The Top Ten Shows of 2008

So, yeah, readers, I left that previous top ten hanging. Because I’m lazy. So, in order to combat the chance of that happening again, the entire top 10 is going to be in one, neat handy-dandy post. Huzzah! You’ll notice differences from that original one too. So yeah, here’s the top 10.

10. So You Think You Can Dance- FOX

The best of the reality talent shows, with the best host on all of television. Sure, this past season was not their best one, nor even their second best. Sure, there were phenomenal contestants this year (Mark and Will, please move to the front of the class), but this season kind of fell a little flat. I could do with less of Nigel and Mary and more of guest judges like Lil’ C. But even with all of these problems, SYTYCD still manages to clock in at number 10 on my list.

9. Chuck- NBC

Chuck can be frustratingly formulaic at times. If there is one big, gaping flaw with the show, it is that every episode seems like the one before it, but with different guest stars. But the rigidity of the formula allows more room for the lead characters (as well as those zany background credited players) to shine. Zachary Levi is an incredibly likeable lead, Adam Baldwin is always great, and Yvonne Strahovski is proving to be more than just an attractive blonde to look at. Plus, how can you not love a show with a character named “Captain Awesome?”

8. The Office- NBC

The Office has had an up and down year. There has been some absolute brilliance in this year, but there’s also been a whole lot of unpleasantness. (How uncomfortable was the most recent Christmas special?) However, The Office still proves itself to be one of the most solidly funny shows on TV, always delivering in at least some capacity. Jim and Pam are still one of the absolute best couples on TV, with real real chemistry, and the Andy-Angela-Dwight love triangle has been great. It wasn’t The Office’s best year, but it’s still been a pretty darn good one.

7. Flight of the Conchords- HBO

All it takes is a few lines to explain Conchords’ place here “Just because we’ve been playing Tonsil Hockey doesn’t mean you get to score the goal that’s in my Jockeys”, “Bret you got it goin on. Not in a gay way, just in a ‘hey mate, I wanted to say that you’re looking okay’ way”, “My rhymes are so potent that in this small segment I made all of the ladies in the area pregnant.” “So you thin maybe you’ll be a prostitute, just to pay for your lessons, your learning the flute. Ladies wouldn’t pay your very much for this, looks like you’ll never be a concert flautist.” I rest my case.

6. Doctor Who- BBC

So, I’m kind of a Film/TV Sci-Fi nerd. Well, a really big one. And there is no better sci-fi on TV than Doctor Who (Ok, well, I’m far behind on Battlestar Galactica, so that may be better, but I’m not in a place to judge). My ultimate wildest dream is being a companion to the doctor, getting to travel through time and space. This season boasted a really good companion in Donna (a previously very irritating Catherine Tate), and a run of absolutely amazing episodes leading up to a mostly satisfying finale. The Silence in the Library two-parter will be something I will re-watch for years to come, as will the Midnight episode, which is absolutely A+ suspense. And I can’t wait until Steven Moffat takes over the shows reins in 2010.

5. I Love Money- VH1

A very unconventional pick, yes, but anyone who has read the blog for a while knows my absolute love for all things VH1 Celebreality. And I don’t think VH1 will ever produce a better show than the first season of I Love Money. It was a show full of really compelling characters (and I call these people characters because no human beings actually behave in this way), which was crafted in a brilliant way so as to reward manipulation and smarts over brawn. It produced a bona-fide VH1 star in Megan, who was kind of nothing before this and now is, like her (which I mostly do) or hate her (as most others do), a powerhouse VH1 character. There was no better mindless entertainment this year than I Love Money.

4. Lost- ABC

I cannot remember a creative resurgence like the one Lost has this past season, well, ever. So, soo, sooooo good was Lost’s fourth season that I once again have complete and utter faith in this show and will blindly follow it to its end. Season 3 had a whole slew of problems (Nikki and Paulo, we thankful hardly knew ye), but season 4, with the change in the formula, the mystery of who the Oceanic 6 would be, and the knowledge that it was building to castaways leaving the island gave the show so much strength and steam this past season that even Lost haters were jumping back towards the bandwagon. Just a ridiculously impressive season these guys turned out.

3. The Middleman- ABC Family

I cannot think of a better freshman season than the one The Middleman had. Nearly (I say nearly, because the Cursed Tuba one was kind of weak) every episode was nothing but fantastic, boasting some of the most interesting characters who I genuinely would love to spend time with. The Middleman was so witty, clever, geeky, cool, fun, and a bunch of other adjectives that are good things. Natalie Morales and Matt Keeslar had absolutely fantastic chemistry, and I truly hope that we get to see more Middleman-Dub Dub banter. Unfortunately, we most likely never will since neither ABC (we’ll get to that in a quick sec), nor ABC Family seems to recognize true genius when they have it, opting not to renew in order to give us more episodes of, say, “The Secret Life of the American Teenager” or “According to Jim.” Sorry, I’m bitter.

