My mini-reviews for my own favorites: (by the way: this is an insanely long post and I cannot believe I am getting away with it. :) ) Show (alphabetically) TV.com Average/ My rank 1 Ally McBeal 8.32 9.0 This is probably the only show I ever watched from Pilot to Finale, and I am still wondering when the damn DVDs will be in stores. Hour-long comedy/Dramas are rare, but Ally McBeal was exceptional. The characters were enduring and lovable (who cannot remember a random "Fishism"), and it was wonderfully written. I was sad to see it go off the air, because it still had loads of potential, but I suppose that is the way of life... 2 Bewitched 8.74 9.2 A whimsical sitcom from the 60s that has mesmerized audience for more than five decades, Bewitched is "non-stop family fun" from beginning to end. As a small child watching this show on Nick at Nite, I would try to twitch my own (sadly never succeeding) and laugh as Aunt Clara bumbled something again or Mrs. Kravitz would scream for Abner to see what she just saw. Of course, the "old Darin" was better than the new one and the black and white episodes were far better than those colored, but Bewitched was the type of comedy that just transcends generations. 3 Daria 8.85 9.5 Back when MTV used to show music videos (if only for an hour at a time), Daria was the epitome of an American high school. The characters' personalities were ridiculously exaggerated, but only to the point where viewers could actually relate to everyone on some level. Besides, who did not have a few "Quinn-ish" or "Kevin-esque" friends? Every once in a while, I would find myself slightly annoyed by the main character's need to always be outside the mainstream, I cannot help watching and re-watching my own pirated (because MTV will not put out the DVDs) collection. 4 E L Raymond 8.55 9.1 Everybody Loves Raymond is slightly reminiscent of the Miller-Boyett family shows of the 90s in that it is a family-oriented sitcom. However, unlike the sitcoms of the 90s, Raymond delivers hilarity that never gets old and does this without sanctimonious endings. Every character, set in his or her own ways, is just as crazy as anyone else and I love laughing at everything Robert does. 5 Family Matters 8.61 9.5 I often say that my own personality has been forever shaped (or warped, whichever...) by The X-Files and Law & Order, but Urkel will always hold a special place in my heart. The show never failed to be funny to me, even in its latter years. I remember crying when watching Stefan Urquelle proposed to Laura in Disney World, of all places. Ah, childhood. Urkel was hilarious and while I always thought I would get tired of hearing Jaleel White say "Did I Do That?" it has yet to happen. 6 Frasier 8.86 9.1 While Cheers was certainly before my time, Frasier became a favorite of my adolescence, initially because it was the type of show none of my other "teenie-bopper" friends would watch. It delivered a sort of sophistication that would have driven away anyone could not relate to the ways of the refined, upper-middle class, but it kept me watching week after week. It lost some of its dazzle when Niles and Daphne got together, but was well within its element, even in its last episodes. 7 Get Smart 8.85 9.5 One of my favorite childhood memories was watching Nick at Nite's "Block-Party Summer" where they would three or four hour chunks of the same series on a given night. Watching Get Smart, my mother would tell me how she used to watch it with her mother when she was my age (about 9, at that time). From the mind of Mel Brooks, Get Smart pokes fun at the government and the Cold War in a way that only some animated shows can (crudely) attempt. Is this show far past due to be on DVD? Would you believe, yes? 8 House 9.35 9.6 Of my twenty-one favorites, only five are still on the air. Thankfully, House is among them. Enthralling from opening scene to end credits, Tuesdays are my favorite night of the week largely because of Hugh Laurie's performances. I am certain I had some lame, principled reason for not watching during its first season, but now I feel utterly compelled to watch week after week. I keep waiting for it to get boring or just "so-so," but it never happens...:D 9 Judging Amy 8.76 9.3 I almost feel embarrassed to admit this is one of my favorites...To think I would ever love a show with Tyne Daly; it just seems unreasonable. I suppose it is because the show does (in part) deal with the law and I always enjoyed that its storyline was far more continuous that any other show. The episodes were in a constant line, as if someone were telling a long story without any extra interludes. It was on-screen magic, and it is still as shame that it was canceled. 10 Law & Order 8.92 9.2 Oh, the original. How many ways can I say I heart thee? It is actually playing in the background while I type. I watch this show so much that within five seconds of the opening scenes, I can state the plot, who did it and whether or not he was convicted. I love Law & Order, with its revolving door of actors and its "Ripped from the Headlines" plots, it never fails to entertain and captivate me, and even on occasion, make me cry. While it is beginning to age and is still suffering from the loss of Lennie, I love just it just the same. 11 L&O: SVU 9.25 9.4 In my first or second year at Ohio State, I happened upon a show one Tuesday at ten when Scrubs had finished. I had no idea what it was, but out of sheer laziness of not wanting to find the remote, I watched and had my very first exposure to Dick Wolf's universe. SVU has everything I could ever love about Law & Order, but the fact that its set of characters has changed so little, allows me to become more invested and excited to see what comes next. SVU is the only kind of show that will save us from reality television. 