Two Tivos To Paradise 01.02.08: The 2008 TV Entertainers of the Year

Posted by Al Norton on 01.02.2009

It's the television year in review part two, where we present the 2008 TV Entertainers of the Year! Come see our picks for who had the greatest influence on the last 12 months of TV joy, and see who stopped by to accept their awards. Also, a list of what to look forward to in 2009, plus a guide to a shockingly busy week of television viewing, and the TV Pick of the Week...All in the first Two Tivos To Paradise of 2009!

Hello Friends. Happy New Year! Hope everyone had a joyous and safe holiday, ringing in 2009 with loved ones. Mrs. Tivo, the twins, and I enjoyed some quality Chinese food and watched Joss Whedon's Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog, which lived up to the hype in a way that so few things in life do.

This week is the second in our 2008-in-review columns; last week we covered the top 10 drama and comedy series of the year and now we move on to the Two Tivos To Paradise 2008 TV Entertainers of the Year Awards as well as the TV-related things I am most looking forward to in 2009.

On a side note, thanks for all the comments and emails last week about my. I know I should watch The Wire and The Shield, and while I have committed to doing so, I first need someone to buy me the complete series on DVD (just in case Mrs. Tivo is starting her holiday shopping VERY early this year). And let's keep the pressure on ABC Family to bring The Middleman back, or at least schedule a DVD release of season one.

Come on, baby, let the news times roll.

THE TOP 12 TV ENTERTAINERS OF 2008

12) Jason O'Mara
Giving one interesting performance of the course of a TV season is hard enough and yet Jason O'Mara found time for THREE; first he reprised his role as arsonist Bill Croelick on The Closer, showing some spooky chemistry with Kyra Sedgwick. After that he blew me away with a two episode stint on Grey's Anatomy as a man dying of a brain tumor that caused him to say all sorts of inappropriate things. I know it sounds like a cliché but he made it quite poignant, especially as he tried to find his wife a new husband in his last few days. To top it all off, he took the series lead on Life on Mars this fall, bringing real world reactions to a quite fantastical storyline. None of these three performances had anything in common other than their extremely high quality, which gives O'Mara the leadoff spot on this list.

11) Keith Olberman
Love him or hate him, you have to admire Keith Olberman's passion; in a world where apathy spreads like wildfire, Olberman brings a commitment to his job and the issues unlike TV has seen in recent memory. Even if he had had just a so-so, this moving "special comment" following California's passing of Proposition 8 would have guaranteed him a place on our list.

10) One Tree Hill
This may be my most "controversial" choice but that's only because those that don't watch have always thought the show was something other, and lesser, than it really is. One person's coming-of-age drama may indeed be another's Teen Beat cover fodder, and while I am not ready to name it among the best shows on TV, I am more than ready to acknowledge that few series know their characters, and their audience, as well as One Tree Hill.

This fall saw a trio of incredibly well done trio of episodes dealing with violence and the way we as people - and as viewers - process it. Those three episodes alone qualified it for this list and that was before the stunning half-season finale, which revealed some stunning plot twists; stunning for the way the surprised the audience and stunning for the emotional shock waves they sent out. New cast members Austin Nichols and Ashley Rickards were easy stand outs, and Jackson Brundage continues to be the best 7 year old actor I have ever seen.

Is the show perfect? No, not by a long shot, but there is no doubt that the dedicated and rabid OTH fan base were more than likely the most satisfied TV fans in the universe this year, and rewarding and respecting your audience earns you a spot on my list. As does showing Dawson Leery doing cocaine. Stop being a hater and come see what you are missing; there's always room for more on Team Raven.

Here to accept for One Tree Hill is series creator and executive producer Mark Schwahn:

"We've always appreciated the support that TWO TIVO'S has given One Tree Hill and while you might not be ready to do it, I'm happy to name our show one of the best shows on TV. Ha. What feels especially nice is that we're making your list in our sixth season."

9) Chuck
Chuck is almost hurt by its versatility; it excels as a comedy (workplace and romantic) and an action series, making it difficult to for critics and marketing departments alike, both of whom want show to be easy to pigeonhole. The series' balance of all the various elements that make it so good is outstanding, as is its cast. Regardless of how you categorize it, Chuck is great TV.

