Over the next week and a half, I will be counting down my top 10 TV shows for the 2004-05 season. In between each listing, I will present a different awards category, because I'm just that insane. The following shows are ones that I watched regularly this year but did not quite make the cut for my top 10:
24 - With a plot dealing with the kidnapping of the Secretary of Defense and the meltdown of nuclear reactors across the country, the first half of 24's 4th season was some of the most suspenseful and action-packed stuff I've seen. Unfortunately, once the nuclear reactor threat was shutdown, 24 lost all momentum and descended into an inconsistent mishmash of rightwing hysteria and overdone soap opera. Not only that, but they got rid of some of the most interesting characters, including the Araz family and tech expert Chloe (though she would return to kick some ass in one of the few highlights in the 2nd half). The season was best summed up in the anticlimactic finale, which shoved the main plot off to the side and focused on stupid political and personal soap opera not even worthy of 5th season West Wing nonsense. What a shame.
Alias - It cannot be said in mere words how valuable Lena Olin is to this show. Her arrival in the 2nd season energized the show and made it the most entertaining hour on television. Her sudden departure at the end of that season led to an inconsistent 3rd season marred by weak characters and predictable plot twists. And then she returns at the end of Alias's 4th
season to pump some life into a show that was sputtering without direction for most of the season. Despite some entertaining individual episodes, Alias never gained any momentum this season thanks to a nonexistent story arc. Most of the episodes were self contained, which is my least favorite method of TV storytelling. Still, it was clear that there was a dedication
by the writers/producers to make this season more watchable, and the story arc problems were fixed by the end, which was just in time for an extremely strong final 3 hours. The shocking cliffhanger certainly left me very interested in what will happen next season.
Arrested Development - Of all the shows the cut from my top 10 list, this was probably the hardest. This was the first full season of the show I watched, and it contained some of the funniest material on TV, thanks to smart writing and a terrific ensemble cast. My only problem with this show is it's tendency to to go way over the top. Buster's hook storyline, the Martin Short cameo, etc. were all examples of how the show can get just a bit too silly. Also, the show does not have a dramatic hook, which makes it all the more troublesome when the jokes ocassionally fall flat. I don't expect a show to be completely dramatic, but just a small bit of drama would help. Scrubs, a show very similar in style to Arrested Development, is far more successful for this very reason. Still, this is a very funny show and I can't get enough of the splendid cast, particularly the brilliant Will Arnett.
ER - How does John Wells keep doing it? Over the years, ER has had it's ups and downs, but somehow Wells has always been able to right the ship. His wonderfull skill at casting is probably the main reasons. Recent additions Parminder Nagra, Linda Cardellini, and Shane West have reenergized this show much in the same way Maura Tierney and Goran Visnjic kept things
afloat when they joined many years ago. This was the most consistent season in a long time. There was a standout pair of episodes focusing on the romance between Parminder Nagra's Neela and the recently departed Sharif Atkins as Dr. Gallant (now bring him back for good!!). The show also did a much better job than usual with their showcase episodes, which included a
unique appearance by Cynthia Nixon and Frances Fisher showing up as Kerry Weaver's mother. Another recent casting coup was Thandie Newton as the love interest for Noah Wyle's Carter over the last two seasons. They had really great chemistry together and it provided a perfect reason for Carter to leave the show. He will be missed, but he's leaving behind a strong
ensemble cast to continue the show.
Grey's Anatomy - The biggest surprise of this TV season was the breakout success of Grey's Anatomy. That was big news for ABC, who already had big hits this season with Lost and Desperate Housewives. Unfortunately, this show proved to be a huge disappointment. I was looking forward to it because the star was Ellen Pompeo, who was incredible in the film Moonlight Mile. While it's nice to see a show that focuses on it's female characters, it bugs me so much that it demeans them sexually. In one episode, Pompeo's character had to carry around a
severed penis, and the writer of that episode had plenty of penis jokes to share with us. Both Pompeo and Sandra Oh's characters became involved in inappropriate relationships with their supervisors, and Katherine Heigl is stuck with a backstory where she was a (gasp!) lingerie model to pay her way through med school. Pompeo is the only person breathing some life into this, although TK Knight manages to do something every now and then with his cliche'd lovelorn nice guy character.
Kevin Hill - It's tough to write about this show not too long after it's cancellation. Kevin Hill was a refreshing show in the prime time landscape. It was a show with a black male lead, but A) the show didn't revolve around him being black and B) It wasn't an all black cast. ALso, the storyline about a playboy who is challenged when his late cousin gives him custody of his baby dredges up bad memories of Three Men and a Baby. Alas, there were no stupid "oh no she peed on me" jokes. The show seemed to really want to deal with the real world implications of this situation. Taye Diggs is always a welcoms presence, and he did a great job at carrying this show with his usual mix of casual charm and lightly played drama. Patrick Breen and the underutilized Christina Hendricks led a fine supporting cast. Unfortunately, the show ended on a downer. The show was cancelled just as Kevin lost custody of the baby to the birth mother. And that's the end of it.
Life As We Know It - Now this was an interesting show. Life As We Know It was an ambitious and visually interesting teen drama that focused on the sexual pressures faced by high school boys (and to a lesser extent, girls). The show sputtered along at first, thanks to cliche' storylines like a parental affair and a teacher/student relationship (my biggest pet peeve in teen shows). However, once they ended the teacher/student nonsense and began to develop some of the other characters, things really began to take off. I particularly loved the developing relationship between Ben (Jon Foster) and Sue (Jessica Lucas). Unfortunately, the show's ratings were very low and it ended after only 11 episodes. It's too bad it had to end early, but it was a nice show anyways.
The O.C. - Many people have criticized the 2nd season of The O.C. as being a pale imitation of the 1st. While that may be true to some extent, I think most fans are being a little harsh. The 2nd season of O.C. had many things going for it. Some of the new characters were very interesting, particularly Shannon Lucio's Lindsay and Michael Cassidy's Zach. The season really took off when we found out that Lindsay was actually Caleb's illegitimate daughter, and Seth and Summer began to inch closer to getting back together. The high point was a midseason episode called "Rainy Day Women", one of the best The O.C. episodes to date, which culminated with a Seth-Summer homage to the Spiderman kiss. Incredibly cheesy, yet incredibly satisfying. The weak points of the season involved an ill-advised lesbian storyline for Marissa and the wasted talents of Kim Delaney and Billy Campbell, neither of whom were able to overcome their bland characters. I was disappointed with some aspects in the finale, but it should bring up some interesting stuff for next season. In the end, I have to agree this was a weak season, but it wasn't a terrible one.
The Office - I have to confess to never seeing the original BBC version of this sitcom. Having said that, I think this show was very original and worked very well on it's own terms. The hilarious Steve Carell headlined an interesting and mostly humorous cast of oddballs who toiled in an office environment. Despite being a remake of a britcom, the show this most reminded me of was Newsradio. While it doesn't quite match that show's greatness, there is still plenty to enjoy here. I really enjoyed most of the supporting cast, particularly the bizaare Rainn Wilson and the adorable Jenna Fischer. Some of the episodes were hit and miss, but they seemed to be finding a rhythm by the end of the season, and I'm looking forward to seeing where they go from here.
