the actual show.

[hells-half-acre.livejournal.com]

Yeah, it really sounds like watching Spartacus would have been a mistake on my part. That's where the gifs on tumblr are false advertising, because I really only saw the consensual sexy-times, and not the violence and rape. :P

So, I realize that the reason I'm reluctant to watch Person of Interest, is because part of my job is to read/write POI reports - so I just kind of mentally equate "Person of Interest" with "horrible child-rape/abuse" ... I am beginning to understand though that the TV show has nothing to do with my job. :P

I think I'll check out White Collar first, since that's winning the poll so far - but then I might move onto your other suggestions.

I might still check out Teen Wolf, just because horribly cheesy shows with sucky emotional-follow through seem to be a guilty pleasure of mine. :P