8) ABC Family
2008 was the year that ABC Family became a player in the original programming game. The Secret Life of the American Teenager was THE breakout hit of the spring/summer, pulling in demos that topped Gossip Girl and introducing the incredibly talented Kenny Bauman to the world- his Ben was the romantic leading man of the TV season. Greek was universally hailed by critics and grew its audience for their second season. The Middleman was – in my opinion – the best comedy of 2008, and even their Samurai Girl mini-series was well received. With multiple new shows in development it's clear that the network has no intentions of slowing down in 2009. Now if we can just get them to start showing Everwood reruns again.

7) David Allen Grier
You know when I knew DAG would make this list? When he managed to find a way to make Dog the Bounty Hunter funny. Sure, he had better blistering monologues during Chocolate News' first season on Comedy Central, the best of which was his rant about the whitification of Beyonce, but getting laughs out of as tired a subject as Dog takes talent. As I wrote in an earlier rave about the show, angry comedy is tough to do because you need to rally the audience you are preaching to while at the same time not alienating the viewers who may be the subject of your blasts. Oh yes, you need to be funny, too. DAG found a way to walk that line in ways TV has not seen in some time. And his character Licorice Stick – the Jackie Robinson of porn – is as good as anything SNL or MadTV has come up with in years. If he can make the second season of Chocolate News as good as the first than he will find himself ranking even higher on this list next year.

6) Jon Hamm
Jon Hamm could have made this list for his portrayal of Don Draper alone – some actors excel by showing you what their characters are thinking but Hamm finds his brilliance by never letting you see what's going on behind the curtain – but he also showed a real flair for comedy when he hosted what was easily the season's best Saturday Night Live episode. The sky is the limit for Jon Hamm.

5) Neil Patrick Harris
Neil Patrick Harris has done the impossible – he has made us forget he was Doogie Howser. Barney Stinson is a fantastic character in that he is prone to outrageous extremes but is played by NPH in a way that always keeps him human. His realization of his love for Robin has been played for great humor, deepening Barney but not at the expense of what made him so great in the first place; his singular focus on having as much sex as possible with the best looking women he can find. Dr Horrible's Sing-Along Blog was not on TV and as such does not qualify for this award but if it did he would rank even higher.

4) The Women of Mad Men
One of the reasons Mad Men made the top of my Best Dramas list was the uniform excellence of the cast, and in the shows second season it was the women who stood out. Elisabeth Moss (Peggy), January Jones (Betty), and Christina Hendricks (Joan) all got a lot more room to work with and proved that they were more than up to the task. Moss in particular has allowed the audience to come along for the ride as Peggy has grown up; her calling Don Draper by his first name was a seminal moment for the series. Jones may have the hardest job as Betty's emotions are so all over the place that it makes her harder to relate to, but her portrayal of said swings have made the scorned wife nothing short of fascinating. I should also mention Melinda McGraw, who made quite the impression in her time as Bobbie Barrett, a fling of Don's who ended up playing an important roll in Peggy's maturation.

3) Andy Samburg
Andy's Dad, Jam the Vote, Hero Song, The Mirror, The Best Look in the World, Extreme Challenge, Ras Trent, Space Olympics, and of course, Jizz In My Pants…All are Saturday Night Live digital shorts from the absurdly genius mind of Andy Samburg. Yes, he appeared in some memorable sketches as well, most notably reprising his Blizzard Man character as well as displaying a spot-on impression of Mark Wahlberg, but it's his videos that showcase his talents as well as his constant need to sing on camera. I am not sure where he will go from here but in 2008 he provided more than his far share of laughter, enough to place him # 3 on this list.

2) Sarah Palin
To paraphrase 411Mania's Brian Krystopowitz, "what?!! This woman!??" Yes, this woman. To tell the truth, she came awfully close to getting the top spot; think about her list of accomplishments in less than half a year:

-Her being tapped to be John McCain's running mate stole the spotlight from Barack Obama's acceptance of the Democratic Party's Presidential nomination, one of the more storied political speeches of our time. Her face dominated the television news coverage for those first few days unlike anything I have ever seen.

