Cody's Top 10 TV Shows of 2010

I truly believe we're in a new golden age of television. The quality of many television shows today, both in content and style, could rival any number of films. There was so much I enjoyed on television last year that I originally had 20 shows on my list. However, while there was much to love on some of the shows I had, there was still several frustrating moments, be it with lots of running in place (sorry, Sons of Anarchy, I still love you, but finding Abel took much longer than necessary) or plots that are completely aimless (I'm looking at you, True Blood). Before I start, I'd like to give some honorable mentions to The League and United States of Tara, both of which had great second seasons that figured out what worked in the first seasons and expanded on it while mostly dropping what didn't work. I also need to acknowledge Supernatural; while I've had some issues with Season 6 thus far, 2010 had some amazing episodes, including the brilliance of "The Song Remains The Same", where Sam & Dean travel back in time and spend time with their parents, the long overdue Bobby-centric episode, "Weekend at Bobby's", and the Season 5 finale, "Swan Song", which was so epic and moving, that I almost wish it had been the series finale.

So with that introduction, it's time to move on to my favorite shows of 2010:
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10. Fringe

I was a casual fan of Fringe throughout it's first season. It worked just fine as a freak-of-the-week sci-fi show. However, my interest gradually waned as, despite the fun tone, highly interesting mythology and great performance by John Noble, the show couldn't really decide whether it wanted to be a flat-out genre mythology show, or a sci-fi procedural. That all changed with the episode "Peter"; taking place almost entirely in 1985, the episode gives the tragic backstory of Walter and what made him the man we know him as now. From that episode on, the writers seemed to find their true voice; the show fully embraced the mythology, and explored the endlessly fascinating world of the alternate universes. What was once a simple, entertaining procedural with a twist has now become one of the best sci-fi shows on television. And the true sign that it has become a great genre show? It is now moving to Fridays on FOX, the time slot where all great genre shows go to be ignored.

9. Being Human

Stop me if you've heard this one: a vampire, a werewolf,and a ghost get an apartment together. That premise alone was enough to turn me off of this British horror-drama. However, once I actually watched the show, I found it had much more weight than that. Filled with terrific performances and a dark yet funny tone, the show really found it's voice in Season 2, where the characters' lives were put in danger by the presence of a professor whose goal is to experiment and eventually eliminate supernatural beings. As fun as the big story-arc stuff is, the show really works on it's basic character drama; Mitchell, George and Annie are all people who can't fit in with the world, and only have each other to get by. The show becomes their constant struggle just to survive in the world. The horror, drama and comedy only enhances that. As these characters have grown and the story & world expanded, the show has become the better for it. I may be speaking too soon, but at this rate, the show has the potential to be the next Buffy The Vampire Slayer. Sad to think the greatness of the original will most likely be ignored thanks to the American remake about to begin on Syfy.

8. Eastbound & Down

It's really hard to believe this show is on the air, let alone one that has had 2 seasons. Kenny Powers is such a despicable character, it's amazing that the show makes you like him. The dark comedy works in favor of the show, as the viewer often ends up staring at the screen in shock. This is one of the only comedies I can think of where there are scenes of tension in which I worried someone may actually end up getting severely hurt. Season 2 went deeper into the character of Kenny by sending him to Mexico. The result was hilarious, surprising and, most unexpectedly, moving and poignant. Jody Hill and Danny McBride are such unique voices in comedy today, and I can't wait to see what else they have in store for the world.

7. Terriers

Oh Terriers, yet another one season wonder. A brilliant show that never got the chance to spread it's wings. I can't complain too much though, because we still have one great season of a truly enjoyable show. If nothing else, the show works because of the amazing chemistry between Donal Logue and Michael-Raymond James. You truly believe these two are best friends and need each other to get by. On top of that, the show has a really smart, funny style and the P.I. storyline manages to feel fresh and new. I'll miss Terriers very much, but I'm glad it stopped by in my life just for a little while.

6. Louie

Louis C.K. is one of the very best stand-up comedians working today. He has a bluntly sharp voice and isn't afraid to offend, which is what makes the greatest stand-ups so memorable. With his FX show, he takes an interesting approach by not making a narrative, but rather filling each episodes with a couple short films that show him in his everday life as a recently divorced comedian in New York, trying to deal with the world around him. The show is hilariously funny, shockingly vulgar, and more often than you'd think, very poignant. He tackles many broad topics, such as dating, fatherhood, religion, sex and getting old, but does so in such a way that's rare in it's honesty.

