We did this
same listing back in 2003 and I had posted the following list:
1. Gilmore Girls (WB)
2. South Park (Comedy Central)
3. Arrested Development (Fox)
4: 24 (Fox)
5. Ed (NBC)
6. Futurama (Fox)
7. Coupling (Seasons 1-3) (BBC America)
8: Alias (ABC)
9. Dead Like Me (Showtime)
10. Survivor: Pearl Islands (CBS)
Here's how things have changed for me in 2004:
I wasn't a big fan of the second halves of
24 or
Alias last season, and neither has aired an episode yet this season, so they dropped off my list.
Ed (6 episodes in 2004) and
Futurama were cancelled.
South Park,
Coupling,
Dead Like Me, and
Survivor: Vanuatu were all good, but not enough to stay in my top ten.
1.
Arrested Development (Fox)
Comment: It hasn't missed a beat from the first eight episodes that aired in 2003 that earned it the number three spot in my list. My other top programs slipped a bit to give up the number one spot.
Best Episode:
Best Man for the Gob It's difficult to pick a best episode, but I seem to recall really enjoying this one. They're all excellent.
2.
Deadwood (HBO)
Comment: Holy Crap this is a good show. Al Swearengen is perhaps the best character to appear on television since Tony Soprano.
Best Episode: I'm tempted to say
Mister Wu, but
Sold Under Sin really brought the whole season to an emotional climax.
3.
The Sopranos (HBO)
Comment: I loved the Tony Blundetto and Feech La Manna storylines. I hate having to wait so long for new seasons.
Best Episode:
Long Term Parking An amazing episode, and not just because it followed the incoherent mess that was
The Test Dream.
4.
Gilmore Girls (WB)
Comment: I'll be honest, the show hasn't been as rewarding this season, although I can't really pinpoint why.
Best Episode: Of the season five episodes, I liked the storyline of Richard and Emily antagonizing Luke in
You Jump, I Jump, Jack and I really enjoyed the ending of
But Not As Cute As Pushkin, but so far none of the season five episodes stack up with season four. I'll go with
Tick, Tick, Tick, Boom!.
5.
Penn & Teller: Bullshit! (Showtime)
Comment: Another great season. I love these guys.
Best Episode: The
P.E.T.A. episode was great, but the
Recycling episode was probably my favorite.
6.
The Amazing Race 5 (CBS)
Comment: Hating Colin and Christie became a national sport.
Best Episode:
It's Okay, Run Them Over! - "My ox is broken!" The only flaw was that it was a non-elimination leg. The Amazing Race 6 will continue to suck until Johnathan is eliminated.
7.
The Wire (HBO)
Comment: There were times when I really couldn't follow what was going on because there seemed to be too much going on, but by the end it was a great season, albeit the weakest of the three.
Best Episode:
Middle Ground - Emotional payoff for a hard fought wiretap case - then the rug is pulled out from under the whole thing. Plus I really liked Bunny giving Carcetti the tour of the Western district.
8.
The Venture Brothers (The Cartoon Network)
Best Episode:
Midlife Chrysalis - The Monarch cracks me up. This show achieved a level of coherence that the other Adult Swim shows always seem to strenuously avoid.
9.
Rescue Me (FX)
Best Episode:
Inches, I suppose, but the series really maintained a similar quality level throughout without having any showcase episodes.
10.
Lost (ABC)
Best Episode:
Walkabout. This was the first episode that left me pleasingly shaking my head wondering just what crazy stuff J.J. Abrams had in his head for this show.
I would have loved to list some shows like
Wonderfalls,
Line of Fire, or
The D.A. on my list, but none of them survived long enough to prove their worth.
Brad
