Fancast's Top 20 Shows of 2008

[Buffyboy323]

http://thebiz.fancast.com/2008/12/to...s_of_2008.html

1. Mad Men

The show had us last year with its style and seductive cigarette smoke. This year ratings doubled with storylines that simmered on a slow boil and each week delivered TV’s most delicious hour without any guilty feelings afterward. Hot women, hot men, great acting and writing – attention network executives: It’s a formula that pays off every time. And Emmy voters certainly agreed, bestowing the Best Drama series nod to the show, the first for a show on basic cable.

2. Lost

After several seasons of criticism, losing focus and story arcs that seemingly didn’t go anywhere, TV’s most enigmatic show got back on track this season. Having an end date may have given them a new clarity. We can’t wait for the new season to see what’s going to happen next, and that’s the highest compliment you can pay a show.

3. Battlestar Galactica

The show returns in January for its final 11 episodes, but this past season they ramped up. We experienced real shivers during the mid-season finale when the fleet landed on Earth and each cast member reacts as they saw a desolate wasteland. Talk about timing! We hear the finale will be dark. Could they be headed for Detroit? This show has never been typical Sci Fi fare; it’s more typical of TV at its best and defies any limiting categorization.

4. The Office

Steve Carrell is a terrific comedic talent, but as Leslie David Baker, who plays Stanley told us earlier in the year, it’s the supporting characters that set this show on a par with classics like Mary Tyler Moore, Taxi, and Cheers. It’s the only show on the air that can get a laugh with a single look. Word to producers: Don’t let the spin-off screw it up.

5. Friday Night Lights

Like 'Arrested Development' a few years ago, fans and critics were able to prod executives into producing a third season, and thank goodness. As fans know, this show is about way more than football; limiting it would be like saying high school is about algebra. You get the sensation of eavesdropping on peoples’ lives. Every episode has a scene or story that squeezes your heart.

6. How I Met Your Mother

Gifted with exceptional comedic timing, tangible humanity, and the rare twinkle of likability that allows some actors to work for decades, Neil Patrick Harris has helped this ensemble comedy develop into one of TV’s most dependable and enjoyable half hours. Josh Radnor, Alyson Hannigan and the rest of the cast is terrific.

7. Pushing Daisies

This show is about a shy pie-maker who can bring things back from dead – everything that is except this enjoyable show, which ABC, despite 12 Emmy nominations in July, pulled the plug on in a November massacre that also included 'Eli Stone' and 'Dirty Sexy Money.' The best left to say about 'Daisies' is that its cancellation has freed creator-writer, Bryan Fuller, to rejoin NBC’s struggling 'Heroes.'

8. 30 Rock

Last month, Fancast columnist and '30 Rock' star Judah Friedlander (he plays writer Frank Rossitano) was asked by a user what Tina Fey smelled like. He replied, “She smells like success.” An understatement this year. She made Liz Lemon, Jack Donaghy, Tracy Jordan and Kenneth Parcell household names that had nothing to do with Sarah Palin and the behind-the-scenes action at a TV show interesting – and that’s pretty cool.

9. CSI: New York

Once the step-child of CSI, the four-year-old series reached a peak this year in terms of ratings and storyline. Now there’s no question of its independence or individuality. Kudos to executive producers Carol Mendelsohn, Ann Donahue, and Anthony Zuiker, along with Melina Kanakaredes and Gary Sinise, who continue to shine, especially as viewers are offers glimpses into their characters’ personal lives.

10. Fringe

Science fiction. J.J. Abrams. It’s as sure of a bet as you get on TV, and fortunately for Fox and viewers, this show about smart and hot (or hot and smart) investigators sticking their noses into fringe areas of science to explain weird things happening all over the world is really solid stuff. It seems to be building a fan base, which should only get bigger when it begins airing after 'American Idol' starting in January.

11. House

Despite a slight drop in ratings, Hugh Laurie’s portrayal of Dr. Gregory House remains one of prime time’s most detestable, delectable, and downright watchable roles. Love him or hate him, you marvel at the entertainment value of this insufferable egomaniac with a heart. Then there’s the added value of getting Omar Epps and Olivia Wilde, who have added another layer of sizzle to an already hot show.

12. Sanctuary

Sci Fi is on a roll, and this series that has us paging through the dictionary for the words xenobiology and cryptozoology (you’ll have to look it up for yourself) is a big reason for that success. The producers brought in the wondrous Amanda Tapping from 'Stargate,' and she brought her following, and the show been a bright light on a network that already has enough bright lights for its own galaxy.