-From August through November no one was more discussed on the various news networks, from CBNC to Fox News to CNN. Love her or hate her, there was no one on the fence about Sarah Palin, nor was anyone shy about which side of the fence they were on.

-She provided late night talk shows like The Tonight Show, The Late Show with David Letterman, and Real Time with Bill Maher with hours and hours of material, and she practically wrote The Daily Show and The Colbert Report scripts for them.

-A brilliant impression of her by Tina Fey helped Saturday Night Live earn its best ratings in decades as well as make the show more relevant in the pop culture world than it had been in at many a year; was there a Monday after that being weren't talking about it? And her appearance on the show gave Amy Poehler the chance to show off her mad rapping skills.

-Perhaps the most impressive thing she did in 2008 was get people talking about Katie Couric. And not Katie Couric's salary, or her poor ratings, or her latest hair style…Sarah Palin actually managed to get people talking about Katie Couric in reference to delivering the news and her interviewing skills. Seriously. Seriously.

No single person - including George Bush and Barack Obama - had as much of an impact on television in 2008 as Sarah Palin and for that she earns the # 2 spot on this list.

And the top spot on the Two Tivos To Paradise 2008 TV Entertainers of the Year list goes to...

1) The Soup/The Dish/Sports Soup
When I sat down to think about which show and/or individual had provided the most entertainment during 2008, I kept coming back to Joel McHale and The Soup. The most consistent half hour in the pop culture satire business followed up its stint at the top of the 2007 edition of this list with an even stronger year. And then I realized that thanks to executive producers KP Anderson and Edward Boyd, what had been 30 minutes of entertainment each week had turned into two hours thanks to the launching of Style's The Dish and Versus' Sports Soup. By each new show having a different focus than the original (Sports Soup obviously deals with the world of sports and The Dish is slightly more fashion and reality show based), the potential material pool got a LOT deeper. While the two new editions to the franchise aren't as polished as the flagship, both are quite funny and have hosts (Danielle Fishel and Matt Iseman, respectively) who replace some of Joel's signature snark with genuine good naturedness. All three front people make you feel like they are talking right to you and all leave you with the impression that they would be watching the shows they are lampooning regardless of whether or not they had these jobs. As some other shows are having a hard time learning, you have to make the audience feel like they are in on the joke, not that they are part of the punch line. Congratulations to The Soup, The Dish, and Sports Soup, Two Tivos To Paradise 2008 TV Entertainers of the Year!

Since Joel got to give his acceptance speech last year, let's let Danielle and Matt take the stage this time around:

Danielle Fishel:
I am so excited by this. To be in any kind of a category with Joel McHale makes me smile because he is one of the nicest individuals I have ever met in this industry, and I've been around it for a long time. He is so talented, so funny, so smart, and I feel the same way about the executive producers of the three shows, too. They've created such a wonderful thing, and it's so fun. To be honest, The Soup is my favorite 30 minutes of TV each week, followed closely by The Dish and Sports Soup, of course (laughing).

Matt Iseman:
It's an honor. The Soup has gotten to the point where it's consistently one of the funniest shows on TV and I'm hoping that we find our stride, finding out voice and what really works for us. Seeing what they've done is incredible and we hope to come close to matching it.

THE TOP 10 THINGS I AM LOOKING FORWARD TO IN 2009

Stuff that did not make the Top 10 but is still on my radar…Jeff Goldblum's debut on Law and Order: Criminal Intent, the return of Rescue Me, new episodes of Real Time With Bill Maher when there is a Democrat in the White House, Cupid (ABC), Harper's Island (CBS), The Unusuals (ABC), and Patrick Warburton on my TV screen on a weekly basis (I can't bring myself to say I am looking forward to the return of Rules of Engagement)…

10) Amy Poehler's New Series
While little is known about the new NBC comedy, the fact that it's from the producers of The Office and has not only Poehler but Rashida Jones in the cast qualifies it for this list in a big way.

9) Dollhouse
The only reason the new Joss Whedon show isn't higher on the list is that the late start date as well as the placement in the line up (as in, Friday nights) make me think that Fox is not too high on this action/sci-fi series. That being said, "just ok Whedon" is still better than 85% of the rest of what's on, so I will be in front of my TV on Friday, February 13th.

