Pleasantly Surprised: Shows That Were Better Than You Expected

[ratgirlagogo]

4 hours ago, bmasters9 said:

 

I've just now started into another Western, Wanted: Dead or Alive

 

I so need to buy this. Thanks for the reminder!

[DittyDotDot]

6 hours ago, nosleepforme said:

Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency

 

I never heard of the books and never heard of the tv series until it suddenly appeared on Netflix and I decided to give it a try and it immediately drew me in. I love everything about it, the characters, the weirdness, all those on-going subplots. It's just an insanely fun show and I can't wait for the second season. Though I must admit that I am surprised that a second season is even happening, because everything about this show screams "brilliant but canceled" and a picture of this show could be next to the definition of a "cult tv hit" in a dictionary.

Are we talking about the new Dirk Gently series or the one done back about five years back? I haven't seen the new one yet, but enjoyed the older one greatly--and enjoy the books too.

[Miss Dee]

I'm almost through the 4th season of Brooklyn 99. I thought it would be good based on my awareness of it, but I had no idea it would be SOOOO good or that I'd love it as much as I do! I've just watched the episode with Boring Teddy's return. Knowing the serialized storylines on the show, I wouldn't put it past them to actually shut the precinct, at least temporarily.

[Blergh]

OK, since the subject of Patricia Hearst seems to have become a somewhat hot topic re the TV movie, I thought it would be worth mentioning that while she has NOT opted to become a performer, she DID do an episode of Adventures of Pete and Pete playing (of all things) the uber Stepford wife/mom who'd bought the Petes' family home for the younger Pete and refused any and all reasonable offers to return it! Without giving everything away, this character seemed as though she could easily choke a victim with the brownies she'd baked for them and never lose her barn door smile!  Too bad she was a one-shot but Miss Hearst made it  quite a memorable one at that! 

[janie jones]

I'm not sure what you mean by Patricia Hearst not opting to become a performer.  She's acted in a few things.  It's not a ton of stuff, but she hasn't really been avoiding the spotlight either.

[Blergh]

32 minutes ago, janie jones said:

I'm not sure what you mean by Patricia Hearst not opting to become a performer.  She's acted in a few things.  It's not a ton of stuff, but she hasn't really been avoiding the spotlight either.

janie jones,

 

 I stand corrected. I suppose I should have said Miss Hearst didn't opt to be a full-time performer/has been in known movies/tv shows in the last eleven years.

 

In any case, her one-shot on Pete and Pete was far better IMO than I'd have expected-especially from someone not famous for being a thespian!

[paulvdb]

Cobra Kai. I wasn't sure that I really needed to know what Johnny Lawrence and Daniel LaRusso are up to 30 years after Karate Kid, and I almost didn't watch it. But it was much better than I expected based on the show's description and the fact that it is on Youtube Red.

I really only watched the first episode because I wanted to see Willam Zabka and Ralph Macchio again but after that the third episode I couldn't stop watching and finished the rest of the season in one binge session.

[bmasters9]

Bumping this up: finished the full course of Riptide on DVD (from VEI's all-in-one of that 1984-86 NBC detective/action/adventure series w/Perry King, Joe Penny and Thom Bray), and having so finished, I'd like to say here that the trio of lead characters the aforementioned actors played (Cody Allen, Nick Ryder and Murray Bozinsky), all Vietnam vets, were, IMO, more of a band of brothers than the WWII soldiers in HBO's Band of Brothers.

I also want to say that June Chadwick's Lt. Joanna Parisi character was, based on her helpfulness and friendship towards the trio, seemingly quite the team mom towards them as well.

Jack Ging's Lt. Ted Quinlan character, on the other hand, was quite brusque and tough on our trio in the early going, but seemed to soften up towards his last episode in the third and final go.

All-in-all, I think Riptide is a remarkably enjoyable series, and worth the money on DVD, no matter how you get it (I think it holds up better than Hardcastle and McCormick as well)!

