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Behold the top TV shows of 2008
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Gabriel Byrne, In Treatment
Last year’s stunted television season—oh, that writer’s strike!—sent several standout series into limbo (Rescue Me, 24, Big Love)—but take note of the precious few that, surprisingly, managed to capture our hearts and minds, and leave an indelible impression:
In Treatment, (HBO)
In a word: Thought-provoking.
Why our remote stayed there: The writers. Let’s call it like it is. Headliner Gabriel Byrne—pitch-perfect as a brooding therapist—certainly turned heads, evoking both compassion and aggravation, but it’s creator Hagai Levi and writers Ori Sivan and Nir Bergman—oh yes, and Yael Hedaya, Ari Fulman, Daphna Levin, Asaf Zippor and Maya Heffner, too—who deserve kudos here. Few were convinced that a series whose main focus was a therapy session—each week a new headscratcher—would fly. It did more than that. It soared. By playing off of the foibles of Bryne’s Paul, it managed to illuminate that even the seemingly wisest among us is, well, human. If there is another series that captured the rich emotional undercurrents we human beings go through, I have yet to see it.
Battlestar Galactica, Sci Fi
In a word: Spellbinding.
Why our remote stayed there: That quest to find Earth. After four years of searching, the Galactica crew—and a bevy of Cylons—finally locate the fabled planet but what they found at the end of the fourth season's mid-season break was haunting. (Welcome to your post-apocalyptic home, folks.) Here’s a series that never played down to its viewers. Galactica has always been a Sci Fi show that never really felt like a Sci Fi show. Its modern, thinking-man's soap opera-like charms and slick, well-written stories have been, at times, both mind-boggling and positively brilliant; a series that captured so well the struggle for inner truth, hope and spiritual understanding. The last episodes of the extended fourth season begin Jan. 16.
Brothers and Sisters, (ABC)
In a word: Drama!
Why our remote stayed there: Laughter and tears. Try getting through a scene featuring Sally Field without reaching for the tissue box.
Lost, ABC
In a word: Mindbending.
Why our remote stayed there: Addiction. Our cravings to unravel the myriad secrets in this richly layered series often left us—for lack of a better—word: lost. But oh, how we knew where to find it every week.
Dexter, Showtime
In a word: Killer.
Why our remote stayed there: Michael C. Hall. Anybody that can make a serial killer loveable—if not sexy—has to be doing something right. But last season’s adventurous twist—Jimmy Smits in a memorable role—found us understanding our dear Dex on a deeper level. (No matter what demons lurk underneath, at the end of the day, even the guy holding the bloody knife wants a hug—and a bromance!)
Fringe, Fox
In a word: Clever.
Why our remote stayed there: Post-modern X-Files feel. John Noble shines as scientist Dr. Walter Bishop, fresh out of the psyche ward and into the welcoming, reparative arms of his son (Joshua Jackson) and FBI hottie (Anna Torv). The troika does more than uncover seemingly unsolvable and mysterious cases—all those quantum physic touches are a rush—they manage to bond. They may be one of the quirkiest troikas to come out of the wreckage of last year’s TV apocalypse but—and how refreshing is this?—they happen to be the most memorable.
Mad Men
In a word: Sold.
Why our remote stayed there: The cigs, the ’60s, the secrets, the sex. All that set against a backdrop of an enterprising ad agency in New York? Twist our arm.
Pushing Daisies, ABC
In a word: Transformative.
Why our remote stayed there: Sometimes, good things really can grow in a field of manure. Sadly, there wasn’t that much to cherish on the networks in 2008—unless you’ve yet to quench your thirst for reality TV. So, it was with great joy that we welcomed back last fall one the most creative offerings that originated on the 2007-08 schedule after the writers’ strike plucked it out of our view. A show about a guy who can bring people back to life with just one touch? Terrific. Toss in a love story, some crazy aunts and some well-executed subplots and you have yourself a winner. Creator Bryan Fuller’s visually sumptuous, superbly written magical wonder may have met its demise when ABC axed it, but we may never forget how marvelously actors Lee Pace, Anna Friel, Ellen Greene, Swoosie Kurtz and Kristen Chenowith breathed life into their characters or how well the show managed to make its viewers question the finer nuances of their own existence.
True Blood (HBO)
In a word: Biting.
Why our remote stayed there: Vampires. Fangs aside, this oddball of a show had enough creative juice—and just the right amount of rotating storylines—to hold our interest. The concept of vampires "coming out" of the (monster) closet generated buzz within the LGBT community, but the show had texture and style and stellar performances. Welcome back, Anna Paquin! It also has a second life. Look for new eps to air later this year. Fangs for memories.
Weeds
In a word: Buzz-worthy.
Why our remote stayed there: My, how the mighty have fallen. By taking running-from-the-law suburbanite—and pot dealer—Mary Louise Parker out of her comfy settings and into the funky So-Cal beach house of her father-in-law (a memorable turn by Albert Brooks) was a stroke of genius. Watching Elizabeth Perkins take the fall for Parker’s Nancy—and become the most unlikely of “prison bitches”—was another. But having Nancy get pregnant with Mexico’s hottest politico at the end of last season … well, that really left us stoked.
Other Contenders:
Californication, Showtime
The Closer, TNT
House, Fox
Tracey Ullman’s State of the Union, Showtime
Eli Stone, (R.I.P.), ABC
Best Bets in Early 2009:
Damages, FX (Premieres Jan. 7)
The United States of Tara, Showtime (Premieres Jan. 19)
Big Love, HBO, (Premieres Jan. 19)
24, Fox (Premieres Jan. 11)
Rescue Me, FX (Premieres Spring)
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