Top Ten Returning TV Shows #3: The Office

"Sometimes I just stand here for hours, watching T.V." - Micheal Scott The Office (played by Steve Carrell)

This show is consistently one of the funniest shows this past decade. The interplay of office dynamics, awkwardness, and stupidity has made this a winning show and one of my personal favorites.

Last Season started with a bang. "Fun Run" has to be one of my favorite episodes. The producers of this show was wise to actually commit to a Jim (John Krasinski) and Pam (Jenna Fischer) relationship rather then drag it out for a few more years (at which point the plausibility of the show would be streatched). It was nice to see their dynamic back after a season of them being apart.

The breakout character of Dwight (Rainn Wilson) had an excellent story arc. He lost his love due to a mercy killing (true story) and his rivalry with Andy hit new lows. Micheal Scott (Steve Carell) went through a little bit of a rough patch himself, first financially then relationally.

Unfortunately, because of the writers strike, the final felt flat.

The upcoming season shows some promise. Will Micheal still commit to Jann now that he has found the perfect woman (which is a surprise in its own right). How is Jim and Pam doing now that Pam is off to college. And what is with Dwight and Angela?

If you haven't seen this show, you owe it to yourself to lock yourself up in a room for a couple of days and just burn through the seasons. Be careful though, you may come out of that experience with a permenant grin.



Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars

Top Ten Returning TV Shows #4: How I Met Your Mother

You can't deny it. This show is just funny.

It takes a lot for a laugh track comedy to consistently maintain quality, it is so easy for writers and producers to fall on "proven" methods that makes a sit-com average at best. But this show continues to push the format, and keeps things interesting.

Part of that is the premise of the show. Having realized that he was ready, the main character, Ted, is essentially looking for his future soul mate. A soul mate we know he eventually finds, thanks to the fact that the series is narrated by the a future Ted telling the story to his future kids. (Though you do have to wonder how long are these kids sitting for this extremely long story to unfold).

What makes this show is the chemistry between the cast. Not since Friends have you had a group of actors that felt so comfortable around each other. These are people you would really think are life long friends. A lot of the humor is really reminiscent of the types of conversations you would only have around your closet friends with the support and advice they give you. You get a real feeling of the angst that goes along with those types of relationships.

Another stand out is the character Barney. The well dressed womanizing friend adds his unique brand of wisdom to every conversation. His unique character combined with the, usually true, rules he runs his life by add the extra flavor to an already great show.

I have watched this show since it has started and it still continues to be a constant source of quality entertainment, even after three seasons.

Here are some examples of favorite moments:





So check last season out and prep for the new one!



Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars

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Top Ten Returning TV Shows #5: Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles

Last years the writers strike happened, for better or for worse, the television landscape became a desert of new programing.

One show of that period had a chance to shine when competition was limited. That was Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles.

Stop me if you have heard this before. A mother has to protect her child from future robots who wants to kill him.

To put things into perspective, I am a huge fan of what I like to call "80's Sci-Fi". Terminator, Aliens, Predator, and Robocop are still action Sci-Fi classics that stand and resonate today. And nobody can argue with just how plain cool those concepts are.

So watching this show on a weekly bases is like capturing the feeling I have every time I pick up one of those classic films.

The cool thing is that technology has advanced enough to where we can have the type of effects that where once kept to Film on the small screen. Sure, you will have better effects in movies now, but the transition from these older movies to the small screen is less noticeable.

As far as the cast goes, you really can't mess with the chemistry built in this series. Sure, you can't really match the stellar performances of the cast of T2, but for a television series, they aren't bad. Sarah Connor is strong yet vulnerable to the concerns of every mother and John Connor is an adolescent that is struggling with his maturity in the face of destiny.

The down side? This show did suffer a little in the beginning. It lacked a coherent direction and the plot felt like it was spinning its wheels for a few episodes. But after the introduction of some new characters, and some gripping story lines, the show really found its footing.

Now that I have seen last nights premiere. I am extremely excited for this season. The show is consistently getting better and is a fun roller coaster action ride while providing some real heart. I am particularly found of the direction John Conner is taking, he is taking initiative and truly becoming a man, which really is starting to emphasis his destiny and makes the show really interesting to watch.

So I highly recommend it. If you can look past its flaws and watch it for what it is, you won't be disappointed.



It is a great show, and i highly recommend picking up the first season. It is a great set of episodes for a relatively small price.



Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars.

Top Ten Returning TV Shows #6: The Big Bang Theory

This was easily the break out comedy hit of last years television season.

It was smart, witty, and incredibly funny.

The Big bang Theory is a Comedy show about a group of lovable nerds sharing an apartment across the hall from an extremely attractive woman with normal intelligence. The main protagonist is Leonard, a timid scientist who instantly falls for Penny, the above mentioned woman, who doesn't seem to recognize Leonard as anything more then a friend.

What makes this show is Leonard's roommate Sheldon. He is essentially Mr. Spoke from Star Trek with a superiority complex. His cool logical and highly intelligent way in which he handles situations often, if not always, clash with those around him. Penny usually doesn't get him and Leonard often debates with him over the merits of normal human interaction in a way that is hilarious but doesn't insult the audience.

The surrounding cast really helps as well and the whole thing is a great commentary on the clash of intelligence versus common sense, the society of Nerd/Geek dome, and the struggles such people have fitting in to the world around them.

It really is quite funny, and if you don't laugh at least once an episode, I would question if you have a soul...

Here are a few examples, if you need more proof:





Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars

Top Ten Returning TV Shows #7: Prison Break

To keep a show like this going for as long as it has is an accomplishment.

