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Posted on 02.25.07 by Jason Zingale @ 10:00 pm
Since the dawn of creation — well, the creation of this feature, anyway — Jack Bauer sat atop Bullz-Eye.com’s TV Power Rankings, owning the #1 slot for better than a year and a half. Some would say it was only a matter of time, but now that it’s finally happened, the sudden fall from grace of Fox’s hit show “24″ is actually a lot more embarrassing than it is depressing. But the real-time thriller isn’t the only major shakeup in the winter 2007 edition of the rankings. HBO’s “The Wire” makes its grand (and, forgive us, long overdue) debut, while NBC experienced a big surge thanks to its fresh fall lineup. Of course, HBO still came out the big winner with five shows emerging in the Top 10 (four in the first six), proving once again that it pays to, well, pay for quality television. Here are a few entries from our list: 11. Scrubs (NBC): It shouldn’t surprise anyone to see that “Scrubs” has dropped so low in the rankings. Coming off one of the best years since its debut, expectations for the show were certainly higher than usual – especially when it was called up to the big leagues and given a spot in NBC’s highly coveted Must See TV lineup – but no one could have guessed that the sixth season would start out on such a sour note. Whether it was the accelerated progression of J.D. into adulthood (he’s got a baby on the way, with guest star Elizabeth Banks, no less) or Carla’s all-too-brief post-partum depression (a subplot added to accommodate Judy Reyes’ real-life hip injury), the first five episodes of the new season were particularly somber. Things were looking so bleak, in fact, that fans of the show were preparing to concede that the medical comedy was finally showing signs of wear, but with the much-publicized musical episode creatively rejuvenating everyone involved with the show, things are finally getting back on track. And as long as things remain this kooky and fresh (read: Kelso getting his own episode, or the Janitor using a stuffed rabbit as a salt and pepper shaker), we don’t see any reason why “Scrubs” won’t being making a triumphant return to the Top 5 in the very near future. ~Jason Zingale 17. Deadwood (HBO): Well, despite all the rumors, “Deadwood” isn’t quite dead…yet. Last year, HBO decided not to extend the options of the terrific ensemble cast, making a fourth full season unlikely, but the network and series creator David Milch agreed to produce two two-hour telefilms to wrap up the show’s loose ends. Season Three contained a myriad of intertwining storylines, but focused on the growing influence of businessman/asshole George Hearst, which put former adversaries Al Swearengen and Sheriff Seth Bullock in an unlikely alliance. “Deadwood” features stronger language than any other HBO show, and with “The Sopranos” and “The Wire” on the network’s roster, that’s saying a lot. The truth is that everything about the show – the language, the acting, the story, the sets and the costumes – is colorful, and whether or not HBO wants to admit it, they’re going to miss “Deadwood” once it’s gone for good. ~John Paulsen Check out the full list here. Filed under: TV and Rome and Lost and South Park and Prison Break and The Office and My Name Is Earl and 24 and The Shield and The Sopranos and Entourage and Deadwood and External Entertainment and External TV and The Wire and Heroes and Battlestar Galactica Comments:
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Really? No mention of the Daily Show or the Colbert Report? Really?
How about Dexter and Weeds on Showtime? Those shows are sweet.
I’m not really sure why neither “The Daily Show” nor “The Colbert Report” made the cut, but I’m guessing it’s mostly because - as you can see from our selections - we didn’t really go with anything reality-based. I mean, we blog every single episode of “American Idol,” but that didn’t end up on the list, either.
As far as “Dexter” and “Weeds,” in the long run, I think it came down to the fact that only one person on our editorial staff has Showtime…and I guess he’s not enough of a fan of either of those shows. But, then again, he reads this, so maybe he’d be willing to offer his take. John…?
I actually don’t have Showtime. I saw “Weeds” and “Sleeper Cell” on DVD and thought they were excellent, but I didn’t see “Weeds” until after we discussed the rankings. The DVDs for “Dexter” aren’t out yet.
Showtime has a burgeoning original programming slate and they’re catching up to HBO. Who knows, they might pass HBO once “The Sopranos,” “Deadwood” and “Rome” are off the air.
No mention of CBS’ “The Unit”. Awesome show. My wife and I both love it.
why is deadwood getting the boot? are the ratings that bad?
I’m not the biggest fan of deadwood anyway!! but as you guys knwo i’m the big dvd collector so i still bought the set at www.yourdvdworld.com
Guys, just a little heads up i have the wire season 1-2 for $99 new
http://www.yourdvdworld.com
I am a big fan of DEADWOOD. I found it riveting and very compelling. The language is very “strong” and actually some of the words used were well shall we say, new to me. Still, I anticipated every episode and needed to watch them a couple of times to really get an understanding of what the true message was. I hope it is able to tie up the loose ends, or better yet get resurrected!