Top 10 TV Shows- 2004

Best TV -2004

1) The Wire- This show will not cater to you. You have to come to it. You have to invest some time and energy and brainpower and focus to get the most out of the best show on television. But the rewards are well worth it. Epic in scope, with over thirty major characters, plotlines that crisscross each other and head off in directions unmapped, The Wire is nothing if not ambitious. Chronicling the complicated world of Baltimore cops, drug dealers and politicos, it gets deep under the leprous skin of a city seemingly leeching with decay and corruption. We are immersed in multiple universes, spending time with the special police task force trying to infiltrate a ruthless drug ring, the drug dealers themselves, and the local politicians who are trying to work every possible angle.

Good people do terrible things, terrible people have moments of grace and fate lays its heavy hand down on all of them the same. In the world of The Wire, like the real world, no one is perfect and human frailty rules the day. But flaws can be overcome, if only temporarily and decency still has a place at the table.

This show is not safe. Major characters are killed off and whole plotlines can take sudden, radical turns. The Wire is rich with detail and certainty of purpose and it rewards the patient viewer with moments of truth so crystal clear, they can sometime be hard to face. And all the while, the people of this Baltimore continue their mighty struggles, though few seemingly ever escape the city’s inexorable pull back to the center, back to the Pit.

2) The Daily Show with Jon Stewart- I don’t think I would have made it through the campaign season this year without Jon Stewart. His sarcastic, seemingly cynical (but secretly hopeful) rants against all things politically hypocritical, was a salve for my wounded civic soul. And this from a comedy, which he constantly reminds us is a “fake news” show. It’s cliché by now to point out that his fake news is sometimes more probing and incisive than much of today’s real television news. In addition, the in-the-field- correspondent pieces are often perfect little snippets of semi-improvised street theater. When Stephen Colbert went to the Democratic Convention and put together a forum for all the wronged demographic representatives (whom he proceeded to directly address by their most basic characteristics- black dude, tree-hugger, Jewish guy, gay chick, etc.) to discuss their gripes, well I’ll just say, that was some funny stuff.

3) Scrubs- There aren’t very many traditional sitcoms on my list, but this fresh, offbeat treasure packs enough laughs in its 22 minutes to make up for a dozen other crappy so-called comedies. Verbal humor, slapstick, surreal flights of fancy, extended non-sequiturial riffs- Scrubs has it all. This show takes on everything from life and death, to race and class, to sex to love, to pretty girly names, to janitorial revenge plots with the same brio and enthusiasm. And just when you think you’ve got a bead on what’s happening, the show hits you with moments of such real, heartfelt emotion that you fear you’ll need a few minutes to regroup and take on the funny again. Brendan Fraser’s guest starring episode last spring had the single most stunning take-your-breath-away moment on TV this year.

4) The Amazing Race (Seasons 5 & 6)- Hooray! A reality show that doesn’t make you feel dirty. My only shame comes from missing the first four installments of the best reality program on television. There is something oddly riveting about watching complete strangers melt down (or rise to the occasion) as they dash around the world in a non-stop, sleep deprived, physically and intellectually draining race for a million dollars. Was there anything more impressive on TV this year than watching little person Charla overcome seemingly insurmountable obstacles (and the most annoying, self-pitying teammate/cousin in the world) as she proved that you don’t have win the race to win over the American viewing public?

5) Lost- 48 survivors of a plane crash no one should have survived? Polar bears on a tropical island? Wheel-chair bound men rising up and walking? Crazy French chicks? Unknown monsters that eat pilots for lunch? What the hell is happening on this island? I have my own theories, as does everybody else who watches this jigsaw puzzle of a show. Of course, I’m probably wrong. And of course, none of the narrative intrigue would work if the mysteries surrounding the characters weren’t as captivating as the mystery of the island. I don’t know where this show is headed but I do know that I’m following close behind.

6) The Sopranos- Not that this show has ever had a truly bad season, but let’s just say that season 4 was not up to Sopranos snuff. That’s why it was great to see such a smooth return to form in Season 5. So much going on, so little space. Whether watching Carmela’s slow drift back to the easy comfort of Tony’s world or FBI informant Adriana’s descent into a stress-induced shell of her former self, this was the season where the ladies really got to shine. Too bad it all ended so badly for one while the prognosis doesn’t look good for the other. I can’t wait to see how these people, living in the rank sweat of an enseamed bed, stewed in corruption, live out their final, Shakespearean (yes, the allusions are appropriate) season.

7) Entourage- The last of HBO’s three shows in the top seven. How can a show be this inside Hollywood AND completely accessible? Maybe because it focuses as much on friendship and loyalty as on movie star minutiae. Plus it’s just damn funny.