Edited October 23, 2019 by bmasters9

[Charone]

House got me.  I expected a weak plot of just another smart ass doctor and wow, just excellent writing. 

[Trini]

Batwoman - I wasn't really interested in it, but decided to give it a chance. It turned out to be surprisingly compelling. I initially liked everything except the lead actress; but she's improved throughout the season. The back-and-forth between the main hero and villain has been interesting, and better than most, IMO.

This could all be the 'first season glow' that most shows have; but it's working for now.

[Chaos Theory]

Prodigal Son:    It looked kinda dumb but it turned out to be a fun semi-procedural.    I say semi because Malcolm Bright and his family all play important rolls in the show instead of just background characters.   And the case of the week is often incidental but when done right still fun to watch.

Edited March 18, 2020 by Chaos Theory

[bmasters9]

Through 103 episodes on The Untouchables (original 1959-63 ABC series w/the late Robert Stack as Eliot Ness) on DVD; it started out somewhat slow and boring, but as I got into it, it started becoming quite action-packed and interesting, and has proved its mettle, and seems now to be quite worth the money (I'm now midway through the fourth and final go, with 16 shows left on the series).

Edited May 26, 2020 by bmasters9

[blueray]

The Orville: I will start by saying I am not a fan of Family Guy but I'm a huge fan of star trek. I just had watched Picard and found it dark and depressing. It really left me wanting "old" Star Trek. Anyhow, this show as recommended by various sites but I was worried about it as I assume it'll be dumb like his other stuff. I was wrong, it actually is a good show. Sure there is some potty humor but this kind of fades as the show goes on and is mostly gone by the second season. It managed to maintain it's fun feel however and balances that with good characters and plots. While it is clearly inspired by Star Trek, I don't mind as I generally enjoy seeing their spin on some classic episodes as well their own ideas. I'm looking forward to season 3, assuming it finishes getting made.

[RealHousewife]

I thought Sex & the City would be mostly sex talk. I loved that it was also about love, life, friendship, fun, fashion, etc. 

[bmasters9]

Seeing Dr. Kildare on DVD for the first time from the first-season Warner Archive DVD release; this 60s NBC medical series is far better so far (through 6 episodes) than any other I've seen, generally because of Richard Chamberlain in the title role (Dr. James Kildare), but also the late Raymond Massey as Kildare's superior/mentor, Dr. Leonard Gillespie; the practice of medicine was far different then than it is now, but there are still plenty of truths to be gleaned from it that are still applicable today.

Edited November 7, 2021 by bmasters9

[JustHereForFood]

I was pleasantly surprised by Derry Girls. I am an atheist and have a lot of issues with religion, so I thought that a show set at catholic school would drive me crazy, but I was surprised by how much I liked it. I have now watched all episodes twice and am looking forward to the new season.

[Spartan Girl]

I wasn’t expecting Chucky to be such a good show, but it’s actually one of the best shows on TV right now. It’s not only a crazy dark horror comedy, but it has some surprisingly sweet and heartbreaking moments.

[bmasters9]

Bumping this up: now seeing the 1972-77 NBC medical/action series Emergency! on DVD; this combination of medical drama and paramedic action is pretty dang good through the second season's worth (which I started with from my copy of the all-in-one DVD) because it's never dull (the paramedics/firemen are always called on to do some of the hardest, hairiest rescues [some are just minor incidents, though], and the doctors and nurses at Rampart Hospital always put it all on the line and do their utmost to save all those who the paramedics bring in).

The only thing that's spoiling my enjoyment of it is that one disc in my copy is cracked beyond repair (the fourth disc on the sixth and final go); the only thing I know to do is to get that sixth and final go individually and replace it (what would you do?).

[RealHousewife]

Before I watched Sex & the City, I thought it was all about sex. The show is also a lot about life, love, and friendship.  

[anna0852]

Turns out I really like Chicago Fire. 

