With today's mega-channel cable "niche" targeting, there are plenty more TV shows out there that most of us haven't seen than those that we have. Hidden within the drek there is the occasional pearl that becomes a "must watch" for the viewer lucky enough to discover it - but that viewer may find that no one else he knows has ever heard of the show - much less seen it. That show for me is "Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations" which airs Monday nights at 10 on The Travel Channel. Bourdain is a chef, writer, and all-around bad boy who travels the world sampling the foods of various cultures in 5-star restaurants, road-side food stands, and everywhere in between. The show is informative, funny, irreverent, and extremely well-crafted - it is great television - and it's one of the very few TV programs to which I look forward week after week and which never disappoints.

Just wondering what recommendations you guys have for "hidden" TV shows the rest of us may not know about?

The original (Ricky Gervais) version of THE OFFICE probably doesn't qualify as hidden, but if you appreciate dry Brit humor and you haven't seen this show in its original incarnation I highly recommend it.

Ditto DEADWOOD, the second season of which arrives on DVD May 25. Again, I'm not sure this qualifies as "hidden" TV, but the new season debuts in September on HBO and (apologies for the hyperbole; back me up here Zorro) it's one of the best (dramatic) TV shows you will ever see.

Again, I'm not sure this qualifies as "hidden" TV, but the new season debuts in September on HBO and (apologies for the hyperbole; back me up here Zorro) it's one of the best (dramatic) TV shows you will ever see.

Your back is got.

Talk about hidden, just try to find Ebert & Roeper's weekly movie review show around here. It's been on more channels and times in the NY area than any other show. Years ago we'd catch it at 11PM Sunday on channel 5 (Fox). More recently it was on 3 in the afternoon on ABC, who then changed it to 2PM without notice so I missed it for weeks. Then ABC seems to have dropped it, but I managed to find it on obscure little local channel 10 Saturday at 7PM. It's harder to find than Babylon 5 was!!!!

Talk about hidden, just try to find Ebert & Roeper's weekly movie review show around here. It's been on more channels and times in the NY area than any other show. Years ago we'd catch it at 11PM Sunday on channel 5 (Fox). More recently it was on 3 in the afternoon on ABC, who then changed it to 2PM without notice so I missed it for weeks. Then ABC seems to have dropped it, but I managed to find it on obscure little local channel 10 Saturday at 7PM. It's harder to find than Babylon 5 was!!!!

Yeah. That show used to be regular viewing for me too. I ran across it the other night by "accident", but don't remember now what channel it was on. Sheesh!

I hear tell about this show called, "Battlestar Galactica"... :tongue:

Actually, a "hidden" show I'm re-discovering is Nova on PBS. Did anyone see the epside called, "The Great Robot Race" a couple of weeks back? It was a contest to see who could design a self-driving vehicle that could finish a 100+ mile course throush the desert (You see I drove through the desert on a car with no name, it felt so good to...).

It was sooooooo cool (that is, until Skynet is born and blows us all). And the car the wife and I were rooting for won, too. :)

José

I hear tell about this show called, "Battlestar Galactica"... :tongue:

Actually, a "hidden" show I'm re-discovering is Nova on PBS. Did anyone see the epside called, "The Great Robot Race" a couple of weeks back? It was a contest to see who could design a self-driving vehicle that could finish a 100+ mile course throush the desert (You see I drove through the desert on a car with no name, it felt so good to...).

It was sooooooo cool (that is, until Skynet is born and blows us all). And the car the wife and I were rooting for won, too. :)

José


PBS still does certain types of programming better than anyone else IMHO.;)

Countdown with Keith Olberman- By far MSNBC's best show, and arguably the best nightly news show on TV. Bonus points for being the only MSNBC "news" show that offers coverage of real issues, instead of what's the latest gossip from Aruba and Duke University. Olberman doesn't take himself or the news too seriously, and I love the zeal with which he goes after his mortal enemy, Bighead Bill O'Reilly (or Mr Falafal), the two have had a heated feud going for years. And the "Worst Person of the Day" never fails to entertain.

BTW, this should definately qualify as a hidden show, the Olberman-O'Reilly feud started when O'Reilly announced on air (accurately) that the 4AM repeat of The O'Reilly Factor has better ratings than the 8pm Countdown edition!

Most Haunted, on Travel Channel. Fridays at 9pm.

Globetrekker, depending on which of the rotating hosts is on. I watch it on PBS but my son tells me it's on the Travel Channel as well.

One of my guilty pleasures is Survivorman, plus you just never know......

Firefly, it was so hidden very few people even knew about it including myself. After having seen the complete series on dvd, I wish that Fox had treated it better.

Lone Gunmen on Fox.
You start liking a show and then Fox does what Fox does Cancels it!

Cheers,
Max Bryant

A couple of UK shows thta're worth a look. I don't know if they're available in the US.

Drama-

'Life on Mars' - Cop from the present has a life threatening accident and wakes up in 1973. Is he dreaming? In a coma? Time traveling? Either way 1973 UK sucks big time! This series kinda rferences an old UK TV show 'The Sweeny'. Realy a very good show. They are now making the sequel.

'Dr Who' - now on series 2 with a new Doctor. A great continuation of a series that was originaly cancelled by the head of the BBC who hated the show, so that the BBC could make 'new and better shows'. Unfortunately none of their ideas for a replacement were any good. Once the old boss left it was reinstated and is now a ratings winner again. Yes!

