TV's Summer 2010 Report Card

I'm back with another comprehensive recap of the past few months of my television viewing. Looking back, it was an excellent summer for TV. I mean, when the David Simon entry is the amongst the least interesting shows you've watched, I believe that's a sign you've surrounded yourself in some quality programming.

This edition covers shows having ended after June 1st, when my last recap was published, through September 12th.

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Breaking Bad
(Season 3, AMC)
Is this now the best show on television? In my mind, only Mad Men gives it a run for it's money. Season 3 was THAT good. A horse with no name. Gustavo. Hank slamming the SUV into reverse. The tortoise. Saul. Leg blood on a hospital floor. Motherfucking Badger's voice. The Chicken Brothers. Mike the PI/hitman. That one god-damned fly. And those are just the ancillary bits of Breaking Bad I get jacked up for. I don't think Mad Men, as phenomenal as it is, is constructed in a way that I can enjoy it as I now enjoy the trials of Walter White and Jesse Pinkman.  A+

Doctor Who
(Series 31, BBC)
What a blast this latest incarnation of Doctor Who turned out to be. Even if you prefer David Tennant as the Doctor, I think you have to admit Matt Smith did an admirable job taking over the reigns of the series. I feel he did a fantastic job and accepted him by the time the second episode of the season rolled around. And of course, there's the mega-crushable Karen Gilliam as Amy Pond, who is easily my favorite companion not only because she's a cutie pie, but also because she's intelligent, mischievous and . Rory was also a nice addition, and was in perfect doses. But let us not forget Steven Moffat, who I justifiable praise on this site constantly, taking over the show's direction from Russell T. Davies. A fabulously entertaining season resulted from mixing high concept science fiction, simple humor, and repeatedly tugging and tearing at our heartstrings as each week's story progressed. As much as I enjoyed this season, I expect 2011 to bring an even better one.  A-

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After the jump, you'll find the nine other shows I watched to completion this summer, including Entourage, True Blood and some more fantastic imports from overseas.

TV Tweets: April 26 - May 22

Well, maybe NOW I'm back in the saddle again since the last time didn't go so smoothly. It appears my technical issues are behind me with my new computer from Best Buy (always buy the service plan, boys and girls). Without further ado, away we go...

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April 29th [The Pacific]

I've watched 7 eps of #ThePacific and still the most exciting part each week is the charcoal pencil getting splintered apart in the intro.

Having finished this miniseries now, I need to make a slight addendum to that statement. Yes, I was incredibly dulled by this show. I could not understand why the perspective was constantly jumping from different groups of characters when I hadn't been given a chance to care about any of them. Then during the show's final installment, a bio for each character was flashed up. Somehow I had forgotten that these were all real people and the events were entirely based on historical record. Then the pieces came together. If it were a pure work of fiction, The Pacific would have been a colossal failure. I still don't think it was great, but at least I can understand why the story followed its course in the manner it did.
However, I really was most enthralled by that charcoal pencil during the opening credits. As well put together as the battle effects were done, they simply did not pull me closer to the characters as those first few minutes of Saving Private Ryan did so many years ago. The Pacific is well-made, but certainly not a must-see.


April 30th [Party Down, Happy Town]

Man, I forgot how good #PartyDown can be.

A really great comedy that pretty much no one is watching. Martin Starr's Roman is the man, and my True Blood crush on Lizzy Caplan has become as big as they come for a totally different skill set she unleashes on Party Down. A third season is a pretty remote possibility, so I'm gonna enjoy this great little show while it lasts.

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After the jump, you'll find if Happy Town measures up to Twin Peaks, one of the worst situations to watch The Office in, and how Lost spoiled the end of The West Wing for me.