Suggestions

[x_los]

Still nothing re: visa.

Meanwhile, SO TELEVISION, Y'ALL.

I've tried asking a few likely people privately, but no one seems in today, with the exception of Very Useful An. I am trying to get a feel from people of what to try next. Do you lot have any recommendations of shows that are good because they have great characters/characterization? Where this is a primary virtue of the show? For example, I enjoy Star Trek and Star Gate, but I would not call them character-driven or good for the same reasons Avatar is. Katy LOVED the show Avatar (not either of the movies), but we've polished it off and need new bloooood.

Comments

[sweetevangeline.livejournal.com]

Wait, you guys were watching the cartoon Avatar? We're watching that right now here in the J household and it's pretty awesome. But, hrm, where do you go from there?

[x-los.livejournal.com]

Indeed, that combo of world building and an interesting cast of repeating characters is difficult to find. And I'm glad you're liking it!

[mezzopianoforte.livejournal.com]

Miranda! The show Miranda is great; really funny and definitely character-driven. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miranda_%28TV_series%29)

The programme Outnumbered is brilliant too - my parents love it as well as me and it's great :D (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Outnumbered)

[x-los.livejournal.com]

Thanks! :)

[blackletter]

If you like mysteries, I enjoyed "Lewis" ("Inspector Lewis" in the US) and "Foyle's War." And "Midsumer Murders" for the lulz.

[x-los.livejournal.com]

I could def. see my way to trying Foyle's War, but in general I'm not very into mystery or procedurals as genres? It's rare for me that something is Life on Mars, or Sherlock Holmes, and manages to snag me despite my only-moderate interest in its supposed subject matter.

[innocentsmith.livejournal.com]

Hmm, well, not entirely sure what you have or have not watched. Currently I'm working my way through Farscape, and loving it a lot: it is definitely more character-driven than your average "group of misfits have space adventures" show, principally because they all really are misfits who never, ever have their shit together. Which is interesting.

What I really want to rec, if you haven't seen it, is Due South; I have observed that people who love Doctor Who tend to dig dS, and vice versa. Not because they're at all alike in plot, mind you, or length of runtime (only 3 or 4 seasons for dS, depending on how you count them). But there's a joy in language, and a distinctive main character, and unapologetic goofiness, and the tone shifts from tragedy to cartoonishness from episode to episode, and it's really just a lot of fun. It is quite character driven, but mainly in relation to the lead characters, so if you're looking for an ensemble show, not so much? But then, all this may be old news to you.

EDIT: Ooh! Ooh! You know what you need to watch IMMEDIATELY, though, if you haven't seen it? Slings and Arrows! Everyone needs to see it, really, because it is some of the most intelligent and hilarious and all around awesome TV ever made, with top notch writing and a brilliant cast. But it is specifically right up your alley. Both your alleys, really. RUN DON'T WALK.

[floraldeoderant.livejournal.com]

House is fantastic with characterization. But then, it's just fantastic all around...

Breaking Bad, too, is really well rendered in terms of characters though some of the secondary characters take a long while to become fully fleshed.

In Battlestar Galactica (new one, yo), the only thing they do really truly well, in terms of writing, is character, and there's some great ones in there. Also includes Xena: Warrior Princess in some of the episodes, so that's nice.

Sorry for all my American TV tastes :P

[x-los.livejournal.com]

The problem with house is that I have YEARS to catch up on at this point. I'd need to marathon like three, four seasons, and my gf is Current. :(

Oh, never heard of Breaking Bad!

Like House, but less anti-social.

[prettyarbitrary.livejournal.com]

Lie to Me is really very little but character-driven, though it's also based on a real-life and very cool science in a way that doesn't misinform you (though it does dramatize the level of awesomeness with which it can be deployed, of course).

Mostly, the reason to watch the show is Tim Roth, playing Cal Lightman, a scientist with a shady past who acts more like a semi-legitimate con man. His co-workers start out at varying levels of interesting, but they do grow on you as their characters develop.

But mostly, it's about Tim Roth. Or the character he's playing anyway.

Re: Like House, but less anti-social.

[blinkidybah.livejournal.com]

God Tim Roth is awesome in that show.

Re: Like House, but less anti-social.

[x-los.livejournal.com]

Interesting! Thanks for the tip!

[reserve.livejournal.com]

I assume you've already seen Firefly?

[x-los.livejournal.com]

It's a classic, at this point.

[nabihahm.livejournal.com]

Mad Men. From the beginning. Assuming you haven't already.

The characters have become more than actors I watch on Sunday nights. They have become people in my life. Not to mention everything else about the show that is amazing. I'll stop here before I go on forever.