15. How I Met Your Mother
This has become quite the comfort show for me. Even when it's not at it's best (which isn't often), it still just makes me feel good and makes me laugh. Despite having a laugh track, it manages to be one of the most clever sitcoms on television with a great small ensemble. Last year's episodes actually featured some big shake-ups storywise, with Ted losing his job and becoming a teacher, and more importantly, Barney & Robin becoming a couple. Among this, there was the return of some great recurring gags, such as Slapsgiving, and some hilarious comedy segments, such as Marshall's slideshow songs in "The Sexless Innkeeper".
14. Eastbound & Down
It's hard to find a comedy this bitter and dark on TV these days. The main character, Kenny Powers (brilliantly played by Danny McBride) is foul-mothed, sexist, racist and an all-around asshole. However, McBride has enough charisma to make him hilarious. In a very short season (6 episodes), the show manages to pack in a quick but fulfilling story about Kenny attempting to redeem himself in his hometown. The supporting cast is just as good from John Hawkes' quiet performance as Kenny's brother to the hilarious oddity that is Steve Little's performance as Stevie Janowski, a band teacher obsessed with Kenny. The season ends on a perfect note by finally giving Kenny some triumph, only to take it all away.
13. Community/Modern Family
These are both new comedies that are just getting started and finding their style, but are both off to a very funny start. They both take a very simple concept and add something fresh to the genre. Community does so by adding a very self-aware, clever sense of humor and Modern Family does so by just being very smart and genuinely funny. The two shows also both have fantastic ensembles that work together perfectly, the two notable stand-outs being Community's Danny Pudi as the pop-culture obsessed Abed, and Modern Family's Ty Burrell as the desperate-to-be-hip father Phil. While the two are still finding their footing, I can't wait to see what else they have to offer.
12. Flight of the Conchords
A couple months ago, Flight of the Conchords announced that they wouldn't be bringing their show back for a third season. It's a shame, because the second season displayed how great the show could be. As great as the songs were in the first season, a lot of the comedy in between fell flat. They really stepped things up this season, with the in-between comedy being just as good as the songs, if not better in some cases. Having said that, there were some fantastic songs in this season from the super-catchy "Sugalumps" to the awesome rap "Hurt Feelings" to my personal favorite, Jemaine's ode to ex-girlfriends, "Carol Brown". It's sad that the show won't come back, but they definently ended things on a strong note.
11. 30 Rock
What can you say about 30 Rock that hasn't already been said? It's one of the smartest, funniest shows on television and last year was no exception. Whereas the beginning of Season 3 really fumbled the use of guest stars, the rest of the season found a way to use them with hilarious turns by Jon Hamm as Liz's naive, doctor boyfriend and Salma Hayek as Jack's feisty girlfriend. The show also managed to fit in some pretty good small story arcs, with the appearance of Jack's father at the end of Season 3, and the search for a new cast member at the beginning of this season. Tina Fey is one of the strongest voices in comedy right now and 30 Rock continues to be as strong as ever.
10. Dexter
Dexter has a difficult task in that the weight of the show rests on Michael C. Hall's shoulders. His performance as Dexter Morgan is so entrancing that any scene without him has a chance to fall flat. While Season 3 had it's moments, it really didn't live up to the epicness of Seasons 1 and 2, and the way Jimmy Smits' Miguel Prado left the show was really anti-climactic. Thankfully, the show stepped up this year in giving Dexter a new opponent with John Lithgow's Arthur Mitchell a.k.a. The Trinity Killer. Lithgow gives an absolutely terrifying performance, completely erasing any notions one would have of him previously. The season gets off to a slow start, with Lithgow's short scenes being one of the few highlights, but once Arthur and Dexter meet, the season just gets better and better. The side characters are more of a mixed bag. While Debra's story is very interesting and leads to some of Jennifer Carpenter's best work, the season-long arc involving Angel and LaGuerta's relationship is awful, and probably the worst thing the show has ever done. However, the Trinity storyline is so good that most of the faults can be forgiven. It all leads up to the absolutely stunning final, tragic moments of the season, which promise to take the show in an interesting new direction.
9. Supernatural
Supernatural is an interesting creature. It gets written off a lot for being on the CW. The fact that a good portion of the fans are girls constantly saying how hot the leads are doesn't help matters either. But if you can get past all that you'll find one of the most compelling dramas on television right now. As good as the show was in it's first 3 seasons, Seasons 4 and 5 really changed things and made it into a very, dark mature show. It's evolved from a show about two brothers hunting monsters every week into an epic story about two brothers stuck in the middle of a war between God and Lucifer. On top of that, we find out that Dean and Sam are the vessels for the angel Michael and Lucifer, respetively. That's some heavy shit to dive into for a show on the same network that houses Gossip Girl. One of the best things the show has done is introduce the character of angel Castiel. It really brought a great new dynamic to the show and Misha Collins' performance never fails to impress. Castiel is also the focus of two very dark episodes in Season 4, "The Rapture" which shows his tragic backstory and "On The Head Of A Pin", which might be the best episode of the show ever. It's not all doom and gloom though. Supernatural has a great sense of humor about itself. The writers are very well aware about their fandom, and while they poked at the fourth wall in the past, they broke right through it last year when Sam & Dean discovered a book series called "Supernatural", about two demon hunting brothers named Sam & Dean. While this story development could have easily been mishandled, it actually led to some very important story developments, some very clever comedy, and a great new character in the form of Chuck Shurley. It's always great to see a show change and develop into something great and Supernatural has done so in a way that really deserves to be noticed.
