No Right Answer: Required Viewing Before You Die

[Avaholic03]

Point of order: Firefly had 14 episodes.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Firefly_Show#Broadcast_history

People often confuse the first episode "Serenity" for the movie of the same name. They are two distinct things.

 

[iamscottevil]

*edited

 

[Ukomba]

I love love LOOOVE fire fly, but I don't think it meets your #3 requirement. I see no shift caused by Fire Fly. I also don't see Lost as meeting the #2 requirement. The only thing people talk about it now is the disappointing ending.

I certainly would have had Avatar: The Last Airbender as one of the options here. with out Avatar, I don't think shows like Adventure time or even My Little Pony would exist in their current form with their current fan bases. Not sure what it should go up against it, maybe Seinfeld or The Simpsons.

 

[Ishal]

So... what you're saying is... it put JJ Abrams on the map so he could ruin Star Trek and Star Wars? Huh... didn't think I could hate lost any more than I already did. Thanks guys!

LOST was terrible. It's insulting to the viewers and its insulting to even still talk about it. Firefly was at least novel in some of the themes it was trying to pull off. But LOST? C'mon...

 

[Darth_Payn]

I find it's true what Robot Chicken said about Lost: "Heroes is way better, because they actually answer their mysteries. On Lost, they have no idea what they're doing!" I say if you want a J.J. Abrams show done right (meaning he has to share creative duties with people who can pull back on his chain), watch Fringe. It's got cool characters, a monster-of-the-week format that runs alongside the season-long arcs, and their mysteries have satisfying payoffs.

 

[Vivi22]

Even going by the criteria listed in the beginning (that a show must still be talked about to this day) Lost pretty much loses. Does anyone still talk about it? Honestly? Certainly not as much as Firefly. Lost is simply a mess of directionless writing and audience disappointment.

And they had the key to the secret? Excuse me while I go laugh my ass off. The writers and producers of Lost had less idea where it was going than the audience. Which at least partially explains why what few answers they did give were all various fan theories that had been around since Season 1.

 

[Miyenne]

I have to agree with people here. Firefly is, not only the better now, but still is more appreciated and talked about today.

I also agree that M*A*S*H and Avatar: The Last Air Bender are must sees. No excuses.

 

[ellers07]

Luckily, I've seen both so I can die satisfied.

I had no idea there was so much hate for Lost. I mean I knew the ending was a little divisive but I count Lost amongst the greatest shows ever. I loved the characters, I loved the mysteries, and the weirder it got the more hooked I became. Did anyone here love Lost besides me? I'm feeling very alone right now...

I also don't know how someone refuses to watch Firefly. That is also one of the greatest TV shows ever created.

 

[Olas]

Why does everybody hate Lost? Lost was a damn good show, even without the mysteries. There were lots of fascinating characters who went through incredible and dramatic story arcs, all of which intersect in a brilliantly complex web that you only slowly start to see. And if you actually paid attention, most of the mysteries were answered.

Ya, the ending bombed, but that doesn't change the fact that the first 5 seasons were masterful in their ability to twist audience expectations, invoke curiosity and intrigue, and develop deep characters who could understand and sympathize with. Many shows have tried to copy it, and all have failed miserably because what it did was very hard to do.

Not the best show ever but certainly the most ambitious.

Firefly was good too, but there just isn't much there. It's a simple little unassuming show that doesn't really break new ground or do anything particularly amazing.

 

[iamscottevil]

*Edited

 

[nayrbarr]

LOST should never have won this, it just isn't a very good show. Moreover no one really talks about it anymore, so most of these points didn't make sense to me. Also, do you guys deliberately drink slowly to give each other time to speak? I can sort of respect that, but it rather defeats the purpose.

 

[Originality]

When it comes to the hype about Lost...I think back to the hype about Game of Thrones.

 

[Firefilm]

LOST should never have won this, it just isn't a very good show. Moreover no one really talks about it anymore, so most of these points didn't make sense to me. Also, do you guys deliberately drink slowly to give each other time to speak? I can sort of respect that, but it rather defeats the purpose.

Few behind the scenes secrets on the drinking rounds:

We usually shoot 8-10 episodes back to back, so after a few, a full glass of water pounded at full tilt sounds horrible. Chris actually threw up once. It was nice.

