Year-end lists

By and large, numbered list are useful only for entertainment purposes. Without standard criteria, lists reflect authors' personal feelings and tastes. And even if there were a checklist for television show attributes, this is still television where everything is widely varied. My mindset is that lists are immensely fun to read and write. It allows for reflection on the past which is sometimes necessary when episodes continue to be produced and watched. I didn't feel like writing much at the end of the year, but I typed some random lists--no criteria, no quantification, just whatever came to mind (and trying to avoid overlaps).

Best shows

1) Breaking Bad
2) Mad Men
3) Community
4) The Good Wife
5) Rubicon
6) Supernatural
7) Terriers
8) Boardwalk Empire
9) Lost
10) Chuck

Best mindless pleasure shows

1) NCIS
2) Nikita
3) Psych
4) Bones (strictly when it's not a Booth-Brennan episode)
5) Leverage

Most memorable scenes

1) Epic fight between Hank and the cousins on Breaking Bad
2) Every second of the Community paintball episode
3) Final Lost scene, a big WTF
4) Don completely blows up on Peggy in Mad Men
5) Jack Bauer's final goodbye on 24

Most disappointing shows

1) Undercovers
2) No Ordinary Family
3) Big Love
4) Human Target
5) True Blood

Most surprising shows in terms of quality (both good and bad, mostly good)

1) Parks and Recreation
2) Sanctuary
3) The Mentalist
4) Big Love
5) Weeds

10 Steps to Save Your Favorite Show

Your favorite show is struggling with ratings and on the verge of collapse. Look no further. Here's the only surefire solution to save your show. No more watching live (which doesn't work by the way unless you're in a Nielsen family), no more donating money to thieves, and no more buying subs.

1. Buy duct tape.
2. Buy gloves.
3. Buy a mask.
4. Look on the internet for Nielsen families and find their address.
5. Break into their house (not sure how to do this effectively, but make sure to wear the gloves and the mask)
6. Turn their television to the show you want to save.
7. If there are people home, tape them up.
8. Repeat 100 times.
9. Run like hell.
10. Enjoy the next season of your favorite show.

5 Reasons Why FlashForward Doesn't Work

FlashForward returns this Thursday with a 2-hour episode. The ratings have plummeted since the premiere, so clearly something is wrong with the show. Here are my thoughts.

Micro vs. Macro

The writers expect us to believe that a random FBI field office in Los Angeles can unravel this mystery by itself, and determine the fate of the world. Give me a break. The most egregious foolishness stemming was Al's suicide. Somehow, he was the FIRST person in weeks to have died and seen something in the flashforward. Really? Thousands of people die all the time, and none of them saw a anything in the flashforwards?

Fate vs. Free Will

The only reasons why the flashforward is important is 1) the future is not set in stone and 2) the flashforwards allow them to change the future. The debate between fate and free will can only be resolved by empirical evidence: what actually happens 6 months later.

What's important?

There's "Suspect Zero," D. Gibbons, the pylons in Somalia coinciding with the crow deaths and mass blackouts, the Blue Hand, Nazis, and the military contractor. Each episode brings up something new, and there isn't resolution or advancement to the other plots.

Acting

Joseph Fiennes has to stop using that low growl all the time. It makes his character unlikable and unrealistic. The rest of the performances haven't been spectacular either, and the cast seems great on paper.

Dialogue

I'm not looking for a Joss Whedon or David Milch. At the very least, the writers have to stop putting obvious statements uttered in grandiose fashion at the end of every act. Then give the characters personality and positive qualities.

Most anticipated shows of 2010

Here's the shows I'm looking forward to the most. There's way more shows that I like watching, but "most" has to the whittled down to an acceptable number. I know the networks at going to unveil a bunch more shows at the upfronts, so I'll make a list for those shows later.

Returning Shows:

24: I can't get enough of the show. I know there's going to be moles, deception, a conspiracy, some stupid actions, but the action and pace never ceases to bore me. Couple that with Kiefer Sutherland's unnerving acting abilities and I'm hooked.

