The Selection Box #11 - Freaks and Geeks

Since it's one of my favourite shows and possibly one of the most underrated shows of all time, I thought Freaks and Geeks would be a fine choice for this weeks, "The Selection Box"...

Before Judd Apatow was making movies like Superbad, Knocked Up, and Funny People he had an attempt at two tv shows, both of which were cancelled in their first season, but lived on to become cult classics... Freaks and Geeks was the first of these two shows and featured a lot of well known faces in both the main cast and in the guest cast...

Filmed at the end of the 90s, but set at the beginning of the 80s, Freaks and Geeks is a high school dramedy that focuses on the unpopular students rather than the popular ones... It lasted only 18 episodes, which is a crying shame, but they're 18 episodes that you can watch over and over...

Probably the most interesting thing about the show is the cast - most of whom were nobodies at the time and now are some of the most successful actors in Hollywood... The main cast included Seth Rogen (Knocked Up, Superbad, Funny People, Pineapple Express), James Franco (Tristan & Isolde, Pineapple Express, Spiderman Trilogy), Jason Segal (I Love You Man, How I Met Your Mother), Linda Cardellini (ER, Scooby Doo Films), Busy Phillips (Dawson's Creek, Cougar Town), Martin Starr (Adventureland, Party Down), John Francis Daley (Bones) and Samm Levine (Inglorious Basterds)... Guest stars included Ben Stiller and Shia La Beouf...

It might take a bit of detective work to get your hands on this series, but it's well worth it... Be sure to check it out...

The Selection Box #11 - The IT Crowd

Since the 4th season is kicking off in two weeks time and I'm currently rewatching the first three seasons, I thought The IT Crowd would be a good choice for this week's edition of "The Selection Box"...

For those unfamiliar with the show, it's from Graham Linehan, the man who's brought us some of the world's greatest sitcoms, including Father Ted and Black Books...

This time the setting is the basement office of Reynholm Industries, where IT geeks Moss and Roy, as well as their relationship manager, Jen, spend their days...

The writing is genius and the acting is fantastic and one of those shows that you can watch again and again and again, and the jokes still seem fresh...

You don't have to know anything about computers to watch this show, so fear not technophobes, even you lot can enjoy this...

"Hello, IT. Have you tried turning it off and on again?"

The Selection Box #10 - Stargate SG-1

This week's venture into "The Selection Box" will pay homage to one of TV's longest running Sci-Fi's, Stargate SG-1...

Stargate SG-1 had the perfect mix of Sci-Fi, Comedy and Drama, which is probably why it managed to run for 10 years and spawn two spin-off series', Stargate Atlantis and Stargate Universe, as well as continuing its own story via a series of films...

The concept of the series is quite simple, the Stargate leads to many different planets in the Universe, and SG-1 is one of the teams that explores these planets. The team originally consisted of Colonel Jack O'Neill, Major Samantha Carter, Doctor Daniel Jackson and Teal'c, a member of the Jaffa race who rose up against the Goa'uld... In later series' Jack left the team and was replaced by Lt. Colonel Cameron Mitchell. They were further joined in the final series by Vala Mal Doran, an alien scam artist and thief...

Many say that once Richard Dean Anderson left the show at the end of series 8, that the show was doomed, and while obviously the absence of Jack was noticeable, Ben Browder made a great replacement as Cam, and of course Richard Dean Anderson continued to pop up throughout the final two seasons as a special guest star...

Stargate SG-1 is also one of those great shows that doesn't mind taking the piss out of itself and is something that became a plot device for several episodes throughout the show such as 'Wormhole X-Treme!' and '200'...

Ultimately if its a good Sci-Fi series you're after, check out Stargate Sg-1...

The Selection Box #9 - The Wire

Critics claim its the greatest show in tv history and it is my own personal favourite, so its about time that The Wire makes it into "The Selection Box"...

Its rare that you get a show that is as complex and amazing as The Wire - every episode feels like a feature lenght movie and as each episode ends disappointment sinks in because its over, but then you remember its a TV show and I've got all the episodes on DVD, so you can go straight into the next one...

While The Wire has overall storyarcs that the show revolves around, its the characters that the viewers care about, whether they be the good guys like Jimmy McNulty and Bunk Moreland or the bad guys like Avon Barksdale and Stringer Bell - although its tough to categorise people into good and bad categories in the wire as the majority of the characters fall into the grey area...

The acting in this series is next to none and as a viewer you really feel like these are real people and not just characters on a TV show...

I'm always feel jealous of people who haven't seen the show yet, because they have the opportunity to experience the show with fresh eyes and can have those, Fuck, that did not just happen moments and not know what is coming next, although even knowing how it all ends, the show is still one that you'll want to watch over and over again...

