End-Of-Year: Favorite 2011 TV Shows, Part 2

Yesterday, I posted the bottom part of the Top 30 list of TV shows. Below you will see my Top 10 list full of British aristocrats, community college students, meth dealers, vampires, lawyers, and government workers. There's also time travel, alternate realities, and a world where dragons roam. Before all of that, however, just a few more quick mentions of some other TV shows...

Shows that I watched, but didn't rank: Suburgatory, Dexter, Raising Hope, 2 Broke Girls, 30 Rock, The Office, Grey's Anatomy, New Girl, Up All Night, Pan Am, The Secret Circle, The Killing, V, American Horror Story, Supernatural, Grimm, and Weeds

Shows I've stopped watching for one reason or another: Covert Affairs, Drop Dead Diva, Pretty Little Liars, Chuck, and White Collar

Dishonorable Mentions:

Torchwood: Miracle Day - I knew there would be growing pains when they moved this show to America, but I didn't expect them to hurt this much. I can't believe the team that gave us the amazing Children of Earth gave us this mess of a season.

Glee - Don't think I'm jumping on the hate bandwagon because everyone else is. The truth is I continually root for this show, because I love seeing a musical regularly on television. But lazy writing, awful characterizations, and overblown hype is making this show borderline unwatchable at times.

Terra Nova - The pilot was pretty solid and the finale was actually kind of great. Too bad everything in the middle ranged from mind-numbingly dull to ridiculously awful.

My Top Ten TV Shows of 2011

10. Homeland - More than a year since 24 ended and I have finally found its replacement in this gripping tale of an American POW soldier coming back home embroiled in a possible terrorist plot. I only saw this show a couple weeks ago because of its impeccable word-of-mouth from critics and friends, but, and excuse the choice of words, it really did blow me away. Damian Lewis as the soldier and Claire Danes as the lead investigator are both magnificent and every episode was so intense. If I had to critique the show, I'd ask what the hell is up with its opening title sequence!

9. Downton Abbey - If I counted the first season, which I technically saw earlier this year, this would be ranked higher. In any case, I knew my Anglophilic ways would render me unable to fall head over heels in love with this series and that's exactly what happened. A British period piece about the aristocracy and their lowly servants isn't anything new, but with a ridiculously amazing cast (Maggie Smith is a stand out) and engaging stories, though with 1-2 key exceptions less engaging this past season, it's definitely become one of my favorite shows.

8. Doctor Who - I may have ranked other shows above this, but I didn't wait in line for nearly 12 hours to watch an advance screening of those other show's season premiere. It was in this kind of spirit that I approached this sixth season of this show that perhaps bit off more than it could, but was nonetheless brilliant throughout. Moffatt certainly needed to reel himself in, but the trio actors of Smith, Gillan, and Darvill were perfection, the latter especially. If nothing else, this year gave us the beautiful episode "The Doctor's Wife" and made me cry like a baby with "The Girl Who Waited."

7. Being Human - There's not much else I can say to praise this brilliantly written supernatural heartbreaker of a drama. This time around they are in a new town, a new house, and new dangers. Annie's wonderful rescue from limbo, the intriguing Pack storyline coupled with George and Nina's new baby, and of course the return of Herrick were all highlights. But as I've always said it's all about the characters and their constant struggle to feel human. The finale was the show's most human yet in its determined optimism amidst amazing sacrifice.

6. Community - An episode centered around Dungeons & Dragons. Two episodes done in documentary style. An episode that is doubly an homage to Pulp Fiction and My Dinner with Andre. An epic episode with seven alternate realities. A musical Glee parody episode. A clip episode using almost no old clips. And of course a 2-parter paintball episode for the ages. All of this are certainly gimmicks, but what makes this show so good is that through it all, we still care about the characters. I don't think any other sitcom can pull off what this show is doing at the moment.

5. Fringe - The thought of this show prematurely ending this season is making me sad, so I'll just tell myself that if anything it's already given us 70 episodes full of great, inventive, and more importantly emotionally affecting sci-fi stories. This past year, it's been more of the same. The fallout over Fauxlivia's infiltration in our world was the big storyline at the end of last season and Anna Torv and company sold it wonderfully. The childhood flashback episode the the LSD episode were two of my favorites. This season's Peter-less alternate reality has been more of a mixed bag, but it's never not intriguing.

4. Game of Thrones - *BEST NEW SHOW* As a big fan of Rome and Lord of the Rings, I knew that I would love this show which seems like a great hybrid of those two great works. I admit that most of what I like about this show is its thoughtful and expansive world building which is a staple of its genre. Yes, I was confused for a good half a season getting people's names and relationships with others straight, but by the end I just wanted to know more. I was especially drawn to the outcasts/underdogs--Daenarhys, Tyrion, Snow, Arya. Looking forward to visiting Westeros again soon.

3. The Good Wife - There is no doubt to me that this is the finest drama on network TV at the moment. The cast is impeccable and every episode works in many levels both for the plot of the week and for the overreaching plot arcs all the while continuously enriching the characters and their relationships with one another. As I said last year, what puts this above other lawyer shows is their commitment to their characters. Throw in a quirky judge here, a sociopathic client there, and an extramarital affair and wham bam, it's all good.

2. Breaking Bad - *BEST TV DRAMA* Did the season start out a bit slow? Certainly, but the slow burn in the beginning only made the numerous explosive episodes in the back half that rendered me speechless and emotionally drained week in and week out. The devolution and subsequent rise to darkness of Walter White was a sight to behold just as it was great to see the growth and journey of Jesse this season. With the show's end in sight, 16 more episodes, I'm excited to see just how dark they can actually take the show's lead character. For now, I'm hust glad a show like this exist.

1. Parks and Recreation - *BEST TV COMEDY* This show is perfection. I'm going to repeat that lest you think I'm joking. This show is perfection. Got that? Good. But seriously, this time last year I just started watching the show and more than liked it. Now, I'm a hardcore fan. The show itself sounds a bit bland... a bunch of government workers and their work hi-jinks. And yet there isn't a single episode, at least for the past two seasons, where I wasn't left smiling from ear to ear or crying with joy. That's what this show is really, pure happiness. From its endlessly optimistic lead character to the hilarious supporting players. This show has the biggest heart of anything on TV and that's why it's my favorite show of 2011. Also zomgAdamScottissofine.

Final Note: Three British shows make it in my top 10 and six in my top 30 not including a remake of a British show (Shameless). ABC has the most shows on my list with 6, but oddly enough none to crack the top 10. CBS is second with 4 shows. NBC and BBC America made it into my top 10 twice. Along shows from the main networks and premium channels, shows from FX, CW, ABC Family, and PBS also made my list. Finally and happily, my list contains a whopping 9 new shows compared to none last year.

Ranting About the Torchwood Finale

Let's just pretend that I waited this long to talk about the Torchwood finale because I needed a few days to let what happened settle, but to be honest as soon as I saw the episode I promptly forgot about it and haven't turned back since. It was not a good finale for a season that was already quite sub-par. It was full of monologuing characters that is just excruciating to get through if you're a viewer and plot holes so numerous I couldn't even really keep count.

