"You come at the king, you best not miss."
- Omar, The Wire
Admittedly, that quote has nothing to do with the rest of this post*, other than the fact that Omar is awesome, The Wire remains the gold standard of television and that now that its run is over it opens the door for another show to claim "Season of the Year" honors.* Granted I never had a blog before a month ago, but it's safe to say The Wire would have been the five-time defending champ.
* Or does it?
**Any show that either began or finished its season in 2009 is eligible for this award that I just made up.
Also note, it is internet law that bloggers must give out at least two end of year/decade awards so, like it or not, I have to do this. So, in that case...
HONORABLE MENTION:
Friday Night Lights: Seasons 3 & 4 - I'd give the slight nod to three right now, but four (as I've already detailed) has a shot to surpass it. Props to the writers for so gracefully incorporating new but still great characters like JD McCoy in Season 3 and Luke Cafferty in 4 (though JD has gotten considerably worse in four). I've said plenty on FNL and will say plenty more in the future so let's just move on.
30 Rock: Season 3 - I already wrote about how I think this current season has lost its way a bit , but Season 3 was comedy gold. What I like about 30 Rock is the way it can still manage to really surprise the viewer, especially one who is aware of tropes and likes to think he's really smart and can predict what's going to happen (sound likea anyone you know?). It's great at setting you up for a joke, then giving a completely different joke that you didn't see coming. It's smart, clever, well-acted--all those things that people gush about when describing it. Until Liz actually has some sort of overarching need or want it will continue to rely completely on joke-telling, but if you just want to laugh, there wasn't a better season this year.
Parks and Recreation: Season 2 - If you want my full take on this one, follow the link above in the 30 Rock section. Its one episode since that post hasn't changed my mind. It's a endearing show, is much more than an Office quasi spin-off, and has a fantastic cast and great writers. Plus it's fairly new so easy to catch-up on.
Breaking Bad: Season 2 - Hey, look, it's a show I haven't written about! The Wire really hurts this show for me as all the drug lords and criminals come off as extremely goofy instead of scary. Regardless, Bryan Cranston (the lead) is outstanding and the show does a great job not sugarcoating the various repulsions of the drug trade. All the characters are well-designed, appealing mixes of good and bad that make the viewer oscillate between rooting for them and yelling at them.
Which leads us to our winner...
And if you've read this blog before you've probably already guessed it...
Here's a hint...
That's right! It's G-Force: The Series!
I'll be here all week, folks.
THE WINNER:
Mad Men: Season 3 - I'll admit that I like FNL and Mad Men about the same, but Mad Men's third season was just a little better than FNL's Season 3. Mad Men is an almost flawless show; the logic and plotting is impeccably designed, virtually never suffering from continuity errors or inconsistent characterization. The only real complaint viewers can log is the breakdown of where the show spends its time, as, for example, I would have preferred just a little less focus on Betty Draper this season as Don's office offers more varied types of tension and a more colorful, rich assortment of personalities. But, that is a relatively minor qualm and, as this old post details, the best episode/scene of the season was, in fact, a Betty/Don storyline. No show I've ever seen, with the exception of The Wire, is as precise as Mad Men. It's a show that's thought of everything. Some call it a little slow (though no one I've talked to about it) but its character-based pace is what gives the big, dramatic moments their true explosiveness. An absolute gem of a season and the best that the world of television had to offer this year.
Back tomorrow with the album of the year.
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