Monday, January 17, 2011

(40) - Top TV Shows from 2010

Now I've created three lists for this one. One just from dramas, one just for sitcoms/comedies, and one encompassing both. Now the last one is a tricky one, because how does one judge comedy vs drama? Every ranking depends on the mood you are in I guess, but I tried to rank them. I will only show the list showing both genres, because you can see how they broke down genre-wise from there. So here we go, my Top 26 TV shows in 2010...

26 - How To Make It In America (HBO - Comedy) - This was a surprise one for me. I only got into it towards the end, so I had to go back and watch it On Demand. Pretty good.
25 - Human Target (Fox - Drama) - Purely popcorn fun. I do like all the characters though. They keep me entertained. The storylines are meh, but the action is pretty good.
24 - South Park (Comedy Central - Comedy) - I love South Park. It's one of my favorite comedies of all time. This was a good season too, I just happened to like other TV out there.
23 - 24 (Fox - Drama) - A pretty good ending to a great series (only Season 6 was truly, truly awful). Was looking forward to a Jack Bauer movie, but it looks like that won't happen. I enjoyed watching Jack solve ridiculous plot twists for 8 seasons. Sad to see him go.
22 - Damages (FX - Drama) - A nice bounceback from a pretty lackluster Season 2. This season got me back into the series. Glad to see it coming back on DirecTV. The dynamic between Glen Close and Rose Byrne is pretty great.
21 - The Pacific (HBO - Drama) - Band of Brothers part II it is not, but it is still some pretty phenomenal TV. The intertwining stories of the three marines I think did it a disservice. An eye opening experience to anyone who didn't know a thing about WWII on the Pacific Islands.
20 - Warehouse 13 - (SyFy - Drama) - Surprising fun. I love me my SyFy stupid shows. Was The Pacific better than this show? Absolutely. But I liked this more, and it's my list. So go away if you don't like it.
19 - Eureka - (SyFy - Drama) - Been invested in this show from the beginning. Really enjoy it. It's good fun. I like the SyFy tandem of Eureka & Warehouse 13.
18 - The Office (NBC - Comedy) - One of my favorite comedies of all time, but it's hard to argue that it's becoming stale. Do I still love it? Absolutely. I love every episode. But Steve Carrell is right to leave after this season. I commend him for making a good call. Will suck to see him go.
17 - Eastbound & Down (HBO - Comedy) - After such a groundbreaking first season, this season was a letdown. I predict we can get one more season, MAYBE two more, but after that this show has to go. Definitely funny moments throughout this season.
16 - 30 Rock (NBC- Comedy) - I will always laugh at this show. Ridiculous plots aside, this show brings the funny. Tina Fey is amazing. Simply put. Alec Baldwin is great, but Tina Fey is what makes this show tick.
15 - Boardwalk Empire (HBO - Drama) - Disappointing? Not in the least. I loved this show. People wanted more of The Sopranos, but I say fuck them. This isn't The Sopranos. Perfect blend of story, character, and action, with bits of comedy thrown in there. Season 2 should go above and beyond this season as well, they set it up perfectly.
14 - Fringe (Fox - Drama) - I desperately wanted to put this show in my Top 10. But I couldn't get it around the next four shows. I love this show with a passion. I am in love with Olivia Dunham. This show brings the weird and crazy every week. With the whole alternate universe and an impending war between the two, I cannot wait to see what happens this year.
13 - Rubicon (AMC - Drama) - So pissed this show got the ax after one season. People thought it was too slow. I say nay, you people have no patience. The mystery kept unraveling piece by piece, and it was at perfect pace. There was hardly any action in this show because this wasn't a show about action. This was about telling a story and keeping you guessing until the last episode. Great stuff.
12 - Treme (HBO - Drama) - David Simon knows his shit. The Wire is the greatest TV show of all time. Treme had an incredible first season. I wasn't quite sure where it was going in the beginning of the show. There wasn't any clear protagonist or antagonist, but then I realized that's not what this is about. This is a character piece telling incredible stories all surrounding one horrific tragedy. Looking forward to Season 2.
11 - Bored To Death (HBO - Comedy) - All I have to say is wow. Almost cracked the Top 10. I enjoyed Season 1, but didn't love it. Season 2 dropped all the things I hated about the first season, AND improved on what I loved. The supporting characters in this show are what makes it run.

