Gyroscopic Investing

Forget anything on Nick at Nite. I'm really asking about newer shows, because who doesn't love the original Hulk, Steve Austin, or (a young MachineGhost as) Banacek? No one, that's who.

I don't have cable, but I'm currently watching Banshee every week. It airs on SkCinemax, so of course it's replete with sex and violence. It's basically about a thief who assumes the identity of a local sheriff in a small town in Pennsylvania Dutch country while on the run from the boss from whom he stole. It's complete crap and I love it. It's pretty much all I watch, except for PBS' Newshour which I can get over the air with HD rabbit ears.

You?

This isn't really a tv show per se, but I've been watching the Netflix original series House of Cards.  It gives a good insight into how "power" works in DC.  Kevin Spacey does a great job of playing Frank Underwood, the House Majority Whip.  Robin Wright plays his wife Claire.  Netflix released 13 episodes at once.  I've watched the first eight.  All you need is a Netflix account and a wi-fi connection to watch this series.  I have enjoyed watching the series and look forward to viewing the final five episodes.  It has some nudity, sex, drug use and language so I wouldn't watch it with the kids around.  Just wondering if any one else is enjoying this series as well.

Bob, I heard that reviewed on the radio along with 'Banshee'. I was intrigued by the concept of releasing all the episodes at once, since that's what people are used to anyway when they rent DVDs and have marathon viewings.

Alas, I still use DVDs by mail since the streaming was spotty during my free trial with Netflix. I just can't bear pauses during viewing.

Person of Interest is great fun.

IF you want good trash, Revenge is good trash.

God wasn't Banachek great?  McMillan and Wife also.

'Downton Abbey'  on PBS.

Just started season 3 of In Treatment, which I like very much.  Workaholics is also hilarious (albeit juvenile).  Boardwalk Empire is good too.

Goldrush!

colorado4 wrote: 'Dowton Abbey'  on PBS.

+1

It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia is exceedingly raw, but hilarious.

Also I was intermixing episodes of Carrier, the documentary about a US aircraft carrier, with Sea Patrol, a fictional show about an Australian cutter ship. The contrast in scope between the US Navy and Australian Navy is a mindbender.

KevinW wrote: It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia is exceedingly raw, but hilarious.

Now that's a guilty pleasure. It's almost like a live-action cartoon.

Some of the shows you guys are mentioning are quality, and thus there is nothing to feel guilty about. ;-)

By the way, my wife just had her picture taken with a young actor from Downton Abbey outside a theatre in New York. She said it was a mad rush of women. She nearly got knocked to the ground.

TV series got too mind-numbing for me a long time ago but I'm always on the lookout for something I missed that I can pick up on Amazon Prime or Netflix, when I had it. When I discovered 24 I got sucked in and watched it non-stop. Same with Prison Break. I heard Downtown Abby was good but the first episode failed to generate the same kind of enthusiasm. Also heard good things about Breaking Bad but haven't been able to get it for free yet.

Reub wrote: Goldrush!

I love this show, but Todd Hoffman makes me want to punch holes in my walls...."What the frick!"

I can't stand incompetence masquerading as authority.

I am mostly confined to shows that both my wife and I enjoy.  As such, my not so guilty pleasure is The Big Bang Theory, which I've been watching since the first episode.  The nerd humor has taken a hit, but it's still a solid 30 minutes.  My actual guilty pleasure is Archer..."Rampaaaaage!!!!"

dualstow wrote: You?

I've got 20 slots on the DVR filled up, but as you guys are all alot older than me, I don't think most of what I like to watch would appeal.  I will give props to Revenge though.  That is some seriously slick programming for a broadcast network.

revenge was going to be my choice for guilty pleasure too, i saw it on air and flipped past it every time, but somebody recommended it and after one episode i was hooked.. i hope they can keep up the quality, the last few episodes i saw started to seem like every character had to many plots going all at once....

Shark Tank, Pawn Stars, Ultimate Fighter, and I am really looking forward to 'The Bible' which is a 10-part series that premieres on the History Channel on 03/03/13.  Here is link if you are interested...  http://www.history.com/the-bible

+1 for Archer

"Danger Zone!"

Absolute trash, so I feel guilty about watching this stuff (don't tell anyone I told you) 

"The Super," a reality show about a real estate manager/landlord in Omaha and the people living in the low-rent properties he manages.  He wears black knee socks with his bermuda shorts, and I shake my head in disgust every time I see it.  (Comes on AXS-TV.)

