Two Tivos To Paradise 12.26.08: The Television Year In Review (Part One)

Posted by Al Norton on 12.26.2008

It's the television year in review, part one, starting off with the 10 best comedy and drama series of 2008! Did Mad Men or Lost finally knock Battlestar Galactica out of the # 1 slot? What surprise series topped 30 Rock and The Office? Plus a guide to New Year's Eve and New Year's Day viewing and the TV Pick of the Week! It's all in the latest edition of Two Tivos To Paradise!

Hello Friends. Hope everyone who celebrates such things had a happy Hanukkah and/or Merry Christmas this week. After digging out from a big weekend snowstorm we headed to CT to spend the holidays with the in-laws. Regular readers will be tickled to learn how thrilled my Father in-law was to get the first five seasons on NCIS on DVD under the tree. While I did pretty well, the twins made out like bandits, their Red Sox toy box being a highlight.

The next two weeks of columns will be a break from the usual format, focusing on 2008-in-review. Today finds us running down the Top 10 Comedy and Drama series of the year and next Friday we'll have the Two Tivos To Paradise 2008 TV Entertainers of the Year plus a look at the television things we're most looking forward to in 2009.

Clowns to the left of me, jokers to the right, here I am, stuck in the middle with news.

THE TOP 10 COMEDIES OF 2008

10) Desperate Housewives (ABC)
For the first time since the series award winning freshman season the writers of Desperate Housewives seem to realize that the comedy and the drama play much better when you actually care about the characters. Carlos and Gabby have become much funnier - and more believable - as a couple as their relationship has matured, and Marcia Cross is at the top of her game when Bree is not at the top of her's. Kyle McLaughlin's comic timing being as sharp as it is makes Neal McDonough's Dave that much more disturbing as a counterpoint. DH has found its balance again and it's the television viewer that is the real winner.

9) PSYCH (USA)
Every year I write about how PSYCH is among the most underrated shows on TV, with the James Roday-Dule Hill pairing holding it's own against any other small screen twosome for pure entertainment, and every year I hope that the following season is the one that breaks the series out. This past year's high school reunion episode was one of the top hours of the TV season, paying homage to the great 80's high school movies while giving us some insight into Shawn's inability to pull the trigger with Juliet. Make sure your Tivo tapes an extra minute or two each week so as not to miss the best outtakes in the business.

8) Ugly Betty (ABC)
Who would have thought a show set in New York would benefit so much for actually moving to New York? The new on-location location has breathed some serious life into Ugly Betty, which got bogged down last year in a romantic triangle that was not particularly interesting, the payoff of which confirmed that the audience was dead-on in its apathy. This year the focus is back on Mode in general and Betty's struggle to become the person she wants to be specifically. Having Amanda become Betty's roommate was a stroke of genius, giving Becki Newton a little more room to work and making the show better because of it.

7) Samantha Who? (ABC)
It's a simple pitch – a party girl with no real conscience gets hit by a car and wakes up with no memory and a desire to be a better person. Regarding Henrietta, but as a comedy, right? What makes the show work so well is that they keep it as simple as that, letting Christina Applegate and a terrific supporting charm their way into our hearts. Comedy doesn't have to be edgy or ground breaking, it just has to be funny.

6) My Name Is Earl (NBC)
Overshadowed by its flashier Thursday night cohabitants, My Name Is Earl just keeps its head down and plows ahead, giving viewers consistently entertaining episodes for four seasons in a row. Camden County has a group of regulars that are used perfectly; when someone shows up for the first time in a few weeks it is a joyous return, and at the same time no one overstays their welcome. The show actually rivals How I Met Your Mother in the way it respects/rewards longtime viewers.

5) Pushing Daisies (ABC)
It saddens me that such a great show will end up with essentially only one full season's worth of episodes as its legacy but there is no doubt in my mind that history will be quite kind to Pushing Daisies. You could watch Daisies with the volume muted and still be entertained, which is just about as big a compliment that a show's visuals can get. Of course if you did so you'd be missing such dazzling word play that it qualifies as choreography, making its cast the verbal equivalents of Astaire, Rodgers, and Kelly.

