So, it has been a while, hasn’t it? I obviously have not been keeping current with my blog. The explanation is simple: I’ve been in PhD-land for the last year and a half. I am currently in my last semester of course work for my degree, and I am looking forward to having a bit of my life back when this semester is done. Not that I’ll suddenly have a ton of free time, but this semester has been especially killer.
This is not to say I have not been writing, or that I have been absent from the web. In fact, last Spring I took a course called Technoromanticism. It was incredible. And introduced me to the joy of digital humanities. We had a course blog, and this is one of my posts on mimesis, Frankenstein, and the TV show Dollhouse.
I would love to promise that I am back in the blogging saddle, but that may not happen until this summer. I do look forward to coming back to participant/observer as soon as possible, and updating you on the other, non-blog writing I have been tackling for the last several months.
Here is another quick and dirty TV post – I promise some thoughtful and provoking posts about theatre soon. I wanted to rank my top ten TV shows for 2010, at least before the year is half over, so this is just a list, with no explanation for the rankings. You’ll notice I cheated – there are eleven shows because I just couldn’t eliminate one from the list. There are plenty of great new shows in 2011 as well, and I plan to write about them soon too. What do you think of the list? What shows are left off that should be on? What was you top TV show of 2010?
11. Fringe
10. Community
9. Modern Family
8. The Good Wife
7. Justified
6. Sons of Anarchy
5. Supernatural
4. Breaking Bad
3. Rubicon
2. Mad Men
1. Terriers
The Runners Up:
—Friday Night Lights
—Cougartown
—Parks and Recreation
—Chuck
—Lost
And a special honorable mention to Lone Star, the Fox show that was clearly excellent, despite only receiving two airings before being prematurely canceled.
Ok, so sometimes these blog posts are not as timely as I would hope. But let’s continue on with or television run-down for the fall, shall we? I wrote these some months ago, so I’ll make updates as I go, stopping half-way through Thursday night, which is, shamefully, as far as I got before the holidays swept me into a whirlwind of crazy that has still not let up sufficiently for me to update my blog in a respectful way.
TUESDAY
NEW SHOWS
No Ordinary Family
This show seemed to be one of the few that critics were excited about thanks to a preview at Comic-Con. And I am pleased that ABC did not follow its usual pattern of cramming too many characters into a new series (I’m looking at you, The Gates and FlashForward), though it does come close. And, unfortunately, ABC did try its usual trick of domesticating the hell out of all of its characters and stories. I feel like this show works so hard at showing how normal the Powell family is, that their reactions to suddenly having super-powers are so muted as to be unbelievable. TVbythenumbers.com puts the show possibly on the bubble for getting cancelled, and its viewership slipped more than 20% this week, so the show may not be around long enough to be too concerned with it. But if it does stick around for a full season, or even get a second season, I do hope they tighten the writing, and really give the family some believable moments to contemplate how extraordinary these powers make them. Because, really, who wants to spend their precious tv time on an ordinary family?
Running Wilde
This show will not be around long enough to deserve much conversation. If people were looking for Arrested Development 2.0, they did not find it in this show. The premise is tired and the execution more so. I will not miss it when it is canceled.
Detroit 1-8-7
I have not watched every episode of Detroit 1-8-7 because it is in a very busy timeslot. The episodes I have seen leave me lukewarm. The pilot tried so hard to establish itself as a Detroit show (as if the title didn’t do that already), and Michael Imperioli is wonderfully nuanced as Detective Fitch, but the show is still another police procedural and I’m rather fatigued on the genre (as evidenced by the lack of Law & Orders of any sort on my watch list).
RETURNING SHOWS
Glee
Oh, Glee. So fun. So uneven. So much Sue Sylvester. I was not a musical theatre geek in school. In fact, the musical kids and the theatre kids did not get along at my high school. I’m not a fan of much of the music on Glee and I don’t much care for the high school will-they-or-won’t-they drama. And my biggest complaint about the show when it first aired was that none of the female characters on the show were sympathetic. Or not crazy. Ryan Murphy seems to have balanced this out by making the male characters all a little crazier too. But I wouldn’t miss this show, if only for Sue Sylvester’s insult of the week, and a possible NPH sighting. Even if it means getting Britney Spears’ “Toxic,” or Katy Perry’s “Teenage Dream” stuck in my head for the rest of the week.
