Published: December 18, 2008 10:08 am      

TELEVISION: The best of 2008

By Phil Dzikiy



Only one new show on my list? Blame the writer’s strike, blame a lack of decent new ideas, blame anything, but most of the best shows on television have been so for at least a season or two.

1. “South Park” (Comedy Central)

It’s still crude and shocking to some. But it’s also unpredictable, satirical and completely inspired. During the past three or four years (at least), it’s been the best show on television. No show makes me laugh as loudly and as often.

It was another year of greatness for “South Park” in season 12. Though the show may not have hit the heights of “Imaginationland” from last season, there were still some instant classics, including “Tonsil Trouble,” in which Cartman gives Kyle AIDS, and “Over Logging,” which just about says it all regarding the Internet.

2. “Dexter” (Showtime)

The show’s formula shouldn’t hold up at this point, but “Dexter” is as addictive as ever this season.

Dexter, still up to his serial killing ways, is an anti-hero at best, and more of the “anti” when it comes to the way he sometimes treats his sweet fianceé, Rita. But it’s hard to hate Michael C. Hall, who is so great in the title role.

Most of the time, “Dexter” is the most satisfying show on television. When Dexter encounters a strange man talking to Rita’s young daughter, he gets suspicious, as is his nature. He writes down the man’s license plate number and uses the police database to track the guy down (he, of course, turns out to be a sex offender). After he spots the same guy taking pictures of Rita’s daughter at the beach, well, the strange man doesn’t have much time to live.

Dark and relentless, but satisfying.

3. “Pushing Daisies” (ABC)

You have very little time, if any, to catch new episodes of this show, as it’s going off the air. But while it was around, it was one of the most creative, delightful shows on television. The yang to “Dexter’s” yin, it was cheery, romantic and clever. It deserved a bigger audience. At least rent the DVDs.

4. “The Life and Times of Tim” (HBO)

The only new show on my list, “The Life and Times of Tim” is like a more profane, twisted version of CBS’ “Worst Week,” this animated HBO show finds Tim in terrible situations over and over and over again. It hasn’t gotten old after one season.

Tim doesn’t get beaten down by his bad luck. He takes it all in stride, which is why he often finds him in unenviable — and hilarious — situations.

5. “The Office” (NBC)

It hasn’t slowed down much, has it? The original UK version of “The Office” ran for only 12 episodes, so it’s hard to believe the American version is well into its fifth season and has still managed to mine inspired zaniness out of the office environment.

But the true reasons people love this show are the fully realized characters, which includes the role players. We know them all.

6. “Top Chef” (Bravo)

Just as addictive as ever. Other long-running reality shows run out of steam once the formulas become too familiar. The thing about “Top Chef” is, the food’s always changing.

Not only that, but competition on this show doesn’t rely on alliances. To stay on “Top Chef,” you need to have skills.

7. “30 Rock” (NBC)

I don’t watch this show as often as I should, but I’ve vowed to change all that because this is one of the funniest shows on television. The cast is great, and so is the writing. There’s a reason Tina Fey gets so much hype. She deserves it.

8. (tie) “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart” and “The Colbert Report” (Comedy Central)

I take these shows for granted. Two great, timely, satirical laugh riots back-to-back and stronger than ever. Watching once every few weeks just isn’t enough.

10. “The Amazing Race” (CBS)

The novelty has worn off. But, as always, who doesn’t love watching people suffering breakdowns when confronted with odd, taxing challenges in strange lands? That’s entertainment!



By Paul Lane



TV viewers may have had to do without much quality new programming this year, but some old favorites continued to churn out top-notch entertainment.

1. “Law & Order: SVU” (NBC)

Some viewers may think the “Law & Order” franchises is aging, but those people probably stopped watching five years ago.

The 2007-08 season ended with veteran Detective Benson nearly being raped, and this season has started with her dealing with that trauma. This 10th season has also seen the spotlight refreshingly get turned back on the cast a bit, as several episodes saw the crime solved early on and more time than usual devoted to the officers’ plights. That, combined with still-stellar cases and an increasingly dark bent, makes this season perhaps the best the series has seen.

