Ten Times Two: My Best-TV Lists Are Out

1) I clicked through to the first list, and clicked right out again. Maybe Time thinks that its a good strategy to increase its total page views by making it impossible to see the whole list at once --- but despite my high regard for your opinion, I just can't be bothered to keep finding and clicking on "next"

2) That being said -- do some 10 worst lists. Trashing bad stuff is always more entertaining than praising good stuff, and I might even click through the whole list if its snarky enough!

I think Dexter should have made the list, but am having a hard time finding a suitable victim - I would have personally swapped out either The Shield, Weeds, or Top Chef to make room - probably Top Chef (then again, I am not a reality fan).

Otherwise, I can only quibble on the relative positioning of both lists. Bravo!

P.S. @p_luk
1) Wait for the print version.
2) You wouldn't need to "find" the next link if you had actually been reading James' text- it would just be the next line.
3) One single page would either be extremely wide to accomodate both the text and the images, or extremely long with the breakout bars needed to keep the text for each item seperate. And yes, this is their evil plan to get more page views - but given that you paid nothing for James' views, I wouldn't complain too much.

Great list on the returning shows. Glad to see Friday Night Lights is so high up. I would have swapped Lost and Sopranos and made Lost #1.

I just think the sustained drama that Lost built to over the last 6-7 episodes, culminating in perhaps the finest episode of any show this calendar year (the finale) was hard to top.

And I have to agree that hopefully Time.com's webmasters can set up these lists so that there are more than one entry per page. With 50 lists times 10 pages each, do they really expect us to click-thru 500 page views?

And on this blog at least, let's definitely do some 10 worst lists. Those are fun.

Well, John Leonard already did the 10 worst list. I think he was right on with Women's Murder Club at number one.

We had the same top two on both lists, but I think Dexter is roughly nine million times better than Friday Night Lights. Also, in my universe reality TV doesn't exist.

I didn't think it was that painful to click through each of the top 10. I'll admit for the other lists I only looked at number one. Like film, for example, just to make sure No Country for Old Men was in the top slot. (Nice work, Corliss.)

Great work on your list. I have a suggestion: an honorable mention list for top-notch shows that didn't make the list and reasons why.

I just read John Leonard's review of Women's Murder Club. He loved it, especially Angie Harmon. I find it hard to believe that he named it one of the 10 worst shows.

@p_luk @ others:

1. Honestly, even I can't stand clicking through my OWN lists. With my top-100 ALL-TIME list, they also did a master list; I don't know if they didn't here for pay-the-bills, evil-plans reasons or just because it was a big production job to begin with--but I will pass along everyone's complaints on this.

2. Re: suggestions for other lists (worst, near-misses, etc)--I'm hoping to blog some of those before year-end... I did a near-miss list last year, e.g. But better to underpromise and overdeliver.

1. Honestly, even I can't stand clicking through my OWN lists. With my top-100 ALL-TIME list, they also did a master list; I don't know if they didn't here for pay-the-bills, evil-plans reasons or just because it was a big production job to begin with--but I will pass along everyone's complaints on this.

yeah!

contra Mr. Shaw, I don't think that all the content needs to be on the same page -- I'd be happy with "master lists" with links to the individual "show" pages. (although the simple fact is that the pictures are a pure, bandwidth consuming waste -- and that a text only version of James' reviews for all ten shows on a list would fit easily on a single page.)

********
question for James -- do you pick the pictures that are used, or are they even less related to your text?

@p_luk: I don't pick the pictures for non-blog stuff; occasionally I get some input, but it's not really my forte. The blog's a one-man show, though, so I'm my own picture editor here.

Text-only version?! Are you reading this on an Apple IIe?

@James - you really should have included Dexter. Particularly because these "right at the end of 2007" episodes have been absolutely amazing - the only thing I'm looking forward to more than the season finale of Dexter is the season premiere of Lost, at this point.