Life Unexpected
This show was quite the disappointment last season. After an interesting pilot, it became filled with annoying and whiny characters – not one in the bunch to root for. The first two episodes in this season gave many of the characters something they badly needed – other things to do besides argue with each other. Hello, three dimensions. But then it was a return to form, and with no back order beyond the 13 episodes of season two, the show is as good as canceled, meaning that I can concentrate my guilty pleasure CW-watching on The Vampire Diaries and Gossip Girl.
The Good Wife
This show was a nice surprise last season. I tuned in because I had enjoyed Juliana Margulies so much on ER, and I was pleased that this traditional story turned out to have such strength. The Good Wife is proof that a tried and true set-up does not have to be tired. The structure of this show is not anything we haven’t seen before. But the writing is economical, the acting is fantastic, and plot takes just enough turns to be surprising. The fact that it’s set in Chicago is just a bonus. I’ll be watching this show for a long time, in spite of its awful portrayal of Steppenwolf Theatre Company in a recent episode.
Parenthood
A solid show. I’m watching it mainly for my love of Peter Krause and Lauren Graham. And I’m not sure I have much to say about it beyond that. Except that maybe Dax Shepard isn’t nearly as annoying as I thought he might be. In fact, his turn as new father Crosby Braverman has been fairly entertaining and often touching. But I could take this show or leave it, I guess, meaning that I wouldn’t be completely heartbroken if it were canceled. But I enjoy the performances enough that it makes the TiVo queue.
Sons of Anarchy
Sons of Anarchy is currently one of the best shows on television – it is on my top five tv shows list. This show features amazing storytelling with unpredictable twists and turns. I wouldn’t miss it. The fact that the SAMCRO team, and especially Katey Sagal for her amazing work as Gemma Teller, was passed over by the Emmy’s this year is a crime. It has now wrapped up its third season, one that was not as tight as the preceding season. But the show is so very on fire 90% of the time that even the qualms I have about this season’s story feel insignificant compared to the performances of Charles Hunman and Katy Sagal alone.
Caprica
Well, I guess it is too late too really talk about this show. So long, Caprica, we hardly knew you; mainly because you wouldn’t let us know you. It’s predecessor, Battlestar Galactica, manage to match its intellectualism with fact pacing and a fair amount of action and explosions. And I’m convinced that that is a big part of what was continually missing from this show. Here’s hoping the next BSG spin-off fairs better.
WEDNESDAY
NEW SHOWS
Undercovers
Canceled. And for good reason. Next!
The Whole Truth
Also canceled. Anyone else noticing how many of the new shows are failures? Yeah, me too.
The Defenders
I didn’t catch this show when the pilot aired but came back around and watched it online afterwards. I had heard both good and bad things about it and my expectations were not high. It’s essentially a procedural, which I have been getting tired of in the last few years. (Who hasn’t?!) I cut out Law and Order during its penultimate season, as well as SVU and CI. But this show knows what it is and lends a nice lightness to what is essentially just a courtroom drama. It has a similar feel as the early (better) seasons of Las Vegas, and it’s probably not a coincidence that both shows are set in said city. I’ll watch The Defenders whenever the TiVo happens to capture it, and it will be a nice change of pace whenever I do pick it up.
Top Chef: Just Desserts
Top Chef JD already ended its first season, and I was not happy with the winner, just for the record. I realize that is a bit silly to say, considering I never tasted any of the food from the contestants. But let’s just say that when a certain chef wins a ton of challenges and is pretty much the front-runner for the entire show, you sort of expect the judges to choose that chef as the (deserving) overall winner. But if it comes back for another season, I’ll probably watch it, if only because Bravo will air it ten times a week.