4) How I Met Your Mother (CBS)
Lots of good news for HIMYM fans; not only is the quality of the writing as good as it's ever been but thanks to nightly reruns beginning on Lifetime next Monday, more and more people will be jumping on the slap bet bandwagon. Of particular note this season is the way they have made sure that Barney's love for Robin has not effected his humor quotient in any way; can someone please give Neil Patrick Harris an Emmy?!?!?

3) The Office (NBC)
Amy Ryan's Holly was a comedic force to be reckoned with and despite how poorly her storyline was wrapped up, she gave the show a major jolt of energy. Not that the gang at Dunder Mifflin was struggling along on their own by any means; Jim and Pam's relationship continued to be very well played out (Jim's proposal caught me off guard and generated a tear or two), and other plot developments (Ryan's return, Toby's departure/return, the Andy-Angela-Dwight triangle) provided major laughs.

2) 30 Rock (NBC)
The Oprah episode from this fall would have put 30 Rock on this list alone but thankfully, the rest of the outings have been hysterical, too. Some may tire of their guest stars but the writers give them real characters to play (Mathew Broderick in the season finale, Jennifer Aniston last month) instead of just standing around looking famous. Tracy Morgan continues to be a comedic savant, and I continue to be a huge fan. I mean, come on; they staged a Night Court reunion!!!!

1) The Middleman (ABC Family)
This was a very easy choice as no show made me laugh as much as The Middleman, and certainly none did so with as wide an array of humor styles; witty banter, puns, physical comedy, pop culture references, and romantic comedy were just some of the ways the show got a hold of your funny bone, frequently managing to combine two or three of them to great effect. They also did a great job of mocking some science fiction clichés while still paying homage to the genre as a whole. Natalie Morales proved she is clearly a star-in-the-making, and Matt Keeler showed he could play it straight with the best of them while still letting his hair down in the finale. Sadly, not only does it look like there will be no second season but there is no scheduled release date for season one on DVD. ITunes does have all the episodes so do yourselves a favor and check out the best comedy of 2008.

THE TOP 10 DRAMAS OF 2008

10) The Cleaner (A & E)
No pilot had as much of an emotional effect on me this year, from Benjamin Bratt's note perfect performance to the obvious but still tragic death of Gil Bellow's character to Colin Hay's Waiting for My Real Life to Begin used over the episodes closing moments. The show doesn't always work perfectly but this is a situation where I giving them equal parts credit for the quality of the show as well as what they are trying to do with the series as a whole; examining the responsibilities we have in life, to ourselves, to our families and loved ones, and to the people we share the world with.

9) Burn Notice (USA)
Don't write off Burn Notice simply as an action series because if you do you'll be missing some great comedy, a star making performance by Jeffrey Donovan, some of the best sexual/emotional tension between a couple on TV right now, the rare example of voice over narration actually working well, and a on-going conspiracy plot that is complex and yet still easy to follow. And yes, they do a great job at blowing stuff up, too.

8) The Closer (TNT)
The Closer boasts what is easily the most underrated ensemble cast on TV, with a group that may lack star power but where each actor knows their role so well that they hardly seem like they are acting at all. I would name them in the same conversation as the casts of Lost, BSG, and Mad Men without a second thought. This past season struck an excellent balance between the cases themselves and Brenda's home life, with Jon Tenney (Fritz) getting some time in the spotlight.

7) Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles (Fox)
Continuing the run that began about half way through the show's strike shortened first season, the sophomore season of T: TSCC has been fantastic, making the jump from an science-fiction/action series to one that is about fate, destiny, and the emotional ties that make those things so hard to accept. Of course the show could be terrible and would still get a place on my list for using so many of my favorite character actors; this season alone has found Garrett Dillahunt, Dean Winters, Stephanie Jacobsen, and Richard Schiff taking excellent on-screen turns.

6) Life (NBC)
Currently the best police series on television, Life excels because its quirkiness is organic, feeling like it comes from the characters and their stories and not from a writer's room. Damian Lewis' Charlie Crews is a Detective for the ages, exploring mysteries both external and internal; while some actors wear their hearts on their sleeves, Lewis wear's his thought process on his face, letting the audience in on what Charlie is thinking at all times. While I can't mention Sarah Shahi without talking about how beautiful she is, it's her acting ability that deserves even more raves; the fact that I find Reese and Tidwell's romance even slightly believable is a huge testament to her thespian chops. Recent cast addition William Atherton, playing a retired cop who holds a few of the answers to the questions that plague Charlie, has given Lewis another strong presence to play of off.