2 & 1. It’s A Tie!

30 Rock- NBC

Oh, Tina Fey, why do you make me love you so? Between your dead-on Palin and 30 Rock, I fell even more for you this year. The thing that I love about 30 Rock is that every single character is funny, and yet it doesn’t seem like anyone is trying to out-funny their peers. Fey’s Liz Lemon seems to be an equal amount of buffoon as the rest of the show’s characters, and accomplishing a successful comedy without a straight man deserves props. I can only hope it continues to get even better.

Pushing Daisies- ABC

Why, ABC? Why? Why must you rob me of the sweetest, cutest, most heart-warming show on all of TV? Daisies achieved the perfect balance of sweet and tart, with adorable, surreal, fairy-tale awesomeness, undercut by biting humor and wit. There is not a single, single thing I would change about Pushing Daisies if I could, which is a feat no other show, including those on this list, can claim. The entire cast is absolutely fantastic and will hopefully continue to do amazing this. So I say again, Why ABC? And I swear, if you don’t air the remaining three episodes (as it seems like you may be planning on doing), there’s a decent chance I’ll never tune into ABC again.

So there you have it folks. My top 10 of 2008. As a disclaimer, there are a bunch of really acclaimed shows that I never finished, or got caught up on, so things like Mad Men, Damages, and The Shield, just to name a few, never stood a shot of making it onto the list. But of the TV I watch, which is, trust me, a LOT, these were the 10 shows that I dubbed the best. But enough about me, what do you folks think?

Slight Delay, But Other Stuff Instead

So, I said that my top ten lists would be up today. Turns out, that's not gonna happen. I had intended to write them during a car ride this afternoon, but an intense discussion unfolded, so no top ten lists. But they will be up tomorrow, no ifs ands or buts about it. In the meantime, in honor of tonight's Golden Globes, I'm going to post my picks for should win and will win, and if you so choose, you can mock my failures at picking or marvel at how right I ended up being in the comments. Italics means should win, bold means will win. Let the picking commence!

TELEVISION SERIES - DRAMA
"Dexter"
"House"
"In Treatment"
"Mad Men"
"True Blood"

TELEVISION SERIES - COMEDY OR MUSICAL
"30 Rock"
"Californication"
"Entourage"
"The Office"
"Weeds"

PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A TELEVISION SERIES - DRAMA
Gabriel Byrne - "In Treatment
Michael C. Hall - "Dexter
Jon Hamm - "Mad Men
Hugh Laurie - "House
Jonathan Rhys Meyers - "The Tudors

PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A TELEVISION SERIES - DRAMA
Sally Field - "Brothers And Sisters"
Mariska Hargitay - "Law And Order: Special Victims Unit"
January Jones - "Mad Men"
Anna Paquin - "True Blood"
Kyra Sedgwick - "The Closer"

PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A TELEVISION SERIES -COMEDY OR MUSICAL
Christina Applegate - "Samantha Who?"
America Ferrera - "Ugly Betty"
Tina Fey - "30 Rock"
Debra Messing - "The Starter Wife"
Mary-Louise Parker - "Weeds"

PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A TELEVISION SERIES - COMEDY OR MUSICAL
Alec Baldwin - "30 Rock"
Steve Carell - "The Office"
Kevin Connelly - "Entourage"
David Duchovny - "Californication"
Tony Shalhoub - "Monk"

MINI-SERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION
"A Raisin in the Sun"
"Bernard and Doris"
"Cranford"
"John Adams"
"Recount"

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A MINI-SERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION
Ralph Fiennes - "Bernard and Doris"
Paul Giamatti - "John Adams"
Kevin Spacey - " Recount"
Kiefer Sutherland - "24: Redemption"
Tom Wilkinson - "Recount"

PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A MINI-SERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION
Judi Dench - "Cranford"
Catherine Keener - "An American Crime"
Laura Linney - "John Adams"
Shirley Maclaine - "Coco Chanel"
Susan Sarandon - "Bernard And Doris"

PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A SERIES, MINI-SERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION
Eileen Atkins - "Cranford"
Laura Dern - "Recount"
Melissa George - "In Treatment"
Rachel Griffiths - "Brothers And Sisters"
Dianne Wiest - "In Treatment"

PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A SERIES, MINI-SERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION
Neil Patrick Harris - "How I Met Your Mother"
Denis Leary - "Recount"
Jeremy Piven - "Entourage"
Blair Underwood - "In Treatment"
Tom Wilkinson - "John Adams"

Agree? Disagree? Feel free to call me a putz in the comments.