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?

So, Why Are You Still Not Watching The Middleman?

Something that you probably don’t know about me is that I love lists. I always love to break things down into top 10s and such. So, here’s a nice list for you, a list of plans that are elegance in their simplicity:

A super-intelligent, machine gun-toting gorilla attempting to take over the mafia.
A terracotta warrior seeking to take the heir to the Qing dynasty, an 8 year old white kid named Duncan, to the land of the dead to unleash hell on earth.
A group of Lucha Libre wrestlers who kidnap their nemesis, an ancient kung-fu master.
A crazed TV psychiatrist who hunts plastic-surgery obsessed aliens for sport.
An energy drink that will turn you into a trout craving zombie and simultaneously satisfies your trout cravings.
A group of evil alien dictators posing as a boy band.
A cursed tuba who kills anyone who hears it’s E flat by drowning them in the icy waters of the North Atlantic.

If none of those tickled your funny bone in the least (and, I’ll admit, they’re not as funny written out on paper as they are in actuality), then a) We have different senses of humor and b) you are excused from watching The Middleman.

The rest of you, however, you guys don’t really have excuses. Why aren’t you watching the best new show of the summer and the show that is moving its way up my top 10 ridiculously fast? Seriously, I can’t express how much you should be watching The Middleman. It’s that good.

I know I’ve already told you why you should be watching The Middleman. But, you folks didn’t seem to hear me last time, as cancellation rumors floated around this week. So I’m repeating myself. WATCH THE MIDDLEMAN. Seriously, I’m gonna go out on a limb and say that if you liked Arrested Development, there’s a good chance you’ll like The Middleman. Same goes for The Adventures of Brisco County Jr., Wonderfalls, Buffy, or, really, any good TV show. I understand that it may be a little over the top on campiness or quirkiness, but it’s so good in the long run. Please, folks, watch The Middleman. Since he saves the world and all, it’s kind of your civic duty to support him.

You Should Be Watching The Middleman

So, this past weekend, I had a very unique viewing experience. I finally got around to watching The Middleman, the new show on ABC Family (Mondays at 8) about a straight laced superhero. The reason that my viewing experience with “The Middleman” was unique was because, after 5 minutes of the pilot, I was ready to turn it off. I hated everything about it. But, due to a combination of laziness, inertia, and faith in executive producer/creator Javier Grillo-Marxauch, I kept watching. And by the end of the hour, I was kind of in love with the show.

How does a show go from hatred to love in one hour? Simple: Play to your strengths. One of the things I hate is when TV shows and movies strive to be something they’re not. I absolutely love the movie “Cellular”, simply because it clearly wants to be nothing more than a B-movie. I own “Snakes On A Plane” for the same reason. And this is the real strength of “The Middleman.” It knows how bizarre and oddball a show it is, and it fully embraces that.

Now, I’m a fan of bizarre humor. I have a recurring joke with my dad where I tell him he looks like the combination of an obscure celebrity and a random object (a recent example was Rae Dawn Chong and a defective toaster oven). And “The Middleman” fully shares my sense of humor. The first episode dealt with the Middleman battling a super-intelligent Gorilla who wanted to control the mafia. And it felt completely natural.

And that’s the other real strength of the show: It’s funny. Really, really funny. When his new sidekick, Wendy Watson (referred to variously as Dubs, DubDub, or Dubby), comments on the fact that The Middleman used to be a Navy SEAL but he never curses, the show bleeps her cursing. And then they discover that the gorilla has hidden himself in a Gorilla sanctuary. And then the Middleman curses. (It’s funnier than I’m describing it). The brilliance and comedy lie in the details of the show. And it’s really, really detailed.

So you should totally be watching it. Or at least give it a chance. I was completely won over by the first hour. And, while the show has some problems, they are all overlookable, considering how great the show is in all its other facets. So please, give it a chance.

PS: In case you (Yes, you) were wondering, I’ve decided to keep watching Swingtown. After three episodes, I’m still digging the show, and the actors are all suitably charming.