We’re half-way through the year; time to stop and take stock of the TV year thus far. Read the full post.
Jul 3
2010
10:55 AM ET
Best TV of 2010: My mid-year Top 10 list
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There EW goes again annoying us with Glee
I’m not annoyed. And his critique was spot on from my point of view. Loved the first half, the second half was just … alright and gimmicky.
S2 will tell us if it’s a show which can live up to and beyond its concept.
I’d venture to put Parenthood on this list. Anyone who has brothers and sisters can relish the impressively acted and directed scenes where the siblings all talk over each other. Yet somehow, they still manage to communicate. Well done.
Although the premiere episode sagged, Treme turned around quickly for me. It’s an often meandering, sometimes heartbreaking or hilarious–but always genuine–show. I was clapping right along with the second line in the season finale.
I’d throw in LIFE UNEXPECTED and PARENTHOOD in the mix as well. Both were domestic dramas that as they went on I found myself more drawn into and compelled to watch eagerly every week. Great to see Peter Krause back on the air and Dax Shepherd is revelatory in his acting abilities.
Agreed! Both shows have given the dubious “family drama” classification some actual clout.
Your picks are good but predictable. One of the best shows this year is Cartoon Network’s hilarious & surreal animated series “Adventure Time.” This is something that has the potential to be a breakout hit… it’s like something you’d find on late-night Adult Swim, but with actual appeal to both kids and adults, not just stoned college students.
My 12-year-old really likes Adventure Time, but I just couldn’t get into it. She does this bizarre “science dance” because of that show.
Not having watched Breaking Bad I need to get on that, pronto. I adore FNL and used to love Glee. Thank you for describing both shows perfectly. It pains me to think Ryan Murphy has already begun to murder Glee’s potential a la Nip/Tuck. It’s pretty bad when I’m getting tired of Sue Sylvester….
Completely agree w/your Glee and Nip/Tuck parallel. I was an avid Nip/Tuck fan for about the first three or four seasons. Then it lost all of the fun that counter-balanced all the self-sabotaging, unlikable characters. Having recently re-watched all of Glee, it’s ASTOUNDING how much better the first half of the season is. I’m still pulling for it… hoping it doesn’t go the way of Macnamara/Troy
best late night talk show: Craig Ferguson
/sign
“Resonating emotionalism”?? So some sappy, “well they all died, eventually, but they met up together in heaven” ending is supposed to be a satisfying finish to a show? Sheesh, a small child could’ve come up with that crap.
Six years of crazy, seemingly sci-fi happenings and intriguing mysteries ends up meaning NOTHING in the end. Just a bunch of random crap that did make sense when taken as a whole. Magic glowy cave, a magical being who can only be explained as “just ‘cuz” manipulating everyone’s lives… What a waste, given how good that show was in the early seasons.
you have no idea what you are talking about.
He’s talking about the unbelievably crappy series ending of Lost – and he’s right.
No he’s not. Lost is the best show ever on TV. But I suppose shallow people will never understand the true essence of Lost.
So…you would have prefered an aliens were the reason for the all the Island’s weirdness explanation as opposed to it being the soul of the world where disconnected people finally connected so that eventually they could be a part of something more? (Btw, they never said they were going to Heaven, it was left deliberately vague) They made it pretty clear that the Man in Black was manipulating the men of science (Dharma and the like) to get to the center of the island and Jacob was picking people with nothing to lose and no one to leave behind to stop him. It was a show about the tug between science AND faith…if you don’t allow for both parts of the equation, and to the heavy foreshadowing on how the writers felt about the power of faith in the early seasons you liked so much, then you’ll probably never fully understand what they were getting at with the show and always be disappointed with the ending.
Bren, I agree with you %100! The LOST finale was amazing!!! And I for one am glad that the ending was not rooted completely in science. Season 5 was the science season, this season faith got it’s due and I’m so sick of all the sci-fi nerds complaining about that.
