Mike’s Top 10 TV shows from the 2007-2008 season

Back in December I gave you a Top 10 list of my Favorite Fall Shows up to the writer’s strike that shut everything down. It also delayed other series that were supposed to show up in January or February, like 24 and Lost, one of which never even aired.

With the entire 2007-2008 season now under our belts, it’s time to look back and rank my favorite shows because I’m absolutely in love with ranking stuff.

What I’m going to do here is not rank shows solely based on quality. Sure, that of course goes into the equation, but a big part of this is just how much I enjoyed watching them. Was it a fun year? Was it a down year? Was a newer show just a heck of a lot more enjoyable?

So here goes (and you know Journeyman is going to get some love).

Mike’s Top 10 TV shows from 2007-2008

10. Friday Night Lights

Some of the shows I liked are almost hard to remember because it’s been forever since they were actually ON TV. This is still a good show and it rediscovered its magic as the season wore on. The good news is that it was renewed and we’ll be seeing the Dillon Panthers at least one more season.

9. Reaper

One of the lesser known shows on last year, this little cult hit deals with a guy named Sam who had his soul sold to the Devil before he was born, and now has to hunt and return escaped spirits from Hell back to where they belong. He has some friends that help him and a girlfriend he loves. And of course there is the Devil himself played by Ray Wise. Wise is a riot and brilliantly evil as Satan.

It’s a fun little show and the last two episodes of the season really changed the scope of the series and what we know about Sam.

8. The Office

The Office was a bit underwhelming this year, but still one of the best things on TV. Not sure what it was about it, but I just found it losing some steam. The finale was awesome though and hopefully next year picks right up where it left off.

My only hope is that the 30-episode order from NBC doesn’t dilute the comedy.

7. Breaking Bad

A weird little show on Bravo that was dark, funny and twisted. I love those kind of series, which is why Rescue Me is another of my favorites (when it is actually ON). Bryan Cranston really brought to life the story of a married teacher named Walt who is diagnosed with terminal lung cancer and sort of loses it.

6. The Sarah Connor Chronicles

I wasn’t sure about this series from the beginning. It started out a bit slow, I didn’t really dig the overall plot about taking down Skynet, but then David Silver from 90210 showed up and things changed. The show got much, much better and gave us some great moments, a few of them good enough to make your eyes water.

A fun show, lucky enough it got renewed for another season.

5. The Soup

Yeah, yeah, this show is on all the time, there really is no season for The Soup, but it was on during the writer’s strike and it gets points for that. Joel McHale is hilarious and the look-back each week at what happened in the world of television and entertainment never ceases to make me laugh non-stop.

Heck, the new quote at the top right of this page is from The Soup. I could probably use something Joel says every week for that spot.

4. Journeyman

I almost was hesitant to put this on the list for fear of bringing back the pain to those of us who loved this show with a passion, but here it is anyways. I totally loved Journeyman and the uniqueness they kept in every episode. I so very wanted to know why it was happening and where it was going to lead, but the show was canceled like all the other good series out there and we’ll never know.

We’ll miss you Dan Vasser and hopefully you are still out there rectifying the wronged pasts of good people.

3. 30 Rock

Another brilliant, hilarious season of 30 Rock. Tina Fey is probably my favorite actress on the planet right now and she can do no wrong with this show. The writing is quick-paced, witty and always, always fresh. Alec Baldwin never stops being funny and the rest of the cast rounds out one of the best comedies on TV.

Yes, it’s better than The Office. I said it!

2. Battlestar Galactica

I’m writing this before I’ve seen the episode this coming Friday, which could blow my socks off, but regardless, it’s still the second best show on TV. Which isn’t a bad thing, because it’s hard to beat Lost.

This season has perhaps not been as great as the past three, but a few episodes sprinkled here and there have been as good as any of the series. The bigger draw right now is seeing these characters change and how the whole thing is going to end. We’ll not see Galactica again until 2009 (besides some webisodes and perhaps a movie or two) and the break will be agonizing, but sometimes good things come to those who wait.

1. Lost

No question here what my favorite show on television is these days: Lost.

The season that just ended was brilliant and full of answers, questions, mysteries and dead people. Week to week, there isn’t a show that I anticipate as much as this one. The acting, the characters, the writing…the production…all top notch. It’s hard to remember seeing such quality in a TV show before Lost came around.

Case in point: Season 3’s finale was used in this past season’s finale to bring the series full-circle. That was remarkable and took major planning and foresight. You just don’t see that too often.

What about you guys?

You don’t have to list ten TV shows, but give us an idea of what your favorite shows were this year and why. Do you agree with any of mine? Are you surprised Gossip Girl didn’t make the list? *grin*

Honorable mentions go to Jericho, Pushing Daisies and Gossip Girl of course.

---

Television
30 Rock, Battlestar Galactica, breaking bad, friday night lights, Journeyman, Lost, reaper, The Office, The Sarah Connor Chronicles, the soup, top 10 lists