Chuck: Comedy, action, and drama all mixed into one glorious hour of television. Please watch.

Lost: I have no clue how I forgot Lost , but I realized I had left it off the list. The final season of one of the wildest shows created is surely something I look forward to.

Damages: In my opinion, Damages has the best overall cast with incredible acting by Glenn Close and Rose Byrne. And then there's the magnificent way of storytelling over a season. Viewers for the show have been dropping like flies, so please watch it also.

Mad Men: After the huge developments in the season finale, how could you not look forward to the new season?

Breaking Bad: Walt made huge changes during season 2 becoming a ruthless drug lord, losing his wife in the process. Season 3 can go in so many directions, I can't help but look forward to it.

New Shows:

Caprica: As a BSG fan, I'm obligated to like the show, but I wasn't too excited by the pilot which was released on DVD waaaay too long ago. Nonetheless, it's bound to be good sci-fi with such talented people behind it.

Human Target: The trailers makes it look like an action-fest like Trauma, but if it's better than the horrible Knight Rider remake, I'll give it a shot. The cast of the show is top notch, and for that

Undercovers: I always give J.J. Abrams a chance even though I think he's a hack. For all his numerous shortfalls as a producer, he has created good shows with excellent episodes, so I'm looking forward to whatever craziness he'll come up with next.

Honorable Mentions: Burn Notice, True Blood

Top 5 Sci-Fi Shows not on best of decade lists

I'm not going to make a best of the 00's list mostly because everyone has the same shows, and I think they all belong. A general rundown of what everyone has: The Wire, The Sopranos, Mad Men, The Shield, West Wing, Lost, Battlestar Galactica, Friday Night Lights, and a random spattering of comedies.

Other than Lost and Battlestar Galactica, there is a lack of sci-fi shows which is understandable. The award shows and critics regularly pass over the genre entirely, but I love the genre, so here's a list of sci-fi shows of the decade that I liked that made few or no lists.

1. Firefly

I know Firefly made it onto several lists, but for the most part, the show gets much more credit from the fans than the critics. Seamlessly blending humor, science fiction, and Westerns, Joss Whedon came up with another hit that viewers didn't care about. I know there are lots of excuses made the the show and Whedon shows in general, but in the end, there is one valid excuse. Joss Whedon belongs on cable. The potential for FIrefly was endless and the 14 episodes only scraped the surface of what it could have been. But even still, the 14 episodes by themselves represent an untouchable level of science fiction. The casting, settings, and writing is as close to perfect as I can imagine.

2. Alias

The last two seasons and most of the third were difficult to watch, but the first two seasons are my favorite two consecutive seasons of television ever. Whenever someone praises Fringe and its relationships, I always think back to Alias. There is no competition. Sydney, Jack, Dixon, Vaughn, Marshall, etc made the show and the acting was fantastic. Jennifer Garner may never been a hit on the big screen, but she is the greatest television ass-kicker of all time.

3. Supernatural

The WB/CW may have low budgets, but that doesn't mean they can't make an occasional gem. The show evolved from two brothers chasing down the creepy crawlies and branched out into an epic struggle of heavenly proportions. The relationship between the Winchesters rivals the best of cable, but the award shows continue to ignore it.

4. Farscape

Underrated by the critics and overrated by the fans, Farscape took big leaps and never turned back, giving those still watching an exhilarating ride. The writers were never afraid to take risks and significantly shake things up. Sometimes it didn't work, but I have to commend them for bold choices few shows take. The range of the series was incredible, and I'm not sure there are any series out there that matches it. What show could have a Farscape version of Looney Tunes (Revenging Angel) and in the very next episode have a gut wrenching episode focusing on Aeryn (The Choice)?


5. Stargate SG-1

Unlike Buffy and The X-Files which aired bad episodes in the 2000s that make me consider them solely shows of the 90s, I consider SG-1 as much a show of the 00s as the 90s. The writers never made the characters too complex (which is why I think SGU doesn't work), but Stargate was always a fun show. The dialogue and humor worked well, and the action speaks for itself.

