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?

Thursday Premieres

See, I’m trying to do this early again. Tonight’s a pretty big night for premieres. Lots of old goodies returning:

The Office: My second favorite comedy (My favorite is 30 Rock with How I Met Your Mother running a close third) returns tonight with Pam being free-spirited, Karen being Jilted, and Dwight being, well, Dwight. It’s gonna be awesome

My Name Is Earl: Another serviceable comedy from NBC, the first few episodes of this season see Earl in prison, where I’m sure he’ll still be able to knock things off his list.

Grey’s Anatomy: Everyone’s favorite hospital based surgical intern drama is back tonight sans my favorite character, who has moved on to a worse spin-off. Tonight brings the introduction of Meredith’s half-sister who apparently also has a thing for Derek. I’m sure drama and some hilarity will ensue. Oh, and a lot of whining and aggravating voiceovers. Those too..

CSI: The most reliable procedural out there returns tonight brining the conclusion of the to be continued season finale which saw Sara being a victim of the Miniature Killer possibly. I really like the creative direction CSI took last year with a recurring case. Here’s hoping they keep that momentum up…

Ugly Betty: Betty returns tonight and deals with her dad being stuck in Mexico, and some other stuff that I can’t really remember. The season finale obviously wasn’t that good or I’d remember more of what happened. I think someone was shot. Really, the only reason I stay interested in this show is for Marc and Amanda, who are hilarious together. By the way, this is the show I’m most picking to hit a sophomore slump, ala Desperate Housewives…

Big Shots: This is the only premiere tonight. I haven’t seen it. It hasn’t gotten great word of mouth. Just thought I’d mention it to anyone who might have wanted to watch this and forgotten.

Yeah, so it’s a busy night. Thank god for TiVo, DVRs, and other such accessories. Happy watching…

And my favorite is....

With the first real season premiere coming with Monday’s premiere of Prison Break (Sorry The Biggest Loser, you don’t really count), I find myself thinking about last season. It was, arguably, a decent season of television. Sure, you had some definite stinkers, like The Class, Vanished, Runaway, Help Me Help You, Standoff, 20 Good Years, Six Degrees, and Happy Hour, but last season brought some pretty darn good new shows, like Heroes, Ugly Betty, 30 Rock, Friday Night Lights, Brothers and Sisters, and the dearly departed Studio 60. But this post is not about what shows I thought were good and bad last season. No, the real post is because I was trying to figure out what I thought the single best episode of television was last season. And I think I’ve figured it out.

There were a bunch of strong contenders. In the drama category, “Company Man” from Heroes is a standout, as well as the magnificent 3 parter “K & R" from Studio 60. There was the marvelous “Pilot” to Friday Night Lights, and, even though they only recently aired here in the states, the ridiculously good “Human Nature/Family of Blood” two-parter from Doctor Who. But, while all amazing episodes, none of them are my pick. Yes, my pick, comes from a comedy. Nope, it’s neither the absolutely hilarious “The Rural Juror” nor the equally hilarious “Black Tie” from 30 Rock. Nor is it the amazing season opener of The Office, “Gay Witch Hunt”. As much as I loved the Scrubs musical, it’s not “My Musical” either. Nope, my single favorite episode of last season comes from, of all places, a traditional four-camera sitcom. That’s right, How I Met Your Mother’s “Slap Bet”, you’re my favorite.

Wanna know why? Because you not only showed me that a traditional sitcom can still make me laugh, but because you actually had me laughing for the entire episode. That’s right, there is not a single moment in this episode that lags. The episode deals with something completely innocuous, one character not wanting to go to a mall, and builds it into this comedic gold. So Robin, the female lead, refuses to go to a mall, which makes everyone question why she’s keeping it such a secret. And thus, the slap bet ensues. One side believes that she was married in a mall in Canada; the other thinks she did porn in Canada. But the secret is so much better than that. I’m not even considering these spoilers, because it’s still just as funny if you know what’s going on. See, Robin used to be Robin Sparkles, a teenage one hit wonder who’s single “Let’s Go To The Mall” became a hit in Canada, forcing her to tour across the malls of Canada, making her live for a year on “Orange Julius and Wetzel’s Pretzels”. But not only do we get the ridiculous title for the song, we get the music video. And it’s oh so glorious.



How can you find a song with lines like “He’s got hair like Gretzky and he does jumps on his skateboard.”, “It’ll be just him and me but don’t forget the robot”, and, my personal favorite “I’m gonna rock your body till Canada day.” not funny? But not only is the video hilarious, the rest of the episode is. Even the throwaway lines are great, plus, it’s spawned a great running joke on the show as to when the slap bet will be collected.

So yeah, call me an idiot if you like, but I think this was the single best episode of primetime television last year. Do you agree, or do you have your own favorites? Feel free to comment.