Top 10 shows that broke
the rules, kept us guessing
By Dave McCoy
MSN Entertainment
"Challenging television" used to be an oxymoron: Most shows were made for formula and comfort. Sure, you had your "All in the Family," your "Prisoner," your "Buffy the Vampire Slayer." But networks wanted viewers to feel familiar with the characters and plots beamed into their homes every week; the last thing they aimed for is stimulation. Why do you think soap operas have been so popular for so long?
However, the recent successes of cable -- starting with HBO and "The Sopranos" -- created a mini-revolution. The huge following of the morally ambiguous mob family showed that Americans were ready for something a bit more daring. And after FX, Bravo, Comedy Central and other cable networks found audiences for their original content, even the major networks have started to rethink their strategy.
So in honor of this trend, we list the top 10 shows that kept us engrossed in 2003. Did they rule the Nielsen ratings, among shows like "Friends," "Will & Grace" and "C.S.I."? Well, with one exception, no. But did they keep us guessing, break the rules and treat us like we had a brain? Without a doubt.
10. "24" (FOX)
Just when you think things can't get
any worse for agent Jack Bauer (Kiefer Sutherland), "24"'s creators go and make a
character who is already the most flawed, tortured soul on network TV into a
heroin junkie. Season three's single day will feature angry Mexican drug lords,
a deadly virus and (worst of all) the discovery that his annoying daughter is
sleeping with his Justin Timberlake look-a-like partner -- and Jack
already is screwed. The drug habit is just another example of how this
cliffhanger keeps you on your toes. Yes, the format, with all its improbable
twists, has maybe reached its breaking point in terms of plausibility. But it
still springs surprises that you never see coming (Jack going back undercover
with the Salazars?), it never lets you figure out who is on which side of the
law, and most importantly, it's got Sutherland, chewing up scenery (with the
DTs!) better than anyone.
9. "Alias" (ABC)
Creator J.J. Abrams isn't one to
play it safe, so last season he imploded two seasons' worth of plotlines by
destroying SD-6, the evil organization in which butt-kicking spy Sydney Bristow
(Jennifer Garner) was a double agent for the CIA. He
also finally gave fans the long-anticipated hook-up between Sydney and her hunky
"handler," Michael Vaughn (Michael Vartan). How to top that? How about have Syd
disappear for two years, only to return with no memory of where she's been? It
was a bold move that could have alienated viewers, and while some recent
episodes have been uneven, there have been enough inspired moments (e.g. casting
David Cronenberg as an eccentric, vegan scientist) to
keep us tuning in as Syd tries desperately to unravel her missing years while
dealing with the emotional implications of the new Mrs. Vaughn, the
no-longer-evil (or is he?) Arvin Sloane (the terrific Ron Rifkin), and the shadowy new uber-evil organization
the Covenant.
8. "Survivor: Pearl Islands" (CBS)
We know what you're
thinking: How can you call a seven-year-old reality show with a cut-and-dried
formula challenging? Well, apparently creator Mark Burnett also felt the show was getting stale,
because with this edition, he pulled some surprises. For example. he
brought back the first six booted castaways into a tribe called the Outcasts and
then let two lucky losers back in the game (one made it to the final two). But
the biggest jolt of energy came before the cameras even started rolling, in the
casting room. Two castaways alone made this show worth watching: the lovable,
physically powerful yet mentally fragile hippie Rupert, and Johnny Fairplay, the
diabolical scumbag whose lie about his grandmother's death had an entire nation
wanting to string him up by his bleach-blonde mop-top. Challenging? Yeah, the
challenge was not to throw something at your TV when Jon opened his mouth or
made it through another three days. That said, he was a blast to watch and,
along with Rupert, made "Pearl Islands" the most exciting, enjoyable edition of
"Survivor" since its debut.
7. "The Shield" (FX)
"The Shield" is a
gut-punch of a cop show. It's not pretty: There is tons of blood, intense
violence and language, and cases that investigate sick behavior that I can't
even discuss here. But it's real, and the second season maintained the
fever-pitch emotional level of the first impressively. In the center of it
all is Detective Vic Mackey (Michael Chiklis), who outside of Tony Soprano is the
most fascinating alpha-male on television. Mackey is a complete opportunist. He
does have a decent, moral side that occasionally surfaces, but he'll manipulate
anyone -- including his wife and partners -- to get what he wants. Watching
"The Shield" puts viewers in a strange position of pulling for a protagonist who
is in fact a complete anti-hero. How refreshing it is to see the kind of
tortured character from, say, '70s American cinema make his way to the small
screen. We're counting down his return for season three.
6. "Curb Your Enthusiasm" (HBO)
The best thing about
"Seinfeld" was that it understood the anger and meanness that lurks beneath the
best humor. The best thing about "Curb Your Enthusiasm" -- created by and
starring Larry David, the man behind "Seinfeld" -- is
it's even angrier and waaaay meaner. Working on HBO has allowed David's
twisted psyche to run free. Season 3 -- which featured Larry and friends trying
to open a restaurant -- was the finest by far. We're witnessing a comedy in
its peak as Season 4 is set to start in January 2004. The humor is candid,
blistering and downright uncomfortable (the episode, "The Special Section,"
where Larry's mother dies while he's away on business, and his father neglects
to tell him is jaw-dropping genius). Plus, its meticulous examination and
send-up of trivial day-to-day events, ones that always lead to Larry's own
personal hell, build beautifully in each episode.
