Best & Worst of 2002 TV

***John*** · 12-28-2002, 09:07 AM

From Kevin Williamson, of the Calgary Sun:

THE BEST OF 2002

1. 24: Kiefer Sutherland had more than one ticking bomb to defuse as the second year of this crackling spy drama kicked off. Sure, there was the nuke set to detonate in Los Angeles, but, more importantly, there was the question of how last season's most riveting drama, which benefited so greatly from its daring real-time premise, could possibly be as good the second time around. Turns out, it's even better and yet, it would be wrong to dismiss 24 as merely a well-honed thriller. It's unafraid to take dramatic chances -- the most obvious example being the climactic murder of Sutherland's wife, which ended the first season on one helluva downer -- or let its actors breathe. Sutherland, for one, is a revelation -- the lost boy no more, and the unfolding dynamic between his character, Jack, and Sarah Clarke's murderous Nina has become one of this year's most spine-tingling pleasures.

2. THE SOPRANOS: The fourth season of this HBO-produced mafia drama, which just wrapped up for Canadian digital subscribers, had as many frustrated fans ready to fuggedaboutit as it had singing its praises. Admittedly, the year was a studied slow-burn of colliding subplots and red herrings, but patience more than paid off as creator David Chase unleashed the season's final string of explosive instalments, culminating in the wrenching separation of Tony (James Gandolfini) and Carmela (Edie Falco) and easily the season's highlight -- the shocking, down 'n' dirty confrontation between Tony and Ralphie (Joe Pantoliano) that ended with Ralphie's toupee-less head in a bowling bag. Best of all, the fifth and possibly final season kicks off in a mere 10 months.

3. ALIAS: Talk about a mission impossible. Each week creator J.J. Abrams deftly brings newcomers up to plot speed while continuing to unfurl an ever-expanding X-Files-esque mythology for the series' cultish following. But then that's only one of the feats of derring-do Abrams has managed to pull off as this spy serial ascends to new dramatic peaks. Most dauntingly, he made the potentially silly introduction of Sydney's evil spy mother genuinely gripping, thanks largely to actress Lena Olin. For all the espionage action, Alias is, now more than ever, a drama about the fallout of childhood and parental turmoil. Anchoring it all is breakout star Jennifer Garner who has, at this point, proven she can emote as well as any actress on TV -- while poured into a blue rubber dress.

4. BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER: Criminally underrated, this series rebounded from its darkest year by resurrecting not its star, but its sense of humour. That's no diss to the Buffster, whose fifth season concluded with Willow's dalliance with the dark side. Odds are this season will mark the end for Joss Whedon's spectacularly-entertaining fantasy -- if so, it's going out on a creative high. It also receives bonus points for having the best spinoff on television, Angel. That means you Law & Order and CSI.

5. THE OSBOURNES: Bloody 'ell! What can you write about The Osbournes that hasn't already been spat, cursed or mumbled? Ozzy, Sharon, Jack and Kelly have become instant pop culture sensations -- and deservedly so. This MTV reality series derives shameless glee from casting Ozzy as a marble-mouthed buffoon, but what distinguishes the clan from all the knockoffs and heirs to the reality throne sure to follow is the humanity behind the ghoulish dysfunction.

6. SIX FEET UNDER: Oscar-winner Alan Ball's HBO drama about two brothers running their family's funeral home is a guileless balance of pathos and black comedy. If the first season belonged to Michael C. Hall, the second was all Peter Krause's, brilliant as the brother forced to cope with his own mortality.

7. THE LATE SHOW WITH DAVID LETTERMAN: Anyone who hates Dr. Phil as much as Letterman makes it into my Top 10 list any day. Is there still any doubt who the reigning king of late night comedy is?

8. SCRUBS: Contrary to popular belief, the best comedy on Thursday nights isn't the slick workhorse known as Friends -- it's this sly, inventive medical comedy about interns. In the wrong hands, Scrubs could have been little more than ER with pratfalls. Fortunately, creator Bill Lawrence and his team of writers are just what the doctor ordered.

9. BOOMTOWN: If I could have avoided putting a former New Kid on the Block on this list, I would have. But Donnie Wahlberg has landed on one of the fall season's best new dramas -- and the only one so far that has a fighting chance at lasting into the latter half of 2003. Created by Canadian Graham Yost (Band of Brothers) it can be too slick for its own good, but with its Rashomon-style storytelling -- which sees each episode unfold from differing points of view -- and jigsaw structure that, only at the end, reveals the truth, it's a propulsive piece of pop entertainment, with deft characterizations and uniformly excellent performances. And yes, that means Wahlberg, too.