I said last week that the show had really painted itself into a corner leaving just one episode to explain what The Blessing was, how it caused Miracle Day, and why The Family is so interested in this and in Jack. The how and the why were answered via the many clumsily written monologues in the episode. The what on the other hand was largely hand-waved. "This might be the most terrestrial thing of them all" was the only real answer we get. The Family, wanting to control the world, used Jack's blood to make The Blessing make everyone in the world immortal by changing its template. You see, The Blessing is somehow in a symbiotic relationship with humanity and it... oh my God I think I fell asleep writing this paragraph. Long story short, Jack and co. realized that the only way to reset the whole world is to now feed The Blessing Jack's now mortal blood. The only catch, which the bad guys felt the need to share with the rest of us in extreme detail, was that Jack's blood must be introduced to The Blessing on both sides of the poles. Why they didn't just keep mum on this little factoid letting Jack die for nothing especially after DECADES of planning this whole thing is beyond me.

So apart from not getting to know what The Blessing was, we were also treated to The Family being really, really dumb for most of this episode despite nine episodes worth of evidence to tell us how all-powerful and all-knowing they've been for decades. It fact, it seemed their plan would've worked perfectly if they had just been able to kill Jack from the very beginning. With all of their resources, manpower, and time throughout this whole ordeal, it's a bit ludicrous to make us believe that they just weren't able to do this. Why did they NEVER use Gwen and her family (the way Colasanto did) to get to Jack? All they had to do was KILL HIM in these ten episodes! Even at the end when Rex and Jack were ready to make their noble sacrifice, I thought it was common sense for them to shoot Esther and use her life as a final bargaining chip. Why then did they not shoot Gwen as well (apart from the actress being the lead actress and sure to return for next season)? Dumb, dumb, dumb. And what was up with that cliffhanger ending? Rex is immortal now? Seriously? We're doing that?

Notice I didn't mention anything about Oswald Danes, Jilly Kitzinger, Antonio Colasanto, Gwen's dad, and many of the other plot threads and characters that were seemingly important early on, but played almost no impact whatsoever to the bigger story. "The future can change. It's being written right now." Jack said this in the finale, but after this season can I get these ten episodes re-written instead?

Torchwood Finale - D+
Torchwood: Miracle Day - C+

Penultimate Torchwood, Displaced Doctor Who, & Their Disconnect

With one episode to go, Torchwood seemed to realize that it needed to jump ahead so we can get to the actual meat of the story. So that's exactly what they did as they two months ahead into the story. I was okay with this, but I just wished they had done this about an episode or two earlier. In any case, somehow the world still seems to be doing okay, at least if you were expecting the world to be some kind of dystopian hell. Instead we just have countries closing their borders, democracies slowly turning into dictatorships, and the world economy suffering a Great Depression. Is that all? Our heroes are laying low, hiding and planning covertly until their next move. Somehow though creep extraordinaire Daniel Oswald found them and bargains his knowledge of The Blessing (or at least a name of who might know of it). The big reveal of what it is was a bit anticlimactic since we're still not really sure WHAT it is. We do know that it stretches from one side of the world (Shanghai) to another (Buenos Aires) and it seems to be honed into Jack's blood. The what, the how, and the why is all left for the finale to somewhat tie altogether. Yeah, sure, good luck with that.


Many people may feel just a bit disappointed from this week's Doctor Who especially if they were expecting some answers or developments from not only last week's River-centric episode, but the revelations from the latter episodes of the first half of the season. The thing is, this episode was supposed to air as the fourth episode of the season and therefore the characters, especially Amy and Rory, are still clueless about big events to come. In essence, this was just a purely stand-alone episode that was postponed and thus should just be enjoyed on its own. With that said, while I found it to be ridiculously creepy, there was something off about it. I think, for me, what bothered me the most was the Deus Ex Machina ending where "love solves all." Still big-headed dolls... scary. If this did air where it was suppose to air, then some nice bit of foreshadowing with the Doctor's "in the flesh" line in the end and also the episode being about a child not really being one's child.

With those thoughts out of the way, just wanted to address the seemingly disconnected worlds of Torchwood and Doctor Who, at least during the past couple of seasons. We KNOW they exist in the same universe with Captain Jack making appearances in Doctor Who and Martha Jones going to Torchwood in the past. When Steven Moffat took over Doctor Who though it seemed like suddenly this isn't the case anymore. This disconnect became even more salient this season due to the overarching storylines of the two shows, which MaryAnn Johanson of Flick Filosopher nicely summarized with her observation that the Doctor cannot die in Utah because of Miracle Day. The thing is, this could easily be answered by stating that Miracle Day only affected humans and not Time Lords. Fine, but it has always bothered me that the two shows don't have many more crossovers. In fact in this latest Doctor Who episode, the Doctor can make "house calls" to a little boy who is having nightmares, but he couldn't help all of the little boys and girls in real danger during Torchwood's "Children of Earth?" And what about the underground Silurians who appeared in Doctor Who? Do they have nothing to say about the Blessing that apparently stretches from one side of the world to the other? Couldn't Captain Jack use the help of Martha Jones and Mickey especially since there's so few people he can actually trust at the moment? I know the real answer is that these are two different shows with actors and contracts and licensing rights and blah blah blah, but as a fan of both, I think this is all still worth asking.

Doctor Who Is Back While Torchwood Nears End

Doctor Who is finally back from its brief summer hiatus and its first episode back, the cheekily-titled "Let's Kill Hitler," is getting some mixed reaction from fans. On the one hand, there are those cries of sexism and of the episode's careless use of Hitler while on another, there are those loving the continuing timey wimey saga that is River Song and her relationship with the Doctor and her parents. I lean towards more in the latter camp even though I know better to dismiss the totally valid viewpoints of the former. Most of why I gave the episode a pass is I am just so intrigued by River's nonsensical and loopy history to the point that I'm willing to sweep all of the confusion and inconsistencies under the rug. That and Rory was kind of amazing in this episode and since he's my favorite character in the show right now, that's enough for me. He was mistaken to be gay by his one true love, got to punch Hitler, rode a motorcycle, and basically just got to kick ass while remaining his true loyal, adorkable self. The episode was quite heavy on the River back story and at parts felt a bit fill-in-the-blank. We get to see Melody turn to River, grow up with her parents, kill the Doctor, learn how to operate the Tardis, save the Doctor's life, begin her quest to be an archaeologist, etc. Your feelings for this episode will probably be heavily dependent on your feelings for River and she's quite polarizing as I'm finding out. My one real beef with the episode is I'm not sure they really dealt with Amy and Rory's feeling about their missing baby. Yes, it's been a couple months since the events of Demon's Run and yes, they got to spend time with their "friend" Mels for years, but I'd think they'd be a bit more raw with the whole thing. I'm hoping for more development on this.