8) Breaking Bad
The excellent first season was cut short by the WGA strike, so it's possible that season two, which will be the writers' full vision, could be even better. I hope that Bryan Cranston's much deserved Emmy win helps give this show a bigger audience.

7) Scrubs
It will be much fun to see Scrubs on a network that supports it; there have been more ads on ABC in the last two weeks than NBC aired in the last two years. Longtime fans will appreciate the show being allowed to go out on its own terms (if indeed this turns out to be the final season).

6) New music from Will Dailey
Will Dailey's has two new releases planned for early 2009, two EP's that will be released digitally (Fashion of Distraction on January 20th and By the Blue Hills in March) first and then combined as a single CD on March 17th. This isn't technically TV but it is high quality music, plus many of these songs will end up played during your favorite shows; two were featured on 90210 late last fall already.

5) Trust Me
I am cheating a bit on this one as I have seen the first two episodes of TNT's new drama that debuts later this month and like it a lot. The opening hour is the best pilot in the network's history. A full review will come in a few weeks.

4) Friday Night Lights
The series third season has been airing on Direct V to much acclaim – some say it's as good or better than the first – and those episodes hit NBC in mid January. I just got a disc with the first 11 episodes of the new season – thank you, NBC! – so I will be able to offer a review the week it returns.

3) NBC's Fall Line Up
When I say I am looking forward to this it's not due to excitement but rather because I am nervous about what NBC will decide to do with its scripted programming when it has Jay Leno taking up five hours of prime time a week and would rather find out sooner than later if I am going to be losing some of my favorite shows. While Heroes seems a strong bet to return, as is both Law and Orders, the fate of Life and Chuck will depend on what new shows they have lined up as well as if they decided to make Fridays into a night of reality programming/game shows, news magazines, and then Jay in the 10 slot. They are already down to 10 hours of primetime shows a week from September to December (Saturdays are all reruns and Football Night in America will continue to air on Sundays), and when you factor in The Biggest Loser (2 hours), Dateline, and Deal or No Deal they could be down to 6. Now take into account Thursday's 8-10 comedy block staying in place and the network could realistically be looking at four hours of scripted dramatic programming, and that's including the two L & O series. That is a worst case scenario but not a particularly far fetched one. What's more likely to happen is they will debut shows all year round, so while the number of hours per week will still be quite low, they will try and make up for it by having a constant stream of new episodes.

No matter what schedule they go with it will be a drastic change from what we are used to and I am very interested to see how it all plays out.

2) Lost
How much do I have to say? So many unanswered questions, so many new questions that will need answers to come…I am ready to go back to the island!

1) Battlestar Galactica
To say I can't wait to see how it all ends would be the understatement of the decade. While I'm tempted to think that there is no way the finale could live up to the high quality of the entire series, I have confidence in this group of writers, directors, actors, and producers to pull it off.

However Do You Want Me, However Do You Need Me
This is a new TTTP feature that will run through January, letting you know when your current favorites return with their first new episodes of 2009. Season/Series premieres will still be covered in the "Eight Days A Week" section below.

TONIGHT
Lipstick Jungle (NBC), 10 pm
Stargate Atlantis (Sci Fi), 10 pm

SUNDAY
Desperate Housewives (ABC), 9 pm
Brothers & Sisters (ABC), 10 pm
The Unit (CBS), 10 pm

MONDAY
Gossip Girl (The CW), 8 pm
One Tree Hill (The CW), 9 pm

TUESDAY
90210 (The CW), 8 pm
According to Jim (ABC), 9 pm
The Mentalist (CBS), 9 pm
Privileged (The CW), 9 pm
Law & Order: SVU (NBC), 10 pm
Without A Trace (CBS), 10 pm

WEDNESDAY
Knight Rider (NBC), 8 pm
Law & Order (NBC), 10 pm

THURSDAY
My Name Is Earl (NBC), 8 pm
Ugly Betty (ABC), 8 pm
Kath & Kim (NBC), 8:30 pm
Grey's Anatomy (ABC), 9 pm
30 Rock (NBC), 9:30 pm
ER (NBC), 10 pm
Private Practice (ABC), 10 pm – New Day/Time

TV Pick Of The Week
I hate to go with College Football two weeks in a row but what choice do I have; after 10 jam packed days of bowl games we are left with the biggie, the BCS National Championship (Fox, Thursday, 8 pm). Florida is #1 in the AP poll while Oklahoma tops the coaches poll, and both teams are led by Heisman Trophy winning quarterbacks, so this looks like an excellent match up. I am a big Tim Tebow guy myself so I will be pulling for Florida to come out with the victory.

