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Herc Picks The 10 Best Scripted Hourlongs of 2008!!
SPOILER ALERT !!
I am – Hercules!!
Peer again into my TV world:
The Top 10 Scripted Hourlongs Of 2008:
10) THE SHIELD (FX) Even casual viewers could not deny the series’ final handful of episodes trafficked in superior suspense.
9) TRUE BLOOD (HBO) Alan Ball’s vampire drama got off to one shaky start, but when Bill turned the Weepy, God-Fearing Christian Teen into Super-Party Vampire this series sucked me in and good. Bonus points for all the Anna Paquin/Lizzy Caplan nudity.
8) FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS (DirecTV) Street & Smash ditched Dillon. Tami became school principal. Julie got laid. QB1 got beat on off the field. Riggins got serious. Tyra sent Landry into the lips of fellow musician. Buddy bought a Jumbotron and lost Lyla’s college money. And the high school is about to get split in two. A series that gets better every year. The final two episodes hit The 101 next Wednesday and the Wednesday after, and its third season arrives on NBC Jan. 16.
7) BREAKING BAD (AMC) A comedy-drama, from writer-producer Vince Gilligan (“The X-Files”), about a dying high school chemistry teacher who gets into the crystal-meth trade so his pregnant wife and palsy-stricken son might be taken care of. Not nearly as good as “Mad Men,” but strong enough to get me excited for anything AMC decides to telecast. (If you too are a fan of this series, I beg you to Netflix or otherwise obtain Kurosawa’s samurai-free civil-servant epic “Ikiru.”) Season two arrives sometime in 2009.
6) PUSHING DAISIES (ABC). The best show to die at the hands of the writers' strike. It boasted Bryan Fuller’s wit and Kristen Chenoweth’s breasts and a song by the Bangles. Private detective Emerson Cod remains of the most inspired comic creations in TV history. Three more unaired episodes exist, and ABC is reportedly considering airing them all in a single night.
5) FRINGE (Fox). Melty airline passengers. Mystery cylinders. Hairless observers. Cyborg executives. Deadly butterflies. Teleporting criminals. A deranged scientist who hid world-changing scientific discoveries in safety deposit boxes. The last episode to air, in which an ex-Marine died walking through the wall of a bank vault, was sharp stuff. The best new show of the year. The next episode, titled “Bound” and scripted by J.J. Abrams, Jeff Pinkner, Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci, airs on Fox Jan. 20.
4) LOST (ABC). The first season produced subsequent to the famous decision to set a 2010 end-date. The season that ended the flashbacks. The first full season for funnybook writer Brian K. Vaughn (“Y: The Last Man”) and the second for Drew Goddard (“Buffy The Vampire Slayer,” “Angel,” “Cloverfield”). The season that gave us Daniel Faraday, Miles Straume and The Orchid. The season that put the freighter’s doctor in two places at the same time. The 2-hour fifth season premiere airs Jan. 21.
3) BATTLESTAR GALACTICA (SciFi). June 13’s final 2008 episode embedded many a handprint in many a sofa arm as the deadly showdown between Lee and D’Anna escalated. Then the final act kicked the episode, the season and the series into the stratosphere. Its next episode airs Jan. 16.
2) MAD MEN (AMC). Endlessly surprising, always mesmerizing, one of the most compelling dramas ever forged. In season two American Airlines killed Pete Campbell’s dad and Pete’s wife couldn’t make babies. Duck Phillips set free his pooch and found fresh courage. Sterling Cooper unknowingly hired yet another homosexual. Betty Draper flirted with a horseman and branded her son a liar. Bert Cooper bought a painting. Roger Sterling took an interest in Don Draper’s new secretary. Joan Holloway went from the TV department to the floor of Don’s office. Peggy Olsen got skinny, Freddy Runsen’s office and her own secretary. Don saved a deal by angrily sticking his hand up the dress of Jimmy Barrett’s manager, then almost lost himself for good in the sunshine of Southern California. AMC will air a third season in 2009.
1) THE WIRE (HBO) The best season of one of the greatest TV series in the history of history took a cue from sister HBO drama “The Sopranos” by trafficking in wholesale whacking, bringing to elegantly grisly ends some of the franchise’s most beloved creations. Many a character introduced in prior seasons – Marlo Stanfield, Omar Little, Jimmy McNulty, Tommy Carcetti, Beadie Russell, Lester Freamon, Bunk Moreland, Cedric Daniels, Rhonda Perlman, Kima Greggs, Ellis Carver, Herc Hauk, Leander Sydnor, Jay Landsman, Bill Rawls, Ervin Burrell, Proposition Joe Stewart, Norman Wilson, Dukie Weems, Michael Lee, Snoop Pearson, Chris Partlow, Bubbles Cousins – remained central to the fifth lap around pay cable, while others – Prez Pryzbylewski, Nick Sobotka, Avon Barksdale, Bunny Colvin, Stan Valchek, Cutty Wise and The Greek – just stopped by for curtain-call cameos. The series-ending montage is hugely satisfying as it leaps months ahead to reveal the fates of Carcetti, Haynes, Valchek, Daniels, Pearlman, Dukie, Michael, Chris, Bubbles and ethically challenged journalist Scott Templeton. Stellar storytelling and some Spider-Man shit there!
Top 10 Scripted Half-Hours of 2008:
10) Secret Diary of a Call Girl (Showtime)
9) 30 Rock (NBC)
8) King of the Hill (Fox)
7) The Life And Times Of Tim (HBO)
6) The Sarah Silverman Program (CC)
5) SNL Thursdays (NBC)
4) Weeds (Showtime)
3) The Office (NBC)
2) The Venture Bros. (CN)
1) South Park (CC)
Top 10 Reality Shows of 2008:
10) The Mole (ABC)
9) WifeSwap (ABC)
8) The Real World (MTV)
7) Celebrity Rehab (VH1)
6) The Amazing Race (CBS)
5) My Life On the D-List (Bravo)
4) The Bad Girls Club (Oxygen)
3) Survivor (CBS)
2) The Real World/Road Rules Challenge (MTV)
1) Big Brother (CBS)
Top 10 Chat Shows of 2008:
10) The Charlie Rose Show (PBS)
9) Iconoclasts (Sundance)
8) The Colbert Report (CC)
7) Shatner’s Raw Nerve (Biography)
6) The Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson (CBS)
5) Late Night With Conan O’Brien (NBC)
4) Jimmy Kimmel Live (ABC)
3) The Daily Show With Jon Stewart (CC)
2) The Late Show With David Letterman (CBS)
1) The Howard Stern Show (On Demand)
Happy New Year!
"I love love love DR. HORRIBLE’S SING-ALONG BLOG as much or more than just about anything I’ve seen this year." -- Harry Knowles
HD Reservoir Dogs: $10.49!! (58% Off!!)
(Part of the 215-title 50% off sale!!)
"I love love love DR. HORRIBLE’S SING-ALONG BLOG as much or more than just about anything I’ve seen this year." -- Harry Knowles
"I love love love DR. HORRIBLE’S SING-ALONG BLOG as much or more than just about anything I’ve seen this year." -- Harry Knowles
HD Reservoir Dogs: $10.49!! (58% Off!!)
(Part of the 215-title 50% off sale!!)
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It's the only show up there that I watch. Too bad Burn Notice doesn't get the attention it deserves. It should be up there.
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at least someone's giving the wire they're due. wrong season though. pushing daisies is my #1. the last few episodes show that they were seriously hitting a stride. ABC should just say fuck the ratings and give them their back nine. shame on fuller for bolting to that other show no one cares about anymore.
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is one of my guilty pleasures... but I fail to see why its making top ten lists. It's entertaining, but the dialogue is terrible, the plot mediocre, and the characters terribly cliched. I fail to see why its even part of a discussion on the best of TV 2008.
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I was getting more and more pissed as I scrolled down that list expecting The Wire to be left off yet another "Best of" list. Thankfully you didn't disappoint!
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So very very good.
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and the simple fact that you can name 10 "good" reality show is a joke, Big Brother at #1 my ass.
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I can hancle LOST ranking below Mad Men and The Wire, but BSG isn't nearly up to the quality of LOST. I like Galactica, but its a bit ham-fisted and more melodramatic than it needs to be sometime. It can get just a tad too soapy for me to unconditionally adore it to the heavens.
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Is very entertaining. Flaws be damnded. There's nothing else really like it on TV It's offbeat, crazy, and cool. No need to label it a "guilty pleasure". The bizarre sexual adventures of a young stud by the name of Jason Stackhouse are pretty damn great. It's just that nobody wants to admit it.
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Really?
