I didn't watch any of those.
Laurie --- Angela <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > For the record, my favorite of all these is on the > honorable mention list. I > love Dinner for Five > > > 2003's Most Daring TV > 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 > === message truncated === > ATTACHMENT part 1.2 image/jpeg name=24_sutherland2_75x75.jpg > ATTACHMENT part 1.3 image/jpeg name=jgarner_alias_75x75.jpg > ATTACHMENT part 1.4 image/jpeg name=mchiklis_shield_75x75.jpg > ATTACHMENT part 1.5 image/jpeg name=adambrody_theoc_75x75.jpg > ATTACHMENT part 1.6 image/jpeg name=angel1_75x75.jpg > ATTACHMENT part 1.7 image/jpeg name=thewire_75x75.jpg > _______________________________________________ > Sndbox mailing list > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > http://a8.mewebdns-a8.com/mailman/listinfo/sndbox_sandboxmail.net > ===== Can miles truly separate you from friends... If you want to be with someone you love, aren't you already there? ~Richard Bach~ __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Protect your identity with Yahoo! 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