Terriers
This is the best new show of the fall. Wait. In case you weren’t listening, let me say that again. THIS IS THE BEST NEW SHOW OF THE FALL. And, unfortunately, you’re probably did not watch it. But you should have. This beach noir buddy detective drama is thoroughly original. The sting of its cancellation is still fresh.
RETURNING SHOWS
America’s Next Top Model
What can I say? Nothing really. Move along, nothing to see here….
Modern Family
The best new sitcom of last fall is still one of the funniest shows on television this fall. All the evidence you need is the Halloween episode scene’s of Mitchell in a Spiderman costume. Enough said.
Cougartown
This comedy had a rocky start during its first season but really grew nicely as episodes progressed. The cul de sac crew is definitely a group of friends I would want to have a drink with (though not out of Big Joe, RIP, buddy). This is a warm comedy with a big heart (and a funny reminder with each title sequence that it knows it has a terrible name).
THURSDAY
NEW SHOWS
My Generation
Canceled after two episodes. Moving on.
Outsourced
Boy. I almost want to applaud the producers for taking on this tricky premise. But they fail so often that I’ll hold on to that applause a little longer. It is hard to enjoy a show that makes you so anxious. I cringe during the course of each episode, worried about what racial stereotypes and landmines it is about to step in to. So far I’m not very impressed by how they navigate this tricky material but I haven’t completely lost patience with the show so it is still on my TiVo “to-do” list.
Nikita
Poor constantly miscast Shane West. Though, if you are miscast enough, can you really call it miscasting any more?
Believe it or not, more than one person has asked me what I think of the new fall season of television shows. I do feel like I have watched an enormous amount of tv in the past few weeks, both new shows and returning. There were a few new shows I had high hopes for, and a few I was curious about, and a few that I figured would not become regular viewing. Here is how they stacked up – what I think has a chance, what I’ll give more time, and what I’m going to ditch. My impressions of new shows, alongside my opinions of returning shows, can be found below.
Also, a note: I practice what I like to call the Rule of Three. I will give a show three episodes before I pass judgment on it. I have found that many shows really hit their stride by the third episode – you can generally know what a show thinks it is, and how well it is at being that, by its third episode. And those that don’t, well, I don’t have statistical data to back me up, but – I think they generally don’t have a stride to hit. At least not one that will hold my interest. It takes a lot for me to give up before three episodes – the last time I did that was Happy Town. That show made me angry enough after two episodes that I vowed never to let it cross my TiVo again. So for these new shows here I have seen (for most of them) at least three episodes. So these are my impressions after the “rule of three.”
Here’s the rundown, in several posts, broken down by day.
MONDAY
RETURNING SHOWS
How I Met Your Mother
Last season, HIMYM hit a bit of a slump. The Robin/Barney relationship was tossed out before it even hit its stride. Then we were given the impression that Don was an epic relationship in Robin’s life, only to have him shipped off to Chicago by the end of the season. This season, the producers have promised us a tighter ship. In the first four episodes, we got a bit more info about whom the mother might be, and we got a nice Barney story that was both funny and sweet. The difficulty of this show is that they have set themselves up for the end of the story since the pilot (I can’t be the only one who thinks that the final lines of this show is Bob Saget saying “and that, kids, is how I met your mother.”). So we have to move that plot forward to the endgame as the series continues. But it’s actually not the most interesting part of the show. I care less about whom the mother is, than I do about watching this group of people move through their late 20s and early 30s. The first few shows of season six were definitely tighter than some of season five, but if the focus shifts too much to the search for the mother, I will be disappointed. Also, a note to the writers: please, for the love of god, stop having Lily ask Marshall to “put a baby in my belly.” It is not funny, not sexy, and not anything but skeevy. I gag a little every time she says it.