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I'm slightly disappointed with number 4, Herc. Can you honestly say that, if you ranked each individual episode of all those shows, The Constant would not come in first?
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Hmmm... that's odd. If I was not mistaken, I thought Herc absolutely fell in love with Heroes' S3.
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IMO Daily Show is the best produced late night show of 2008 - granted they had great source material (Bush, McCain, Palin, and the 2008 election) - but their combination of smart satire and toilet humor leaves all in the dust. - and their "retrospective" on McCain 2000 vs. McCain 2008 was the best truth reporting in the whole election by any new outlet - real or imaginary.
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Jan 01, 2009 12:30:40 AM CST
South Park's been off form. I'd pick The Office. And put Scrubs
by mmackk
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All five seasons were terrific but the 4th season was the best by far. I also LOVED the underrated 2nd season.
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a show like fringe has no business being on a top ten list, unless its about shows that should be canned. man what a horrible show. seriously, its BAD.im sure herc got a marble rye in the mail for putting it on his list. Wire & Shield. everything else is fourth place.
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Placing Colbert behind Shatner, Ferguson, and Kimmel is kind of ridiculous...do you even watch these shows?
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Alan Ball's Towelhead was one of the worst films of 2008 but his HBO series True Blood is incredibly enjoyable. Great cast.Was Damages 2008? Season One was damn near perfect.Also: This season of 30 Rock has (so far) been kinda weak.
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"The Constant" was the best episode of television I watched in 2008...
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Wow one of the funniest, raunchiest and heartfelt shows on the tube is not on a top 10? Hmm thats sad. Season 2 may not have been as good as the perfect season 1 but still it picked up during the later episodes and did a rare thing for shows....it built towards something. Hank realizing that his "girl", the love of his life is actually his daughter not Karen....and that this is a relationship he can make work even though he may never make his relationship with Karen work even though he is in love with her and her with him. And the Ashby character....and the Hank celebrating the baby being black and thus not his...HAHAHA ahhh shit. Yeah that South Park season of mediocrity deserved number 1....and I am a fan....but come on South PArk was always something "more" than lame High School Musical parodies wasn't it? Anyone else agree?
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Thus no 1/2 hour shows and sitcoms.
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I just thought the last few episodes, with the breakdown of Stringer and Avon's relationship while still staying brothers, it was all so Shakespearean and tragic. The whole season was set up like a tragedy, it was great. S4 is an intensely close second though. Those kids were brilliant, and who knew I could grow to enjoy and hate Marlo so much at the same time. I'm surprised they said S5 was the best, because as amazing as it was, and the final 2 episodes are the best series tie-ups ever, I still think it felt too short and the newspaper angle wasn't as fleshed out as everything else. I'd rank as my least favorite, even though its completely amazing, please don't misunderstand. 3, 4, 1, 2, 5 Then again, how do you rank such greatness? How I ask?
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Get a fucking grip. This season was terrible. Literally, just awful. Not one single good episode. The president one was okay. The gerbils were retarded. Putting 30 Rock at 9 and South Park at 1 is completely insane, and I usually love South Park. But C'mmon. It was AWFUL
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It's gotta be up there in the top 3 or so. I like it so much better than the Office or 30 Rock, and that's saying something.
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3 of the best scripted shows of 2008, ignored. I think I'll throw up if I ever hear someone rave about The Wire again.
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Jan 01, 2009 1:17:06 AM CST
For 2009 I DEMAND: A talkback for CHUCK and SONS OF ANARCHY
by ryanmurray
I don't mind the Top 10 list. But this site has seriously lacked Chuck and SoA coverage considering how top-quality they are.
ESPECIALLY since Chuck is the nerd heir-apparent to the throne, and well, SoA is inheriting 'The Shield's FX slice of of awesome. -
The Wire The Wire The Wire The Wire The Wire. Best. Show. Ever. Now Vomit.
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Wheres the love?
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easily interchangeable, and I doubut anyone would really arguefor no reason then it amuses me, here's Bloo's Top 10 (notee I"m not organzing by drama, sitcom, also please take into consideration I don't have HBO/Showtime, etc)1) LOST (ABC)-eengagin, thrilling, thought provoking, debatable and addictive, imo, the BEST show on TV,P>2) THE VENTRUE BROTHERS([ADUULT SWIM])- no show makes me laugh harder and yet maintains an almost seamless chronology and consitancy. Voice work is amazing, can't get Colbert, fine here's McCllough doing a great Proff. Impossible, can't get Smalls, ok howabout Toby Huss. It works and clicks on so many levels. The BEST thing Adult Swim has put ou3) BSG(SCI-FI)- I didn't watch this when it first came out, when Sci-Fi and Bravo promoted the return with that special recapping things I was hooked. If Scotty Ian, Joel McHale, two Law and Order cast members, Matt and Trey and a country Singer (Brad Paisly I think) all agree, I have to check it out. Then Sci-Fi aired all the previous episdoes in like a week period and I was hooked.4) MAD MEN(AMC)- nothing else can be said but that this is a great show5)TOP CHEF(BRAVO)- it doesn't matter where they are or how crazy the challenges or how pissed I am at what cheftestants got booted and what didn't, I watch,P>6)NO RESERVATIONS WITH ANTHONY BOURDAIN(TRAVEL CHANNEL)- more culinary/travelcaspades for my enjoyment 7/8) BURN NOTICE/PYSCH (USA)- I'm putting these togather beecausue they are both like candy to me. Nothing redeemming, but lots of fun to enjoy9)THE OFFICE (NBC)-still a crackling great show10)SONS OF ANARCHY(F/X)-Ron Peralman as a badass biker with Hamlet overtones. Took a little while to catch on for me, but now I want more,P>SPECIAL MENTIONS: THE RICHES (F/X), PUSHING DAISIES (ABC), ICE ROAD TRUCKERS (HISTORY), DEADLIST CATCH (DISCOVERY), 30 ROCK (NBC)
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OTHER SPECIAL MENTIONS: CHUCK (NBC), SOUTH PARK (COMEDY CENTRAL), FOSTER'S HOME FOR IMAGINARY FRIENDS (CARTOON NETWORK), HANNAH MONTONA (DISNEY)...nah I'm kidding about that last one
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...shows other than LOST. This would be my secondary top ten list, since no show currently or previously on television can compare to the awesomeness that is LOST, and therefore cannot be uttered in the same breath or mentioned in the same list.
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I do have to give props to the fantastic episodes of 24 this year. Every episode that aired in 2008 is better than that dreadful Season 6.
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I forgot that my 24 joke doesn't necessarily work since they DID in fact have that weird TV movie in November. And here I thought I could get away with a subtle joke making fun of the fact that 24 took a year off... damn...
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I would recommend (if you haven't already done so) listening to the commentary for The Constant in the DVD set. Really goes to show you just how completely awesome that episode was.
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And Supernatural gets no lovin'. I would have ranked it above Fringe, sorry. Fringe started to come into its own about halfway through the season, but Supernatural has been picking up steadily each year.
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Showtime's 'Dexter' is better than 8 of the shows you have up there. only Lost and FNL compete with its originality, execution (pun intended) and overall brilliance.
but i do love to see that i'm not the only one who thinks friday night lights gets better every season. i absolutely loathed the direction they took Street, so i was glad to see him go, and i love the way this cast just bounces off each other in this 'documentary/real-life-ish' style they have created...
but Herc, please let me know if you feel me on this: EVERYONE involved in with this show (creators/fans/cast/crew) needs to rewatch every single Landry scene there is, and realize that this guy is a seriously deranged, sociopathic-phsycho, selfish, stalker, cry-fucking-baby - and one of the very few bad elements of the show. i mean it Herc, everything the guy does and says is so fucking demented and pathetic, that i wanna call the characters and tell them "please wake the fuck up and realize this guy is a goddamn demon!!" and i'd go over the very detailed list of offences, but i don't wanna clutter up the talkback. trust me, i have thought about this topic at great lengths, and Landry is a creepy, unbelievably annoying, and terrible part of this show...also, Tammy Taylor's 'meddling' in EVERYONE else's lives gets a little annoying...oh and julie is a bit of a bitch!
but these 3 complaints i have are enormously outweighed by the true love i have for this wonderful show - sorry about the long-winded venting! please give Dexter a chance if you haven't yet, you won't be disappointed! -
Good choices, and I don't want to rant, but honestly, Californication really stepped up its game this season and was immensely, immensely enjoyable. Perhaps my favorite show of the year. How I Met Your Mother and Always Sunny also need acknowledgement. Either way, it's really nice that television has grown so much as a medium in recent years and is capable of such incredible programming.
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I agree with CROW3711 that Season 3 of the Wire was the best. I agree with Errock that Always Sunny should be on the scripted half-hour list.
