RANDOM THOUGHTS:
The following were on my mind between Tuesday, May 24th and Tuesday, May 31st:
-Congratulations to Non-Threatening White Guy for winning "American Idol" four years in a row!
- Whatever happened to smart, well-thought-out commercials? These days its all style over substance, with lazy writing and ad firms hiring C-lists TV actors to say cliched sentences for 30 seconds straight. Come on, guys! You can do better.
1800 Tequila: Change the Game.
- Nedna: __Yes? __No? __Shameless online exploit to bring back fan interest in a show that hasn't been great for years?
- I wonder if D.H. Lawrence, the author of "Lady Chatterley's Lover," is still proud of writing that 1928 book knowing that it has left behind a legacy of a movie and three spin-offs of the movie that Cinemax has used and exploited during late-nights whenever they felt to not show re-runs of "Co-Ed Confidential" and "Life on Top."
- The worst part of the Chicago Bulls losing to the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference Finals? Bulls fans won't be able to see how Chicago can respond to this series loss until January 2013 when the NBA lockout finally comes to a close.
- With three of my favorite shows on the planet ("Breaking Bad," "Curb Your Enthusiasm," "Louie") set to kick off their new seasons as early as late June, AV Club reviewing classic episodes of "The Simpsons," "Arrested Develpoment," "The Sopranos," and "The Office: UK" (among others) and Alan Sepinwall set to review the entire first season of "Deadwood," it appears that this summer will once again have me spending the majority of my time on the tube, just like with the other three seasons.
-It's been too long since I shared by last TV Top Ten on this blog (March 7th, to be exact), so I figure that now (with the 2010-2011 primetime network TV season wrapping up Wednesday) would probably be the best time to do so. So, after a much lengthy delay, here is my list for my ten or so favorite to watch TV shows from the past three months:
10 (tie). "The Simpsons"* (still #10)
10 (tie). "30 Rock" (down from #6, position previously held by "The Colbert Report")
10 (tie). "Sports Show with Norm MacDonald"
9. "South Park" (position previously held by "American Dad")
8. "The Chicago Code" (still at #8)
7. "Fringe" (down from #4, position previously held by "Lights Out")
6. "The Office" (down from #5, position previously held by "30 Rock")
5. "Treme" (position previously held by "The Office")
4. "Game of Thrones" (position previously held by "Fringe")
3. "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart" (still #3)
2. "Community" (still #2)
1. "Parks and Recreations" (still #1)
Up from Last List (March 2011): "Sports Show with Norm MacDonald," "Game of Thrones," "Treme," "South Park."
Down from Last List (March 2011): "The Office," "30 Rock," "Lights Out," "Fringe," "The Colbert Report," "American Dad."
New From Last List (March 2011): "South Park," "Game of Thrones," "Treme," "Sports Show with Norm MacDonald"
Just Barely Missed List: "Chuck," "American Dad," "The Colbert Report," "Bob's Burgers," "Modern Family," "Lights Out."
Other Thoughts:
a. There was once a time when I would have definitely included season one of "The Killing" onto my list of the TV top ten. Alas, that time has came and went (more on this in a later post).
b. Obviously, the two shows that saw it biggest drop was the veteran comedy "30 Rock." The reason I decided to make the drop was simple: while the season has been pretty good overall (probably the best since season 2), the last six or so episodes of the season were probably the show's weakest, with episodes like "100" and "Respawn" that were both underwhelming in itself while also showing some of the comedy's weaker qualities.
c. The * under "The Simpsons" was just another way of me basically saying how this show is on the list mostly as a token of respect for its days of yore, and not because it had a good string of episodes these past three months (although season 21 was probably one of their better seasons in a while). However, I am considering perhaps dropping this beginning in the fall, since their automatic spot has left out some pretty worthy shows from time to time. Stay tuned.
d. My reason for including "Sports Show," a program that I've never mentioned on this site until now: in terms of generating pure laughs (shows that make me chuckle on a weekly basis) this is right up there with all of the great on the air today. I love the show's first joke-filled ten minutes, "Garbage Time," and Norm MacDonald's go-for-broke style. Hopefully, Comedy Central can look past their below average ratings and instead renew it. That way, I continue to get my weekly dose of MacDonald goodness.
e. So long, "The Chicago Code": a very promising cop drama that was cut from the airwaves too short earlier this month (and considering how its final episode had better ratings than renewed shows like "Chuck" and "Fringe," I'd say the move by FOX get more disappointing every day). At least your memory will forever live on here on The mj15 Blog.
f. I was originally thinking on perhaps dropping "Treme" from the rankings in favor of shows like "Bob's Burgers," that were good and which wrapped their season during this three-month span ("Treme" is supposed to air another five episodes at this point), but then I'd realized how good the second season of the David Simon series started off, and that little idea was soon terminated.
g. Shows that didn't air these past three months that you should expect to see next time around (most likely sometime in late August): "Breaking Bad," "Louie," "Futurama," "Wilfred," "Curb Your Enthusiasm."
h. With "Parks and Recreations" and "Community" finished, it should be interesting to see who will gain the #1 spot over the summertime. The smart move would be to predict "The Daily Show" as the new upcoming #1, since it's the 1st show ranked behind those two. However, there are three really good shows that are set to premiere in the summer: "Breaking Bad" (coming off a season many considered to be one of the best in TV history), "Louie" (the comedy from Louis C.K. that had a brilliant first season last year), and "Curb Your Enthusiasm" (always consistent in quality). Also, there's a small chance that "Game of Thrones" will have three very terrific final three episodes in their stellar first season, so that show just might sneak up to that spot as well. Either way, can't wait to see what cable TV brings us during the summertime.
Hope to see back here next Monday for another, brand new installment of "Random Thoughts." Otherwise, see you when I post May's "End of the Month"!
Sincerely,
Your pal: mj15
If you have any opinions on today's post, or if you just have any suggestions or
tips for my next blog entry, e-mail me at: mj1599@aol.com. Your e-mails are greatly appreciated.
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