Same here… looking forward to seeing it as well. I hear Michael Moore didn't like it.

http://dailycaller.com/2015/01/18/michael-moore-slams-american-sniper-chris-kyle-as-a-coward/

We tried to see it last night, but the evening shows were all sold out, so we bought tickets 2 hours in advance of today's mid-day matinee. That show also sold out, be we got in, because we purchased tickets in advance. This flick is blowing up January box office records, with $90M on the first weekend. When you go, consider buying tickets in advance of showtime, due to high demand.

Alright, Teekee. I just watched Mad Dogs, and it looks very promising! You, my friend, have good taste! So when is the next episode?

Glad you liked it. It had a pretty unexpected moment (meow) that I didn't see coming! That scene was eerily weird and unpredictable. Definitely looks promising!

I have not heard if/when the rest of season 1 will be available... when I hear anything I will post here.

The fact that Michael Moore-on didn't like it makes me want to see it more.

ABSOLUTELY! Moore-on... I like that!

Hopefully they will make it. I've watched so many of these "pilots" and never seen them come to fruition...

Jaz

The first 8 or so episodes (I can't recall exactly) were outstanding, I love the coach, but then the show went to a TV lame ass drama with insanely unrealistic things (wife starts working again as guidance counsellor and all of a sudden is the principle the next year…. Wha..? :O It was like they had this good idea for a football show and the ideas simply ran out half way through the first season. Oh well, let’s start throwing in relationships with everyone and the drama that ensues. Barf.

The coach made me watch the show until the end, but it was a grind, and I was glad when it was over. Debated not finishing though, it got that bad.

I'm doing x-files again now. I stopped it in the 6 season originally, as I was sick or never getting answers. Ironically, virtually where I left off they exploded shortly after with most things coming out for the viewers.

I always go back to Archer and Bob's Burgers though. I can watch any of those over and over and still crack up.

Television critics assessed the show a little differently...

Metacritic ratings - Friday Night Lights:

Season 1 - 78
Season 2 - 88
Season 3 - 83
Season 4 - 87
Season 5 - 82

http://www.metacritic.com/tv/friday-night-lights

I'm about halfway through the first season of The Wire, and I'm loving it so far. I was surprised to see the guy who plays Gabriel on TWD. His character on The Wire is so different than the meek preacher I'm used to seeing him as. All the acting on the show is top notch.

If you think the first season is great just wait until season 3 and 4 which is when it gets awesome! I think next to Breaking Bad it's the best show in the history of TV.

No doubt! The whole "Hamsterdam" saga that unfolded throughout Season 3, and then Season 4, starting with Snoop visiting the hardware store to buy a nailgun, and ending with "Final Grades" as the season finale, one of the best episodes of the entire series. Those were both great seasons!

There are at least three actors that appear in both The Wire and The Walking Dead.
Gabriel the preacher, of course.
Tyreese from TWD shows up in Season 3.
And I'm assuming you recognize The Wire's D'Angelo Barksdale.

Enjoy The Wire. It's quite possibly the best drama ever. And when you're done - for months and months on end you'll watch shows and stop and wonder "Where the heck have I seen this actor/actress before??!!?" The answer is "The Wire." The answer is always "The Wire." I cannot count how many times it's happened to my girlfriend and I.

For some reason, I didn't make that connection. Now I feel like an idiot.

You'll make the connection when McNulty kidnaps him and eats D'Angelo's legs. Pretty much The Wire's strangest plot twist.

LMAO!!!

Why are there so many crossover actors? Is one of the producers the same on both shows?

http://www.businessinsider.com/the-walking-dead-the-wire-cast-2014-10

I just finished watching this series and agree it is just fantastic. I am finding a few days after the finale that I am missing Walter and Jessie. I seriously have never felt so attached to a series or character before. I feel kind of empty not seeing them anymore.

I have the final episode of "Breaking Bad" on my DVR, and from time to time will play the last few minutes of the show where Walt takes a nostalgic walk through the warehouse, and crumples to the floor after seeing the blue smudge on one of the stainless steel tanks - as "Baby Blue" by Badfinger rises through the rafters...hell of an ending for a hell of a series.