I believe Fringe is a descent show but shouldn't be in the top ten. I would put Chuck or Brotherhood on the list instead. Maybe even Supernatural because the ten episodes of Season 4 have turned the show from something to watch when there's nothing else on to must-see TV.
Don't understand what people like about Letterman, the guys not funny and is horrible at interviewing people.
Also fuck all Reality shows except Hulk Hogans Celebrity Wrestling, it's so bad, it's still really bad but i'm a wrestling fan. -
Not sure I get that comment.
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It's Herc's list. He likes some stuff, doesn't like others. I love Supernatural, but if he doesn't, he doesn't. I'm GLAD to see the absence of Always Sunny and How I Met Your Mother, but again that's just personal opinion.
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C'mon, give some love to Handler and Duchovny man. This season was hilarious and not too gooey like last season. And I gotta think The Shield deserves a little higher than #10
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@necgray: People say it was a victim of the strike because it was a shortened season and then ABC decided not to bring it back when the strike was over so it was off the air and lost its audience by the time the show came back.
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I might have changed the order around a little, but Mad Men ascended to unassailable greatness in Season 2, and that last episode was a flurry of sucker punches equaled only by the last two episodes of Battlestar's first 10 of the final season. But both fall short of the perfect sum up to what I'm fairly certain is going to go down as the best television series ever filmed: The Wire.
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Battlestar Galactica, Jericho, Supernatural, Lost, Fringe, The Spectacular Spider-Man, The Colbert Report, Eureka, True Blood, Countdown with Keith Olbermann.
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Terminator and Fringe. I also watch Chuck (fun) and Heroes (habit), but wouldn't say they deserve to be on a best-of list. I can't imagine regularly watching ten shows a week.
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It's just not cool to steal phrases from Vern. And then: South Park better than The Venture Brothers? The Season 3 finale of Venture was one of the best things on Television EVER! Even on par with the Season 4 finale of Lost, while South Park became meanwhile what they made fun of in "Cartoon Wars".
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No Dexter on the list? No British shows (like Dr Who, Torchwood, Primeval, Ashes to Ashes, Life on Mars) etc etc???
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Ashes & Mars are from previous years, and Primeval is unwatchable garbage.
Moving on - I agree with Herc's top three, though I would have had Daisies at 4. Also 30 Rock deserved better than 10th in the half-hour rankings. To mine, and a lot of other people's mind, it's the best sitcom of the Millenia so far. -
Jan 01, 2009 4:40:18 AM CST
Nice to know I'm not the only one who loves BBT and HIMYM.
by llghtst0rmer
Big Bang and How I Met Your Mother are the only two sitcoms I really watch anymore. I watch Daily Show and Colbert everyday pretty much, but any other shows are unfortunately put by the wayside, because I've got kids to watch all day long, so the TV's pretty much stuck on Noggin. I mean, there are a TON of shows I'd love to get into (Herc listed most of them,) and I catch up on Lost via the Blu-Rays, but man, I just do NOT have the time to watch all those damn shows!
...and I'm home all day!
...and lazy, too!
PS: Happy new year, AICN'ers. If we have nothing else in common, at least we all now live in a world where Avatar is less than a year away!!! -
I saw this show as a Close vehicle and boring lawyer procedural...then I actually watched it and was blown away. Lost trumps all for me, but Damages is as compelling a drama as I've seen on TV recently besides The Wire. I also can't believe The Office is still that high on anyone's list. That show has earned my life-long devotion, but the writing and acting of 30 Rock rocketed it past Office this year. It wasn't even close...
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I laughed my ass off when I saw Fringe higher rated than The Shield, (the not mentioned Dexter) or Breaking Bad (which is of course a lot better than the good but most overrated show in TV aka Mad Men. Gorgeously looking, good acted, mostly well written and cooler than Sarah Palins heart, but in it's own way it's often as much style over substance as Wanted or 300.). Second point: Any list without The Shield on Number 1 (or maybe number 2 after The Wire) is a shitlist. But you shall be forgiven because you haven't seen the whole series and didn't like the main characters. Watch it again from the beginning and you will see that their was not one moment as powerful as Shanes Family Meeting, the phone call between Vic and Shane, Vic in the interogation room, Vic's confession or of course the last silent moments. And these were only the tip of the iceberg from a perfect last season. Biggest mistakes in the half hour list: The abscence of HIMYM, Entourage and Californication which was even better than the fantastic 4th season from Weeds. Bravo for not including Big Bang Theory. One of the biggest and dumbest POS currently airing. It's like According to Jim for Nerds.
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Good but incredible overrated. Baldwin makes that show.
Damages didn't air 2008.
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Really Supernatural is kicked into high gear this season. I just fear that the Actor's strike will kill it off before it ends in Season 5.
And Dexter, while not the best season, is a Top 10 show. -
You rate season 7 of The Shield lower than half a season of fucking Fringe? Fringe for fuckssake. I could understand someone putting The Shield behind Lost and my personal top ten goes
The Wire
The Shield
Lost
Breaking Bad
BSG
But Fringe had one (count it, one) A episode, the last one all the rest were sub bad X-Files and Lost episodes and Anna Torv while nice to look at is far too bland to anchor the series. Don't get me wrong the twists and turns the show it now taking are very very cool but it is much to early to tell how it's going to pan out quality wise. The Shield on the other hand went out with it's very best season and hands fucking down the most beautifully tragic arc on TV this year, yes even more than Dukie, who I love and despaired of becoming a junkie but his fate was clear from day one if you ask me, always the victim. Shane and Marla on the other hand were venal cunts and the show made their fates heartbreaking. Now it take some superb writing, acting and directing to do that. For shame Hercules, for shame.
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Supernatural, the perfect b-movie type show Heroes wishes it could ever be.
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the hotel I work has like 3 HBO channels and HBO 2 aired some True Blood tonight, I caught 2 episodes, one where Anna Paquin berates the sherrif about always ordering a cheeseburger and fries and her boss offers the use of his bar for the older Redhead's party, followed by the party episode where the Vampire with the almost but not quite Peter Petrilli hair is on trial by some dude in a suit and walking stick sitting in the back of a pickup or El Camino and they make him turn some Christian goody good redhead girl into a vamp,P>it's not BAD, certanily engaging, but I don't know if (just from those 2 episodes, they were probably the weakest of the bunch knowing my luck) it's top 10 material. Anna is using the same accent as she did for Rouge, in fact all the accents kind of grated on me and were dodgy, in the party episdoe older redhead talked about a "cajun cutie" but noone was really sporting a cajun accent. The realtionship stuff with Anna's brother and the dark haired chick, between the African-American chick and the bar owner, and juust Paquin hereself were borderline soap operaish just with the word "fuck" sprinkled throughout. I did enjoy the vampire stuff the heirarchy the mythology, etc. I'll probably check it out as a whole whenever the DVD is released unless someone can direct me to a site that has the whole thing available to stream as my ass is too cheap to own HBO on my own
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I like the show, I think it has room to grow and may be a excellent lasting sitcom, but I'm afraid that they'll continue to expand Baldwin's role and make him even stranger and wilder (i.e. the Christmas episode where he tried to run over his mother, and then realized that she fucked the owner of FAO Schwartz for christmas toys when he was a kid...comeon)
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With so many Internet TV critics already making the mistake, and you being a staunch Whedonite, I was almost certain that you would give Dr. Horrible top spot. Thank you for having the good sense to realize that Dr. Horrible wasn't a TV show that so many of your Net TV critic colleagues lacked.
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You need to realize that with Herc giving the show any consideration whatsoever on this list, that in many ways, it's as good as Vic Mackey and his crew getting that #1 or #2 that so many of you think this year's season deserved. I myself can't give this year's season as much props as Season 5. 7 was a good season, but nowhere near as consistent, plus while nowhere near as great as its previous season, the last season of "The Wire" was much better. This comes from a man who has been watching - and loving - "The Shield" since day one.
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like this before?? I seem to remember last year - when peeps asked him for a round up - he directed them to his "top 50 that he has at the end of each Hercvault.
Now must go read and maybe argue; call Herc names. His taste is not like mine. -
Umm... you do realize you have "Buffy" in your name, right? Is that inspired from a Buffy that is not a Vampire Slayer? Just curious. If it is the same Buffy, I would think you and Herc have a bit in common, taste-wise. :-)
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That is just weird to recognise quality then rank BB so low when it was the best new show of the last couple of years and didn't rely on the superficial as far too much of Mad Men did - while it had moments of excellence and a couple of nice performances, Cranston's was one of the most deserved awards ever given in a ceremony that doesn't know The Wire exists. But I love the allusion to Ikiru, one of my favourite films. Mind bending.