What I want for Christmas - TV Version

DVDs aren't the only TV gifts we can get, so here's a list of what I want to see from my TV shows for Christmas.

1. Better Off Ted viewers

I'm almost 100% sure the show will be canceled, and barring a truly magnificent Christmas miracle, the show will be canceled. The ratings for the season premiere sucked, even compared to the lower end ABC shows, and the ratings were just as bad last spring. It was a miracle even then that the show was renewed for a second season so I guess we can be grateful about. The biting satire of the show is beyond anything on television right now, and the acting is above average. Why won't people watch?

2. 24 Season 9

The eighth season of the action thriller is starts on January 17, but there no word whether the show will continue beyond the next season. The show still pulls in decent ratings and does incredibly well for a show that has been on air so long, but the producers and actors don't seem to be that interested in continuing the show. While they continue making compelling stories full of twists year after year, they would be fine if they don't come to an agreement with Fox. But I and many others want more. Even if there isn't Jack Bauer, I'd watch.

3. Fix FlashForward

After ABC promoted the show so much during the summer, I was expected something great, and instead was handed disappointment after disappointment. There are fundamental flaws with the show that need to be resolved that I've talked about in my reviews. Hopefully it'll get better when it comes back in March. Fingers crossed!

4. Ending of Lost not like the ending of Alias

The final scene of Alias was sweet, but lame as hell. It was a happy ending with Sydney, Vaughn, and a random appearance of Dixon on an island. After all the craziness of five seasons, all the writers could come up with was a scene with no real meaning. Speaking of spy shows, I thought La Femme Nikita's ending was better by 100 times. It was bittersweet and fit well with the theme of the show. With Lost winding down, I hope Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse don't take the route of Jeff Pinkner. Luckily the only constant is J.J. Abrams.

5. A renewal for Chuck

The new season hasn't started yet and this may seem premature, but I'm kind of a pessimist, so I don't have high hopes for the show. The ratings stabilized very low last season despite high hopes and promotion during prime events. The season two finale pushed the show to the next level and from what we know about season three, the stories will be even better.

Top 25 X-Files Episodes

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5 Best Television Related Websites

I know you must be wondering what sort of sites I like going on other than this one. I have over 10 sites that I visit daily for TV information, but I have singled out 5 sites that you can't miss.

5. Sci Fi Wire

Basically any show under the wide purview of "scifi" is covered on this site, so the shows include Medium and Ghost Whisperer which have scifi elements, but normally would not be considered with Star Trek and Battlestar Galactica. This allows for a huge coverage in the number of shows. The site has lots of spoilers not on any site, and lots of interesting articles. I know you might be wondering why Sci Fi Wire instead of io9, but I have a simple reason: io9 has too much non-TV content.

4. TV Spoilers Center

I wouldn't necessarily classify this as a spoiler site, but more of a trailer site. It has the fastest updated promos and sneak peaks for next weeks' episodes. It's a nice site if you don't want to continuously scour Youtube and other video sites. The site may be in Spanish, but there's nothing to read anyways, just videos and photos.

3. TV by the Numbers

If you love reading about ratings like I do, TVBTN is the best site to do it. Not only does it have the overnights posted quickly, it also has great analysis of the numbers. I find the site has many great commentators which is always a pleasure to read. If you want to learn about TV ratings, this is the site to start. The guys running the blog read the comments and answer questions efficiently, and you can learn a lot just be reading the posts.

2. Spoiler TV

If you're  spoiler junkie like I am, you should be hanging around this site as often as possible. It has spoilers for every scripted show out there and is updated very often. The site has original exclusive content, and content from many different sources. It may be faster to go to the original sources, but for pure aggregation from a number of sites that would take you too long to access, this is the best site out there.

