[JayE]

Just finished Series 4 of Breaking Bad. It's getting so good now. I can feel the end coming.

[chrysostom]

I can feel the end coming.

*snort*

[JayE]

Would it make things better if I said my intention was to make it sound like it was an innuendo? (It wasn't by the way.)

[chrysostom]

That would make it worse.

[The Deadly]

It's not a Tuesday unless you can feel the end coming. It's what my dad always told me.

[Bruvva]

In TV news, Brooklyn nine nine is probably being renewed despite absolutely flat-lining ratings-wise recently (lost 25% of its viewers in one week).

And, ummm, they're making a tv show based on the comic, Preacher. A story about a man who becomes possessed by the offspring of a demon and angel and then goes on a journey to find god and ask him why he's abandoned people. To say it's likely to irritate the more religious people is a colossal understatement. Worth getting hold of in comic form but as to whether it'll make a good TV show, I don't know. Seth Rogen's attached to it apparently, I have no idea if that's good or bad.

LIFETIME is moving into SCI-FI by commissioning THE LOTTERY , set in a near future where Humanity has become virtually sterile, 100 fertilized embryos (designed to carry on the Human race) will be given out to 100 women via a lottery.

HBO has given a full series order to comedy series THE BRINK and will tell the story of a world moving rapidly towards World War Three and the three characters , the US Secretary of State (Tim Robbins), a lowly foreign service officer (Jack Black ) and a us fighter pilot (Pablo Schreiber ) who must pull together to save the world.

BBC America is developing NOTTINGHAM , this retelling of Robin Hood speculates that the Sherriff of Nottingham and Robin Hood are the same man . The Sherriff is forced to take up the mantle of Robin at night after his wife is killed by Knights of King John and not punished...

MTV had ordered ten episodes of EYE CANDY, when a female tech genius realizes one of her cyber suitors maybe a stalker and serial killer , she decides to team up with a team of hackers to find the killer.

[Badger Mark]

The only one of those that interests me at all is the sci-fi one. But since it's going to be on Lifetime I'm skeptical that it will be any good.

Has Sleepy Hollow made it over to the UK yet? It was a big hit here in the US. I thought it was pretty good overall. Some critics here panned it because the plot was pretty silly overall, but it turned out to be a lot of over-the-top fun. And the season finale was a real cliff hanger.

[Nicola_Red]

I have literally only just realised that Andy Samburg from Brooklyn Nine-Nine also played the son-in-law in Cuckoo. I can't believe I didn't twig it was him. Not that he's returning to Cuckoo, but still.

[Topher]

What? Cuckoo's not returning to Cuckoo?! Bugger!

[chrysostom]

In terrible news, there is to be an American remake of Cuckoo, which led me to this list of UK TV shows which have been remade in the US. Of all of these which I've seen, I've only enjoyed The Office (which I thought was brilliant).

It's quite extraordinary that they persist!

[Nicola_Red]

No, Cuckoo is not returning to Cuckoo, which kind of sucks. Taylor Lautner is joining as a different character. We'll see how that pans out. I don't get how the Americans can remake it - will the Cuckoo character be British?...

That list of US remakes is interesting. I once happened upon an episode of the Fawlty Towers remake on some random satellite channel, although I'm not sure if it was 'Amanda's' or 'Payne'. Either way it was awful. It always seemed weird that they tried remaking Coupling, as that was itself a copy/rehash/remake of Friends.

[Topher]

Well, as long as Greg Davies is returning I guess, it still has potential.

[chrysostom]

No, Cuckoo is not returning to Cuckoo, which kind of sucks. Taylor Lautner is joining as a different character. We'll see how that pans out. I don't get how the Americans can remake it - will the Cuckoo character be British?..

The producers explain the transition between lead actors will be managed as follows: "Shortly after renewing their wedding vows, Cuckoo flew the coop to continue researching his book. While on walkabout in the foothills of the Himalayas, he went missing... eventually presumed dead.

"It's now two years since his disappearance and life in the Thompson family house is only just getting back to normal. Ken and Lorna are looking forward to a future without the kids under their feet. Dylan (Tyger Drew-Honey) is about to go to university and Rachel is rebuilding her life with her new boyfriend, a nice-but-dull lawyer, Ben. Despite appearances, Cuckoo's absence is still felt - not least by his young widow, Rachel. Everyone worries she's lost her mojo since the tragic events in Asia.

