Lets be honest……….there’s a lot of crap on T.V. these days. Were bombarded every day with reality T.V shows, talk shows, and infomercials. It’s almost enough to make you want to give up watching T.V period and try something like playing ball in a cup ( the game where the objective is to land a ball in a cup. And don’t worry, if you don’t get your ball in the cup it’s attached with a string ). Yes I’ll admit it I’m addicted to Family Guy, and why not the show is pure genius. But getting back on topic, with all the garbage that floats out there on the airwaves there are shows out there that stand out from the pack and actually do something that most shows these days don’t do…………actually entertain us. So with that in mind I thought why not make a hub and show some of my favourite ones to everyone, I hope you enjoy this hub and let me know what you think of it.

The first one on my list is Family Guy, I already admitted that I’m addicted to this show so it seemed like the logical place to start. Created by Seth McFarlane, the show is a parody of American culture. It follows the Griffins a family living in Rhode island and there dysfunctional antics. The main Characters include Peter, someone I’d describe as a slightly smarter Homer Simpson but a much larger loud mouth who tends to drive his wife and kids nuts with his flashbacks and ridiculous schemes. Lois his wife who somehow manages to stay sane while coping with her husband and kids ( I’m thinking its booze that helps keep her from going over the edge ) Chris there oldest son who doesn’t seem to be all, there and has an evil monkey in his closet ( Your going to have to watch the show if you haven’t seen it to understand what that means ) Meg the daughter who doesn’t seem to fit in anywhere, as well as the punch line to many of there gags. Brian a well spoken intellectual dog with a drinking problem who wants to get in Lois’ pants. And Stewie the baby of the family who is an evil genius and………….well lets just say I’m not sure what team he’s playing for.

The episodes range in stories from a spoof about the A-Team, to Brian going to Hollywood to end up as a director in porno movies, and Stewie’s attempts at not only world domination but trying to kill Lois. Or as he puts it “ It’s not that I want to “kill her”. Its that I don’t want her to be alive anymore.”

Normally when a T.V show or movie is re-done to bring it up to speed to a new generation, they tend to fall flat on there face. They lack the same creativity and originality and personality of the original, even if the remake follows very closely to the originals storyline and in some cases even have some of the original cast members and crew behind the camera. What you get in these cases is a watered down predictable and frankly boring copy of a once great show. Fortunately this is not the case with Battlestar Gallactica, which with its 5 emmy nominations surpassed the original by a long shot. The story is for the most part the same, the Cylons ( machines created by mankind to be our servants ) have rebelled and started a war against their creators. Now after a 50 year truce the Cylons re-appear and launch a sneak attack on the human colonies, destroying all but a handful of survivors. Those that survive are lead by Commander Adama and his ship the Battlestar Gallactica from which the show is named. ( Played by Edward James Olmos who was one of the main characters of a little known show called Miami Vice ) He then leads the survivors through countless trials and ordeals in the search of a new home called Earth.

Also in 2010 a new Series called Caprica is due to be released. ( The mini-series has been out for a couple of months ) The new series will highlight how the Cylons were created and what led to their rebellion. From watching the mini-series, if you haven’t seen it yet I highly recommend checking it out.

Shot on location in Italy the HBO series Rome aired in 2005 for two seasons. Though the series was short lived it’s historical accuracy and character depth made it a huge success. The story in the first season follows the rise and fall of Giaus Julius Caesar, the Roman empires most famous general/dictator from. Set just after Caesars conquest of Gaul in 52 BC ( Gaul is which was located in western Europe mostly in France ) It follows not only Caesar’s rise to power against rival and former friend Pompey Magnus, but the lives of two ordinary Roman soldiers Lucius Vorenus and Titus Pullo ( Both are based on real people ) and there struggles. The second season takes place after Caesar’s death in 44 BC where we see the rise of Augustus Caesar and how he ends the old Roman republic to become the first emperor of the Roman empire.

Band of Brothers is a 10 part mini-series set in much the same fashion as Saving Private Ryan ( Both were produced by Stephen Spielberg ) The Series follows E Company of the 2^nd Battalion, 506 Infantry Parachute Regiment, from there initial training in Parachute school, to the Normandy invasion, Operation Market Garden, Battle of Bastogne, to the end of the war. What really got me hooked on this series other then the amazing special effects that were done to movie quality, was that it was based on the lives of real soldiers. Each episode had surviving members of E Company tell you a little bit about what it was like during that time and what they experienced. To me this gave the show a much greater appreciation and understanding of the sacrifices not only that they made, but of all those involved in the war.