Top Ten TV Shows of 2005-06

It's become increasingly difficult to properly define a "season" of TV. Not only because the networks continue to test the boundaries of the traditional season and cable has never restricted itself to a "proper" September-May schedule, but also because the rise of TiVos, On Demand and TV on DVD have made it easier than ever for viewers to create their own schedules and watch entire seasons of shows on their own terms.

But I'm gonna stick with tradition and pay tribute to the best of the conventional TV season that ended about a month ago. That means stuff that aired between June 2005 and May 2006. After all, it's still the way the Emmys define their eligibility period (this year's nominations are due out July 6, while I'm on a break from this blog).

I could list out everything that I watched over the past year, and everything I still plan on catching, but instead I'll reserve this space for what I liked most of all. However, there are a few shows that would have made my list of the season's best, if I had more room:

-Big Love, yet another strong effort from HBO which invited viewers into a unique world (and lifestyle) in a credible way
-Curb Your Enthusiasm (HBO) and It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia (FX), two cranky comedies that regularly made me laugh out loud

and first place runner-up...
-Wonder Showzen (MTV2), still wonderfully warped, if a little less fresh, in season two

But on to the real deal...

10. Rome (HBO; available on DVD)

HBO and the BBC teamed up to turn truly ancient history into an addictive soap, equal parts class and trash. The first season of this opulent epic was overflowing with raunchy sex and graphic violence, but it never felt forced thanks to its strong characterizations and extraordinary ensemble cast (with Ray Stevenson and Polly Walker especially relishing their scene-stealing roles). Forget Hollywood's ponderous period pictures, for costume drama that sizzles all roads lead...right here.

Standout episodes: The Stolen Eagle; The Ram Has Touched the Wall; The Spoils; The Kalends of February

9. Sons and Daughters (ABC)

This could have been the next great family comedy, if only people had bothered to watch. It probably should've aired on cable where the show's sharp, partially improvised dialogue, semi-serialized storylines and extensive ensemble would've been properly viewed as strengths rather than flaws. At least ABC took a chance and let ten episodes air, making network television a more interesting place in the process.

Standout episodes: Anniversary Party; BBQ Therapy; Surprise Party; The Homecoming

8. Six Feet Under (HBO; available on DVD)

The last season of HBO's signature sex-'n'-death drama started off a little weak, but by the time it hit the home stretch Six Feet Under delivered some of its finest episodes ever, culminating in a remarkable series finale that gave the show the arty/invigorating/absurd/glorious/pretentious/abundantly satisfying ending it deserved. And on a series that always honored its supremely talented cast, Frances Conroy and Rachel Griffiths finished the run as first among equals.

Standout episodes: Rainbow of Her Reasons; All Alone; Static; Everyone's Waiting

7. Extras (HBO; available on DVD)

Following up one of the greatest TV shows ever made is a pretty tough challenge. But Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant proved themselves up to the task with this unique portrait of two insecure and self-sabotaging background players in the U.K. film world. Gervais again starred, paired this time with the equally brilliant Ashley Jensen, and the result was a short season of piercing hilarity.

Standout episodes: Kate Winslet; Ben Stiller; Patrick Stewart

6. 24 (Fox; available on DVD)

It's surprise enough that such a gimmicky concept even made it to a fifth season. But watching this high-wire-act of an action drama deliver its most consistently compelling season yet was downright shocking. Bolstered by the show's strongest ensemble ever, "Day Five" raced breathlessly from one tension-filled situation to the next. Cast members dropped like flies, bold twists divided (and delighted) the audience and the clock kept ticking... making those seven days between new episodes seem like an eternity.

Standout episodes: Difficult choices for a show that's more about moments than episodes but: 7:00 A.M.-8:00 A.M. (season premiere); 4:00 P.M.-5:00 P.M. (motorcade attack); 10:00 P.M.-11:00 P.M. (the big reveal); 11:00 P.M.-12:00 A.M. (season finale)

5. Bleak House (PBS; available on DVD)

Who knew a novel from the 1800s, by Charles Dickens no less, could be turned into something so gripping in 2006? This Masterpiece Theater presentation of a BBC sensation preserves Dickens' serialized storytelling format but shatters PBS' stodgy reputation thanks to an audacious filmmaking style and passionate emotional resonance. Anna Maxwell Martin turned in arguably the best performance of the entire TV season as the radiant and intelligent Jane Austen-esque heroine.

Standout episodes: Parts 1, 4, 6

4. The Sopranos (HBO; available on DVD)

Continually setting the bar for the level of quality possible on television, the landmark drama had a fascinating sixth season. Complaints about the pace seemingly disregard the peerless filmmaking and performances. Tension mounted as the people we've come to know so well took baby steps forward, and backward, in this introspective season that explored big questions of mortality, heredity, enlightenment and the irresistible lure of a lifestyle that has great rewards but even greater penalties. Only eight more to go.

