fave 10 of '10

So, I was leaving a comment on Mo Ryan's TV Squad blog post for the best 10 shows of 2010 and realized it had turned into its own blog post. Here you go:

I'm not sure these were the 10 BEST shows of 2010, but they were certainly my favorites.

Not in any particular order:

Glee - Yes, it is wildly uneven, but most episodes leave me smiling. What more can you really ask for?

Modern Family - This show is so good, they even managed to make a family vacation episode funny.

Cougar Town - Jules and the Cul-de-sac Krewe have stolen a little piece of my heart. This show has improved so much that it is almost unrecognizable from the first episodes that aired in Fall 2009.

Justified - Timothy Olyphant kicking butt and taking names as a US Marshall. Walton Goggins as his former friend and sometime adversary. How awesome is that combination?

The Vampire Diaries - This surprised me as much as anyone. Believe it or not, it's consistently well acted, big things happen in every episode and I have yet to see an episode I wasn't entertained by. And that's not even talking about the drool-worthy cast...

Community - So, so funny. The paintball episode alone would've earned the show a spot on this list and it isn't even my favorite episode. I know all the pop culture references are a bit much for some, but they make it all the better for me.

Chuck - Season 3 was a little bit of a let down for me, but I've really enjoyed season 4. And even season 3 was more entertaining than a lot of what's on out there...

Supernatural - Yes, season 5 was uneven and had pacing issues, but when it was good, it was SO good. AND Jensen Ackles will probably never be recognized for his exceptional work as Dean Winchester. For that matter, Jared Padalecki has certainly stepped it up a notch this fall with Robo-Sam. I've been really rather amazed by his completely new character portrayal.

Friday Night Lights - FNL will always have a spot on my top 10 list, even after it finishes its fifth and final season. It's that good. Kyle Chandler and Connie Britton have created one of the most realistic tv marriages it has been my privilege to see - and they make it look easy. FNL has also done a fantastic job of ushering out fan favorites as they graduate and move on with their lives while introducing new characters and making me care about them almost as much. How often does that happen? And, it has Tim Riggins. *sigh*

Terriers - oddly enough, it's filled that spot that has been empty since Veronica Mars. It's fantastic!

2010 season so far

As I was replying to a post by my friend, The Pop Culture Curmudgeon, I realized that it was, in fact, an entire blog post about my feelings about the new t.v. season. Here you go:

Don’t bother with No Ordinary Family. If you want to see it, stick The Incredibles in the dvd player instead. Much better!

I’m really enjoying Raising Hope. I find it hilarious and oddly sweet at the same time. I feel the same about last year's Cougar Town. I really wish it had a better name, I have friends that refuse to watch it because of that very reason.

My favorite new show of the season is definitely Terriers. It reminds me oddly of my beloved Veronica Mars. I’m cautiously optimistic about a second season since the dvr numbers turned out to increase the viewership by 50%. If not, at least we got a whole season.

I haven’t really gotten into any of the other new shows this season. In addition to Cougar Town, I’m really enjoying the return of many of last season’s shows – The Vampire Diaries, Community, Modern Family and Glee, to name a few – as well as some old friends like Chuck, Supernatural, Bones, and Castle.

I’ve given up on House. Even with the House/Cuddy development, it still wasn’t able to hold my interest.

What I’m most excited about though, is the Oct. 27th return of Friday Night Lights on DirecTV’s 101 Channel. I was amazed at how quickly I came to care about the East Dillon Lions and view the Panthers as the enemy. (And, they better find a way to get my beloved Tim Riggins out of jail before the season is over!)

What new shows are you most enjoying this fall? Any older ones you've given up on?

Fall 2010 so far...

I skipped The Event. I heard too many comparisons to Flash Forward, which I liked initially but grew tired of quickly.

I was really looking forward to Lone Star and evidently I was the only person that watched it, lol. It’s a shame, it was really good and far better than that DWTS crap. I guess too many people thought it would be like Dallas. According to Zap2it.com, LS only drew a little over 4 million voters – definitely not enough for any kind of longevity on Fox. Bummer.