Breaking Bad was originally supposed to end after season 4. I would have been satisfied with that totally different ending than what season 5 had but I am glad they added another year. I can't wait for "Better Call Saul" to begin.

I was watching Deadwood last night, and noticed two actors in there that were on Sons of Anarchy.

You're probably referring to Dayton Callie (Unser on SOA, was even better on DW). There's also another black actor from HBO that's on SOA, but I don't know if you've seen him yet. I won't spoil it.

I also started The Wire. Currently on season 2/ep 5. Amazing, cerebral show. It still looks fresh, 12 years later. The acting and dialogue are razor sharp. Back then I didn't give it a chance because I thought it would be another cop show, which I'm no fan of. Boy was I wrong...

Yes, Dayton Callie was one. The other was the actor who plays the preacher on Deadwood, and he appeared in one season of SOA as the federal prosecutor that was always wearing the leather jacket.

Ray McKinnon is the actors name.

Better Call Saul preview reveiw ...

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/entertainment/news/article.cfm?c_id=1501119&objectid=11391939

rd

Nice, can't wait!!

Just finished season one of the wire. I had previously watch 4 episodes and couldn't get into it. I'm trying it again based off the rave reviews here. It's good so far but in no way does it come close to breaking bad (or game of thrones); at least this far. I find it very slow paced and seems like it is taking forever to gain traction. Maybe the next seasons will turn the corner for me but it's just ok after season one.

It is slow, but it very much does match Breaking Bad and is better than Game of Thrones. It takes some effort and attention from the viewer to "get it," unlike some shows. Keep watching and keep paying close attention.

Exactly. The Wire is very cerebral, requiring your full attention. It's easy to miss small details that explain future events. Sometimes I have to rewind just to remember what somebody said. Yes, it's slow at times, but it's an acquired taste. Just give it some more time and make sure you're not distracted.

Yeah, as much as I like Breaking Bad, it never gave viewers much credit. In the end, it was a very spelled out show, unlike The Wire, Sopranos, True Detective.

Yeah I understand it's more methodical. I don't have an issue with that and I hate being spoon fed info because a director doesn't think his audience is smart enough to get his message. Having said that, I don't want to feel like watching is work. Sopranos was methodical but the characters were so compelling I could have watched them go grocery shopping and been engrossed. Starting season two, it feels like starting all over to get momentum again after the crescendo of season one. I'm holding out hope and reservation based on everyone here's recommendation. I need a good long show to tide me over. Crossing my fingers the wire is that show.

Watching The Wire is definitely work. It's not the kind of show that you can just sit back, turn off your brain and enjoy it. I find that I sometimes have to go back and watch a scene multiple times in order to fully grasp what's going on. Occasionally, I'll even turn on the closed captioning if I'm having trouble following the dialogue.

You guys keep saying you have to pay attention. I'm getting it. I'm not confused or need to rewatch shit. It's just slow on development thus far. I'm invested but there hasn't been a lot of payoff yet. The finale was anticlimactic. ****spoiler*** I thought D was going to flip, setting up next seasons action. Instead, he doesn't flip and we find our rag tag group scattered throughout the bpd to start season 2. Now I feel like we're starting all over again and we have story arcs for all of them in their new rolls. It just seems like work at times. The acting is good, dialog is tight, cinematics (before hd) is great. Just plodding. Maybe everything comes crashing together (I'm at episode 3 season 2) later on but now the show has a wondering feeling.

I hope you didn't take what I said the wrong way. I wasn't trying to insinuate that the reason you weren't enjoying the show was because you weren't concentrating hard enough. I was just agreeing with you that watching the show is work. Some shows are just like that. Heck, every Aaron Sorkin show is like that.

If you've gotten through the entire first season and you're still not that into it, it's possible that The Wire simply isn't the right show for you. I was hooked by the second or third episode.

I thought there was a bit of a 3-4 episode learning curve as far as figuring out who was who and what they did etc. Once I got past my "wait - who was this guy again?" phase I liked The Wire a lot more.

