Top TV in 2009
It’s that time of the year again and by that time, I mean the time where I have to come ‘home’ for the holidays and end up very, very bored which leads to a number of blog posts before I vanish again for a few months. Seeing how it’s the end of the year, I thought it appropriate I release a top 10 list and since it’s too early to do the Top 10 Movies of 09 list, you get the second best thing.
Before we start, I’d like to make an honourable mention of 30 Rock. Even though it was great this year, it just wasn’t good enough. It didn’t feel like the old 30 Rock. And I miss the old 30 Rock. Anyways, we start off with…
10. Party Down (Starz)
When I heard the premise of the show, it seemed a bit off. Sure it was helmed by Rob Thomas, a man I’ve come to respect more than Joss Whedon where TV-muscles are concerned but there were already too many shows like PD out there. The only way it could stand apart was if the show was unlike a sitcom, the humour was black as coffee and the writing, sharp as a razor. Thankfully Thomas delivered on all fronts, giving us a delicious adult comedy that no regular network would have ever picked up.
The show follows a group of caterers as they navigate the ups and downs of low-level party planning while trying to grasp their failing careers and monotonous lives. The casting is excellent, from some Mars alums (Ken Marino, Ryan Hansen, Kristen Bell, Enrico Colantoni) to some familiar faces (Lizzy Caplan and coming soon, Megan Mullally). I honestly can’t wait to see what they do with the second season.
09. Dexter (Showtime)
I’ve never hidden the fact that I loved this show a lot more when people didn’t know about it. The writing was edgier, sharper and the theme was much darker. Once it gained massive fame, it became more commercialized and every season they delivered the same pattern to us. I know the show has a huge following, even with my friends, but I just missed the anything-can-happen feel of season one.
While this season was no different, the ending twist changed the whole game. The network took a HUGE chance killing off a beloved character, the mother of a newborn and now I’m really interested in seeing where they go from here. Unfortunately, I was clued into Rita’s fate quite early by a friend who started working in Showtime a few months ago, nothing solid but enough that halfway through the finale I knew she wasn’t going to make it.
Also kudos to Lithgow for giving one of the most twisted and scary performances in the history of television. ‘You’re like a child. You dream of a heaven you’ll never know.’
08. LOST (abc)
Lost has always been the one show you can count on deliver some shocks and seriously mess with your head. Even when it was handling it’s weakest writing (Season 2), it was putting my head through a binder every week. This season was a major risk on the writers part, since they completely changed the format. Gone were the flashbacks and flash-forwards, replaced with major time travel paradoxes, hallucinogenic yet helpful ghosts and creepy-ass statues.
While the series wasn’t going off track with the time-travel arcs, everyone managed to make it back on the island, Locke got possessed and Juliet set off a nuke by hitting it with a rock. Don’t get me wrong, while the writing peaks of Season One and Four were not achieved, it was still Lost and it was still good. And in only a few weeks, the final season begins.
07. Glee (FOX)
This was a great year for new shows. Some great series aired this year including The Middle, Modern Family, Community, Cougar Town, United States of Tara and Men of Certain Age but the most famous sensation that’s taking over American airwaves right now (and will probably reach most people I know in the next few months) is Glee.
My only guilty pleasure, Glee comes from the creator of Nip/Tuck and is a black high school comedy (in the tradition of Mean Girls) instilled with musical numbers. The show follows the Glee club and a handful of teachers as they try and navigate the perils of high school life, hormonal relationships and school politics. The music is not always good but sometimes great, the writing is sharp and funny and the cast is more or less watchable. I’d say Highly recommended but I know by the middle of next year, everyone I know will be watching the show and telling me about it as if they just discovered it.
06. Grey’s Anatomy (abc)
Seattle Grace went through some hard times. First Burke’s departure then random cast changes, tired story lines, a massive cast and tension between cast and crew all work against the show. Despite that, the series gave us some great episodes last year. 