This week's Torchwood wasn't as tightly written as last week's episode, but I still think they're heading into the right direction in order for the season to end on a bit of a high note and I think it's mostly because some of the pieces are coming together bit by bit. And yet with only two episodes to go, I'm left to figure out how the hell they're going to wrap this all up. We do learn that the three guys from last week who "bought" Jack are part of "The Family" which is presumably the group responsible for the Miracle. The whys and the hows aren't really revealed of course, but we do know they are on top of their game. By episode's end they recruit Jilly and we find out that they have a mole at the CIA. Speaking of, the CIA raided the Colasanto residence where Torchwood was brought so that Jack can reunite with Angelo. Apparently all these years Angelo has been keeping track of Jack and trying to learn why he's immortal. I found this a bit laughable since I can't see how this guy was able to track and allude Torchwood ALL OF THESE YEARS. Come on now. I'm also surprised Jack didn't keep tabs on him in all of his years with Torchwood. It wouldn't taken absolutely no effort especially with their technology. Anyways, Angelo dies and they all learn that it's because of a null field that's possibly extraterrestrial in origins in Angelo's possession. Gwen is deported, Jack is shot, Esther is crying again, and that's how we end the episode! So... lots of questions still. Why and how is The Family doing this? How are aliens involved? How many frequent flier miles has Gwen been racking up? Can we just get a random cameo of ghost!Ianto? That'd frankly redeem the season for me completely.

That's all for now! Tomorrow, I'll have my thoughts on Breaking Bad, Weeds, and True Blood.

Is Torchwood Back on Track?

By itself, "Immortal Sins" as an episode really wasn't anything super exciting. About 75% of it consisted of a flashback to the late 1920s introducing us to yet another new character while the rest of the episode was essentially two characters just talking to each in a car. But in the context if this troubled season, it felt like a breath of fresh air.

For one, the flashback story felt like a Torchwood story of old. Captain Jack finds himself in New York City, becoming a bootlegger, and hunting down some alien parasite. He encounters a young man from Italy who wants a fresh start. Since this is Torchwood, they end up in bed and unlike the gay sex from earlier in the season, this didn't feel gratuitous. I also love the chemistry between Jack and Angelo, whose character is well-written and acted. So of course things take a tragic turn when they end up separated, Jack "dying" and Angelo being sent to prison. When they reunite a year later, Angelo is admittedly confused and dismayed to find Jack alive after witnessing Jack's death with his own eyes. Angelo's then shocking decision to stab and then hand him over to a crazy blood-lust mob was absolutely chilling in the way "Children of Earth" achieved and the way the writers have been trying to do this season. Somehow this development felt a bit more organic and earned unlike say building mini-concentration camps and burning people alive. Just saying.


The rest of the episode took place in the present day with Gwen kidnapping Jack to appease the people who had taken her family hostage. The whole hostage situation is a bit forced, I admit, but I'll handwave this because it really gave us some wonderful scenes with Barrowman and Myles. Gwen telling Jack that she would see him "killed like a dog in front of her" if it meant she would have her daughter back and Jack countering with "ripping her skin from her skull" before he lets her take his precious mortality away from him were just chilling. Of course all of this is for naught since Esther/Rex/Andy somehow rescue Jack, Gwen, and her family by themselves. Everything seems peachy now, up until the end of the episode when Jack finally hears who wants to see him: Angelo.

No creepy Oswald, enigmatic Jilly, shady government workers, Rex being mean, Esther crying, Category 1s, camps, etc. We even got not one, but two direct mentions of the Doctor, which made me squeal louder than I expected. We also saw some small hints on the bigger picture of "Miracle Day" such as the three guys that now "own" Jack who shook hands by making a triangle symbol. Or how about when Angelo tells Jack that some people thought of him as a "blessing" instead of a devil. Triangle symbol, the Blessing, a 100+ year old Angelo still alive somewhere... it's all coming together. Let's hope it really does with these last three episodes!

Torchwood Frustrates, Sookie Bores, and Other TV Thoughts

The more I watch this new season of Torchwood, the more I'm missing the good old days with the gang chillaxing in their super secret underground Cardiff base complete with pet pterodactyl and cute ass coffee boy. Both the pterodactyl and the cute ass coffee boy are most likely in a better place, but the rest of us have to continue watching. Now last week it was Rex who said that Torchwood was no longer, only for him to begin this week declaring himself as a proud member of Torchwood after what he has seen the government do to Vera. I'm glad that his anger for the first time feels justified especially as he and Esther both do very Torchwood-esque things in this episode that give me some hope, but it's probably a case of too little, too late.

My biggest problem with this episode specifically though was how much of a filler episode it was. Other than the very last few minutes with Gwen and the message she receives via her lenses, nothing was really revealed. Esther and Rex find out about Vera, but the audience already knew that. Jack tries to find out who's behind this by tracking a Phicorp man only for both of them to come up empty. Gwen and Rhys try to rescue Gwen's father, which of course they do. And even that shock ending, wasn't really shocking. OF COURSE this whole thing has been about Jack. OF COURSE people are looking for him and want him and would totally use the people he cares about against him. Didn't we establish this already in the premiere? So yeah, I'm frustrated, but I'll keep watching. Though I'm thinking the only way I'll be satisfied is if they bring back the cute ass coffee boy and the pterodactyl.

Thankfully, other shows have picked up Torchwood's slack. Breaking Bad is as thrilling as ever, even though I think this most recent episode was a wee bit over-directed to the point of distraction. Still, it was a turning point episode for the two leads. Most obviously it was a turning point for Jesse who now has a sense of accomplishment after Mike takes him on a day trip and making Jesse think he has saved his life (per Gus' plan). Not only does this seemingly pays off in getting Jesse off his funk, but perhaps also useful in Gus' plan to drive a wedge between Jesse and Walt. Then there's Walt who seems to be unraveling more every week--not knowing what's happening with Jesse, not being able to speak to Gus, not being able to dominate in his relationship with Skyler, and finally not being able to take ownership of the blue meth that Hank has attributed to Gale. It almost seemed inevitable that his hubris would drive Hank back to work in finding Heisenberg. The Los Pollos Hermanos clue he unearths in the end was thrilling. Exciting!

I am not a fan of Sookie Stackhouse, but thankfully True Blood has a whole array of characters and this season in particular, the writers have seem to go out of their way to marginalize their leading woman saddling her with boring story-lines while others get to shine. Downplaying the fairy arc has really harmed the rootability of Sookie, but they can still make a comeback. I'm just saying it's a crime for me to fast forward any scene with a naked Alexander Skarsgard, but that's what I did because I really couldn't care about their union. I'm more into the testy love triangle of Jason/Jessica/Hoyt with the first two displaying their awesome chemistry once again while the latter two giving us two great break-up scenes, one real and another imagined, though both were a bit heartbreaking. There's also the continuing Witch vs. Vampire storyline that led to an inevitable melee in the cemetery with everyone involved. Great seeing Tara and a fresh-faced Pam square off once again. I have no idea where this show is heading, but I'm looking forward to whatever. Heck, I just want to see which character Tommy is going to turn into just for the hilarity factor.