Anyone who watched it in SD see and of the new HD versions yet? Worth re-watching? (I'm probably going to anyway, but just curious.)

I never watched the 4:3 SD versions, but the new widescreen HD versions look fantastic! I've been streaming then from Amazon Prime. I planned on watching the show a while back, but I held off when I heard that HBO was remastering all the episodes. I'm glad I waited.

Yeah - after posting that I realized I wasn't sure if they were still 4:3 or not. Oh my. Of course they're widescreen now. The next time it's time to pick a new show to watch with my girlfriend, I'm going into "Let's re-watch The Wire" mode really hard. Oh, indeed.

Edit - oh. If any fans of the show haven't seen this before....
http://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2012/09/the-wire-was-really-a-victorian-novel/261164/

omarcomindickens-1301080177.jpg

Yeah, if you're this far along and still not impressed then it may not be a show for you. I really began enjoying TW after 5-6 episodes although I didn't realize just how much impact the show had on me until Season 3 ended. TW did take me longer to love but in the end it nearly had the same impact on me that BB did... although a different impact.

BB is definitely a more enjoyable show... surreal at times with extraordinary moments and unforgettable characters. TW is realism at its best. Grim reality. Almost doesn't feel like a television show. Hard to believe it never won any major awards. IMO it could have gone another 2-3 seasons without getting old.

In the end BB is still my show with many episodes and scenes that I just can't get enough of no matter how many times I watch them but TW did end up surprising me as it moved into second place on my all time TV show/series list.

I agree that it was a bit unsettling at the beginning of season 2 when all of the sudden they introduced all these new characters down at the docks. You finally feel like you have a good grasp of all the season 1 characters, and then they throw you into a completely different world. This is my first time watching the show as well, but I suspect that things will start to gel as the show goes on. I'm on the third episode of season 2, and it's already evident that plot points that seemed trivial when they were first introduced can later become much more important in the overall story arch. A perfect example of this would be the character of Valchek. He was only briefly referred to in season 1 as Prez's father-in-law, but all of a sudden he's a major player in season 2.

Another tip for The Wire: turn on closed captions. Some of the accents are hard to understand, especially during fast-paced conversations with crucial info being passed. It has helped me enjoy the show MUCH more. Otherwise, I'd be pretty lost.

I always watch shows with subtitles on, but especially The Wire. Otherwise, I'd never understand a single word uttered by Snoop! Kind of like playing GTA IV on a mission with Little Jacob. Subtitles are required! LOL

Every time Avon, Stringer or Omar speak, CC is a godsend! LOL

I needed a gender disclosure on Snoop. Didn't realize she was a girl until the end!

Felicia "Snoop" Pearson is a fascinating character and actress (also named Felicia Pearson). Stephen King called her character "perhaps the most terrifying female villain to ever appear in a television series." Needless to say, the actress' own bio reads like a script From The Wire (e.g., troubled childhood; prison time for second-degree murder). Interestingly, she met Michael K. Williams, who played Omar Little, in a Baltimore club, and he invited her to come to the set one day. He introduced her to the writers and the producers, and after a subsequent audition, she was offered a role in the series. Amazing story!

Facts:

The Wire is a much more subtlety interwoven story line

Breaking Bad spells out the plot points like Cliff Notes

Both were great TV, but in totally different ways

BB is the story arc about ONE guy - all other characters are ancillary

TW is a story line about human condition - no real main characters and 'all the pieces matter'

BB follows Walter White and who/what he interacts with or impacts

TW follows the drugs and who/what they interact with or impact

They really share nothing other than they are both awesome TV viewing and both require a shitload of time commitment to finish

Who here is excited about better call Saul?

LOL. I agree with a lot of those opinions that you postulated.

I am excited but ready for a let down… hope I'm wrong!

Early reviews from critics are quite good.

Fingers crossed… I can only hope it stops my BB pangs.

Indeed. I read one review that said that this will rival BB for how good it is, and could even wind up being better.

Of course I have no idea how they can say something like that after watching so little of the show. Plus, this will obviously be different than BB in many ways.