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I’m going to go with the X-Files. Although I was going to say The Sopranos because when it first came out it was like no one had ever made good TV before and they were showing everyone else how to do it. But I have rewatched X-Files way more than the sopranos (I have a few times, but the last couple of times I kind of skipped over the therapy sessions to get to the rest of the show). The seasons were long enough that they could keep a main story going, and then allow the characters to develop more fully in these little side quests with other interesting characters. The chemistry between Duchovny and Anderson was perfect, the writing was extremely compelling, and they did a really wonderful job with story arcs. Also, it’s mostly filmed in Vancouver in the 90s and I have fond memories of that town in that time. Continuum is another favourite for that same reason. But yeah, the X-Files. Currently at season 7 in another rewatch and still loving it.
I think that might be the case for radio country music, but there’s a huge resurgence or Americana that’s been happening for the last 15 years or so. Phosphorescent, Damien Jurado, Black Mountain and a lot of others on labels like Sub Pop (yes, that Sub Pop), Dead Oceans, Warm, and more. It’s worth looking into if you have a hankerin’ for some rebel country in the tradition of Waylon, Willie, and Bocephus.
Conan was talking about this, either on his podcast or at the end of that last Norm special on Netflix. Apparently, he was booked for two segments, but thought he was only there for one, so he just improved this whole thing to fill in the time. Such a brilliant mind. What a huge loss.