Wow, it’s really getting hard to write new stuff for this one every year since it’s basically the same list rearranged. Of course, it’s a real possibility that five of these programs won’t be on the air next year so I guess I need to find some new shows to like:

7. Scrubs
“For the record, he was the best that ever came through this dump. John Dorian was the first and only doctor I ever met who cared as much as I do. And you can forget about him being a just and exceptional physician, because the fact of the matter is, he’s a damn exceptional person. It’s why people gravitated to him. It’s why I did.”

Die, Scrubs, DIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIE! As far as I’m concerned Scrubs did die after season 8…finally. And thankfully, it died with dignity…before it was resurrected for a ninth season which I am ignoring. I am ignoring it because this show, which was so great in its earlier seasons, and was running on fumes in its later seasons, beat the odds and returned to respectability for what was supposed to be one last run. The final minutes of the series finale though were perfect and worthy of some of the best material that preceded it.

Best Episode: 8.19 – My Finale: Part 2

6. Prison Break
“Men in my employ anticipate, they cover their bases. They refuse to fail, which you seem to be doing with unyielding consistency.”

I didn’t watch a single episode of this show live on the air and that’s probably for the best because this show works best when it’s moving too fast for you to notice how implausible everything is. I always viewed this as 24-light and while not up to the quality of the Jack Bauer Power Hour, this show was just flat out entertaining. The constant set backs our protagonists faced occasionally frustrated me, but I guess that means I cared about the characters. I always recognized this show’s ability to create some highly hateable bad guys, but I didn’t realize how much I cared about the good guys until the finale of the show, which was surprisingly touching.

Best Episode: 4.22 – Killing Your Number

5. The Office
“Well, well, well. How the turntables.”

I’m not sure there’s anyone who would consider season four of The Office a highlight of the series, but like many TV shows it seemed like it got messed up because of the writer’s strike. Some of the momentum of the first couple of seasons was regained in season five, but the “magic” truly was gone the second Jim and Pam got together. They tried to get us to care about Dwight/Andy and Angela or Michael and Holly, but those relationships will never be as successful as the original, which I think is the real lacking factor here because the show is still pretty funny taking into account how long it’s been on the air. The Michael Scott Paper Company story line was a good one, so I was surprised they axed it as quickly as they did. Pam’s character also got shaken up and taken in a direction I’m not sure I like. I still watch the show regularly, but it is no longer a guaranteed good time like it was in it’s heyday.

Best Episode: 5.23 – Broke

4. 24
“So help me God I will kill you, and you will stay dead this time!”

After a, ahem, lackluster season six and an entire year off due to the writer’s strike 24 finally came back with some vengeance, but I think at this point that the show will never really be “back.” Saying season 7 was better than season 6 is akin to saying Mike Doyle was a better character than Erin Driscoll’s crazy daughter. It’s faint praise. That’s not to say that this season was not full of great moments. Tony’s return as a good guy turned bad guy turned good guy turned bad guy again was welcomed as was the change of settings to DC. The take over of the White House (which apparently was built on top of the Potomac) was exciting, although probably the most implausible thing they’ve ever done, and new characters Renee Walker and President Taylor were great additions. The promos seem to be implying that season 8 will be 24’s swan song. I’m on board with this idea and I’m hoping it reaches the heights of it’s glory days, but if it merely is up to the standards of season 7, I will not be disappointed.

Best Episode: 7.3 – 10 AM - 11 AM

3. Lost
Don’t worry, dude. Everything will be fine when Jack changes the future. Or the past. One of those.

Year-to-year this is always the hardest show for me to write about. After almost giving up on Lost during season three, the past two seasons have been ridiculously entertaining, but after being off the air for six months I’m always thinking, “What the hell happened this year?” Of course, I’m often thinking that right as an episode is ending too. From what I remembered, Jack and the rest of the people who got off the island successfully go back while all the folks who remained on the island are jumping around time like a skipping record. In the end a bomb goes off and presumably the plan being hatched is successful because failure means every single one of our main characters was incinerated with one full season left to go. Next season sees the conclusion of the Lost saga and we’ll finally see if all this nonsense was worth the time invested.

Best Episode: 5.17 – The Incident

2. It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia
“Tabitha: So, he does have a drinking problem?
Charlie: Oh, big time, big time. But if I’m being honest, my problem’s less with the fact that he’s drinking more that he’s doing it without me. And then I start thinking, “What’s wrong with me? Am I not fun to drink with?”
Dennis: Oh, no, don’t do that to yourself. No, you’re plenty of fun to drink with, trust me, Charlie. You get really, really drunk, and then you get reckless, and it’s a lot of fun.”

Even the best of comedies are well into their decline by their fifth season (see: The Office), but It’s Always Sunny seems to keep getting better somehow when you would think they would start running out of ridiculous scenarios for The Gang. (In fairness to The Office, they have like 30 episodes per season while IASIP only has 12). This year The Gang “exploits the mortgage crisis,” performs an intervention on Frank, goes on a road trip to the Grand Canyon (but ends up never leaving Philly), celebrated the 2008 World Series victory in a basement, enacted the D.E.N.N.I.S. system for taking advantage of women, and of course tried to deal with their cousin “Gail the Snail” played by none other than Chloe O’Brien.

Favorite Episode: 5.4 – The Gang Gives Frank An Intervention

1. Flight of the Conchords
“You guys are dorking up my vibe with all the dicks. You need to spread the dicks out a little, create some lady space.”

After being hastled for probably more than a year to watch this show, I finally gave in to find out that I deserved all that hastling. As is tradition, I just got hooked on the show right as it was ending it’s run on HBO (after only two 10 episode seasons). The greatness of FOTC slaps you in the face during season one and this second season has many great moments, but it was starting to wane towards the end so it may have not been a terrible thing that creators Jemaine Clement and Bret McKenzie decided to call it quits even though I was a little disappointed where the characters ended up. I’ll always have the DVDs and albums I guess.

Favorite Episode: 2.5 – Unnatural Love

  

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