TV: Top Ten of the 2004-2005 Season

It's Tom's top ten of the TV season! Let's take a look, shall we?

10. Desperate Housewives

It is unapologetic soap opera cheesiness; its heroines often drift into shrill, dopey caricatures; the "dark underbelly of suburbia" thing is obvious, and has already been done to death. But god is it fun! Any show that will give me Teri Hatcher and Felicity Huffman on a weekly basis is all right by me. Any show that gives me Leslie Ann Warren (as Hatcher's mother) and the comedic wonder that is Bob Newhart (as her prospective father-in-law) in guest appearances is sheer brilliance. And any show that will give me Marcia Cross in a fur coat, bra & panties, and nothing else, gains automatic entry to the Television Hall of Fame.

9. Wonder Showzen

Hidden on MTV2, this very adult parody of a children's show is wicked, demented, hysterical genius. It's so very, very very wrong, which is of course what makes it so great. This is a show in which a five-year-old girl and a puppet feast on the barbecued corpse of God, okay? It is fucked up. But it will bust your sides with appalled, shameful laughter.

8.Scrubs

Still one of the two best sitcoms on TV (which these days may not be saying all that much), reinforced by my recent viewing of the first season DVD box set. Sometimes it gets a little bogged down by its heavy-handed, show-wrapping moral messages, but it is exactly that humanity which makes the tales of these young doctors (Zach Braff, Sarah Chalke, and the still-underrated-after-all-these-years Donald Faison) so compelling, endearing, and funny. It's the heart that gives the humor its substance. And it's got a fantastic history with guest stars -- John Ritter, Tom Cavanagh, Colin Farrell, Matthew Perry, and Brendon Fraser have all given remarkably full and funny performances; even Heather Graham was funny, and she's got the comedic ability of a doorknob. (And not one of those funny doorknobs you see all over the place these days; one of those old, boring doorknobs.)

7. The Shield

What the? Number seven?? A show of which I have often said in the past, "It's the best show on TV?" Well, what can I say? As good as it is this year -- and when I say good, I mean great; the addition of Glenn Close has been an unqualified success, and Michael Chiklis' performance as bad cop Vic Mackey is even deeper and more nuanced, if that was even possible -- I guess I just liked six other shows better. Which is really a testament to the fine year in television, rather than any black mark against this powerhouse, which continually raises the standard for the cop show genre -- hell, for dramatic TV as a whole.

6. Arrested Development

I used to say this was, along with Scrubs, the best sitcom on the air. In its second season, Arrested Development moved out in front. Jason Bateman adds to his amazing career revitalization (although, from interviews and awards shows, he seems like he'd be kind of a tool to know in real life, doesn't he?), Will Arnett continues to craft a classic television character in the devious, witless magician Gob, and Jeffrey Tambor -- well, the man must be blessed, to go from one show that redefined the American sitcom, The Larry Sanders Show, to another. It's kind of pointless to single out just a few of the cast members (even the two teens are reliably funny, each and every episode, especially Alia Shawkat as the cunning and troublesome beyond her years Maeby); they are uniformly hilarious, the best comedic ensemble since I don't know when. Praise be to FOX for bringing it back for a third season!

I tell you what, folks, it's been a long day, following a very long yesterday (in which I attended the Dodgers-Tigers night game at Dodgers Stadium -- Jeff Kent put the game out of reach with a three-run homer in the sixth, thank you very much! Go Dodgers!!), so the top five will follow tomorrow. Plus, I gotta give you some reason to come back!