8. Chuck
This is an example of a show that really stepped things up in it's second season. The first season was fun, but nothing really stood out. In Season 2, everything just began to click better. The cast became more comfortable with each other and the writers just made the stories more and more exciting and fun. It all culminated with the arrival of Chuck's father, played by Scott Bakula, which led to a few season-ending episodes that are just as fun and impressive as any action movie.
7. Parks and Recreation
Parks and Recreation suffered from numerous comparisons to The Office from the very beginning and they were true to a degree. The 6 episode first season was amusing, but not very funny or interesting. The first season ended on a hopeful note with "Rock Show" which finally began to give the show more emotion and give the characters some depth. The second season was almost like watching a different show. Much like The Office, the writers found a tone that worked and it led to a very funny show with a lot of heart. However, P&R has managed to find it's own tone and kept it from being a carbon copy of it's predecessor. Each cast member has something to offer, right down to minor supporting characters such as the constantly down on his luck, Jerry. It's become a show that works because it's simply watching a group of people you love to spend time with.
6. Sons of Anarchy
I had no interest in this show when I first saw the ads for it. The idea of watching the trials and tribulations of a biker gang every week held no interest for me. However, as the second season progressed, I kept hearing how amazing the show was, so I decided to give it a shot. I was surprised to find that the biker angle was a very small part of the show, and at it's heart, it's a extremely well-written drama about family. The second season took things to a very dark place and each episode just built the tension to an almost unbearable point, with each viewer just waiting for everything to snap. The show takes big risks by consistently killing off important characters and having their characters do very bad things, despite it being for somewhat good intentions. It all led to an extremely intense finale, full of death, excitement and tragedy, which has me highly anticipating Season 3.
5. Dollhouse
Ah, Joss Whedon. Despite being one of the most talented and loved writers of this generation, he just can't seem to catch a break. First, the brilliant Firefly was horribly mishandled and quickly dumped by FOX, then Angel got cancelled far too early. When Dollhouse was announced to air on FOX, fans instantly banded together to try and save the show. When the show finally debuted, it had a rocky start. It was good, but the first 5 episodes just weren't living up to the Whedon name. With the much-lauded 6th episode, the show took a noticeable step-up and continued to get better and better. The second season took things to a whole new level with some of the episodes becoming just as good as the best episodes of Buffy The Vampire Slayer and Angel. The story and character developments and overall increase in quality in the past few episodes just makes it more and more heartbreaking that the show is about to end. Regardless, it's a miracle that the show got a second season at all and a few months from now, we'll have the entire series on DVD as a great 26 episode reminder of the talent of Joss Whedon.
4. The Office
I don't have a lot to say about why I love The Office. I think it is probably (along with the UK original) the best television comedy of all time. It is uniquely hilarious while also having a great deal of drama and heart. Last year kept up that tradition while also adding a new depth by making some reflections on the current economy. With the Michael Scott Paper Company and bankruptcy arcs, we really got a good look at how the economy is affecting failing businesses, yet the show did it in a very funny, approachable way. Despite anything else, the show is known for it's relationships. We got another chapter in the surprisingly touching story of Michael & Holly. We also got the long-awaited wedding of Jim & Pam, which was handled in a terrific fashion and made it almost impossible to not get a little teary-eyed.
3. LOST
I could go on and on about how much I love LOST. I have spent countless hours analyzing the show through books and on the internet and it is by far one of my favorite shows of all time. Season 5 just continued this by making a very bold choice in embracing the idea of time travel. It had touched upon it before in Desmond-centric episodes, but it took things to a whole new level to have the on-island Losties hopping through different decades and spending the second half of the season in 1977. I never would have thought from the first season that the show would be telling the stories and the season ends on a note where I have no idea what to expect in the final season. It's very rare for a show to constantly keep you guessing, which is why LOST is such a fantastic, important show.
2. Breaking Bad
This is another one of the critically acclaimed shows I decided to check out and, man, am I glad I did. By doing so I was treated into a piece of brilliant dark comedy and drama in the story of Walter White. While the first season wasn't able to fully display the greatness of the show due to a shortened season, the second season more than made up for it. From the haunting opening, featuring a charred teddy bear in a pool, Season 2 of Breaking Bad displayed that great drama means taking risks. The show goes down some dark roads but remains all the while fascinating. The thing most worth mentioning though is Bryan Cranston's performance as Walter White. He erases any thoughts of Malcolm's dad by playing a once quiet, meek man who slowly transforms into a monster. Breaking Bad has much in common with the movies of The Coen Brothers, in that it features very troubled characters doing questionable things, but done so in a brilliant form of storytelling. The third season begins in about 2 months and I, for one, can't wait.
1. Mad Men
Mad Men is a show that's kind of difficult to describe in terms of what makes it so great. It's just something that needs to be experienced. Everything about it is just perfection from the portrayal of the '60s to the dialogue to the music to the visual style to the brilliant cast, with Jon Hamm in particular giving an iconic performance as Don Draper. The third season made a big shift in focus, giving much more attention to the home life of Don and his wife, Betty. While taking some focus away from Sterling Cooper could have been a risk, the writers managed to pull it off with some brilliant story developments. There are a number of stand-out episodes from the haunting dreamlike state of "The Fog" to the dark comedy of "Guy Walks Into An Advertising Agency" to flat-out awesomeness that is the season finale, "Shut The Door. Have A Seat". Mad Men is definitely revolutionary television, it is giving us something we haven't ever seen before and doing so in a way that is endlessly engaging.
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So that's it for television. I'd also like to give notice to It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia, Curb Your Enthusiasm, and Party Down, which all had very funny seasons and United States of Tara, which showed a lot of potential in it's debut season. I should hopefully have my Best Movies of 2009 up by the end of the week!
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