Best:
5) The Walking Dead
It's somewhat weird watching this, because I also read the comic book the show is based on, so I know a lot of what's going to happen. But at the same time, they're changing things up enough that I can still be surprised, like with the CDC stuff in the season finale. It also makes me hopeful that the show can avoid a lot of the problems that the comic has suffered from, such as Rick's annoying habit of always being proven right, and the often less-than-subtle use of zombies as a metaphor. A lot of people criticized the first season for its relative lack of zombie action, but geez, it's not like half the cast can get eaten every week, can they? Man, I can't wait until they get to the prison.
4) The Good Wife
I only just started watching this a couple of months ago, and have been burning through the first season DVDs. Holy shit, did CBS mismarket this show when it first premiered. The commercials made it seem like it was a soap opera about a wife dealing with her husband's infidelity. And I guess it is that, but it's also an incredibly well-written legal drama and political thriller, and has a terrific supporting cast, including Michael Boatman, Josh Charles and Scott Porter. Going forward, networks should really use a "Trust us, it's not a chick show" disclaimer in promotional materials for shows like this.
3) The League
Its first season was a bit uneven, as the show struggled, with only six episodes, to balance the fantasy football elements with It's Always Sunny-like comedy. The second season was a huge improvement, in terms of both humor and--for those of us who care about such things--making the the fantasy parts more relevant. Ruxin might be the most consistently funny character on TV right now, and his speech after winning the championship ("This is exactly how I pictured it when masturbating! And you were all watching! Except Andre was wearing a stupid hat! Put it on so I can finish!") raised the bar for fantasy football gloating.
2) Doctor Who
I've never been a die hard Doctor Who fan, but David Tennant's last episode was nothing short of incredible, and any reservations I had about Matt Smith after his brief introduction were quickly dispelled once the new season started. Truthfully, though, they could just have Karen Gillan read the phone book for an hour each week, and this would still be one of my favorite shows.
1) Lost
I guess I get why people would feel the need to go back over the previous seasons and point out all the plot holes and inconsistencies. Months later, I'm still not sure how I feel about the big revelation at the end of the finale. But everything leading up to that was absolute gold, and even if the producers couldn't tie everything up perfectly, they did a good enough job. In the very least, the ending had the emotional wallop I was hoping for, as everyone got their happy ending. Well, some people got their happy ending.
Worst:
5) Outlaw
America wants to like Jimmy Smits, but sometimes he makes it hard. When the producers of this show were making their initial pitch, someone at NBC should have cut them off halfway through, keeping the stuff about a Supreme Court justice who likes drinking, gambling and womanizing, but dropping the part where he then quits and becomes a lawyer for the helpless and downtrodden. I'm pretty sure that first show would still be on the air.
4) The Marriage Ref
Apparently, there's a segment of America that's eager to make their personal lives fodder for celebrities to make dumb jokes about on national television. I guess in a culture that revolves around US Weekly and TMZ, it's only fair that celebrities get a chance to return the favor and make fun of regular people. But it makes for shitty television.
3) 100 Questions
It feels like we're past the point where a show can still be accused of being a Friends rip-off, but this still felt like a pretty blatant one. More importantly, why the hell should viewers care that some annoying British chick can't find a husband in New York? If the dating scene is so bad there, she can go back to England. And take her annoying friends with her.
2) The Decision
Some network needed to step up and give LeBron James a blow job, and naturally, ESPN couldn't get on its knees fast enough. Using disadvantaged children as props in the background was especially sleazy. Maybe if LeBron had announced he was staying in Cleveland, this whole thing could have been justified as a feel-good exercise. But then again, Cleveland fans couldn't have been more obnoxious during those Cavs/Wizards playoff series, so to the extent that The Decision caused them pain, good for LeBron.
1) The Real Housewives of Washington, D.C.
No one with even the slightest bit of class or influence in D.C. agreed to be on this show, so the producers were stuck with four supposedly successful businesswomen, and Michelle Salahi, who there seems to be something wrong with. And the worst part isn't that they were awful human beings--though, by and large, they certainly came off that way--it's that they were awful human beings who were boring. Even crashing a White House state dinner came off as not terribly interesting. If this show comes back, they should retool it so it just features the Salahis and their numerous legal problems. To paraphrase a joke from Patton Oswalt, they could be like the new Dukes of Hazzard, where each week they get into a mess and Waylon Jennings narrates, "There's just no way the Salahis are going to get out of this one!"
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