Can you think of a TV show that's blown you away from very beginning to very end?

[transplantbillsfan]

I recommended the show Breaking Bad to a friend because I loved that show.  She finished all 5 seasons--not surprisingly--in about a week and a half.

 

But she was upset about the ending.  I won't spoil things about the show for those who haven't seen it, but she felt that it wasn't an "honest ending."  

 

Personally, I disagree in general.  I loved that show from the very beginning to the very end.  I think it did exactly what it was trying to do.

 

But it got me thinking about TV shows in general.  Most of them are about the journey, not the destination.  That's why I feel like endings of a lot of these shows are kinda awkward, almost like the creator is fumbling for an ending--Seinfeld!!!  

 

Fringe is one of my all time favorite shows.  But the last season and a half were just weird... you could tell the creator just had the foundational ideas for the show planned, not the ending.

 

Lost was gripping up until a certain point, at which point the same thing Fringe suffered from seemed to happen.

 

Love The Walking Dead, but I'm really just losing interest at this point.  There have been a couple opportunities in the last season or so to just end it and wrap everything up well.  Haven't even picked it back up since it started again a few weeks ago.

 

The Blacklist is another show I really like, but it's starting to suffer from the same problems, though I'll see where it goes 'cause it still has a chance.

 

I'm absolutely loving Better Call Saul, but right now it's at an inflection point, and I'm curious if it wraps itself up into its obvious conclusion this season or if it stretches itself out and falls into the same trap.

 

Almost the opposite can be said with Game of Thrones, which went from almost a slow-burning big budget TV show for the first 3 or 4 seasons and just felt rushed in its last season, to the point of being outlandish at points... even for a Fantasy show.  And with just 6 episodes left, I'm wondering where it ends, though if the ultimate victor is the character I want it to be, I'll probably be satisfied.

 

 

 

So I guess I'm throwing this out for 2 reasons: 

1) I'm curious if anyone can think of a show that was a knockout from beginning to end.  And that doesn't necessarily mean a happy ending... but it means a perfect, or near-perfect ending for that particular show

 

and

 

2) I'm always looking for good shows to watch... so preferably some warnings about spoilers, first 

[Seasons1992]

Ozark on Netflix. Every episode is dynamite.

Breaking Bad took some developing....

[transplantbillsfan]

4 minutes ago, Seasons1992 said:

Ozark on Netflix. Every episode is dynamite.

Breaking Bad took some developing....

 

But Ozark is ongoing.

 

Even if it's great now, it might go downhill as it tries to wrap up.

 

Part of the reason I liked Breaking Bad was because it did take that development to heart.  It made you invest in Walt and made you that much more invested in the character.

 

Regardless, I was hoping for a TV show that's already ended in order to evaluate it as a whole, not in part.

 

Though Ozark does sound like a show I'll have to start watching.

[Warcodered]

Justified was pretty good pretty well all the way through.

 

It's hard to think of shows that both stay good and nail the ending.

 

One of the best examples I can think of is Full Metal Alchemist an anime. They made it twice and the first time was before the original manga story was finished and I think it suffers from a lot of the same problems of T.V. shows being stretched too long. The second attempt was after the original story was finished and is probably one of the best complete television shows I've ever seen.

[Max Fischer]

1 hour ago, transplantbillsfan said:

 

But Ozark is ongoing.

 

Even if it's great now, it might go downhill as it tries to wrap up.

 

Part of the reason I liked Breaking Bad was because it did take that development to heart.  It made you invest in Walt and made you that much more invested in the character.

 

Regardless, I was hoping for a TV show that's already ended in order to evaluate it as a whole, not in part.

 

Though Ozark does sound like a show I'll have to start watching.

 

To me, Breaking Bad is the greatest show.  Yes, it had the prerequisite great acting, writing and character development needed for a top program, but it also had a perfect story arc that also weaved several intertwined story lines.  There are not many shows that develop a true story arc (perhaps Game of Thrones, but that has yet to be seen) but too many shows  could just end at any point and it won't make much difference.  

 

[2020 Our Year For Sure]

Mad Men

[Rico]

Fernwood Tonight, then America Tonight.

Curb Your Enthusiasm.

Eastbound And Down.

 

All gold from beginning to end.

[RaoulDuke79]

The Wire....the only thing I found odd was the 2nd season didn't seem to fit into the story line like the other seasons. It was still good though. 

