An interesting exercise...

I was listening to the Talking TV with Ryan and Ryan Podcast featuring Maureen "Mo" Ryan of The Chicago Tribune and Ryan McGee (formerly known as Zap2itLost) of Zap2it.com. Ryan McGee mentioned that if he was stranded on a desert island and could only have one season of one television show to watch ever, he would choose season 1 of Veronica Mars.

I tried to narrow my list down to one season of one television show ever and wasn't able to get there. I did manage to whittle my list down to one season of five different shows but have a list of honorable mentions a mile long, so I'm not sure it even counts, lol. Regardless, here is my list (and not necessarily in this order):

Chuck Season 2 - an amazing confluence of action, comedy, drama and pop culture references. I'm not sure anyone could have created a show more tailor-made for my enjoyment. The chemistry between Zachary Levi and Yvonne Strahovski as Chuck and Sarah is amazing and Adam Baldwin can do more with a grunt and a look than anyone I've ever seen.

Veronica Mars Season 1 - I have to agree with Ryan McGee on this one. It's a wonderful combination of hard-boiled mystery complete with private detectives, romance, interesting family dynamics and a really good combination of stand alone episodes and episodes that service the over all arc of the season.

Wonderfalls - The Complete Series I relate so strongly to Jaye, the main character, that it borders on the ridiculous. If you have a taste for funny, quirky and a little odd, give this gem a try. It was originally aired for three or four episodes on Fox before being cancelled.

Pushing Daisies - Season 1 Witty, charming and visually interesting with a snappy dialogue, Chuck and Ned the Pie Maker had me at hello. Each character is fully realized and lovingly written. I just wish ABC had been able to justify keeping it on longer.

Last, but certainly not least, Friday Night Lights Season 3. Why Season 3, you ask? After three seasons with the denizens of Dillon, Texas, I feel like I know these people and their stories intimately. Because the actors have fully grown into their characters, there were fantastic send off episodes for beloved characters, and even though it's only 13 episodes, the writers manage to pack a full 22 episode season's worth of story in. (Don't get me wrong, I love Friday Night Lights. All four seasons are amazing television and permanent parts of my dvd collection. This is just the one I'd most want to have with me.)

I'm not going to go into my list of honorable mentions - I'll save that for another time. What are your favorite shows? What would you have to have with you on that mythical desert isle?