Wednesday 1 May 2013

My Top 10 TV Shows of all time.

Top 10 lists are always interesting and I thought I would do another one for TV shows, so here they are my Top 10 list with reasons for each.

10. Battlestar Galactica (New Version)

SET in a distant star system where the remnants of humanity are fleeing the Cylon machine enemies they once created, Battlestar Galactica proved to be a remarkably accurate take on the first decade of the 21st century (9/11, suicide bombers, military justice). This was science fiction as contemporary commentary, and any doubts about a remake of a hokey old space opera were banished within a handful of gripping episodes.

The show dug deep into matters of faith and spirituality and it gave audiences the unfolding drama of people losing their humanity and machines discovering theirs, a saga matched by impressive digital effects and lived-in performances.

9. Burn Notice

Another show about a CIA agent, this time his agency has turned against him and set up his death so he flees the country and hides in the city of Miami. He wants to get back in, but to do so he must work cases for people and help them out until he can reconnect with the agency. It is eventually very obvious that there are many corrupt people higher up and there is little chance he is ever going to make it back in so now he must do everything in his power to get back at the people responsible while protecting his friends and family.

8. Game of Thrones

Now I know this show has very high ratings and has been claimed to be the best show on TV, whether the critics are right about this show I don't know, but it is definitely the best fantasy show ever to be on Television. I was reluctant to put it in my top 10 for a few reasons, including the fact that there is a lot of content in this show I am not entirely interested in and find sometimes the scene drag on a bit, and if you live in Australia you get censored version with many scenes cut before airing on Cable. But to its credit it has some really great story development, characters I have a high appreciation for their level of detail in their set pieces and costuming. Plus, it has dragon people, any show with dragons gets an instant +1 for me.

7. Better Off Ted

If you haven't seen this show before there is probably a few reasons for it and one of the big ones is it only got to two seasons and then was sadly cancelled due to poor ratings. Now this show is one that I put on the list because it dared to be different, it took risks and wasn't afraid to take Comedy to extremes others shows wouldn't risk. From episodes about sensors that wouldn't pick up anyone without white skin to episodes where employees were encouraged to slam other employees because it increased productivity it was a hilarious and weird mix of everything you would never expect to see on TV. One of the reasons it was such a great show, plus every episode featured a small advertisement about the company Veridian Dynamics which was pretty much if Aperture Science was a real company. You never really knew where the show was going next and usually that was what made it so fun and interesting to watch. Sadly though I feel this show ended up getting the axe due to the fact that The Office which is a very popular show had a very similar concept and had a larger audience. I think this is the sort of show that would be great to see return in the form of half-hour web episodes and could have real traction on the internet where we aren't governed by society's norms or TV network giants who cut shows because they are hitting the ratings they want. Oh and check out one of the Veridian Dynamics videos below to see for yourself the sort of humor involved in the show.

6. Person of Interest

An interesting concept that takes the movie Eagle's Eye, computer is watch you to an all new level. The main character is an ex-CIA agent who becomes homeless after quitting his job and no longer has any purpose for his job when a man asks him to do a job for him. He hesitates at first but eventually chooses to complete the mission and now the machine gives him and his partner social security numbers of people who are in trouble or people who are trouble. It is good to see the way the show progresses and the characters learning to become more careful as enemies take advantage of the machine and use it against them. This show may not be the most original out there but stands out from the crowd in a current climate of cheap reality TV shows and embarrassing drama shows like Glee, Grey's Anatomy and shows like 2 Broke Girls.

5. White Collar

This is a show I stumble across in the $20 section of K-Mart one day and I saw that the main character was also in the TV show Chuck so I thought I would check it out for myself. Ever since I have got my whole family hooked on the show which a very rare occurance due to our very different tastes in entertainment and show. I think it hits all the right spots with a stellar cast, interesting plot developments that have you constantly guessing what will happen next and great references to cult classics like Star Trek interspersed in the episodes. My only complaint with this show is some of the minor characters sometimes have such an interesting back story it is hard to not get distracted and wish there wasn't a spin off show just about them.

4. Continuum

The series centers on the conflict between a police officer and a group of rebels from the year 2077 who time-travel to Vancouver, BC, mistakenly in 2012. Despite being many years early, the rebel group decides to continue its violent campaign to stop businesses of the future from replacing governments with their own rules. The only thing they didn't count on was that a City Protective Services (CPS) law enforcement officer Kiera Cameron (Rachel Nichols) would end up inside the time travel field too and is involuntarily transported with them into the past. Joining with Detective Carlos Fonnegra (Victor Webster) and the Vancouver Police Department, and enlisting the help of a teen computer genius Alec Sadler (Erik Knudsen), Kiera works to track down and thwart Edouard Kagame (Tony Amendola) and his followers in the present day while concealing her identity as a time-traveler from the future. Kagame and the members of Liber8 plot to alter the past to avert the rise of what they see as a dictatorial and Orwellian corporate regime to be stopped at all costs. Meanwhile, Kiera learns that Alec is none other than the inventor and master businessman who will rise to become the head of Sadtech, one of the mega-corporations that dominate the world in 2077. Fighting to return home to her family, Kiera finds that her presence in 2012, and that of the members of Liber8, may be no accident at all. Though this show is only one season in I am already hooked and it looks promising now one episode into the second season. I can't wait to see where this show goes from here and I look forward to seeing how long she can keep the fact that she is from the future a secret before it starts endangering the lives of too many people to not tell the truth.

3. Stargate SG1


A great Sci Fi show that pits a cast including Richard Dean as Jack O'neill , Amanda Tapping as Samantha Carter, Michael Shanks as Daniel Jackson, Christopher Judge as Teal'c, This show is probably one of the best Sci Fi shows to grace TV in a long time with its solid cast, interesting plots and great pacing. There is the right amount of action, drama, time travel, clones, robots and other Sci Fi elements plus for their celebratory episodes they know how to make fun of their own show with a spoof knock-off version on TV, them as puppets and other crazy stunts that are just there for the laughs and loyal fans. I chose this over Atlantis and Universe because Atlantis was pretty good but a bit too much been there done that, go here and stop the replicators and go there and stop the Wraith. As for Universe, they only got two seasons in with season 1 full of an unlikable crew and really only introducing an enemy in season 2 which was too late to bring them back and with MGM going bankrupt at the time they cancelled the show never to give it a proper conclusion.

2. Eureka

I am a huge fan of Sci Fi shows including but not limited to Battlestar Galactica, Stargate SG1, Atlantis and Universe, and a show I have recently caught onto called Continuum. There is something about the way Sci Fi shows get the nerd in me so excited and every time I see a time travel storyline I can't help but wonder how many possible ways that could affect the future and the butterfly effect of the character's actions. So it gives me great pleasure to say that at no. 2 on my list comes Eureka, a show that can be watched by both die hard Sci Fi fanatics and people who just want a break from Sit Coms and Dramas.

1. Chuck

Chuck is my favorite TV show for a variety of reasons, one being that Zachary Levi is possibly one of the funniest and funniest actors I have ever seen on TV and he is even a gamer. The cast for this show is just such an amazing selection including Yvonne Strahosvki who plays Sarah the super secret CIA agent and Chuck's girlfriend, Adam Baldwin as John Casey the angry NSA agent, Joshua Gomez as Chuck's best friend and all around nerd, Ryan McParlin as Awesome who is Ellie's Partner and extremely funny in his role and of cours Zachary Levi as Chuck. This show also resonates with me because I feel like Chuck is me in another dimension.

Let me know your personal favorites in the comments below.

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