The Weeksly Late Edition – 22/12/06

Good evening Ladies & Gentlemen, and welcome back to the second to last “Late Edition” of 2006, and the first of two best of’s for 2006. This week, I’m gonna take you through my favorite TV of the year, and next week will bring the annual Top 10 films of 2006. Without further ado, let’s get this shit started:

1). Heroes

Without a doubt, the first 11 episodes of “Heroes” have been the best of this year’s viewing. To be completely honest, the pilot did kind of throw me around a little bit, mainly because it just seemed like they were trying to get a little bit too much exposition out of the way as quickly as possible, but by the end of the second ep, I was into it hook, line & sinker. While it seems that most people seem to hate the Jess / Nikki / D.L. story angle, I personally think that it’s all leading to some kind of all out “X-Men” style action – and I can’t wait, and from the looks of the ratings, it would seem that a lot of other people are hanging out for the end of January as well.2). Friday Night Lights

If there was one show that I was truly looking forward to since it was first announced, it was this one. Most people that I have talked film with know that I rate Peter Berg’s adaptation of the movie “Friday” very highly, and knowing that he was Exec. Producing and Directing the original pilot only gave me that much more interest in it. Again, I’m gonna rag on the first ep of a new show, but this one seemed to be near on a carbon copy of the book/film, with only characters names being changed to reflect the locale change from Odessa to Dillon. That being said, as with “Heroes”, this has just grown incredibly from week to week, but unfortunately the ratings haven’t increased a great deal since it went to air – more power to NBC though, for sticking with it and giving a full season order. For those that generally aren’t Football fans and have yet to watch, I’d just tell them to remember what they used to really like about “The O.C.” back in the first season, and throw in the occasional big game on top of the drama.3). Prison Break

For a show that manages to wipe out a handful of its main leads during the first 4 episodes, “Prison Break” certainly hasn’t been losing its ability to still craft a great story around some people that you love to hate. “PB” is one of those shows that really seems to irritate a lot of net jockey’s out there, mainly for the fact that they want anything with Brett Ratner’s name attached to it to crash & burn – but this is truly one of the best things on TV right now. Unlike something like “24” however, I don’t really see how this is going to last beyond maybe a third season – unless Michael & Linc get thrown back in the slammer at some point, and have to do it all over again….. that might be a bit of a stretch though.4). Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip

Oh man, there’s a lot of people out there that really hate this show – and I get it, don’t get me wrong. The difference with me is that I’ve always had an interest in behind the scenes stuff, whether it’s films or TV, and after reading the excellent “Live From New York: An Uncensored History Of Saturday Night Live”, the mechanics of creating a hour long live TV show every week really got me hooked. For those who have also managed to read that book, or even something like “Wired”, you will completely get and appreciate this show, but if you could give a rat’s ass, and just want the regular man joke telling – stick to something like “The King Of Queens” (not that there’s anything wrong with that….).5). Big Love

Again, this is one of those shows that you either completely 100% buy into, or you would just hate it – it really depends if the idea of Polygamy, even in fictional form just turns you off like nothing else, or if you could look past the exterior to see the big picture. Being a fan of Bill Paxton since way back when, there was just no way that I was gonna miss this, along with people like Harry Dean Stanton, Jeanne Tripplehorn, Bruce Dern, Chloe Sevigny – it’s a fuckin’ outstanding cast, and it’s one hell of a great show. I’m glad HBO had the sack to put this on in the first place, and it’s great to see a second season is on the way.6). Scrubs

I can’t believe that I only got into this show towards the end of the second season. I remember watching it once, and thinking that it was awful, and just completely unfunny – the sound effects, the flash backs, the day dream scenarios – I just didn’t get it. Thankfully, I started getting the DVD sets of them, and along with the new episodes, I don’t think that there is a funnier show on TV right now than the guys & gals at Sacred Heart Hospital. Any show that is willing to have the two male leads frequently talk up “Gilmore Girls” has gotta have something going for it. Hands down though – since day 1, you will not find better delivery or performance than the phe-fuckin-nomenal John C. McGinley as Dr. Cox.7). Dexter

This show creeps the shit out of me, and I really dig it. Like most cable shows, this is one that you really had to see all 12 eps of the first season to fully “get it”, but this is a show that I was really surprised by. I knew nothing about it going in other than it had the guy that wasn’t Peter Krause from “Six Feet Under” in it, and Angel’s ex-vampire girlfriend from “Buffy”, but a buddy of mine swore black & blue that it was a great show – he wasn’t lying. Serial Killers who go through their days being Forensics experts for the cops…… that must have been a hell of a pitch meeting at Showtime.8). Extras

What can I say about a show that was nowhere near as good as the first season (excluding the Daniel Radcliffe & Orlando Bloom eps), but I still consider to be one of the best of the year? You can say that it’s due to the fact that Ricky Gervais & Stephen Merchant are two of the best TV writers doing their thing at the moment. It’s funny, because I was expecting some kind of wrap up to the Andy / Maggie relationship (too many shades of the UK “The Office” perhaps), or – I don’t know, some kind of official end considering Ricky had said that there wouldn’t be a third season. Apart from that though, the moments that were great were completely great, and not half-assed in the least. I am looking forward to their new show – Gervais has said he’s going to be working on a “Sopranos” type serious drama.9). The Sopranos

