Subject The Best Shows On TV
Intro I never used to be a big TV watcher, at least not since the 70’s. Most of the stuff that came out after that I found to be junk. But the last few years there have really been some incredible shows to hit the tube, some of them maybe the best shows ever to be on TV. I am going to give you my top 5 and the reasons. I am hoping this review will make you want to watch these gems if you already don’t. In reverse order:
5) Buffy The Vampire Slayer - Tuesdays UPN 9 @ 8:00 PM This one may surprise you. In it’s early years this show was pretty stupid. But with many changes this show has become one I am going to miss when Sara Michelle Gellar leaves at the end of this season. The show has gotten very serious and yet at the same time has a great sense of humor. Gellar carries the show but the supporting cast is great, all the way from her sister Dawn to her friends Willow and Xander. Spike the vampire is a character that as bad as he is you can’t help but love him and feel sorry for him all the time while hating the things he does. If you’ve missed a lot of the history of this gripping, thrilling show you may not be able to get into it at this late date which is sad, as this has emerged as one of the finest hours on TV today.
4) Smallville - Tuesdays WB 11 @ 9:00 PM This is the story of Superman as a teenager. It isn’t what you’d expect. Clark is played flawlessly by Tom Welling. The role of Lex Luther is also played flawlessly by Michael Rosenbaum. The friendship of these two during the early years literally makes you hate the fact that someday Superman and Lex Luther become enemies. This show is warm and tender and you’ll end up spending a lot of nights leaving the set in tears. The relationship between Clark and Lana is also priceless as you can see how they feel about each other, yet because of Clark’s secret nothing can never come of it. This show is just a plain joy to watch. Oh yeah it has plenty of action too and at times gets really strange with all the ’’meteor people’’ walking around Smallville, but the whole package makes this one of the most unique shows on TV today.
3) Boston Public - Mondays Fox @ 9:00 PM I’ll admit this show isn’t as good as when it first came on but it is still one of the most unpredictable shows on TV. The premise is a public high school in Boston. I hope to God none of you ever went to a school like this but if you have and lived to tell about it you’re very lucky. The cast is incredible, all the way from the principal down to every last teacher. I can’t review everyone cause it will take way too much time. This show has to be seen to be believed. They cover every topic from teen pregnancy to suicide. To give you an idea how crazy this show gets in one episode a teacher shot off a gun in class. You absolutely must watch this one.
2) Alias - Sundays Channel 7 @ 9:00 PM This show and number 1 are almost a dead heat. This show will always keep you guessing. The premise is Sydney Bristow is a double agent for the CIA and SD-6. CIA is the good guys and SD-6 is the bad guys. I hate to tell you this but in it’s third season you’ve already missed a lifetime of amazing stories. You’ll have to watch it in reruns on FX or something to catch up. In the meantime Sydney Bristow, played incredibly by Jennifer Garner, is as multi dimensional as they come. She can be sexy, sweet, angry, vulnerable and every emotion you can think of all within the span of 5 minutes. Her father Jack Bristow, played by Victor Garber, is perfectly cast. The relationship between Sidney and Jack is dysfunctional yet loving. Ron Rafkin who plays Arvin Sloan, the leader of SD-6 is as evil as they come, yet when we see how much he really loves his wife (even going as far as faking her death to protect her) we see a side of him that you’d never suspect. Every episode ends with one shock after another. You are never not left in suspense. All I can say is, this show is a MUST SEE. You’ll be very glad you did.
1) 24 - Tuesdays Fox @ 9:00 PM Well, let’s see, where to begin. Okay the premise is the events happen in real time. Each episode is one hour of a day. This season? Jack Bauer (the main character and agent of CTU played by Keifer Southerland) has 24 hours to find a nuclear bomb planted somewhere in Los Angeles before it is detonated and millions of people are killed. The suspense in this show is almost numbing. You will be glued to your seat every second as the action is non stop. There has never been a show like this before and I doubt there will ever be another one like it again. The President of the United States David Palmer, played by Dennis Haysbert, is probably the strongest portrayed President in the history of US TV, no offense to West Wings President Bartlett. The rest of the cast is fine but Southerland and Haysbert steal the show. If you have a weak heart this is not a show to watch. I could actually feel my blood pressure rise during many episodes. The tension is beyond anything you will ever experience anywhere else. Trust me on this.
Summary It is impossible to do an in depth review on 5 shows in one review. But I hope that the little I’ve told you will at least make you want to check these gems out. Like I said, I’m not a big TV fan, but these are 5 shows that I will not miss even if I have to video tape them. I will truly miss these shows when the day comes that they are no longer on. They are all one of a kind. Oh and of course check your local listings for the day and time when these shows are on near you.