We also drink slower than full speed to give the other time to talk, whether it be to try to get a spit take (of which we have a few coming up!) or to get their point out.

I can see how if there is no spit-take, the slow drinking can feel like a lack of payoff, but I assure you; Unless you want to see Chris throw up, 3/4th speed is necessary.

I kinda feel the response to this is that people want to see Chris throw up. What is this, Tosh.O?

 

[duchaked]

lol I'll always pick Firefly

obviously I wish there was more of it, but it holds a lot more than it seems in its brevity

 

[Seracen]

Wait wait...I got it! NOW I know why Lost is a show you must watch before you die...

Because whomever you told to watch it would kill you, thereby absolving you of the guilt of suicide.

As much as I love Firefly, I can see how the lack of an understated overarching plot may have led to a tragically quick cancellation.

However, with LOST, not a single proponent of the series had a leg to stand on after the show was done. Honestly, if I watched LOST before I died, I'd want the time back plus interest.

The time I'd have wasted on LOST would have been more tragic than the cancellation of Firefly...

On the other hand, if I was GOING to die after watching the show, I suppose a case could be made for LOST, in that you'd live longer before it finished...but can such a tortured end to your days REALLY be called living?

EDIT: aww...poor Chris! Don't kill yourselves over these videos guys! We want you to stay healthy, esp so you can keep making more!

 

[Alar]

Your Expo advertisements are still the best, guys.

Personally I don't get the hype of LOST. Once you know that it just goes around in circles forever, it loses its appeal. Firefly, on the other hand, can be quite entertaining even though we know it didn't even get one full season, and have a general idea of the show.

 

[Spygon]

Required viewing before you die? you guys went with lost after the first two seasons it just becomes a filler production.I had completely forgot about lost since then until today so i can not see how that has effected human culture.

 

[Joos]

Required Viewing Before You Die

You know the shows you tell yourself you'll watch when you get the time? What if you die tomorrow? What should be on the top of your to-do list?

Watch Video

Wow, I can't believe how much bs this conclusion was. Lost had one promising season, but the eternal dangling carrot quickly turned uninteresting and the show was ran into the ground and was ended because everyone got sick of it. Typical American "keep squeezing 'til it's dry". And I'm not talking chalk dry here folks, I'm talking Saharan desert, mid day in high summer dry. Everything about lost can be likened to a steaming turd.

Firefly on the other hand, ended before its time. However, that is actually a good thing, since it ended on a high when it was still good and people hadn't got tired of it yet since it wasn't flogged to death. Each and every one of the episodes is at least good, some are brilliant but the show in its entirety leaves a lasting impression. And that's why a cancelled TV-show managed to garner enough support to get a full length movie to conclude it's unfulfilled promise.

So in conclusion, firefly (and serenity) is gold and should be embraced while Lost is a smelly turd and can only be measured by the amount of time it wastes of your life. The end.

 

[tohellwithyourcrap]

i can't believe no one mentioned Joss Whedon's name. the writer/director of The Avengers, Cabin in the Woods, Buffy the Vampire Slayer (beats the shit out of anything else vampire related, with the exception of maybe Underworld), and I haven't seen much of Doll House but it's worth a look.

Bottom line, Firefly was one of his earliest and, short of Avengers, one of his best works, and honestly I still think it's better than Avengers in terms of hours of available content.

EDIT: ok someone did mention Joss Whedon explicitly, but seriously he's a far superior creator of film and television. He's a better writer, better director, works with more talented actors, AND HE JUST RE MADE MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING, AND IT WAS EPIC. Firefly was his origin, without it, we get no Avengers, or any of his future work that we'll still be talking about for years to come. who cares about JJ Abrahms? Did I spell his name right? never mind I don't care.

 

[Chris Pranger]

So after reading the comments, I have one question beyond all else that I need to ask everyone:

How do I convince my wife to sit down and actively watch Avatar: The Last Airbender with me?

I love that show (and Legend of Korra as well), but I've unsuccessfully convinced my wife to sit with me and enjoy it. How do I convince her to take the plunge? Because you've all convinced me that now that we've both seen Lost, she needs something better in her life.