[chediavolo]

Has anyone seen “Mohawk Girls”? It’s streaming now on Hulu.

There seems to be a need for quite a few more forum/show topics here. I can’t seem to find a lot of shows and some of these threads are really dead.  what happened?

[dargosmydaddy]

On 10/23/2022 at 3:04 PM, chediavolo said:

There seems to be a need for quite a few more forum/show topics here. I can’t seem to find a lot of shows and some of these threads are really dead.  what happened?

Anyone can start a thread for a show in the appropriate category (drama, comedy, etc.). Getting other people to comment on said thread is a whole other can of worms, of course, but if you love a show and there's no thread for it, give it a shot.

I think the glut of streaming options these days leads to fewer people watching any given show. Which is sad when you find something you love and no one else is talking about it. (I say from experience as someone who likes a lot of obscure Australian and British shows.)

[Mabinogia]

21 hours ago, dargosmydaddy said:

I think the glut of streaming options these days leads to fewer people watching any given show. Which is sad when you find something you love and no one else is talking about it. (I say from experience as someone who likes a lot of obscure Australian and British shows.)

Even when my friends and I do watch the same shows these days it is rarely at the same time. Me and my besties all love Ghosts, but one hasn't started this season, one watches it live and I watch it over the weekend. Not only can't we do the "OMG last night's ep" at the watercooler, we have to start any convo about it with "did you see ep 2 yet?" and then try to remember what happened at that point so as not to spoil anyone. 

Speaking of Ghosts. I loved the British one, but the US adaptations of British comedy are really hit or miss with some really, really bad misses (IT Crowd, Coupling) So I went into the US Ghosts without expecting much and it is now my favorite show. I put it up there with The Good Place (hmm, I might have a fetish about watching shows about people who have died) as an all time favorite.

[bmasters9]

Recently got Shout!'s all-in-one DVD of T.J. Hooker (that hit ABC/CBS action cop procedural w/William Shatner et al.), and have been seeing it regularly lately (started w/the third season, have finished that, and now on season four), and believe it or not, while I used to think it was a case of great title music, bad show, it's actually better than I ever gave it credit for (many third-season episodes actually did have some good chase scenes, for one thing); Shout!'s DVD also reflects the times as well (albeit not entirely), in that it has a bylineless logo of Columbia PIctures Television (same Suzanne Ciani jingle as the Coke-byline logo) starting with the second episode of the third season and carrying forward (the first two seasons, and the first third-season episode, only had the SPT logo).

[andromeda331]

On 1/12/2024 at 11:27 AM, bmasters9 said:

Recently got Shout!'s all-in-one DVD of T.J. Hooker (that hit ABC/CBS action cop procedural w/William Shatner et al.), and have been seeing it regularly lately (started w/the third season, have finished that, and now on season four), and believe it or not, while I used to think it was a case of great title music, bad show, it's actually better than I ever gave it credit for (many third-season episodes actually did have some good chase scenes, for one thing); Shout!'s DVD also reflects the times as well (albeit not entirely), in that it has a bylineless logo of Columbia PIctures Television (same Suzanne Ciani jingle as the Coke-byline logo) starting with the second episode of the third season and carrying forward (the first two seasons, and the first third-season episode, only had the SPT logo).

That wsa a great show.

[Jaded]

I watched the whole run of T.J. Hooker when I still had AT&T Uverse which had the H&I (Heroes & Icons) channel. I will say I missed Adrian Zmed's character after he chose to leave the show. He was really cute and his character was good at being snarky and lightening things up sometimes.

[bmasters9]

1 hour ago, Jaded said:

I watched the whole run of T.J. Hooker when I still had AT&T Uverse which had the H&I (Heroes & Icons) channel. I will say I missed Adrian Zmed's character after he chose to leave the show. He was really cute and his character was good at being snarky and lightening things up sometimes.

Even so, that CBS run of it did have some great episodes, from me seeing it on DVD.