Greetings TV Garth readers! Yes, it’s still going. My Year In Review continues well into the new year! (March 15th is the official one year anniversary of this blog, so I’ll use that as the excuse for stretching out these entries.)
This entry will cover some of the shows that stood out to me throughout 2009. (My list consists of fifteen shows that appealed to me in various ways!)
1. The Tonight Show With Conan O'Brien (NBC, A Channel)
I had Conan on my list well before the debacle that pushed him out the door from NBC. Therefore, it’s bittersweet writing about him after seeing the mess that took place. Conan’s off the wall humour is hilarious, and I’ve followed him off and on since his original Late Night show. There was a palpable sense of excitement and anticipation knowing that he was finally “graduating” to the Tonight Show in 2009. Perhaps like many, I fell out of watching regularly because I took it for granted that he would be the Tonight Show’s host for a lengthy period of time. I was shocked this past January when NBC’s actions quickly led to O’Brien’s departure from the program. As depressing as it was to see his time as host come to an end, the final weeks of shows perfectly displayed O’Brien’s razor sharp wit at play.
2. Late Night With Jimmy Fallon (NBC, A Channel)
Jimmy Fallon took over hosting duties for NBC’s Late Night program when Conan O’Brien left for the Tonight Show. Fallon is funny and personable which make him entertaining to watch. As well, recurring bits like “Head Swap” (pictured above) are absolutely hilarious!
3. ABC World News Now (ABC)
Jeremy Hubbard and Vinita Nair make a great team on ABC’s World News Now. What I like about watching them is their comfortable rapport and chemistry. In fact, many viewers have mentioned online that it feels “off” when either of them is not present on the show. World News Now also features some great segments, including a celebrity gossip report called The Skinny.
4. Modern Family (ABC, CityTV)
Modern Family is my favourite new sitcom! The show is well written and clever, featuring a great ensemble cast. I love the way that the episodes often build up to a “block comedy” bit where everything falls apart hilariously. (This is how classic comedies like I Love Lucy were structured – build up a realistic scenario logically so that the outrageous climax is all the more humourous.) The show also doesn’t shy away from showing a wide variety of romantic pairings including gay, straight, young and old!
5. Half and Half (Syndicated)
Half and Half felt like a great late night “secret” discovery for me! I stumbled onto an episode the first time I picked up Buffalo’s WNYO digitally in March 2009. The show feels like a “lost” sitcom from ABC’s TGIF comedy line-up. It’s very funny and has a good ensemble cast including Essence Atkins, Rachel True, Alec Mapa and Telma Hopkins. It aired on UPN from 2002-2006, and proves the network was able to come with decent comedy shows after questionable 90s fare like Homeboys In Outer Space.
I’ve loved Alec Mapa (pictured above) since the short lived CBS sitcom Some Of My Best Friends back in 2001. (He’s also great on Ugly Betty too!) I still kick myself for missing his appearance in Toronto in 2007 for the We’re Funny That Way comedy showcase.
Add some Diva sass from Telma Hopkins, and Half and Half is a frothy comedy treat! It’s also become one of my favourite “tropo” shows, as I seem to stumble across it whenever I pick up Rochester, NY’s WUHF!
6. The Office (NBC, Global)
Almost everyone has worked with annoying or clueless co-workers. The Office captures this everyday phenomenon with deadpan hilarity, and has a likeable ensemble that brings it to life. I work in retail, and at times feel like I’m in a real life version of The Office. (Which is probably more sad than funny….but then watching the show makes it all come full circle and I laugh about it again!)
7. Dancing With The Stars (ABC, CTV)
Dancing With The Stars is a great showcase for celebrities who might need a little help getting back into the spotlight. The dancing itself can be amazing, and often times I find myself rooting for celebs I never really noticed or cared about until I saw them on the show.
In my opinion, it has been difficult to top the free dance performed by Cheryl Burke and Drew Lachey in Season 2 of the show. But one of the best dances from the last season involved Joanna Krupa and Derek Hough doing a futuristic paso doble, and it was spectacular!
8. American Idol (FOX, CTV)
American Idol is one of my favourite and most frustrating shows simultaneously. The talent varies wildly, but the 2009 season was one of the better ones. My favourite contestants appear below:
Anoop Desai! Smooth soulful voice, and one of the few South Asian contestants to get into the show’s Top 10! (It doesn’t hurt that he’s a handsome fellow, either!)