Wait, what's that? You haven't seen the Wire? "Shiiiiiiit!!" What are you waiting for - get out there and start watching...

The Selection Box #8 - LOST

As the critically acclaimed series, LOST, sings its Swan Song this weekend, it felt apt to choose it for this week's edition of "The Selection Box"...

If you haven't heard of LOST, you've obviously been living on a desserted island for the past six years, and ironically so have the characters in the series...

As soon as Oceanic 815 crashed onto our screens in 2004, I was hooked on the TV phenomenon that LOST has become and was one show I watched as soon as possible via the interweb, because even waiting 2 days to see it on RT� or SKY was just too long a wait...

I'd like to say that LOST has been consistently amazing for all 6 seasons, but I'd be lying if I didn't say they've really dropped the ball this year and the final season has been just about tolerable - having said that I really hope the finale can pull something out of the bag and make up for a lackluster final series of the show...

Regardless of the drop in quality this season LOST is still up there with one of the best TV series of all-time and the poor final season is still a billion times better than most of the crap on the box these days...

The Selection Box #7 - Land of the Giants

We go all the way back to 1968 for this weeks trip to "The Selection Box" for the sci-fi classic Land of the Giants...

Land of the Giants was decades ahead of its time in regards to special effects and production costs - setting a record for the most expensive show to produce at the time...

The premise of the show was basically about a group from Earth whose spacecraft, 'The Spindrift', crashlanded in the Land of the Giants - with the Giants being about 72 feet tall.

The greatest thing about the show is that there is no overall story arc, meaning every episode has a beginning, a middle and an end and you really don't have to invest a whole lot into the show if you don't want to...

It was created by Irwin Allen, who was responsible for some of the best Sci-Fi shows of the '60s and '70s, including Lost In Space...

This show used to be repeated when I was merely a young boy and for years I dreamed of visiting the Land of the Giants, so that I too could have adventures like Steve, Dan, Mark, Valerie, Betty, Fitzhugh, Barry and Chipper, but alas that dream was shattered about the same time as Santa Claus was, so I have to settle for watching repeats of the show on dvd - which is still better than living in the real world...

The Selection Box #6 - Friends

A controversial choice in this weeks edition of "The Selection Box" with Friends...

First hitting our screens in 1994 and being a hit all round the world, six year after its ending Friends is the sitcom equivalent of marmite - you either love it or hate it, and unfortunately due to an excess amount of repeats over the years, being a lover of Friends has become quite unfashionable as of late - which leads to people secretly liking it, but its becoming less and less common that one will admit it publicly that they like the show...

I am not one of those people shamed to admit it - Friends is hilarious and always will be - no matter how often I've seen a certain episode, I still find it funny and can easily be cheered up by popping on a Friends DVD after a rough day...

So while its currently quite unfashionable to be a Friends fan, if you enjoy the adventures of Ross, Rachel, Chandler, Monica, Phoebe and Joey, don't be ashamed to admit it, because sooner or later it will come back into fashion, and many of those naysayers will soon be jumping back on the bandwagon and saying the show is cool again...

The Selection Box #5 - Saved By The Bell

Bit of a blast from the past this week for "The Selection Box" with Saved by the Bell...

Even though it only ran from 1989 to 1993, repeats throughout the '90s ultimately resulted in Saved by the Bell moulding me into the person I am today - a smooth talker who's scams always go awry, just like Zack Morris, although he always seemed to have better luck with the ladies...

Obviously I was disappointed when I eventually got to secondary school and it was nothing like Bayside High - not a bright orange walk-in locker in sight and the closest thing I ever got to The Max was Eddie Rockets...

No matter how many times I see a single episode of Saved By The Bell, it still manages to bring a smile to my face and since I managed to wrangle up the entire collection on DVD, even on a rainy day I can take a trip to sunny California and the brightness of the Bayside High corridors - possibly the cheesiest sentence I've ever written in my entire life...

So maybe you're thinking, its just an old school kids show with stereotypical characters who represent different American High School cliques, and that's exactly what it is, but its also amazing and has a cracking theme tune... "It's all right, because I'm Saved By The Bell!"

The Selection Box #4 - Survivor

While the majority of reality tv shows are pure and utter tripe, the original reality series, Survivor, is pure quality and therefore this week's pick for "The Selection Box"...

This year Survivor celebrates its 10 year anniversary and 20 seasons of the show...