5) Sons of Anarchy (FX)
Writers looking for examples of exemplary season long story arcs should sit down and watch Sons of Anarchy, where what initially seemed like a potentially too-slow pace revealed itself to be a master class of character development and well earned emotional crescendos. While Jax was seemingly the main character, with Gemma and Clay close behind, it was Opie's saga that gave the show its power. Ryan Hurst's performance was subtle, nuanced, and never anything less than 100% authentic as a man struggling to live a clean post-jail life and still find a way to provide for his family. The season's penultimate episode featured one of the most well earned emotional payoffs of the season, one that reached Operatic levels of tragedy. Katy Sagal is also worthy of major praise as well as an Emmy nomination. I will take her real world grit over the over-the top likes of Holly Hunter and Glenn Close any day.

4) Battlestar Galactica (Sci Fi)
After spending the last two years in the number one spot on this list, my beloved Battlestar Galactica slips to four. Hardly a big drop considering the high quality of the three shows ahead of it, and one that is attributable to the fact that we have only seen the first half of the season; the final batch of episodes begin their run next month and it's not a stretch to think that if they had all run in 2008 BSG would be successfully defending it's crown a third time. What we did see in 2008 was a great set up to the end of what will go down among the top series in television history. The Adama-Roslin embrace was a highlight, as was the simple one word declaration, "JUMP!"

3) Breaking Bad (AMC)
Easily the biggest surprise of 2008, no show on TV earned the label, "thought provoking" more. What lengths would you go to in order to make sure your family was provided for after you were gone? Faced with what seems like a kill-or-be-killed situation, would you have enough guts to do what it takes to survive? What if the actions you took upon finding out you were dying made you feel more alive than you had in years? Words cannot do justice to how Bryan Cranston inhabited the role of Walter; not for a second did you see the Dad from Malcolm in the Middle or the Dentist from Seinfeld. What you did see was the best, most passionate acting job television has seen since Andre Braugher left Homicide: Life on the Street, and from me that's just about as high as praise gets.

2) Lost (ABC)
You had to wonder if there was any way to sustain the incredible high of the previous season's finale, where we saw Jack and Kate in the present for the first time. I mean, how do you top that? Well, you give us The Constant, easily one of the two or three best hours of TV of the year and one that should have earned Henry Ian Cusak an Emmy nomination; I don't think I've ever been as tense listening to a ringing phone, or as emotional simply because someone picked it up and said hello. Michael Emerson continued to perform at a level that will be talked about for years and years to come, and new cast additions Jeremy Davies and Jeff Fahey brought new life with their own, very individual styles. The time line jumping can be hard to follow but in a way that makes you feel smart when you figure it out, and the season's closing moments left fans like me chomping at the bit for what comes next.

1) Mad Men(AMC)
Rarely in life do shows live up to their critical hype, and even more rare is when said show finds a way to top its excellent first batch of episodes, but somehow Mad Men's second season did just that. Jon Hamm's Don Draper is fast becoming a Hall of Fame TV character, one who creates his own reality in ways that are Tony Soprano-esque. The second to last outing of the year, which gave the audience a look at a content, happy Don, was amazing and is clearly Hamm's Emmy submission. There are some who criticize Mad Men by saying nothing ever happens and/or that there are no likeable characters and my response, in reverse order, follows: TV characters don't have to be likeable, they have to be interesting, and the emotional paths these characters are on have never been less than that. And it's those paths that answer the first part of the criticism; if you think nothing it happening, you aren't really paying attention. Look at who Peggy was when the show started versus her scene in the season finale telling Pete how she had his baby and then say nothing changes on the show. And how could I write a paragraph about Mad Men being the best show on TV and not talk about the costume and set design, which go a long way towards giving the series its identity.