My personal list? (I have avoided separating into new and returning shows):

1. Lost
2. Friday Night Lights
3. 30 Rock
4. Dexter
5. Pushing Daisies
6. CSI (the minitaure killer and Liev Schrieber really injected something into this show in 2007)
7. The Office
8. Sopranos
9. Flight of the Conchords (but the joke was wearing a little thin by the end)
10. Bones

Honorable mention to two departing shows: Gilmore Girls (I, for one, LOVED the ending) and Veronica Mars (shouldn't have been cancelled - particularly after seeing the "reboot" pilot for Season 4 that you can find on YouTube and the Season 3 DVDS - but the sassy Ms. Mars deserves some best-of-the-year love).

As you can see, I'm NOT a reality TV fan, so sorry for adherents to that genre....all I want is the writers back for Christmas (largely because I NEED a full 16 episodes of Lost...)

I am the only person I know who watched (and loved) Mad Men and Tell Me You Love Me. Without other bloggers I would feel alone in the universe, so thanks. That said, I'm always distraught to see best-of lists that omit Battlestar Galactica.

I would have added Dexter for certain to the returning shows list, instead of Top Chef, which is fun but doesn't enthrall me. Battlestar Galactica as well, though it took a while to get going-- probably instead of The Shield, but only because I've never watched it

For new shows, I was really glad to see The Riches on the list. I don't know many people who also watch it, but I absolutely loved it, and I'm really looking forward to the new season. I just hope the strike gets resolved beforehand so the full thing can air, though that's looking more and more unlikely.

@Brandi and M:

Just for the record, BSG was no knee-jerk omission; I gave that one a lot of thought. It was on my lists in both 2005 and 2006 (and was my #1 show for 2005). But this list judges those episodes that aired in 2007, not the series overall, and I thought season 3 was a little aimless after they left New Caprica, up until a few episodes from the end.

Text-only version?! Are you reading this on an Apple IIe?

ha!

my 'standard' for picture use on the intertubes is that if it doesn't add the same value as 1,000 well written words, its a waste of electrons.

I'm glad you added Kid Nation. I finally went to CBS.com and watched it and was hooked. It really has been a great show and I'd actually be interested in it coming back w/a new group. They'd probably cast around to find another Taylor et al. But I'd hope they could remain true to the show and do another season because the whole thing is about Kid's growing up a little bit more and taking responsibility for their decisions.

It was a great show.

If nothing else, I'd buy a dvd. I'm going to miss it when it's gone.

Can't really disagree with anything.

One new show that I must admit I actually like, and not in the "so-bad-it's-good" way is Cavemen. Maybe it's the wacky premise lover in me, or maybe that I really like differences between the characters and enjoy the plight of the Cavemen, but I'd put it on my personal list.

Kid Nation felt uplifting but also kind of boring, but with the new TV well drying up, I think I can catch up on VOD.

whaaa? no "Heroes"? I know it lost a lot of the first season steam but doesnt it earn a place just for HRG? no consolation prize for "Burn Notice"? who better for some mindless fun than Bruce Campbell and Jeffrey Donovan?

Aww... hate the seperate lists... if you could combine them, what would your top ten list be?

Always enjoy the discussion....

Greg
http://www.denvertvguy.com

Kudos, Jim.
MAD MEN is easily the best TV show of 2007. Nothing else comes close.

Matt Roush at TV Guide just put out his list. He had Mad Men at number one and Sopranos at number two. It also looked like if James had to combine his two lists it would look a lot like Roush's.

Not having seen several of the shows on the list (because of not having access to cable!), I would argue for the inclusion of Gossip Girl on a top-ten list. I know some folks who watched the first few episodes and didn't stick around, and they're really missing out. Starting at episode 4, the show totally started rocking, and has gained momentum every week. The complicated character dynamics, the excellent character development, and elegant performances make this one of my very favorite shows on TV.

Not only is it a slap in the face to require 10 clicks to view a top 10 list, if you try to print or email the "article" (which was my attempt to see them all at once), it only handles the one page you have loaded in.

Boo. Hiss.

Tell your webmaster I'll read it for free at the checkout line instead.