I watch a LOT of television, or to be more accurate, I watch an awful lot of television series but I watch them mostly on dvd so I don't catch any of those pesky advert things. Generally I watch the American stuff although I've recently picked up a few more UK series which seem to be adopting the similar production values. I'll watch pretty much anything that doesn't involve members of the public or celebrities, although I tend not to watch sitcoms either at the moment.

Mad Men

Mad Men: Season 1

It's so sad that amazing shows like this get buried on channels like BBC 74 and ITV 53 in the UK, it must be because the subject is so American, because the quality of this show is far superior to so much else that's on. The period it's set in is fascinating and beautifully created here in all it's coolness and ridiculousness (the amount of cigarettes they smoke is hilariously scary). Working out who these characters are over the first season is fascinating and they're revealed so carefully and slowly that it's very hard to stop watching. None of this was really a surprise, given the rave reviews it gets, but I wasn't expecting it to be absolutely laugh out loud funny. Really one of the best shows on TV at the moment.

Mad Men: Season 3

The pacing of this show is very strange, I can't imagine watching it just one episode a week, with each episode ending in a somewhat random place and no stories ever really being wrapped up (like life I guess). But watching all 13 episodes it as I did reveals the careful developments and precision plotting, until it all comes together in a breath-taking final episode, where just a single line from a character, or even just a glance beautifully rounds out their story. While I found myself a little bored by the ongoing sagas in the Draper household, life in the advertising agency was fascinating and season 4 looks set to be equally exciting. The ensemble cast is amazing, I've not always thought Jon Hamm as impressive as others have, but this season's storylines gave more range to the character and he is well deserving of the praise. I can't wait for next season.

Television Series