BEST OF 2008: Television Edition

2008 was a curious year for television, what with the writers strike and all. Seasons got messed up, late night shows went without comedy, and CBS aired a bonus edition of Big Brother — which sadly was universally loathed by pretty much everyone but me. That’s okay though. I don’t mind being a maverick when it comes to reality TV (hence my devotion to Greatest American Dog — one of the most underrated gems of the year).
Strike be damned, there was still plenty of great stuff to watch. My list of the best shows after the jump…

15. The City
Sneaking in at the end of the year was The City, the Whitney Port spinoff of The Hills. My expectations were low; so imagine my surprise when the two part opener turned out to be LIKE TOTALLY AWESOME, OMG!!!! It’s funny how refreshing new faces and locations can be. And let’s be honest: it’s all about Olivia.
14. The Soup
When E! rejiggered its Talk Soup franchise into The Soup a few years ago, the results were mixed at best. The show was very hit or miss — mostly miss — and served mainly as a supplementary source of pop culture clips outside of Best Week Ever. Over time, however, things changed. Joel McHale found his voice — as did the writers — and suddenly, The Soup became the de facto pop culture destination for those of us who like to stay in the know about things like Spaghetti Cat and Miley Cyrus (it’s Miley!). Not only is The Soup hilarious, but it’s constantly growing collection of in-jokes makes viewers feel like they’re at the coolest party on TV.
13. Worst Week
The rumors going are that Worst Week has been cancelled, which is too bad because it’s surprisingly funny and charming. Sure there’s a lot of slapstick, and there are only so many times we can watch calamity befall actor Kyle Bornheimer, but as the season has progressed, the comedy has subtly shifted away from pratfalls and more towards character development. In fact, Worst Week felt like it was just hitting its sweet spot in the past month, but unfortunately, I’m not sure there are any more episodes left in the can. Alas. Another BBC production: brilliant but canceled.
12. Saturday Night Live
I’ve been an SNL enthusiast since I was about eight years old. I have always and will always love the show, even in its down years. 2008 was a very shaky year for the program, but when it hit its stride, it definitely hit its stride. Sure, some of the Digital Shorts have been getting stale (“Jizz In My Pants” notwithstanding), but the political parodies have been great, not to mention relevant. The only thing that gives me pause is how the show has been relying so much on alums to bring the funny. Maybe it’s time to clean house and get some fresh faces on screen. Or maybe there should be more Kristen Wiig. Did you honestly think I’d get through this blurb without praising her abilities yet again?
11. The Office
Still probably the cleverest comedy on TV, The Office continues to bring the goods every episode. I’m a little tired of Jim and Pam, but that might be more a reaction to Jim, who I still find a bit too smug to be truly likable. Minor quibbles though. Also, more Jan pls. Thanks!
10. Top Design
Of the Bravo skill competitions — Project Runway, Shear Genius, Top Chef — Top Design ranked easily at the bottom after a dreary first season that failed to make interior design remotely interesting. Thankfully, the producers switched things up, took us out of the boring Pacific Design Center, dropped the lame catchphrase (“See ya later, decorator!”), and most importantly, introduced us to India Hicks, who was never been afraid to mention her father THE LORD DAVID HICKS. Throw in some interesting challenges and some noteworthy characters, and suddenly this show had a pulse. Best of all, however, was the ice cold sendoff line, delivered impeccably by Ms. Hicks in her most austere and unforgiving British accent. This alone is worth a spot on this list:

9. Real World: Hollywood
Never in a million years did I ever think The Real World would slip onto this list. After the disastrous Denver season, I swore off the franchise, skipping all of Sydney — the first time I’d done such a thing in ten years. I came back for Hollywood, if only to gaze at the local scenery, and to my surprise, this season was riveting. Joey’s struggle with addiction obviously took center stage, but there was plenty of other good stuff to go around too (not to mention wonderful new catch phrases such as “Let’s not get ghett-towww” or my personal favorite “Probably shouldn’t be wrestling. Prrrrobably shouldn’t be on top of another girl.“) The switch to hour long episodes meant that we could actually dig deeper into storylines, rather than have them wrapped up superficially after thirty minutes. This helped us get more invested in the characters, and in turn increased the quality of the show. Also, it helped that this group of kids weren’t 100% morons like previous seasons (not that that’s saying much).
8. Big Brother 10
Producers got back to basics for the tenth season of Big Brother, and that meant no goofy casting twists (cousins, twins, exes, siblings, etc.). Just fourteen strangers stuck in a house with nothing to do but bicker. And bicker they did. “Lightning in a bottle” doesn’t even come close to describing the cast, which had the perfect number of hotheads, oddballs, and strategists to keep the season interesting to the very end. And let’s not forget Keesha’s thirtieth birthday party. One of the most surreal, bizarre, entertaining, and hilarious moments in reality TV history.
7. Survivor
Holy shit. How does a franchise this old with this many seasons keep churning out jaw-dropping episodes over and over again? Picking up on the high point that was China, Micronesia proved to be a sensational season with so many blindsides, it was hard to fathom we could ever top it. Sure enough, Gabon had a lot to live up to, and while it didn’t quite reach the greatness of its predecessor, there were enough twists and turns to warrant special praise. Oh, and the switch to HD was much appreciated.
6. Celebrity Apprentice
After a dreadful Los Angeles season, it seemed like this series was dunzo. Then came this “star-studded” edition, and like a phoenix rising from the ashes, The Apprentice was back! Just as funny and entertaining as some of the classic seasons, Celebrity Apprentice was a surprise, both in terms of entertainment and ratings. The next season will feature episodes that are each two hours, and while that may seem like a lot, I can’t imagine what could possibly be wrong with longer boardroom segments. Cannot wait.
5. House
I love House. I really do. I could go on about the character development and writing and yada yada yada, but what this year came down to was a tremendous two-part season finale that had my jaw dropping one moment and my eyes tearing up another. I’m still angry that Robert Sean Leonard and Anne Dudek did not score Emmy nominations. Because it’s a procedural, House tends to be overlooked by the intelligentsia, but watch that finale, and you’ll be won over.
4. The Real Housewives of New York City
Bravo’s growing Housewives franchise reached phenomenon level with Atlanta this fall, but if you ask me, it’s all about New York City. All three versions revel in the silliness of the rich and clueless, but whereas the California and Georgia counterparts merely showcase unbridled excess (read: tackiness), the New York set is contextualized amidst a culture of old money — where class and manners not only matter, but they exist. Furthermore, the juxtaposition of old money vs. new is fantastic. Just look at any scene between Countess Luann and Ramona. And that dinner party. OH THE DINNER PARTY. Another instant classic reality moment. (Bonus points, however, to Atlanta for putting on a stellar reunion show.)
3. Gossip Girl
Remember when The OC was awesome for one season and then came back and was all moody and sucky? Well, I think Josh Schwartz learned his lesson because Gossip Girl continued to be awesome, even in its sophomore year. True, some of the storyline are a little wonky (cough, Jenny, cough), and not all the new faces are welcomed (cough, Aaron, cough) and the product placement could be a bit more subtle (cough, Vitamin Water, cough), but there’s still plenty of great stuff going on in the show: namely the dialogue, and of course, Chuck and Blair. (Also, gotta love the unlikely addition of Wallace Shawn. Now, if they’d just kill off Vanessa already). Really though, what’s kept Gossip Girl strong in its second go-around is that the producers have kept the tone of the show true to itself. The series is cheeky fun, and unlike The OC, which overdosed on melodrama, darkness, and angst, Gossip Girl keeps things light and snappy, which is why we’re able to tolerate stupid conceits like Nate and Vanessa’s relationship or Jenny’s “crash fashion show.” If the show doesn’t take itself too seriously, we don’t have to either. And that’s a good thing.
2. Mad Men
Glorious, glorious Mad Men. It’s just so GOOD. I had a hard time deciding whether it should be first or not. I mean, it’s phenomenal. Great writing, great acting, great storytelling, great production design, great craft service (so I imagine). The point is, the show is GREAT. I would have preferred a little less Bets in the second season; although, to January Jones’s credit, she was much better than she was the first season. Also, there was too much of that Bobbi lady, and don’t get me started on the never-ending journey to California. Still, these are minor detriments to an otherwise perfect season. By far the most intelligent series on television.
1. 30 Rock
It might seem like heresy to put anything above Mad Men, but ultimately, I have to reserve this top spot for the one show I looked forward to the most every single week. And that would be 30 Rock. In its second season, Tina Fey et al. found the perfect rhythm for the show, thus providing us with both the smartest and silliest comedy on air. Season three started off a little unevenly, but it looks like the show is back in the zone, and I simply can’t wait for the new episodes to start up again.