My favorite new shows of the fall are FX's Terriers - it reminds me a lot of the late, great Veronica Mars - and HBO's Boardwalk Empire. Even though they don't have a lot in common on the surface, both have great casts with good chemistry and a real sense of place.

I’ve written off Nikita and Hellcats. They weren't terrible, but they weren't good enough to take up my viewing time either.

Mike and Molly. Oh, dear. Where do I begin? I wanted to like this show - I love Melissa McCarthy, the actress that plays Molly; she was one of my favorites on Gilmore Girls - but it's dreadful. The laugh track is grating and the fat jokes offensive. A definite skip in my book.

Of the returning shows I've seen so far, I greatly enjoyed Sons of Anarchy, Chuck, Glee and The Vampire Diaries (the show runners at True Blood should watch to see how it’s done). Castle was entertaining as always.

Be on the lookout for more updates later this week!

You had to know it was coming...

As much time I as I spend watching t.v. and writing about it later, you had to know this blog entry was coming. According to the folks at Nielsen, the official start of the 2010-2011 t.v. season is Sept. 20. Apparently the folks at The CW and FX didn't get the memo because many of their tent pole shows are starting their new seasons next week. Yay!

One of my favorite guilty pleasures, The CW's The Vampire Diaries, is back Thursday, Sept. 9, and I'm so excited! The folks in Mystic Falls were left in various tricky situations and I'm can't wait to see how they're going to be resolved. That's one of my favorite things about TVD - resolutions to its many plot twists and turns come quickly.

Supernatural is back on a new night, Friday. I'm very interested to see how it works with a new show runner. I'm kind of glad they're going back to more of a monster of the week format; the Apocalypse storyline of last season was a whole lot of wait and then not enough pay off.

FX's Sons of Anarchy is also back Tuesday and if it's half as good as last season, we're in for a treat. (It's a crying shame that the show itself and Katey Sagal for her portrayal of Gemma Teller-Morrow weren't nominated for Emmy's.) I know, I know, you're thinking "why would I watch a show about a motorcycle gang?" It's so much more than that; it's really about a community/family struggling to make things work under very difficult circumstances. A word of warning, as you can imagine from the subject matter, it's a bit graphic with language and violence. Don't give it a try if you're squeamish about such things.

I'm also looking forward to Terriers, a new show from FX. I'm willing to give anything with Donal Logue (Life, Grounded For Life, Knights of Prosperity) a try. Billed as a buddy cop show, it's about two unlicensed private detectives that are always getting caught up in cases that are bigger than they can really handle. It's getting great reviews from a wide variety of critics and is definitely worth a shot as far as I'm concerned.

I'll be going in to more detail about additional shows as we get further into the season. In the meantime, our friends at Television Without Pity have gone to the trouble to break down the fall schedule by day, time and show. They also make recommendations about what to watch, what to dvr, what to watch online and what to skip. Be sure to check it out here. Some of them I agree with, some not, but it's interesting reading.

Season's wrap up so far...

As the 2009-10 t.v. season draws to a close, I thought I'd briefly share my thoughts about the shows I watch and how they progressed during the 2009-10 season. If you have no interest in t.v., now is probably a good time to stop reading, lol.

Mondays

Chuck - What more can I say? I love this show! Season three was such a gift from the network that I completely forgive the show runners for taking it to a much darker place. While not a fan of the Agent Shaw story line, I enjoyed season 3 more than not and Zachary Levi and Yvonne Strahovski continue to have amazing chemistry. Add in the Buy Morons (more Jeffster is always a good thing!), the Awesomes and Casey, and you have a truly enjoyable t.v. experience.

Castle - Nathan Fillion is charming and amusing as writer Rick Castle who rides along with Det. Kate Beckett on murder calls for inspiration for his novels. The supporting cast is entertaining and the cases are interesting. I especially enjoy Castle's relationship with his daughter and mother.

