Music critics go raving mad, rabies-style, when they compile
their lists for the top albums of the year and, consequently,
the number of yearly Top 10 lists floating around the internet
and in magazines is astounding. End of the year lists
for the top television shows, on the other hand, pique the
interest of only a handful of TV critics, presumably because
New Year’s Day cuts through the main television season at
a meaningless point. The critics apparently save up
their computations for the end of the season, or at least
the midway point. Consequently, Top 10 lists for 2004’s
TV shows are hard to come by, and roughly half of the twenty-odd
lists I found applied only to new series.
After
spending hours tabulating a list of music critics’ nineteen
favorite albums for my
last article, I felt a little sheepish. Surely
I have better things to do. Upon completion of that
dubious task, I did a little soul searching, with hopes
of persuading myself to show a little self control when
it comes to compiling long numerical lists.
To
make myself less guilt-ridden, I concocted a plan:
compile the critics’ Top 10 TV shows of 2004. The
difference: instead of spending many hours combing
the internet, entering many numbers into a database, I would
approach this lackadaisically—an afro pick instead of a
lice comb, if you will—and scribble the results on a piece
of scratch paper. If I could apply the knowledge that
I gained in my Top 19 albums list to my TV list—the knowledge
that compiling lists takes many, many hours if you put a
lot of effort into it—I could whip up a Critics’ Best list
in thirty minutes, or maybe an hour tops. If I then
averaged the total number of hours spent on these two projects,
those hours that I wasted on the Top 19 list look statistically
less wasteful.
What
I didn’t take into account was the scarcity of Best Shows
of 2004 lists that I alluded to earlier. There aren’t
enough to make a compilation statistically meaningful, particularly
because I was too lazy to note more than the top three shows
on each critic’s list. As a result, I could only create
a Top 7 list.
Laziness
comes with a price. In my case, that price is more
guilt; I am sorry that I only have this meaningless Top
7 list to present to you, although not guilty enough, I
suppose, to go back and create a better list. Here
is the definitive, poorly-tabulated list of the TV critics’
seven favorite shows of 2004:
1.
Lost, ABC – 25 points
2. Desperate Housewives, ABC – 24 points
3. Arrested Development, Fox – 20 points
4. The Wire, HBO – 18 points
5. Deadwood, HBO – 13 points
6. The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, Comedy
Central – 8 points
7. The Sopranos, HBO – 6 points
Since
my Top 7 list didn’t take very long, I figured I might as
well compile a second list based on the viewing trends of
the Lewis household, which watches it’s fair share of television.
1.
Arrested Development, Fox – As I mentioned in
an
earlier article, my wife considers this to be “the
funniest show in the history of funny.” The fact
that I’ve seen each episode no fewer than two times—and
the pilot at least five times—suggests that I agree with
her. Even after multiple viewings, we can’t bring
ourselves to delete the show from Tivo without a dispirited
sigh. Recently, I was discussing Arrested Development
with some fans of the show, who were telling me that they’ve
begun to reevaluate their relationships with friends who
don’t like the show. I see where they’re coming
from.
2.
The Daily Show With Jon Stewart, Comedy Central
– Occasionally the contributors lay on the irony and sarcasm
a little thick, but it is mind-boggling how many top-notch
lines the writers can pack into the show, with heavy doses
of the “PPFFFF—I can’t believe he just said that” type
of humor. The show likely isn’t as funny for those
whose politics swing right of John 3:16, but even the
leaders of Bush’s campaign seemed to enjoy their stints
on the interviewee’s couch.
3.
Chapelle’s Show, Comedy Central – Not every skit
clicks—at least for a PBS-watching mid-thirties white
couple—but the highs match anything we’ve ever seen on
TV. Rick James, Prince and the waters of Lake Minnetonka,
the Racial Draft, the Wayne Brady Special, I Know Black
People, Charlie Murphy’s grin: genius.
4.
State of Play, BBC America – This conspiracy
thriller debuted in Britain in 2003, but didn’t make its
way to the U.S. until this past spring. This mini-series’
plot took a back seat to the humor that the script and
great cast—most notably Bill Nighy and Kelly MacDonald—wrung
out of the tension.
5.
The Office, BBC America – The Office
is brilliant comedy, the type that is consistently painful
to watch. This was particularly true of the final “Christmas
Special” episode that aired in 2004. If this list
included the episodes from past years, it would be tied
at the top with Arrested Development.
6.
Prime Suspect 6: The Last Witness, PBS – Helen
Mirren reprises her Emmy-winning role as Jane Tennison,
Detective Superintendent of the London Metropolitan Police,
after a seven-year break. This installment’s plot,
cast and acting are as good as any in this masterful series—arguably
the best TV police procedural franchise ever—and the cinematography
is stunning.
7.
Table for Five, IFC – This is the show to watch
if you’re itching to go to a great dinner party, but don’t
want to leave your house or don’t have witty, famous friends.
In each installment, actor and director Jon Favreau hosts
a dinner with four people connected with the film industry.
These actors, directors, producers and writers eat, drink,
cuss, smoke cigars and tell anecdotes. Because Favreau
promises to let the guests nix any portion that they find
embarrassing, they warm to the task and consequently,
most episodes make me laugh out loud—something that rarely
happens while watching a sitcom (even though I feel a
little embarrassed that I’m spending a half an hour watching
rich people eat a free meal).
8.
Independent Lens, PBS – This series capitalizes
on the resurgent popularity of documentaries, consistently
delivering provocative and touching snapshots of American
life. Notable documentaries in the series covered
immigration, adoption, prison rodeos, polka and Dr. Seuss.
“The New Americans” documentary, which follows families
and individuals from five nations as they leave their
homelands and start life in the U.S., was the most engrossing
show we watched all year.
9.
Foyle’s War 2, PBS – It is a pleasure just to
watch suspects squirm in this WWII police procedural,
as Chief Inspector Christopher Foyle interrogates them
with a bevy of nods, blinks and soul-searching stares.
Michael Kitchen plays Foyle, who keeps southeast England
safe during the Battle of Britain. With luck, Hollywood
will find Kitchen a career-defining role, like Ian McKellen’s
Gandalf, so that he gets the movie roles that he deserves.
Maybe the new Harry Potter book will include a character
that nods, blinks and stares meaningfully.
10.
Nature, PBS – While I’m often disappointed with
National Geographic, National Geographic
Explorer and Nova, I seldom finish an episode
of Nature without wishing that I had a spare
$20,000 to travel to Croatia, Africa, British Columbia,
Western Russia, etc., plus another $100 million to give
to research and preservation.
Mr.
Lewis can be reached at jeff@babblog.com.
Copyright
© 2005 by Jeff Lewis |