Finally, Weeds delivers yet another solid episode that seemed a bit scattered at first, but it all led to a really hilarious end with most of the men of Nancy's life sitting slack-jawed while she kisses the woman in her life. Sonia's sudden reappearance is intriguing to me, but it's just yet another wrinkle Nancy will need to iron out as well as her working as an informant for the SEC against her boss. Silas going up against another model boy and Michelle Trachtenberg has potential and even though Shane's storyline with the cop this week was a bit dull, I still like the direction it is going in.

True Blood On Fire, Torchwood Shocks, and Other TV Thoughts

More than halfway through its fourth season and I'm still loving True Blood. Granted I'm getting a bit tired of the "aw shucks" Eric Northman character especially since I find Sookie so unbelievably boring as a character. I mean look at Bill, I couldn't give a rat's ass about him in earlier seasons and suddenly without Sookie by his side, he actually intrigues me. It helps that for this episode he got to spend time with the radiant Deborah Ann Woll who's been on fire, pun mildly intended, as of late. Is she going to die? I doubt it, but I'm already looking forward to seeing her scenes next week with Jason, Bill, Hoyt, whoever.


Now this episode was the beginning of the huge showdown between witches and vampires as Antonia slowly gathered her coven to replicate the spell she used 400 years ago to force vampires out into the sun. Tara and Holly are on her side, but what's more intriguing to me is where Jesus/Lafayette will align themselves. It's easy to say they'll take up arms against the vampires, but I'm postulating a medium vs. medium duel between Lafayette and Antonia/Marnie by season's end. Pam is still deliciously fascinating as her rotting flesh hasn't neutered her sharp personality. She also gives an assist to the funniest scene of the episode where Ginger gets on top of Pam's violently vibrating coffin.

"Look Torchwood is gone. It's just a name these days." Rex utters this line early in the episode and I wonder how many fans feel this exact sentiment. Now I expressed my general disappointment with Torchwood last week and while that feeling is still there, most of this most recent episode actually gave me hope... only for the show to take it away again by the end. The thing is, I love the character of Dr. Vera Juarez. Unlike Rex, she was likable and unlike Esther, she was confidently competent. So of course she is KILLED, or more accurately burned to a crisp. And suddenly I was having flashbacks to Ianto, Tosh, and Owen and how sad/angry I was when they died. So even though Rex wasn't a total jackass this episode and Esther actually seemed to know what she was going and Gwen continued kicking ass, all I could think of by the end was DAMNIT WHY? Maybe that was the point, to shock us, even though the revelation that the government is channeling the Holocaust with their concentration camps and OH YEAH BURNING PEOPLE ALIVE was probably enough to do that. I'm also starting to not really care about Oswald. There are five episodes left, which was how long Children of Earth was, so I'm hoping they can end in great form. God, why am I still this optimistic?


Apparently the character of Skyler in Breaking Bad is an unpopular character in fandom, but I love her. She and Walt are made for one another. That long scene with the both of them going over her meticulous script was HILARIOUS. Plus I love the parallel between that scene and the scene that Walt has with Jesse with Walt taking on the Skyler role demanding Jesse to take the situation they're in more seriously. This episode also had wonderful forward momentum to every single plot thread. We get to see the fallout from Gus' dealings with the Mexican gangs, Hank is finally doing something other than moping and whining, and Jesse by the end is forcibly taken out of his house and out of his extended doldrums since killing Gale. Speaking of Gale, that karaoke scene was perfection. And I don't say it enough, but Bryan Cranston is great. While he took a backseat last week, he was MVP again with his scenes with Skyler, Jesse, and Hank this episode.

Finally, Weeds wasn't as good as the past two weeks, but it did include our weekly dose of Silas shirtless as he gets involved with an underground male model fight club. Yeah, it's all completely gratuitous, but I'm not really complaining. Plus it meant Silas and Nancy's drug-dealing business is finally up and running. Shane is still working with the cops, a somewhat ironic development, but at least he is showing off the smarts that seemed to have been downplayed the past couple of seasons in order to feature his more darker impulses. Nancy also seems to finally be done with the whole halfway house business, because she's now an information (again). Trouble ahead for her though as her lesbian lover from prison is out of jail and probably wondering what she's been up to. Finally, I admit, I missed Heylia already.

Weeds Improves, Dance Nears Finale, and Other TV Thoughts

Is it just me or were the last two episodes of Weeds really quite good? This week's episode was probably the best of the season so far especially with some S1 goodness in the form of Heylia (and Dean). Yes, it was great seeing her again and she didn't disappointment, but I love more the way she indirectly helped Silas and Nancy to confront one another about the whole Lars business. The decision for Silas to stay with Heylia might do both of them good, but they're slowly getting back to one another. I'm also loving that Andy and Shane's side plots are colliding with Nancy's what with Shane helping Andy out with one of his crazy ideas by investing in a start-up business that could be use as a front for Nancy's dealings. In terms of plot contrivance, this is actually pretty tame compared to the past few seasons so bravo. Finally, it's been far too long since I've felt Nancy was an actual person, but her last "story" on the plane with the montage of the people she loved, made me remember why I rooted for her in the first place a long time ago. Hope the show keeps this up.

Four episodes in and I do have to say that I expected a bit more from Torchwood. At the moment it's feeling like last season's failure FlashForward --great concept, poor execution. Now Torchwood isn't THAT bad, but I'm an eternal optimist. I hardly care about the drama with Rex's and Esther's families maybe because I've just haven't connected with them more, though I did have a lump in my throat when Gwen's father was taken in the end. Speaking of Gwen, she continues to kick ass and take names this season. Her attempting an American accent was amazing in its awfulness. I admit, the scene with the assassin, Jack, and Gwen was intense and the storyline of the Tea Partier vs. Oswald was entertaining in its realistic absurdity. Okay, this season hasn't impressed me much, but I'm looking forward for more.


If you watched this week's Breaking Bad, you could be forgiven into thinking that Walt was just a supporting character because he pretty much stayed in the background most of the episode. Instead focus was shifted to Jesse, Skyler, and refreshingly different Marie. First, Jesse is still recovering and his never-ending party has turned into his personal hell. When he invited Walt to go go-karting, it's such a cry for help and it breaks my heart. With this said, I hope this doesn't last too long since I like it when Jesse is reacting rather than wallowing. Skyler was the MVP of this episode though as she is slowly breaking bad herself by flawlessly going through with her plan to buy the car wash, at a lower price she wanted to buy, and without doing anything too illegal. Sure, Walt is still keeping secrets from her, but the fact that Skyler is now privy to his part of Walt's life is so great. Finally, it was wonderful to finally see Marie dealing with her continuing struggles with Hank. Bringing back her kleptomania was a stroke of genius and seeing as Hank has perked up by the end of the episode, methinks things will get back to normal (unfortunately for Walt).

