Okay, when did TV get so good all of a sudden? I mean, with the end of Seinfeld everybody was talking about the dearth of good shows, but instead we've got kick ass stuff going on the air all the time. And that's just on HBO! Here's a rundown - what do you guys like to watch? What show impresses the hell out of you?

Oz: Makes my sphincter clench and my writer's mojo soar. The characters are so real and their arcs so lifelike -- man. What a great show.

Sopranos: Need I say more?

Chris Rock Show, Mr. Show, Larry Sanders -- the reasons I got HBO in the first place. Best comedies on TV hands down

Chimp Channel -- it kind of lost its appeal, but the first few promos and episodes were fantastic

G vs. E -- this looks BAD ASS. Can't wait to see it. Sunday night!

South Park -- I don't care what anybody says, there are still good new episodes coming out. The South America rain forest thing was as good as anything they've done (except the movie, of course).

King of the Hill, Simpsons, Futurama, Dr. Katz -- laugh out loud stuff. Oh and don't get me started on Family Guy. Family Guy has like one real joke per episode and the rest is just scatalogical bullshit. How dare they tried to diss Matt Groening with this rancid turd.

Notice none of these are on the big three networks (Fox has always been a little ahead of the curve). I used to hate spending money on cable, but honestly that's where all the good stuff is now.

-- Anonymous, July 15, 1999

Answers

Well, I wouldn't just put down the major networks just yet. NBC continues to put out pretty good stuff (although we're losing News Radio this year, it was a great show). Will and Grace crack me up. ER will always have me watching. Friends continues to make me laugh, and I can't believe it does. It is a credit to their writers that they change focus on their characters every season so we learn a bit more about each one instead of it being the Ross and Racheal Show.

I really used to like Frasier and Third Rock, but they've lost me somewhere. I still watch Third Rock, though, because I really like the cast.

A moment of silence for John Henson's departure from Talk Soup....

I really don't like Futurama. It makes me laugh even less than The Family Guy. I do like Sex in the City on HBO. I want to be a writer for them.

I find that I rarely home to watch prime time television, and for some reason whenever I'm stuck home there's nothing on. I haven't seen a Thursday line up since February.

Mr. Show rocks. I miss it so.

-- Anonymous, July 15, 1999

TV in the UK is seriously sucky. It's so crap that, as a faithful cable and satellite TV company employee, I've had a free cable/satellite perk for the nearly-two-years I've been working here, and I've not bothered to get the subscription organised.

That's all going to change though. It's the Rugby World Cup this year, and if there's one thing you can guarantee about a flat containing a South African and a New Zealander, it's the fact that we like our rugby. All other sports are merely for wusses. (oops, that's another thread in itself, really).

-- Anonymous, July 15, 1999

Family Guy makes me physically ill. I can't watch it; I get all twitchy and achey and nauseated. Really. Jeremy likes Futurama but I can't get into it.

I'm glad there's someone else willing to admit that Friends is actually funny. At first I thought maybe it was just because I love Lisa Kudrow so much, but then I saw Romy & Michelle's High School Reunion, and thought, nope, that can't be it.

Will & Grace is the best new show in years, but the only show I can't miss these days is Buffy. Not only is it my favorite show of the moment, it's my favorite show ever. How embarrassing is that? I love it more than I ever loved the Superfriends!

-- Anonymous, July 15, 1999

Who is the guy who replaced John Henson on Talk Soup? It took me a while to get used to John, after my dear beloved Greg Kinnear left. I'm not sure I can take another shakeup like this!

-- Anonymous, July 15, 1999

Will & Grace is an excellent show. While I love Will and Grace....Jack and Karen KILL me. Sex in the City is fantastic....I love that show, as well. Charlotte's character was based on me....I swear, only I'm not that cute and I live in hee haw hell, not NYC.

Did you catch Chris Rock's latest special? I thought I was going to hurt myself laughing so hard. A little warning.....if the word "fuck" offends you....don't even THINK about watching it.

-- Anonymous, July 15, 1999

kristen--

The new John Henson (who kicked Greg Kinnear's ass, by the way) is named Hal Sparks. You can read about him at e-online here. He's basically a John Henson wannabe, and I'm just mad that they didn't cast my friend and fellow monk ANDY COBB, who's just so perfect for that show.

-- Anonymous, July 15, 1999

The family guy rocks! How can you say a cartoon with a paranoid infant who speaks with a British accent is anything short of brilliant.

Sopranos: Best show on tv.

-- Anonymous, July 15, 1999

My boyfriend got me watching 'Antique Road Show' on PBS for some reason, it's interesting in it's own way. Out of all the networks, I think I watch the WB and Fox the most. I watch Buffy and Felicity on WB and Fox has the Simpsons on twice everyday, I can't beat that. I've been seeing promos on NBC for a show called Cold Feet and I think it looks pretty good, there's another one with Sela Ward in it that looks promising. I'm a sucker for a good love story. Is it just me or are news magazines addicting? I watch 20/20, Dateline, 48 Hours, and 60 minutes; I love that 'investigative reporting' crap!

-- Anonymous, July 15, 1999

Pamie: You're right,I forgot about Will and Grace and Friends. But really, NBC has totally dropped the ball. They've let Frazier go to pot and kinda pushed Just Shoot Me aside, which is much funnier than most of their comedies.