Chuck
Four episodes in and I am still waiting for someone to say, “Come with me if you want to live.” I think it should be (and I’m betting it will be) Morgan. I am happy to have this thoroughly enjoyable show back in the TiVo queue. The writers have managed to progress the story organically, growing the world in entertaining and engaging ways. I just hope we get more Linda Hamilton soon, and more Old Spice Guy as well. I will be catching this show every week, without fail.
90210
Why do I watch this show? I didn’t really watch the original. I may very well drop this show this season, as I have really nothing of substance to say about it. In fact, I’ve only seen two episodes so far. With the TiVo busy with Chuck and HIMYM, if I don’t watch it live on the our other television, I have to make the effort to catch it online later, and the CW’s online player is one of the more annoying ones out there. Haven’t they heard of Hulu yet?!
Gossip Girl
And why do I watch this show? I think the initial draw was the Kristen Bell voiceover – I was still hurting from the cancellation of Veronica Mars at the time of this show’s premiere. And it’s a guilty pleasure. And the first two episodes in Paris were actually enjoyable in a free-of-frustration kind of way. But since Blair and Serena et al. returned to NYC, we’ve been treated to the same old he said, she said. I was all set to say that at least we’re not subjected to Jenny this season, but it seems that we may see her again soon. Plus, once again Eric, one of the most interesting characters, is M.I.A. yet again. Can’t the writers just please give him one juicy storyline this season? It might be enough to keep me interested in almost everyone except Vanessa and Dan.
Castle
I gave up on this show after three episodes in its first season. Yes, it’s true; the “rule of three” is not full proof. Thankfully, I gave it another chance last year. And in time for the Halloween episode too! I watch this for the same reason I watch Bones – the interaction between the two main characters. It is pure fun and thank god Nathan Fillion is finally on a show that didn’t get canceled after a handful of episodes. His Rick Castle and Stana Katic’s Detective Beckett are the funny version of Mulder and Scully. The first four episodes of the season have been very satisfactory; though I am worried that steampunk has become officially mainstream thanks to the show’s latest episode.
NEW SHOWS
Mike & Molly
I watch this later in the week online, because the time slot is so full. At least, I did do that before Lone Star was cancelled. And, I guess if Fox moves Lie to Me into this slot then I will again. I don’t know that 22-minutes can be sustained with fat jokes alone, even fat jokes told by fat people. And weight issues aren’t the only topic being generalized on the show (do we really need a waiter from another country talking about the hardships of ‘his people’ in the broadest possible strokes? There has to be something better for him to do.). But the two main characters are sympathetic. I will give it at least another few episodes to find its stride and move beyond its premise.
The Event
Is it another Fringe or another FlashForward? Only time will tell. With a cast that includes Blair Underwood, Laura Innes, and Zeljko Ivanek, as well as Jason Ritter as a very believable young man pulled into a conspiracy, it has the potential to be a juicy sci-fi show. But the writing has yet to give us a reason to care for all of these characters. If the show pulls a FlashForward and doesn’t adequately develop the characters, it risks making its characters completely annoying to the audience by the time it’s canceled. I’ll probably watch beyond episode three (my dvr has been catching this later in the week on SyFy because the time slot is so full – oh, for a second TiVo!), but I’ll drop it quickly if I feel like I’m watching FlashForward, The Reboot.
Lone Star
I was all set to praise this as the second best offering to come out of the Fall 2010 pilots. Not the highest praise given the lukewarm offerings, but sincere praise, certainly. But Lone Star did not even make it to three episodes. RIP original offerings from Fox. I guess I’ll just have to put all my hope on Ride-Along later in the season.
Hawaii 5-0
Guns! Explosions! Helicopter missiles! I don’t remember the original Hawaii five-0 exploding all over the place like this. I was happy to see James Marsters guest starring as the villain in the pilot, and I absolutely want to see more of Grace Park and Daniel Dae Kim on my small screen. But Hawaii 5-0 also has show-killer Alex O’Loughlin, and his McGarrett was definitely the most uninteresting part of the episode. This show may stay on my to-watch list for the scenery, if nothing else, but I doubt it will be a must-see this year.