Secret Diary of a Call Girl? Soft porn badly written badly performed kak - but it explains the inexplicable inclusion of True Blood. All about the flesh for boys, yes?
I guess kudos for sticking out Lost - most of us noticed the nude emperor some time back, though. -
so that's probably why it doesn't appear.And cut Herc some slack on the Shield...he's never paid any attention to it until the last season, so at least he came around.
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Raw nerve and of course, HOWARD STERN! As O&A loses affiliates, STERN KEEPS ON ROCKIN'! Nice.
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Like FNL getting included - but you gotta watch Top Chef for reality show
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The Shield at #1 and The Wire at #2 ? And Dexter should have been considered too...
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Of course it's not. I doubt Herc has ever seen it.
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I don't get why the geeks of AICN don't love Terminator? I think it's pretty good for network TV. Is it too dark?
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Sorry it didn't make more top 10 lists. The season of Damages starts next week I think.
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The phony southern accents grated on my nerves. The over the top acting was just horrendous. The stupidly obvious plot lines insulted my intelligence. The plot driven as opposed to character driven writing is just bad writing. Basically the acting and the writing both sucked.
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Jan 01, 2009 10:58:45 AM CST
Season 1 Breaking Bad is maybe better than Season 1 Mad Men...
by danielkurland
Season 2 of Mad Men really added a ton of things, but I do think Breaking Bad should be higher. The acting is just too good. There were a number of times when Breaking Bad has made me cry just due to the dramatics of it all, whereas while Mad Men is really fucking good, I don't know if it offerred me the same emotional resonance I got from seeing Cranston try to cope. Come on, the scene where he realizes that he needs to kill his hostage, and then his subsequent performance when he does do it is some of the best acting to be on TV.
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It's kind of crazy that the early episodes written by Alan Ball seem to definitely be the show's worst.
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As we all know, all it takes to be a critic is to have some time on your hands and have access to a TV and a computer. Other than that, there are no qualifications except to sit on your ass a lot. So, in the spirit of doing something besides watching movies and TV all day long, here is the REAL list of top ten dramas on TV, for those of us who want to enjoy our experience.
10. Medium-Always engaging, always non judgmental, the quintessential "Joe the Plumber" series that works on every level.
9. Stargate Atlantis-Admit it, you watch this every week, don't you? And you think it's stupid for SF to take it off the air? Don't you? Don't you?
8. Life on Mars-the best of the new offerings, by far, always interesting and even a little dangerous.
7. House-this would be higher on the list if he wasn't so mean this year.
6. NCIS-Criminal Minds-Interesting stories, glued to your seat action and character interplay. FNL is a saturday morning cartoon by comparison.
5. CSI-The best stories of it's run have been shown this fall.
4. Pushing Daisies-Network suits are idiots. Why cancel the most refreshing show in a decade simply because of a few bucks? Morons.
3. Closer-A show that cannot be missed.
2. Lost-Gets better every time I see it.
1. Battlestar Galactica-The standard by which future TV will be measured.
As for The Shield, FNL, and the Wire. I've seen better at a third grade play. Watched a lot of each but never got it.
Honorable mention..Supernatural, Trueblood, Reaper, 11th Hour, Saving Grace, Breaking Bad, Mad Men, Chuck, Mentalist, Numb3rs.
And By the way, your list is just as valid as anyone on this site, no matter that they have more clout. Everyone's opinion matters.
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"Supernatural", "Sons of Anarchy", or "How I Met Your Mother"? Really? Those shows have consistently been some of the best on tv this past year.
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Thank god it made your top ten list. I think it could be a few spots higher. This season has been the best so far. Seriously one of the most under appreciated television shows out there. With everything that happens in these last two episodes, the fourth season, if it happens, would be very interesting.
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Fuck yeah Stern #1
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It's not like it means the #3 show is immensely better than the #5.I admit that the very inclusion of a Top 10 reality shows is questionable, but if it must be, I'd like to see more of the "real" reality shows on there like "Deadliest Catch" or even a show like "Little People, Big World." Because those types of shows seem to be far less manipulated and faked than the others. But, I suppose those may be more documentary style series than the Survivor kinds of shows. But Wifeswap? C'mon...
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sub out Lights and Bad for Dex and House and you're right on Herc. Your comedy lineup is laughable though. Forever a fan of South Park, but this season didn't deserve #1.
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Where's the Hank Moody love?
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It's starting to turn into one of those 90s-era NBC sitcoms. I was worried about The Office, but it's getting better. Glad to see True Blood on your list. I was hooked by the third episode.
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Jan 01, 2009 11:58:50 AM CST
"It's starting to turn into one of those 90s-era NBC sitcoms."..
by danielkurland
EXACTLY.
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Weeds was always just a show I kind of enjoyed, but the writing and plotting of this season was insane. Easily funnier than The Office this year.
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I love ya Herc, but I'm sorry that's rather disturbing. I mean I like Fringe, but it's never set me on fire even close to the way that Lost did, I still don't care if I wind up seeing the latest episode a few days late. And so for your list to wind up having Lost only one spot better than that show, that's disappointing.
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Are you on crack? I loved the series and I loved this season but it was far and away the weakest of the 5 seasons. Thankfully, even crappy Wire is better than almost anything else on TV.
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I'd have dumped Fringe and Lost as they're just not as good as everyone thinks they are.
For me Terminator TSCC, Chuck, Californication, Dexter, The Shield, Supernatural and Friday Night Lights are (or were) the best things on at the moment.
I really must try and get into The Wire, I've just not been able to see what makes it so great after the first 4-5 episodes. Dominic West was awesome in Punisher War Zone though. -
Part of the point of the season is that you basically see all the characters playing the previous versions of themselves as they've raised through the ranks. Honestly, season 5 could have been a prequel season about Burrell and Royce and everyone else, and you'd more or less be seeing the same stuff. That's the point, that this is all cyclical and nothing is going to change. The tagline "A new day is not dawning" is obviously no coincidence. Granted, the 5th season may not be the best, but things like Carcetti's downfall, Bubbles' rehabilitation, Pryzbaluski's INCREDIBLE scene in the finale, and things like Freamon being on board with the serial killer idea all made it great for me. Other seasons may have worked better for other people, but really, this was the only way the series could have ended in my opinion, you just see the same shit going on and om and you know it's not going to end. Also, the McNulty "funeral" in the finale is pretty wonderfully written and performed.
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Two most underrated shows on tv, hour and half-hour respectively.
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Supernatural FTW!
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Kudos to you, sir. And yes, I will cop to everything you said. And as someone who has seen the last two episodes a bit...early...I can say fans are in for a hell of a final two hours (although I daresay the penultimate episode, "Vegas", is the best episode since season 3's "Common Ground", and one of the best of the entire series).
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Because I don't see it. It's horribly acted, scripted and directed. It bland and uninvolving beyond belief. The lead chick is a terrible actress. She has a distracting five head and can't keep up her accent. They made Lance Reddick into a weak ass punk. The allleged "science" on the show would make the late season X Files blush in its dopiness. The crazy old man is okay, for a cliche, idea out of the ass pulling, dues ex machina. Don't get the love for this crappy show, I really don't. Oh yeah I forgot about Pacy, nuff said there.The Shield probably should have been nearer to the top in my opinion, but these lists are subjective so I guess that doesn't really matter. I can't wait to see the new season of Friday Night Lights. The last two seasons were some of the best TV aired in a long time.
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It's the worst thing JJ has been involved with. Acting is terrible, the science is a joke, and every word out of brightboy is snarky, smart ass bullshit. I really do not understand how anyone can continue to watch it. There is no way in hell it is a better show than Terminator:TSCC, no way in hell I say. sad.
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The only show about hookers made in the UK shown on a premium channel where she never takes off her clothes when having sex? I didn't watch the whole season so maybe she did later but I doubt it. A British show about prostitution and the only thing that gives it a taboo rating is the weird perverted British sex and not the nudity.
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Says far more about the hatee than the show.
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...my top 3 in exact reverse order. THE SHIELD ended with its finest season. I love THE WIRE, but the fifth season was the least interesting. FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS had another great year, but I think we're seeing the end of that series. What Bangles song is in PUSHING DAISIES?? I've never seen that or BREAKING BAD or FRINGE. TRUE BLOOD is the most addictive new series, IMO.