[Rico]

6 minutes ago, RaoulDuke79 said:

The Wire....the only thing I found odd was the 2nd season didn't seem to fit into the story line like the other seasons. It was still good though. 

Agreed, the other seasons blew me away, but not the 2nd one.

[Teddy KGB]

Mad Men 

Ozark 

The Wire

Justified 

Sopranos 

Peaky Blinders 

 

[KD in CA]

MadMen is tops on this list.

 

Breaking Bad, Curb and Sopranos right there too.

[plenzmd1]

2 hours ago, Rico said:

Fernwood Tonight, then America Tonight.

Curb Your Enthusiasm.

Eastbound And Down.

 

All gold from beginning to end.

damn, so few remember Fernwood tonight... just awesomeness. Having said, i don't recall America Tonight

1 hour ago, RaoulDuke79 said:

The Wire....the only thing I found odd was the 2nd season didn't seem to fit into the story line like the other seasons. It was still good though. 

all great..even season two was great..just not as great.

[Rico]

2 minutes ago, plenzmd1 said:

damn, so few remember Fernwood tonight... just awesomeness. Having said, i don't recall America Tonight

Same show, only they moved from Ohio to Southern California, allowing them to bring on movie and TV stars as guests.

[Johnny Hammersticks]

If not for that horrific season when they went to Ireland, I would say Sons of Anarchy.  That season was just tuuuuurible!

[Chandler#81]

The West Wing.

[TakeYouToTasker]

Deadwood

[Turk71]

Gilligans Island

[eball]

4 hours ago, Johnny Hammersticks said:

If not for that horrific season when they went to Ireland, I would say Sons of Anarchy.  That season was just tuuuuurible!

 

The final season was pretty bad too. The finale was awful. 

[/dev/null]

5 hours ago, TakeYouToTasker said:

Deadwood

 

 

[Doc Brown]

Not for any dramas I've seen.  Breaking Bad was the closest but they replaced a great villain (Gus) with the generic villains of neo-nazis in Season 5 seemed like lazy writing.  Sacrificing himself to save Jesse seemed too perfect to be true.  The caveat I'll add is the theory that Season 5 was all a dream that Walter White had and what we saw the final few episodes was the best possible way to make amends for the damage he caused.  Still damn entertaining and engaging though.  Peaky Blinders is a great series but it went all Oceans 11 on us in the 4th season.

 

Comedies are a different animal as they aren't as reliant on a linear story.  All in the Family, Cheers, Seinfeld (I liked the last episode damn it), Curb, and MASH were relatively strong throughout.

[Boca BIlls]

Deadwood

[ChevyVanMiller]

Turn-On

Secret Talents of the Stars

Breaking Boston

Dot Comedy

Co-Ed Fever

Quarterlife

Heil Honey I’m Home

 

I guarantee that the any of these series will hold your attention throughout their entire run.

[Rockpile233]

I’ve got to say Breaking Bad is the only one I can think of that was basically perfect from start to finish.

 

I would say Game of Thrones, but I agree with the OP about the previous season.

 

The Wire sort of, but my issue is the fifth and final season being silly. I always argue with people about season two, which may be my FAVORITE season of the show. 

 

Most recently I love Attack on Titan, but both the manga/show is still ongoing.

[SlimShady'sSpaceForce]

24   (24 font )

 

 

GoT

Soprano's  

Edited February 26, 2019 by ShadyBillsFan

[Ridgewaycynic2013]

‘She’s the Sheriff’?  ?

 

(You would have thought someone would have told George Wyner to change his last name for the stage.)

[CIrvine]

Crime Story.

[shrader]

3 hours ago, Doc Brown said:

Not for any dramas I've seen.  Breaking Bad was the closest but they replaced a great villain (Gus) with the generic villains of neo-nazis in Season 5 seemed like lazy writing.  Sacrificing himself to save Jesse seemed too perfect to be true.  The caveat I'll add is the theory that Season 5 was all a dream that Walter White had and what we saw the final few episodes was the best possible way to make amends for the damage he caused.  Still damn entertaining and engaging though.

 

So would that make all of Better Call Saul a part of his dream too due to the few Omaha scenes?

 

edit: Oh, and the funniest online theory I've seen about Breaking Bad is that Walt's meth caused the Walking Dead.  It's a funny thought and apparently they've actually thrown a few easter eggs into the show to play with that idea.

 

3 hours ago, Doc Brown said:

Comedies are a different animal as they aren't as reliant on a linear story.  All in the Family, Cheers, Seinfeld (I liked the last episode damn it), Curb, and MASH were relatively strong throughout.