"Fatal Attraction," a documentary series about people addicted to dangerous and exotic animals, who were injured or (usually) killed by those animals they kept at their homes as "pets."  Sometimes it's a family member or friend that's killed by the owner's animals.  (Comes on Animal Planet.)

"Catfish:  The TV Show,"  about people in love with people they met online but never met in person, Manti Te'o-style.  (Comes on MTV.)

Ok, to summarize page one -- are my page breaks the same as yours? -- we have the following:

Banshee
Bible Series on History Channel
Big Bang Theory
Boardwalk Empire
Catfish
Downton Abbey
Fatal Attraction
Goldrush
House of Cards
In Treatment
It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia
Pawn Stars
Person of Interest
Revenge
Shark Tank
The Super
Ultimate Fighter
Workaholics

I may have missed one or two and again, some of these are quality shows. In Treatment, Boardwalk Empire - we're talking greatness. But not yours, Smurff. You should be thoroughly ashamed of yourself, lol. And I am ashamed that I don't know if Archer is a show or a character on Big Bang or some other show.

I forgot one:  The Amish Mafia. (Discovery Channel)
THE SHAME!

notsheigetz wrote: Also heard good things about Breaking Bad but haven't been able to get it for free yet.

Last month, I watched all 4 or 5 seasons in a row on Netflix on your guys recommendation.  Really great premise and great acting, but it is rather monotonous in the sense that every episode is always dark and depressing.  Not much ever changes.  The dark humor is amusing, though.

Going down my list, I vote The Walking Dead as best in show.

MachineGhost wrote:

notsheigetz wrote: Also heard good things about Breaking Bad but haven't been able to get it for free yet.

Last month, I watched all 4 or 5 seasons in a row on Netflix on your guys recommendation.  Really great premise and great acting, but it is rather monotonous in the sense that every episode is always dark and depressing.  Not much ever changes.  The dark humor is amusing, though.

Going down my list, I vote The Walking Dead as best in show.

Dark shows can be rough to watch all at once like that because you don't have 7 days off.  Comedies don't suffer from that.

Back on topic though, a show I love but don't talk about because it's such a guilty pleasure is Ugly Americans.  I've been waiting on season 3 for a while now.  Apparently it's coming in March.

smurff wrote: I forgot one:  The Amish Mafia. (Discovery Channel)
THE SHAME!

Funny, I've been tempted to watch that because the local crime boss in 'Banshee' is ex-Amish. He protects his father (still in the community) from the violence of outsiders, but his father turns his back to him and won't speak to him.

This month, I watched a documentary called The Devil's Playground about Ramspringa (spelling?), that period of time when young Amish can see the outside world and decide if they want to ultimately stay or go. It's a great idea for a docu, but I found it sorely disappointing.

Yes, The Amish Mafia is interesting.
Don't mess with them!

dualstow wrote: This month, I watched a documentary called The Devil's Playground about Ramspringa (spelling?), that period of time when young Amish can see the outside world and decide if they want to ultimately stay or go. It's a great idea for a docu, but I found it sorely disappointing.

I saw few episodes on that topic.  I agree it is disappointing.  I suspect the Amish are so repressed -- or rather, so sheltered -- that they really don't know how to act like a bull in a china shop when they get their freedom.  They are probably too self-responsible in the world at large due to their seclusion and upbringing.

Wow ... this has forced me to realize how much time I have been putting into research about portfolio management... I have not watched TV.  Now the TV is always on but tuned to whatever the kids want so I guess I have listened to every Disney and cartoon network show...lol

MachineGhost wrote:

dualstow wrote: This month, I watched a documentary called The Devil's Playground about Ramspringa (spelling?), that period of time when young Amish can see the outside world and decide if they want to ultimately stay or go. It's a great idea for a docu, but I found it sorely disappointing.

I saw few episodes on that topic.  I agree it is disappointing.  I suspect the Amish are so repressed -- or rather, so sheltered -- that they really don't know how to act like a bull in a china shop when they get their freedom.  They are probably too self-responsible in the world at large due to their seclusion and upbringing.

Wait, were you watching 'Amish Mafia'? Or some other show? Because Devil's Playground is a one-off documentary. In it, the kids were anything but repressed. Some of them were meth-heads and under threat of being killed by drug dealers. The disappointing part for me is that they gave one particularly boring meth-head way too much screen time, perhaps half of the entire film.