The Best and Worst: Small Screen Edition

I know many of you don't have as much time on your hands and, thus, don't watch nearly as much TV as I do. Well, I have a DVR and am unemployed, so what the hell do you expect? In between my job searches, blogs, and traveling, I am an easy man to entertain when I watch TV. For those that don't watch much, maybe this will help steer you in the right direction next time you get some free time. For now, sit back and enjoy my Best and Worst TV of 2008. Also, I'll have another blog up in the next few days as well. Here we go.

5 Worst TV Shows of 2008

5. Everything Post-Strike
After the WGA strike, shows rushed to try and squeeze in more episodes so people didn't forget about them. Quality suffered, reality tv reigned, and I was forced to turn to watch Sportscenter 7 times a day.

4. Dexter
For those that don't know, Dexter is Showtime's critically lauded show about a serial killer who only kills other killers, in between his day job as a blood analyst for Miami police. Well, the writers decided to give Dexter a touchy-feely side that feel out of sorts with his character and induced more than a few cringe-worthy moments for a show that once mesmerized me at it's quality.

3. House (Fall Season)
House was a show I never really got into until I found myself with more time on my hands than a homeless wino. I rented the DVDs and caught up, really enjoying the first 4 seasons. Well, so far, in the fall House has been a disorganized mess, abandoning plot points, giving minor characters immense amounts of screen time, and forcing relationships. House used to be a great look into a deflecting, disturbed doctor's mind but now, it's just trying too hard.

2. Entourage
Minus the very-cool Martin Scorsese moment at the end, Entourage was boring, convoluted, and seemed to turn into a parody of itself. I don't even want to get into why I disliked this season so much, but for a show that used to deliver hilarious banter and situations, it's so unbelievably baffling the direction it has taken. (Yeah, I get it. E's short, Drama's old, and Turtle's fat.) If it wasn't for Jeremy Piven, I may have given up on this show.

1. Heroes
What started as one of the best concepts for a TV show has turned into the biggest disappointments in the history of my TV watching life. Characters switching sides every 10 minutes, acting that borders on self-parody, plot points that make you want to throw something at the TV, awful, awful, awful writing, under usage of the best characters, merge different character with different character every week just made the show a laughing matter that has turned into a joke. Usually, I don't wish cancellation on a TV show like this but I hope it does or I fear I may keep watching and watching until my brain melts.

5 Best TV Episodes of 2008

5. How I Met Your Mother
Episode: "The Naked Man" (Season 4, Ep. 9)
For a show that I never expected much out of, I find Neil Patrick Harris utterly hilarious to the point where I must watch this show just to watch his comedic stylings. It's still a little sitcom-y, but this episode about a guy who sleeps with one of the group members because he got naked while she was in the bathroom after a bad first date is quite funny. As the other group members try the same thing, it just makes you wonder if the move would actually work on any girl as you laugh hysterically.

4. House
Episodes: "House's Head/Wilson's Heart" (Season 4, Ep. 15/16)
I know I just ripped House but the Spring season was actually pretty good. The season finale in May was a true gem in the show's history. It's trippy, sad, and has all the elements of House that made it a good show in the first place. It might seem overly flashy but I think the element adds to the intrigue of the episode as well as the impending tragedy that is found out in the second half. This is how a finale should be written.

3. Friday Night Lights
Episode: "Hello, Goodbye" (Season 3, Ep. 4)
FTL is a show I just love and can't understand how everyone in the universe doesn't. This episode (which aired on DirectTV and soon to be NBC) shows the departure of one of the show's stars as he gets into Texas A&M, even after busting up his knee badly. It was one of the show's best moments, for one of the best shows of the decade. The ending is enough to bring a grown man to tears, but since I'm not that grown yet, I didn't cry that much.

2. Mad Men
Episode: Pick 'em (any Season 2 Episode)
For those of you that don't watch Mad Men, get caught up. It is one of the best shows I've ever seen and I say that after only 2 seasons. The look back into the nostalgia and ignorance of the 1950s is mesmerizing and enthralling. Comedic, tragic, and extremely well-developed characters in the Madison Ave ad agency serviced up one of the best TV seasons I've seen in recent memory.

1. Lost
Episode: "The Constant" (Season 4, Ep. 5)
For me, "Lost" is and has been the best show on TV since its first season. This episode may be my favorite of the series so far. Lost is at it's best when it focuses on the desperation and connections of the characters, rather then the sometimes overdone mythos of the show. It's never been better than it is in "The Constant." It's so well-done, so simply well-put that nothing else could have sufficed. With such a diverse cast, a stand-alone episode for one character is risky but with "The Constant," Lost writers pulled out a magical little gem in what was a rather bad year for TV.

There ya go for now. I'm a little tired, so I'll keep it short. I'll be back in a few days with a new blog for your liking. Maybe you liked this one, maybe you didn't, but I just did it because I was wanting to write something I could free flow without starting and stopping to think. So there you have it. Hope to see ya'll again real soon and until I do, buenas dias senores!