 

Lately I've been throwing on an episode or two of Cheers while I wind down my gym workout on a treadmill.  It's a great way to add on an extra 30 minutes or so without even realizing it.

Edited February 26, 2019 by shrader

[The Real Buffalo Joe]

2 hours ago, ChevyVanMiller said:

Turn-On

Secret Talents of the Stars

Breaking Boston

Dot Comedy

Co-Ed Fever

Quarterlife

Heil Honey I’m Home

 

I guarantee that the any of these series will hold your attention throughout their entire run.

This has to have been the worst decision in the history of television. I watched the episode, and I get what they were trying to do. A parody of the traditional American sitcom. But literally, any historic figure in history, good or evil, would have been a better choice than Adolf Hitler. 

[Steve O]

17 hours ago, transplantbillsfan said:

I recommended the show Breaking Bad to a friend because I loved that show.  She finished all 5 seasons--not surprisingly--in about a week and a half.

 

But she was upset about the ending.  I won't spoil things about the show for those who haven't seen it, but she felt that it wasn't an "honest ending."  

 

Personally, I disagree in general.  I loved that show from the very beginning to the very end.  I think it did exactly what it was trying to do.

 

But it got me thinking about TV shows in general.  Most of them are about the journey, not the destination.  That's why I feel like endings of a lot of these shows are kinda awkward, almost like the creator is fumbling for an ending--Seinfeld!!!  

 

Fringe is one of my all time favorite shows.  But the last season and a half were just weird... you could tell the creator just had the foundational ideas for the show planned, not the ending.

 

Lost was gripping up until a certain point, at which point the same thing Fringe suffered from seemed to happen.

 

Love The Walking Dead, but I'm really just losing interest at this point.  There have been a couple opportunities in the last season or so to just end it and wrap everything up well.  Haven't even picked it back up since it started again a few weeks ago.

 

The Blacklist is another show I really like, but it's starting to suffer from the same problems, though I'll see where it goes 'cause it still has a chance.

 

I'm absolutely loving Better Call Saul, but right now it's at an inflection point, and I'm curious if it wraps itself up into its obvious conclusion this season or if it stretches itself out and falls into the same trap.

 

Almost the opposite can be said with Game of Thrones, which went from almost a slow-burning big budget TV show for the first 3 or 4 seasons and just felt rushed in its last season, to the point of being outlandish at points... even for a Fantasy show.  And with just 6 episodes left, I'm wondering where it ends, though if the ultimate victor is the character I want it to be, I'll probably be satisfied.

 

 

 

So I guess I'm throwing this out for 2 reasons: 

1) I'm curious if anyone can think of a show that was a knockout from beginning to end.  And that doesn't necessarily mean a happy ending... but it means a perfect, or near-perfect ending for that particular show

 

and

 

2) I'm always looking for good shows to watch... so preferably some warnings about spoilers, first 

Breaking Bad was the show that crossed my mind when I saw the topic. A few months ago I started a topic about best / worst endings to shows with more than one season. Breaking Bad was my choice for best ending. Absolutely loved it. Ending that final episode by playing my favorite Badfinger song in its entirety was icing on the cake. That being said, almost as many chose it as the worst ending as the best. Also liked that every time it started to put some humor the meth lifestyle, it showed the horrors. Dexter was my choice for weakest ending for what it's worth.

Currently, Blindspot is getting very weak in what I assume will be its final season. Still enjoy Blacklist, though the ending will likely be a letdown as well.

[shrader]

4 minutes ago, Steve O said:

Breaking Bad was the show that crossed my mind when I saw the topic. A few months ago I started a topic about best / worst endings to shows with more than one season. Breaking Bad was my choice for best ending. Absolutely loved it. Ending that final episode by playing my favorite Badfinger song in its entirety was icing on the cake. That being said, almost as many chose it as the worst ending as the best. Also liked that every time it started to put some humor the meth lifestyle, it showed the horrors. Dexter was my choice for weakest ending for what it's worth.

Currently, Blindspot is getting very weak in what I assume will be its final season. Still enjoy Blacklist, though the ending will likely be a letdown as well.

 

I can understand that some people may not have been thrilled with the ending of Breaking Bad.  Anyone who wants to call it the worst though, those people really need to stop exaggerating for the sake of making a point.  The words start to lose meaning if you call that the worst.