8) The Office- The second (and final) season, along with the two-hour special set three years later, was an amazing combination of side-splittingly funny and so-painful-you-have-to-cover-your-eyes moments. Ricky Gervais’s desperate to be loved but impossible to like boss felt so real, you could only pray it wasn’t based on a real person.

9) Joe Schmo 2- This overlooked Spike TV gem (and its precursor) was endlessly inventive. A reality show and a comedic riff on reality shows (two contestants don’t realize everyone else on a Bachelor-type dating show is an actor) tweaked all the conventions of reality TV while maintaining genuine suspense about the final outcome. Plus, Montecore the falcon was the king of the pratfall.

10) TIE
The Apprentice- The penny’s a little worn in round two, but the first go-round was a hoot. The competitions and back-biting were great but the real fun came from Trump’s endless supply of self-promoting, self-aggrandizing comments- “I built this building for 400 million dollars and it has the best views and the most expensive rent in all of Manhattan…”

Touching Evil- A twelve episode revelation on USA, Jeffrey Donovan plays a detective who specializes in hunting serial killers. But upon his return to work after a leave of absence to recover from a gunshot wound to the head, his behavior makes his co-workers (and even him) question his instincts and stability. Moody and brooding, with a dark sense of humor, this was a pleasant, and totally unexpected, surprise.

Top Ten extra (Old show)

The Prisoner- Okay, so this show actually originally aired in 1967, but I only caught it this year on BBC America. Its one season is a crazy psychedelic roller-coaster about a British secret agent imprisoned at a remote island village for mysterious reasons. I didn’t always understand it, but I was always fascinated.

The Next Five (actually, seven) Best

11) Alias- The third season meandered a little (the promising Sydney-Vaughn-Lauren twisted love triangle turned simplistic around mid-season) but the action was still great, the twists still surprised and Jennifer Garner and Victor Garber continue to shine as they deepen the most compelling father/daughter relationship on television.

12) TIE
Jack & Bobby/Veronica Mars- Both shows are brand new so it’s a little premature to rave too much but…

The conceit of Jack & Bobby, looking back on a future president’s youth, has been surprisingly effective. Plus the show is sustained by two great performances- Christine Lahti’s brittle, brilliant professor and Matt Long as her too-wise-for-his-years elder son.

As to Veronica Mars, it’s the closest thing to Buffy I’ve got these days, with spunky, independent grrrl power poster child Veronica (Kristen Bell) snarkily solving crimes and sorting out her own high-school demons as she tries to determine who murdered her best friend.

13) 24 – A solid rebound from a lame second season. A lot happened: Jack has to chop off his partner’s arm to save L.A., a whole hotel full of people died of an engineered virus and quiet Michelle emerged as a steel-willed heroine. Bring on season 4. And keep it dark please.

14) TIE
Curb Your Enthusiasm/ Da Ali G Show- Both shows are so awkward and painful, I sometimes forgot to laugh because of all the cringing. If Larry David or Ali G ever stopped by The Office, the building might implode from generalized discomfort.

15) Arrested Development- Sometimes there’s almost too much funny stuff going on. It’s like the writers are afraid the show is about to be cancelled so they throw every gag possible into each episode. Non-stop, chuckly weirdness.

Honorable mention (in order of preference)

Nip/Tuck- I didn’t watch this show the first season on principle. But once I checked it out, I was hooked by the parade of endless, amoral bed-hopping and double-dealing.

Without a Trace- The best TV procedural going, partly because it’s not afraid to go dark (they don’t save everyone) and partly because we actually get to know the characters.

Joey – It’s no Friends and there’s nothing edgy about this show but Matt LeBlanc’s facial expressions and line readings are good for a half dozen belly laughs each week.

America’s Next Top Model- Tyra means well but this train wreck (in a good way) reinforces every model stereotype. Destroyed self-images have never been so much fun.

Best Week Ever- Hit and miss but when it hits, it packs a comedy punch.

Kevin Hill- Teeters on the edge of cliché but manages to stay charming & avoid cloying.

The Assistant- Who wants to be Andy Dick’s Next Top Assistant? Absurd and hilarious.

Road Rules X-treme- Was I this dysfunctional at 19? Did others get amusement from it?

The West Wing- Jimmy Smits + staff infighting= way better than last year.

Extreme Makeover: Home Edition- More reality TV that actually makes you feel good.

My Big, Fat Obnoxious Fiancé- Reality TV that makes you feel bad for laughing so hard at something so wrong.

-andirant


*I'd like to extend a special thanks to the good people at Tivo, for making all this viewage possible.