UP FOR DEBATE: THE 100 BEST TV SHOWS OF ALL TIME


One of my favorite entertainment columnists, James Poniewozik from Time Magazine, has offered up his list of The 100 Best TV Shows of All Time:  www.time.com/time/specials/2007/0,28757,1651341,00.html?iid=redirect-100tvshows

I was pleased to find that all of my personal favorites made the list (so I noted them with an asterisk). While I can certainly appreciate the cultural impact that many of these shows had/have on society, there are a few surprises.

Take a look at Poniewozik’s list below. What do you think? Are there any egregious omissions? Are your shows represented?

24

60 Minutes

The Abbott and Costello Show

ABC’s Wide World of Sports

Alfred Hitchcock Presents

All in the Family

An American Family

American Idol

Arrested Development *

Battlestar Galactica

The Beavis and Butt-Head Show

The Bob Newhart Show

Brideshead Revisited

Buffalo Bill

Buffy the Vampire Slayer

The Carol Burnett Show *

The CBS Evening News with Walter Cronkite

A Charlie Brown Christmas

Cheers

The Cosby Show

The Daily Show

Dallas

The Day After

Deadwood *

The Dick Van Dyke Show

Dragnet

The Ed Sullivan Show

The Ernie Kovacs Show

Felicity *

Freaks and Geeks

The French Chef

Friends

General Hospital

The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show

Gilmore Girls

Gunsmoke

Hill Street Blues

Homicide: Life on the Street

The Honeymooners

I, Claudius

I Love Lucy

King of the Hill

The Larry Sanders Show

Late Night with David Letterman (NBC)

Leave It to Beaver

Lost *

Married… With Children

Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman

The Mary Tyler Moore Show

M*A*S*H

The Monkees

Monty Python’s Flying Circus

Moonlighting

MTV 1981-1992

My So-Called Life

Mystery Science Theater 3000

The Odd Couple

The Office [American] *

The Office [British]

The Oprah Winfrey Show

Pee Wee’s Playhouse

Playhouse 90

The Price Is Right

Prime Suspect

The Prisoner

The Real World

Rocky and His Friends

Roots

Roseanne

Sanford and Son

Saturday Night Live

Second City Television

See It Now

Seinfeld

Sesame Street

Sex and the City

The Shield

The Simpsons

The Singing Detective

Six Feet Under *

Soap

The Sopranos *

South Park

SpongeBob SquarePants

SportsCenter

Star Trek

St. Elsewhere

The Super Bowl (and the Ads)

Survivor 

Taxi

The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson

The Twilight Zone

Twin Peaks

The West Wing

What’s My Line?

WKRP in Cincinnati

The Wire

Wiseguy

The X-Files *

Your Show of Shows

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RESCHEDULING RUMOR: NEW DAY & TIMESLOT FOR ‘LOST’ IN 2008?


There are online rumblings that Season 4 of Lost will air on Monday nights at 8pm beginning in February of next year.

As someone who races to blog about the show immediately following each episode, I welcome the earlier time slot.

Even though they’re on different networks, this change could create a Must-See Monday line-up of Lost at 8pm on ABC and Heroes at 9pm on NBC.

Thoughts?

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THE EMMYS: PISS. MOAN. BITCH. BOO. HISS.


I just got back from vacation, which was quite relaxing…until I turned on the Emmy Awards last night. Just like last year, I found myself screaming at the TV on many occasions. But this time I was in a hotel room. In Vancouver. Where they aired the entire event without censoring any comments. I heart Canada.

Let’s jump right in, shall we?

Dear Emmy Voters,

According to the official website, over 13,000 of you representing “television professionals from every field” comprise the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences.

However, after watching the Emmy Awards last night, I am convinced that very few of you who are eligible to vote actually watch television. Or at least more than the single screener episodes that are mailed to you.