To the uninitiated, Prison Break is the story of Micheal Scofield, a genius who launched an elaborate plan to break his wrongfully convicted brother out of death row.

Now in its fourth season, the writers have managed to keep things interesting. This season looks even more promising. Now that Micheal has broken out of two prisons, he has been tasked by a government agent to take down "the company", a clandestine group that is responsible for his brothers framing, his girlfriends torture, and the destruction of the lives around him as a side effect to the accomplishment of their goals.

The new set up keeps things interesting, and the confrontation with the company was inevitable, but hopefully this is the last season. As much as I have enjoyed the ride, the premise is still suffering from being over stretched. I am hoping for some sort of resolution to these characters, and a final outcome that frames all the seasons as some great television.

It is still consistently a quality show, and the new set up favors new viewers. I like the Suicide Squad/ Mission Impossible feel to the series now, and it has most definitely captured my attention over last seasons "we have to break out of another Prison now" premise that felt like a retread.

So give it a shot. It will keep you at the edge of your seat.



Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars

Top Ten Returning TV Shows #8: House

This has been a regular viewing of mine since its beginning.

And really, if Hugh Laurie wasn't so damn good at his job I would have dropped it years ago.

Unless you have been living in a cave infested with anti-television rabbits, you probably know the show already. But just in case you are, House is a medical drama about seemingly rare unpredictable diseases and illnesses cured by the genius Dr. House, the catch, Dr. House is an unapologetic extremely logical jerk.

Last season saw House's main team disband and the great lengths he put others through to find their replacements. House is probably one of the few shows that had no discernible negative impact from the previous years writers strike and had one of the more gripping season finals of any episodic show on the air.

The show is a guilty pleasure for me. I love how he crafts his games and plays with the people around him. He is one of those people you can't help but watch from a distance and would probably punch in the face if you knew him personally.

In some ways, House is the ultimate secular humanist and the show is great in that it shows the negatives of that strict philosophy. He is a man you can't argue with logically, yet somehow he challenges human nature giving us a glimpse on just how irrational humans need to be to coexist.

I fully expect House to return in full form this year. It's damn entertaining.

Here is a small sample of what you are missing:



Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars.

Top Ten Returning TV Shows #9: My Name is Earl

Here we are, on to #9!

This show has been a mainstay of the Thursday night NBC comedy line up for years now and for good reason.

My Name is Earl is a great satirical riff on lower income Americans, or to be less politically correct "white trash", "trailer trash", or "rednecks".

To the shows credit, it never outright insults this community. The characters are more defined by their ignorance then by any stereotypical qualities that those with too much money may assign to them.

Earl is a likable character who is only trying to make up for a wasted life pursuing himself and making amends to those people he has hurt along the way. Accompanying him is his "slow" brother, whose good heart and loyalty makes up for any lack of intelligence and leaves him an endearing character.

The shows supporting cast really helps this show stand out, especially Earl's borderline insane ex-wife and her gentle "crab man" husband who provide Earl with prime examples of the life he left, whilst providing him the support of an extended family.

Now the above may make it seem like a heart warming family drama. But My Name is Earl is like taking the above and mixing in 10 pounds of crazy and a little dash of weirdness. Earl often finds that he has to jump through a lot of crazy, weird loops to make it up to his former victim. The show also excels at building it's own mythology, and makes the residents of Camdon County seem like they are part of their own little county, with rules and traditions that seem hilarious to the average viewer.

This show would have been higher on my list, but the last season seemed a little rudderless and direction less. How much the writers strike played into that has yet to be seen. But I look forward to this year bring the show back with a bang. If you haven't checked it out yet, give it a try. You won't be disappointed.



Rating: 3 out of 5 Stars

You can watch episodes and clips of My Name is Earl at Hulu :
http://www.hulu.com/my-name-is-earl

Top Ten Returning T.V. Shows #10: Kitchen Nightmares

This week I will be going over the top ten returning T.V. shows as ranked by me. Why should you care? Click on some absence ads while I try and find a reason for you.

Without further ado, here is number 10 on the list, Kitchen Nightmares:

As much as I abhor reality television, the celebrated stupid inducing dribble that it is, I find myself ever enamored towards this show.

Why? Maybe it is a passive interest in cooking I have. Maybe I like seeing what it takes to run a successful business.

Or maybe I just get off with somebody justifiably telling somebody else that they are a moron.

Seriously, I wish that every reality television show had at least one judge looking at these delusional people and saying, "Are you out of you freaking mind? No, you aren't any good, now get over it and do things right?" (American Idol does not exist in my world, so what where you saying.)

What is Kitchen Nightmares and why should I care? Every week we see Gordon Ramsey of "Hell's Kitchen" fame and one of the worlds top chefs go into a failing restaurant and turns it around into a successful business. Everything from interior design, menu, and advertisement is looked at and improved by his superior skills.The drama comes when some people are just to arrogant for their own good and conflict with Ramsey becomes inevitable.

The show does fall into all the reality television failures such as building drama where none exists, setting up needless cliffhangers, and shamelessly previewing what is to come in a misleading self promoting manner.

It isn't a competition, so you can watch any one episode and not have to worry about the rest. The "cast of colorful characters" changes every week so you get a little glimpse into how different people live all across the country. From a cooking standpoint, even though there are no recipes to be found you most definitely get to see a contrast between what works and what does not. And overall, after a few viewings you start to see your own local restaurants in a slightly different manner.

So if you like this:



Then I would most definitively recommend this for a couple of views.

Overall Ranking: 3 out of 5 Stars

Come back tomorrow for #9!