I thought the ending of Lost was fine. Not the worst or best finale but it concluded the series on the characters’ relationships which it has always been about. It helps that I never expected to get any answsers. Now Season 6 as a whole is what I had a problem. The whole Temple saga at the beginning was pointless, the back and forth traveling betwn places to appear like the plot was moving (it wasn’t) and the waste of characters like Sayid (should have died in season 6 premiere), Sun (where my husband?! omg!) and Widmore & science crew (were they really necessary?). If the season had been stronger than I think a lot more people would have been happier with the end.
LOST was not only one of the best shows of 2010, it was one of the best shows of all time. In my opinion, THE best of all time. Fantastic ending to an amazing show.
The Office! Just kidding. It sux now.
Great to see BOT on the list. Well deserved.
not in any order, but my top 10 this year so far would be:
modern family – the funniest show since friends
grey’s anatomy – i know people like to rag about this season, but it still had some fantastic episodes and i’d give it a spot here just for that haunting finale alone
LOST – a great, bittersweet end to an amazing show
vampire diaries – i rolled my eyes at yet another vampire thing in hollywood, but after seeing the good ratings and reviews, i decided to check it out and i’m glad i did.. it’s unpredictable and excellent
friday night lights – no cliches, no fake drama, no nonsense.. just great and inspiring storytelling with a heart
the good wife – flawless performances on a flawless show
private practice – this one goes under the radar a lot, but it’s quickly developed into an awesome show and the third season was the best with some really fantastic episodes in the second half
parenthood – very new, but is surprisingly funny, heartfelt, and very entertaining in every episode
glee – i wasn’t too crazy about this at the very beginning and it still has some very cheesy/odd moments, but it’s lots of silly fun, has cool songs, and can be very relevant when it wants to be
nurse jackie – edie falco is incredible and the sarcasm and wit in every episode of this show is hilarious
don’t watch breaking bad, fringe, supernatural, etc so can’t comment on them.
Do you actually watch all those TV shows? Get a life.
STFU. You are reading about TV shows and posting multiple times. Get the irony?
You insult strangers on a message board for fun. Pot. Kettle. Get the picture.
Some people are handicapped in their homes and television is a thing they can do without having to move. Please when making remakrs about having a life, think of others>
I’m not as compassionate as the above posters and will simply say: Paul is a d!ck.
I would totally add Parenthood to the list. And am I the only one who likes Community more than Modern Family? Maybe I relate to Community more because I’m a college student. And also, am I the only one who likes Caprica on SyFy? I think it is a brilliant show with a great cast.
I love Caprica. I think it just got better and better. Too bad the ratings are sucky. Anyone knows when it comes back on?
I believe September…but are the ratings really that bad…considering it is a Cable network?
I’ve only watched Modern Family a handful of times, and I’ve barely laughed. Maybe I just caught some off eps, but I found the jokes and characterizations predictable. Solid acting though. Maybe I just have to give the whole season a shot?
Community, on the other hand, consistently makes me crack up. Very high laughs-to-episode ratio.
“off eps” of Modern Family are still funnier than anything else on TV. You should definitely catch up with the season during summer reruns.
I adore Modern Family, however besides Better Off Ted (We miss you) Community is hands down my favorite comedy. I think I laugh the hardest during Modern Family yet I laugh more often during Community. And while Modern Family does have great writing, the writing on Community is a lot quicker and wittier which is my preference.
I have a hard time deciding which i enjoy more, Modern Family or Community. Luckily I don’t have to choose as they are on different days. However, Community’s “Modern Warfare” episode was the single greatest half hour of television this season.
BRING BACK Better off Ted!!!!!
Greys Anatomy was absolutely one of the best shows this season and the season finale was outstanding.
The Daily Show is a constant source of great t.v.
yep…Great show! Even in it’s weaker moments, it outways most of the others for quality of acting (sorry House!) and the ratings are solid. Even when they “plummet” they are at 14 million viewers per week!
Supernatural: the first 7 episodes and the final 4-5 were some of the best hours of television I’ve seen in years.
I also agree with Fringe: awesome this season!!!
Yeah, Supernatural Season 5 started good but it went downhill for me after episode 4.
Your list is sound. I would be remiss not to send Treme some much-needed love, though. An absolute gem that, unfortunately, might be too introspective for most viewers.