Six months doesn’t seem like a long period of time, but man, what a difference it makes in the life of a television show. Where some shows gloriously rode off into the sunset (“Six Feet Under”), and others suddenly and mysteriously vanished from our TV screens (“Chappelle’s Show”), still others simply eroded from within (“Desperate Housewives”), making room for a whole new bunch of upstarts that sport everything from TV’s greatest mustache to full frontal nudity, appointment viewing if ever there was such a thing.
And so, we snuck away from our TiVos just long enough to assemble an updated list of our favorite shows. Six newbies found their way into our latest TV Power Rankings, led by NBC’s Thursday-night tandem of “The Office” and “My Name Is Earl.” Meanwhile, HBO once again litters our rankings despite the loss of staff favorite “Six Feet Under,” but it’s Jack Bauer who once again reigns supreme.
Here’s a glimpse of the top three:
1. 24 – We see dead people, and it’s a beautiful thing. We’ll be the first to admit that last season’s finale was not the show’s finest, um, hour, but they sure as hell made up for it in the first four hours of this season. Both David Palmer and Michelle Dessler where whacked within seconds of each other, and while you can argue that Dessler was disposable, the killing of Palmer, the most likable character on the show, was ballsy. The stakes seem to have been raised all around this season, with none of the former seasons’ bait-and-switch plot devices in sight. President Buck Buck Brawwwwwwk Logan is turning into an interesting foil for all concerned. He seems to want to do the right thing, but as Walt the Weasel has shown, Logan can be very easily seduced into doing evil deeds, so long as he comes out looking good in the eyes of the public.
Of course, it looks as though Kim Bauer (the fetching Elisha Cuthbert) is returning just long enough to get stuck in a bear trap while being held hostage in a Kwik-E-Mart, but here’s hoping that the producers have better plans for her this time around…like having her killed. You think Jack has suffered enough? Take away his daughter too, and see how mental he goes. Now that would make a great show even better.
2. The Office – I’ll be the first one to admit that I wasn’t very keen on the idea of NBC remaking the classic BBC series “The Office,” and even more so after an average first season run of only six episodes. Things can change quite rapidly, however, and it hasn’t taken very long for the comedy series to climb to the top of the television rankings, or to get shuffled into the coveted Must See Thursday night spot. This is a direct reflection of the show’s brilliant writing team, who have managed to create a unique show they can call their own, and the amazing ensemble cast, without whom the series would not have survived.
Taking place in a small Philadelphia-based paper company, “The Office” is very much a show about the day-to-day grievances that make working in an office comparable to living underneath Satan’s armpit. The office manager, Michael Scott (Steve Carell), is obsessed with everyone being his friend, while Assistant to the Regional Manager Dwight Schrute (Rainn Wilson) is the strangest person you’ll ever meet. These two characters alone are enough reason to watch this show, but perhaps the most intriguing element of the series is the secret office crush between nice guy Jim (John Krasinksi) and girl-next-door secretary Pam (Jenna Fischer), a relationship that the BBC series played out perfectly, and one that the NBC version will no doubt do as well. And while the rest of the characters that make up “The Office” aren’t exactly pertinent to the main story at hand, they’re the funniest group of nobodies on television today.
3. Scrubs – The fall TV season officially began in September, but when “Scrubs” wasn’t on NBC’s upcoming schedule, many thought that the series had gotten the axe. Was the show’s less-than-impressive ratings finally proving too depressing for the network, or had Zach Braff’s instant film success gone to his head? Neither, actually. In fact, the show was very much alive and in production, and by January, “Scrubs” returned in full form. After last season left many fans dreading Elliot’s (Sarah Chalke) decision to leave Sacred Heart for a fellowship at another hospital, it took only two episodes before it was clear that she would return, and return she did. Meanwhile, J.D. (Braff) continues his reign as one of television’s funniest characters, a title that would be impossible to hold if it wasn’t for Braff’s complete disregard for making a fool of himself.
In just one short month on the air, the series has delivered more classic cutaways (including ninja surgeons), hilarious guest stars (like Jason Bateman), and a hundredth episode that was perhaps the best of the entire series, a “Wizard of Oz”-themed half-hour who’s multi-layered jokes required multiple viewings. Oh, and Mandy Moore (Braff’s real life girlfriend) is set to guest star as J.D.’s girlfriend in upcoming episodes; we saw what Moore did for a little show called “Entourage” last season. “Scrubs” is still one of the funniest comedies on television, and while it may not get the same love as other NBC shows (see above), its loyal fan base remains.
Click here for the rest of the Winter 2006 edition.