Under A Blood Red Sky A Crowd Gathers In Black And White
For those of you who plan on spending sometime on New Year's Eve and/or New Year's Day in front of the TV, here is a guide to what's on (assuming you already know about the standard New Year's Eve countdown specials)_…

New Year's Eve Movies/Specials/Sports
Elf, (USA), All Day (24 hours straight)
Rocky I – V (Versus), 11 am
Clint Eastwood Festival (AMC), 9 am

New Year's Eve Marathons
Clean House (Style) 10 am, 17 episodes
CSI (Spike), 9 am, 15 episodes
Divorce Court(TV One), 11 am, 12 episodes
I Love Lucy (TV Land), 9 am, 24 episodes
I Love the New Millennium (VH-1), 9 am, full season
The Locator (WE), 7 pm, 12 episodes
Machines of Malice (Discovery), 8 pm, 7 episodes
Mystery Diagnosis (TLC), 6 am, 9 episodes
Ripley's Believe It or Not (Bio), 8 am, 12 episodes
Roseanne (Oxygen), 8 am, 16 episodes
Twilight Zone (Sci Fi), 8 am, All Day

New Year's Day Marathons
America's Funniest Home Videos (ABC Family), 3 pm, 8 episodes
Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations (Travel), 3 pm, 12 episodes
Ashley Paige: Bikini or Bust (TLC), 6 am, full first season
The Biggest Loser (Bravo), 8 am, 11 episodes
Bones (TNT), 6 am, 18 episodes
The Brady Bunch (TV Land), noon, 12 episodes
CSI: NY (Spike), 9 am, 10 episodes
The First 48 (A & E), 8 am, 15 episodes
Hogan Knows Best (VH-1), 2:30 pm, 9 episodes
Ice Road Truckers (History), 8 am, 12 episodes
Iron Chef America (Food), 2 pm, 8 episodes
The Jeffersons (TV One), 10 am, 40 episodes
Loony Toons (Cartoon Network), 6 am, 14 episodes
Mythbusters (Discovery), 9 am, 18 episodes
New York Goes to Hollywood (VH-1), 7 am, full season
Private Practice (Soap Net), 9 am, all of season two (to date)
Speeders (Tru TV), 9 am, 18 episodes
Twilight Zone (Sci Fi), All Day

TV Pick Of The Week
The holidays behind us, the New Year staring us in the face…it can only mean one thing; college football bowl season is in full swing. Here is a rundown of all the games over the next seven day:

Motor City Bowl (Central Michigan – Florida Atlantic), Friday, 7:30 pm, ESPN
Meineke Car Care Bowl (North Carolina – West Virginia), Sat, 1 pm, ESPN
Champs Sports Bowl (Florida State – Wisconsin), Sat, 4:30 pm, ESPN
Emerald Bowl (California – Miami), Sat, 8 pm, ESPN
Independence Bowl (Louisiana Tech – Northern Illinois), Sun, 8:15 pm, ESPN
Papajohns.com Bowl (Rutgers – NC State), Monday, 3 pm, ESPN
Alamo Bowl (Northwestern – Missouri), Monday, 8 pm, ESPN
Humanitarian Bowl (Maryland – Nevada), Tuesday, 4:30 pm, ESPN
Texas Bowl (Rice – Western Michigan), Tuesday, 8 pm, NFL Network
Holiday Bowl (Oregon – Oklahoma State), Tuesday, 8 pm, ESPN
Armed Forces Bowl (Air Force – Houston), Wednesday, noon, ESPN
Sun Bowl (Oregon State - Pittsburgh), Wednesday, 2 pm, CBS
Music City Bowl (Vanderbilt - Boston College), Wednesday, 3:30 pm, ESPN
Insight Bowl (Kansas - Minnesota), Wednesday, 5:30 pm, NFL Network
Chick-fil-A Bowl (LSU – Georgia Tech), Wednesday, 7:30 pm, ESPN
Outback Bowl (Iowa – South Carolina), Thursday, 11 am, ESPN
Capital One Bowl (Georgia – Michigan State), Thursday, 1 pm, ABC
Gator Bowl (Nebraska – Clemson), Thursday, 1 pm, CBS
Rose Bowl (Penn State – USC), Thursday, 4:30 pm, ABC
Orange Bowl (Virginia Tech – Cincinnati), Thursday, 8:30 pm, Fox

If you can't find a reason to root for (or against) at least one of these teams than you aren't really trying. Don't miss College Football Bowl games this week!!!