1. Television Without Pity

This site is by far the best television sites out there. It has extremely detailed recaps of many shows old, and new written by very good writers. Initially, I wanted this blog to be like TWoP with detailed recaps, but I stopped that idea when I realized it would take to long, so I turned to reviewing the episodes. They have some nice blogs that are always fun to read and provide up to date information on the TV world. Probably my favorite feature of the site is the photo galleries. They have a huge range of categories and provide substantial text to go along with the photos.

5 Best New Shows of 2008/2009 TV Season

5. Dollhouse (Fox)

The tone of the show is great, and for the most part the acting is strong (Eliza Dushku isn't that great). Some of the episodes weren't that good, but the last few episodes were riveting. The show has lots of potential for backstory and crazy things happening to the Dollhouse. At first, the concept seems a little bizarre, but it grows on you after a while.

4. Better Off Ted (ABC)

BOT is a different kind of comedy to the run of the mill ones on CBS. Set in an office with high-tech things everywhere, the show is wacky and fun. There is lots of potential with new gadgets and weird technology that can wreak havoc each weak. The characters are all quirky in their own way, and there is definitely lots of potential for the show. Like Scrubs, there is lots of unrealistic, physical humor, so I'm afraid it won't really catch on. 

3. The Mentalist (CBS)

Former fake psychic (they actually aren't real) Patrick Jane is a consultant for the California Bureau of Investigation and helps solve crime with his observation skills and intuition. Basic, right? Yes, actually, but that's what makes the show so fun. There's crimes and the team solves them. The best part of the show is Simon Baker who plays Jane. Jane is a great character with witty, funny comments, but when push comes to shove, can become as serious as anyone. I know people won't like to hear this, but I may actually like him better than House. Robin Tunney plays Teresa Lisbon, the head of the team, and even thuogh lots of people don't really like her in the role, I think this does a great job playing off Jane.

2. Fringe (Fox)

I'll admit the first couple episodes were shaky at best, but J.J. Abrams has done it again with a scifi show. The premise is that there are weird events happening called The Pattern and the FBI investigates them. It's similar to The X-Files, except the FBI agents have much more resources are more mainstream. There are some awesome twists and a cool main storyline which I have to admit is more interesting than that of The X-Files (please don't hate me). None of the characters are very interesting other than Walter Bishop played by John Noble, but I'm sure later seasons with go more in depth with that as there are many possibilities.

1. Leverage (TNT)

Imagine a Ocean's 11 with a philanthropic heart. That's Leverage. A group of master criminals get together to help people in need. The show is solid throughout. The pacing is near perfect, the characters are funny, and the jobs are highly intelligent. The world of high-tech thievery meets a helping hand and we get a great show. Helping the underdog is lame at times, but it is rarely the focus, and most of the focus is on the actual crime. While other cable shows like Burn Notice get more recognition, Leverage is a show that is truly a cut above the rest.

Related:

5 Best Renewals of 2008/2009 TV Season

5 Worst Cancellations of 2008/2009 TV Season

5 Best Renewals of 2008/2009 TV Season

Last week I did 5 Worst Cancellations of 2008/2009 TV Season so now I will do the best renewals for on the bubble shows and not shows like House or NCIS that were locks.

5. Cold Case (CBS)

I don't watch the show every week like I do with a lot of shows, but I will watch it on occasion and I like the concept of the show a lot and the characters with the messed up pasts. There was speculation that either Cold Case or Without a Trace would have to go and even though they both had excellent ratings compared to other networks, like with Eleventh Hour.

4. Castle (ABC)

Nathan Fillion is great as the title character of Castle though I do think his voice is a little funny. The crimes in the show are pretty mundane, but the humor and the relationship between Beckett and Castle makes the show fun to watch. In know it's a little to earlier, but the ratings near the end of the show began going back to the original level, so I think we can expect a third season.