TOP TEN
10 - Dexter (Shotime - Drama) - Five seasons now. And each season is different than the next. This season doesn't break that trend. I waited until the end of this season to watch every episode back to back. And I ran through this season in one day. Love me some Dexter. Julia Stiles was a nice addition this season.
9 - LOST - (ABC - Drama) - What can I say about LOST? Been in love with this show for five years. A lot of people didn't love this season, or more specifically didn't love that there were questions answered in ways they did not like. People felt like they wasted years watching this show? Let's be honest. If you felt that way, you only wasted about 100 hours of your life, but you're an idiot for even thinking that. This show made me love TV again. Sad to see it go, but there was no way for it to be strung out.
8 - The Walking Dead - (AMC - Drama) - Six episodes, that's it. What a statement. The first episode was great, the rest were good. But it kept me riveted for six weeks. Looking forward to Season 2. And what the fuck was whispered in his ear at the end?!
7 - Friday Night Lights (NBC/DirecTV - Drama) - We're into the last season now. Outside of the first half of Season 2, this show has been so great. It's not about football. It's about these people and how their lives revolve around football. Also, Texas is fucking crazy. But this has become a Top 10 show for me (of all-time).
6 - Justified (FX - Drama) - Had zero idea about this show until about a week before it started, and then bam, the show hit me like a ton of bricks. Have always been a fan of Timothy Olyphant (dating back to his "The Girl Next Door" scene stealing character), and he really carries this show. Just the right amount of comedy mixed in with great story. Major surprise here.
5 - Modern Family (ABC - Comedy) - I didn't want to give this show a chance. Anyone who liked it I wrote off immediately. But then people kept talking about it. And it kept winning awards. So I finally caved in and watched the first episode with my girlfriend, and we finished the whole season in just over a week. Loved it. Season 2 has dipped a little, but Season 1 was as good a first season for a comedy that I can remember.
4 - Party Down (Starz - Comedy) - Such a shame this show got dropped. Two seasons, 20 episodes, this show was such a great idea, and each episode knocked it out of the park. Adam Scott played his role perfectly, Ken Marino was fantastic, as was the rest of the supporting cast. It's a shame this show didn't get more love.
3 - Parks and Recreation (NBC - Comedy) - Ron Swanson. Andy Dwyer. Tom Haverford. April Ludgate. Amy Poehler is very good, but the supporting cast is phenomenal. Great comedy. So happy it returns this Thursday.
2 - Mad Men (AMC - Drama) - Season 4 started off with the question, Who is Don Draper? And by the end of the season, I was still asking that question. Who could have saw how this season ended? It came out of left field, but it was so brilliant and crazy that it worked. Each season of Mad Men has been tremendous, and this was no exception. A Top 5 TV show of all-time.
1 - Community (NBC - Comedy) - The pilot episode had promise. It wasn't great, it wasn't bad. This show had me hooked after the Debate 109 episode. The ensemble cast is tremendous, each bringing something different to each episode. The dynamic between Troy and Abed is flat out amazing. Joel McHale's character is the "main" character, but his character is arguably the worst. Not to say he's bad, but the supporting cast is just so strong. In the middle of Season 1 they recognized that and shifted the show to be more of an ensemble-base, and they have continued that trend in Season 2, making this show my #1 of 2010.

EDITOR'S NOTE: I just realized I left off Curb Your Enthusiasm. That'd probably go between The Office and Eastbound & Down. In the 17-19 range.

1 comment:

Mark Mino said...

Mad Men is in the top five of all time. I agree.