Saturday, December 12, 2009

Why I Loved 2009: TV in Retrospect Part 1


So as we start to wind down on 2009 I'm looking back a bit misty eyed about a couple shows leaving the air, yet happy at the same time that we saw some solid additions to the airwaves. It's hard to lay a finger on which show was my favorite though a couple are definitely at the top of the list. I'm going to right a few blogs and try to touch on what was good this season and what is worth watching next season.

With Community joining the already strong list of comedies on NBC, it was the only new show NBC aired that I found entertaining. Taking a comedic look at community college, the show takes the antics of a group of freshman brought together by a common goal, passing spanish 101. This show is a solid addition to the Thursday night line-up.

I think I'm one of the few bloggers that likes Parks and Recreation. In my opinion Amy Poehler brought a fresh comedy that I think NBC is wise to continue with. The show is one of many office comedies but this one revolves around a quirky bunch of unlikely coworkers at the Parks and Recreation in Pawnee, Indiana. After a rocky start, Parks and Recreation has gotten funnier and funnier as the season progressed. The shows promises to have a strong third season.

With the best line up of this season, ABC has come along with some huge sitcoms. Modern Family, a show based on the interpersonal relations of three different households of an extended family, is a great example of the fresh new comedies ABC aired. Modern Family follows the extended Pritchet family, the sister is in your average modern family, the brother is one half of a gay couple with a newly adopted baby and the then there is the divorced patriarch father restarting with a young immigrant wife and her nine year old son. The show follows three distinct families and their differing, yet often parallel, concerns. It has one of the strongest casts of the season and has resonated with a wide audience. It is in many ways similar to the Office but it reaches out to a crowd that might not tune into the quirkiness of that show.

Also brought to ABC was Better Off Ted, in my opinion the best sitcom of the season. The show follows the life of Edward "Ted" Crisp as a project manager for the morally questionable Veridian Dynamics Corporation. It is definitely an office comedy but not like The Office. Better Off Ted embraces the absurd and in doing so brings to life a variety of wacky off-beat characters that click. Already receiving a nomination for best new show from the Ewwy's (Comedy version of the Emmy's) it promises to continue bringing a simple but pure concept to what has become a stale genre, the office comedy.

Also on ABC is Cougar Town, a hilarious comedy staring Courtney Cox as a 40 year old divorced mother, Jules Cobbs, trying to cope with life as a newly single lady. Never having experienced single life after getting pregnant and married too young she eagerly, if tentatively, embraces her new status. The comedy here is fresh and original (how many shows celebrate older woman dating younger men?) It too is among one of my favorite shows of the season.

The Middle was also one of the long list I mentioned of ABC Sitcoms, this show did not score well in the ratings but it's getting renewed. I think the problem is that the show lacked decent promotion. The cast is top notch, Patricia Heaton (Raymond), Neil Flynn (Scrubs) are the parents of the Heck family. The story deals with a family scraping by from day to day and how they adapt to what life throws at them. The entire cast is wonderful in this show and the strongest argument for renewing it, is that it is one of the few shows appropriate for the entire family.

Check back for part two of 2009 in retrospect. Make sure you are subscribed to make sure you know when the new blogs are out.

1 comment:

  1. What are your thoughts on the season finale of Dexter???

    ReplyDelete