Not sure where I read it, but someone called this past week's True Blood Shakespearean and I think it was quite apt with the residents hanging out in the woods and being affected by the full moon. My favorite scene include Jessica keeping Jason company as he fears being turned into a werepanther (he doesn't). I was really impressed with Deborah Ann Woll and her chemistry with Ryan Kwanten which was a nice respite from her drama with Hoyt. Two more performances that deserve kudos is Kristin Bauer as a pathetically rotting Pam trying to do anything and everything to snap Eric out of his fugue state and Sam Trammell as he channeled his inner Tommy who can now turn into other people by virtue of him killing his parents. The rest of the episode contained Werewolves, brujos, lesbians, witches, demon babies, and a long-awaited meeting of flesh between Sookie and Eric. So... a typical episode.


Finally, the final four who will compete for the title of America's Favorite Dancer this season on So You Think You Can Dance has been chosen and it's the four who I thought all along would make it namely Melanie, Marko, Sasha, and Tadd. They all deserve to win, but I'm thinking it'll be one of the first three. It is fantastic seeing two Asian guys in the final with one of them being Filipino. I'm not rooting for any one person to win since I like them all, so I'm just going to enjoy the finale and hope we see some amazing routines. Guest judge Christina Applegate was quite good.

Lady Gaga Visits Dance and Other TV Thoughts

The pace slowed down a bit for both Breaking Bad and Torchwood with both getting mixed reactions from me while both True Blood and Weeds ramped up the action a bit to positive results. But first Lady Gaga visited So You Think You Can Dance as a guest judge this week.


Her Lady of Gaga was joined by Oscar-nominated director Rob Marshall to judge the top eight dancers and to be honest they were kind of crap as have been most of the guest judges this season. Gaga kept dissing the props and the choreography which the dancers had no real control over while Marshall kept playing good cop going out of his way to praise the choreographers and anything remotely Broadway. Thankfully the dancers, like they do every week, BROUGHT IT, with the judges praising Melanie, Marko, Sasha, and Tadd mostly. Gaga performed two of my favorite songs from her new album during the result show ("Edge of Glory/You and I") before the judges eliminated out Jess and Jordan. Two more weeks until Melanie or Marko wins the whole thing!

Now for some scripted fare. Last week's Torchwood episode was written by none other than Buffy scribe Jane Espenson and I love her. In talking about this episode, she said they wanted to pull back on the action and take a breather in order for this new Torchwood team to get to know one another and to get a better handle on the events of the day. And yet, I felt it was a little too lax. The sex scenes, both straight and gay, felt ridiculously gratuitous and just made them feel like filler to an episode that really could've used more forward movement. It doesn't help that Rex is still an unlikable douche or that I'm now finding it difficult to watch Bill Pullman (in a good way because OMG he's terrifyingly skeevy). With that said, lovely moment between a drunk Jack and a preoccupied Gwen both invoking Ianto's name and the tag team of the Doctor and Gwen was nice. Let's go on with this though!


As for Breaking Bad, I understand why they felt they needed to take a breather after such an emotionally tense premiere, so the problem lies more with me and my expectations probably over the show's quality. In fact seeing how the events of last episode on Walt, Jesse, and Mike affected them was kind of beautiful. All of them on the edge of doing something truly crazy, but never quite getting there. Has it been officially recognized that while this is Walt's story, Jesse is very much the heart of the show? I'm thinking his journey this whole season will be the season's highlight. And just as an aside, I really hope Hank's new hobby has something to do with the biggest plot.

I personally believe that True Blood has been on fire this season plus or minus the Hotshot storyline. But speaking of that, I'm glad that Jason is finally done (for now) with that and giving a much needed kick to the domestic woes of Jessica/Hoyt. Who else was surprised that for a split second, Jason thought he was having sex with Hoyt? HOT. Please develop this. Speaking of other good developments, nice to see brothers Sam and Tommy work together on something and YEE-HAW on their parents finally biting the dust. Alexander Skarsgard is still doing mighty fine work with his lost Eric story while Pam's predicament is bringing out the snark in Bill Compton which makes me happy for him. Though of course that he now knows where Eric is, we'll see.


Finally, Weeds finally delivers an episode that I mostly liked. Yes, I zoned out over whatever is happening with Andy because really who cares. Plus I think Shane enrolled in college or something and Doug is wearing a suit? Whatever. This has become a Silas and Nancy Botwin show and I'm just find with that. They fly out to the West Coast for a custody hearing that is then promptly rescheduled giving Mary Louise Parker a much needed cause to fight as she dukes it out with her sister over intercom. Silas is also forced to defend her mom, as he testifies to the judge, and their relationship is finally getting back on track. I'm much more excited, however, by the surprise reappearance of Heylia in the end. WOO!

Torchwood Returns and Other TV Thoughts

I've been meaning to talk about the return of Torchwood since I saw the premiere last week, but I guess the lead-up and then the reaction to the Emmy nominations sapped my energies regarding TV. Since then though I've seen the second episode and a bunch of other TV shows. My thoughts on them all below!

The first two episodes of Torchwood gave me a lot of hope that this season could be great. I enjoyed the first episode, but there was so much set up and hand-holding for new viewers for me to really get into it. Never mind the fact that after all this time, I'm STILL recovering from the trauma that Children of Earth inflicted (in a good way!) and so I also needed a bit of hand-holding to bring me back to Jack, Gwen, and the world of Torchwood. This season's arc of people unable to die is epic, intriguing, and just plain engrossing. That's been my favorite thing of the season so far, seeing how this "miracle" is affecting humanity from the small to the global, from the benign to the horrific. Gwen has been given plenty of moments to shine from her gun/rocket launcher skills in the first episode to her taking lead in making the anecdote in the second and I love her for it. Bill Pullman is creepy as all hell and I'm so uncomfortable watching him, which is to say he's doing a wonderful job. It's slow-going for me to warm up to Mekhi Phifer's character, but I'm thinking now that he is forced to work together with Torchwood, he'll turn around. Plus I'm still giggling over his "Wales is the New Jersey of Britain!" line from the premiere. Right now I'm just thinking the sky is the limit when it comes to this season. I'm expecting lots of shocking twists and turns to come.

Now just some brief thoughts on other TV shows:

True Blood - Other than the whole Jason storyline, I've pretty much liked-loved everything this season has to offer. The most latest episode though, I want to give kudos to Alexander Skarsgard for playing an amnesic-smiling-confused-adorable Eric Northram to perfection. Lovely to see Alcide again. Claudine's death was very unexpected.

Weeds - The scene I was most looking forward to was the reunion between Silas and Nancy and while it was nothing special, at least it didn't disappoint. There's lots of complicated emotions at play and both Hunter Parrish and Mary Louise Parker are treading them nicely. Also, yay for more gratuitous Silas-in-underwear scenes.

