Best of 2009 - TV

Recently I received a copy of Entertainment Weekly magazine's "Best of 2009" in which they feature books, music, TV, movies, and more from the past year. I certainly wouldn't put many of their choices in my own "Best of..." list which got me to thinking what I would put at the top of the list. So, after spending some time thinking about the "best" and what that would be in my opinion, I think I'll go ahead and share the winners and losers in my very own list for 2009. Today's posting is a recap of my favorite programs I enjoyed this past year. Here goes...

TV SHOWS

There is a little caveat here that I do not watch TV like most people. I do not have the energy to try and keep up with programs on a weekly basis. I typically watch most TV programs on Netflix and a season behind the current one. So, with that in mind, here are a list of the top TV shows that I enjoyed watching this past year, in no particular order.

There is only one program I will watch regularly when it's on, and that happens to be ABC's Lost. I got hooked on Lost from its premiere episode about 5 years ago. I am not an obsessive, nerdy fan, which this show can certainly cater to. However, I have closely followed all the action and have a vested interest in finding out what happens to Benjamin Linus, Sayeed, Jack, Locke, Sawyer, Kate, Jin, Sun, Hurley, and all of the other characters in the show. That includes Jacob who we learned so much about towards the end of last season. And now, with the series finale approaching this coming February, I am on the edge of my seat to see how things finally play out. Last we knew, Sawyer and Juliette were trying to grab for each other's hands when the screen went blank and we were left to wonder. And that was back in the mid-'70s I believe, when all the original Oceanic 6 were reunited.

If there is one sitcom that I absolutely enjoy and laugh out loud at, it has to be The Office with Steve Carell as bumbling boss, Michael Scott. I have followed this show on Netflix and have not missed an episode through what would have been this year's programs on NBC. I'll have to wait until they're available online. Either way, the company picnic where Michael finally reunited briefly with his love interest Holly and they performed Slumdunder Mifflinaire was hysterical. Looks like Jim and Pam found out they're pregnant. But the hilarity comes primarily from both Michael and Rainn Wilson's Dwight Shrute. Honestly, this program just never stops with the laughs and is filled such an offbeat sense of humor and an unpredictable twist or zinger in every episode. Love it!

Right next to The Office in my opinion is 30 Rock which I also watch courtesy of Netflix online. The cast starring Alec Baldwin as Jack Donaghey, Tina Fey as Liz Lemon, and Tracy Morgan as Tracy Jordan, along with a few others I enjoy, are just laugh-out-loud funny. Right now I'm at the middle of last season where Baldwin hits his mom forcing her to move in, and their nurse, played by Salma Hayek, briefly becomes his love interest. But it's these three (Baldwin, Fey, and Morgan) who always keep a smile on my face and keep me watching. Love 30 Rock.

My favorite drama, (and with humor intertwined, actually) is the Showtime hit starring Michael C. Hall in Dexter. Hall plays a blood specialist at Miami Homicide as Dexter Morgan. Right now I'm in the midst of the season on Netflix where Jimmy Smits is the hotshot D.A. Miguel Prado and Dexter finds out his girfriend Rita is pregnant. I love this show just because Hall is terrific, and he plays a guy who does kill, but he targets the scum of society in the process, so it's a show that challenges the way we look at people. The stories are so involved and dramatic and suspenseful as well, which makes for a get-your-popcorn kind of excitement you enjoy at the movies, but in the shape of a TV series. A rarity, in my opinion.

I'd have to go back early in the year when The Tudors was available on Netflix, but Jonathan Rhys Meyers as Henry VIII, the King of England, is another program that I just could not stop watching. His love affair with Anne Bolelyn was mesmerizing and heartstopping in its intensity. He has really thrown himself full force into this character and the director has really captured the details and costumes and the essence of the time period in which thi series is supposed to take place. It is also a great history teacher and one can wind up feeling power hungry and omnipotent, practically, watching King Henry get what he wants watching this show. If you haven't considered this program, I'd highly recommend it. Very enjoyable.

I would have to put 48 Hours Mystery and America's Most Wanted into the list as far as true life crime programs are concerned. I am fascinated by courtroom dramas and crime stopping programs. I take my class to do mock trials at Superior Court every year and have developed a friendship over the years with a judge who was a parent of a child at the school where I teach. Both of these programs are exciting and enjoyable, but for different reasons.

With 48 Hours Mystery, they have typically chosen cases that on the surface seem like slam dunk convictions, but then there is a major twist either in the investigation, or post-conviction that suddenly challenges everything about what you originally had convinced yourself of what the truth was supposed to be.

Two episodes stand out for me this past year.

One involved a young lady who sold Pre-paid Legal who fell in love (or had a fatal attraction) with another salesman who lived in Arizona. He was a very bright and successful entrepreneuer and a member of the church who completely fell for this girl for all the wrong reasons. He winds up dead and she looks very guilty, but is she?