3. Better Off Ted (ABC)

The ratings sucked (by so did Scrubs's), but was surprisingly renewed. ABC seems to be promoting their new comedy block on Wednesday, and Better Off Ted is certainly good comedy. The show is set at Veridian Dynamics, possibly the most diabolic company ever, run by people like Dick Cheney and Karl Rove. The evilness is punctuated by Veronica, Ted's boss, played brilliantly by Ellen's wife Portia de Rossi. I don't understand why there is so little people watching the show, and I'm guessing it will probably be canceled next season, but for now, we get a few more episodes of hilarity.

2. Dollhouse (Fox)

I know the show started off bad with the lame standalone episodes, but this is Joss Whedon we're talking about, the creator of Buffy, Angel, and Firefly.  After the total failure of Fox with Firefly, I think they were compelled to renew Dollhouse even though the quality and ratings of the show were definitely substandard. I'm positive season 2 of Dollhouse, like season 2 of Buffy will be 

1. Chuck (NBC)

This show is a must watch immediately. The show has smart humor and references to everything. Unfortunately, the ratings weren't too kind to it even though there really is no reason why the ratings shouldn't be higher (there were a couple bad episodes). Inexplicably, the episodes toward the last part of the season were amazing, yet the ratings only stayed steady. There was huge buzz for the show with the Subway campaign. The show ended with a cliffhanger that will propel the show in a seemingly different direction. Thankfully we now have a third season, but for the love of god, stop the triangulating!!

5 Worst Cancellations of 2008/2009 TV Season

I know TV is simply a business to earn money so when I say worst, I mean in terms of the viewers and not of company revenue, so without any further explanation, I'll jump into the list.

5. Eleventh Hour (CBS)

Another CBS crime procedural except this one doesn't stick. It had an interesting premise focusing on science and I'm not talking 3rd grade science, advanced stuff only Dr. Hood (Rufus Sewell) could figure out. He and his "bodyguard" Rachel Young (Marley Shelton) go around science related crimes for the FBI. I know this is just another cop show, etc...but the quality of the show was on par with the rest of the CBS show so it would have been nice to see it stay for another season.

4. The Unusuals (ABC)

I absolutely loved this show when it first aired. The show mixes cop humor with totally off-the-cuff comments. After each commercial break, there is a police dispatch report about a random, crazy crime that's going on sprinkled in with commentary by the police dispatch herself. Amber Tamblyn is once again magnificent with her unusual portrayal of an NYPD detective (who'd of thought those 2 would go together). For those who understood where the humor was coming from it was absolutely hilarious and I guess to those who don't, I was a jumbled piece of garbage.

3. Reaper (CW)

I'll admit the show was never overly amazing, but it was never horrible either. It was a decent show with good characters. The standouts here are Tyler Labine as the sidekick Sock with his sex-driven comments and Ray Wise as the smooth-talking devil. The reason why I put this show ahead of the other 2 is that there were 2 seasons to develop the story and the characters. What makes the cancellation of this show worse is that it ends on a cliffhanger with Sam's girlfriend Andi losing her soul to the devil which would logically lead to a wild third season with more fun. Alas we will never see the ending.

2. Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles (Fox)

Okay, I'll admit something (don't kill me), I haven't watched all of the show, so I guess I'm not really qualified to add this, but judging from the fan reaction after the cancellation was announced and from the episodes that I have seen, I added this here.

1. Pushing Daisies (ABC)

It is simply an utter travesty this brilliant show got canceled. There are simply not enough superlatives to describe exactly how great the show was. The show has humor, mystery, romance, and fantasy. There are bright colors and happy stories that make you feel warm and fuzzy on the inside without being overly cheesy, but hey, how uncheesy can something be when the main setting is a pie store called the Pie Hole which has a crust on the outside of the store. The show has a great cast led by Lee Pace and Anna Friel. Oh yeah, did I forgot the unfinished storylines? The great part of the show is that there are standalone episodes blended seamlessly with a main storylines. As much as this is a light, funny show, the storyline still was excellent and I was anticipating the next thing that happened. It's a shame we'll probably never see a good resolution though I hope the comics will bring some closure.

Honorable Mentions: Stargate Atlantis (Scifi), Life on Mars (ABC)