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Jan 01, 2009 2:35:01 PM CST
"It's Herc's list. He likes some stuff, doesn't like others."
by gislef_crow
Except it's a list of the Best, not "Herc's Favorites." He can list his favorites as much as he wants, based on just what he watches, but shouldn't the "Best" be more comprehensive? He likes Fringe, heck, I like Fringe. But in no sense is it "better" than Supernatural in 2008. As for the Writer's Strike, it lead to foreshortened seasons for Pushing Daisies, Eli Stone, and Reaper. The first two are already in the tank, and as much as I like Reaper, their dumb-ass plan to premiere in in March means it's probably going into the toilet of cancellation as well.
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Nice to see that on a Top Ten list. I used to feel like I was one of the only people on the planet watching. Prior to Mad Men I wasn't even aware of AMC. It'll be pretty interesting to see where they're gonna go with season 2 of Breaking Bad. HD versions of AMC, FX & Sci-Fi are finally available in my region so I'm pretty excited about seeing all my favorites with sharper resolution.
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from a poseur "entertainment reporter"? The real one will have The Wire on their top 10 list. Kudos Herc for recognizing a great show rather than simply watching a screener while reading People magazine.
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Was not as funny this year as last. With the exception of the Serpico episode, last year was absolute perfect. This year, a lot of the comedy has fallen flat, and a lot of the episodes aren't funny if you didn't get the references. I knew someone who didn't get any of the Frank (Danny DeVito) in the hospital stuff, as he had never seen "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest."
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The writing is great on that show. The Ashby character proved how good Callum Keith "Leoben" (forget his real last name) is an an actor. I myself would rank *The Shield* higher had I not disliked the finale so much. *Sons of Anarchy* was fantastic and I'd even rate it higher than *Dexter*. Still no love here for *Doctor Who* but then again, that's because it is uneven in its episode quality but hopefully it'll change for the better in 2010 with Moffat firmly in control.
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How about the last scene on Big Bang theory? Especially when Penny gave Sheldon a napkin with Leonard Nimoy's autograph and DNA. Acting was brilliant and the writing ditto..
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It's all crap.
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CN has been re-airing the entire serie over the past month, and I laugh harder every time I see them. And last season's finale was HIGHlarious. Deserved it's spot just for 24's (or is it 29's) "Why did you buckle up...WWWHHHHYYYYY ?????"
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I meant hater.
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Those last three episodes.
I do NOT want to miss them.
Thanks, mate.
MT -
I whole heartily agree that Chuck, Dexter, and Burn Notice should get recognition in the top 10. They definitely would be in mine. I also like HIMYM and Big Bang Theory, but I don't know if they would make it into my top 10. Brotherhood is way underrated. I personally think it is far more consistently solid than the series it is always compared to - The Sopranos. I kinda like Leverage as a dark horse late year favorite favorite (although I don't know if the show will be able to substain itself). I do agree True Blood got off to a shakey start but became solid over time.
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At least for the most part. Haven't been a fan of SNL for a while, but the Thursday Night show was even worse than the regular show because the sketches were extended and they milked one joke sketches even longer than they kill them in late night. No way should that be on any half hour comedy list especially if HIMYM isn't.
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Fringe better then The Shield,FNL better then The Shield,, anything,ok I'll give ya The Wire because that show is awesome,but did you watch The Shield this season? Bottom line,you're a JackAss!!!
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Ok, I've only seen a few previews for this show, but from what I've seen it has some absolutely terribly stilted dialogue. It feels like a high school drama club. Is it like that in actual broadcast, or was it just really poor editing on the commercial?
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the commercials dont do the show justice. Thats kind of a fact, all the subtletly and patience the show thrives on is thrown out the window when amc cuts their promos. hunt around online for the first episode or two. If you dont enjoy them, well i dont know what to say to people like you.
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can we do our best not to mention or acknowledge reality tv. Lets not lend any more fuel to that craptastic fire.
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I'd put that over Life and Times of Tim in a heartbeat. Summer Heights High too, although I guess that technically wasn't made this year.
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What the fuck is that supposed to mean? I love great dramas like The Wire, Damages, BSG, The Shield, and Sons of Anarchy. Shows that have great dialogue, acting, and plotting. I'm very sorry I don't appreciate the stilted dialogue and tepid acting of your standard-issue procedural cop or lawyer drama. And if that offends you, well, go fuck yourself. Also, you didn't answer my question. Not even remotely. In fact, you pretty much confirmed my assumptions. Thanks!
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I'm a tremendous fan of MAD MAN. I can say, without a doubt, the commercials that you're referring to do NOT do the show justice. Some of the dialog on the show is sublime. Also, it's a very patient show; one that moves in very subtle ways. Character is huge and "reveals" are used in unconventional ways.If you're genuinely interested, look the show up or give the Season 1 set a try.IMHO, it's the best thing currently being broadcast on TV. (BSG and LOST are not far behind. THE WIRE = RIP.)
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...not "MAN".Bloody typos.
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On the pros, Grace Park's incredibly tight little ass will be back on BSG a few weeks. On the cons, Emilie de Ravin isn't going to be around this season, so we probably won't get any boner-inducing Goth-Claire flashbacks on Lost. We need a crossover where Grace Park and Emilie de Ravin pop up on True Blood as nympho lesbian vampires. Then my life will be complete.
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come on...seriously....how can that show be left off of any top 10 list???
think its easy to do a half hour comedy? look at the shit that entourage has become -
took two of the best actors from the wire, and gave them nothing to do
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but the 5th season, as good as it was, was nowhere near the best.
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If only for the fact that they now finally know what to do with Frank as a character. He's actually contributing and enjoyable to watch now, as opposed to in the past. Sure, an episode or two were not great, but I felt the overall quality was still very high, and the finale is maybe my favorite episode. The idea of the whole musical just being a wedding proposal is so ridiculous. Also, the two parter with Mac and all of that wedding dress stuff is fantastic.
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Jesus guys, sorry for that atrocious exercise in grammar.
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Nothing and I mean nothing comes close to having an intelligent conversation for a straight hour w/o any fucking breaks through it!
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Thanks. That was the kind of answer I was looking for. I think I'll see what I can dig up for the first episode now.
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C'mon, I enjoy that show for what it is, mostly because Duchovny is a deadpan genius and Evan Handler plays a great clueless schlub, but the writing is contrivance central.
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Yeah it was the weakest season of dexter, but it was still better than over half that list.
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Do you think it is contrived to seamlessly make your show work as a Gatsby allegory while still progressing the plot and keeping things interesting?
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Jan 01, 2009 8:18:03 PM CST
Season Two of Dexter was Epic man. Oh and I wish I could see Bre
by stormwatcher
Breaking BAD, why no Canada airplay? Dammit. I am loving Fringe, it found its legs in the last 3 epsiodes.
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I don't get this at all Herc! Fringe is an interesting distraction but i wouldn't even put it as the best hourlong on Fox. That title goes to Terminator:TSCC!
Sorry haters, it's true. While admittedly dark, it can oftentimes be quite funny yet is as consistent in the mythology that it has created as a show like BSG.
Those who have just dismissed it out of hand are really doing themselves and the genre a disservice. And it's better than Fringe. -
I'm assuming people either A) Didn't see it, or B) ... no, there can't be a B). The final season was funnier than all the comedies and more powerful than almost all the dramas (have not seen S5 of the Wire yet) of the 2008.
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Actually, worse than garbage. At least the homeless would pay attention to garbage. No one should pay attention to Fringe.
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They've been consistently hitting them out of the park this season. The Shield being #10 is also damn near blasphemy. Lost has to also be at least #2. No love for House either? Oh well, at least Heroes got excluded.
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It has been such a let down, even with Aaron Eckhart want to be Mark Valley. Anna Torv is very attractive, but she seems so...repressed. Jasika Nicole's character is not attractive at all, and neither is she is real life. She should be fired and replaced with someone way hotter. John Noble is great as a mad scientist. Its too bad he is in such a lackluster show. Its like the entire cast is bored to death.
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But I do agree that it isn't worthy of a top 10 spot. I'd pick House as a Fox representative over Fringe. And other than Hugh Laurie's performance, I don't know if that show is worthy of a Top 10 placement either. Fringe is watchable, but not really a must watch for me.
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Both make their respective shows. Unfortunately for Fringe, Anna Torv and not Noble is the main character on Fringe. I would like that show so much better if the show revolved around Noble and his relationship with Pacey from Dawson Creek.
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What a lame ass list. Lost? Fringe? Friday Night Lights? BSG and The Shield seem to be swimming in a sea of mediocrity.
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for fox, nbc, abc and cbs must also include the extremely well written commercials that these 42 minute long shows warp around.
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Blows any of those US talkshows away!!!!!
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that's weird. Even if this season ended with a bit of an anticlimax, its still a really strong series, def. better than something like Fringe.
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It got a little tired. And Bill was trying to be Angel. But I have to try to go back for Anna Paquin. And Lizzy Caplan's on it? Woo!