5. "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy" (Bravo)
Ah, the Fab
Five. How do we thank thee? Let me count the ways: First, you probably have done
more for mainstreaming homosexuality than any pop-culture icon ever (when did
you think you'd ever see five gay men giving a Marine a make-over on American
television? Exactly.) Second, you boys are friggin' hilarious. Carson and Ted
are sharp and quick enough that you wonder if they were doing stand-up before
re-doing New York. Third, there's a heart beating beneath the grooming tips and
humor of your show. Watch the toupee episode, folks, and if it doesn't make you
tear up when that schmuck finally shows his bald head to his kids for the first
time ever, check your chest. And four... well, this straight guy finally knows
how to shave properly and hell, I'm even moisturizing. Who says television isn't
educational?
4. "The O.C." (FOX)
Easily the most fun and
entertaining new show of the year is the same one I mocked when I first saw the
ads during the World Series. Not another "Melrose Place"/"90210"-esque
examination of the rich and brainless, I thought. Well, actually, nope, it's not
that at all. "The O.C." has writers who actually know how to write!
Characters are three-dimensional and the show had you loving them by the second
episode. And unlike those soap operas that took themselves SO seriously, "The
O.C." knows its genre and lovingly, with tongue firmly in cheek, adores mocking
itself and its characters. Though labeled as a teen drama, there are more laughs
to be found in this show than 90 percent of so-called sitcoms. The majority of
those laughs come from patriarch, Sandy Cohen, played by Peter Gallagher in a role that finally showcases his
talents, or his wise-ass, quick-witted son, Seth (the irreverent Adam Brody). This is a show that respects its
audience's intelligence, and in return we'll follow it anywhere.
3. "Angel" (WB)
To be honest, the last
several seasons of Joss Whedon's brooding
vampire-with-a-soul-kicking-demon-ass-in-Los Angeles show were stronger,
smarter, more inspired than the final seasons of "Buffy." With "Buffy" retired,
its spin-off can finally get the respect it's been deserving for the past four
years. A lot went down for Angel and his crew in 2003, and in typical tradition,
most of it was very, very dark, as the show required a lot from its audience.
Angel had and then lost a son. He fell in love with Cordilia, only to have her
fall into a coma (and off the show). His crew battled and defeated a god-like
demon that felt like a pointed (and very daring) metaphor for the religious
right. And finally they took over a corporate law firm that may or may not be
corrupting them. Oh, yeah, and Spike (James Marsters) from "Buffy" joined the show, sending
the humor quotient even higher. As long as the execs at the WB keep giving this
show air time, Whedon and company will continue to turn out the smartest drama
on network TV.
2. "The Wire" (HBO)
The best show
on HBO wasn't "Six Feet Under" or "Sex in the City" in 2003; it was the second
season of the crime drama "The Wire." It doesn't get the ink -- or the ratings
-- of "The Sopranos," but creator David Simon's detailed, complex character
tapestry might just be as good. You could call "The Wire" a cop show, but you'd
only be half right. It does examine law enforcement in Baltimore. However, the
show spends as much time on those the cops are going after as it does on the
boys in blue ... and often you can't tell which side is morally correct. What
also makes it fascinating and different is that while many cop shows follow one
story a week, "The Wire" takes 12 weeks to investigate one story. Season one
examined the drug war and its effect on the streets of the city. With season
two, the action shifted to the waterfronts and focused on smuggling. The real
theme of the season was the decline of the working class in American cities, and
how it's forcing legitimate business men to turn to crime. If that sounds too
heady and a bit dull, it's not. The show juggles about 20 characters and those
interactions between people are the backbone of the show. It's a crushing,
touching tragedy that's methodical in pace and lethal in execution.
1. "The Office" (BBC America)
It's doubtful there has
ever been a more excruciating television sitcom than the English import "The
Office." Set among the ringing phones, droning copy machines and awkward
silences of a paper company in Slough, the mock-documentary nails what it's like
to suffer through corporate Hell. In this case, Satan is one David Brent
(wincingly played by co-creator Ricky Gervais), an offensive, cowardly clown of a boss,
who's under the delusion that every miserable, bored employee in the office
adores him. Other than his creepy, ex-military right hand man, Gareth (the
brilliant Mackenzie Crook), no one does. Like most offices, not
much "happens" in term of plot in "The Office." There is a casual
flirtation/possible budding romance, the threat of downsizing, and David,
embarrassing himself at every turn (playing the guitar and singing during a
motivational meeting; trying to beat his boss in an impromptu dance
contest). The show is so painful that you often watch episodes through your
fingers, like a horror film. It is the type of comedy that makes you cry, not
only because it's hysterical (which it is) but because it's so damn sad and
pathetic ... and real. It's no surprise it's become such a sensation over here
in the States.
Honorable Mentions:
"Arrested Development" (FOX)
"Da
Ali G Show" (HBO)
"Aqua Teen Hunger Force" (Cartoon Network)
"The Bernie
Mac Show" (FOX)
"Dinner for Five" (Independent Film Channel)
"K Street"
(HBO)
League of Its Own:
"The Daily Show with Jon Stewart"
(Comedy Central)
Gone But Not Forgotten:
"Lucky" (FX)
"Playmakers"
(ESPN)
"Firefly" (FOX)
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