NaNoWriMo. Huh? NaNoWriMo. NaNohuh? National Novel Writing Month – NaNoWriMo. I tried it last year. And failed. And I’m trying it again this year. And this time I had a solid concept for a story before November 1st. Which hopefully means I have a better chance at winning/finishing my novel in a month. I am hoping to write 50,000 words by the end of the month. Stay tuned.
If I could only watch five tv shows (god forbid) out of all of the ones currently airing this fall, they would be: Mad Men, Sons of Anarchy, Rubicon, Terriers, and Supernatural (with Fringe and Chuck taking Mad Men and Rubicon’s slots once they’re over). What about you? Pick five and post them below in the comments section.
For the past few months now, I have been participating in an intriguing art project on Facebook. The 20 Friends I Wish I Had was created by artist Belinda Haikes. The objective: to see how far and wide The 20 Friends I Wish I Had can “friend” people on the social network Facebook. Belinda has created 20 profiles of noted or important historical figures. She asks people to take a profile and play with it – friend people and update the status and so forth. So I took a profile on one of the twenty and have been ‘playing’ them ever since.
It has been an interesting game so far. I added some details to the profile based on this person’s real life. And I found myself making my own rules for playing with this persona. How would I friend people? Who would I friend? The particular person I am playing with had crafted a particular public persona for themselves – how could I integrate that into the Facebook profile? Should I integrate that into the game? Should this profile be more me or more of my impression of that person? I decided on a stylized manner of posting, and I decided to friend people based on my own Facebook page to begin with – but not to tell people how myself and this ‘friend’ were connected, unless they asked. And then I would friend the other 20 friends (though I think not all of them have responded to my request), and I would friend others using the suggestions that Facebook makes for you. And, of course, I friended myself. So far, my friend has over 100 friends.
This week The 20 Friends I Wish I Had is off to participate in ArtPrize in Grand Rapids, Michigan. If you’re in the area, please check out the exhibition at the Women’s City Club (254 East Fulton Street). And, if you’re on Facebook, look for the 20 Friends – they would love to add you to their network.
The 20 Friends
Laurence Tureaud
The Queen
Ab Lincoln
Marylin Monroe
John Wayne
Ghandi
Vannevar Bush
Amelia Mary Earhart
Al Einstein
Agnesë Gonxhe Bojaxhiu
Mother Teresa
Nikola Tesla
Sophie Calle
Peter O toole
Barack Obama
Marie Curie
Nelson Mandela
Jim Henson
Jesus
Elvis
Charles Spencer Chaplin
Jack Horkheimer, aka the Star Gazer (aka the Star Hustler – which was the name of the show when I watched it as a kid), passed away on my birthday this year. I gasped out loud when I read the news of his passing. When I was little, the Star Gazer would be the last thing on the public television station before it stopped broadcasting for the night (back when tv stations did that sort of thing). The five minute segments about astronomy, accompanied by weird electronic music and what sounded like a bell signaling the arrival of some sort of vessel, would provide a peaceful end to the night and get me thinking about the vast universe above as I drifted off to sleep. That bell noise is one of the most significant parts of the show for me – hearing it calms me and takes me back to a simple time of wishing and dreaming. Last year, feeling nostalgic for the Star Gazer, I searched for his show online. I found a youtube channel with his segments and podcasts of his show on iTunes. The show started airing in 1976, and it continues today after Jack’s passing. It won’t be the same show though. Not without Jack entreating us, in his raspy, excited voice, to “Keep! Looking! up!”
