LIST: Best Television Shows (currently on the air)

i always enjoy a good list, and with the tv season coming to an end i thought it would be an opportune time for a list of the best shows on television. i know a top 10 list is standard, but for this topic i went with a top 15.

with such a grand topic i did set a few rules for myself:

- the show has to currently be on the air, or have just finished it's season or be already renewed for another season (if The knights Of Prosperity really does come back then it has a great chance of making next seasons list).

- i had to have seen at least one full season of the show (this made the Tudors and The Riches ineligible, although they are already on my mind for next seasons list)

- i also had to have seen more then just the first season if the show is already in it's third or fourth season (that eliminated Nip/Tuck. i enjoyed season one but haven't got to the next ones yet. that also took Deadwood off the list)

- finally, i obviously had to have watched the show, and as i am only human with only so much time in the day, even with a dvr i can't watch everything. so here is a quick listing of shows that i just haven't watched yet, but from what i have heard they could have been contenders for the list: The Wire, Dirt, Entourage, Heroes, Big Love, It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia

i have written fuller reviews of some of these shows and i will link to those reviews for those series. now, let's let the listing begin...

1-Boston Legal
2-Rescue Me
3-Sopranos
4-The Shield
5-Scrubs
6-Battlestar Galactica
7-24
8-Lost
9-The Office
10-Friday Night Lights
11-My Name Is Earl
12-30 Rock
13-Rome
14-ER
15-Dexter

just missed the cut: The Simpsons, Weeds, Survivor,

ER Is Strong And Healthy As Ever

ER on DVD

this week ER began its may sweeps with a wedding episode. the wedding episode is a sweep month classic, but not one that always gets me that excited. the ER one this week, however, was great. the surprise wedding factor, the touching vows, the a-bit-over-the-top rabbi, nilla and the 'shocking' end all made it one really good episode.

but, that is something i have come to expect from ER over the course of its 13 seasons (yup, they are in season 13 right now). i will admit that there were a few years there, around seasons 6 thru 8 that i didn't really watch the show much if at all, but i started getting back into it about 5 years ago and have been a loyal viewer ever since.

like Law & Order, ER has gone through many cast changes over the course of its run and like Law & Order it has remained a strong show. you would have thought that loosing george clooney and dr. green and all those original cast members would have meant the end of the show, but instead it has kept going and, for the most part, not missed a beat. goran visnjic as dr. kovac is really good and a strong presence on the screen. his character alone has gone through so much over the years and has remained interesting and real. the same goes for so many of the other performers and characters. then this season with the addition of john stamos things have just kept going.

with a show like ER that has been around for so long it gets easy to rely on an audiences long connection with the characters and assume that that will sustain the show. thankfully the writers haven't gotten lazy and have continued to develop interesting stories and situations, from the powerful and, for many, eye-opening episodes about the situation in darfur, africa to the goings on at the er.

the preview for next week's episode told us that stanley tucci would be joining the show as the new er chief (he probably still has all his doctor stuff for his quickly canceled show 3 LBS that aired 2 or 3 times earlier this season). looks like its gonna be good.

grade: A-