12 Living Single 8.95 9.0 Once upon time, Fox's Thursday night was filled with "black" television, Living Single being the second in a myriad of shows with all-minority casts. It was insanely funny with an essence of "girl power" that is still amusing to watch on "Oxygen" today. While I am not sure if I would immediately run out to stores to buy it, were it to ever grace DVD, I am still charmed by it and enjoy watching a show a watched religiously as a kid. 13 Martin 9.04 9.3 Martin was the kind of show that had one laughing all the time; not a slight chuckle or even a hearty guffaw. It was a side-splitting laughter that brought one tears and had me at many times, thinking that I was actually going to die from laughing too hard. Between the Martin-Pam one-liners (Pam: Shouldn't you be at the Mini-Man march? Martin: Shouldn't you be at Jurassic Park?) and characters like Cole and Bruh Man "from da fif flo," Martin was probably one of the greatest comedies of all time. 14 The Maury Show 7.93 9.0 Once holding a reverence akin to Oprah, Maury now has just three types of shows: "My teenager is out of control," "The lie detector tests," and, my favorite, "I can't find my baby's daddy." What is fascinating about The Maury Show is that there is never a lack new imbeciles coming onto television to prove to the world that they are whores or just plan ignorant. Is Maury "good" TV? Of course not, but cannot help loving to hear Maury say: "So-and-so, you are not the father!" 15 Scrubs 9.29 9.2 I probably should have rated this higher and may yet go back and do so. I watched Scrubs from its premise up until its fourth season, when I either lost interest or just stopped watching TV (probably the latter), but I have recently found it again and I am over-joyed that its hilarity has not dipped at all. Few comedies are extremely funny all the time, but Scrubs its it in spades.
16 Seinfeld 9.19 8.9 In class Friday, my professor made a reference to the tip jar episode, and I had to the restroom to keep from laughing out loud at the mere memory of that episode. It was a show about nothing and it was absolutely fabulous in its prime. Even years later, people can be heard saying "Yadda, yadda, yadda" and TV.com even has the Soup Nazi as one of its levels. All this notwithstanding, Seinfeld gets an 8.9 for its abysmal finale and for Michael Richards' stunningly ignorant antics at the end of last year. 17 Sex and the City 8.69 9.5 One of the major benefits of HBO, this show was not only funny, but stylishly fabulous. Half the fun of watching was to see what Carrie would be wearing in the next scene. The was just so wonderful. I laughed, I cried and I know I have wasted many a Saturday watching an entire season in one setting and wondering how it happened. Every now and again, I find myself annoyed by the girls' promiscuity and lack of concern for things like politics, but that usually always fades away by the end credits. 18 The Simpsons 9.22 9.3 As a kid in private Christian schools, we were not allowed to wear clothes or even have anything pertaining to The Simpsons while on school grounds. I find this laughable now considering The Simpsons are almost tame in comparison to the rest of what is on television. All in all, The Simpsons is the kind of program that has etched its way into society forever and I cannot imagine life without it. I even find myself giving out a loud "D'oh!" anytime something goes wrong. 19 Three's Company 8.94 9.1 This is the kind of show that could never be made today. Mr. Roper's flamboyant homophobia (no pun intended, ;)) alone would get it chased away from our far too political correct society, here in the states, that is. Regardless, I cannot help finding this show just a general good time. The plot was always nearly the same and Chrissy's jokes were always so stupid, but I can always count on this show to bring a smile to my face. 20 Whose Line (UK) 8.61 9.0 Just thinking about some randoms episodes makes me laugh. Whose Line Is It Anyway? tested the comedic genius, or lack thereof, of any comedian to grace the stage, and was insanely funny every time. Far better than its American successor, there have been few times when I watched this show and was not brought to tears. Come to think of it, I probably should have rated this one higher too, but, oh well... 21 The X-Files 9.21 9.8 Six words to sum it up perfectly: Nine years of perfection in television. I rate all other shows against The X-Files, which has been my absolute favorite show since my age was still in single digits. Only The X-Files could be counted on to make me laugh, cry, cringe, and of course, make me turn on lights and duck under covers. The X-Files is the best show that will probably ever grace television and the only reason I have for giving it a 9.8 instead of 10 is that it, like many shows, continued on just a season too long past its prime.
The sim did not turn out as good as I wanted, but it was more of a test to see if I could actually do it. Now, I am more than inclined to perfect the process and to see if I can make sims of the casts of every show I watch...so much for my New Year's Resolution to procrastinate less...
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