24 - it was time for it to be over. And, they completely wasted Katee Sackhoff.

House - I'm tired of House. All of the episodes are the same. A patient comes in with a crazy illness, they don't figure it out, they almost kill the patient and then save the day. And this season it seemed like House was a supporting character on his own show.

Life Unexpected - I wanted to like this show - I really miss the old school WB shows. I LOVED the pilot, tolerated the next five or six episodes and then gave up on it. It was very repetitive plot-wise and some of the characters grew more annoying each episode because of it.

Tuesdays

Let me just thank FX now for the amazing shows that are Sons of Anarchy and Justified.

When I first heard the premise for SoA, I was skeptical. Why in the world would I want to watch Hamlet on a motorcycle? Then I watched the first season on dvd and was hooked. The writing and acting are first rate and only got better with the second season.

I never would have guessed that Katey Sagel (Peg Bundy from Married with Children) would've had the chops to play such a meaty role. Ron Perlman, Charlie Hunnam, Maggie Sift and Adam Arkin all turned in excellent performances. If you don't mind violence and bad language with your drama, be sure to give this one a try.

Justified is the perfect showcase for Timothy Olyphant. It's about a throwback US Marshall that isn't afraid to draw his gun - until it starts to have serious repercussions on his career and personal life. It's based on a couple of Elmore Leonard short stories and the show writers do a good job of keeping his signature feel. The supporting performances are strong and there have been some interesting guest stars. As with SoA, give it a try if you don't mind violence and language.

Wednesdays

MODERN FAMILY IS AMAZING. Thank you, ABC, for bringing back some quality sitcoms. If nothing else, be sure and try the Fizbo the Clown episode. Halfway through the season, I'd have told you this was the best sitcom of the year. This one didn't drop in quality but two others had amazing improvement, so I'm no longer quite so sure.

Cougar Town is a victim of its terrible name which really has very little to do with the show as it is now. It did start the season as a show about a newly single 40something mom who was on the prowl for younger men. After about 4 or 5 episodes, though, the writers realized that wasn't really working and changed the focus of the show to the lead's relationship with family and friends. It's now hilarious and quite enjoyable. Overlook the name and try this one again if you haven't already.

Thursdays

Thursdays are so chock full of goodness that I don't know where to begin...

Supernatural - The apocalypse was a bit of a snooze but there were some fine individual episodes, all filled with snark, pop culture references, good v. evil, crises of faith, familial love/relations, etc. It is beyond me why Jensen Ackles hasn't been nominated for an emmy yet. This has been one of my favorite shows in the past and I hope season 6 will see it redeem itself a little.

The Vampire Diaries - I didn't even give this one a try at first. I hated the books - just couldn't get into them and gave up after the first 100 pages. A friend talked me into giving it a try and I was hooked - something major happens and the plot progresses EVERY episode. There are no filler episodes. It's also the first time where I've started to pull for both sides of a love triangle.

Ian Somerhalder is obviously having a great time playing elder brother (and self-proclaimed bad ass) Damon. He's a lot of fun to watch. Nina Dobrev and Paul Wesley are also good as the other two leads. And, for trivia's sake, supporting actor Steven R. McQueen is the grandson of legendary bad ass Steve McQueen.

Community - This sitcom has really come into its own - and turned out to be my favorite sitcom of the year. It's filled with pop culture references and the relationships between the study group characters are interesting. I think it's one of those shows that you either get and really love or you watch and are bored to death. I love it and come close to peeing my pants just about every episode. If you're interested, try Debate 101 or Modern Warfare. Those are two of my favorites, but they're all good. And, unlike a lot of shows, the little codas at the end are just as funny, if not funnier, than the rest of the episode. Be sure to watch them.

30 Rock - still funny but more uneven than in the past. I will say though that the Happy Anna Howard Shaw Day episode where Liz has a root canal and hallucinates her past boyfriends and mistakes a ficus tree for Jon Bon Jovi cracked me up.