Speaking of “Sopranos”, this is another show that I didn’t start getting into until late in its run, and by late, I mean I really didn’t start actively watching it until around the middle of season 4, so I’ve had a big catch-up since then on DVD. This season of “Sopranos” has been the best by far – it’s just unfortunate that the show is ending permanently early in the new year. I wasn’t a big fan of the “Tony in a coma” run (I did like seeing Steve Buscemi back in it – even if it was only for a minute or two), but by the final episode, I was left wanting a lot more – another show that I can’t wait to see when it comes back in January.10). The Wire

Don’t even think about “The Wire” being last in my viewing habits simply because it’s in the number 10 slot here – I’ve ranted and raved about how brilliant this show is time after time – it only breaks my heart when they make ya wait a year or so for brand new episodes. This show is truly the anti-“Law & Order” brand – hard hitting, extremely raw, and filled with one of the best casts you could get your hands on. Everything that makes TV as good as it is now compared to 10 years ago is why you should be watching “The Wire” every single chance you can get.The Best Of The Rest
Here’s some of my faves that don’t quite rate the top 10 in my book, but are still pretty damn good:
“Entourage”
“Veronica Mars”
“Breaking Bonaduce”
“Survivor”
“Rescue Me”
“Thank God You’re Here”
“The Office”
“Jericho”
“Battlestar Galactica”
“Deadwood”
“My Name Is Earl”
“Shark”
“Weeds”
Worst Show Of 2006

“How I Met Your Mother”
Horrible when it started, horrible now – “Mother” continues to astound me in the sense that it still gets pretty decent ratings week in and week out. I think Alyson Hannigan & Neil Patrick Harris are both great, I just think that they could do a hell of a lot better than this piece of shit. The “jokes” can be seen coming down the road in a bus….. I don’t know what to say about it – drags on like a two legged dog, the absolute worst fuckin’ humor going today – they must be getting the in studio audience really friggin’ drunk before they start taping.

Greatest TV Moment Of The Year

“Heroes: Chapter 4 – Collision”
Greatest scene of the year “My name is Hiro Nakamura – I’m from the future. I have a message for you”. Completely out of left field – great set up, and a great pay off in the next episode as well – “Save the Cheerleader, save the World”.

Best Show That Didn’t Survive

“Smith”
I’ve talked about this one a bit before, and it amazes me that this didn’t pull in huge ratings from the very beginning. A few gossip items have come through since the axing to suggest that there may have been some……issues on set, but that aside, the pilot for “Smith” was one of the greatest shows I saw all year.

Worst Pilot Of 2006

Tie: “The Knights Of Prosperity”; “30 Rock”
Note here that I’m only talking about the pilot episode of “30 Rock” – seeing as how that it is actually pretty damn good now, but the original unaired version was terrible – brain-numbingly so, and not at all what you would expect from someone as talented as Tina Fey. The version that went to air was significantly retooled, and was a massive improvement. “Knights”, formerly named “Let’s Rob Mick Jagger” is just horrible to watch however. The worst kind of clichéd joke telling – but I have heard that this has since been through the blender a bit more, so maybe they’ve managed to pull it together.

Biggest Potential Fuck Up

“Survivor: Cook Islands”
Mark Burnett is a great TV Producer – but splitting competing Tribes by race? Could have gotten pretty fuckin’ nasty…… sorry, losing a handful of your biggest sponsors since season 1 before it premieres? That means it’s already gotten pretty fuckin’ nasty.

Best Show Yet To Have Been Picked Up

“The Amazing Screw-On Head”
Paul Giamatti, David Hyde Pierce, Patton Oswalt, Mindy Sterling & Molly Shannon – all from the mind of Mike Mignola (“Hellboy”). Quite possibly one of the funniest animated shows I’ve ever seen outside of a Looney Tunes cartoon. Rumor is that Sci-Fi will be doing a run of them sometime late 2007.

Best Show That Hasn’t Aired Yet

Tie: “The Black Donnelly’s”; “Traveler”
The plan at the moment is to begin airing “Donnelly’s” prior to “E.R.”, which means that NBC are gonna have a great night of TV. It’s from creators Paul Haggis & Bobby Moresco (“Crash”), and the pilot was by far the best of the bunch that I saw this year. In a nutshell, it’s about four brothers and their involvement in the organized crime racket, but by the time the pilot finished, it was about far more than that, and to hint at what’s to come would only mean trouble. It’s part “Sleepers”, part “Goodfellas” & all good. “Traveler” on the other hand has the potential to be another “Prison Break” style flee from Justice, but in the case of the two students doing the running, they haven’t actually done anything wrong, but the NYPD seems to think otherwise. “Traveler” moves at such a hectic pace that the pilot ep only felt like it was 5 minutes long – think the best bits of “The Fugitive” (i.e. the chase sequences), and you’ve got a good idea of what’s to come.
Biggest Disappointment Of 2006

“Lost”
As much as it pains me to say it, “Lost” has really begun to fall off of my “must-see” list now. While the second half of season 2 was great and I dug the hell out of it, the first 6 episodes of season 3 have been really, really, really…. Nothing. I know that Damon L. has claimed that this half a dozen ep block was really “Lost 2.5” – but if that’s the case, I must have been mistaken about enjoying season 2. Here’s to hoping it gets back on track in ’07.

OK, boys & girls, with the knowledge that we are just a few short days away from Christmas, I want to extend my very best wishes to you and your families for the holiday season, and give my most sincere thanks for taking the time to peruse my little column throughout the year. I’ll leave you for now with two fitting holiday themed clips to check out, and I’ll be back on the 29th with my Top 10 film list. In the meantime, you can always drop me a line right here, or stop by Myspace to show some love.