What's Alan Watching?: Love-eight relationships

Tuesday, January 06, 2009

Love-eight relationships

I participated in TV Week's semi-annual critics poll, covering the second half of 2008, and the best and worst lists are now up.

21 comments:

Omagus said...: Alan,

Do you have a link to the poll from the first half of 2008?; 2:37 PM, January 06, 2009
Alan Sepinwall said...: Not off-hand, no.; 2:44 PM, January 06, 2009
Jesse said...: Interesting that "HIMYM" isn't in the top 10. Is that because this season has been up-and-down, or because not enough critics are watching it?; 2:49 PM, January 06, 2009
Hatfield said...: I was so ready to get all indignant on behalf of "The Wire" until I bothered to actually read a little. But "Dexter" was weak this year, and I'd move the other stuff up a bit, drop "True Blood" to 10th, and insert "Sons of Anarchy" into the 6-8 range.

Of course, that's just my opinion, I could be wrong...; 3:18 PM, January 06, 2009
Kel V Morris said...: I'm utterly baffled by the adoration for True Blood. What sort of hellish pit must Connecticut be for that show to qualify as "fun" for Mr. Caitlin? That's not just Wire sour grapes talking.; 4:11 PM, January 06, 2009
jengod said...: TRUE BLOOD IS NOT A GOOD SHOW.; 4:23 PM, January 06, 2009
jengod said...: P.S. Where do I send Ken Tucker his cookie for this? "'The second season was mighty pleased with itself, which accounts for its sometimes glacial pace,' kvetched Ken Tucker of Entertainment Weekly. 'You could almost hear creator Matthew Weiner muttering behind the camera, 'Wait, wait, are you sure that ashtray weighs 2.5 pounds? Because if it doesn't, I'm going to plunge it into the set designer's skull.' But in the end, and for all the ostentation of quoting from New York School poetry, this saga of empty suits filled our living rooms with vibrant life.' "; 4:24 PM, January 06, 2009
jcpdiesel21 said...: It baffles me that Kath & Kim, on the Worst list, has been given a full-season order. Ben Silverman truly does hate us.

Why does everyone think that season 4 of HIMYM has just been okay? I think it's been outstanding, and better than season 3 so far.; 4:35 PM, January 06, 2009
Anonymous said...: True Blood is excellent. Obviously not everyones cup of tea, but its well made and extremely well acted (minus paquin most of the time). The characters were all well developed by the end of the season and l can't wait to see where its all going.
I like SoA (im at ep 9 now), but im finding it pretty straightforward so far. I expect it to get better in the last few eps based on what ive heard though.
And the wire isnt on the list because it aired outside the time period under consideration.; 4:51 PM, January 06, 2009
Anonymous said...: It must be because i like Jay Mohr, but i think Gary Unmarried is actually a pretty funny standard sitcom. Good for a few really good laughs an episode and Mohr and the woman who plays his wife (and was good on Californication) play well off each other. I think it'd do well behind Two and a Half Men if they wanted to give it a shot there.

Only show i watch in the bottom ten though!; 5:12 PM, January 06, 2009
Toby O'B said...: I'm originally from Connecticut and I think the first season of 'True Blood' was a lot of fun as well.

Maybe it's something in the groundwater?

(As I watched the series, I kept thinking a vampire series should be set in some Connecticut suburb. Why does it have to be either big cities or Cajun country that vampires call home?); 6:29 PM, January 06, 2009
Anonymous said...: For those interested, here's the poll for the first half of the year.; 6:35 PM, January 06, 2009
Anonymous said...: TV Week should put the current lists into graphical chart format like the summer poll Andrew linked to. Shiny!

NBC's fall scripted lineup is even sadder when you compare it to last fall's: Chuck, Life, and Journeyman.*

*ok, and Bionic Woman. But still.; 6:57 PM, January 06, 2009
Pamela Jaye said...: Why does it have to be either big cities or Cajun country that vampires call home?

Sunnydale and Collinsport, Maine are in Cajun Country? (and L.A. I guess); 7:31 PM, January 06, 2009
Anonymous said...: I don't get why the critics hate Crusoe so much? I really like it, have watched every episode. (And I'm right up there on the Mad Men/Wire/etc bandwagon.) It's gorgeous, fun escapism. The tone, to me, is a lot like BBCA's Robin Hood. Light, fun, pretty, period style fantasy. Why all the hate?; 8:50 AM, January 07, 2009
Anonymous said...: True Blood is excellent. Obviously not everyones cup of tea, but its well made and extremely well acted (minus paquin most of the time).

The problem for me is, simply, Paquin. I can't stand to watch her weird grimaces and or listen to her awkward enunciation. (Not to mention her atrocious bleach job, but I would let that ride as a characterization.) I made it through 3 episodes and gave up, with some reluctance, because I really enjoyed the rest of the show. Any chance she'll come down with "mercury poisoning" and be replaced?

As for "According to Jim," I am still dumbfounded that it still exists. I've never met anyone who watched that show (and I don't think it falls into the guilty-pleasure-won't-admit-to-watching category, like "Two and a Half Men."); 9:47 AM, January 07, 2009
gina said...: I live in CT and I really liked True Blood. Huh, I think Kelly may be on to something here.; 10:43 AM, January 07, 2009
Anonymous said...: I haven't watched Crusoe yet, but Mr. Shara Says really likes it. I'll get around to it at some point.

I'm fine with both lists, except that I would have much rather seen Sons of Anarchy on the Best List over True Blood (or, really, over anything except Mad Men). It totally deserves to be on a Best List, and I have no idea why its not getting as much critical attention as it deserves. I didn't expect to like it as much as I did, so I put off getting into it until the season was almost over. But as soon as I watched the first couple episodes, I was absolutely hooked.; 1:29 PM, January 07, 2009
" Dallas " said...: I love True Blood - I met Charlaine Harris last night
i have some cool video and phots going up on my blog
http://lovingtruebloodindallas.blogspot.com/; 2:00 PM, January 07, 2009
Anonymous said...: For those looking for the lists in chart format, you can find that here: http://www.tvweek.com/critics-winter-2008/index.php; 9:44 PM, January 07, 2009
Anonymous said...: Cool! the Big Bang Theory is #11 on the best list. Good to see it is getting some love. This has become my favorite comedy.; 8:22 PM, January 09, 2009