Alphas - Saw the first episode last Monday and it was just okay. I'm a sucker for these type of show aka humans with superabilities. At the moment it all feels a tad dour even if they tried to shoehorn some funny into the pilot. I'll probably give it an episode or two, but this summer I've gotten impatient. Speaking of, I really should catch up on Falling Skies.

So You Think You Can Dance - We're down to the top 10 which means the couples are broken up and everyone is now playing for themselves. My favorites (Melanie, Marko, Jess, Sasha, and Ricky) are all still around so that's good. The whole star guest judge though has been mixed this season, but next week's Neil Patrick Harris will surely be amazing.

Friday Night Lights - It's been months since I saw the series finale, but it aired on NBC this past Friday and I just wanted to say that I thought it was a fitting end to a great show. I, sadly, never really warmed up to the new kids except for perhaps Jess, but all I really needed was a happy ending for Mr. & Mrs. Coach and that's what we got. Though one pet peeve I had... no reunion scene with Landry and Tyra? Really? REALLY?

Breaking Bad - The premiere is tonight! The premiere is tonight! You need to be watching this show.

Nine Emmy Wishes

The Emmy nominations are announced tomorrow and I'm already preparing myself to be disappointed one way or another because that's how it goes nearly every year. But then mB had to make a blog post with his five Emmy wishes and I just had to steal steal his idea.

So here are some of my Emmy wishes tomorrow and yes, I realize that most of them will unlikely happen. Whatever.

1. Don't go Glee crazy!

Look it's the most buzzed new show of the season and it's a great show and one of my favorites, but don't go gaga over it. Please. This means think carefully about the acting nominations. Jane Lynch is a BIG YES. Lea Michele? Sure. Chris Colfer? Er, fine. Chenoweth or NPH as guest actors? Uh, all right. Now stop. Seriously. Stop. That's it.

2. Give some love to Modern Family and Community.

No doubt Modern Family will get a good amount of Emmy nominations, but I feel no matter what it gets, I'll think it should be more. All of its actors deserve nominations! It's not happening, but gah I will feel bad for those that get snub. As for Community, any Emmy recognition will be a miracle, but I'm crossing my fingers for ANY Emmy love for that show.

3. Want lots and lots and lots of nominations to LOST.

People may have had mixed reactions to the finale, but damnit it was still brilliant TV and it's done... forever! I want hoards of nominations especially for some of its cast. For such a strong ensemble show, it's insane to think about how many of its actors have been ignored by the Emmy. Of course Best Drama, Best Writing, Best Directing, etc. should be a no-brainer.

4. Remember Dollhouse!

Sure, its first season wasn't that strong and it was canceled. But its second season was so SO good. I'm not even asking for much. Maybe a writing nom here, a supporting actor nom there (Enver Gjokaj, Fran Kraz), etc. Anything really.

5. And Fringe! And Chuck!

Clearly, I'm rooting for shows that have no chance of Emmy nominations, but I'm trying to be optimistic here. John Noble delivers one of the most nuanced characters on TV this season and Chuck is just full of fun.

6. Don't forget Keir Gilchrist from United States of Tara!

This past TV season saw a bunch of gay teen storylines. Justin's Ugly Betty came out and had his first kiss. Kurt in Glee was front and center and equally fierce. And finally, the best of the bunch, Marshall dealt with finding his own gay identity in Tara. While Chris Colfer (Kurt) is in the more popular show, I hope the Emmys don't overlook the great job Keir Gilchrist (Marshall) did.

7. Other than the usual suspects or any actors I've already mentioned, here are other actors to not overlook:

Alison Brie, Alyson Hannigan, Alexander Skarsgard, Stana Katic, Nathan Fillion, Archie Panjabi, Dichen Lachman, Christine Baranski, Danny Pudi, Joel McHale, and on and on and on. I know they ALL can't be nominated, but please please please just don't nominate someone because you've always nominated them. Think new! Think out of the box!

8. Speaking of out of the box, nominate Torchwood: Children of Earth!

I heard that BBC America decided not to submit this impeccable miniseries for consideration, but I say fuck it. That's right, fuck it. This is still the best TV I've seen the past year and for it to not be recognize AT ALL at TV's premiere award show, well it's just too depressing to think about.

9. Worship at the altar of Joss Whedon and retroactively declare Buffy the Vampire Slayer the best TV show of all time.

Talk about not holding my breath.

TV Meme: Day 30

"30 Days TV Meme"


Day 30 | Saddest character death

This is it. The final day of the meme. So of course whoever originated it must be some sadistic bastard, because we end it with the most depressing entry to date. Saddest character death? Seriously?

In any case, this one was shockingly easy for me and it might surprise a lot of people. First of all, I didn't go for the obvious and pick a Joss Whedon-inspired death even though I would've had plenty to choose from. My friend Bunny wrote about Tara's death, so y'all should read it. Instead I picked a death from Torchwood that literally left me breathless and dehydrated from all the hyperventilating and crying I did.

The deaths of Tosh and Owen during the second season finale were heartbreaking not only because it involved one of my favorite characters (Tosh), but also because of how stretched out and emotional their death scenes were. Tosh fatally shot in the 28th minute of the 48-minute episode and she didn't die until almost the very end!

Of course for most of that, the viewer is still clinging to that hope that she would make it alive. As she bleeds out, she puts on a brave face against death and still manages to remotely help Owen to prevent a nuclear meltdown. And why not, as the usually shy and reserved Tosh said earlier, "Of course I can, I'm brilliant!"

Shit hits the fan though when the power plant goes on emergency lockdown and traps Owen. Owen, already prone to anger issues, freaks the hell out. Like going-mad-angry-at-the-world-fuck-everyone-else freak out. Tosh tries to keep him at bay...

Tosh: Owen, just stay calm.
Owen: Oh, why should I do that?! Where's the fun in that? I'm going to rage my way into oblivion! AAAAAAHHHHHH!!
Tosh: Please stop.
Owen: Why?! Give me one bloody good reason! One good reason why I shouldn't keep screaming!
Tosh: Because you're breaking my heart.

That was when the waterworks started happening. The actress' delivery of that line was pitch PERFECT and actually this one particular scene I wanted to highlight in the Best Scene Ever entry, but I wanted to save it for the end. What makes the scene even more powerful was that as soon as Tosh says that, Owen stops. He even apologizes!

And thus begins his death scene. He asks Tosh how he'll die and she tells him though it pains her to do so. She, of course, blames herself, but Owen does the sweetest thing he's done the whole show and tells her she's always had his back and it isn't her fault. Now's a good time to say that Tosh has had a crush on Owen for the longest time, but of course they never became a couple until... this episode. They were going to have their first date after they took care of this crisis. How Whedonesque, right?

Owen: We never did get that date, did we? You and me? We sort of missed each other. It was my fault. I didn't, I didn't notice until it was too late. I'm sorry.
Tosh: Me, too.

