This is not a year-end list, judging shows on only the most recent season. This is a list of the very best shows currently on TV. That means shows like ‘The Wire’, which could’ve (and should’ve) won an Emmy for their final season in 2008, it is not currently on the air so it’s ineligible. It also means shows get some credit for work done in the past -– if they’ve elicited enough interest in their narratives over previous seasons to make up for any weaknesses in their current episodes.
1. The Shield -- The whole reason behind this list. The show is almost over, and criminally underrated, so I wanted to have this last chance to sing its praises. The ballad of Vic Mackey may be reaching its conclusion, but it’s certainly not slowing down any. Instead, it’s doing just what it’s always has -– careening toward disaster, like a car with no brakes. Will Michael Chiklis’s Vic get arrested? Killed? If so, by who? (There are too many good candidates to name them all.) Whatever happens, it will be captivating, pulse-pounding, and unpredictable -– on ’The Shield’, it always is.
2. 30 Rock -- When it comes to lists, I normally rate dramas higher than comedies. I don’t know why, maybe it’s because I get more into the stories dramas offer up. Comedies are so based on contrived situations, the characters never really changing or growing in any way. ‘30 Rock’ is really no different -– well, except for the fact that it’s really, really good. The fantastic Tina Fey makes the show (both writing and acting), but the stellar supporting cast (Alex Baldwin, Tracey Morgan, Jack McBrayer) often steals the show.
3. The Closer -- The best procedural on TV barely edges out the best serialized dramas based on both it’s great ensemble cast centered around Kyra Sedgwick’s Deputy Chief Brenda Lee Johnson and her quirky genius, and its commendable consistency. Not only do they stage a mysterious crime filled with interesting characters each week, but they also manage to move along personal plotlines with aplomb –- and without the usual sticking-out-like-a-sore-thumb transitions.
4. Breaking Bad -- The best new show on TV in 2008 made it all the way into the top 5 (and ahead of fellow AMC serial, ’Mad Men’) on its breathtaking premise –- a high school chemistry teacher who finds out he’s got cancer becomes a meth cooker to pay those extra bills. The show’s already been recognized with Emmy nominations -– including a win for lead actor Bryan Cranston –- and I think it’s got a strong future in store with creator Mike Gilligan (a former X-Files’ writer) at the helm.
5. Mad Men -- The best new show of 2007 started the ball rolling at AMC, which is beginning to look like HBO did almost a decade ago. With two of the best shows on TV on their slate, AMC may become the place to go for off-beat writers who tell idiosyncratic stories. That describes creator Matthew Weiner (a former ’Sopranos’ scribe) who HBO let slip away, as well as Gilligan -- many of Weiner’s storylines in ’Mad Men’ echo the anything-can-happen tone and feel of ’The Sopranos’. With characters this interesting, and an era so ripe for commentary, I have a feeling ’Mad Men’ is just getting started.
6. The Office -- Still going strong, ’The Office’, has fallen into a rhythm like many good sports teams do: They know they’re good, so they may coast for awhile, but they’re still better than everyone else, and they can turn it on whenever they need to.
7. Dexter -- This could easily be higher on the list based on its current season, when writers made the wise decision to give Dexter a partner in crime (played by Jimmy Smits). Seeing Dexter play his murderous feelings off of someone else’s is reinvigorating for the show, and reminds of the end of the first season, when he battled his brother.
8. House -- Like ’The Office’, this show has found it’s groove, and never produces a bad episode. They also manage to keep both the medical case and the personal lives of its characters fresh. House’s antics never get old, and Hugh Laurie’s performance is never anything short of note-perfect.
9. Lost -- I’ve lost a lot of interest in the show since the first couple of seasons, but as it nears the end, I’m still interested in finding out what answers the show can deliver. It’s currently not as good as a few shows on the “Honorable mention” list, maybe even all of them, but like a mystery novel I’m almost done with, I’ve put in too much time to give up now.
10. Curb Your Enthusiasm – This deserves to be higher, but I’m penalizing it for taking the better part of two years off. Still, I haven’t forgotten the show’s unique blend of both dry and broad humor, or the eminently watchable Larry David.
Honorable mention: Sons of Anarchy, Life, Damages, Friday Night Lights, CSI.
No comments:
Post a Comment