(Originally posted Wednesday, January 31st, 2007)
I have to admit, I wasn't expecting as much response as I got to my annual movies list. I had over 400 views of that blog with plenty of you joining in the comments to let me know which movies I missed (apparently I really need to see "Little Miss Sunshine") and which movies shouldn't have made the list (what can I say, I like mutants). Since I'm quite the populist people pleaser (redundancy is fun, as is alliteration, also redundancy), here's more of my favorites from the past year, this time in the television arena, for you to tear me apart with.
Same caveats apply; not a best of, not necessarily recommendations, and all are shows I watched in the 2006 calendar year.
Here we go, five at a time, from #15 to #1 by Friday.
15. Jericho
Is Skeet the new Keifer? uh... No. Though both have those hippie-cool first names, Sutherland out-broods Ulrich easily. It's probably not fair to compare any show to 24 but that seems to be the feel Jericho is going for. What they get is more Prison Break than 24. Like Prison Break last season Jericho ultimately succeeds mostly in plot, as in, I can't wait to see where the story goes next. And much like Prison Break this season Jericho could get very boring very quickly once the main conflict is resolved (who is behind the attacks and why). I'm not sure how they will keep my attention after that as I'm just not invested in the characters except for possible the outgoing Mayor/father figure Johnston Green (played wonderfully by veteran Gerald McRaney). Jericho could easily be a one season show that outlives it welcome quickly, but for now I'm in.
14. CSI
Still doing quality work, even if the over-saturation of the genre has run them a little thin. The miniature making serial killer storyline was engaging, intelligent, and creepy, the three keyingredients to a good CSI (well that and the occasional gross bugs eye view of a human cadaver). Grissolm and the gang are still my favorite CSIs around and if I ever die in Vegas I'm glad they will be there to find out how it happened.
13. The Simpsons
Later this year The Simpsons will hit episode 400. It's an astonishing number for any TV Show, but when you stop and think about this one in particular it's hard to believe. A cartoon satire? Really? Smart writing and some amazing voice work get you so far, but the longevity of this show is simply unexplainable. Just think about it, after a couple seasons this show went up against The Cosby Show my friend, you know, the Huxtables. When this show started I was in JR. HIGH! Though there have been ups and downs in quality it remains one of the best shows on television and despite the many imitations, there is still nothing quite like it.
12. Monk
Not the highest quality show on TV, but maybe one of the funniest. Tony Shaloub is an absolute genius in this series and deserves every award he gets. I'd tune in just to see his portrayal of our favorite OCD detective but I'm often engaged by the intricate mysteries as well. This is proof that sometimes a show just needs a place to live and breathe (in this case on cable outlet USA) to find an audience. The networks could learn a lot from this show (and if they do, maybe the next Freaks and Geeks or Firefly will be with us a bit longer.)
11. American Idol
The most watched show on TV. Though I'm increasingly disturbed by Paula Abdul's erratic behavior I'm increasing impressed by the variety and quality of entertainment on this show. I was one of many Taylor fans last season and knew just how Mr. Hasselhoff was feeling when he won. The thing about AI is that it found it's winning formula and has strayed very little from it since. I believe that most of us could stand to be a little more Simon and a little less Paula, and that there is nothing wrong with helping people identify what their gifts are and even more importantly aren't. This rant is, of course, sure to be followed by you telling me, "blogging just isn't your thing", and "Stick to the talking Mr DJ, leave the writing to the professionals." Never mind, forget I said anything.
No comments:
Post a Comment