10. THE SIMPSONS: A classic that continues to endure. On one episode, a hillbilly, informed that Spy magazine no longer publishes, cries: "The world I grewed up in is gone." I'll feel the same way when this show comes to an end.

THE WORST OF 2002

1. GIRLS CLUB: It had no dancing baby. Or sense of humour. Or appealing actors. But otherwise, it was exactly like Ally McBeal. Viewers smartly avoided this smarmy, toxic legal drama from producer David E. Kelly, leading to a speedy execution. Talk about swift justice.

2. BABY BOB: Shockingly bad, this CBS sitcom featured an infant who, thanks to special effects wizards out of work since the days of Mr. Ed, spouts off with the voice of a Teamster. The worse thing about it was seeing some really fine actors -- Adam Arkin, Elliot Gould -- slumming for a paycheque.

3. THE MIND OF A MARRIED MAN: Think HBO can do no wrong? Watch this lunkheaded, sleazy tripe. What makes it so unbearable is that the creators actually think they're producing something sophisticated -- you know, like everything else on the network.

4. THE BACHELOR: Even hit ratings can't scrub the slime off this reality series. Worse is the inevitable fallout: the upcoming spinoff The Bachelorette and Fox's clone, Joe Millionaire. And, oh yes, Bachelor 3.

5. PRESIDIO MED: Despite an impressive cast that included Dana Delaney and Blythe Danner, the producers managed to liposuction any trace of drama out of this comatose medical soap opera.

6. FASTLANE: A Miami Vice knockoff for the hip hop crowd about a pair of slick, tough cops who pout like they just got booted off American Idol. The laughably-miscast Tiffany Amber Thiessen plays their boss.

7. HIDDEN HILLS: Along with Good Morning, Miami and The In-Laws, this grating comedy about sex-obsessed suburbia demonstrates just how much trouble NBC is in once Friends finally calls it quits.

8. ACCORDING TO JIM: Please, Mr. Belushi, go back to making those fine K9 films. Please realize how much the world -- at this time especially -- needs you to make another K9. And if that means an end to this sitcom, then at least we can comfort ourselves knowing the greater good has been served.

9. THE TONIGHT SHOW WITH JAY LENO: Leno, once upon a time, was a sharp, funny comic. Now his high-pitched cackles only punctuate how obvious, how desperate and how painfully unfunny he has become. But, hey, America loves him -- so maybe he's got the last laugh after all.

10. LAW & ORDER AND CSI SPINOFFS: It's perfectly understandable from a business perspective why you would keep cloning your hit drama again and again -- but that doesn't mean it's going to be any good, as L&O: Special Victims Unit and Criminal Intent prove. More unforgivable is CSI: Miami, which doesn't even bother to differentiate itself. And, really, why bother? It would be like changing the mayonnaise on a Big Mac.

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DamonVictor · 01-02-2003, 01:12 AM

What no Anna Nichol in the Worst TV, Now John don't tell me you like her, I adree with Baby Bob, That thing scared me

**fluff** · 01-02-2003, 06:41 AM

I am sure LG will concur with the authors opinion of Girl's Club.

***John*** · 01-02-2003, 09:19 AM

I'm guilty of liking Fastlane. And except for Buffy, 6FU, and Boomtown, I watch almost everything on the Top 10 almost all the time.

Eden · 01-02-2003, 10:26 AM

This guy just doesn't understand that The Bachelor is so bad that it's good. The worse it gets, the better it is! Isn't that what makes Reality TV so great?

LG. · 01-02-2003, 11:04 AM

I agree with most of the stuff on both lists, especially his number 1 choices of 24 as the best and Girls Club as the worst. Tripe is right, only it's an insult to tripe to be associated with Girls Club. The Bachelor is great at what it is, so this writer just isn't a fan of reality tv as he didn't even bother to mention any other reality tv shows. The writer just seems miffed that The Bachelor was a commercial success. Mind of the Married Man is terrible. I don't see how HBO can cancel Arli$$ and announce the final season of OZ and then keep that crap on the air.