Then the whole room Owen is stuck in goes nuclear white and he's gone. The rest of the team finally finds Tosh BLEEDING THE FUCK OUT and they try to help her. I remember telling myself that she had to live, because they just killed one main character, they couldn't possibly kill another! But she dies in Captain Jack's arms and I was just inconsolable after that.

Sadly, it wasn't over. We see the team putting away Owen and Tosh's personal stuff as well as updating their personnel info in the computer i.e. changing their status to "Inactive - Deceased" as they and the audience fight back their tears. If that wasn't already hard enough, when they finish updating Tosh's personnel file, a goodbye video she recorded pops up! Are you kidding me? I can't handle this shit!

Okay. So, if you're seeing this, I guess it means, I'm, well, dead. Hope it was impressive! Not crossing the road or an incident with a toaster. I just wanted to say, it's okay. It really is. Jack, you saved me. You showed me all the wonders of the universe and all those possibilities. And I wouldn't have missed it for the world. Thank you. And Owen, you never knew. I love you. All of you. And, I hope I did good.

Suffice it to say I proceeded to cry and hyperventilate for the next half an hour. Still hurts.

TV Meme: Day 20

"30 Days TV Meme"


Day 20 | Favorite kiss

To be honest this category broke me. I kept thinking about it ALL weekend and there were just too many choices. I ended up picking the first full on make out session that Jack and Ianto had in Torchwood early in Season 2.

Why this and not any of the others I was thinking about? Well I knew I wanted to NOT include any kisses from from favorite ship, which will have its own post tomorrow. So that made it a little easier to choose. I decided to focus on same-sex kissing, because those don't get as much airtime on TV and with my friend Bunny writing on Willow/Tara, I felt okay picking Jack/Ianto.

My kiss of choice between the two was not their first kiss. Early in season one, Jack gave Ianto mouth to mouth which doesn't really count. Their real first kiss happenened in the first season finale after Jack came back from the dead and they kissed when they reunited. My kiss of choice occurs at the end of the third episode in the second season. I love this kiss, because it came as a result of the two of them having an honest-to-goodness conversation about Jack's past. What I like about this kiss as well is that it was the timid and quiet Ianto, and not the charming sexual renaissance man Jack, who initiated the kiss.

But what am I doing TALKING about the scene/kiss? It's better to show than tell...



Ask me again tomorrow and I'll probably have a different answer.

TV Meme: Day 17

"30 Days TV Meme"


Day 17 | Favorite mini series

Torchwood: Children of Earth was recently nominated by the Television Critics Association for being one of the Outstanding Achievement in Movies, Miniseries, and Specials. I wholeheartedly agree with them since it was not only the best miniseries I saw last year, but one of the best things that aired on TV and my favorite. This one-week 5-episode miniseries served as the third season for Torchwood, but one needn't see the first two seasons to appreciate the absolute brilliance of this five-hour masterpiece.

Like any good miniseries, it packs a wallop with not much time. Apart from being an absolute game-changer for the show itself, its characters had to deal with the most brutal and epic of problems: the children of Earth are being controlled by an unseen alien force. Think about that for a second and think about how BIG that is.

While the sci-fi aspects were definitely riveting, it's always about the characters. The personal revelations and struggles that the lead characters endure in this episode were must-see TV, but special shout out to Peter Capaldi (Into the Loop) who delivered such a nuanced and strong performance, stealing scenes from every other character.

I can't recommend this miniseries highly enough. It's risky. It's epic. It's riveting. It is plainly just bloody amazing TV. And when I say bloody, I mean that in every sense of the word. Find a way to watch this. Now.

Read my SPOILERY thoughts on every episode of Children of Earth:
Day One - Day Two - Day Three - Day Four - Day Five

End-Of-Year: Favorite TV Shows

With my favorite actors/performances already done, it's time to get into the shows of 2009. As you can tell, I like making lists so why not have a ranked list of the TV shows I watch? You will find below 30 shows that I enjoyed this season as well as three honorable mentions which I will talk about first:

Doctor Who - If I had to rank this, it would probably fall somewhere in the mid-teens because while Tennant was consistently awesome, the specials themselves varied in quality. And since they were all shown separately and not part of an actual season, I decided not to include it in the rankings.

Pushing Daisies and Eli Stone - It's hard to rank these because they both got canceled and the network just burned off their final episodes when no one was looking. I saw both of their ends and well I suppose it was too much to ask for both of them to continue. Still, brave effort.

And now for ranked shows...

30. Robin Hood - The show's final season ended in a bit of a whimper despite the explosions and all of the deaths, but it was consistent and consistent is good nowadays.

29. Skins - Not as good as the original cast, but did anyone really expect that? Some rocky episodes and the cast is a tad unlikable at first, but what can I say, it's a guilty pleasure.

28. The Mentalist - Ranked pretty much the same as last year for me. The show is good enough. Nothing too special. Of course it's a star vehicle for Simon Baker, but at least the cast is getting some more quality air time this year.

27. Brothers & Sisters - It's still the same Walker family dealing with more problems and all of that. Not sure why this show ranked so low, but maybe because I'm a bit tired of all their drama.

26. Drop Dead Diva - A little summer show on Lifetime that was headline by newcomer Brooke Elliot. It was cute and the cast is fun.

25. So You Think You Can Dance - You'd think having two seasons in one year means double the pleasure. Actually it's been the opposite. But it's still a kick-ass show, but hoping it becomes must-see-tv again.

24. The Good Wife - I told myself I wasn't going to get into a lawyer-type show this season, but good reviews sucked me in and glad I did. Julianna Marguillies is awesome in it.

23. V - It's only four episodes, but the packed a wallop didn't they? It could still end up being very bad in the long run (see Heroes), but for now I'm itching for the next episodes.

22. American Idol - One name: Kris Allen. I sort of fell in love with him and he ended up winning and that's pretty much it. Plus with other great talents like Adam Lambert and Alison Iraheta, it was definitely my favorite season since the show's first.

21. Fringe - The standalone episodes are as gory and disgusting as ever, but the show shines when they highlight the main plot arc of parallel universes and all of that good stuff for which I'm a total sucker for.

20. 30 Rock - Hey when a comedy makes you laugh, then it's doing its job. Fey and company know how to do it with aplomb and they seem to be fearless when it comes to the types of things they do.

19. Community - The individual characters are kooky enough, but its the chemistry of this ensemble that really makes the show work. Yes, there's still some tinkering to be done, but for the most part it's really finding its legs right now.

18. Cougar Town - I'm an unabashed fan of Courtney Cox so to see her again on prime time is fantastic enough. I'm glad the show is good too! True, the show is miles away better when it focuses less on her "cougar"-ness and more on the relationship she has with her family and friends, but the good news is I think the writers are starting to realize this as well.

17. Ugly Betty - A lot of people have forgotten about this show, but I didn't. Despite some awkward storylines (Mode no money, Wilhemina's daughter, Daniel's cult), the heart of the show i.e. Betty has continued to flourish and the show is so much better for it. Yay to makeovers!

