If you are a
fan of the television, then you are no doubt aware that the Fall Season is getting
underway! Some networks have started
their fall schedule already…others are waiting until October. Needless to say, TV is back, and this will
make our weeknights a little more entertaining.
Personally,
I don’t watch much TV overall. I do
watch a lotta sports…but as far as TV Shows go, I only watch a handful of
them. And as they slowly retire (fare
thee well, House), I have not been picking up new shows. Thus, soon enough, its possibly I’ll be
living a TV-show-free life…not an entirely unappealing prospect.
However, as
I said, I do have some favorite shows out there. So, with the new fall season starting up, I
figured I’d give you my Top 5 shows currently on TV (ok, I cheated and put 6 in).
Honorable
Mentions (these are the handful of other TV Shows I follow, but did not make
the list): Parks & Recreation, The
Office, New Girl, Family Guy, Futurama, South Park.
5 (tie). The League(FX) – The League is, at its core, a show about a
group of friends…a group of friends who all participate in a fantasy football
league…and the shenanigans in their lives.
I’m not sure there’s another show out there that makes me cry from
laughing so hard like this one does. I
mean, they go places that no other show goes for the sake of comedy. And, of course, the fantasy football thread
that goes through the show appeals to me as well. But you can enjoy this show even if you don’t
play fantasy football…but you’d better have an appreciation for brilliantly
executed crass humor!
4. Justified (FX) – A third straight FX show (FX
is an amazing network…seriously, you are missing out if you aren’t keeping tabs
on their lineup). Justified is my first
drama on the list. Justified follows the
life of US Marshall Raylan Givens, a 19th century–style lawman in modern times,
whose unconventional enforcement of justice makes him a target of criminals and
his U.S. Marshals Service bosses, alike.
Givens is assigned to Kentucky, and ends up back home in Harlan County,
an impoverished, backwoods, coal-mining community where he had grown up and was
super happy to leave. Each season
follows a new story arc…with each season finale tying up the storyline. And each story line is gripping, compelling,
and very well written. In the end,
though, Justified is a TV Show that centers around the characters…and the
characters are phenomenally colorful, well acted (Timothy Olyphant is
incredible), and well developed. Well
worth your time.
3. It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia (FX) – My 4th
and final FX show is also my favorite of the bunch. The series follows "The Gang," a
group of five depraved underachievers: twins Dennis Reynolds and Deandra
"Dee" Reynolds; their friends Charlie Kelly and Ronald
"Mac" McDonald; and Frank Reynolds who is Dennis and Sweet Dee's
father. They run the dilapidated Paddy's
Pub, a bar in South Philadelphia. They
are dishonest, egotistical, lazy, manipulative and are often engaged in
controversial issues. Episodes usually find them hatching elaborate schemes,
conspiring against one another and others for personal gain, vengeance, or
simply for the entertainment of watching one another's downfall. They
habitually inflict mental, emotional and sometimes physical pain. They
regularly use blackmail to manipulate one another and others outside of the
group. Watching this group’s shenanigans
produce hilarious results. I guess I
have an appreciation of shows that depict super self-centered, hilarious
characters. I also seem to just love FX
shows. Go check them out and enjoy!
2. Community (NBC) – My only network show is one
of the most brilliant, funny, and interesting shows I’ve ever seen. Every week is a new adventure. The show focuses on a study group of friends
at a community college (The Greendale Human Beings), and their shenanigans
throughout the school year. The members
of the group are fairly self-centered (there we go again!), only interacting in
passing with other members of the student body, and even then mostly due to
competitions, arguments, or feuds. This behavior is encouraged by their flamboyant
Dean, who treats them as his favorite students. Each member of the group has several
personality flaws that are often highlighted in various ways that play off the
show's idiosyncratic meta-humor. This
meta-humor, as well as its ambitious story-lines, have earned it a devoted fan
following…although ratings have lagged a bit behind its reputation. Community is a show I always make sure to
tune in to…its really quite brilliant.
1. Breaking Bad (AMC) - Set and produced in
Albuquerque, New Mexico, Breaking Bad is the story of Walter White, a
struggling high school chemistry teacher who is diagnosed with advanced lung
cancer at the beginning of the series. He turns to a life of crime (he…breaks bad),
producing and selling methamphetamine with a former student, Jesse Pinkman,
with the aim of securing his family's financial future before he dies. The story has evolved from there…and we have
taken a journey with Walter as he becomes more and more ingrained in the drug
trade of the Southwest. It is a
well-written, compelling drama that has been well received by audiences and
critics alike! It’s a thinking man’s
drama that actually has you cheering for the bad guy, while questioning and
witnessing his descent into the world of crime.
Every character is well crafted and well acted. The story is gripping…it’s the one show I
watch that I actually wait until the end of the season to do so…so I can watch
all episodes at once. Once I start, it
kills me to have to wait for the next one.
It’s that good.
2 comments:
I like community, but I couldn't get past Breaking bad. Also, Always Sunny in Philadelphia, isn't that more sit-com-ish and light hearted? You write it up like it's a little more drama-esque?
It is light-hearted and hilarious...about some seriously deranged people! Maybe I didn't play up how funny this show truly is.
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