Don't miss the BCS National Championship this Thursday on Fox!

Hope You Need My Love, Babe, Just Like I Need You
Here is a guide to some of the week's other noteworthy programming…

*As a teaser for the new season beginning on Wednesday, MTV gives us Real World Secrets Sunday morning at 11 am, a look back at previous years that promises revelations that you weren't really dying for.

*The Olympics meet So You Think You Can Dance on Sunday's Superstars of Dance (NBC, 9 pm). The Lord of the Dance himself hosts as various countries compete in a dance off the likes of which has not been seen since Swayze and Farley went head-to-head for that last Chippendales spot.


*Lifetime kicks off a nightly one hour block of How I Met Your Mother reruns Monday at 7 pm. Get ready to suit up all over again!

*Antiques Roadshow is back for its 13th season Monday at 8 pm PBS (Check your local listings). That's just about what I thought.

*One of the main reasons ABC Family made the above list of TV Entertainers of the Year – Confessions of the American Teenager – is back for its second season Monday at 8 pm. Ratings were excellent last year and the network must be confident as they are scheduling it directly opposite Gossip Girl. In other news, don't bother calling any teenage girls on Monday between 8 and 9.

*DietTRIBE, an eight episode reality series about a group of friends trying to lose weight before a wedding, debuts Monday at 10 pm.

*Jason Mesnick is hoping the second time's the charm when the runner up from The Bachlorette begins his run as The Bachelor (ABC) Monday at 8 pm.

*A series from the combined brain power of Ashton Kutcher and Tyra Banks? True Beauty is the result of that meeting of the "minds", a reality series where the contestants don't know that they are being judged for the content of their character as much as their good looks. Sarcasm aside, this might actually be fun.

*The Gregory House of the cooking world is back with new episodes when Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations (Travel) returns Monday at 10 pm.

*ABC finds a way to combine reality programming, patriotism, and police procedurals with Homeland Security USA (Tuesday, 8 pm).

*Scrubs returns on Tuesday night (9 & 9:30) but in a new home on ABC.

*Nip/Tuck looks to see if it can keep the momentum going from the highly entertaining episodes that came with McNamara/Troy moving to LA. Look for another batch of high profile guest stars to being on Tuesday at 10 pm.

*13: The Fear is Real (Wednesday, 8 pm) is a new reality series for The CW where contestants confront their worst fears in the hopes of winning cash prizes. Boo!

*The Golden Globes are next Sunday but if you want to start awards show season really early you can check out the People's Choice Awards Wednesday at 9 pm on CBS.

*I know I have written many disparaging things about the first season of Damages (FX) but the cast additions for season two have me willing to give it another shot. Join me Wednesday at 10 and lets see if they can rein Glenn Close in a bit.

*The 21st season of MTV's The Real World (Wednesday, 10 pm) comes to you from Brooklyn. Somewhere Bill Simmons Tivo is whirring into action.

*Next Sunday are The Golden Globes but if you want to start awards show season somewhat early than check out The 14th Annual Critics' Choice Awards on Thursday (VH-1, 9 pm).

Two Tivos To Paradise
30 Days, 30 Rock, The Academy, American Idol, Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations, Antiques Roadshow, The Apprentice, Battlestar Galactica, Best Day Ever, Best Week Ever, Big Love, Blush, 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, Primevil, 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, UFO Hunters, Ugly Betty

People Love You When They Know You're Leaving Soon
Here ends another edition of Two Tivos To Paradise. The lists the last two weeks are subjective and even though I watch more TV than the average bear, it doesn't mean I am always right. Consider this an invitation to post your own picks for the TV Entertainers of the Year in the comments section below, and also to tell me (and the rest of my readers) what you are looking forward to in 2009.

We'll be back in 7 days with a jam packed column in its regular format, catching you up on three weeks worth of TV news and views. Have a great week – see you next Friday!

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.