Tuesday, July 18, 2006


Popular Culture


You can tell a lot about a person by the tv they admit to watching

Favorite TV shows, 2005-2006
(I tape everything to watch later, and I'm still only half-way through last season)
*shows my kids will sometimes watch with me

  1. The Shield**
  2. West Wing - Finished with class. I can live with Jimmy Smitts as President.
  3. Arrested Development** - Ron Howard is clearly a genius. It's cancellation is another of life's great mysteries.
  4. Law and Order** - has always survived the loss of characters. Somehow, Dennis Farina successfully replaced Jerry Orbach.
  5. Scrubs ** - the most overlooked comedy ever
  6. Gilmore Girls - if you don't tape it, you miss half the dialogue.
  7. Boston Legal - You've got to love William Shatner.
  8. Rescue Me** - a sublime effort from Dennis O'Leary
  9. Law and Order, SVU - sometimes almost as good as the original, but I wish there was more of Richard Belzer
  10. Frontline - even if I have to make myself watch, it's worth the trouble.
  11. 60 Minutes* - still a national treasure.
  12. Malcolm in the Middle* - got no respect from Fox, but still worth watching
  13. Law and Order, CI - revived by the return of Chris Noth.
  14. Rome** - a lot of fun, even though we knew the ending.
  15. Deadwood* - not quite the same without Wild Bill Keith Carradine.
  16. Two and a Half Men - Chuck Lorre and Charlie Sheen are two of the most talented men in comedy.

New shows with potential:

  • Thief - the return of Andre Braugher is highly anticipated

    Not given a fair chance:

  • Conviction - too much Dick Wolfe, I suppose.

    Not back this year because they had run their course:

  • American Dreams* - I was always amazed at how well this show was done without being corny.
  • Six Feet Under*
  • Joan of Arcadia - Speaking for God is tricky stuff, but when it's good, it's great.

    Shows that were once good, but stayed around too long:

  • The Simpsons - finally ran out of gas.
  • Desperate Housewives - Although I like Felicity Huffman, one year was enough.

    Prior years:

    (2004-2005 final standings)
    (2003-2004 final standings)
    (2002-2003 final standings)
    (2001-2002 final standings)
    (2000-2001 final standings)
    (1999-2000 final standings)

    Sunday mornings

  • The Sports Reporters - Dick Shapp is still greatly missed.
    ... Best panel: Bob Ryan (Boston), Mitch Albom (Detroit). Most annoying: Mike Lupica
  • This Week (ABC) - Thankfully, the roundtable is back. When they add Cokie to George Will and Farid Zakaria, there's not much that's better.
  • Ebert & Roeper & the movies*
  • Sunday Morning* (CBS)
  • Reliable Sources (CNN) - does good work critiquing the excesses of print and tv journalism.

    Best political commentary:
    Mark Shields and David Brooks on the PBS News Hour, Friday's; Tom Oliphant and Rich Lowry are excellent subs.

    Late night
    Even when David Letterman was considered hip, I always thought Jay Leno was funnier.
    But the only reason to stay up late to watch tv is

  • "Weekend Update" on Saturday Night Live. But I'm surprised that Tina Fey is not as good without Jimmy Falon.

    All-time best TV- this is my list and I'm sticking to it!

    1. Hill Street Blues
    2. The Twilight Zone
    3. All in the Family
    4. 30-something
    5. The Wonder Years
    6. Green Acres
    7. Star Trek
    8. Law and Order
    9. Seinfeld
    10. Homicide: Life in the Streets
    11. Kung Fu
    12. The Simpsons
    13. The Larry Sanders Show
    14. 60 Minutes
    15. The Cosby Show
    16. Alfred Hitchcock Presents
    17. The Adams Family
    18. Cheers
    19. My So-called Life
    20. Tour of Duty

    Favorite Comic Strips

    1. Dilbert- in a class by himself; clearly Dilbert haas spent time in my office.
    2. Real Life Adventures- leads the league in refrigerator door posstings.
    3. For Better or Worse- this Canadian strip treads where U.S. wriiters dare not.
    4. Doonesbury- no one besides this Canadian does politiccal commentary; a coincidence?
    5. Shoe- I miss MacNelly, who also used to illustrate for Dave Barry.
    6. Foxtrot

    I'm glad to see the old "Peanuts" strips run again - but they should have started
    this a long time ago. Many readers are too young to remember that back in the
    60's, Charlie Brown and Snoopy were cutting edge - the Calvin and Hobbes of their
    time. Linus was a philosopher. You would have no way of knowing this from the last twenty years.


    Favorite local columnist
  • Russel Frank (Sundays in the Centre Daily Times)


    Gone, but still appreciated
  • Erma Bombeck


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    • posted by hutch153 @ 10:30 AM   0 comments