ER really lost me. Don't know where, don't know when, but I got really tired of the characters after last season.

I wish I watched Buffy more. The few times I've seen it I really liked it.

I go through phases where a show becomes my favorite thing in the world -- it happened with Dr. Katz, then with Mr. Show. I think right now it's a toss up between Oz and Chris Rock. Oh and I used to really love Space Ghost coast to coast but I haven't seen it in a while. Brak rules.
-- Anonymous, July 15, 1999

Buffy is the one show that I absolutely cannot miss a single episode of. I used italics twice in that sentence, so you know I'm serious. Futurama is good, but it's not great-- yet. I think it will be, though. Back when we had Digital Cable, we got Bravo, and were able to watch The Awful Truth, which is a simply awesome show. We're supposed to be getting it again whenever the stupid cable company hooks us up with the new channels, so I'm looking forward to seeing that again. I really don't watch a lot of television, now that I think about it. Late Night with Conan O'Brian rocks, too... I'm usually too lazy to stay up and watch it, though.

-- Anonymous, July 15, 1999

Will and Grace always seemed like a good show to me before I actually saw it. Needless to say, I was a bit disappointed in it. How long can you laugh at gay jokes? I think people think they like it more than they do (if that makes any sense). I think the premise is a good idea but it's really not all that funny, to me anyway.

Buffy is definitely one of the most original shows on the air. Good dialogue and the plots, which sucked early on, are getting a lot better (though Angela and Buffy are becoming a bit like Ross and Rachel).

I think a show that varies between very funny and frighteningly unfunny is That 70's Show. It has potential.

I just think we're waiting for that one break away show like Seinfeld. There's no clear frontrunner these days and maybe that's why everyone thinks TV sucks... What a horrible thing to say.

-- Anonymous, July 15, 1999

I'm a huge fan of Buffy myself, but I don't like the idea of the new spin-off. Can Angel and Cordelia really survive on their own? It's starting to feel like a 90's version of The Odd Couple. And can the regular cast survive without Cordelia's edginess? With her gone, the comedy aspect of the show will dwindle by alot. I've never liked spin- offs, and the Jennifer Love Hewitt 'Party of 5' spin-off sounds like it will run out of steam after season 1. Although Daria is a very nice exception.

Friends has improved alot since Ross and Rachel seperated. Rachel finally got to be funny by herself, and can have storylines that don't involve Ross, although nowadays all he seems to do is mope over her and his ex-wives.

-- Anonymous, July 16, 1999

I think it's about time for Ross to die in a plane crash. Who'll sign my petition?

-- Anonymous, July 16, 1999

Ross is a whiny little bitch. Of course, that does make it easier for Chandler to shine.

Ya know, I'm the furthest thing from homosexual, but that Chandler... I dunno. If I were a woman and he was a man. Or vice versa, or something... or...

Damn.. excuse me. Gotta go call the therapist.

-- Anonymous, July 16, 1999

Beth: Sign me up, nice and quick Omar: You said it dude, I didn't want to have to.

It's good to know I'm not the only one who finds him annoying. Definately the least expendible character on the show.

-- Anonymous, July 16, 1999

Omar: umm.. I mean, about Ross being a whiny little bitch, not necessarily about any gender bending, not that there's anything wrong.. with.. that.. hmm I miss Seinfeld.

-- Anonymous, July 16, 1999

My bet is that soon, Phoebe and Joey will discover that they're really meant for each other as well, and the series will end with six friends reduced to three gag-inducing couples. The moral, of course, will be that they all spent years looking for love and it was right in front of them the whole time. Bleah.

I only have one complaint about Buffy: Not enough Oz!

-- Anonymous, July 16, 1999

I have to agree, Brak does indeed rule. In fact, the best stuff on TV (excluding anything on HBO, which I am deprived of and can therefore not comment on) is animated. I'm still indecisive about the new stuff, though. Family Guy and Futurama both show promise, but they haven't endeared themselves to me the way the Simpsons has. That show has to be the most consistently brilliant thing on TV. Most sitcoms I find schlocky and deplorable. Luckily, I don't watch much prime-time. I do, however watch afternoon TV, so I get my daily dose of cartoons. By the way, they've started showing the 80's Spiderman & Friends again. You know, where he's roommates with Iceman and Firestar. Man, I loved that hour block they shared with the Incredible Hulk. Oh, and thanks again, Pamie. I guess all the time I spend yelling at the TV when my roommate and I flip between Springer, Maury and Ricki is paying off.

-- Anonymous, July 20, 1999

all this talk about the Fox network and no one here watches The X-Files? i can't believe it. True, they've had a rough season but still there were some AAAmazing episodes. i can't help but think its the best show ever produced for TV.if you've never caught it you should check out the reruns on the FX channel.

Will and Grace is great. I adore jack. I first saw him in Billy's First Hollywood Screen Kiss. Very fun m

-- Anonymous, July 31, 1999

Whoever said that the X Files was the best show on TV is completely correct. And Simpsons and Futurama rock as well, even though I dont watch them as much as I'd like (and I watch them at least three times a week). Space Ghost is also quality programming. Family guy, i dunno. I like the baby and all, but some of the stuff is just so. . . random! Used to love South Park. Hate it now. Although the movie was good. Sopranos rocks. I hate the new talk soup guy, though. He's just not funny! Ok, thats my rant on TV.

-- Anonymous, August 18, 1999