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This phrase makes no sense.
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It does if you understand that sometimes Herc enjoys eating giant bowls of pure festering shit....
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The best show on the TV these days is House. Nothing comes even close to House. And thanks for putting a pillow over Heroes.
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30 Rock, Battlestar Galactica, Breaking Bad, Dexter, How I Met Your Mother, It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia, Lost, Mad Men, The Office, Pushing Daisies, The Shield, Supernatural & The Wire.
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What a shitty fucking list.
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Was so much better then Mad Men. I really like Mad Men, but a lot of it is just boring. I always had to watch the show in two parts, the first half then the next day when I woke up the second half. Also Battlestar, maybe I need to watch the show from the beginning but the substitution of cuse words I find really annoying and lame. Maybe because they did it so much that it kind of took me out of the show and I'd rather hear beeps.
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I feel that the show would have been a lot better had Emerson Cod been the one with the power and was the main star. There was a lot better chemistry between Chi and Ms. Oklahoma then Mr. Oklahoma and Mrs. Thewlis.
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Show starring someone British playing an American? I'd say 1). Eli Stone 2). House 3). Fridge 4). Nip/Tuck 5). Daisey Pushing there are probably many more but that is all I can think of off the top of my head. Ehhh The Mentalist guy, the guy from the Wire is British too, but I've never seen that show. Don't have HBO so what you wanna fight about it? I tried to watch it on BET but I don't think it was in order and it was all edited to shit. I hate how these terrible cable channels have picked up old HBO shows and make it seem like its their original programing. Yes there are people out there dumb enough to think that A&E is showing new episodes of the Sopranos.
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Yeah I really like Graham Norton as well. Though I don't think he is as good as Kimmel. Kimmels monalog is funny as shit. But I do like how Norton says like three jokes and gets right to it, unlike Craig Fergeson who fucking blabs on for 3/4 of the show, and he is not even as funny as Jay Leno, and Jay Leno isn't funny. I take that back, Jay is a pretty funny guy its just that his show is SO written that its lame, he is always entertaining when being interviewed on other shows. He Burger King Black card story on Kimmel was pretty good. I still think that once Leno goes to prime time he should make his first appearance on Letterman, I hope Letterman does his usual begging to get a guest on with Leno. But I don't think he will.
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if so, that would probably explain why you find any of mad men boring...to me, it is currently the best show on tv
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THE VENTURES ARE THE BEST SHOW ON TV! Putting it second to that mindless abomination, goes to show that you are in the pockets of those two conserv dickbags. Good on you dude. Good on you. Give me the two dudes from the NYC with the nice hair over those two any day of the week.
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I am under 30, but that's not why I found Mad Men boring. There where certainly amazing episodes, but as a whole there were A LOT of just boring spots. I mean people sitting around and talking and drinking and smoking isn't edge of your seat action. I just feel that the emotion and plots in Breaking Bad were much more interesting and had more going on. I mean there was usually 5-10 minutes of depressing shots of characters longing and looking sad in Mad Men (most of which were of Ms. Draper). Its not like I'm sitting here saying Heroes is more of my liking (though I would say that Heroes has its best season yet, it was the only one where stuff happened and they Heroes weren't huge pussy's). To say that I choose Breaking Bad to Mad Men its really a toss up, and I think it all comes down to the lead man and Craston is great as a man on the edge. While Hamms brooding depressing Draper just isn't as exciting, plus his I don't really give a fuck about anything attitude gets boring after a while. He just wants to drink, fuck and smoke at least Cranston gives you a reason to care about him.
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It too put me to sleep? But Xavier: Renegade Angel and Superjail were awesome. Southpark wasn't that great this season either. They were at their peak with seasons 5-8 with every episode being classic since then its been hit or miss, and most of this season was a miss.
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Rose Byrne from Damages as well. Speaking of stuff under the queens rule what about Testees and the IT crowd? I know I know the IT crowd is old, but IFC finally showed it on American TVs and its pretty damn funny.
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Huhwhaa? Don't know if allegory is really the word you're going for there, but yeah, that WAS clever--and subtle--they even titled the 2nd episode of the season "The Great Ashby." HA! In terms of contrivance, I'm referring less to the arc of the season and more to the in-episode interactions between a lot of the characters. If you don't see it, you don't see it. I will give 'em credit for "Vaginatown" though, that was funny.
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No its not the most tightly scripted show but the cast is top notch! Its a ray of sunshine in a TV landscape where darkness is the norm.
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Fridge in the top 10? I know the episode with spoiled milk was a classic and Thanksgiving episode where they had troubles putting the turkey in the fridge was really good too, but a top 10 show?
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I can't figure out how such a confused, contrived and oftentimes ridiculous season gets as much credit as it gets. Maybe it's goodwill built up? Maybe the show hasn't declined as I perceive it, but was always like this. Who knows?
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An absolute number one to those who actually bother to watch it each week. To those who only watch the "occasional" episode or who never gave it a chance, yeah, I can see why they don't get it.
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until Dexter makes it on there.
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I really think the show has been flat the last two seasons. The first season was pure genius. I didn't even laugh this season until the Revolutionary War episode...now that was an awesome episode. Aside from that episode, I found *Testes* to be funnier than the average Philly episode this season, and that's saying a lot because *Testes* is generally unfunny.
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Sweet mother of Jesus, Herc. I actually agree with just about every scripted hour long show on your list. Never bothered to watch Pushing Dasies though, that had "it'll be canceled within two years" written all over it. ABC doesn't know how to nuture a good show that might be a tough sell to the non-idiot crowd. Frankly I'm amazed Lost will make it for a full run.
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Terminator and Brotherhood getting some love on here, even if Herc didn't include them. Those are 2 really good shows.
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http://tinyurl.com/78swu7
Qualifier: As getting American cable is difficult/impossible up here in the Great White North, I do not watch (despite many proddings) The Shield, The Wire, Burn Notice, Californication, etc. I'm only now beginning the first season of Dexter. Yes, I know there are these wonderful inventions called The Internet and DVDs, but I just haven't gotten around to them yet. My weekly sked is full enough. I'll probably get to The Wire someday, though probably on my own as m'lady is full up on her lifetime quota of gritty cop shows. -
My theory is that the TV audience is perceived to be composed of inarticulate slugs who will mistake jibber jabber as glib.
There should be less talk and more of what Itchy wants to see Grace Park doing. -
Let us all know how the Bachelor turns out, that is if you can tear yourself away from the next season of Paradise Island.
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Seriously, Chuck and Damages don't make the list but that turd knock-off of the X-Files does? My picks: 1. Battlestar Galactica, 2. Mad Men 3. Lost 4. Damages (or was Damages not in 2008?) 5. Pushing Daisies 6. Chuck 7. Terminator: Sarah Connor Chronicles 8. The Middle Man (really much better than it looked and arguably as witty as Buffy). Okay, I don't have a 9 or 10. As for having a list of best reality shows, isn't this like picking the best prostate exams--even at its best you still feel like you got screwed in the ass. And seriously Daily Show and Colbert Report deserve the top spots in their category.
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Mundane unscripted chit chat.
I remember when Survivor started and I thought it was going to be like Robinson Crusoe or Swiss Family Robinson--people learning to survive in primitive setting. But instead it was the Battling Bickersons. -
I watch a lot of television and I've only seen Lost, BSG, and Fringe. Never seen a episode of any of those other shows.Anyone not surprised by Herc continuing to worship at Stern's feet? The only thing I've ever seen Stern do that was interesting was to have naked women on. I really can't understand what the appeal of him is especially if you are only listening to him.
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Smart people like it. It's rather amazing how perfectly the two demographics are split here.
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I like it. The mad scientist act is sometimes too cutesy, but other times it's great. I think the relationship between him and the assistant is the first one they've really gotten into shape. Yeah it's also the easiest but at least there's been progress. That bit with them milking the cow was great. The show itself is not close to great just yet, but at its best thus far it has really hit the old X-Files spot.
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See Magnum Opus I can generalize also it's not very hard. keep telling yourself you're smart, someday you might even believe it yourself.
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Fringe is a good show. It's not a great show. John Noble is the standout, but that's the problem: he's the only standout (which is why he... stands out). Lance Reddick is close, thouigh. The show picked up in the last half of the first batch of episodes, but it dragged for a while and tends to fall back on the genre standards (enigmatic superior with a hidden agenda, evil corporation bad guy, wise-ass male lead). I'd list it as an up-and-coming, but among the 10 best? Eh.
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I demand answers!!! Hell, I don't even watch the genre really much at all, but when channel surfing I always stop on Amazing Race because it's just that good.