This fragile equilibrium is well and truly shattered when a handsome and mysterious young stranger (Taylor Lautner) appears in Lichfield, looking for the man who found fame and philosophy in the simplest of hot snacks: the jack-et po-ta-to."

Sounds fun.

[JayE]

Watched the series finale of Breaking Bad last night. I'm going to miss this show so much now that I've finished it but I'll probably re watch the entire show again at some point. I genuinely thought the ending was really depressing though. I never saw Walt as the bad guy, from the very start all he wanted to do was provide for his family with the many years of Chemistry research he did, and from the start he only ever retaliated to the things that happened. Best show I've ever seen, the acting is beyond anything I've ever seen too.

[Badger Mark]

In terrible news, there is to be an American remake of Cuckoo, which led me to this list of UK TV shows which have been remade in the US. Of all of these which I've seen, I've only enjoyed The Office (which I thought was brilliant).

It's quite extraordinary that they persist!

That's quite a list. Of all those shows that have been remade here in the US, I've only ever watched Being Human, Cash Cab and Antiques Roadshow. The US version of Being Human is not bad IMO, if one can get past the first series which followed the UK version more or less. But after that, the story lines completely diverged and became very different shows. My wife and I got into the Roadshow when it came to Madison, Wisconsin a number of years ago, and she even made it onto the TV as a person in the background. It's a sad statement on the US television industry that they've tried to remake so many UK shows IMO. If anyone's ever watched the currently running show Episodes (seen here on the Showtime cable channel) I have to think that mirrors what often happens to UK imports. The show is completely ruined.

[chrysostom]

he only ever retaliated to the things that happened.

Disagree with this, (see: Season 4 & 5) - but careful, as spoilers!

It's a sad statement on the US television industry that they've tried to remake so many UK shows IMO. If anyone's ever watched the currently running show Episodes (seen here on the Showtime cable channel) I have to think that mirrors what often happens to UK imports. The show is completely ruined.

I think it's baffling that more work doesn't go into culturally converting the humour.

I thought the Office worked extremely well, because although the situation was the same, and the gags focused around the main character being the relate-able cringy boss - the characters seemed as though they were written by Americans (and many have said that Gervais & Merchant only oversaw the big things - mainly stepping away from day-to-day).

One day I'll watch the Gavin and Stacey remake, just out of morbid curiosity...

[JayE]

he only ever retaliated to the things that happened.

Disagree with this, (see: Season 4 & 5) - but careful, as spoilers!

Oh no yeah, without a doubt he made his own choices in season 5, but to start with he didn't. He only ever hurt someone if they threatened him or his family, like the guy in episode 3 with the plate, he made the first move.

I would have gone into more detail but I don't think we have spoiler tags anymore.

[Nicola_Red]

I would have gone into more detail but I don't think we have spoiler tags anymore.

You can do it by writing [spoiler] and the actual spoiler material in pale coloured text, so people have to highlight it to see it. Example: [spoiler]this is a spoiler[/spoiler]

[JayE]

cheers

[flyingbadger]

*Waits for Chrysostomomomom*

[chrysostom]

We were so disappointed when this was cancelled - watched it when it was first on, thought it was the best new comedy in bloody ages. So sad that it was cancelled when Mrs Brown's * Boys was recommissioned - Davies thought so too, I remember him saying on Twitter it was the biggest disappointment of his career.

It's very sad that we won't get to see the second series [on the BBC] - but maybe if enough people watch it on Netflix they'll commission it as a 'Netflix original' (hence why I'm pimping it out to everyone I know!).

Although I can see why the costs were too much - £3m for 6 episodes seems a lot given it wasn't a flagship show (not that I know much about budget restrictions on TV!)

[Bruvva]

Caught the first episode of True Detective via the red button on Sky last night, it's really very good indeed. All the usual outlets are crying "the new Breaking Bad" which is a bit daft but, from what I hear, the rest of the episodes are just as good and the performances from the lead actors are great.

[chrysostom]

Just found out that 1 episode of Doctor Who costs just over £680,000 (some series have been just over £1,000,000 for some episode) - given that it makes BBC Worldwide over £130m, it's easy to see why they couldn't justify the spend £500,000 per ep on Whites!

[dimtimjim]

Bit like Top Gear. The budget they get to play with on that show is nearly laughable - BUT, it makes back many, many times what it costs to contribute towards the £40M profit from BBC worldwide.

[JayE]

Since I've finished Breaking Bad now and to be honest it was the first show that's managed to grab my attention since Scrubs, does anyone have any recommendations? I'm up for trying anything new so any genre really.