As the end of the year approaches, the internet will be inundated with “best of” lists for everything from books to inventions. Simply look at this week’s feature story in the Voice for one example of this critical deluge.
Sadly, the television season doesn’t follow the calendar year, so there will be no color spread of the top ten shows of 2008. But in the spirit of December’s list-making bonanza, I’ve compiled my midseason awards for the 2008-2009 television year.
Most Valuable Player: Mad Men. Having aired its entire season, Mad Men enjoys a small advantage over most other shows, but it is still head and shoulders above the competition. The second season was even better than the first, if that’s even possible. Watching the second season unfold, it’s clear this show is in a master’s class in storytelling. Nary a single misstep tainted the season. With one of the deepest casts on television, two guest stars stood out and made their fleeting screen time felt—Colin Hanks as Father Gill and Patrick Fischler as Bobby Barrett.
Most Improved Player: Chuck. This show delivered a great pilot yet an incredibly mediocre first season that was cut short by the writer’s strike. Chuck managed to have enough flashes of greatness to keep me watching, however, and the second season’s latter half has so far matched first half in quality. Chuck has finally found its perfect formula: a healthy dose of action mixed with some humor, plus a pinch of pathos set to inoffensive indie-rock songs. Is it the second coming of The Sopranos? Absolutely not, but any show that can keep me caring about its characters for that long, with solid writing and an amazing guest turn by John Laroquette, has certainly earned its place on this list.
Abusing My Goodwill: Grey’s Anatomy. When I start watching a show, after about four episodes I’m generally wedded to it until it goes off the air. My philosophy is that, if there was enough to keep me watching for that long, then surely there is potential for the future. Grey’s Anatomy is apparently trying to break me of that habit. This season started off with promise, the premier serving as a thinly veiled metaphor for how the show went off the rails last season. The first couple of episodes even recreated the show’s initial addictive qualities. But then it happened: I began to notice more references to Dennygate, and then a couple of episodes later one of the doctors is having sex with the ghost of her lover.
There is still time to right the ship, of course—both in Grey’s and in television as a whole, but to tell the truth, given the way things have been progressing, I’m not holding out much hope.
Turn down the boob tube and click on over to Daniel at danielnewman1@gmail.com