You got 4 out of 5 nominations right for Outstanding Drama Series. But Boston Legal instead of Lost or Friday Night Lights?? Similar to Desperate Housewives, that show is neither comedy nor drama; it is a quirky hybrid in the spirit of Ally McBeal. And no one watches it. Except for you, vague members of the Academy. Shows like Boston Legal simply confuse, clutter and clog major categories, resulting in serious snubs for far more deserving series’ and performances. Which brings me to…

James Spader for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series. COME ON. Over James Gandolfini? It is painfully clear that you have a soft spot for Boston Legal. Case in point: William Shatner’s infuriating prior victories for the same damn show. Is Spader replacing Shatner as your perennial sentimental favorite? Is he your Tony Shalhoub or Doris Roberts? Are you trying to alienate and/or annoy dedicated viewers of shows that receive critical acclaim by torturing us with nominations for inferior performances? Can you seriously say with great conviction that Spader deserved this more than Tony Soprano’s swan song season or the incredibly underrated/extremely complicated Denis Leary on Rescue Me? In my opinion, Kyle Chandler or Matthew Fox should have been nominated in place of Spader. If you had watched more than one episode of Lost last season, you would have chosen Fox; he was the anchor and the intensity that revived the second half. If you had jumped on the Friday Night Lights train along with most critics, you would have recognized Chandler for his integral role as coach and father figure to an entire town.

Yours in frustration,

Jo

Moving on…

As much as I appreciate Jaime Pressly as Joy on My Name is Earl, I was rooting for Jenna Fischer as Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series. I believe there is genius in subtle comedy, and she is the master of that domain as Pam on The Office.

And now, for the positive notes.

30 Rock
My heart is with The Office, but the Outstanding Comedy Series statue for 30 Rock is the icing on the cake from their last-minute reprieve. Tina Fey is quite talented, and I’m a big fan.

Ricky Gervais
What a pleasant surprise for Lead Actor in Comedy Series. Although Alec Baldwin steals the show on 30 Rock and Steve Carell is fantastic on The Office, Gervais is hysterical on Extras. And frankly, I was just relieved that it didn’t go to Shalhoub and Sheen.

Katherine Heigl
She and Chandra Wilson are why I still tune in to Grey’s Anatomy. Although I was rooting for Rachel Griffiths for Brothers and Sisters, I am more than satisfied that Heigl won for Supporting Actress in a Drama Series. Izzie is far more compelling than the character after whom the show is named…the one who should have perished in the water during sweeps.

Terry O’Quinn
I’ve said from the beginning that Lost lives and breathes by and through John Locke, that O’Quinn’s character is more important to the entire series than the island itself. Sweet victory for a VERY deserving actor. And his competition in the Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series was fierce; the statue could have easily wound up in the hands of Lost‘s evil Ben (Michael Emerson) or The Sopranos’ tragic Christopher (Michael Imperioli).

The Sopranos
Those last few episodes of the final season really sealed their status as one of the best shows in the history of television, and they truly were an Outstanding Drama.

Writing – Comedy
There was pure comedy gold throughout the small screen last season. As much as I loved Harry Potter’s cameo on Extras, I vividly remember how brilliant and laugh-out-loud funny The Office was. So I applaud Greg Daniels’ win for Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series, for his ‘Gay Witch Hunt’ script.

Random Observations

  1. Where was Drea de Matteo (Adrianna) last night when everyone who has ever appeared on The Sopranos reunited on stage? I still believe that Adrianna was alive and would resurface…don’t stop believin’?
  2. Why don’t they hire Rainn Wilson to host one of these things? If they’re too afraid to hand over the hosting duties to the openly liberal Stewart or Colbert, then save us from Seacrest and give the mic to a funny everyman or woman.


Look, I’m not a member of any voting academy and I don’t claim to be an expert. I might come across as a bitter couch potato, but I’m just a passionate fan of television and high quality programming. And I am living off of vacation vapors at the moment. So please excuse me if I seem snarky or cranky, or if any spelling errors made their way into this post.

Good night.

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