’08-’09 TV Shows: A Mid-Season Report Card

Posted by on December 16, 2008 in Television | 0 comments

Some of these were summer and/or cable series which will not return until later next year, and other shows are only mid-season at this point, but here is how I would rate each of them right now:

  • 30 Rock: B+
  • The Amazing Race: B
  • Bones: B
  • Brothers & Sisters: B
  • Dexter: A-
  • Dirty Sexy Money: B-
  • Eli Stone: B
  • Entourage: C
  • Fringe: A 
  • Grey’s Anatomy: C
  • Heroes: C+
  • House: B
  • It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia: B+
  • Life: B+
  • Life on Mars: B
  • Lipstick Jungle: B
  • The Office: B-
  • Private Practice: B
  • Pushing Daisies: B
  • Samantha Who: B+
  • Saturday Night Live: C
  • Survivor: B
  • Top Chef: B
  • True Blood: B
  • Ugly Betty: B-

I don’t have DirecTV so I haven’t been able to watch Friday Night Lights yet this season, but I certainly look forward to doing so when it airs on NBC beginning in January!

Other returning favorites which I am quite excited about include Damages, Flight of the Conchords, Lost and Medium. I will continue to enjoy the remaining episodes and then mourn the loss of Dirty Sexy Money, Eli Stone, Lipstick Jungle and Pushing Daisies.

As a huge fan of the small screen, it is very disheartening to see that kind of programming disappear, and alarming to note the number of ill-advised reality shows filling up the airwaves instead. Note to studio execs: there is a reason that The Amazing Race, American Idol and Survivor remain popular year after year- they feature actual competition, emotion and talent. Enough with the dating garbage (I’m talking to you, NBC, MTV & VH1). I realize that it is far less expensive to create and produce an allegedly unscripted reality series these days, but it is a shame that the television landscape (and audience) loses quality and creativity as a result.

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