Bones - I've been a huge fan of Bones since the beginning but after the 100th episode and then the season finale, I feel abused by the writing staff and have decided to break up with the show. It's been FIVE YEARS. Enough is enough. That's all I have to say.

Fridays

Dollhouse came to an end. Parts of it were brilliant and I'm still amazed that the best episode was a dvd only selection. I guess I should just be grateful to Fox for letting Joss Whedon introduce Enver Gjokaj (Victor) and Diechan Lachman (Sierra) to the world. They're fantastic.

Friday Night Lights - It is with clear eyes and a full heart that I tell you that if you're not watching this show, you're missing out on something great. I've waxed poetic about it before, so I won't go on and on but in season four they've had to start all over, practically from the ground up. And it's just as good. Thank you, DirecTV, for rescuing this gem of a show.

What's your favorite show? Why? And, no, I haven't left Glee off - it's still running :)

Good-bye, Sookie

Sookie Stackhouse, I'm breaking up with you. In print, anyway. I've long been a fan of the novels about you, but after the tenth in the series, I think I've had enough. And, I can't believe I'm about to say this, but I like the t.v. show better.

Actually, that's two vampire book series this year where I prefer the t.v. show to the books they're based on. I couldn't stand the Vampire Diaries series but love, LOVE the show. I tried to read the books three different times and couldn't get past the first 100 pages. This is very unusual for me. When I start a book, I finish it - no matter how good or bad it may be.

Much to the bewilderment of my parents, I've always been a fan of vampire stories. I can trace it as far back as Bunnicula in elementary school. Does anyone else remember the story about the vampire bunny that drained veggies?

And then, in middle school, I discovered Anne Rice. I was a pretty innocent 12-year-old and much of what she was writing about went completely over my head but I had older friends that were reading her novels and I wanted so badly to appear cool that I started reading them. Needless to say, it was an eye-opening experience. To this day, I can't believe my parents let me read those books.

When I think about it though, Mom and Dad were always pretty good about letting me read what I wanted. Whether it was Anne Rice, Ken Kesey, Kurt Vonnegut, Harper Lee or anyone of a hundred other authors, it was always my decision.

Boy, this sure didn't end up where I thought it was going to...

Television surprises

I wanted to like Life Unexpected on the CW. I've missed the old school shows from the WB (Gilmore Girls, Everwood, even Dawson's Creek). I loved the pilot episode and was prepared to be a die hard fan. And then I watched episodes 2 through 6 and found that I can't stand the actual show; not the characters, not the writing, anything. It's a shame, really. Check out Television Without Pity (http://www.twop.com) for a second opinion.

I thought I would hate The Vampire Diaries. I didn't care for the books and wasn't enamored of the pilot. It's turned out to be a fun, dangerously addictive show filled with eye candy and quickly moving plot lines. I'm glad I stuck with it and gave it a second chance.

I've also just discovered The Unusuals on Hulu. Great, quirky little cop drama set in NYC with Amber Tamblyn from Joan of Arcadia and Jeremy Renner from The Hurt Locker as well as cast of folks you definitely know from elsewhere. It only had 10 episodes before being cancelled, but those 10 are a treat. Check it out at http://www.hulu.com/the-unusuals

How about you? Have show that you wanted to like and then didn't? Found a show that you were surprised to like? How long do you stick with a show before giving up on it?

driven crazy by tv

I've decided that television executives at the various networks are conspiring to drive me insane. Me, personally. Do they have to put so many shows that I watch on at the same day/time? There are lots of nights out there where they are just airing the latest reality crap or police procedural clone. Do we really need five versions of Law & Order or CSI?

Mondays and Thursdays are just about impossible for me. Thank goodness for internet viewing. Otherwise, I'd have to make some tough choices... Really - how do you choose on Thursdays between NBC's comedy block, Bones on Fox, and Vampire Diaries/Supernatural on the CW? All completely different creatures and all really good.

Do you have viewing conflicts? How do you make your decision? Do you watch online?