Now that both finals and finales are over (OMG AMERICAN IDOL AMERICAN IDOL RAH RAH) its time to list my favorite shows of the season.
1. The View: Love her or hate her, Rosie O'Donnell certainly kicked things up a notch this year on the View. Actually, I have no idea about that, I only started watching after she replaced Meredith Viera. It's now become must-see TV for me, but only when Rosie is around. She's the only one who can put Elizabeth in her place. Elizabeth is enough to make me turn off the show completely: I can understand conservativism, especially when it makes sense, but Elizabeth can barely reguritate the FOX news talking points without bumbling into talk of "he Terrorists" and "As a mother."
2. 30 Rock: Certainly the most underrated gem of the year, in the same way that Freaks and Geeks or Arrested Development were in years past. Tight, witty writing led by probably the only truely funny person on SNL for the past five years, with a cast of people I never really associated as funny before (eg Tracy Jordan) but now find delightful. One of the few shows I made an appointment to watch. Fortunately, it was available for free online for those few times I missed it.
3. The Simpsons: I've never given up on the Simpsons. Sure, it has its ups and downs, but after 18 years, it's still going strong. After the one-two punch of the season finales (You Kent Always Get What You Want and 24 Minutes) it's hard to think of a more subversive show on television. The movie, coming on in July, is the only movie coming out this summer that I'm willing to wait in line for, and possibly even in costume.
4. Law & Order: Another show that's been on the air for decades, and its easy to figure out why this show has been overlooked. When a show has been syndicated five to six times a day, its easy to forget about the new episodes, especially when originals aired Friday nights. Law & Order is an institution, and while SVU may get better ratings, it's still the mothership, and doesn't kowtow to NBC-style sensationalism (you know what I'm talking about).
5. Sarah Silverman Show: Sarah Silverman has been my favorite comic for a while now. I bought Jesus is Magic when it first came out, and I think her part in the Aristocrats kept true to the joke in the way that the others didn't. I'm a big fan of shock humor, especially as insults, and Sarah walks the magical line between full-blown racism and metaracism, which I'm not entirely sure exists, but I read it in a review of Jesus is Magic and I like the term.
Fortunately, all are coming back for another year. I haven't paid a whole lot of attention to the upfronts this year, but nothing really got me excited, at least not yet. But, of course, if Gay Robot mysteriously gets picked up, all bets are off.
(Damnit! I did have this movie posted before Towleroad, I swear. I tend to stay away from gay and entertainment news because everyone goes to Towleroad for that kind of stuff anyway, but I thought I had him beat this time.)