When Survivor first aired back in 2000 it was a type of show no one had ever seen before - this was even before Big Brother hit the screens... From the first season onwards it has been fascinating to watch the strategic, social and physical game that is Survivor as well as watching contestants live through harsh conditions in the most simple scenarios...

At first Jeff Probst was just like any other presenter but as the series progressed it was clear that Probst was a pivotal part of the show and without him it just wouldn't be the same...

The current season, "Heroes VS Villains", sees the return of some of the best players of the previous 19 seasons and it is easily the best series so far - each week leaving me on the edge of my seat with amazing blindsides and epic gameplay...

Already guaranteed for another 2 seasons, this is one of the best shows out there in TV Land... Be sure to watch it next time its on...

The Selection Box #3 - The Inbetweeners

E4's hit comedy series The Inbetweeners is easily the funniest shows on television in the last 5 years and therefore a fine choice to be picked for this week's "The Selection Box"...

I think the reason The Inbetweeners is so popular because the characters are charicatures of people everybody knows.

The show has already spun out two seasons of six episodes each and a third season, also of six episodes is currently being filmed, as well as plans for a feature film being made...

From the moment someone shouted "Briefcase Wanker" in the first episode of the show, I was hooked and can easily watch the same episode five or six times in a short window of time and still find it funny on the sixth viewing... which isn't something easily achieved by a show Graham Linehan is not involved in...

Neil punching the a fish to death is only one of the scenes you don't want to miss in this show, so if you haven't already seen it - go over to 4oD right now or purchase the box sets... You know you want to...

The Selection Box #2 - Oz

Possibly the most underrated and amazing drama ever to have graced the small screen with its presence, Oz was an obvious choice for 'The Selection Box'...

It kicked off in 1997 on HBO as the networks first self produced hour long drama. Set in Oswald State Penitentiary, Oz puts all other prison dramas to shame and ultimately scares the beejaysus out of its viewers, causing them to live life on the straight and narrow, so they never have to be subjected to life behind bars...

The show has such a huge cast and is one of the first TV dramas where no character was safe from being killed off or written out, no matter how pivotal they seemed to be in regards to the plot, which only added to the excitement of the series...

Oz opened doors for many actors who later went on to star in shows such as The Sopranos, The Wire, Lost, Dexter, 24 and Fringe, amongst others - kisckstarting careers for people such as Harold Perrineau, J.K. Simmons, Dean Winters, Kirk Acevedo, Lauren Velez, Christopher Meloni, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, David Zayas, J.D. Williams, Seth Gilliam, Lance Reddick, Reg E. Cathey, John Doman, Domenick Lombardozzi and Edie Falco...

Lasting 56 episodes and ending in 2003, this gritty drama is a must see...

The Selection Box #1 - Doctor Who

Over the course of the foreseeable future I'll be selecting my favourite shows from the box, whether they be past or present, and blogging about them here at 'The Pink Banana Hypothesis'...

As Matt Smith embarked on his first adventure as the Eleventh Doctor this weekend, it seemed only apt that Doctor Who would be my selection for the first edition of 'The Selection Box'...

Doctor Who is a well known institution at this stage and anyone who doesn't know about it has probably spent the last several decades curled up in a cave...

Eleven have officially played the role of the Doctor over the course of time and I'm sure there'll be more to come in the future... William Hartnell was the first to step out of the TARDIS and onto our screens way back when dinosaurs still roamed the earth... He was followed by Patrick Troughton, Jon Pertwee, Tom Baker, Peter Davidson, Colin Baker and Sylvester McCoy before the BBC cancelled the series in 1989 after over a quarter of a century on the box... In 1996 the Doctor returned for a TV movie, this time in the guise of Paul McGann, who many fans, myself included try to forget about as often as possible - hence my refusal to include him in the above pictures... Almost a decade later in 2005, the series returned to the BBC with Christopher Eccleston as the Doctor and a much bigger budget for the show... Eccleston dropped out after only 13 episodes and was replaced by David Tennant, who had a successful 4 year run until he was succeeded by Matt Smith this year... While many fans argue over who portrayed the Doctor best, the two names that come to the forefront the most are Tom Baker and David Tennant, who coincidentally are the two Doctors who have clocked up the most screentime in the course of the series...

The Doctor rarely travels alone through time and is ofter accompanied by several companions at once, whom he constantly has to rescue from dangerous aliens...

While the cast continuosly changes on the show, the one constant is the exterior of the TARDIS, which has always been a blue 1950's Police Box, while the interior of the TARDIS has undergone several changes...

So, what makes the show so great? It's about an alien being who travels through time and space in a police box, who regenerates into a new body every time he dies... It's the perfect mixture of adventure, comedy, drama and sci-fi... What more do you want?