2. “South Park” (Comedy Central)

Just about the only show that gets smarter with age, the boys over at “South Park” poked fun during season 12 at the Hollywood writers (“Canada on Strike”), modern reliance on technology (“Over Logging,” an excellent parody based on “The Grapes of Wrath”) and pop culture (“Elementary School Musical” and “The Ungroundable,” which mocks the “Twilight” vampire fad). If you seek a realistic reflection of what’s going on in the world, search no further than “South Park.”

3. “Prison Break” (Fox)

How does a show about men escaping from prison survive into a fourth season?

By morphing into a gripping seek-and-destroy drama that sees the escaped convicts work at the whims of others in an attempt to stay free.

Buzz is spreading that this season will be the last for the series, but kudos for the writing team for making what should have been a one-shot deal so compelling for so long. Sure, it’s probably ludicrous that they escaped, ran, got incarcerated elsewhere and escaped again, but, I mean, it’s SO MUCH fun. And Michael Scofield has to be one of the two smartest characters on television.

4. “The Mentalist” (CBS)

One of two new series on this list, “The Mentalist” features the other smartest character on television.

Patrick Jane is a former celebrity mentalist who uses his observational skills to help a fictional police force solve crimes. By seeing what no one else does, he often puts the pieces together quite quickly, sometimes irking his co-workers in the process.

The series’ set-up may get old fast (he does something against regulations, his boss gets mad, he does some wacky trick or maneuver and the crime is solved), but for now this series outshines many of the police procedurals that preceded it.

5. “Robot Chicken” (Adult Swim)

This stop-animation series, which airs on the channel that shares space with the Cartoon Network, solidifies the status of creators Seth Green and Matthew Senreich as geniuses.

The show gets much of its humor by putting pop culture icons into off-beat settings (Nintendo’s Mario and Luigi, for example, driving through Vice City from the “Grand Theft Auto” game series, or the “Saved by the Bell” kids getting locked up in the dungeon from “Saw”).

Add to that frequent guest stars (most of the “Bell” cast reprised their roles, including Dennis Haskins as principal Belding) and you have 15 minutes of non-stop hilarity.

6. “24” (Fox)

The writers strike prevented fans of this show from seeing it in 2008, but the recently aired “24: Redemption” special indicated that the series will be back to greatness next month.

There’s outstanding action on this show, and the real-time format creates pretty intense drama. Plus, Jack Bauer is the role Kiefer Sutherland was born to play.

7. “Cities of the Underworld” (The History Channel)

This hardly-seen documentary series uncovers for viewers many of the world’s best-kept secrets — from the dens in Portland, Ore., where men were drugged to sell into slavery in Asia, to the underground cave in the Middle East that was Jesus’ birthplace.

Not only do you gain access to place you otherwise never would, but the topics are almost universally of great interest (it’s impossible not to be fascinated with what lies below Las Vegas). True, it’s history, but it’s interesting. Trust me.

8. “House” (Fox)

While not quite as sharp as in previous seasons, hearing some of the things that come out of House’s mouth are captivating even on the rare occasion where the medical case they’re trying to crack is not.

The show suffers a bit from a greatly expanded cast, but as long as you have Hugh Laurie in charge, everything else will be OK. And even though the cast is large, every person in it does an exceptional job in their role.

9. “Shatner’s Raw Nerve” (Biography)

This show just debuted, but it already might be the best talk show on television.

William Shatner spend 30 minutes on this show relaxed on a couch, speaking one-on-one in a candid interview with a chosen celebrity. They touch upon topics you’ll never hear on the network shows (Jimmy Kimmel, for example, discussing his divorce and the effect of that on his children), and Shatner’s laid-back, familiar approach is fantastic.

10. “The Simpsons” (Fox)

This show will probably never match its peak of seasons 4-7, but its 20th season has proven to be a bit of a rebound from some less stellar recent efforts.

If Homer working as a bounty hunter isn’t enough, 2008 has seen Marge work at an erotic bakery, Bart apprehend Denis Leary’s cell phone and Springfield fall under control of the Transformers. Not quite great, but pretty darn good.