I was reminded by the recent broadcast of this year’s Emmy Awards of this post that I started writing several months ago. I intended for it to be one of the first articles posted to this blog. I guess it still is, just several months later than expected. In order to get this post up, finally, I’m abbreviating some of the commentary. Here goes:
I watch a lot of television. So much tv that I should probably find a way to get paid for doing it. I’m a big fan of the medium and I think it is experiencing a sort of golden age right now. With the first decade of this century having turned over, these lists of “best tv of such-and-such” are everywhere, and I’ve read a lot of them. I disagree with all of them enough that I felt compelled to create my own. And because I watch a lot of television, have very strong opinions, and a background in dramaturgy and criticism I was sure that making this list should be no problem. Right? Except that my first pass list numbered at least 50 shows. I should probably be more selective. But the past decade has been a wonderful time for television, despite the rise of reality television and, to use a scary phrase I recently heard, post-reality entertainment. At the very least I could organize the list in a more navigable manner.
But first a note about how I chose these shows and arranged the list. These lists are purely based on what I watched and liked. Just like the guys from Sound Opinions make their top albums of the year lists based on those records they just want to listen to again and again, that they would “grab as they fled their burning apartments,” as Jim DeRogatis says, so is my list one of shows that gave me the most enjoyment and that I would (and in some case do) watch over and over, the shows that I would take with me if stranded on a desert island (even if it was the island on Lost). You probably will not agree with the list in its entirety, but I welcome your reactions to it. In fact, I’m looking forward to them.
COMEDY:
11. Freaks and Geeks
I debated including Freaks and Geeks, since it began its run in 1999 and was only one season. But it was too remarkable to leave it off the list. Charming and funny, this show was completely on the mark when it came to portraying teenage angst and a girl’s desire to be more mysterious than she thought she was. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t see a little of me in Lindsay. It deserved more than the one season it got.
10. 30 Rock
The image of Kenneth as a Muppet is enough to qualify 30 Rock for my ‘best of’ list. I still laugh out loud whenever I think of that moment.
9. The Office
The Office broke ground on a new tv format that many have tried to emulate, most successfully Modern Family. I don’t know what the documenters of Dunder Mifflin’s, nee Sabre’s, Scranton branch are going to do with the footage they’ve shot, but, with the possible exception of the last season, I’m glad their cameras are still rolling. The one-hour episode “Stress Relief” is a must-see.
8. Chuck
This show really found its groove in its second season and has only improved since. While I could do without the amount of Shaw in the previous season, I am hoping for an overload of Mama Bartowski (Linda Hamilton) in season four. If you like your spy shows with humor, than this is for you.
7. Colbert Report
Need I say more than truthiness?
6. Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog
I don’t care that it never actually aired on television, this send up of musicals was brilliant on every level.
5. Gilmore Girls
Is it better to put this show in comedy or drama? I think Kirk and Taylor alone push it over into the comedy category. I still wish Amy Sherman-Palladino had stuck around for the finale season – maybe then she wouldn’t have pushed Lorelei and Christopher together at the end of season six (I’m still ticked about that).
4. Community
This show deserves a spot on the list, if only for the episode “Modern Warfare” and for Abed and Troy’s rap in Spanish.
3. Modern Family
It’s probably not fair to put a show that has only had one season so high on the list. But what a season it was. I completely agree with Claire (Julie Bowen) that flying is basically putting a building on its side and throwing it into the air. I am hoping for more Fizbo the Clown in season two, please. More of all of the Delgado/Pritchett/Dunphy clan, actually.
2. The Daily Show
Deserving of all of its Emmys. And if you haven’t seen Jon Stewart’s Glenn Beck impression, you really really should.
1. How I Met Your Mother
Before HIMYM, I had not tuned into a comedy that was not on NBC in a long time. I only tuned in, really, because Alyson Hannigan was a cast member. But thank goodness I tuned in. This show is legen – wait for it – dary!
DRAMA:
17. Big Love
In case we didn’t know it before, marriage is complicated. Marriage times three is even more complicated. And when one of your wives is Nicki Grant, I hope you are a praying man.
16. Fringe
Some people have complained that this show is essentially a re-do of The X-Files. I don’t know why that would be a bad thing so long as the show is well-written and has enough freshness to distance it from its predecessor; both of these things are true for Fringe. And with the pace of the show picking up near the end of season two, it absolutely deserves a spot on this list.
