TV better than movies?

[jhc68]

I was just talking to a friend who has lived overseas for the past 20 years about American TV and came to the conclusion that I really prefer the best (IMHO) TV series better than most films over the past few years.
The Office
30 Rock
24
Damages
Dexter
Madmen
Battlestar Galactica
Big Love
Dr. Who
MI5
Torchwood
Southland

Given the choice of watching these series and paying a fortune to watch the latest big screen release, it's an easy choice for me to stay home.
Am I just getting senile?

[gm]

Considering I would only watch two of those shows on a regular basis (or ever), it's kind of a toss-up for me. I don't see many movies, either, but do enjoy a big flick once in a while.

[EPelle]

Haven't been to the cinema in nearly three years, though I've watched films online here and there. Completely appreciate the television shows more than the films, because you can live vicariously through these weekly instead of one two-hour dose ;-)

[502CD]

Cable or Satellite is becoming a fortune as well.

[bad hammy]

Obviously serial TV allows a much richer overall experience than the movies. For instance there is no doubt that the Friday Night Lights TV show is far superior to the movie because the story threads are much more richly developed as they play out over many hours.

And with the advent of HDTV, watching TV in the the home theater is just as good as watching a movie on DVD. (Which was already so good I have not been to a movie theater this century.) Add an HD DVR so you fly by commercials and you are set.

[gh]

Couple of months back the local critic wrote a column on why the best TV doesn't require paying for cable or satellite. Just buy boxed sets of TV stuff:

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.c ... 178QKG.DTL

[SQUACKEE]

Overall TV has a lot more choices and with some great HBO and Showtime series, HD movies and Documentarys on the History channel ect, TV kicks Movies ass, mainly cause 90% of new movies are horrible. 90% of TV is also horrible but there's more content in that 10%.

Sitting next to strangers who might talk, waiting thru 20 min.s of trailers and paying15 bucks for popcorn and coke doesn't help Movies cause either.

[Marlow]

It's apples and oranges for me. I like the belongingness to a TV series. Waiting for that day of the week to roll around to watch the next doings of my 'friends' (sitcoms) or my 'heroes' (or anti-heroes) (dramas). That's a Home Experience. But the Theater Experience is altogether different. We usually couple it with dinner out and it's a Date (OK, we've been together 35 years, so maybe Date isn't the right word). I like the formality of that, but I also like the informality of watching our favorite TV shows at home.

But I still ain't buying the popcorn any more! :evil:

[Daisy]

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/04/27/DDI9178QKG.DTL

I'll add one which was a classic in its time (a BBC drama set in Glasgow).

Tutti Frutti

If you love black comedy, you'll love this. According to wikipedia the series will be released on DVD this summer for the first time.

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tutti_Frutti_(1987_TV_series)

[SQUACKEE]

. But the Theater Experience is altogether different. We usually couple it with dinner out and it's a Date (OK, we've been together 35 years, so maybe Date isn't the right word). :

Date is the perfect word and still having them is a big reason you'll been together 35 years.

The ultimate movie experience- nobody within 80 feet, popcorn, Milk Duds and

coke is perfect and i just won the lottery, sound- Dolby , is awesum

and really, really loud, screen is 70mm and you cant hear a movie next

door,seats are center and back about 70 feet and showing is a epic movie that

i will never forget, is a million times better than any TV show. Since this movie

experience is unlikely, im staying home. :cry:

[jhc68]

Tutti Frutti sounds great. Mostly I like anything with Emma Thomspon! But it appears sort of unavailable to see now.

[Cooter Brown]

Couple of months back the local critic wrote a column on why the best TV doesn't require paying for cable or satellite. Just buy boxed sets of TV stuff:

Or just rent them. It's a lot cheaper. We did that for the first 5 seasons of 24 and watched them all in one summer. Also did that for the entire series of Alias and Deadwood.

[Daisy]

Tutti Frutti sounds great. Mostly I like anything with Emma Thomspon! But it appears sort of unavailable to see now.

Amazing that it can be lost over copyright issues. But the wikipedia site said it will finally be available on DVD this summer. I remember when it first aired and it was one of those shows that everyone was talking about.

[Marlow]

We did that for the first 5 seasons of 24 and watched them all in one summer. Also did that for the entire series of Alias and Deadwood.

I'm way too ADD to do that! Too much of a good thing is still too much. I own two TV series in their entirety on DVD, Monty Python and my all-time favorite series, M*A*S*H. I can't bring myself to watch either one . . . some deep-seated Freudian issue, I'm sure!

[bad hammy]

Couple of months back the local critic wrote a column on why the best TV doesn't require paying for cable or satellite. Just buy boxed sets of TV stuff:

Or just rent them. It's a lot cheaper. We did that for the first 5 seasons of 24 and watched them all in one summer. Also did that for the entire series of Alias and Deadwood.

This is how we watched the entire Sopranos series. Works great.