A-List: The Best Of Television
By Josh Spiegel
October 28, 2010
BoxOfficeProphets.com
The word on The Walking Dead (which has, for its first season, only six episodes including the 90-minute pilot) is very positive. Even though, as I mentioned last week, I’m not a huge fan of gratuitous blood, good television is good television and even if I have to close my eyes a few times, a show from the director of my favorite movie of all time (The Shawshank Redemption, as clichéd as you may think it is) is a show I’m going to watch. So, as we wait and see if The Walking Dead meets praise from those who aren’t paid to watch, this week’s A-List will highlight five of the best shows currently on television. Some are new, some aren’t; all are worthy of your attention. Let’s get to the list.
Terriers
Partly because I don’t live with my parents any more (please, hold your applause) and partly because it’s unnecessary, I don’t read TV Guide. When I was a kid, though, I remember a feature they had every year: the best show on TV that you’re not watching. Take it from me that, unless we’ve got a very specific audience at Box Office Prophets, you are not watching Terriers, and it is a legitimately great show. There’s been rampant speculation about whether the show’s title or the marketing by FX, its network, has hurt the program. Here’s what you need to know: Terriers is ostensibly a show about two private detectives in Ocean Beach, California. Hank (Donal Logue) is an ex-cop with a penchant for self-destruction; his partner is Britt (Michael Raymond-James), a former cat burglar. They usually do small cases, but have a habit of getting involved in cases that are too big for any PI.
What makes Terriers better than a CBS, case-of-the-week procedural are the witty, yet sometimes heartrending scripts (among the show’s writers are Shawn Ryan, creator of The Shield, and Tim Minear, of Angel and Dollhouse), and the always exciting chemistry between Logue and Raymond-James, who are friends in real life. Since the show began at the beginning of September (Terriers airs on Wednesdays at 10 on FX), the ratings have flatlined but the stories have become more and more compelling, frequently surprising, and emotionally moving. Logue, as the hangdog Hank, has never been better; Hank pines for his ex-wife, but unlike other programs, Logue makes Hank’s desire more of a burden than a longing. Raymond-James (who I recognize from season 1 of True Blood) is a raffish co-star, whip-smart and funny, but mostly willing to deal with his buddy’s problems. Terriers needs to survive; you need to watch.
The Daily Show With Jon Stewart
I would like to tell you that The Daily Show, hosted by Jon Stewart, is incredibly funny no matter what your politics are, but I’m sure those of you out there who lean right politically would disagree. Whatever the case, I’d wager that The Daily Show is one of the most important media tools over the past decade. Though they’d probably say it wasn’t because of Stewart, CNN has made two major decisions in the past few years that could be attributed to Stewart: in 2004, they canceled Crossfire only a few weeks after Stewart’s epic, galvanizing appearance where he told the hosts they were hurting America; only a few days ago, CNN fired anchor Rick Sanchez, ostensibly because he made controversial remarks about Stewart and Jewish people running Hollywood. Also, as I write this, we’re only hours away from the Rally to Restore Sanity, a joint event hosted by Stewart and Stephen Colbert.
Newsworthy or not, the reason why The Daily Show remains one of the best shows on television is very simple: it’s consistently funny. Again, I imagine that finding the show funny depends on your politics, but Stewart and his team of correspondents (known as the Best Fking News Team) manage to make the most shocking, the most jaw-dropping, and the most infuriating news stories of the day into comic fodder. What’s more, the show rarely - if ever - goes for the easy joke, and if they do, Stewart’s more than likely to comment on it during the show. For those wondering, I’m also a fan of The Colbert Report, but that show is more like watching a brilliantly satiric one-man show each night, whereas The Daily Show allows for more variety in the type of comedy they provide. Still, both are frequently hilarious and worth watching, for humor and some news.