The other episode was of a man, Tim Masters, from Fort Collins, CO, who was wrongfully convicted for the death of a woman he couldn't possibly have committed. But the police detective pinned it on Tim, who was just 15-years old at the time, for some inexplicable reason.

And finally, AMW is on my list because they've nabbed over 1,000 captures in the history of that series and it is a show that needs to be on the air every week because its sole focus is on bringing in the scumbags who have committed horrible crimes. It feels almost like a public service that this program runs with the help of an unforgiving, strong-willed, and impressive host, John Walsh, who's own son was the victim of a crime that resulted in his death. I give Walsh so much credit for doing everything in his power - and he's done a LOT - to bring people to justice. I will always make time for AMW. They have a great website, too at http://www.amw.com/. Check it out!

Don't ask me why but I got hooked on Seth Green's Robot Chicken which is on the Adult Swim programming around 3:45am every night. Looks like it might be in between seasons or something, but I catch an irreverent episode of this 20-minute program on the DVR most nights when Grace sleeps through the night. Otherwise, it doesn't record because Kari is most likely feeding Grace and not watching this program. It's designed for the 18-35 male crowd and the sketches can get really obnoxious. So it's good to hit the "skip" button from time to time, but this show can also be absolutely hilarious and the sketches also tend to focus on current events, but involve '80s cartoon characters (He-man, Smurfs, GI Joe, Transformers, etc) in claymation form, or however that is called. But either way, very funny. Check it out, if you think you can stomach it.

Naturally, being a guy, I also am hooked on sports and sports entertainment. For some reason, back in the mid-'80s, my brother and I got hooked on professional wrestling. I lost interest later in high school ('90-'92) but when I got back from Philadelphia, and towards the beginning of '96, I got hooked once again on wrestling. It was no longer on Saturday mornings but now it was a Monday night program on USA Network for 2 hours. I've watched WWE's Monday Night Raw program forever through "Stone Cold" Steve Austin and the Rock, to Triple H and The Undertaker. Every year I'll thrown down some cash to watch the annual spectacle that is Wrestlemania. It's just something I do. Another one for the DVR to catch on Monday though, because I'm not sure that I actually focus on the "wrestling" itself as much as the characters and what they're doing. Plus, they have a new thing now where a celebrity guest hosts on Mondays and this has included Donald Trump, baseball's Johnny Damon, Bob Barker, Vern Troyer, Dennis Miller, and lots of others. Let's call it a guilty pleasure. Oh yeah, I'll occasionally catch WWE's Friday Night Smackdown as well, and the competition, TNA Impact on Spike TV.

I'm not a reality TV watcher, but Dancing With the Stars, American Idol, So You Think You Can Dance, Survivor, and The Amazing Race will appear on TV in our house from time to time. I guess you can say that these programs are the "Best of..." as far as our reality interests are concerned. I'll keep track of who wins for a little fantasy pool competition that my own family does every year, but not really watch the shows themselves. Kari watches a bit more of the reality TV with SYTYCD I suppose. Claire enjoys that on the DVR as well. For Kari, you can also throw in Top Chef and any version of The Real Housewives whether it be Atlanta, New Jersey, or Orange County.

With the late night talk shows, I'll simply look for whichever cute actress happens to be appearing that week, or a comedian or actor (maybe) that I enjoy, and I'll record the program. I don't care if it's Conan, Letterman, Leno, Kimmel, Fallon, Carson Daly, or Ferguson. I click on the "Guide" button and scan for the upcoming week's guests and hit record. In terms of comedy, I think the best bet is Jimmy Kimmel. Letterman is a close second. I think O'Brien is trying to find himself once again doing the Tonight Show. It's definitely not his old show just yet. And Fallon is growing on me. Carson Daly is merely for whoever is on his show because the show itself is not fun to watch. And third, in terms of comedy (and occasionally first, in my opinion, depending on the show) is Craig Ferguson. Love that guy. Of course, we regularly watch Saturday Night Live whenever a new episode is on.

Being a sports-oriented guy, I record the 4am Sportscenter on ESPN every night to catch the highlights of the previous day's sports action. I'll also regularly follow the local sports teams as well as keep an eye out for the rest of the leagues in professional sports ranging from baseball to soccer and everything in between. Near the top of my list is NASCAR which runs from February through November. This is TV that we get to participate with by attending the event itself, so every year I'll be sure to catch a live game (or two or three) of baseball both in Oakland (trashy stadium), San Francisco (classy stadium), Berkeley (worse than Oakland) for college football, and occasionally a Niner or Warrior game, though it's been awhile. But it certainly makes for good TV.

So...that's my list of what I would consider the Best TV of 2009 for me. What are your thoughts?