Not too long ago, our corporate buddies at AOL Television posted a fall TV scorecard featuring their grades for new and returning shows. While the list featured such shows as House, Reaper, Desperate Housewives, Pushing Daises and Ugly Betty, it missed a number of fan favorites (and non-favorites) that we talk about constantly over here at TV Squad.
How to rectify this? Well, we could all go over to the AOL Television offices and beat the staff until they agree to add the missing shows. Or, in order to keep our jobs and avoid prison time, we could just list the missing shows over here, grade them, and give you a chance to rate them as well. Since I wouldn't last more than five minutes in jail I think we'll just list the missing shows over here.
You can find the list of eleven shows, graded by myself, Joel, Keith, Brett and Brad, after the jump.
Bones: A
Rich says: Bones has really hit its stride this season with some solid stories, strong characterization and great humor. The introduction of The Widow's Son serial killer and the secondary story of Jack and Angela's search for her husband have just enhanced what was already a good show.
Life: A
Rich says: Seeing that I receive nothing but positive comments about this show in my reviews I'm surprised Life didn't make the AOL TV list. While a criminal procedural the show is also a great character drama that explores both the good and bad sides of detectives Charlie Crews and Dani Reese. In addition to that, there's a on-going understory about the conspiracy that put Charlie in prison for a triple murder he didn't commit. While quietly chugging along now Life could explode in popularity any minute now.
The Simpsons: B-
Rich says: If I didn't need to include 'Treehouse of Horror XVIII' in my rating this season of The Simpsons would have probably received a 'B' or 'B+' since they've been handling the storylines pretty well for a show close to two decades old. However, due to the disappointing performance of 'Treehouse' I needed to give the show a 'B-'. Hopefully the rest of the season can shake off this grade.
Family Guy: B-
Rich says: Like The Simpsons this grade would have been at least a 'B' if not for the 100th episode event where Stewie 'killed' Lois. Other than that she show has stayed the course in its sixth season and was even elevated in status a bit with the premiere episode that parodied Star Wars.
Stargate AtlantisRich says: Now that older sibling SG-1 has been put to pasture (until the direct-to-DVD movies come out, that is) Atlantis has stepped up to the plate and given us some strong episodes. The two-part season premiere was action-packed, full of tension, and a great way to introduce Colonel Samantha Carter as the new city administrator. In addition, there have been enough stand-alone stories mixed in with the continuing Replicator/Wraith arc to really let the main characters (and even the secondary characters) shine.
Samantha Who?: B+
Rich says: I could be only me, but I think a 35-year-old Christina Applegate is cuter than a 18-year-old Christina Applegate. Anyway, the Christina Applegate of now does a good job on Samantha Who? as a woman who is starting fresh after contracting amnesia. Not only is she funny, but she has a nice supporting cast of television veterans to help her along. I'm just afraid that this show will get lost along the way.
Scrubs: B
Joel says: We're not that far into Scrubs' abbreviated final season, and most of the episodes have been decent-to-mediocre. None have been Scrubs classics. Still, it's a step up from most of the awkward episodes from last year, not including "My Musical" and a few others from the second half of the year. It seems like Bill Lawrence and company are really making an effort to reign in the silliness front he last few years and make the show more like it was during its earlier, more restrained years. But after making J.D. into a real manchild and establishing that he and Elliot are a disaster as a couple, is it a case of too little, too late?
Dexter: A-Keith says: What's holding me back from giving this show a solid 'A'? For me it's because I find the season too predictable too early. Last season the Ice Truck Killer's identity was too easy to guess way too soon, even if you didn't read the books (which I hadn't). I'm going out on a limb here and will say that it's pretty obvious how season two is going to play out, though I will give the show an 'A'-grade if they throw us for a 180 and surprise the heck out of me. I realize this show's not all about being surprised, but I'd like it not to be so predictable either. That said, I'm still calling this a don't-miss show on television.