Documentary

Ray Mears. This guy is a survival expert. He has acouple of series. One where he goes to nasty places and survives with a knife a bit of string and a tarpaulin. The other tells about disasters where people have survived in unlikely circumstances (and some times they don't!). He also did a one off special where he took Ewan McGregor up the Amazon. Always a good watch, though he usualy eats some realy foul stuff!

Jim

Documentary

Ray Mears. This guy is a survival expert. He has acouple of series. One where he goes to nasty places and survives with a knife a bit of string and a tarpaulin. The other tells about disasters where people have survived in unlikely circumstances (and some times they don't!). He also did a one off special where he took Ewan McGregor up the Amazon. Always a good watch, though he usualy eats some realy foul stuff!

Jim

Sounds a lot like the Science Channel's show I mentioned earlier, Survivorman:

http://www.survivorman.ca/

Les Stroud knows how to do more things with a leatherman tool than McGuyver, and eats some pretty bizaare stuff as well. Every week they maroon Les in a different enviroment with just cameras (no camera crew) and pick him up a week later.

Is Mail Call still on the air? I haven't seen it in months!

just try to find Ebert & Roeper's weekly movie review show around hereIt's available as a podcast, if you're interested. I know it can be accessed through an iTunes podcast search, and probably also from the show's web site.

Qapla'

SSB

. . . It was sooooooo cool (that is, until Skynet is born and blows us all).

If Skynet comes in the form of a female robot (like in T3), that might be a pleasant experience. I just want to be first in line. :p

It's available as a podcast, if you're interested. I know it can be accessed through an iTunes podcast search, and probably also from the show's web site.

Qapla'

SSB

Aren't podcasts audio-only? No point to THAT, I wanna see the movie previews.

Aren't podcasts audio-only? No point to THAT, I wanna see the movie previews.

They have video.

Aren't podcasts audio-only? No point to THAT, I wanna see the movie previews.I honestly don't know in this case -- some podcasts include video as well. Some offer a choice of audio only or both audio and video; you'd just have to check.

Qapla'

SSB

Apropos of model making, Captain Cardboard uses video podcasts to provide updates for his various Atomic City projects.

The NOVA epsiode called "Dimming the Sun" was also fascinating. It explained why the temperature rise in global warming isn't as high as scientists thought it should be. Pretty frightening, actually.

José

Inside the Actor's studio is a great show - depending upon the guest - that I assume most people don't know about. In fact, I've forgotten to watch it for about 6 months! :freak: If the guest is an actor you like, it's always fun to see if they're an intelligent interview or a total twit.

Inside the Actor's studio is a great show - depending upon the guest - that I assume most people don't know about. In fact, I've forgotten to watch it for about 6 months! :freak: If the guest is an actor you like, it's always fun to see if they're an intelligent interview or a total twit.

Did you see Kevin Spacey? The fellow is incredible with impressions--better than Rich Little ever was.

Spacey was a great guest. Abhor James Lipton, though. He's enough to keep me from watching even if Marlon Brando came back to give him an interview.

Spacey was a great guest. Abhor James Lipton, though. He's enough to keep me from watching even if Marlon Brando came back to give him an interview.

Agree about James Lipton, Will Ferrell does a great impression of him though.

Spacey is amazing at impressions though, his "Lost Star Wars Auditions" was one of the funniest bits SNL ever ran, it was almost as good as my fave, "Follow Your Dream:The First US Male Olympic Synchronized Swim Team".

Inside the Actor's studio is a great show - depending upon the guest - that I assume most people don't know about. In fact, I've forgotten to watch it for about 6 months! :freak: If the guest is an actor you like, it's always fun to see if they're an intelligent interview or a total twit.Yes, and I like that they usually stick to the topic of acting, and I don't have to listen to celebrities pushing some cause -- dubious or otherwise.

Qapla'

SSB

A not well known in North America British sketch comedy: Little Britain. Evidently it's on here, I've just seen the discs, eagerly awaiting season 2 coming out later this month.

Zorro- I just watched my first ep of Destinations: China (Travel Channel). Great stuff and the guy certainly has wit. Doc sez no alcohol or spicy foods so he heads out for scotch and hot-pot!
The real hidden tv was the gem that followed it!!! A tribe of folks running around drinking cava. Banana leaves are the attire and polygyny runs wild. This reality show will wake up the kids and give them a newfound appreciation for even a loaf of bread.

I definitely enjoy Most Haunted and even the roto rooter Ghost Hunters. I tune into Spike TV for the UFC reality show too (thursdays 10est)

Glad you liked it fjimi. I missed it this week because my goldanged DVR doesn't want to record the series for some reason. I was looking forward to it.

Deadliest Catch- My wife has actually liked this Discovery Channel show for awhile about the Alaskan crabbing industry.

I watched DC's marathon of episodes yesterday. I think it's pretty compelling. In my own career I've swam with more sharks than I can count, jumped out of perfectly good airplanes, and wedged myself into the tight confines of submarine "mud tanks" for shaft seal jobs with my only air supply a Jack Browne mask that was probably 30 years older than me. But those crabbing guys are nuts!, that's a hard way to make a living! Just watching those guys continually chipping at the 45 tons of ice collected on the boat every night with sledghammers made my hands ache.

PBS Now- Still a good show, I don't think certain interest got their wish forcing out Bill Moyer off the show, new host David Branciaccio strikes me a bigger liberal than Moyer ever was. This week's episode about the hot new Chris Paine documentary Who Killed the Electric Car is especially eye opening, it chronicles the rise & demise of GM's EV-1.

http://www.pbs.org/now/shows/223/index.html

Can you count Deadliest catch as a "hidden show?" They advertise the living crap out of it! :)