Yesterday I started my introduction with my 5 favorite movies of all-time, so today I will focus on my other favorite medium- TV and my top 5 television series of all time. But before I get to that list, I have to say a word about a new show that premiered the other night- 'Work It' on ABC. 'Work It' is a cross-dressing "comedy" that has been getting absolutely slammed by all of the major TV critics everywhere since it was screened before the fall season, but ABC still decided to air it. After seeing all these awful reviews, I had to watch it to see if it was truly as bad as they said and I was not disappointed it. The awful stereotypes, the vaguely racist and outright sexist lines that they tried to pass off as jokes were just outright embarrassing. I have no idea how a show like that even gets on the air, but I'm just hoping it doesn't actually find an audience.
Now back to my original topic- top 5 TV Series of all-time!
5. (tie) Firefly & Terriers- This spot will have to do for my two favorite one season shows of all time, even if they are wildly different shows. The space-western from Joss Whedon has incredible characters, epic storylines and magnificent visuals, but Fox obviously had no interest in actually letting the show work and their meddling never gave it a real chance. Fillion as Captain Malcolm Reynolds is a fantastic rogue hero and the rest of the cast was pitch perfect. As for Terriers, the title of the show never really gave it a chance, but it is tightly written with a compelling season-long arc neatly filled with stand-alone cases and a cast that has more chemistry than anything I've ever seen. Logue and Raymond-James as incorrigible PI's Hank and Britt made me laugh constantly, but still showed surprising depth as those two characters were knocked down over and over again but kept getting back up and fighting on. That two exceptional shows like this can be cancelled after only one season while shows like 'Work It' get air time makes me lose hope in humanity.
4. Deadwood- There may never be another TV character like Al Swearengen, the fast-talking owner of the Gem Saloon and de-facto mayor of Deadwood, South Dakota. Ian McShane's monologues to severed Indian heads and whores are the stuff of legends. The list of fantastic character actors that creator/writer Milch makes excellent use of is nearly endless and Timothy Olyphant shows that there are still a few American male hero actors working today. While the show doesn't get a neat ending after a dispute between HBO and Milch cuts it off after season 3, it is still a remarkable show about how completely different individuals can come together to fight for what they believe is best in entirely different ways.
3. The West Wing- Sorkin's magnum opus about life in the White House for the POTUS and his adviser's, I can't help but imagine what a president like Bartlet would actually be like in the real world. The rich characters tell the story of good people trying to make a difference in a political world that doesn't really want to change. The life and death stakes allow Sorkin's unique writing style shine as President Barlet and his team take on everything from war to social security to Leo's Big Block of Cheese days and the ensemble cast works together in complicated and amazing ways. With great performances by Bradley Whitford, Rob Lowe, Allison Janney and Richard Schiff, I still find myself popping on this show on the regular.
2. Buffy the Vampire Slayer- This unique take on how to survive high school, college and transition to the "real" world also featured a lot of vampires and butt kicking. This show was never really about the vampires, but about how a group of friends can come together to overcome any obstacle that stands in their way, whether that is school, relationships or monsters from the Hellmouth. Even when the overarching season story was weak (the Initiative/Adam) just spending time in the lives of these friends as they discover exactly how much they can actually achieve made everything else work. And it also has one of my all-time favorite TV episodes ever, the musical episode 'Once More with Feeling'.
1. The Wire- The holy grail of television, this gritty, realistic, depressing look at inner-city life in Baltimore is riveting. There has never been and will never be again a show that takes on such daunting subjects as drugs, schools, politics, news, etc. in a way that is almost totally believable and still wildly entertaining. Not the easiest show to get into for a lot of people with the almost indecipherable lingo and slow building story, the fantastic acting and satisfying payoffs are completely worth it. And the underlying theme that everything is cyclical and unchanging no matter how hard good people try is one of the bleakest and truest ideas ever put forth on television. Also, the outstanding work of Michael Williams as my favorite character Omar Little puts this show as the unreachable number 1 in my book.
So there are my favorite TV series of all time and combined with my top 5 movies of all time, I hope it offers a little snap shot into where my mind is at regarding movies and TV. I'll be posting on whatever movie or TV show catches my eye as it happens, probably at least every other day or so.
Until next time, have an amazing day!
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