13. Dexter:
Sure, it wasn’t as good as last year’s Trinity Killer bloodbath, but watching Dex deal with the aftermath of Rita’s death was, in some ways, much more riveting than watching him stalk a fellow killer based on some sort of perverse adulation. This year, Dexter tested his own limits of humanity, teaming up with a victim with a taste for vengeance (and falling in love in the process) to take down her tormentors. Most interesting, however, is how teeteringly close to being found out by his sister, Deb—who is actually less and less annoying by the day — he was. All in all, a pretty solid year.
14. Work of Art: The Next Great Artist
It’s the only reality show on the list, and that means that it’s an exceptionally good addition to the format. Don’t get me wrong — my DVR is filled with everything from the likes of Real Housewives to Survivor, but Work of Art had an element of authenticity (not to mention a heaping dose of credibility) that most reality shows don’t. Based on the Project Runway format, Bravo’s little-show-that-could managed to do what previously had seemed impossible (turning the haughtiest of premises — a showdown between ephemeral artistes judged by a panel of elitist art critics — into riveting reality television). Hell, I’d pit this show against The Amazing Race any day in the pure entertainment category. And after baiting the audience with an hour of truly fun viewing, we learned a thing or two as well. Hidden medicine never tasted so good.
15. Huge:
May I just start by saying that the fact that Huge was canceled after just one season — even though it got solid cable ratings, even though it was a critical darling, even though its cast and crew, according to all reports, got along swimmingly — is reflective of the sad state of modern entertainment. When I heard that there was going to be a show on ABC Family about kids at fat camp, I readied myself for some saccharine, “beauty-comes-from-within” bullshit lesson every week. But the actual finished product was so much more than that. Sure, the kids at the camp dealt with their weight issues on a daily basis, and why shouldn’t they? The emotional treasure trove that creator Winnie Holzmann (of My So-Called Life fame!) had to mine from would have been stupid to gloss over, not to mention the timely nature of the subject matter — childhood obesity is an epidemic that is literally killing our future. And yes, those story lines were good. But the fact that the writers fleshed out (no pun intended) these kids with more than just stereotypical labels (the popular girl has to take care of her infantile mother, her No. 2 is hiding a no-so-popular past — not to mention a secret twin brother and scorned ex-best friend, and the lead of the show is the least-likeable person!) Huge, I will miss you. I think that maybe a lot of kids needed you, and that's just too bad.
No comments:
Post a Comment