Standout episodes: The Fleshy Part of the Thigh; Mr. and Mrs. John Sacrimoni Request; Johnny Cakes; Cold Stones

3. Battlestar Galactica (Sci Fi; first half and second half available on DVD)

In case you haven't heard, this is the show that single-handedly made sci-fi (both the channel and the genre) a respectable destination for lovers of quality drama. And over the course of an exhilarating and provocative 20-episode second season, split into two equally riveting halves, this re-imagining of a cheesy 70s space opera blossomed into one of TV's unquestionable best. Despite its cosmic setting, no show has more to say about the way we live now. Episodes make time for kick ass action and challenging portrayals of religious fundamentalism, terrorism, war, civil liberties and other vital topics without pandering or preaching. And damn is it fun.

Standout episodes: Home; Resurrection Ship; Downloaded; Lay Down Your Burdens

2. The Shield (FX; available on DVD)

It's a real mystery why The Shield isn't on the tip of everyone's tongue as one of TV's best dramas. This richly complex police drama gets deeper, and better, with each new season and long ago deserved the right to be mentioned in the same breath with The Sopranos, as a true contemporary classic. The problem is you've got to start at the beginning, but by the time you hit season five and see the Strike Team face off with a fiercely committed IA agent, who is determined to expose and end their corruption once and for all, you'll wonder why you ever resisted watching in the first place.

Standout episodes: Trophy; Kavanaugh; Of Mice and Lem; Post Partum

1. Arrested Development (Fox; available on DVD)

No, putting it on top isn't some statement about a great show that ended too soon. In fact part of me is glad that Arrested Development is done, finished, kaput. Yeah I said it. It's actually heartening to know that this brilliant comedy never lost its mojo. How it survived for three genius seasons without fading, becoming desperate or selling out is for wiser people than me to know. I'm just glad we have 53 episodes of these miserable bastards, and enough in-jokes to last a lifetime. Bob Loblaw. Mr. F. Oh come on. Has anyone in this family ever even seen a chicken? I've made a terrible mistake.

Standout episodes: The Ocean Walker; S.O.B.s; Fakin' It; Development Arrested

Action hour smackdown

So I was all set to write a cutesy (and hopefully at least slightly insightful) post about how Alias and 24 both close out their fifth seasons tonight, and the differences and similarities the two shows have had over their runs. But then I saw this Canadian website has already done a pretty good job of exactly that.

The relevant points I wanted to make are that both shows were introduced to audiences shortly after 9/11 (24's pilot, which featured an airplane explosion, was even re-edited in the aftermath of that tragedy), both were warmly received by critics and Emmy voters (although neither was an instant ratings smash), both have helped prove the value of TV-on-DVD releases and both have had their share of creative highs and lows.

But the important differences are underlined by the fact that Alias is ending its series run with cellar-dwelling ratings and the general sense that its best days are long gone, while 24 is ending its season with enviable viewership and possibly its most buzzed-about season yet.

If anyone ever considered these two shows to be at odds then it's fair to say Alias won an important battle (it's doubtful that 24 will ever have a season with the depth and complexity of human behavior present in Alias' second season, which incorporated near HBO-level character drama into its spy game storylines) but 24 has long since won the war. Firmly establishing itself in season one as a show where no character is safe (or trustworthy), 24 is genuinely thrilling in a way that series TV almost never is. It's been frequently remarked, and impossible to deny, that a season of 24 is better than most action movies.

While each season of 24 pressed the reset button and set up new challenges, fresh characters and legitimate mortal peril for any series regular not named Kiefer, Alias struggled and floundered as the years wore on, unable to build satisfying arcs and at a loss for what to do with much of its ensemble (including Emmy-worthy talents like Jennifer Garner, Michael Vartan, Victor Garber and Ron Rifkin).

And so I'm anxious—and only a bit apprehensive—to see how Jack Bauer's most brilliant/insane (brilliantly insane? insanely brilliant?) day yet will come to a close.

But I'll have to wait a bit longer to see how Sydney Bristow says goodbye to audiences for good (I'm still a few episodes behind on the current season), hoping that things will be wrapped up in a way that this once-great series deserves, but secure in the belief that a bit more risk-taking would've done the show a world of good.

No spoilers, but...

I just have to say: 24 is fearless.

For a TV show, a network TV show no less, to be this good in its fifth season is insane.

Season Finales: 24

I wish I could say that 24 was able to finish off its season in top form, living up to the promise displayed in the season's taut, energetic debut. I wish I could say the fourth season finale equaled the emotional gut-punch of season one's big finish, the thrilling shock of season two's ender or the cathartic release of the season three finale.

I wish I could say 2005's final hour of 24 wasn't hugely disappointing, but I can't. Because it really kinda sucked.

Luckily this season's late start allowed the show to air back-to-back hours for one supersized finale, because almost everything that worked in the finale came in that first hour.

