Monday, October 25, 2010

Countdown: Top T.V Shows [6-10]

A few blog posts back (I believe the one before the hockey stats) I went on sort of a tangent discussing about the Wire. I stopped, then began talking about an idea for my next blog post: my 10 favorite shows (airing and have aired). From there I do not know what the hell I was writing or thinking at the moment. I know I did not go into much, or any detail about why I like the Wire, but I decided to blog it nonetheless. Remember, the point of this blog is not to be articulate, fancy or some New York Times fucking report. Sorry about the profanity, I just had to. No, this blog is more about saying whatever comes up in my mind.

Anyways. I decided to split this in two parts. At first I though, "sure, I'll blog my top 5 favorite shows." But I decided it would be more exciting if I would blog my top 10 shows and split it in two blog posts. Suspense, I guess. If there is any. No big deal.

I figure it would be boring if I just listed the show with a number attached to it. No purposes blogging that, really. Instead, for each show I list there will be a short paragraph about why it's listed, the good/bad, ect ect. What makes the show better than the others.

Let me tell you this, it is not easy to come up with the top 10. It's even harder to come up with my 5 favorite shows. In order to be ranked in my top 10, the show must have completed at least one season. Though, I must admit that I already knew what show was my number 1. Without further blabbing, let's get this ball rolling.

10. Curb Your Enthusiasm

The last of the pile; the last piece to the puzzle, but certainly not the least favorite show. Although it was not hard choosing my number 1 favorite show, choosing the tenth was a challenge. More like having one last lollipop, but two kids who want it. OK, that's not a great example, but it points out the problem. It was either 24, the thrilling, action-packed shoot-'em-up-and-ask-questions-later (OK, not really. Opposite that last point), or a comedy show, Curb Your Enthusiasm, about an arrogant, pain-in-the-ass dude who created the show Seinfeld. (24, as you already know, or should, is about Jack Bauer, CTU [Counter Terrorist Unit], who fights terrorism in ONE day!).

Fuck was this one hard. I love both shows. However, it came down to which show was more consistent throughout its seasons and which was more entertaining. Curb Your Enthusiasm won the number tenth spot; it has had seven solid and entertaining years. A show filled with stupid comedy, which always satisfies me. This is not to say that 24 is awful or not entertaining. It was to a certain point; the first three seasons were brilliant - great pace, solid story, good cast, and just enough action. However, the next 5 seasons weren't as close to the glory of seasons 1,2 and 3. Now this is not to say it wasn't a good show. The show in my view began declining by season 6. I still watched it because I liked Jack Bauer and the action, though silly at times, provided just about enough to continue watching. After a while it came to the point that I was just watching out of loyalty (this was season 7-8).

Curb Your Enthusiasm, on the other hand, had great guest stars (Ted Danson, Super Dave Osborne, and a shit load of other greats!), and very little dull moments (very rare actually). Some of the conversations Larry David (creator of Seinfeld and main character) has with other characters on the show are outright hilarious and stupid at the same time. One of the few shows that I can quote from the top of my head. Seven solid seasons, folks. Consistent.

Here's a scene from the show: Doctor's Phone.

9. Lost

Remember that show that everyone was talking about six years ago? A plane filled with passengers crashes on a mysterious island. A dozen or so survive. Then weird stuff begins to happen: smoke monster, disease/physical and mental problems are mysteriously healed, numerous hatches underground, and odd folks, a.k.a the Others, living there for many years. Yeah, that freaking show. Some followed it religiously, others tuned in to see what the fuck was happening. Others didn't give a fuck. Well, I was tuned in to find out what was happening. Luckily I never became obsessed with the show. Sure, I read message boards and had discussions about the show and what was happening, but christ I never became obsessed with it while wearing tin foiled hats.

It was a good show. Great marketing, too. For six seasons the writers enjoyed fucking with the viewers mind. Six freaking years. Take a moment to grasp that. Six. There were times where it was beyond confusing - just stupid. And there were times when the show strived and looked brilliant - i.e. developing characters in the first 3 seasons. The flashbacks were superbly done, and then they switched to flash-forwards, which was handled well, too. Although the writing and direction of the show became more shaky in the second half of the series, it was structured well enough to provide entertainment and build mystery to characters - some that never appeared again, or were never fully develop. More like lost in the smoke. Yet, it was by far one of the most entertaining shows in the last 6 years. Perhaps the most successful in building the mysterious Island.

