Top 6 Telly 2007
Yes! You read that right, just to throw a spanner in the works, this year I'm compiling a Top 6 list. And it was tricky this year, as due to the strike stopping all recent telly I'm having trouble remembering what was last year and what was new. But we'll go with it and see what happens...
What started out as a very average but entertaining show quickly found it's feet and became some of the most solid, engaging and consistently funny telly I've seen in years. The story sees twenty-something loser geek Chuck Bartowski accidentally getting all the government's secrets stored in his memory, therefore putting him in constant threat from anyone who wants to get their hands on them. Sent to babysit him are two federal agents; Gorgeous Sarah posing as his girlfriend, and mean-spirited Casey who pretends to be an employee at Chuck's work, all trying to hide the situation from Chuck's family and friends. The casting is perfection, the action well-staged, and it never forgets it's meant to be a fun show.
The third season of this telly was incredible, if a little oddball. The continuing tale of suburban widower Nancy Botwin, trying to make ends meet for her kids by secretly selling marijuana really pushed the envelope this year, with gang wars, inter-family feuds, and Nancy's 9-toed brother Andy becoming an unlikely porn star. Being a cable show, the writers can get away with a great deal, but it's the sharpness of the writing, and the fantastic ensemble cast (headed by a terrific Mary-Louise Parker) that really make this shine.
This was a complete telly surprise. I first checked it out as it featured to actors I knew and liked well from previous telly; Christina Hendricks (Firely) and Vincent Kartheiser (Angel), but was shocked to find myself absolutely hooked. Set in the world of a Madison Avenue advertising agency, circa 1960 New York, this character piece shows the dealing of these "mad men" (a phrase they coined for themselves) and all the office politics and backstabbing that goes with it. Completely convincing set design and character arcs to die for (I wish I could say but it'll ruin it), this has thankfully been commissioned for a 2nd season, so get on board now!
Another fantastic new telly, with a stellar cast of Glenn Close, Rose Byrne and Donovan Tate, this is a slow-burning saga with not one twist that fails to shock. It starts at the end, as a young woman runs half-naked and covered in blood through the streets of New York, then shifts back in time to when that same woman, Ellen Parsons, starts working at renowned lawyer Patty Hewes (played with great ambiguity by Glenn Close) and week by week we're given further clues as to what happened. Think Alias meets Murder One or 24 and you're nearly there. Thankfully, despite poor ratings, FX has order two more seasons.
This telly is well and truly it's own beast now, with the fourth season seeing it become it's own entity and far escaping the shadow of the BBC version. Sharper than ever, with scripts and performances much more rounded and edgy than you have a right to expect from mainstream American television, and most astoundingly it simply refuses to become stale. When a show reaches it's fourth season (and by the way, this was an extended season where the first 4 episodes were an hour long), there's a tendency for it to seem stuck in a groove. This telly is smart enough to know how much to change to keep things fresh and what to keep familiar. The best sitcom on telly!
Another new show, another shock, and hands down the best telly on telly this year. It's a very hard premise to describe without making it sound crap, but the short answer (after consulting The Furlong Collective) is Amelie meets Tim Burton meets Roald Dahl. A kitsch and overblown world of primary colours, literal narration, deadpan spitfire delivery and absurd situations, Pushing Daisies was the pilot that won everyone over, and yet had them thinking the same thing; Amazing pilot, but how will this be able to keep this quality up on a weekly basis?
Simple answer; by making each episode a chapter in some luminous, macabre fairy tale, while furthering the (forced) unrequited love of our hero and heroine. Gorgeously filmed, beautifully designed, wonderfully cast and never less than intriguing and hysterical (sometimes, simultaneously), this is the find of the year and the best thing I've seen in ages!
6: Chuck (NBC)
What started out as a very average but entertaining show quickly found it's feet and became some of the most solid, engaging and consistently funny telly I've seen in years. The story sees twenty-something loser geek Chuck Bartowski accidentally getting all the government's secrets stored in his memory, therefore putting him in constant threat from anyone who wants to get their hands on them. Sent to babysit him are two federal agents; Gorgeous Sarah posing as his girlfriend, and mean-spirited Casey who pretends to be an employee at Chuck's work, all trying to hide the situation from Chuck's family and friends. The casting is perfection, the action well-staged, and it never forgets it's meant to be a fun show.
5: Weeds (Showtime)
The third season of this telly was incredible, if a little oddball. The continuing tale of suburban widower Nancy Botwin, trying to make ends meet for her kids by secretly selling marijuana really pushed the envelope this year, with gang wars, inter-family feuds, and Nancy's 9-toed brother Andy becoming an unlikely porn star. Being a cable show, the writers can get away with a great deal, but it's the sharpness of the writing, and the fantastic ensemble cast (headed by a terrific Mary-Louise Parker) that really make this shine.
4: Mad Men (AMC)
This was a complete telly surprise. I first checked it out as it featured to actors I knew and liked well from previous telly; Christina Hendricks (Firely) and Vincent Kartheiser (Angel), but was shocked to find myself absolutely hooked. Set in the world of a Madison Avenue advertising agency, circa 1960 New York, this character piece shows the dealing of these "mad men" (a phrase they coined for themselves) and all the office politics and backstabbing that goes with it. Completely convincing set design and character arcs to die for (I wish I could say but it'll ruin it), this has thankfully been commissioned for a 2nd season, so get on board now!
3: Damages (FX)
Another fantastic new telly, with a stellar cast of Glenn Close, Rose Byrne and Donovan Tate, this is a slow-burning saga with not one twist that fails to shock. It starts at the end, as a young woman runs half-naked and covered in blood through the streets of New York, then shifts back in time to when that same woman, Ellen Parsons, starts working at renowned lawyer Patty Hewes (played with great ambiguity by Glenn Close) and week by week we're given further clues as to what happened. Think Alias meets Murder One or 24 and you're nearly there. Thankfully, despite poor ratings, FX has order two more seasons.
2: The Office (NBC)
This telly is well and truly it's own beast now, with the fourth season seeing it become it's own entity and far escaping the shadow of the BBC version. Sharper than ever, with scripts and performances much more rounded and edgy than you have a right to expect from mainstream American television, and most astoundingly it simply refuses to become stale. When a show reaches it's fourth season (and by the way, this was an extended season where the first 4 episodes were an hour long), there's a tendency for it to seem stuck in a groove. This telly is smart enough to know how much to change to keep things fresh and what to keep familiar. The best sitcom on telly!
1: Pushing Daisies (ABC)
Another new show, another shock, and hands down the best telly on telly this year. It's a very hard premise to describe without making it sound crap, but the short answer (after consulting The Furlong Collective) is Amelie meets Tim Burton meets Roald Dahl. A kitsch and overblown world of primary colours, literal narration, deadpan spitfire delivery and absurd situations, Pushing Daisies was the pilot that won everyone over, and yet had them thinking the same thing; Amazing pilot, but how will this be able to keep this quality up on a weekly basis?
Simple answer; by making each episode a chapter in some luminous, macabre fairy tale, while furthering the (forced) unrequited love of our hero and heroine. Gorgeously filmed, beautifully designed, wonderfully cast and never less than intriguing and hysterical (sometimes, simultaneously), this is the find of the year and the best thing I've seen in ages!
posted by AlphIANo at 5:56 PM
1 Comments:
Marvellous, however, I believe there is another list to come?
I await with anticipation, especially due to several possible last minute entries following last night's tomfoolery!!
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