A Game of Thrones - TV Show Discussion Thread

[Krill]

...and no one cares about what you think Guy. We'll pirate it because we want to watch it. Our cares stop right there. We'd prefer to buy it (a personal feeling based on whatever) but pragmatically if it's a choice between not watching it and being a criminal, most people will chose to be a criminal.

And that is ****ing pathetic.

...and no one cares about what you think Guy. We'll pirate it because we want to watch it. Our cares stop right there. We'd prefer to buy it (a personal feeling based on whatever) but pragmatically if it's a choice between not watching it and being a criminal, most people will chose to be a criminal.

.

[DaShi]

In a similar vein, is it moral to record TV? DVRs cut into sales of DVDs, since fans of the show can watch whenever they want without buying expensive boxed sets.

Not if it's NFL games.

[Imran Siddiqui]

I've never understood why HBO is opposed to Hulu and/or Netflix. They could put up the entire season 6 months after it aired on their channel and load the DVD up with extras when they would normally release it and mute these complaints.

Netflix asked, but HBO asked for very high fees - so much that Netflix would have to charge $10 more per month (or something like that). HBO lives & dies on its subscriber fees.

[Imran Siddiqui]

If cable wasn't making shows ten years ago how can you compare theme to broadcast shows of ten years ago?

Wasn't making shows?! 10 Years ago was the heyday of The Sopranos and Six Feet Under and Sex & the City. People were saying HBO was entering into a dark age when those shows ended (with dreak like John in Cincinnati it was hard to argue).

When I claim elevated levels of permissible violence is a part of the reason for cables success it is hardly fair to pick a genre that doesn't lend itself to violence as your go-to example.

And my example of 24? 24 had far more violence than Breaking Bad can hope for.

[MikeH]

It's not violence, violence is endemic on US network TV, it's the puritanical attitude to nudity that stops networks showing anything that'll cause Christian groups to write to advertisers.

Which is insane BTW. Boobs good violence bad.

[Wezil]

Wasn't making shows?! 10 Years ago was the heyday of The Sopranos and Six Feet Under and Sex & the City. People were saying HBO was entering into a dark age when those shows ended (with dreak like John in Cincinnati it was hard to argue).

One channel, HBO. The trailblazer.

You know the explosion of cable shows happened recently. And you call me pedantic?

And my example of 24? 24 had far more violence than Breaking Bad can hope for.

Didn't watch it. Maybe it did. If I'm not mistaken, 24 was one of the few broadcast shows to win any awards recently. Hardly indicative of the channel however.

[Imran Siddiqui]

One channel, HBO. The trailblazer.

You know the explosion of cable shows happened recently. And you call me pedantic?

Which channel is Game of Thrones on?

Didn't watch it. Maybe it did. If I'm not mistaken, 24 was one of the few broadcast shows to win any awards recently. Hardly indicative of the channel however.

You mean along with Lost and that huge example of violence, The West Wing.

[Lorizael]

West Wing featured a liberal president who probably ate the children of prominent capitalists for breakfast. The violence was implied.

[MikeH]

Cameron's recent visit has put me in mind of The West Wing in the episodes dealing with the Brits.

[Wezil]

Which channel is Game of Thrones on?

Not Showtime, Starz, AMC or any of the other Cable channels currently making original programming that weren't making it 10 years ago. HBO is just maintaining their fine record.

You mean along with Lost and that huge example of violence, The West Wing.

And there you go again... :sigh:

West Wing won in 2001. Lost in 2005. Neither has been nominated since 2006.

Way to stay current Imran.

[Wezil]

2006: Grey's Anatomy - ABC

24 - Fox
Big Love - HBO
Heroes- NBC
Lost - ABC

2007: Mad Men - AMC

Big Love - HBO
Damages - FX
Grey's Anatomy - ABC
House - Fox
The Tudors - Showtime

2008: Mad Men - AMC

Dexter - Showtime
House - Fox
In Treatment - HBO
True Blood - HBO

2009: Mad Men - AMC

Big Love - HBO
Dexter - Showtime
House - Fox
True Blood - HBO

2010: Boardwalk Empire - HBO
Dexter - Showtime
The Good Wife - CBS
Mad Men - AMC
The Walking Dead - AMC

2011: Homeland - Showtime
American Horror Story - FX
Boardwalk Empire - HBO
Boss - Starz
Game of Thrones - HBO



2006 was the last year broadcast fared well.

I guess you could argue it's a slump and not a trend.

[Imran Siddiqui]

Showtime is still considered the bastard child of HBO. It has decent stuff like the first season of Weeds, Dexter, and, apparently, Homeland, but not nearly on par. Starz is just funny. AMC makes good stuff, but you just called their criticall most successful show and the one that won those 4 straight Emmy's to be not that good (so pick an argument - do award shows determine value or not?).

As for West Wing - winner of 4 straight Drama Emmys from 2000 to 2003. I didn't realize 10 years ago was "not current".

[Imran Siddiqui]

2006: Grey's Anatomy - ABC

24 - Fox
Big Love - HBO
Heroes- NBC
Lost - ABC

2007: Mad Men - AMC

Big Love - HBO
Damages - FX
Grey's Anatomy - ABC
House - Fox
The Tudors - Showtime

2008: Mad Men - AMC

Dexter - Showtime
House - Fox
In Treatment - HBO
True Blood - HBO

2009: Mad Men - AMC

Big Love - HBO
Dexter - Showtime
House - Fox
True Blood - HBO

2010: Boardwalk Empire - HBO
Dexter - Showtime
The Good Wife - CBS
Mad Men - AMC
The Walking Dead - AMC

2011: Homeland - Showtime
American Horror Story - FX
Boardwalk Empire - HBO
Boss - Starz
Game of Thrones - HBO



2006 was the last year broadcast fared well.

I guess you could argue it's a slump and not a trend.

You realize you are citing an Awards Show that gave their Best Drama prize to GREY'S ANATOMY one year, right?

[MikeH]

I support Wezil on this. I think the last 2 or 3 years have marked a big change. A few years ago there were great "must watch" shows from the networks. But I can't think of any new ones that started in the last few years. House is still great but that's ending, that's the only one I can think of.

And it's not just cable networks it's pretty much entirely HBO and Showtime.

Homeland is currently screening here, it's great.

[Wezil]

Showtime is still considered the bastard child of HBO. It has decent stuff like the first season of Weeds, Dexter, and, apparently, Homeland, but not nearly on par. Starz is just funny. AMC makes good stuff, but you just called their criticall most successful show and the one that won those 4 straight Emmy's to be not that good (so pick an argument - do award shows determine value or not?).

That is a good argument for which I don't think there is any good answer. Ratings don't work as there is a huge disparity in access (in effect one is comparing unlike items) but I concede awards only reflect the tastes of those offering the award. Are they "better"? I like to include the nominees as well as the winners for a wider picture but it still comes down to taste. That said, is there another measure that would work?

Re - My trashing of Mad Men... Again, it's a matter of taste. Believe it or not I've watched 2 or 3 seasons of the show (up to the point when Draper and colleagues started their own firm) in an attempt to find the elusive quality I was missing. The show was incredibly popular and loved by critics so I wanted to discover why. I just never did.

As for West Wing - winner of 4 straight Drama Emmys from 2000 to 2003. I didn't realize 10 years ago was "not current".

In TV terms it's not current. That's well past reruns and into syndication territory.