LG. · 01-02-2003, 11:06 AM

oh, and where the hell is The Shield. That should definitely be in the top best shows. I'd take out David Letterman as he's very 1980s IMHO and hasn't done anything interesting in years. Yes, being rude to the reality tv show contestants the CBS forces you to have on your show is really clever after 3 years of the same schtick. :rolleyes

12-28-2002, 09:07 AM	#1
*John* The race is back! Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: On the mat Age: 39 Posts: 40,434	Best & Worst of 2002 TV From Kevin Williamson, of the Calgary Sun: THE BEST OF 2002 1. 24: Kiefer Sutherland had more than one ticking bomb to defuse as the second year of this crackling spy drama kicked off. Sure, there was the nuke set to detonate in Los Angeles, but, more importantly, there was the question of how last season's most riveting drama, which benefited so greatly from its daring real-time premise, could possibly be as good the second time around. Turns out, it's even better and yet, it would be wrong to dismiss 24 as merely a well-honed thriller. It's unafraid to take dramatic chances -- the most obvious example being the climactic murder of Sutherland's wife, which ended the first season on one helluva downer -- or let its actors breathe. Sutherland, for one, is a revelation -- the lost boy no more, and the unfolding dynamic between his character, Jack, and Sarah Clarke's murderous Nina has become one of this year's most spine-tingling pleasures. 2. THE SOPRANOS: The fourth season of this HBO-produced mafia drama, which just wrapped up for Canadian digital subscribers, had as many frustrated fans ready to fuggedaboutit as it had singing its praises. Admittedly, the year was a studied slow-burn of colliding subplots and red herrings, but patience more than paid off as creator David Chase unleashed the season's final string of explosive instalments, culminating in the wrenching separation of Tony (James Gandolfini) and Carmela (Edie Falco) and easily the season's highlight -- the shocking, down 'n' dirty confrontation between Tony and Ralphie (Joe Pantoliano) that ended with Ralphie's toupee-less head in a bowling bag. Best of all, the fifth and possibly final season kicks off in a mere 10 months. 3. ALIAS: Talk about a mission impossible. Each week creator J.J. Abrams deftly brings newcomers up to plot speed while continuing to unfurl an ever-expanding X-Files-esque mythology for the series' cultish following. But then that's only one of the feats of derring-do Abrams has managed to pull off as this spy serial ascends to new dramatic peaks. Most dauntingly, he made the potentially silly introduction of Sydney's evil spy mother genuinely gripping, thanks largely to actress Lena Olin. For all the espionage action, Alias is, now more than ever, a drama about the fallout of childhood and parental turmoil. Anchoring it all is breakout star Jennifer Garner who has, at this point, proven she can emote as well as any actress on TV -- while poured into a blue rubber dress. 4. BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER: Criminally underrated, this series rebounded from its darkest year by resurrecting not its star, but its sense of humour. That's no diss to the Buffster, whose fifth season concluded with Willow's dalliance with the dark side. Odds are this season will mark the end for Joss Whedon's spectacularly-entertaining fantasy -- if so, it's going out on a creative high. It also receives bonus points for having the best spinoff on television, Angel. That means you Law & Order and CSI. 5. THE OSBOURNES: Bloody 'ell! What can you write about The Osbournes that hasn't already been spat, cursed or mumbled? Ozzy, Sharon, Jack and Kelly have become instant pop culture sensations -- and deservedly so. This MTV reality series derives shameless glee from casting Ozzy as a marble-mouthed buffoon, but what distinguishes the clan from all the knockoffs and heirs to the reality throne sure to follow is the humanity behind the ghoulish dysfunction. 6. SIX FEET UNDER: Oscar-winner Alan Ball's HBO drama about two brothers running their family's funeral home is a guileless balance of pathos and black comedy. If the first season belonged to Michael C. Hall, the second was all Peter Krause's, brilliant as the brother forced to cope with his own mortality. 7. THE LATE SHOW WITH DAVID LETTERMAN: Anyone who hates Dr. Phil as much as Letterman makes it into my Top 10 list any day. Is there still any doubt who the reigning king of late night comedy is? 8. SCRUBS: Contrary to popular belief, the best comedy on Thursday nights isn't the slick workhorse known as Friends -- it's this sly, inventive medical comedy about interns. In the wrong hands, Scrubs could have been little more than ER with pratfalls. Fortunately, creator Bill Lawrence and his team of writers are just what the doctor ordered. 9. BOOMTOWN: If I could have avoided putting a former New Kid on the Block on this list, I would have. But Donnie Wahlberg has landed on one of the fall season's best new dramas -- and the only one so far that has a fighting chance at lasting into the latter half of 2003. Created by Canadian Graham Yost (Band of Brothers) it can be too slick for its own good, but with its Rashomon-style storytelling -- which sees each episode unfold from differing points of view -- and jigsaw structure that, only at the end, reveals the truth, it's a propulsive piece of pop entertainment, with deft characterizations and uniformly excellent performances. And yes, that means Wahlberg, too. 10. THE SIMPSONS: A classic that continues to endure. On one episode, a hillbilly, informed that Spy magazine no longer publishes, cries: "The world I grewed up in is gone." I'll feel the same way when this show comes to an end. THE WORST OF 2002 1. GIRLS CLUB: It had no dancing baby. Or sense of humour. Or appealing actors. But otherwise, it was exactly like Ally McBeal. Viewers smartly avoided this smarmy, toxic legal drama from producer David E. Kelly, leading to a speedy execution. Talk about swift justice. 2. BABY BOB: Shockingly bad, this CBS sitcom featured an infant who, thanks to special effects wizards out of work since the days of Mr. Ed, spouts off with the voice of a Teamster. The worse thing about it was seeing some really fine actors -- Adam Arkin, Elliot Gould -- slumming for a paycheque. 3. THE MIND OF A MARRIED MAN: Think HBO can do no wrong? Watch this lunkheaded, sleazy tripe. What makes it so unbearable is that the creators actually think they're producing something sophisticated -- you know, like everything else on the network. 4. THE BACHELOR: Even hit ratings can't scrub the slime off this reality series. Worse is the inevitable fallout: the upcoming spinoff The Bachelorette and Fox's clone, Joe Millionaire. And, oh yes, Bachelor 3. 5. PRESIDIO MED: Despite an impressive cast that included Dana Delaney and Blythe Danner, the producers managed to liposuction any trace of drama out of this comatose medical soap opera. 6. FASTLANE: A Miami Vice knockoff for the hip hop crowd about a pair of slick, tough cops who pout like they just got booted off American Idol. The laughably-miscast Tiffany Amber Thiessen plays their boss. 7. HIDDEN HILLS: Along with Good Morning, Miami and The In-Laws, this grating comedy about sex-obsessed suburbia demonstrates just how much trouble NBC is in once Friends finally calls it quits. 8. ACCORDING TO JIM: Please, Mr. Belushi, go back to making those fine K9 films. Please realize how much the world -- at this time especially -- needs you to make another K9. And if that means an end to this sitcom, then at least we can comfort ourselves knowing the greater good has been served. 9. THE TONIGHT SHOW WITH JAY LENO: Leno, once upon a time, was a sharp, funny comic. Now his high-pitched cackles only punctuate how obvious, how desperate and how painfully unfunny he has become. But, hey, America loves him -- so maybe he's got the last laugh after all. 10. LAW & ORDER AND CSI SPINOFFS: It's perfectly understandable from a business perspective why you would keep cloning your hit drama again and again -- but that doesn't mean it's going to be any good, as L&O: Special Victims Unit and Criminal Intent prove. More unforgivable is CSI: Miami, which doesn't even bother to differentiate itself. And, really, why bother? It would be like changing the mayonnaise on a Big Mac.

