By Lynne Carty
Class of 2010
I realize that there are some obvious choices missing from this list (ie. It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia, True Blood, Curb Your Enthusiasm), but unfortunately I haven’t seen all of the great series of 2009 and thus cannot include them in my list. That being said, of all the shows I do watch, these were (in my opinion) by far the most entertaining, the best, and the shows you need to start watching (if you don’t already).
1. Mad Men- Although in its 3rd season mad men is finally getting the recognition it deserves, the show still doesn’t seem to have as big a following as it should (amongst younger audiences, at least). The series received 16 Emmy nominations this year, which is due largely in part to the series creator/writer/producer Matthew Weinberg. Weinberg and his writing team are doing an unparalleled job in developing the show’s Proxy-Connection: keep-alive
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phisticated characters as well as forming creative and alluring storylines that develop as the history of the 1960s unfolds. Thanks to Weinberg and a strong ensemble cast, each episode of Mad Men has been alluring, classy, and authentically detailed while still managing to avoid period clichés. Though it can be a bit slow moving sometimes, it’s a complicated, captivating drama and hands down the best of 2009.
*If you haven’t seen Mad Men yet, do yourself a favor and start at season 1 as both of the first two seasons were equally terrific.
2. The Office – The Office started off 2009 in their fifth season with “The Duel” and is now in the midst of their latest season. Recently, NBC aired The Office’s newest Christmas episode, “Secret Santa“, which not only proved that this show is one of TV’s best comedies, but also that in it’s sixth season, The Office is still capable of coming up with new and fresh storylines.
3. Modern Family- Reviving and updating the family sitcom, Modern Family is a new show that’s pretty much a wonderful mix of both The Office and Arrested Development. Similar to both The Office and Arrested Development, all of the characters are offbeat and distinctive in their own side-splitting way. Like The Office, Modern Family is shot mockumentary style and has the same type of hilarious side comments in the aside interviews. Like Arrested, they’re all related. This show offers its viewers a comedy that’s sharp but not unkind, amused but not critical, and seriously, very funny.
4. Glee – In it’s premiere season, Glee has been somewhat of a hit-or-miss show. When it misses, like the fake pregnancy storyline, it really misses. When it hits though, which it often does, the show can be pure gold. Of all the characters, Coach Sue Sylvester (played by Jane Lynch) hits the mark most often. Just her spiteful, witty and slightly horrifying remarks alone make the show worth watching. Another strength of this show is the songs they perform each episode to deal with all of the problems and drama in their lives (all of which were compiled into two albums that both topped the charts on iTunes). Glee is an inventive and uplifting drama/comedy/musical/multi-genre show and a must see of 2009.
5. Entourage – I think it would be fairly difficult to argue that Entourage is the most well-written or performed show on TV (with the exception of Jeremy Piven’s performance as Ari Gold, the ultimate Hollywood pitbull and number one ruthless agent), but no one can deny that this show is entertaining. Mindlessly distracting and packed with loads of name-dropping and celebrity guests, Entourage gives viewers a chance to see what it’s like to be able to buy and do pretty much anything you want, making this show fully and completely irresistible.
