Baseball Toaster was unplugged on February 4, 2009.
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I know the World Series starts tonight, but I haven't done any TV blogging in quite some time and just wanted to offer my fall 2008 top 10. These are the shows I'm most addicted to – although by the time you get to the bottom of the list, you'll see that addiction gets a liberal definition. Suffice it to say, I'm waiting for some midseason replacements to arrive, but in the meantime, this is what's dominating my TV watching.
1. Mad Men, AMC: Simply the most literate and rewarding work on television. Can't believe the season finale is already coming Sunday.
2. The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, Comedy Central: Four nights a week, it gives you bigger laughs and insight than you have the right to hope for.
3. Friday Night Lights, DirecTV: Has ditched the sensationalism and recommitted itself to meaningful stories. The great writing and performances, of course, have never left.
4. The Office, NBC: Strong out of the gate in fall 2008, with last week's "Baby Shower" episode filled with laughs from start to finish and even a Jim-Pamesque moment for Michael and Holly.
*30 Rock, NBC: Still waiting for the season premiere. Love it lots, but still not convinced this is better than The Office. Not that it matters.
5. Chuck, NBC: I tried this show three different times last season and just thought it was too silly. But through three episodes this season, Chuck has found its groove. A show that I always wanted to like, I finally do.
6. Pushing Daisies, ABC: Yes, it's super-sweet, but it's also super-smart. It's also tanking in the ratings, so I'm finding it important to enjoy it for the short time it lasts.
7. House, FOX: Its redundancy of formula can sap the spirit, but House and Hugh Laurie still do the procedural better than anyone right now. That's the case even though the show can't figure out how to best take advantage of its supporting cast.
8. How I Met Your Mother, CBS: Barely rises above the level of guilty pleasure, but I still watch every week. Ted is often downright unlikable. But some of the stuff works, and Neil Patrick Harris almost always saves the day.
9. The Big Bang Theory, CBS: I don't laugh out loud at Bang as much as others do, but to quote Kevin Bacon from Diner, "It's a smile."
10. Life on Mars, ABC: So far I've only seen the pilot – I'm a week behind and verging on two — but the juxtaposition of the '70s crime drama with an '00s hero seemed like it could work.
I don't think 30 Rock is/was "better" than The Office either, and we haven't seen the season premiere yet, but I believe I did laugh more often during 30 Rock last season than the Office, for what that's worth. Can't wait!
I don't know. I've heard that. But I can't even remember what the storyline was about. I do have doubts about a show about someone who works for a special investigative arm of the State of California. It's supposed to be California's version of the FBI, called CBI.
Why the state of California would bother to pay for such an agency is the biggest laugh I had.
I have actually enjoyed Chuck a bit more this season, and of course, I am loving Pushing Daisies.
Jon, I loved the comment you made about Ted on "How I Met Your Mother." How often is the Main Character the least likable guy on the show? It's quite fascinating. Sometimes I wonder "Why the hell do I even care about Ted? He seems like a pompous jerk." He's not even funny, but like Seinfeld, he was the glue that brought the other characters together.
Jerry Seinfeld was hilarious, by the way.
1. World Series
2. Dora The Explorer
3. Wonder Pets
4. Barney
5. Tom & Jerry
6. Laker basketball
7. Scooby Doo
8. Backyardigans
9. Ni Hao Kai Lan
10. Winnie The Pooh
It's Diego and Caillou in our household. My almost-four year old just saw Shrek and loved it. He was actually repeating lines from the movie.
Truer words have never been spoken. The episodes that center around Barney always are entertaining; those that focus on Ted are barely watchable.
During the playoffs I did get the un-expected pleasure of my two boys (almost 2 and almost 7) watching the game with me for about 20 whole minutes. I appreciate the small things.
Question: Do you have to have children to admit to watching Spongebob on occasion?
I'm just asking for, uh, a friend, yeah that's it.
We like Chuck too.
Mad Men
The Office
Lost
The Shield
Damages
Breaking Bad
Sarah Conner
24
I don't know why I'm still watching Heroes.
1. Daily Show
2. Colbert Report
3. 30 Rock
4. Big Bang Theory
5. Office
6. SNL 1st 10 minutes. I can't get enough of Tina Fey doing Palin.
7. Clipper Basketball
8. Laker Basketball
Guilty pleasures:
Desperate Housewives, despite the shark-jumping.
Boston Legal, strident to be sure, but I'm still not tired of watching Spader and Shatner chew more scenery than LA RF pavillion sitters chew Dodger Dogs.
2. C-SPAN
3. House (though I think I'm pretty close to done with House)
4. Three Minutes Hate (various cable news channels)
I can't hang with Mad Men. I've tried it and while there are things about it that I like, it just doesn't do it for me.
Some of us don't have Direct TV. We have cable TV. We have to wait several months.
And some of us just have Over the Air broadcasting!
40
I appreciated the acting of Mad Men, but I just didn't like what the characters did to one another. For me it was a more sophisticated version of Grey's Anatomy...in terms of morality.
The shows I watch:
1) The Office
2) Daily Show (thank you Hulu on my TV)
3) Pushing Daisies
4) Chuck
5) Heroes (I actually liked the last episode a lot.)
6) Fringe...but I don't know why...it is not good.
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