16. Chuck - It was a close call there for a second with its imminent cancellation, but thank God it's back because this "new" Chuck is going to be so fascinating to watch. Not that the "old" Chuck wasn't, because he was. And I'll shut up now.

15. Amazing Race - Another year and another two wonderful seasons that showed up dozens of exotic places I can only dream about going to someday. While both seasons sort of gave us "expected" winners, the individual legs seemed more brutal and thus refreshing to see.

14. Castle - If Joss Whedon ever were to do a procedural, he'd be hard press to improve on this one. In fact if you didn't tell me who did it, I would've guess it was Whedon with its slick humor and snappy dialogue. The cast is also fantastic.

13. Greek - It was a roller coaster year, not only for the show, but also the characters. The ever-evolving Cappie/Casey/Evan triangle is more palatable now that they're all friends and I don't see Evan as a huge douchebag anymore. Also Rebecca is nice and Dale is no longer a virgin. Both sounds so wrong, but it actually works very well for both characters.

12. 24 - There was nowhere to go but up since it's last disappointing season. And they delivered. The change in scenery (goodbye Los Angeles!) really re-energized the show as well as some new cast members. Of course, Jack is still there with Chloe! Both still kicking some ass, the way I like 'em.

11. Supernatural - This is what happens when I see all 4 (and a half) seasons. I fall in love with it. It helps that this whole angels/apocalypse stuff is really REALLY riveting. Plus Misha Collins? Too great for words.

Here are my Top Ten list...

10. Glee - Inconsistent and insanely manic would be putting it mildly and yet this show is probably the one show this year that was the breakout pop culture hit. How could it not with its solid ratings, its Twitter-ing cast members, and its hit CDs? The songs are hit and miss, but mostly hits. The cast are adorable and Jane Lynch gives an award-worthy performance. If she doesn't win an Emmy next year, it would be a humongous upset.

Standout Performance: Jane Lynch as Sue Sylvester
Standout Episodes: Pilot, Preggers, Throwdown, Wheels, Hairography, Sectionals

9. Being Human - This little British show's concept seems cheesy, but it works! Basically it's a vampire, a werewolf, and a ghost all living as roommates as they deal with their "unhumanness." If Joss were to do a British show, I'd picture him to be doing this. Hm, actually they are making an American version and are in need a a show-runner. Paging Mr. Whedon.

Standout Performance: Russell Tovey as "George"
Standout Episodes: Episode 1.1, Episode 1.4, Episode 1.5, Episode 1.6

8. Mad Men - A strong season despite not enough of the ladies. The ladies made Season 2 so absolutely awesome. Still, the show plowed through with the British takeover the main storyline amidst the rapidly degeneration of Don's spheres of lives. One more comment: the finale was perfection.

Standout Performance: Jon Hamm as Don Draper
Standout Episodes: My Old Kentucky Home, Guy Walks Into an Advertising Agency, The Grown-Ups, Shut The Door. Have A Seat

7. The Big Bang Theory - Jim Parsons continues to amaze and with his ascension, the show is quickly becoming one of my favorite sitcoms. It helps that the rest of the cast is also pretty good, but damn if you just can't take your eyes off Parsons.

Standout Performance: Jim Parsons as Sheldon Cooper
Standout Episodes: The Maternal Capacitance, The Cushion Saturation, The Vegas Renormalization, The Electric Can Opener Fluctuation, The Guitarist Amplification, The Adhesive Duck Deficiency, The Maternal Congruence

6. How I Met Your Mother - Still great even though they had to deal with Colbie and Alyson's pregnancies in the latter half of last season. The cast are still gellin' and the storylines are still fun fun fun!

Standout Performance: Neil Patrick Harris as Barney Stinson
Standout Episodes: Three Days of Snow, The Front Porch, Old King Clancy, Right Place Right Time, Double Date, The Sexless Innkeeper, Bagpipes, Slapsgiving 2: Revenge of the Slap

5. Battlestar Galactica - There's probably a lot of naysayers out there concerning this final season of BSG and while I was also less than enthused about, oh the last 5-10 minutes of the show, the season itself was more than fine for this die-hard fan. Going to miss that wreck of a ship and that superbly talented and beautiful cast.

Standout Performance: Mary McDonnell as President Laura Roslin
Standout Episodes: The Oath, Blood on the Scales, No Exit, Daybreak

4. Modern Family - The cast is just perfection. Perfection. I think there was one episode (the pilot) where I wasn't sure if I was going to love this show. Since then, they've knocked it out of the park. Every. Time. Who knew you could do a family sitcom nowadays that actually made you laugh instead of cringe?

Standout Performance: Eric Stonestreet as Cam Tucker
Standout Episodes: The Bicycle Thief, The Incident, Coal Digger, Fizbo, Undeck the Halls
WINNER: Best Comedy Show

3. Dollhouse - When I made this list earlier this month, it was ranked #10. With each and every new episode this month, it just kept going up and up. Because yes, even without those episodes I still would've ranked this show on my Top 10 because it's a Joss show and I'm nothing but a devoted fan. But this month the show became AMAZING and I'm probably underselling it a bit.

Standout Performance: Enver Gjokaj as "Victor"
Standout Episodes: Echoes, Needs, Briar Rose, Epitaph One, Belonging, The Left Hand, A Love Supreme, Stop Loss, The Attic

2. Lost - May not be #1 this year, but it's still a brilliant brilliant show. I feel sorry for those who have stopped watching the show a couple of seasons back, because this is the show that only got better with age. The new element of time traveling could've been cheesy, but it really wasn't and in this crazy ass island, it almost felt natural. Like, of course, they can time travel! Heading into it's final season, I have no doubts this show will satisfy.

Standout Performance: Michael Emerson as Ben Linus
Standout Episodes: Because You Left, Jughead LaFleur, Namaste, Dead is Dead, The Variable, The Incident

1. Torchwood - When I heard that the third season would only consist of five episodes to air in one week, I was thinking the worst. Could I have been any more wrong? The third season entitled "Children of Earth" delivered in so many levels. It was epic. It was risky. It was riveting. It was bloody amazing TV. It's so great, that I'm just a little bit reluctant for the next season since how could it possibly live up to what they've already done? They'll try and I pray they succeed.

Standout Performance: Eve Myles as Gwen Cooper
Standout Episodes: All five episodes of "Children of Earth."
WINNER: Best Drama Show

-------------------

Tally: ABC leads with 7 mentions followed shockingly by FOX with 6. CBS has 5 mentions while BBC America (not including Doctor Who) has 4 mentions.

Here are the rest of the shows that I watched, but didn't make the rankings: Gossip Girl, True Blood, Merlin, Private Practice, White Collar, Family Guy, Accidentally on Purpose, Sarah Connor Chronicles, Project Runway, Desperate Housewives, Design Star, Sanctuary, Models of the Runway

Finally, here are the unlucky few dishonorable mentions: Heroes, FlashForward, Stargate Universe, Life on Mars, Grey's Anatomy, Big Brother, Eastwick