[SlimShady'sSpaceForce]

They took Fringe (and Walternate) and turned it into a Showtime Series Counterpart 

 

 

Counterpart, a new series with a strong Fringe feeling.

[Richmond_Bills]

4 hours ago, Doc Brown said:

Not for any dramas I've seen.  Breaking Bad was the closest but they replaced a great villain (Gus) with the generic villains of neo-nazis in Season 5 seemed like lazy writing.  Sacrificing himself to save Jesse seemed too perfect to be true.  The caveat I'll add is the theory that Season 5 was all a dream that Walter White had and what we saw the final few episodes was the best possible way to make amends for the damage he caused.  Still damn entertaining and engaging though.  Peaky Blinders is a great series but it went all Oceans 11 on us in the 4th season.

 

Comedies are a different animal as they aren't as reliant on a linear story.  All in the Family, Cheers, Seinfeld (I liked the last episode damn it), Curb, and MASH were relatively strong throughout.

I have a theory about Breaking Bad.  I feel like the true ending of the series was supposed to be the end of Season 4.  He kills Gus.  He goes to parking deck and calls Skyler and says "I won".  I think the viewing population would have been totally content with this being the ending (and I think that is how they planned for it to end).  However, the mass following and demand for a 5th season required them to keep going.  There were some dark, dark episodes in Season 5 that were borderline unwatchable.  There were also some great moments, but I would have been totally content with the show ending at the end of S4.  Killing Mike, Hank, Lydia, the little kid - all uneccessary.   

[transplantbillsfan]

24 minutes ago, ShadyBillsFan said:

They took Fringe (and Walternate) and turned it into a Showtime Series Counterpart 

 

 

Counterpart, a new series with a strong Fringe feeling.

 

The Walternate stuff is when the series got weird.

 

Such a shame. Fantastic shoe before that.

[/dev/null]

I see a lot of Breaking Bad mentioned.  I gave up on BB after the first few episodes.  Then before season 3 I caught the middle of an AMC marathon and was hooked

 

Game of Thrones was something I heard people talking about but never got around to watching.  Then the winter between seasons 3 and 4 there was a snowstorm and I needed something to watch so I binged the first 3 seasons with an occasional sleep break

 

Peaky Blinders had me hooked from the first episode.   I remember recommending it to a friend who said they gave up in the middle of the first episode because they couldn't understand the dialog thru the thick accent.  Then a couple days later he came back and thanked me, once they cut thru the accent they were hooked

[shrader]

12 minutes ago, /dev/null said:

I see a lot of Breaking Bad mentioned.  I gave up on BB after the first few episodes.  Then before season 3 I caught the middle of an AMC marathon and was hooked

 

 

That's why these streaming services are so great.  I can see how someone would have fallen off of Breaking Bad if they had to watch that on a weekly basis.  That pilot was balls to the wall, but then it slowed significantly for the character development episodes.  Getting to watch all that development in one sitting as opposed to stretching it out over a month or two?  Sign me up.  That's how I watched the show since I only had basic cable when it originally aired.  Better Call Saul is good, but with how long it's drawn out, I really wish I had just waited for the entire series to be finished before watching it.

[LB3]

The 4400. The writer's strike robbed me of the final season. 

Edited February 26, 2019 by LBSeeBallLBGetBall

[teef]

mind hunter on netflix really made me tingle down there.  i know they just finished recording the second season in december, so we're due for another season this year.

[Logic]

Not a drama, but a comedy: Letterkenny

It's an incredibly smart show described as an incredibly dumb show.

The writing is pure linguistic bliss. Absolutely brilliant.

It's a niche sort of humor for sure, but man is it funny. It may have made me laugh out loud more than any show in history.

It's on Hulu if anyone is interested.

[Another Fan]

Cobra Kai wasn’t bad so far 

[Warcodered]

1 hour ago, Richmond_Bills said:

I have a theory about Breaking Bad.  I feel like the true ending of the series was supposed to be the end of Season 4.  He kills Gus.  He goes to parking deck and calls Skyler and says "I won".  I think the viewing population would have been totally content with this being the ending (and I think that is how they planned for it to end).  However, the mass following and demand for a 5th season required them to keep going.  There were some dark, dark episodes in Season 5 that were borderline unwatchable.  There were also some great moments, but I would have been totally content with the show ending at the end of S4.  Killing Mike, Hank, Lydia, the little kid - all uneccessary.   

Walt just winning and having no major repercussions for his actions was never going to be the ending to that show.