13. Ace of Cakes

In some households, Duff Goldman is a superstar. The affable proprietor of Baltimore’s Charm City Cakes is to cake making what Frank Gehry is to buildings – a genius with a talent to match a remarkable vision. That’s why this show about simply making cakes comes off as a Betty Crocker bake-off re-imagined by Baz Luhrmann. One might say finally a show with taste, but that’s the downside of 'Ace.' We never get to try a piece.

14. Burn Notice

The USA says characters are welcome – and they found one in this thriller about a secret agent who was cut off, or burned, by his agency, and reinvents himself as a Miami-based PI. Toss in sexy Gabrielle Anwar in a wife beater, and you have the definition of a good time in the summer sun, which is exactly why this hot show worked so well.

15. Jon & Kate Plus 8

Why is it relaxing to watch a couple try to cope with and manager their eight children? Probably because we don’t have to do it. Or maybe because Jon and Kate Gosselin, despite their detractors (some have criticized her for exploiting her children – sextuplets and a set of twins), serve as real life reminders on their TLC hit that nothing is as important as family, that the little things really are little, and love triumphs over mountains of laundry, dirty diapers, and everything else.

16. South Park

Last year TIME magazine ranked South Park among the 100 Best TV Shows of All Time, and earlier this year Entertainment Weekly named it the 12th greatest show of the past 25 years. What else is there to say? Well, earlier this year, the show was banned in Russia, and for what? Being rude, disrespectful, and scathingly funny? They’ve been doing that for 12 years. It’s a sign that Matt Stone and Trey Parker haven’t lost their edge. And we say more, more, more!

17. Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew

There were two separate seasons of Celebrity Rehab this year, and it’s hard to choose which one was better. Season one with Jeff Conaway as a helpless, pathetic, manipulative, short-tempered, but likable alcoholic or season two with Jeff Conaway as a helpless, pathetic, manipulative short-tempered, but likable alcoholic. Both are compelling looks at the scary, seamy side of celebrity. And Dr. Drew is a beacon of sanity. Regardless of the point of this show, we’re addicted!

18. Dancing With The Stars

From the start, it was clear that Brooke Burke would dance away with this season’s title, and still it didn’t detract from the fun, drama, and watchability of the competition that rivets viewers of all ages. That speaks volumes for a show whose unintended subplots included Cheryl’s weight problem, Julianne’s endometriosis, and remarkably light-footed Warren Sapp’s carp that he didn’t lose any weight, ending the season at 294 pounds. We like this as a show the whole family can watch and root for together.

19. NCIS

In its 6th season, the show surprised CBS executives and critics by enjoying an all time ratings high, which is unheard of among shows not titled American Idol. But Mark Harmon, who’s gotten better with age, took control of the series in front of and behind the camera, and it’s obviously paid off. That’s why we’re giving this top-flight procedural a nod as best in class - an hour of smart escapism.

20. Desperate Housewives

With its days as TV’s red hot pageant for lovelies named Teri, Eva, Nicolette, Marcia, and Felicity long gone, series creator Marc Cherry faced a pretty desperate situation himself in making this show interesting, that is until he jumped everything ahead five years. Freed, he turned the show inside out, reinvented the characters, and saw it pay off. Better than botox. We say, “Bravo!”

[JulieSomoski]

I don't understand what critics love so much about Mad Men - I watched it once, and I don't understand what's so good about it. Not only that, but it's low-rated.

Besides that, there are other shows that I don't understand why they're on the list. Seriously, Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew??

[MrRetro_08]

The Big Bang Theory should be on that list.

[dawsongirl]

Originally Posted by Buffyboy323

9. CSI: New York

Once the step-child of CSI, the four-year-old series reached a peak this year in terms of ratings and storyline. Now there’s no question of its independence or individuality. Kudos to executive producers Carol Mendelsohn, Ann Donahue, and Anthony Zuiker, along with Melina Kanakaredes and Gary Sinise, who continue to shine, especially as viewers are offers glimpses into their characters’ personal lives.

[JulieSomoski]

Originally Posted by MrRetro_08

The Big Bang Theory should be on that list.

I completely agree - this show is becoming very underrated. If it doesn't get nominated for an Emmy this year, I think an investigation should be started.

[dakert]

Thank God for vintage 1950-70s DVDs