15. Lost
In part I am disappointed that I watched all but the last season of Lost on DVD. But mostly I am grateful. While the finale probably would have held more meaning for me if I had gotten to know the characters over a matter of years instead of months, being able to gobble this show up in chunks prevented me from having to anguish over the story and cliffhangers in the months between seasons. I don’t think I could have waited that long to find out if the passengers of Oceanic 815 ever got off the island.
14. Deadwood
This bloody, violent show introduced me to Ian McShane as well as Timothy Olyphant (whose new show, Justified, will certainly be making lists in the future). Watch it for the cursing alone.
13. West Wing
Oh, Aaron Sorkin, how you made me want to have conversations while walking down offices hallways at a brisk clip. West Wing was so excellent that maybe I’ll forgive you for the disappointing (and mouthful of a name) Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip. And, as I realized recently while watching the re-runs on Bravo, you were eerily prescient regarding the unlikely election of a younger, non-white democratic man over an older, white, moderate (at the time, at least) republican man.
12. Dollhouse
Whedon’s return to Fox was a nifty little show about a girl who could become anyone with the flick of a switch. But it was really a show that explored to the core issues of identity and privacy. Oh, and it was about the end of the world. At least, as we know it.
11. Six Feet Under
One recommendation, don’t watch the superb finale of this show the night before your 29th birthday. It will put the day in stark contrast. As frustrating as Nate’s behavior was to me for most of the show, every minute was must-see tv as far as I’m concerned.
10. Supernatural
Ok, yes, so I like genre shows. Sue me. This show is, as Mo Ryan put it, Gilmore Girls with zombies. But it’s not really a monster show. It is a show about the importance of family. As Castiel says, you can have peace or freedom, but not both.
9. ER
This show was on so long that it had at least two slumps. But I was still sad to see it go, especially after a final season that really regained a lot of the focus made the first few season so wonderful. I only wonder why they brought George Clooney back for teeny guest turn in the finale season, instead of for an appearance at Mark’s funeral.
8. Buffy the Vampire Slayer
A show about a little blonde girl fighting vampires. But it wasn’t about that at all. BtVS was a gorgeous exploration of family and friendship, of loyalty, and of power and the responsibility to share the power you have. In seven magnificent seasons, the feminist statement that anchored the core of this show was examined and tested, poked and prodded, and finally turned inside out with powerful results. I think I’ve watched every episode at least a half-dozen times.
7. Breaking Bad
I have a theory about what the end of this show looks like. And even though some episodes are so gut-wrenching that they are hard to watch, and I will not miss a second of this show all the way to the end, and for more than to see if my theories are correct.
6. Veronica Mars
The original Beach noir tv, for the teenage set. Veronica Mars was a natural descendant of Buffy, fighting high school hierarchy and class divisions instead of vampires and monsters. The witty dialogue, pop culture commentary, and the heart of the show – the relationship between Veronica and her dad, made this a memorable show.
5. Friday Night Lights
Someone owes Connie Britton and Kyle Chandler one Emmy each. Like three years ago. They have one more season to give it to them.
4. Sons of Anarchy
This is the show about an outlaw motorcycle club in Northern California that is not about an outlaw motorcycle club in Northern California. Drawing inspiration from Hamlet, this show explores issues of family and loyalty in a world where such concepts feel increasingly outdated. And where is Katey Sagal’s Emmy for her work on season two?
3. Battlestar Galactica
I could not possibly say anything worthy of this show in one or two sentences. The fact that I saw the ending from two seasons out does not really matter, especially because the journey this show navigates is about no less than what it means to be human. So say we all.
2. The Wire
Do not call this show Dickensian. Shakespearean, yes. Not Dickensian. This show should be required watching for every person, especially every politician. And I have to say I’m surprised at how many people in Baltimore have not (or claim to have not) seen the show.
1. Mad Men
I have said it before and I’ll say it again. This is the best show in the history of television. I mean that. My love for Mad Men trumps my love for Twin Peaks, which is pretty hard to believe. Give me years more of Don, Peggy, Joan, Roger, Pete, etc., please – I’ll follow the show all the way to the Reagan years, if that’s how long it lasts.