The second half of season five was tiresome but very well done and delivered, in the finale, one of the greatest moments in the history of the show. Season Six has been going exceptionally good, even with a major format change. I’m kind of digging the evil new cast members and I can’t wait to see how they wrap up this season next year. This is one of two shows that is ALWAYS in my top 10 list, so I don’t think there’s much else to say on the topic. Here’s hoping the show never ends.
05. Sons of Anarchy (FX)
Not many shows can include rough sex, violent language, tattoos, guns, motor bikes, leather jackets, groupie sex, rape scenes, gang wars and still manage to remain one of the most emotionally driven shows on television, but SoA managed to do all of that.
In the tradition of The Shield and The Wire, SoA follows a small town charter of a biker gang and their families. This year Samcro faced off against seriously powerful Aryans and unrest within the charter, giving us some seriously hard-hitting episodes and an exceptional performance by Katey Sagal.
04. Modern Family (abc)
Counted as one of the successful new shows of this year, Modern Family is a smartly written half-hour long show, adopting the same mockumentary style made so popular by the Office and Parks & Recreation. If Community hadn’t unleashed it’s greatness on us, MF would be the funniest new show of 2009.
It’s good to see the American audience are finally at a place where their able to recognize the good shows. Usually, the good ones barely last a season and while the trend is still going on (Dollhouse, such a tragedy…), the fact that Community and Modern Family both have breakout ratings is definitely a step in the right direction. Definitely give this one a go if you’re into smart writing and a colourful cast that most people will be able to relate to.
03. Community (NBC)
Another fantastic black comedy, although this one many people won’t be able to relate to. Full of social satire, stuffed with cultural references (that most people won’t get) and touching on topics 
most comedies shy away from, Community is easily the best written comedy out there.
Mostly excellent casting (the leading chick is uggo), this show has broke out after only a few episodes and even though it’s not on Glee’s standard, its is the ‘it’ show for thinking people. Focusing on a group of students from all walks of life with the only common denominator between them being the community college they attend. The characters are memorable enough that you will remember them long after the show is gone and the laughs come often.
02. Mad Men (amc)
Words cannot describe how much I love this show. Every year it peaks at the top of my list and every year I rave about how close to televised perfection it comes. Most people who will watch this show already know about so I won’t waste words on an introduction.
I’ll just remind everyone again how much I love the writing and how I love Christina Hendricks a lot more. This year the writers put the firm through a British Invasion, a major coup, bloodshed on the office floor and the final disjointing of Don’s marriage. The show continues to impress me with the writing, direction and the acting by almost all cast members.
01. True Blood (HBO)
Finally out comes my guilty pleasure. Alan Ball gave us the fantastic Six Feet Under a few years ago and while the show finished. giving us closure, we always missed AB’s writing on screen. When his vampire show finally premiered in ‘08, we immediately jumped on it, singing praises and and thinking flowers grow wherever AB walks. But the truth is True Blood deserves all those praises and much more.
While I thought the first season was perfect, the second surpassed it with only one episode in. By introducing some great new characters and bringing back themes from last year, True Blood managed to give us yet another season that kept me on the edge of my seat. This year Suki and Bill went up against vampire killers while the town faced a much darker (and hotter) evil.
I’m constantly surprised how AB and his team of writers manage to toy with out emotions, making us love characters we previously hated and giving a human side to even the most heartless of the cast. It’s a wonderful ride with only disadvantage being that I have to wait for six more months before I can feast my eyes on another episode.
So there you have, the top 10 scripted shows that entertained me, kept me waiting for the next episode and amazed me with their writing throughout 2009. I’ll start working on me top 10 movies of 2009 list soon but if you’ve been reading the blog for a while, you should know it won’t be out anytime soon. See you guys on the other side of NYE.
Explore posts in the same categories: TVTags: 2009 list, Alan Ball, Christina Hendricks, Community, Cougar Town, Dexter, Dexter finale, Dexter Rita, Grey's Anatomy. Glee, John Lithgow, Katey Sagal, Mad Men, Men of a Certain Age, Modern Family, New show 2009, Party Down, Rob Thomas, Sons of Anarchy, Top 10, Top 10 2009, True Blood, tv shows, United States of Tara, Veronica Mars
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