MacGyver - A childhood 'hero' of sorts, as he could always find new and inventive ways to defeat badguys
without using a gun. I loved the show's theme music (I think this was when I really started paying attention to shows' theme/opening credits) and I'll always remember Murdoc as the seemingly unkillable arch enemy of MacGyver and his supposed 'deaths' at the end of every episode he was in only to return later. Of course, I had one member of my family who, like Sideshow Bob from
The Simpsons, would always nitpick all the way through every episode, but nevertheless I enjoyed the series quite a lot. It's one of my earliest 'favourite shows' that I can recall (but then, I have a bad memory, so there were no doubt ones *before* it that I'm just simply forgetting).
Xena: Warrior Princess - The first 'spin-off' I can recall watching. I'd liked
Hercules: The Legendary Journeys in its first few seasons, but gradually lost interest. However, its spin-off was not only a show I enjoyed just as much, but I feel it surpassed its 'parent' show and became even more enjoyable for me. Lucy Lawless is a fearless actress (and a fierce one too), the fact that it was a show with only two female leads was something I hadn't really seen before, and the show managed to keep things interesting by going in all sorts of weird and wonderful (though sometimes
not-so-wonderful) directions. It also introduced me to what is probably my most favourite TV villain ever (Callisto) and the actress who portrayed her (Hudson Leick) - for which I'll forever be grateful.
The Pretender - A show with SO many mysteries. I hadn't watched it when it originally began, but got into it during the first season. It was a show that mightn't have had fights/action every episode, but it had very intriguing characters. Its main character, Jarod, was so good-hearted, but he also made wrongdoers pay (without having to resort to killing them). Meanwhile, Miss Parker remains one of the best female characters I've seen in a show. She was not to be messed with, wouldn't take any crap from anybody and could deliver deadpan snarky lines like no one else. The show also had memorable side characters, recurring characters and guest stars. Most of all, though, I'll always remember how each season ended on a cliff-hanger that left me wondering "How are they going to get out of THIS?!". It was the first time I can recall really nail-biting season-ending cliff-hangers.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer - Probably the show that means the most, as it changed everything about TV for me. It mixed a bunch of genres (I'd watched shows previously that were one genre or another, but this one blended several together in a way that made them the perfect combination) and introduced me to types of characters, storytelling and dialogue I hadn't really seen much before (it also had one of the best TV show themes ever). The first three seasons of the show remain my favourite show ever (the rest...not so much). It's a show that'll stay with me for probably ever (even though I haven't rewatched it in quite a long while). I don't think any show I've watched since has managed to match the feelings I felt when watching the first three seasons of this show for the first time. Having said that...
Angel - If
Xena: Warrior Princess was my introduction to what a spin-off was like, then this
Buffy the Vampire Slayer spin-off showed me just how excellent a spin-off could be. In some ways it even surpassed its 'parent' show for me, as I liked the series the whole way through (even if one of the seasons wasn't great), whereas with BtVS it felt like the show became something quite different/stopped being the show I loved after Season 3. With
Angel, it took some characters that'd already been established in BtVS and developed them much more than most viewers probably ever expected to see, exploring different aspects of them and giving them far more 'depth' than they'd ever had before. It also introduced new main characters each season (most of which I came to love just as much as the original ones). It's my favourite show after the first three seasons of BtVS and I doubt I'll ever find a spin-off I enjoy as much.
Outlander - For me, the first season is almost perfect (not so much the later seasons). Still, this is a show with an 'unreal' element to it (time travel) that manages to remain 'real'. Everything in that first season was so spot-on, from the casting, characters, sets, costumes, and especially the opening credits/theme. It's a 'drama' series that I've found quite compelling and stuff that went on it the first season (especially near the end) showed me just how committed certain actors can be. It went to some very uncomfortable places, and while I might think it isn't quite as good now as it once was, it still remains one of the best 'dramas' I've seen.
I'll also add these two shows that I included in my 'What're your Top 3 favourite shows you watched this year?' thread...
imdb2.freeforums.net/thread/202156/whatre-favourite-shows-watched-yearYou're the Worst - I loved this show so much that, after I watched it the first time (I'd missed some episodes here and there in the first couple of seasons), I then watched it all the way through
again when they repeated it (this time catching the episodes I'd missed) - it was just
that good. It's been quite a while since I found a 'comedy' that I thought was genuinely (and consistently) funny...though I guess it's more of a show with comedy
in it rather than a flat-out 'comedy'. Maybe it'd be called a 'dramedy'? All the actors were great in it (Aya Cash was a stand-out). They were all able to handle the humour as well as the more 'dramatic' stuff. I'm so glad it got a proper finish and didn't wear out its welcome (which not many shows can claim - as more often than not they're either cancelled too early on or dragged out well past their prime). I've watched 'comedies' in the past, but this series showed me just how funny a show could be and remains probably my favourite due to just how consistently good it was and the amount of times I've rewatched it.
My Brilliant Friend - I wasn’t sure about this show when I started watching it (almost every character did/said something - or in the case of certain characters,
many things - that made me dislike them), it seemed rather depressing, and I couldn't always keep track of all the characters, but despite all that, I was drawn into this story of the two main characters. There was so much complexity there. The two kid actresses were pretty impressive with their performances in the roles. They had some heavy stuff to deal with, and at times they seemed older than their years - as did the characters themselves. There was a lot of intense staring, and I was somewhat shocked at the things the actresses had to do/say in their roles, but they were well-cast, I thought. Kudos should also be given for the casting of the actresses who took over the roles and played the characters as teenagers. The casting people managed to find two actresses who not only matched the younger ones physically, but also their performances (especially impressive considering they hadn't really done any acting before). By the end of the season, I just wanted to keep watching. I don't think any other show I've watched this year has had the impact on me that this one has.