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I think we all understand that any "Best" list is opinion. But usually they involve people who have seen a pretty big chunk of movies. Judging from the last year of TBs and news Herc has posted, the impression is there are some shows he just doesn't watch. That's what makes it a favorites list, rather than a "best" list. Also, "2008" is a little tricky. House had a good 2007-2008, but it's 2008-2009 has been weak (assuming Herc watches House). Seeing one good half-season of Fringe kind of gives it an advantage over one great half-season and one mediocre half-season of House. And so on.
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They all suck. Yet, who am I to argue if you want to laud that which sucking the teat dry of the industry which pays your bills.
Aside from that great piece. -
dude. I am a big pusher of Terminator on talkbacks myself. I love the show, but it's definitely not a number one. Maybe a top 10. I can't stand the top 10 list in this TB, but I admit I only watch a few 1 hour shows... BSG, Mad Men, and House... ( also Fringe, CSI and Stargate cause the wife watches them)
I love terminator, and it's definitely an "upper third" of all TV on today. -
Most people regard my husband and I to be about the same level of intelligence and knowledge (albeit in different fields). He likes (not loves) Fringe. I wanted to like it, but I find the characters repelling, the music bland, the writing humorless, and the plots unimportant (X-Files was a great show because of the characters, and the music was a main catalyst for any sort of creepy factor. The show could only work as a whole and without the great characters, witty dialog, and outstanding music, X-Files would have flopped, too).
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Used to be you could tell how old you were getting by how much of reality TV show titles you didn't recognize. Now, it seems to be more an indicator of how much of a jackass you are not.I mean seriously, couldn't all of these shows just be in one giant ass hangar all filmed and shown on one channel that is fed intravenously by transmitter signal (think Carrey's Ridler scheme) into the heads of those who are addicted to it 24/7/365? Thus allowing actual actors and writers and creators to create our entertainment. Just a thought. Odd to call nationally televised karaoke as "good" tv. But then some people don't think line dancing is cheerleading without a team.
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...by a mile.You really but a lot of grade A dog shit ahead of it Herc.
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The relationship between Noble and Jackson is the strong point to me. Torv's character is caught in a bad loop with this obsession over her dead boyfriend. The problem there is that I don't buy theier relationship. The John guy comes off as a massive dick and is ALWAYS scowling in his flashback or ghost vision appearances... why did she even like working with the guy let alone boning him? Acevedo's character is too one note (generic tough guy cop act), and Reddick does not appear often enough, he really only opens and closes the case on the show with Torv. The show should take us back more to Noble's time before his commital, and hopefully even show a working/investigative relationship at that time between Noble and Reddick (similar to the one between Torv and Jackson in the present) that could open some new dynamics on the show.
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I agree with NinjaRap that if people actually gave the show a chance, it would probably have a talkback of it's own. I also wouldn't put it as number 1. but as a genre fan, i have to put TSCC over both House and Fringe.
I appreciate Laurie's work on house but there is nothing that is going to get me to rate a well-written, consistently well-paced sci-fi show with Summer Glau and Lena Headly over another hourlong medical procedural. -
Right. CALIFORNICATION absolutely deserves a mention. I can't believe the lack of hype concerning that show and the stunning coolness of wrecked Hank Moody/David Duchovny. Maybe it's wasted on allegedly prudish Americans...? Just kidding.
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What the crap is Fringe doing on that list? It's there, and at a higher level than Pushing Daisies, and Terminator (or at least Eli Stone) isn't?
That's criminal. -
Did Reaper get cancelled?
In my prior post, I lament that Terminator isn't on the list only since Fringe IS on the list. Eli Stone, Chuck, Reaper, and Terminator are all better than Fringe. -
Very few people here even bother to defend BSG anymore and although it might have once approached greatness, it wasn't anywhere near being a top ten show in 2008. Not by a long shot. It hasn't been good since Exodus Pt. II.
Fringe is alright, but I eventually gave up on it because I'd rather watch paint dry. It's not that it's bad so much as it's boring. The fact that nobody on this site ever has anything more to say about it other than "meh", should clue you in Herc. Terminator is a far better alternative (this season anyway).
Obviously Dexter should be on the list, as many others have pointed out. It may not be S1 quality, but it's certainly better than everything else on the list except for maybe Pushing Daisies and the Wire. -
I might put it at #1 of all time, but one and a half episodes aside, everyone hated the last season. That's just bizarre that Herc would rate it #1. Also, everyone pretty much agrees that the last two seasons of the Office have been its weakest, so that's another head scratcher. I'm not a huge fan of Californication, but compared to the other half hour scripted comedies, it blows the rest out of the water. And Weeds has totally lost its way.
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Cause its first ep was just terrible in that 30-years-olds-playing-teens-as-despisable-assholes way. The amount of unwarranted attitude in that episode angered me.
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Why isn't that catagory dominated by "Mythbusters" or "Good Eats" or even "Antiques Roadshow" or something? How about "No Reservations" or "Dirty Jobs" or "Deadliest Catch"? Does this catagory demand a freakshow premise to be considered?
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I don't think I even watched 10 hour-long shows in the last year, but "Friday Night Lights" and "Battlestar Galactica" are fantastic and I like "Fringe". I would also include "Supernatural" and "Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles".
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Does Herc not have a Showtime subscription or something?
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I can actually learn about surviving in the wilderness from watching that show.
Petroleum jelly on cotton balls to get a fire going: that's valuable info. -
Perhaps now that the first season is over he will re-watch season 1 and realize the error of his ways, and the greatness that is Ron Perlman.
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you lame-os.
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house and boston legal.
word. -
on Dexter, I thought, ohoh desperate move. But his character and arc improved on the subplots of seasons one and two..will Dexter get found out? Dexter is a series with a seemingly simple premise, and found new ways to twist it.
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It just cements its cult status and greatness. And FX has (I think) 3 seasons locked in.
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Jan 02, 2009 5:57:41 PM CST
L-Prime's list for those who don't feel like following the tinyu
by elprime
There are explanations on the buhlog (http://tinyurl.com/78swu7) itself , but in brief:
10. House - 4x16 - "Wilson's Heart"
9. Mad Men - 2x11 - "The Jet Set"
8. Terminator: TSCC - 1x09 - "What He Beheld"
7. 30 Rock - 2x12 - "Subway Hero"
6. Wall-E
5. Bioshock (PS3 came out in 2008, so it counts, nyah)
4. Supernatural - 4x01/4x08 (Tie) - "Lazarus Rising"/"Wishful Thinking" (Honourable mention for 3x13 - "Ghostfacers")
3. Pushing Daisies - 2x08 - "Oh Oh Oh, It's Magic"
2. Lost - 4x05 - "The Constant"
1. Battlestar Galactica - 4x07 - "Guess What's Coming to Dinner" -
Don't know how I forgot about that, seeing that I Just finished watching the season. That was a damn good show.
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... but I'm glad Fringe is getting some love. Terminator would've been too much to hope for (not that it's more deserving than most/any on the list, but it's way better than its "rating" and could use the help).
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... I'll once again give my wildly early prediction that Peter Bishop is secretly the one behind the "pattern." Not that he's a bad guy, but he's a super-genius who has conveniently positioned himself to be "dragged along" to witness the results of these experiments and the reactions to them. He's got the ultimate plausible deniability for "returning to the scene of the crime" because they keep asking (sometimes forcing) him to. It's a long shot prediction, as this show could go anywhere, but I like this one...
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I agree that True Blood is good entertainment but it's not what it seems like it should be. I haven't read the source material, the novels, but as TV it is too shallow. The characters aren't "real," and I'm not talking about the vampirism and shapeshifting shit. I'm talking about things like somebody dying a horrible brutal murder, somebody who is a close friend of all the main characters, and people's reactions to that just being just plain wrong. . . People falling love, etc, and it just seems like "where did that come from?" and then again I just can't buy that they ARE in love. . . I saw an episode where one character befriends a captured vampire whose blood was being harvested, and it was such a GOOD moment of "real human emotions" (vampire shit aside) that the rest of the series stood out in stark contrast for its more shallow contrivances. . . Too bad, because a long-arc story about vampires and Fincheresque devices like the japanese synthetic blood, etc, could be sooooo twisted if the viewer could develop some emotional investment in the characters, but even Sookie (the #1 protaganist) doesn't feel real. Bummin.
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Jan 02, 2009 10:00:31 PM CST
Survivor is WAY WAY WAY better than Amazing Race, here is why:
by bunger!