WISH THEY HAD MORE TIME TO BE GREAT:
—Terminator: Sarah Connor Chronicles
This show was just taking off when it was canceled. This is one of those cliffhangers/abrupt endings that I will never forgive the networks for – it’s right up there with Twin Peaks.
—Firefly
See above re: abrupt endings. I was shocked when Whedon decided to come back to Fox for Dollhouse.
—Kings
Who doesn’t like a little Ian McShane as royalty? Apparently a lot of people. I might have been the only person on the planet who liked this show. I wish it had been given more time to mature.
—Southland
Isn’t TNT supposed to be taking this one up? How about they cancel The Closer and redirect their efforts to this deserving show.
—Pushing Daisies
What a fun show – great writing and acting. But it just did not have enough time to make it to excellent status.
—Wonderland
I bet a lot of folks don’t even remember this show, and who could blame them. I had two episodes air on ABC before the network pulled the plug.
—Carnivale
Visually stunning, this show needed closure. I am sorry it never got it.
Finally,
SHOWS THAT MADE OTHER PEOPLES LISTS but that I can’t speak to:
I’m just going to throw these out there before folks start commenting. No, I did not forget about these shows. But each of them, for one or more reasons, did not make my lists. Here’s why.
—The Sopranos
I have seen the first four episodes. So far it seems that it was a great show for its time. I wonder how it will hold up.
—Dexter
I do not get Showtime and simply haven’t gotten to it on my overstuffed Netflix queue. I did see the pilot when it re-aired on ABC. I enjoyed it, even though it was the censored version, so I look forward to having time to catch up with this series.
—The Shield
I have watched one season of this show and I enjoyed it, but not as much as any of the shows that made my list.
—24
I watched the pilot of 24 when it originally aired. It was not my thing and, from what I hear of its later seasons, it’s just as well.
—Better Off Ted
I have watched the first few episodes of this show and so far I am amused. But I don’t know enough about this show yet to give it a number.
—Arrested Development
I have watched three episodes so far – I keep being told that I absolutely will love this show if I ever just watch it. It may be true – though I continually predicted what would happen next on the episodes I watched. This either means I will be bored with the show, or that I should write for it.
—Party Down
Again, I’ve only seen a few episodes so far. I like what I have seen.
—The Office, UK
I, sadly, have never seen the original. Hopefully the fact that it was only on the air briefly means that I won’t get as sick of Gervais’ character as I am of Michael Scott at this point. Once I actually get around to watching the show.
—Curb Your Enthusiasm
I didn’t like Seinfeld – don’t even talk to me about that show. I will never watch Larry David’s other outing, no matter how many critics acclaim it.
—Doctor Who / Torchwood
I am tempted to move these up to the rankings. But I am in the middle of watching both series so it wouldn’t be fair. Let’s just say I can’t get enough of daleks, cybermen, Captain Jack, and the Doctor.
I am contemplating a media diet, to last an indeterminate amount of time. The goal would not be so much a cleanse, as a re-focus of my time and efforts. I read and digest a lot of media. I read several magazines (eight at last count), and several daily news blogs. I am very attached to my facebook page – especially when it comes to re-posting the online news I am reading. I watch more television than anyone else I know – and I re-watch episodes of old shows that I enjoy. And I always have a stack of scripts, white papers, and books sitting around the house. But, if you’re reading this, you can see the blog has been neglected. I have half a dozen unfinished scripts I am writing. And my job search seems never-ending at this point. So what’s a little ol’ media consumer like me to do? How can I re-focus my consumption and still feel satisfied? This isn’t about feeling too connected or not connected enough, but more about balancing input and output, so to speak. So does anyone have any experience with these sorts of fasts? What should I give up and what should I keep? How long should it be – or should it be permanent? Would it work? Let me know what you have experienced.
participant/observer 