Here is some other noteworthy programming of the next seven days…

*USA is hoping 12 hours of House (Today, 11 am) is just what the Dr. ordered.

*Spike invites you to spend the day after Christmas with Grissom and the gang with a 14 episode CSI marathon starting at 11 am.

*Travel Channel airs all of Amazing Race 13 today beginning at 9 am.

*There can only be one Highlander marathon, and it kicks off this morning at 8 am on Sci Fi.

*American Idol alum Kellie Pickler hosts The CMT On Line Awards tonight at 8 pm. On CMT, duh.

*NBC will air a two hour Olympic recap special, Beijing Olympics Opening Ceremony: TV Event of the Year, on Saturday at 8 pm, which focuses on the glory of the summer games as well as looking ahead to the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver.

*There may be better ways to spend a Sunday night than watching The Sound of Music (7 pm, ABC), but off the top of my head I can't think of any

*Ron Howard: 50 Years in Film (Monday, 8 pm, TCM) is a documentary that looks at…well…Ron Howard and his 50 years in film.

*MTV debuts two new shows on Monday; first up is Bromance, where someone who isn't really, nor should be, famous tries to find a new male buddy, followed by The City, where Hills alum Whitney moves to NY to make it in the world of fashion.

*The second half of The Soup's Top 40 Clips of the year special debuts Monday night at 10 pm on E!

*There is a Peanuts special I haven't seen?!!? Make no doubt that I will be tivoing Happy New Charlie Brown when ABC runs it on Tuesday at 8 pm, followed by Rudolph's Shiny New Year.

Two Tivos To Paradise
30 Days, 30 Rock, The Academy, American Idol, Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations, Antique Roadshow, The Apprentice, Battlestar Galactica, Best Day Ever, Best Week Ever, Big Love, Bones, Breaking Bad, Brothers And Sisters, Burn Notice, Chocolate News, Chuck, The Closer, Criss Angel Mindfreak, Curb Your Enthusiasm, The Deadliest Catch, Desperate Housewives, Destination Truth, Dirty Sexy Money, The Dish, Entourage, Eureka, Everybody Hates Chris, Flipping Out, Gary Unmarried, Ghost Hunters, Ghost Hunters International, Gossip Girl, Grey's Anatomy, Heroes, The Hills, House, How I Met Your Mother, Iron Chef America, Last Comic Standing, Last Restaurant Standing, Law And Order, Law And Order: Criminal Intent, Law And Order: Special Victims Unit, Leverage, Life On Mars, Lost, Mad Men, Man V. Food, Make Me A Supermodel, Medium, The Middleman, My Name Is Earl, The New Adventures Of Old Christine, Next Food Network Star, Nip/Tuck, The Office, One Tree Hill, Paranormal State, Private Practice, Project Runway, Pushing Daisies, Psych, Real Time With Bill Maher, Reaper, Rescue Me, Rules Of Engagement, Run's House, Samantha Who?, Sanctuary, The Sarah Jane Chronicles, Saturday Night Live, Scrubs, The Secret Life of the American Teenager, Shear Genius, Skins, So You Think You Can Dance?, Sons of Anarchy, The Soup, Sports Soup, Step It Up and Dance, Supernatural, Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, Top Chef, Top Design, Torchwood, True Blood, Ugly Betty

People Love You When They Know You're Leaving Soon
Here ends another edition of Two Tivos To Paradise. All are encouraged to list their own top 10 shows in the comments section below as well as have at me for issues with mine. Mad that I didn't include The Shield? Wondering where Entourage is? Here's your chance to put your money where your mouth is and give me your take on the years best! Next week we'll have The Two Tivos To Paradise Top 10 TV Entertainers of 2008, with a couple of them stopping by to accept. Have a happy and safe holiday – see you next year!!!

Feedback is encouraged at [e-mail] as well via the comments section below.

Sources for this week's column include Daily Variety, Entertainment Weekly, TV Guide, and Hollywood Reporter (plus the web sites for those publications) as well as Aintit.cool.com.