01-02-2003, 06:41 AM	#3
fluff Why can't we just rewind? Join Date: Sep 2002 Posts: 41,941	I am sure LG will concur with the authors opinion of Girl's Club. __________________ "That's Numberwang!"

01-02-2003, 11:04 AM	#6
LG. FORT Fogey Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: frozen tundra Posts: 13,834	I agree with most of the stuff on both lists, especially his number 1 choices of 24 as the best and Girls Club as the worst. Tripe is right, only it's an insult to tripe to be associated with Girls Club. The Bachelor is great at what it is, so this writer just isn't a fan of reality tv as he didn't even bother to mention any other reality tv shows. The writer just seems miffed that The Bachelor was a commercial success. Mind of the Married Man is terrible. I don't see how HBO can cancel Arli$$ and announce the final season of OZ and then keep that crap on the air. __________________ Signature line? We don't need no stinkin' signature line.

01-02-2003, 11:06 AM	#7
LG. FORT Fogey Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: frozen tundra Posts: 13,834	oh, and where the hell is The Shield. That should definitely be in the top best shows. I'd take out David Letterman as he's very 1980s IMHO and hasn't done anything interesting in years. Yes, being rude to the reality tv show contestants the CBS forces you to have on your show is really clever after 3 years of the same schtick. :rolleyes __________________ Signature line? We don't need no stinkin' signature line.

01-02-2003, 01:12 AM	#2
DamonVictor FORT Fan Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: In Happyland Age: 44 Posts: 282	What no Anna Nichol in the Worst TV, Now John don't tell me you like her, I adree with Baby Bob, That thing scared me

01-02-2003, 09:19 AM	#4
*John* The race is back! Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: On the mat Age: 39 Posts: 40,434	I'm guilty of liking Fastlane. And except for Buffy, 6FU, and Boomtown, I watch almost everything on the Top 10 almost all the time.

01-02-2003, 10:26 AM	#5
Eden Sleeping with George W Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Dallas Posts: 869	This guy just doesn't understand that The Bachelor is so bad that it's good. The worse it gets, the better it is! Isn't that what makes Reality TV so great?