Here's why Survivor kicks Amazing Race's asshole with a steel-toed boot: because ultimately, at a basic level, the producers can't manipulate the story. Ultimately, the players themselves determine what happens. OK, yeah, the challenges could be rigged or skewed, but the way the players react to that is up to them. Just because the producers make a player lose a challenge (for the sake of argument), the other players get to decide whether they stay or go-- plus there is all the personality stuff back at camp, etc... The producers just can't change that. On the other hand, with the Race, etc (not to mention any "disinterested judge panel" show), the producers can literally set it up so that unworthy players go further, or unappealing players lose, based on things like "flat tires" or strangely-difficult challenges that literally determine the course of the game regardless of any other factor (the challenge that takes one team 5 hours for some reason, while others breeze through-- the treasure hunt variety, for example) or just plain decisionmaking by celebrity judges. Even if by some bizarre set of safeguards there isn't really more risk of such manipulation on other shows, Survivor feels like it has more integrity (and probably does) and I always find it more compelling.
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Michael Scott is far too stupid. No one on earth could possibly be that dumb. I think it was the moment when he said 'That's what she said' during his girlfriend's trial that finally made me click it off. No one's that stupid.
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You can't rip Herc for having the tastes of a 13 year-old girl and then get upset when his list doesn't include your favorite show. Who cares? Watch your faves and be happy.
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on a regular basis are The Office, Lost, 24 when it gets back and Friday Night Lights, those are the four I can't miss. Reality is Survivor and I can't get enough of the cooking shows Top Chef, anything by Gordon Fucking Ramsay. Other than that my tv is tuned to History,Biography, Discovery and Turner Classic Movies.
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"Flanderization," named after Ned Flanders, is the tendency for characters on long running sitcoms to increasingly become one-note charicatures with only one or two character traits, which are repeated ad nauseaum. In the case of Flanders, it was going from being a devout, yet normal, neighbor, to religious fundamentalist nutjob who inserts "diddley" into words for no purpose. In the case of Michael Scott, it was turning him from a semi-comepetent, but insensitive, office manager into a full on retard.
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Or however its spelled.
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Jan 03, 2009 9:12:17 AM CST
And, yeah, the Shield should have been higher, HOWEVER...
by catlettuce4
...as others have noted, we should be thankful that Herc, who ignored the show for most of its run, actually gave us a TB this season, let alone a nod in her top ten.
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ranking crap like stargate and closer above the wire and shield?! how old are you? or let me put it this way: how dumbwitted are you?
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Survivor has stated time and again that everything about the show (challenges, tribe switches, twists and surprises) are planned out before they begin filming. That way no contestant can claim they were intentionally screwed over when some twist takes them from running the game to running home. I've seen things on The Amazing Race that make me wonder. It wasn't the last season, but the one before. One couple was 3 hours behind the other 3 remaining teams and, on top of that, would also have to complete a Speed Bump task. Normally, if the teams are not staying in the city on that leg of the race the first clue they get after their pit-stop tells them to head to the airport and catch a flight to the destination. However, this time the teams where told to go find a clue at a place that didn't open until 10:30 am (30 minutes before the 3-hour-behind team would depart). The clue they all waited until 10:30 to get told them to head to the airport. Basically, instead of being 3 hours behind 3 teams, they ended up only 30 minutes behind. Seemed suspicious to me.
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With all due respect Herc, how can you not include Deadliest Catch and Mythbusters or even In Treatment in the best reality....that MTV stuff is crap!
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for the Mad Men spoilers. :(
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BSG
Office
Chuck
House
Bones
Eureka
Middleman
Fringe
The Unit
Leverage
Pushing Daisies
TTSCCFringe is ramping up and has potential. The Unit is pushing its luck with all the domestic housewives involved in missions bullshit, but the special forces stories are still strong. Middleman was overlooked and underrated--terrific writing of Pushing Daisies caliber. TTSCC is really coming together nicely.Got my full series set of The Wire, which I have never seen even a single episode of, so that will be great to finally see. Will have to get Mad Men via dvd, too.Utterly Abandoned: Heroes, Stargate AtlantisPromising and Hopeful: 24 S7, Sanctuary, Life on Mars -
And I agree with Fringe haters. These episodes would have been better as X-File episodes, because that's what they are, just without Mulder and Scully. The mad scientist would have been a great addition to the X-files cast, even better than Robert Patrick and whatshername. And The Observer is just another Cig Smoking Man. And "The Pattern" is just a Hitchcockian MacGuffin that they use until they can find a reason why all these unexplained phenomenon are occuring. It would have been more believable if this were somehow all linked to Lost but off the island.
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So why do I see people complaining that its not on the list..my only real gripe is that the Shield is not ranked higher. I like Fringe alot but dont see it higher than the Shield.
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Sadly Amazing Race is a poor imitation of itself with poor casting and dodgy producer tinkering. But I don't think you can have a Top 10 Reality list without a single Bravo show (and I'm not talking Top Chef which is suffering from Race-syndrome). Flipping Out with obsessive-compulsive Jeff Lewis and his put-upon staff (his assistant Jenni dealing with the break up from her husband was the particular revelation this season) and the all-out tongue-in-cheek camp-fest Shear Genius with Jaclyn Smith, shortcut challenges and hair shows... bliss!
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Herc's entitled to his opinion, but whenever I put Fringe on TV, I usually drift off to go on the internet or reread one of my comics. I just snooze out. Anna Torv is boooring! Ugh. I think the show could work with another lead. It's a shame, because I want to like the show. But I don't.
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CHUCK is easily better than half of your top ten. Fringe? Come on.
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It got on my nerves immediately.
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The correct Top 3 are:
3) Mad Men
2) Dexter
1) The Shield -
Although I would put Dexter in and remove the Fringe which was one of the worst new shows on tv last year.
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is incredible. I've said it before here, and I'm more than happy to reiterate. To add: seasons 2 and 4 are my favourites.
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Hate to break it to ya, but they were airing it on AMC(in eastern Canada at least).
The only bad thing was that it was easy to miss. They usually decent movies, but their "commercial breaks" usually go on long. -
That is the coolest shit I have ever seen. The Artie Lange drama is more gripping than the best episodes of the Wire.
Bababooey!!!!!!!!!! -
In every Fringe promo picture the girl looks like a completely different person.
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1. I watched all of Tru Blood and while it did improve it's first 5 episodes should preclude it from appearing on any top-10 list. Just awful writing. Anna Paquin for all her nudity is officially a terrible actress.
2. Reaper/Dexter/Damages?
3. Mad Men is ridiculously good. Sopranos good. It's one of those shows that you show your friends and they say they don't get it at first but get them to watch more than one episode and they're hooked.
4. Lost was ridiculously good as well. I've never been a hater - even during the missteps of Season 3 but Season 4 restored all faith.
5. Battlestar Galactica was a massive letdown. They did more filler episodes than anything (at least half the episodes added nothing to the main storyline) and the finale was a disaster! (P.S. It's not the best show ever created just a very good sci-fi show. They're so few and far between that we tend to cream in our pants when we do get one.)
6. Life and Times of Tim made me laugh out loud multiple times every episode. I haven't laughed that hard since Season 3 of It's Always Sunny... It's pure lunatic genius and the best comedy on HBO since Curb Your Enthusiasm.
7. Pushing Daisies' cancellation is a damn shame and goes right up there with the abrupt endings of Arrested Development and Rome. I still maintain that every network should have two slots per week dedicated to quality TV, ratings be damned. Fill the rest with reality shows for all I care.
8. Fringe and Tru Blood had two of the worst pilots I've seen in years. Surprising that they're two of the bigger hits? Maybe pilots aren't as important as we thought.
9. The Mentalist had one of the best pilots I've ever seen. The rest...not so great. The show has steadily declined since the pilot and now is only worth watching for Baker. Did anyone else watch that awful cabin episode?
10. I haven't seen a single episode of The Wire. Does that make me a bad person. I was waiting till it's was all on DVD to do a massive marathon session...let the viewing commence. -
is, and always will be the best talk show of all time. Anyone who says otherwise has never heard the show or given it a chance.
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I just discovered Alison, the keyboard cleaner inhaler. Tina Fey has nothing on this "I'm walking on sunshine" comedy goddess.
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is the most boring extremely intelligent individual on television and radio.
I consistently dislike everything he does so I no longer give him even a minute of my listening or viewing.
Can't believe Charlie Rose is so low on your list. -
I have tried listening to his clones and they all sound the same. The worst of the bunch are those O&A idiots.
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Aside from that though - and AICN's unfathomable fanboy dedication to Lost - it is a great list.
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Dexter is the best show on television (although I have not seen Mad Men). I, too, had some doubts about Jimmy Smits joining the third season, but he and his storyline were great. It's criminal to leave Dexter off of any such list.
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me lame fuckos.
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