Allison Iraheta! Powerhouse pipes that can do Heart songs justice!
And then came ADAM! Adam Lambert shook up the competition with standout performances, rock star swagger, and flamboyant makeup. He came out in a Rolling Stone cover story soon after the finale, and delivered an even more outrageous appearance at the American Music Awards. Side rant: it always frustrates me that American Idol has never and probably will never have an openly gay contestant on the show. We get to see almost every possible American narrative on screen, including but not limited to:
- I’m a hard working single Mom looking for a break!
- I once had [insert terrible ailment here] but battled through because singing is my passion!
- My [insert relative] was once [insert ailment or tragedy here] and I’m entering the competition for them!
- My parents were once gang members, I’m adopted, my pet turtle rolled over and….yada, yada, yada!
So with any combination of those above scenarios being milked, it’s the openly gay contestant that’s too radical for audiences to handle??? The show has no problem exploiting flamboyant gays for laughs during the audition rounds, but to have a serious competitor identify as gay is apparently too much to ask for. Sigh…
On a happier note, I loved capturing this shot of Adam being profiled on a Barbara Walters special! I had the closed captioning on, and the phrase is perfect combined with the picture! (Complete with Winter storm information from Buffalo’s WKBW surrounding the screen!)
9. V (ABC, CTV)
When I was a kid, I saw the original V series with my parents. It scared me so much that I pinched their cheeks to make sure they weren’t aliens! This new version of the show is a nice update of the sci-fi series about Earth-conquering lizard people masquerading as humans. Morena Baccerin shines as Anna, and Scott Wolf does well as the harried reporter trying to maintain his integrity, while getting the inside scoop on the “visitors.”
10. Bonnie Hunt (Syndicated)
I’ve always liked Bonnie Hunt, though her shows often get canceled very quickly. It’s a shame that her talk show is the most recent offering from her to get the axe, as it’s a breezy, enjoyable daytime chatfest. Plus, any show that has the gall to dress kids up as “Jon and Kate” as well as the “Real Housewives” for Halloween gets major points from me!
11. Wendy Williams (Syndicated)
Wendy Williams is another daytime talker, with a very fun and campy sensibility. (Love her catchphrase “How you doin’?”) Williams is engaging and totally works the crowd with her outrageous personality. Bonus points for the Wonder Woman mug she’s holding in the pic above! It’s no Wonder I like her show!
12. Judge Pirro (Syndicated)
Judge Pirro is one of the better court shows on TV, as Pirro is warm, personable, and can be tough without going over the line. She appears totally willing to hear people out before making any judgments against them. (Compare that with Judge Judy who seems sour from the get go.) I especially enjoyed a recent episode that involved a stepfather and daughter suing each other. Pirro ended the stressful case by saying something along the lines of “Life is too short! We need to laugh at ourselves!” Wise advice, indeed. Bonus points for her “eagle” pin that reminds me of the Golden Age Wonder Woman!
13. Street Court (Syndicated)
When I wake up bright and early at 1pm, I enjoy working through my grogginess with a Diet Coke and Street Court (which I usually catch via Buffalo’s WUTV.) Judge Mazz literally tries his cases on the street (usually near the scene of the dispute.) Sometimes he can be a tad cantankerous, but it’s fun to watch him just stand there and work through a case outside of the traditional courtroom setting. Bonus points for his Diva-tastic bailiff Monifa!
14. TIE: That ‘70s Show (Syndicated) & Jersey Shore (MTV, CTV)
Back in March 2009, I was excited to be getting CIII-DT (Global) digitally for the first time. But I was even more excited to see them showing a rerun of That ‘70s Show exposing the talents of Wilmer Valderrama! (This came only days after I wondered why there didn’t seem to be any shirtless pics of Wilmer floating around!)
This past Winter, I also discovered that CFTO (CTV) was running episodes of trashtastic MTV reality series late on Saturday nights. (CTV owns the Canadian rights to MTV programming, and repeats the most popular shows OTA on CFTO.) I must say these Jersey boys Shore look good to me! Besides getting sucked into watching the beefcake of Jersey Shore, there was the added hilarity of CFTO running an ad for the Jersey Boys musical during a commercial break. You know, because sharing “Jersey” in the title must mean the two things have a lot in common, right?
This concludes Part 4 of TV Garth’s 2009 Year In Review! Stay tuned to see if we make it to Part 5!
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