5. Party Down

Another show that is gone too soon, Party Down had a fantastic second season that really fleshed out the characters. The cast is funny enough where they could have just kept the basic tone of the first season, and focused on the caterers working a different party every week and dealing with the odd guests. That definitely is still the general drive of the show, but the second season focuses much more on the main characters and how they handle the failures and disappointments in their life. Adam Scott and Lizzy Caplan are brilliantly deadpan in the lead roles while Ken Marino manages to be very broad, yet remain believable. Party Down is a show about failure, and dealing with the fact that you can't achieve your dreams or reach your potential. As much as I'll miss the show, the fact that it's gone so soon seems all too appropriate.

4. LOST

The final season of any show with a cult following is bound to be polarizing; it's inevitable. LOST fans are so devoted and diehard, that there was no way that the end could satisfy everyone. Needless to say, the final season, and in particular the final episode, completely split fans, enraging many for the lack of answers to some of the show's mysteries. For others though, like me, the answers didn't matter so much as the characters and the journey they went on. I won't deny that there were a few elements in the final season that were misleading and kind of went nowhere, but in the end, it didn't matter. The thing that made me love the show was following these characters on this epic journey and growing attached to them. Both times I've watched the finale, I cried for the last 10 minutes; I was with these people on an emotional arc and it was both heartbreaking yet satisfying to see how their story ended. There was no way it could please anyone, but for me, I enjoyed the journey, and LOST will remain one of my absolute favorite shows of all time because of it.

3. Parks and Recreation

It had a very rough first season and then really started finding it's voice in the beginning of it's second season, but in the second half, Parks and Recreation completely found it's voice and became one of the best comedies on television. Every single member of the cast adds a lot to the show and no matter what the story of an episode will be, I enjoy it because I love the characters. In under a year, they developed so strongly. One great example is with April and Andy and their budding romance. What could have easily ended up being a rip-off of Jim & Pam turned into it's own unique thing; the roadblocks their relationship hit feel believable and just makes you root for them harder to get together. Amy Poehler is wonderful in the lead role of Leslie Knope. What started off as a female Michael Scott eventually turned into a truly original female character, one who lets her motivation and love for her work take control, and the result is both hilarious and leaving you always wanting more, just like the show itself.

2. Community

As impressive as the rise in quality of Parks and Recreation was, the rise in quality for Community is astonishing. It got off to a better start, but I never thought that in such short time, it would become as creative and unique a comedy as it ended up being. The show embraces pop culture in such a smart way, instead of just simple name-checking, the show makes pop culture part of it's DNA, and certain episodes such as the action movies homage, "Modern Warfare", the zombie movie homage, "Epidemiology", or the stop-motion Christmas episode "Abed's Uncontrollable Christmas". Even when it's not doing brilliant homages, the show works because of it's core group of characters and the rapport they have built with one another. In just a season, these characters already feel like a family. They've become some of the most fully-realized, well-developed characters on television and I look forward to spending time with them every week, which is what the best television shows are built on.

1. Mad Men/Breaking Bad

Despite all the respect HBO gets for being the go-to channel for quality programming, I truly believe AMC has now taken the crown. Mad Men and Breaking Bad have become two of the best shows of all time, and it's fantastic that AMC has given them time to grow. Mad Men had what may have been it's best season by showing the breakdown of Don Draper. By showing Don's gradual descent into alcoholism after his divorce, Jon Hamm does some of his very best work, very subtly giving us the contrast between the slick, charming man we've seen for years and the broken, sad man he's been trying to hide. The other MVP of the season is Elisabeth Moss as Peggy Olson. Peggy has grown with each season, but Season 4 really highlighted how much she has changed; Peggy is great at her job and becoming less afraid to get what she wants. These two highlights come full force in "The Suitcase", an episode which is basically just Don and Peggy stuck in the offices of Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce for a full episode, working out their issues, and the result is possibly the best episode of television this past year. Breaking Bad took an interesing deviation in Season 3; after the action-packed Season 2, they changed things up by having a season that was very methodical and quiet. It seemed an odd choice at first, but as the season unfolded, it became hard to see things any other way. Bryan Cranson continues to be brilliant in showing the moral decay of Walter White, but the true standout of the season is Aaron Paul as Jesse; the Emmy he won could not have been more deserved as Paul gives everything to show both the torment that Jesse is going through after losing Jane at the end of last season and his quiet acceptance in his belief that he is a bad person. The story of Walter White has become a fascinating one, as we watch how the poor choice a man made to initially help his family causes the world around him to crumble. The style and story of these AMC shows are the quality of classic, award-winning films. The fact that we get to see them on a weekly basis is almost too good to be true.

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That's it for TV. I'm really looking forward to see what these shows and others I didn't have room to mention have in store for 2011. Tomorrow is the final installment of my Best of 2010 lists with the big one, the one I look forward to talking about the most: my favorite movies of 2010.