Monday, January 25, 2010

Top 10 TV shows of 2009

Yes, I know this is a little late.. but whatcha gonna do? I'm gonna make this one quick and painless. If you've been following this blog these picks should come as no surprise to you. So here goes:


1. "Lost"
Without a doubt the best show of the past year. I recently rewatched the entire fifth season on blu-ray during the holidays. That final scene in the finale -- it's a doozy. I can't wait to see how it all turns out. Less that two weeks to go!!

2. "Dollhouse"
This show has really come into it's own.. now that it's been canceled. The twists and turns have been crazy good (although some better than others). The actors on this show are some of the best I've seen. I can't say enough about them. Still one episode to go and I hope it's awesome.

3. "Fringe"
Perhaps you've been noticing a theme. Yes I love sci-fi... and this show is just starting to hit its stride. The "mythology" shows are my favorite. I wish they had more of those and less of the "monster of the week" episodes... With the two shows at the top of this list being put to rest this season, I imagine this may end up at the top of the list next year.

4. "Chuck"
Last year's last batch of episodes were great (the Scott Bakula ones). And this season has started off with a bang. Sometimes it feels like not enough is at stake in the show... but when things get serious, I'm all on board. That's not to say I don't like the humor.. I definitely do... but maybe the show should kill off a character so the stakes can be a little higher. One other thing... you can't really go wrong if Adam Baldwin is in the cast.

5. "Supernatural"
Another good sci/fi horror show. I love it when this show tries to be funny. They recently did an episode where the characters got stuck inside of TV shows. Hilarious. The dark stuff is also good. (Satan is loose this season, and the apocalypse is around the corner). The show finds a good balance between mythology and standalone stories.

6. "Friday Night Lights"
I know you guys still aren't watching this show. But you should be. One of the most realistic shows I've ever seen. These feel like real people that you could actually meet in Texas. They lost and added a number of characters and the show hasn't suffered. That's a hard thing to do. This show needs an Emmy.

I will now rate my favorite comedies of last year. I don't think they should compete against dramas... so you can think of this as a new list if you want.

7. "Modern Family"
I tried not to watch this series. I didn't need to add another show to the rotation... but I kept hearing so many rave reviews that I finally gave in and tried it out... and it was worth it. This show is hilarious. I laugh out loud in every episode. The crazy thing? It's also a ratings winner.. so it won't likely end up like "Arrested Development" or "Andy Richter Controls the Universe" (now on DVD). If you haven't seen this, you should. You won't regret it.

8. "Parks and Recreation"
The first season of this show was good but not great. The current season is superb. I know it's a good show when I can't decide who my favorite character is. They've really fleshed the characters out and made them funny. I know a lot of people who gave up on this show after the first season.. To you I say: "Come Back." The show is on hulu... start at the beginning of the season and find the charms of Ron Swanson.



9. "How I Met Your Mother"
Another great cast... particularly my favorite characters Barney Stinson and Marshall Erickson. I particularly like it when they have they're own storylines. The show has made a few mistakes... but the laughs outweigh some of the dumb decisions the writers have made. Plus, they have some cool guest stars.

10. tie "30 Rock" and "The Office"
I really like both of these shows... but the reason they are at the bottom of the list is because this season has been hit or miss with me. Particularly "30 Rock".. I don't know what's happened but it's not as funny as it used to be. I still love Liz and Jack and the rest of the game but they aren't as funny as they were the past few years. "The Office" on the other hand is about the same quality as it has been the past few years. Not as funny as the first few, but still worth putting on your DVR because when they're on they're on. Now if they can just make Jim funny again.

All right your turn, what shows did you like this past year?

1 comment:

Miskatonic said...

I keep meaning to comment on this...

If I watched anywhere near as much TV as you I would attempt a top ten list, my list would probably be somewhere in the same neighborhood as yours.

Lost is first and I haven't seen the second half of the Dollhouse or Fringe seasons. I'm sure they're great.

30 Rock is still quite funny and I still enjoy The Office but I think it's started its slow decline. The clip show was a giant sign post supporting this view.

I can't imagine myself watching Parks and Recreation or How I Met your Mother.

I watched the Supernatural Pilot last week. Meh...

One of these days I'll get to Chuck.

For some reason, I still watch Smallville, even though they show feminine hygiene ads. Is there a support group for this?