Friday, December 10, 2010
My Favorite TV Shows Of 2010
It's Year-End Lists season! My first list is my favorite television shows of 2010. Compared to last year I have 5 new shows on my list. I actually had more shows than I did last year that I wanted to include so I have some Honorable Mentions as well.MY TOP 10 TV SHOWS OF 2010.
1. My favorite show again this year is 30 Rock. No other comedy provides as many laugh out loud moments. Tina Fey just writes the quirkiest, funniest, most clever jokes and the cast (most notably Alec Baldwin, Jane Krakowski, Tracy Morgan and Fey) is just perfect. I'll never understand why more people don't watch this show. My mind boggles that a show like Two And A Half Men has more viewers. But then again, when I see how dumb most Americans are, it begins to make more sense, haha. 
2. Rising from #5 last year to #2 this year for me is Modern Family. I mentioned that no other comedy has as many laugh-out-loud moments for me but this one comes in a very close second. I like it more and more as it's gone on. It walks the line perfectly between zany (though relatable) comedy and heart (without being overly sappy). The entire cast, right down to the kids, is brilliantly cast.
3. [Down from #2 last year] There was plenty of controversy and conversation about the finale of Lost. I personally enjoyed it. For all the hardcore (read: crazy) fans who expected every last odd reference to be explained then they missed the essence of the show. I didn't need every puzzle piece put into place to enjoy this complicated, original, well-acted, intense drama. All but one season of the series was thoroughly enjoyable and I thought the finale (which focused on the characters and their relationships) wrapped those stories up quite poignantly and in a very satisfying way. I had a hard cry at the end & I thought about the show for days later. That's the definition of a compelling show to me, and Lost will go down as one of my all time favorite series.
4. One huge caveat here is that I am not caught up on this show. In 2010 I watched all of Season 3 and I am currently watching Season 4. But I can't not list Dexter as one of my favorite shows simply because it's not on a network I can see the latest episodes on. All along, Dexter has been a darkly engrossing, well written show with a main character you root for despite him being a serial killer. And wonderful turns from guests like Jimmy Smits and John Lithgowe only heighten the series already stellar cast. I can't stand watching the opening to the show (like True Blood, for some reason I hate it) but that's what the fast forward button is for!
5. This British show came out of nowhere and has quickly become one of my favorites! Jared found Misfits online and we quickly plowed through Season 1 and are now watching along with it in real time and enjoying Season 2. It's a fantastic mix of Sci-Fi, Drama, and Comedy. I've heard people call it Heroes meets Skins but I think that is a cursory comparison. The show is fast-paced, clever and the acting (especially the outlandish yet endearing Robert Sheehan, the combative and hilarious Lauren Socha and the awkward and later, stoic, Iwan Rheon) is excellent.
6. [Down from #3 to #6 ... only because there is just so much other good stuff (plus Lea Michele kinda bugs)]. Glee is always an hour of good times. The music is fun, Jane Lynch's Sue Sylvester continues to my favorite character on television, and the show is chock full of quirky, silly characters. What I also love are the more poignant moments. Kurt's relationship with his dad is one of the most touchingly authentic relationships on television and the addition of the wonderful Dot-Marie Jones as Coach Beiste as well as Darren Criss as the confident & adorable Blaine has made season two that much better. Special mention to Gweneth Paltrow as well for the best guest spot so far this season.
7. I didn't include Vampire Diaries on my Top 10 last year because I think even in my own mind, I didn't think it was worthy; not because I didn't enjoy it, but because I dismissed it as fluff. But I can't do that anymore because I not only enjoy this show, but I really think it rises above what some would label a 'teen drama' and has turned into a fast-paced, smartly-written & completely entertaining drama. And interestingly enough, I'm seeing it get that sort of credit from a lot of critics as well. And, if I may somewhat contradict myself and regress to shallowness for a moment, it doesn't hurt that there is so much eye candy, haha.
8. [#7 Last Year] Family Guy continues to make me laugh. For some reason a lot of the cultural references that Seth MacFarlane touches on are things I've just thought about that very week. And as mean-spirited and anti-religious (which is getting tiresome) as the show can be, the jokes are usually spot on. There is always a real stinker of an episode every now and then but by-in-large, there are a lot of laughs to be had here all these years later. Too bad American Dad and The Cleveland Show are such horrendous facsimiles.
9. Nurse Jackie is another show I don't get to see when it's actually on but I'm so glad we've gotten to see them after the fact because this is yet another well-written show about a deeply flawed character that is just waiting for her house of cards to come crashing down around her. The supporting cast is excellent and is highlighted by the hilarious Merritt Wever as student nurse Zoey, Eve Best as the sarcastic Dr. O'Hara & Anna Deavere Smith as the dry-witted and tightly wound RN Gloria.
10. The Walking Dead started off a little slow for me. Don't get me wrong, I love the whole zombie apocolypse premise! And the special effects/makeup are excellent for a TV show! My only gripe is that there isn't anything really new going on here. I've seen it before, many times, in zombie movies. But the show is certainly entertaining and the acting (especially from the wonderful Jeffrey DeMunn & Laurie Holden) raises the bar. It's interesting to see how the idea that the humans that haven't turned continue to turn on eachother even when there are so few of them left. I'm curious to see how the show continues to unfold in Season 2.
Getting honorable mention from me as well this season are The Late Show With David Letterman, Cougar Town, Kathy Griffin's My Life On The D-List, Project Runway and Raising Hope. True Blood would have been in the running too but we didn't watch any of this year. Have the last season ready to watch on DVD soon though. I also want to tip my hat to HGTV for being my go-to station when nothing is on and politics are driving me crazy. It's a lovely oasis of brainless TV I can have on while doing other things. I especially enjoy Curb Appeal: The Block, Income Property, House Hunters and The Unsellables :)
