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« Rodyssey's Odyssey
Some Notes on "Best Of 2007 TV" Year-End Lists
I always find it enjoyable to read "best of" and "worst of" year-end lists, especially about television programs. Personally, I find it too difficult to think about television programs on a calendar year cycle as opposed to their normal "seasons" cycle which is why I don't do a year-end list myself. (I'll do a big "best of" season-end list instead this May.)
It was interesting to compare the "best-of" lists from different experts and critics this year. I spent much more time than I should have analyzing some of this year's "best of" lists from professional critics that I enjoy reading, and there are some very interesting, very happy, and very disturbing results.
Here's a quick rundown of the "Top Ten TV Programs of 2007" lists that I analyzed:
1. Maureen Ryan (aka "The Watcher" at the Chicago Tribune)
Top Ten TV Programs of 2007: Mad Men, 30 Rock, Burn Notice, Dexter, Extras, Flight of the Conchords, Friday Night Lights, House, The Shield, Ugly Betty
2. Matt Roush (at TV Guide)
Top Ten TV Programs of 2007: Mad Men, Planet Earth, 30 Rock, The War, Pushing Daisies, Lost, The Sopranos, The Shield, Friday Night Lights, Showtime programs (which included Dexter, Brotherhood, Weeds, Californication, and The Tudors)
3. Michael Ausiello (at TV Guide)
Top Ten TV Programs of 2007: Big Love, The Sopranos, Lost, Friday Night Lights, Ugly Betty, The Shield, 30 Rock, Pushing Daisies, Mad Men, Damages
4. Rob Owen (at The Pittsburgh Post Gazette)
Top Ten TV Programs of 2007: Mad Men, The Sopranos, Pushing Daisies, Big Love, 30 Rock, Ugly Betty, Corner Gas, Lost, The Tudors, Brothers & Sisters
5. Gillian Flynn (at Entertainment Weekly)
Top Ten TV Programs of 2007: 30 Rock, Pushing Daisies, The Sopranos, Planet Earth, Big Love, Dirty Sexy Money, Flight of the Conchords, Mad Men, Brotherhood, Andy Barker PI
6. Ken Tucker (also at Entertainment Weekly)
Top Ten TV Programs of 2007: 30 Rock, The Sopranos, CSI, Friday Night Lights, Tell Me You Love Me, Frisky Dingo, Burn Notice, Desperate Housewives, Life, Life of Ryan
7a. Time Magazine
Top Ten Returning TV Programs of 2007: The Sopranos, Lost, 30 Rock, Friday Night Lights, Big Love, The Office, The Colbert Report, The Shield, Weeds, Top Chef
7b. Time Magazine
Top Ten New TV Programs of 2007: Mad Men, Flight of the Conchords, Tell Me You Love Me, Planet Earth, Pushing Daisies, The Sarah Silverman Program, The Riches, Yo Gabba Gabba, The War, Kid Nation
8. Kristen De Santos (at E!)
Top Ten TV Programs of 2007: Gossip Girl, Battlestar Galactica, Heroes, Grey's Anatomy, Brothers & Sisters, Friday Night Lights, Pushing Daisies, The Office, 30 Rock, Lost, Dexter
[Note that she actually chose 11 programs]
9b. American Film Institute
Top Ten TV Programs of 2007: Dexter, Everybody Hates Chris, Friday Night Lights, Longford, Mad Men, Pushing Daisies, The Sopranos, Tell Me You Love Me, 30 Rock, Ugly Betty
10a. Ain't It Cool News
Top Ten TV Comedy Programs of 2007: King of the Hill, 30 Rock, Flight of the Conchords, Weeds, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Lucy, The Daughter of the Devil, The Sarah Silverman Program, The Office, Andy Barker PI, South Park
10b. Ain't It Cool News
Top Ten TV Drama Programs of 2007: Brotherhood, Rome, Heroes, Mad Men, The Sopranos, Tell Me You Love Me, Pushing Daisies, Lost, Veronica Mars, Battlestar Galactica
11b. USA Today ("Popwatch" Section)
Top Ten TV Programs of 2007: Torchwood, Friday Night Lights, Dexter, The Sopranos, Damages, The Office, 30 Rock, Heroes, Battlestar Galactica, Lost
[NOTE: To make things simpler, we'll consider the two Time Magazine's list (returning shows and new shows) as one list, and we'll also consider the two AICN lists (comedy shows and drama shows) as one list giving us 11 complete critic lists.]
A Glance at the Numbers:
-30 Rock placed in the top ten on all 11 lists (the only show with such a distinction);
-The Sopranos placed in the top ten on 9 of 11 lists;
-Friday Night Lights, Mad Men, and Pushing Daisies all placed in the top ten on 8 of 11 lists; (Yay!!!)
-Lost placed in the top ten on 7 of 11 lists;
-Dexter placed in the top ten on 5 of 11 lists; (another yay!!)
-Big Love, Flight of the Conchords, Tell Me You Love Me, The Shield, The Office, and Ugly Betty all placed in the top ten on 4 of 11 lists;
-Battlestar Galactica, Brotherhood, Heroes, Planet Earth, and Weeds all placed in the top ten on 3 of 11 lists;
What's Interesting?
-Ratings juggernauts CSI, Grey's Anatomy and House only placed in the top ten on 1 of the 11 lists;
-Other ratings winners like American Idol, Dancing With the Stars, CSI: Miami, and Criminal Minds didn't place in the top ten on any of the lists;
-There wasn't a lot of love for CBS or the CW on these lists;
-There was major love for HBO, Showtime and other cable networks;
-There was also major love for summer shows;
What's Bad?
For everything these critics got right, they all made one huge mistake: not one of these lists includes Supernatural. WTF??!! It's almost enough to make you scrap the whole thing and never read another "top ten" list again. (Almost!)
Ok... thanks for indulging me. Like I said, I spent way too much time looking at those lists, so I needed to share the results with someone. Thanks for reading!
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Jan 7, 2008 1:33 AM
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Hi Rod!
You're right about the omissions of Supernatural. I scroll every Top 10 that I see looking for our show. If it's not there, I skip the list. THe person obviously has no taste, and so his/her other choices are suspect.
I tried to do my own Top 10, but found myself with alot of filler - stuff that isn't really good, or that I only watch whilst blogging and don't pay attention to anyway. With a few exceptions, this year has not been a good one for TV, the writer's strike notwithstanding.
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Jan 7, 2008 1:41 AM
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Good morning Rod!
I had to grin ... I love these kind of lists as well and I could just picture you pooring over them - agreeing & disagreeing. I'm also right there with you in the fact that I get so frustrated with the ignoring of Supernatural that my eyes glaze over and I begin my resolution to not only never read a list again, but also to never read the columnist again.
I get the same way with award shows.
When they had the voting for the Peoples Choice awards, I went in ready to do it! Not a single category featured our show, our boys, our creator, nothing. I backed out and went away. They may call them the Peoples Choice awards, but they don't represent "this people".
Good to hear from you my friend! Thanks for sharing!
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Jan 7, 2008 1:43 AM
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Wait! I have it!
A list that defines the best quality television in 2007 ...
1) Supernatural - All Hell Breaks Loose, Pt. 2
2) Supernatural - All Hell Breaks Loose, Pt. 1
3) Supernatural - What Is and What Should Never Be
4) Supernatural - A Very Supernatural Christmas
5) Supernatural - Fresh Blood
6) Supernatural - Hunted
7) Supernatural - Heart
8) Supernatural - Folsom Prison Blues
9) Supernatural - NightShifter
10) Supernatural - Bad Day at Black Rock
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Jan 7, 2008 1:51 AM
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Great list Cindy!
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Jan 7, 2008 2:13 AM
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Wow. That's a lot of compiling that you've done. I enjoy looking at the lists but am too lazy to track them down, so thanks!
And we are sooooooooo agreed on the Supernatural issue. What are these people thinking?!?!
A couple of quick thoughts:
- I've never seen 30 Rock. I think it's time to check that out.
- I never understood the love for The Sopranos. I watched the first four (maybe five) episodes and thought it was beyond boring. The only reason I watched as many episodes as I did was because so many people raved about it. I thought the pilot was one of the worst pilots I'd ever seen.
- It is so good to see awesome shows like FNL, Pushing Daisies, Dexter, and Mad Men getting the love they deserve.
I always have a hard time with top ten lists. I inevitably want to cheat and add an eleventh, twelfth or thirteenth. As I read everyone's lists I was trying to pick my ten. I thought I had ten, but then I realized there were some missing. But I couldn't decide what to take off the list. So I gave up.
Supernatural, Dexter, Friday Night Lights, The Shield, Veronica Mars, BSG, Bones, Chuck, HIMYM, Lost, Mad Men, Numb3rs, Psych, Pushing Daisies & Ugly Betty are all fabulous. How on earth do I whittle that down?!
Nice list Cindy!!
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Jan 7, 2008 3:18 AM
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Hi Rod! Thanks for the great recap of everyone's top tens. I was happy to see all the FNL love. And I was even glad to see that Veronica Mars made it onto one list at least. But otherwise...does it seem odd to you that all the lists are so similar? There are very few shows they disagree on, and few shows that made it onto one list but not several. Makes you think they all copied off each other!
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Jan 7, 2008 9:11 AM
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they all made one huge mistake: not one of these lists includes Supernatural. WTF??!!
It's because none of them watch it (except for maybe Kristin, who frankly doesn't count), which is a whole other issue. I am convinced that if any of the so-called critics actually sat down and watched a few episodes of Supernatural with an open mind, we would be seeing it in lists such as these.
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Jan 7, 2008 9:38 AM
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Yeah, as usual, reading these lists makes me feel like I'm totally on the periphery of pop culture. Of all the programs on the top ten lists, I watch Chuck, FNL and Pushing Daisies - and I've seen Flight of the Conchords (hilarious), but only because a friend with HBO DVRd it for me cos I'm a Kiwi. That's it. Oh, and Burn Notice, but I got kinda tired of it and never watched the last three episodes. Oh, and I loved Veronica Mars, but it's over now, so I sort of forget it. And like you all, any list that omits Supernatural is just not kosher.
Never got the Sopranos fixtation - I watched the first couple of seasons, and then just sorta stopped. It goes on my list of shows that people think are good because they're really violent and the characters are unlikeable. And Planet Earth was good, but I think I would have liked it a lot more if they'd left in the original David Attenborough narration. Not that I don't like Sigourney Weaver, but David Attenborough is the nature guy, you know?
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Jan 7, 2008 10:15 AM
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Wow, Rod! Thanks for doing this; I'm addicted to lists myself (reading and making them) so you just provided me with lots of reading material (well, not too much, my list addiction means that I already read most of them).  I've already posted my year-end lists, but the only shows I had in common with most of these were 30 Rock, Pushing Daisies, House, and The Office. I like Weeds, too, but it didn't make my top ten.
I have to point out that Bones made USA Today's honorable mention list. That provided me with a small moment of joy.
Also, EW (I love their year-end mags--so many lists!) they had an "Episodes of the Year" list that I found more interesting than the actual top ten list. You should check it out if you haven't yet.
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Jan 7, 2008 10:59 AM
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Hi Rod,
Thanks for doing this; I wouldn't have had the patience. I watch far too much TV to be able to compile my own top 10 or whatever list. So, I just read others' lists and agree or disagree.
I've given up on Supernatural ever getting any attention from critics or award shows, so I'm not surprised it didn't make anyone's list. As long as its core audience remains faithful and it stays on the air, I'll be happy.
Friday Night Lights, Mad Men, and Pushing Daisies all placed in the top ten on 8 of 11 lists; (Yay!!!) I'll second your "Yay!!!"
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Jan 7, 2008 11:59 AM
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I say we just go with Cindy's Top Ten, and ignore the rest! (OK, maybe we'll leave in Friday Night Lights and 30 Rock...)
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Jan 7, 2008 12:54 PM
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I've never seen Supernatural on any list and have to believe it's because the critics aren't watching the show. One person can't watch every single show out there either so these lists are not comparing all shows to begin with. Ditto regarding The Sopranos...I just don't get the appeal. I'll just stick with Cindy's list!
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Jan 7, 2008 2:18 PM
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Not that I don't like Sigourney Weaver, but David Attenborough is the nature guy, you know?
Yes! Exactly! I think I would've liked Planet Earth better if it was Attenborough. I liked it fine, but Sigourney Weaver just made me wonder where the orangutans were, even when they were talking about Antarctica.
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Jan 7, 2008 2:29 PM
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*sad, withering sigh*
You said it, Rod. Look, folks, I have no qualms against any of these shows that made it on the list b/c they obviously did something right to deserve it, but ANY list without Supernatural on it - which, unsurprisingly, includes ALL of these lists - can NOT be called a true "Best of" list. SN does just as many things right as these shows do, if not MORE, so WHERE is the recognition?!?!
The obvious truth is that none of these critics has ever sat down and watched SN, as PT said. If they have and SN still isn't on their list, then they don't deserve the job of 'critic', which implies that they actually know great TV when they see it! SN didn't get these tons of fans such as us who post here and so many other places to be THIS passionate about the show for nothing, it is top-quality TV of the utmost, and it's HIGH time that someone other than the fans realized that! Like Marci, I too have sadly and grudgingly given up on SN ever getting any attention at all from major critics or awards shows, cuz no matter what we fans do - and we've pretty much done all we can - it still hasn't happened yet. And it requires that fact that we've been discussing all weekend to be mentioned - SN's own network pays it the barest of attention, so why would anyone else besides the fans pay it any?
I was pretty shocked to see Veronica Mars mentioned on one of these lists, the CW's only mention on them, and hey, look at how that show fared with the CW! Sigh...maybe quality CW shows are like artists - only becoming famous and admired by critics and the general public after they're dead. But if we fans have anything to say about it, that is NOT going to be the story of SN! So CW, get your rears in gear and start promoting and showing some love to SN, the gem you don't even realize you have despite the glaringly obvious testimony of fans and ratings numbers, and critics, get your rears in those seats and watch the show that will redefine "great TV" for the ages and certainly reshape all your future top ten lists - SUPERNATURAL!!! BTW, out of all these top ten lists, I definitely vote for Cindy's, heehee!
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Jan 7, 2008 2:36 PM
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