The surprise return of Mandy (Mia Kirshner, continuing to put the hot in terrorist) was a classic 24 twist and tied up one of the show's biggest loose ends. Everything surrounding that plotline worked wonderfully, from Mandy kidnapping Tony and manipulating Michelle to her showdown with Jack and the necessary pardon for past and present crimes (the season two finale finally pays off!).

Yeah there was zero suspense in the whole "is Tony dead?" thing but at least it gave Michelle something significant to do for the first time this season.

And it was a lot better than the fake death in the second hour, but let's get back to that later.

Once Mandy was taken care of all we had left was Marwan (remember him? the season's criminal mastermind who's been unfairly underutilized for a few hours now) and the Chinese.

In terms of villainous ringleaders (which omits most of the show's best villains, almost all of them female) I'd argue Marwan was the very best, the most villainous. He was a genuinely deranged man with frighteningly brilliant plans. I think the season could've used a little more of his unpredictable edge. And he certainly deserved a better ending (slicing open Jack's hand was cool, but did we need yet another shoot out in a parking structure?).

Marwan's quick death just left the little problem of the nuke. Apparently it was so minor a problem that it was finished off with a blink-or-you'll-miss it "yay, we shot it down!" sequence. We watched 23 hours just for that?

Maybe not, since there was still...

the Chinese!

But did anyone really care about the Chinese since their late arrival this season, and, if so, why? Turns out the season's most boring distraction was all leading up to Jack faking his own death (sorry, no suspense there; you can't punk a 24 fan, a lot of them still think Dina's alive) and disappearing "across the border." Um, whatever.

All that and we never found out what happened to poor Behrooz. (Entertainment Weekly online reported that producers filmed a scene where Behrooz learns about the death of his mother but pulled it "for time." Bad call.)

A few things I hope for next season:

- Stay away from the old favorites and come up with some new interesting characters. The Araz family, Marwan and a few others really worked this season. I'm all for Mandy causing more trouble sometime in the future, and it's understandable that Chloe has been signed for a full season of scowling, but give Tony and Michelle a well earned break, and please leave Audrey behind.

- Never go back to Washington D.C. ever again. That might be unreasonable for a government agency series but at the very least let David Palmer remain a private citizen. The writers forced him to resign in disgrace and that was their mistake. Now they have to accept what they did and move on.

- Keep it simple. It might be time to reign in the threat a little bit, since, as the season five promo that ran over the closing credits pointed out, Jack has already saved the President, the country and the world.

But whatever happens it has to be fun. 24 provides more thrills, twists and effective character drama than a whole year's worth of Hollywood action films (or at least any year without a Jason Bourne movie). Even when it's bad, it's still pretty fun either to laugh at or escape with.

Creating a real-time action drama is a mighty scary high wire act and 24 has more or less pulled it off for four seasons now. I'm hoping that, even after a disappointing finish, the show's got a few more good days to go.

Finale Grade: B (saved by the first hour)
Season Grade: B+ (saved by the first half, and select episodes thereafter)

It's not too late

Tonight is the last chance to see the big 24 episode I mentioned earlier this week. If you've caught any of the show this season and haven't been watching lately, now's probably a good time to get back in. Otherwise, as usual, the whole season is sure to be available on DVD in a few months.

I didn't actually catch the episode until the weekend but even with big expectations (and a pretty good idea of what they were going to do storywise) it still floored me. I'd go so far as to call it the best episode since the legendary first season finale.

Much of the episode was tense and tight, classic 24. But it always seems like the series' best episodes come when Jack Bauer's weekly race against the clock fails. The bigger the stakes, the better the episode.

As for what this means for the season overall I've learned it's best to reserve final judgment until the day comes to a close.

The clock is ticking...

Fox is so excited about tonight's episode of 24 (or so bored with the rest of their schedule, or scared of the NCAA tournament's last game) that they're rerunning it twice this week, on Friday and Sunday at 9!

Hopefully it will be a good one.

After an exceptional start the show has found itself in something of a lull lately. The Araz family storyline is essentially over, with a notable exception (poor, poor Behrooz!), and the show has seemingly ditched the fresh start sensibility that gave it such a kick early on.

Now that Tony, Michelle and Chloe are all back at CTU (and David Palmer due to arrive any time now) it's starting to feel like season three all over again. Except, of course, Michelle isn't facing possible death and shooting hostile hotel guests, she's just walking around with long straight hair trying to annoy Tony, who was most interesting a few hours ago when he was a lazy drunk with a bratty girlfriend. And Audrey has yet to prove herself any more interesting than Jack's past useless love interests. At least Chase is nowhere to be seen and we haven't had a repeat of last year's baby hijinks (although Erin's mentally ill daughter came close).

The good news is the show usually pulls itself out of these dramatic valleys. Maybe tonight will be the night.