5. Psych
Typically I don't really like shows that lack major storylines, but this show is so gut-bustingly funny that it makes me not care. Tailor-made for my exact sense of humor, this is without a doubt the funniest show on TV. James Roday as Shawn Spencer is pitch perfect, being completely ridiculous and over the top without being irritating, but still being able to reign it back and do some really stellar serious stuff as well. Along with a great supporting cast, the show has recently taken strides to include more long-running stories, making it better and better as it goes along.
4. Lost
I initially wrote this show off as a gimmick, thinking there would be no way to keep a show about people on an island interesting. I was wrong. This show is nowhere near perfect. There are plot holes, and a few extraneous characters here and there, but on the whole it's an intensely compelling character study with some crazy lore thrown in. For every episode with a smoke monster terrorizing people through the woods, there's a flashback revealing more of a character's personality, explaining and relating their reactions to the island in a logical and interesting way. And for the record, the finale is touching.
3. Scrubs
Hospital shows are like courtroom shows and cop shows; they're played out. That's why, to have a successful one of those kinds of shows, you've got to mix it up. And that's exactly what Scrubs did. It took the zany comedic sitcom elements and crammed them together with serious medical stories and made something incredibly unique. Each character is distinct and likable, and though it stumbled at a few points (especially Season 7) the last 10 minutes of the show (not counting the pretty bad spinoff season) is one of the most beautiful endings put to film.
2. How I Met Your Mother
Let's face it, traditional sitcoms have never been very good. Sometimes good for a laugh but more often than not only good for a groan, I only started watching HIMYM because of Alyson Hannigan, fresh off of the show below. Turns out, it's probably the best traditional sitcom of all time. It's able to maintain the continuity of an hour long drama while providing the laughs of a comedy, and the characters are excellent. Each and every actor on the show is capable of making you both laugh and cry and I can't think of any other sitcom I've been this attached to.
1. Buffy the Vampire Slayer
I remember thinking this show would be so stupid when I heard the name. I mean, say it out loud, it sounds ridiculous. But it's brilliant in every conceivable way. What started as a fun, kind of cheesy show evolved into one of the most compelling, likable, relatable shows ever created. It's kind of hard to pinpoint what makes it so perfect; the amazing characters, the snappy writing, the relatable themes. But the world of Buffy feels real, these characters are completely real, three-dimensional people, and you care when horrible things happen to them. The show makes you feel; that's what all of these shows have in common; they make you feel things. But this one most of all.
Typically I don't really like shows that lack major storylines, but this show is so gut-bustingly funny that it makes me not care. Tailor-made for my exact sense of humor, this is without a doubt the funniest show on TV. James Roday as Shawn Spencer is pitch perfect, being completely ridiculous and over the top without being irritating, but still being able to reign it back and do some really stellar serious stuff as well. Along with a great supporting cast, the show has recently taken strides to include more long-running stories, making it better and better as it goes along.
4. Lost
I initially wrote this show off as a gimmick, thinking there would be no way to keep a show about people on an island interesting. I was wrong. This show is nowhere near perfect. There are plot holes, and a few extraneous characters here and there, but on the whole it's an intensely compelling character study with some crazy lore thrown in. For every episode with a smoke monster terrorizing people through the woods, there's a flashback revealing more of a character's personality, explaining and relating their reactions to the island in a logical and interesting way. And for the record, the finale is touching.
3. Scrubs
Hospital shows are like courtroom shows and cop shows; they're played out. That's why, to have a successful one of those kinds of shows, you've got to mix it up. And that's exactly what Scrubs did. It took the zany comedic sitcom elements and crammed them together with serious medical stories and made something incredibly unique. Each character is distinct and likable, and though it stumbled at a few points (especially Season 7) the last 10 minutes of the show (not counting the pretty bad spinoff season) is one of the most beautiful endings put to film.
2. How I Met Your Mother
Let's face it, traditional sitcoms have never been very good. Sometimes good for a laugh but more often than not only good for a groan, I only started watching HIMYM because of Alyson Hannigan, fresh off of the show below. Turns out, it's probably the best traditional sitcom of all time. It's able to maintain the continuity of an hour long drama while providing the laughs of a comedy, and the characters are excellent. Each and every actor on the show is capable of making you both laugh and cry and I can't think of any other sitcom I've been this attached to.
1. Buffy the Vampire Slayer
I remember thinking this show would be so stupid when I heard the name. I mean, say it out loud, it sounds ridiculous. But it's brilliant in every conceivable way. What started as a fun, kind of cheesy show evolved into one of the most compelling, likable, relatable shows ever created. It's kind of hard to pinpoint what makes it so perfect; the amazing characters, the snappy writing, the relatable themes. But the world of Buffy feels real, these characters are completely real, three-dimensional people, and you care when horrible things happen to them. The show makes you feel; that's what all of these shows have in common; they make you feel things. But this one most of all.
No comments:
Post a Comment