One day I will re-watch all the seasons, but that will be a hell of a summer. Evangeline Lilly is a bonus.

8. Seinfeld

Another show that involved Larry David. Seinfeld. Classic, I must say. This will be the shorter of the bunch here. What can I say that has not been already said all these years. The show, which last aired in 1998, had eight brilliant years. Repeats are always on t.v. (check, you will see them), and watching the same episodes never get old. George's Exploding Waller, Tribute to Kramer,George's Blind Date

7. Californication

The show about sex, I mean writing. I mean sex. OK, a bit of both. Well, plenty of sex. Necessary to the writing of the story. Let me pause for a moment. Fooling around, making love with women and being a famous writer who has hit a wall - yeah, that writers block thing. That's Hank Moody (David Duchovny). Sex addict. Fiend. Mr. Wood.

There are those who get turned off by the amount of sex in a show like Californication. 'It's too much'. 'Is it really necessary?' And then you get the casual, "God damn it, Moody. Keep for dick in your pants and write a fucking book!" I find those people weird and just plain boring. Well, fortunately for viewers who enjoy a good story with great dialogue and a purpose, Hank Moody does not keep his dick in his pants all the time. But since I'm on the topic let me assure you that the show is not about sex. Sure, there is sex in the show - it is necessary. However, sex is used by Hank Moody to release stress, deal with insecurity and writers block. His life is fun and full of exotic excitement, but his family life is in most part in shambles. He's not married, but has had an on-and-off relationship with the mother of his only daughter.

It's a show that, unlike other comedies, does not focus on delivering punch lines, sex jokes or adding dumb viewers. Though it can never be tiring to hear sex jokes. It's fresh. I think that is how I can describe it best. I am sure that there have been many shows before Californication that have tried to come off fresh and put forward this sort of story and focus, but I cannot think of any that have done as great a job as Californication. It's different and fresh. There is not any laugh track (thank goodness) and the jokes aren't forced, repeated or even focused on. You need to pay attention to the witty dialogue; it demands the attention of the viewer, which is always good for a show.

Here's a scene from the first season that gives you a glimpse of what the show is about, and how sex, comedy smoothly merges into a serious situation: Hank Moody goes to Church.

6. True Blood

This could have been slotted as my fifth favorite show, but some thought and hard decisions later I came to agreement that True Blood belonged at number six. This is not your typical Vampire genre where love is displayed as some sort of emo thing, and vampires are sucking blood from every useless woman's neck. Twilight series and Vampire Diaries can take their bullshit and shove it straight up their ass. Those two shows are an embarrassment to the concept of Vampires.

Unlike the Twilight series (novels), True Blood takes pride in building characters and delivering a solid and satisfying story of vampires and other mythical creatures. Sure there are one or two annoying characters in the show, but it is not because they are badly written or because they lack acting. No. It fits what the character brings to the show and how he or she is utilized (properly of course!). For example, Jason Stackhouse, the sister of Sookie (mind reader, hot body, not the typical blond, and loves Bill, a vampire), is promiscuous. He is dumb, fucks almost every girl he lays eyes on, but has a good heart. To me, he is not annoying. But I can see how he can be annoying for some.

Like Californication, sex is part of True Blood; the good thing is that both shows do not overuse it or just put it in the show for the sake of putting it. No. I am not a passionate fan of Vampires. I am not interested in learning about Vampire history or watching a show/movie about Vampires. But, True Blood is an exception. Unfortunately, I cannot remember how I got into this show. The characters and story are better developed and far more interesting than the shows above (Californication, Seinfeld, Lost & Curb Your Enthusiasm). There are a lot of great characters that bring something different to the table: Lafayette (Cook, and part-time drug dealer), Sam (transforms into animals, and is the owner of the local bar/restaurant), Tara (troubled childhood, best friend of Sookie, and always gets stirred up in some shit), Andy (local police office turned sheriff, witty, and always looks out for the betterment of others), etc etc.

Here's a scene with another great character, Eric (Vampire): contains spoilers Eric visits the Queen.

And there you have it, my favorite shows from number ten to six. The top five will be blogged sometime this week, but I cannot promise on a certain date because I am quite busy.

No comments: