The TV of 2010: Follow-Up Edition!
As a follow up to my Top 10 TV Shows of '10, here's a random list of many other great and terrible things that happened on TV this year.
Failed New Shows: If watching a new TV show is like going on a blind date, then I went on A LOT of unimpressive dates this year. I didn't stick with a single network show that premiered in 2010, and I even found a lot of cable offerings lacking. This is especially disappointing coming off a year that gave us instant classics like Community and Glee.
The shows I gave up on after a few episodes include Terriers, Justified, Hawaii Five-O, Nikita, The Event, Human Target, No Ordinary Family, Rubicon, and Undercovers. None of these were terrible, but they all fell into the dreaded "That's an okay show to watch, I guess, if nothing else is on, and if I can kind of half-watch it while I'm folding laundry and making a sandwich" category.
Successful New Shows: Of course, not ALL the dates were terrible. Spartacus: Blood and Sand premiered this year and squeaked on to my top 10 list, and I was a big fan of The Walking Dead's first season. Boardwalk Empire wavers between fascinating and kind of dull, but when it works it really works. Cartoon Network's Tower Prep, which is like The Prisoner with superpowered teenagers, is a lot of fun. And Bravo's Work of Art: The Next Great Artist and Top Chef: Just Desserts instantly became two of my favorite reality competition shows.
Best Recasting: I didn't find the latest season of Doctor Who particularly memorable aside from a few select episodes ("Amy's Choice", anyone?), but there's no doubt that Matt Smith makes a PERFECT Doctor. I certainly raised an eyebrow at the casting initially, but I was proven wrong the moment he showed up on screen.
Best Reinventions of Formerly Dull Characters: A year ago, Teddy on 90210 and Caroline on The Vampire Diaries made me roll my eyes, tap my fingers, check my watch, and sigh with boredom every time they popped up on screen. Solution? Have supposedly straight jock Teddy sleep with a dude, and turn Caroline into a vampire! Now I completely love both of them, and I only check my watch so I can count down the seconds until they appear on screen again. Now if only Gossip Girl could do something with Vanessa...
Worst Trend: Great reality shows, ho-hum winners. RuPaul's Drag Race, Project Runway, Work of Art, and So You Think You Can Dance all had FANTASTIC seasons, but in each case my favorite contestants were made also-rans when the winners were announced. I mean, Tyra Sanchez, REALLY? I love you, RuPaul, but WTF?
Best Trend: Gay teen boys everywhere! Aside from Glee's Kurt and Blaine being the most adorable duo ever, we also have Marshall's continued awesomeness on United States of Tara, Riley and Zane on Degrassi, and 40-year-old teen Teddy questioning his sexuality on 90210. I approve.
Best Proof That It's Okay For Shows About High School Kids To Bring In New Cast Members Instead Of Following The Original Kids Until They're 40: Friday Night Lights, Degrassi, Skins
Everything Is Better With: Katie Cassidy. After she was done being the best thing about the new Melrose Place, she went over to Gossip Girl to stir up AWESOMENESS. It's a shame she couldn't do much for the reboot of A Nightmare on Elm Street, but that bullshit was a lost cause.
TV Needs More: Good sci-fi shows. Lost and Caprica both died this year, and I'm sure someone in the world will miss the Stargate franchise. Fringe is moving to the FOX Friday death slot, and both V and The Event kind of suck. That leaves us with...what? Can another Battlestar Galactica prequel save the day, or should we prepare to move on to endless shows about vampires and zombies?
Worst Reality Show: American Idol is pretty bad even when it's gifted with awesome contestants, so what happens when you have a group of singers so bland that you forget they exist even while watching them? TRAIN WRECK. Actually, a train wreck sounds a lot more interesting than the past season of American Idol, which also added completely useless fourth judge Ellen DeGeneres to the panel. I'm sure J-Lo and Steven Tyler will save the day! *snicker snort*
Winner of the Lost Season 2 Award for Worst Kidnapping Subplot: Sons of Anarchy. The first two seasons of this show were very entertaining, but a babynapping "Ah want mah SON back!" plot is just one of the many, many things that sent Sons flying off the rails this year. Get those motorcycles back on the road, okay boys?
Most Welcome Return: Hey Futurama, it's like you were never gone! Probably because I didn't start watching you until you came back from the dead.
Saddest Cancellation: I'll admit, I'm still KIND OF sad that the CW's reboot of Melrose Place fizzled. It was often terrible and frustratingly dull, but all was forgiven during those times it remembered to be a batshit insane, supremely trashy soap. Ya know, like when Violet's meth-head brother who she was vaguely incestuous with came to town to cause trouble. Or when David broke into a mansion and came away with nothing but a crazy stalker who wanted to sex him. Or when Amanda and Sydney became international art thieves for some reason. Or that time Dr. Wackypants's band played a gig at a dog's birthday party. Hmm, maybe I don't miss it that much after all.
Best Reality Show Moments:
-- Gretchen's epic runway meltdown on Project Runway, which is just one moment in a season that had enough epic DRAMA to fuel a dozen Shakespearian tragedies. Or maybe comedies?
-- Miles decides his painting could use a splash of his own semen on Work of Art, and later gifts us all by baring his ass. Thank you, Miles!
-- Seth has a mental breakdown on Top Chef: Just Desserts, and utters the immortal phrase, "The Red Hots were for my mommy!"
-- This gay hotness, which I have watched, like, 8000 times.
-- And, of course, this:
Failed New Shows: If watching a new TV show is like going on a blind date, then I went on A LOT of unimpressive dates this year. I didn't stick with a single network show that premiered in 2010, and I even found a lot of cable offerings lacking. This is especially disappointing coming off a year that gave us instant classics like Community and Glee.
The shows I gave up on after a few episodes include Terriers, Justified, Hawaii Five-O, Nikita, The Event, Human Target, No Ordinary Family, Rubicon, and Undercovers. None of these were terrible, but they all fell into the dreaded "That's an okay show to watch, I guess, if nothing else is on, and if I can kind of half-watch it while I'm folding laundry and making a sandwich" category.
Successful New Shows: Of course, not ALL the dates were terrible. Spartacus: Blood and Sand premiered this year and squeaked on to my top 10 list, and I was a big fan of The Walking Dead's first season. Boardwalk Empire wavers between fascinating and kind of dull, but when it works it really works. Cartoon Network's Tower Prep, which is like The Prisoner with superpowered teenagers, is a lot of fun. And Bravo's Work of Art: The Next Great Artist and Top Chef: Just Desserts instantly became two of my favorite reality competition shows.
Best Recasting: I didn't find the latest season of Doctor Who particularly memorable aside from a few select episodes ("Amy's Choice", anyone?), but there's no doubt that Matt Smith makes a PERFECT Doctor. I certainly raised an eyebrow at the casting initially, but I was proven wrong the moment he showed up on screen.
Best Reinventions of Formerly Dull Characters: A year ago, Teddy on 90210 and Caroline on The Vampire Diaries made me roll my eyes, tap my fingers, check my watch, and sigh with boredom every time they popped up on screen. Solution? Have supposedly straight jock Teddy sleep with a dude, and turn Caroline into a vampire! Now I completely love both of them, and I only check my watch so I can count down the seconds until they appear on screen again. Now if only Gossip Girl could do something with Vanessa...
Worst Trend: Great reality shows, ho-hum winners. RuPaul's Drag Race, Project Runway, Work of Art, and So You Think You Can Dance all had FANTASTIC seasons, but in each case my favorite contestants were made also-rans when the winners were announced. I mean, Tyra Sanchez, REALLY? I love you, RuPaul, but WTF?
Best Trend: Gay teen boys everywhere! Aside from Glee's Kurt and Blaine being the most adorable duo ever, we also have Marshall's continued awesomeness on United States of Tara, Riley and Zane on Degrassi, and 40-year-old teen Teddy questioning his sexuality on 90210. I approve.
Best Proof That It's Okay For Shows About High School Kids To Bring In New Cast Members Instead Of Following The Original Kids Until They're 40: Friday Night Lights, Degrassi, Skins
Everything Is Better With: Katie Cassidy. After she was done being the best thing about the new Melrose Place, she went over to Gossip Girl to stir up AWESOMENESS. It's a shame she couldn't do much for the reboot of A Nightmare on Elm Street, but that bullshit was a lost cause.
TV Needs More: Good sci-fi shows. Lost and Caprica both died this year, and I'm sure someone in the world will miss the Stargate franchise. Fringe is moving to the FOX Friday death slot, and both V and The Event kind of suck. That leaves us with...what? Can another Battlestar Galactica prequel save the day, or should we prepare to move on to endless shows about vampires and zombies?
Worst Reality Show: American Idol is pretty bad even when it's gifted with awesome contestants, so what happens when you have a group of singers so bland that you forget they exist even while watching them? TRAIN WRECK. Actually, a train wreck sounds a lot more interesting than the past season of American Idol, which also added completely useless fourth judge Ellen DeGeneres to the panel. I'm sure J-Lo and Steven Tyler will save the day! *snicker snort*
Winner of the Lost Season 2 Award for Worst Kidnapping Subplot: Sons of Anarchy. The first two seasons of this show were very entertaining, but a babynapping "Ah want mah SON back!" plot is just one of the many, many things that sent Sons flying off the rails this year. Get those motorcycles back on the road, okay boys?
Most Welcome Return: Hey Futurama, it's like you were never gone! Probably because I didn't start watching you until you came back from the dead.
Saddest Cancellation: I'll admit, I'm still KIND OF sad that the CW's reboot of Melrose Place fizzled. It was often terrible and frustratingly dull, but all was forgiven during those times it remembered to be a batshit insane, supremely trashy soap. Ya know, like when Violet's meth-head brother who she was vaguely incestuous with came to town to cause trouble. Or when David broke into a mansion and came away with nothing but a crazy stalker who wanted to sex him. Or when Amanda and Sydney became international art thieves for some reason. Or that time Dr. Wackypants's band played a gig at a dog's birthday party. Hmm, maybe I don't miss it that much after all.
Best Reality Show Moments:
-- Gretchen's epic runway meltdown on Project Runway, which is just one moment in a season that had enough epic DRAMA to fuel a dozen Shakespearian tragedies. Or maybe comedies?
-- Miles decides his painting could use a splash of his own semen on Work of Art, and later gifts us all by baring his ass. Thank you, Miles!
-- Seth has a mental breakdown on Top Chef: Just Desserts, and utters the immortal phrase, "The Red Hots were for my mommy!"
-- This gay hotness, which I have watched, like, 8000 times.
-- And, of course, this: