Here’s evidence that “writer” is more of a lifestyle than a profession. When I lost my job to a layoff on Dec. 2, one of my first regrets was that I wouldn’t get to publish my end-of-year top 10 lists.
I love writing and reading these lists. I practically wait by my mailbox to get Entertainment Weekly’s year-end issue, and if a few of our choices match up, I know I’m not completely whiffing on what’s cool in entertainment (I’ve been reading EW for more than a decade, and they know their stuff).
It’s also a chance to say thanks to the creators of good entertainment. If I find myself loving the characters, thinking about issues or being transported to a certain time and place, I like to say thanks to the show makers while perhaps gaining them a new viewer or two through my top 10 list.
Because of this blog, I can now share my top 10 TV/Internet shows of 2008:
1. “Gossip Girl” (Seasons 1-2, The CW, pictured above)
2. “Swingtown” (Season 1, CBS)
3. “Privileged” (Season 1, The CW)
4. “Star Wars: The Clone Wars” (Season 1, Cartoon Network)
5. “Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog” (Season 1, drhorrible.com)
6. “Law & Order” (Seasons 18-19, NBC)
7. “The Office” (Seasons 4-5, NBC)
8. “Friday Night Lights” (Seasons 2-3, NBC)
9. “quarterlife” (Season 1, quarterlife.com, NBC)
10. (tie) “Jesus People” (Season 1, jesuspeople.tv) and “2/8 life” (Season 1, Hulu)
There, I feel much better now.
Although I stand by every entry in my top 10, 2008 was a generally terrible year for TV. However, it was a breakout year for the Internet, where I found the drama “quarterlife,” its parody “2/8 life,” and the comedies “Dr. Horrible” and “Jesus People.” It was a good year for TV watchability, too, as DVRs became more common and Hulu, ABC, The CW and CBS started streaming full episodes online.
2009 has been much better for TV (though, oddly, there’s been no breakout Internet show), as a few shows that started slow last fall improved significantly this spring. Later this month, I’ll have my top 10 of the 2008-09 season in my State of Television Address (yep, any excuse to make a top 10 list).
Share your own top 10 of current TV in the comment thread below. You can make it a top five if you want; we’re pretty flexible around here.