Community
Though it wins by sheer volume, The Daily Show with Jon Stewart wouldn’t win my vote as the funniest show on television when it comes to laughs and enjoyment. For that, the answer is simple: Community is the most fun show to watch on television. The show, which begins NBC’s Thursday night comedy block at 8, has been a joy to behold since it began last September. However, the show that the pilot foreshadowed - about how a snarky douche of a lawyer learns to be a nice guy - has mostly morphed into a show about a group of people who shouldn’t be friends in any world, but by coming together at a community college for different reasons, they’ve become closer to each other than to anyone else. Community can be sweet (as evidenced by a recent episode dealing with religious beliefs), it can be sharp, and it can be silly.
For the latter, look no further than Community’s Halloween episode, airing tonight at 8:30, thanks to a Shrek special. The college is overrun by zombies (of a sort), and a few members of the group have to hold out against these “undead”. The episode is clearly intended to reference, tribute, mock, and spoof horror-movie conventions. Last season, in the episode titled Modern Warfare - easily the show’s most memorable installment - Community managed to make fun of Glee, 28 Days Later, The Matrix, and every other movie with action sequences in between in just 22 minutes. What’s more, the show has a great cast of characters, including Joel McHale, Chevy Chase, Ken Jeong, Alison Brie, Donald Glover, and many more. Some critics have rightly noted that, for the most part, the network sitcom is dead. Help save at least one and watch Community.
Boardwalk Empire
Of the five shows on this list, the last two need the least help. Not only are both on HBO - one of only a few networks that doesn’t need to worry about satisfying advertisers, as subscribers are pretty much king - but both have been renewed for another season. Still, I wanted to bring light to both of these shows, especially Boardwalk Empire. Boardwalk Empire is arguably the most hyped show of the entire year (Conan O’Brien’s new talk show, Conan, would be first had the advertising begun further in advance). The creator, Terence Winter, wrote for The Sopranos. The pilot episode was directed by Martin Scorsese. The cast, including Steve Buscemi, Michael Shannon, and Kelly Macdonald, is huge. Though the ratings have been impressive, some people have been a bit turned off, because the hype just didn’t match the show.
Despite this, Boardwalk Empire is one of the most fascinating pieces of entertainment on television. Like Mad Men on AMC, this show knows how to place us in a different time period without hammering us over the head with references to the time that essentially say, “Get it? Things were different in the 1920s!” The cast isn’t just huge; they’re as exciting to watch here as they’ve ever been. Buscemi has become something of a charismatic romantic as the lead character, Nucky Thompson, the boss of Atlantic City during Prohibition. As famous gambler Arnold Rothstein, Michael Stuhlbarg is as hypnotic a villain as they come. I could go on and on, but the point is this: you may not have HBO because you figure it’s worth waiting for the DVD. You may have HBO but bailed on Boardwalk Empire. If you wait, that’s fine - you’re in for a treat. If you bailed, give this show another chance.
Bored To Death
If there’s one thing a television show can do well, it’s to build a world that the audience didn’t know existed, and to make that world enviable to anyone who can’t live there. Bored to Death, airing on HBO (and just recently picked up for a third season), is one such show. Set mostly in the hip, Park Slope part of Brooklyn, Bored to Death is a show with a plot it often doesn’t really care about. Created by writer Jonathan Ames, the show stars Jason Schwartzman as…Jonathan Ames. In the show, Jonathan has written one novel but has been stagnant ever since. In the first episode, he put out an ad on Craigslist to be a private detective. The show revolves around his attempts at being a writer, being a private detective, and living a normal life. His two best friends are Ray (Zach Galifianakis), a mopey comic-book artist; and George (Ted Danson), his immature publisher, and they’re often involved in Jonathan’s exploits.
The one thing to know right away is that, as based on the critical reaction, Bored to Death is not for everyone. Some weeks are certainly stronger than others, but thanks to a burgeoning cast of guest stars (ranging from John Hodgman to Oliver Platt to Kevin Bacon), silly storylines, and three great performances from Schwartzman, Galifianakis, and especially Danson, this is a show you should at least give a few episodes to try. But part of what makes Bored to Death so much fun to watch is that I want to live in the world this show has created. Is Park Slope really as laid-back and cool as it is on this show? I almost don’t want to know, and just assume that it’s a fantasy Ames concocted for the purposes of the program. Still, Bored to Death makes me want to live in Brooklyn; that’s gotta count for something.