I need a new favorite show. Sell me on yours.

Seconded. Mythbusters is appointment viewing for me, especially now that The Universe is off the air.

 

Another vote for "Breaking Bad." Love, love, love that show. Yes, it's intense, but it's so well-written and well-acted that it passes the "9:45 test" (where you look at the clock, see that it's suddenly 9:45, and get a little sad that this episode is almost over and you won't have another new one for another week).

Other pros:
1) There really haven't been a lot of episodes, so you can catch up in a hurry. Only 32 episodes, if I'm counting correctly. Season 1 was only six shows because of the writers strike.
2) Season 4 starts in July. So if you can watch the first three seasons on DVD in the next two months, you'll caught up just in time to get excited for the new episodes.
3) Like all great shows, it's just starting to hit its peak right now.

Other cons:
1) As mentioned, it can be intense and unsettling at times. There's periods where the main characters are not only unlikable, but downright despicable -- which is, however, part of what makes the show so good.
2) It's only got a shelf life of 4-5 seasons, and its creative team has said that's all they're going to wring out of it. So if you get into it now and like it, you might be resurrecting this thread in a year or two.

 

I'd suggest Veronica Mars if you didn't watch it when it was on the air. Don't be fooled by the high school setting, it just uses it as a framing device for the noir-style mysteries it tells. I discovered it on Netflix recently and mainlined it in a week. Well, the first season. The third season took a nose dive, imo, and while the second season was good I hated the way they ended that season's 'mystery' plot. Solid acting and writing all around, though.

I'm also loving 'Game of Thrones' so far, to continue the geeky suggestions.

 

I would second Veronica Mars. But only the first two seasons. The third season is something entirely different and not that good. From there move on to Terriers. Don't know if it's out on DVD, but I'm sure you can download it somewhere. 13 episodes of perfect, heart-felt intense television. It will have the reputation of The Wire before too long.

I would give BBC's Life on Mars/Ashes to Ashes a shot. And if you like comedy, the BBC's Peep Show can't be matched.

 

"Breaking Bad". "Mad Men". These are worth not just renting but owning. Like "The Wire" and "The Shield" we go back to them over and over.

"Deadwood" is my current passion. An absolutely amazing show.

 

HC - I just finished watching "Deadwood." Loved it (and the others you mentioned as well, especially "The Shield").

 

I'm currently watching "the killing" and it's very good.

 

Your analysis of the seasons is excellent.

But VM is distinctive for being the most distinctive dirty-old-man delight of any series in a long, long time.

 

It's hard to go wrong with any of the Top Chef shows. Great-looking food and generally real people providing some degree of drama.

 

So you have heard.

 

Doesn't it feel like the Western that Shakespeare would have written?

 

Absolutely. I love the language.