No Right Answer: Required Viewing Before You Die

Firefilm

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May 27, 2011
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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?

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Chessrook44

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Feb 11, 2009
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LOST I saw the occasional episode when it was out, but I wasn't interested and didn't keep watching.

Firefly I saw the first episode of online and while I chuckled at the dinosaur toy scene, I wasn't interested enough to keep watching.

Got anything else for me?
 

ZZoMBiE13

Ate My Neighbors
Oct 10, 2007
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Dan looked like a hostage being held at gunpoint during the post credit Expo ticket pitch. :D

As for the show, I wouldn't try to get a friend into LOST at this stage. Honestly, when you know the ending to it then it just seems mean to try and get someone to invest in it. Don't get me wrong, I was right there with everyone else when it all went on. But in hindsight, it's a lot of pomp and circumstance and very little actual substance.

But Firefly is great. I don't trumpet it as highly as some, but it's very fun to watch if for nothing else than to see Nathan Fillion having a lot of fun playing his character.
 

SomebodyNowhere

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Dec 9, 2009
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I started watching lost many years ago and pretty much coasted my way through the first two seasons but around season 3 I just got tired of the constantly hanging plot threads so I gave up on it.

Firefly is short and sweet. To its benefit its short run of solid episodes makes just picking a random episode from the pack still an enjoyable experience.

So given the option between a 13 episode + a movie light journey versus a 6 season slog I'm going to take the shorter one.
 

Scarim Coral

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Oct 29, 2010
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Yeah I would of when with LOST to as it was thanks to that show, every show intro had to be super short (well ok 24 did it first but LOST kind of made it popular)!

Also I guessing Hurley spin off show would of been like this-
 

Webb Myers

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May 17, 2010
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When you say "Required viewing before you die", most people would probably assume you mean "this show will change your life for the better because you have watched it". You guys seem to mean "if you haven't watched this show, you'll be the odd one out around the water cooler". That's a valid premise for another show...but it's not a "required before you die".

"required viewing before you die" implies that the show is over but you would recommend someone go and watch it. No one's going to recommend seeing Lost because THERE'S NO PAYOFF! It might be fun while it lasted, but once it's over you say "that's it?!?" and move on (see also Battlestar Galactica, Fringe, and many others). Frankly, you could have said the same thing about Firefly except they got a movie (Serenity) that actually tied up most of their loose ends.

Maybe you need another round of "Show that made you feel like a loser if you weren't watching". You might need to put Showtime and HBO in their own separate round...
 

stueymon

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Aug 29, 2009
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The first two series of Lost are great but thats about it. It felt like the writers kept throwing more mystery poop at the script and kept what stuck.

I watched the following...how many series? I dunno, but I know I haven't seen the ending and I just don't care enough to see it to this day.
 

PunkRex

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Feb 19, 2010
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I watched the first 3 episodes of Lost and just knew it would keep putting in random stuff, because apparently thats mysterious, and would dig itself into such a deep hole that no ending ever would be able to justify half the previously mentioned stuff!

No, NO I SAID! I will not be part of this nonsense... so I watched FLCL instead!


As for shows that started major trends and are still talked about today... Dragonball maybe? It had alot of impact on many of the shows I love today.

 

Ed130 The Vanguard

(Insert witty quote here)
Sep 10, 2008
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I'm sorry but it needs to be done.



LOST? Remove and/or spoil the 'mystery box' and you don't need to watch because that was the big draw point for the show.

Firefly would would still have the characters, action and comedy to sustain it after reading the plot synopsis.

Shame on you Chris for going for LOST.

Kyle, you managed to make Firefly loose to LOST of all shows. That is just sad.
 

Triaed

Not Gone Gonzo
Jan 16, 2009
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I think Kyle won it, not because he made a better argument for Firefly (that show sucked), but because he demolished Lost. The best explanation of it was "like holding off a sneeze for 6 years". Lost had its moments, but it was about nothing (glorified Seinfeld?)

Shows that people are still talking about today, that were awesome since the beginning, that change television (at least the quality of it) and that one MUST watch? I could name Breaking Bad and The Wire, but people will have their own opinions.
 

Lvl 64 Klutz

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Apr 8, 2008
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I WANT TO BELIEVE that there is a good reason you guys did a "Required TV Viewing Before You Die" episode without mentioning a certain show that happens to be celebrating it's 20th anniversary this very week. A certain show that without, JJ Abrams wouldn't have a career and many more fantasy/sci-fi shows wouldn't exist.
 

Mikeyfell

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Aug 24, 2010
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Come on guys...
Breaking Bad Vs My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic

Lost...
I'd say Lost is one of the top shows to avoid watching
 

TechTim

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Apr 15, 2011
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Being given the chose to recommend one of those two shows to a person before they died i would have to go with firefly, due to i still enjoy re-watching firefly & do not enjoy re-watching lost.
 

Chris Pranger

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Aug 31, 2011
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PunkRex said:
I watched the first 3 episodes of Lost and just knew it would keep putting in random stuff, because apparently thats mysterious, and would dig itself into such a deep hole that no ending ever would be able to justify half the previously mentioned stuff!

No, NO I SAID! I will not be part of this nonsense... so I watched FLCL instead!


As for shows that started major trends and are still talked about today... Dragonball maybe? It had alot of impact on many of the shows I love today.

Both of those shows are great and I'd absolutely do a round 2 of this including either FLCL or DBZ. Lost definitely can't touch the insanity of either!
 

redknightalex

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Aug 31, 2012
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Not my favorite defense here. On a real pick, I'd say if you haven't watched M*A*S*H you are missing out on something. Geek wise, Firefly.

Firefly all the bloody way. It took me years to get into it (after the movie premiered) but when I first watched it, I loved it. The world building was spectacular, Whedon is one of the best writers when it comes to managing multiple characters well, and you've got BIG DAMN HEROES! It changed the industry and, without it, maybe Whedon never would been given a chance to direct The Avengers. Think on that for a bit.

As for LOST...seriously, I don't care about that show even when everyone talked about it. Still don't know what happened, never been spoiled, and I will probably never care. No one talks about it at all. Firefly however everyone talks about it. Still.

(I'd still say M*A*S*H would be a better, non-geek pick though.)