Supernatural: A-
Brett says: Kripke and his team finished off season two with a bang, letting the boys finally take out the yellow eyed demon. That brought a two year arc to an end, while opening up a bunch of new doors. With a third of season three already in the rear view of the black Impala, things are moving along at a fantastic pace. The balance between monster of the
week stories, the ongoing arc, adventure, and comedy has been excellent. Dean and Sam continue to struggle with 'the deal', have a host of newly released demons to deal with, and there are some new recurring characters along for the ride. The grade is definitely improved by the expanded role of Bobby (Jim Beaver). The new character of Ruby (Katie Cassidy) is also a plus. I knock it down to an A- only because of Bela (Lauren Cohan). The character has had her moments, but the jury is still out on where she will ultimately be ranked. Overall though, my favorite returning series of this season.
Las Vegas: B
Brett says: There were big changes afoot when business picked back up at the Montecito this fall. The murder of Mary's father sent Mary, Ed, and Jillian into hiding as Nikki Cox, James Caan, and Cheryl Ladd left the series. Tom Selleck was brought in as the new owner of the casino, Cooper. It's been a fairly successful transition. I'd hesitate to say that Selleck has replaced Caan, because he was such a big part of the series. And it is somewhat disappointing to not have the best Angel of them all on our TVs every week. Points have been gained with the removal of Mary though. By the end of last season, I was more than ready for her to go. The time looks to be running out on the series, as this will likely be its last season, but they are going out on a good note.
South Park: A-
Brad says: South Park still proves itself to be one of the smartest shows on television by combining crude humor, attitude and a simple honesty. With the exception of a few hiccups during episodes here and there, the season has been outstanding from Stan's father using the "N" word on a game show to the "Imaginationland" trilogy. The high quality is probably due to the fact that the creators, Trey Parker and Matt Stone, are still thoroughly invested in the production of every episode and each episode is usually cranked out in less than a week, leading to a "ripped from the headlines" freshness that not even CSI can match.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
11-16-2007 @ 1:21PM
Rick B said...
What about carpoolers? That show is fantastic!
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11-16-2007 @ 1:24PM
LRS62 said...
I don't even want to get started on how off most of these ratings are.
So I won't.
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11-16-2007 @ 1:26PM
khamel said...
a- on dexter invalidates this whole list. A for Life, A for bones but A- for dexter? Grade inflation much?
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11-16-2007 @ 1:37PM
Derek said...
I don't get this article at all. So there are some shows that aren't on AOL TV. OK, sure, complain about it, yeah, right on. Good stuff. Say it's wrong.
But what's the point of having this rating system? How is that related to the AOL TV ? Is the idea that you're going to tell AOL ? Or just hope they'll see it and realize how stupid they were because 50 people on this site said they liked a show?
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11-16-2007 @ 2:19PM
Nathaniel said...
One show missing from both lists is American Dad!. I don't know why, but I'm suddenly really enjoying the show and think it's finally hitting a stride.
And, uhh... calm down, Derek. They're basically running the same feature (did you see the article? Works the exact same way, including reader grading) for some more shows and linking an interesting article. I actually enjoyed the feature and the other article over at AOL.
Oh, and don't forget that AOL owns TV Squad... so I'm pretty sure the comments were in jest...
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11-16-2007 @ 2:41PM
Ganesh said...
One show that's also not on the list is "Avatar". Sure, it's on Nick, and sure, it's not as ironically gritty as some shows explicitly aimed at adults, but it's funny, cute and engaging. If you're going to review other animated shows, I'd say "Avatar" is one to include, too.
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11-16-2007 @ 2:42PM
Sam said...
Rich, I'm sure you can last at least 15 minutes in jail. Don't sell yourself short.
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11-16-2007 @ 2:49PM
VP said...
Life is hands down the best new shown on TV. I just hope enough people are watching. Las Vegas is my ultimate guilty pleasure.
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11-16-2007 @ 3:16PM
Joseph Land said...
Avatar the Last Airbender is one of the best animated shows ever.
Hell, I'd be happy to post reviews for it.
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11-16-2007 @ 4:33PM
Morjana Coffman said...
Stargate Atlantis has been cooking with all burners lit...firing all its jets, its elevator goes all the way to the top; its lights are on and everybody's home; brings six cans of beer to a six pack; provides the complete combination plate (all the tacos, enchiladas, burritos, and tostadas); its hyperdrive is fully functional; its asgard beaming device is working on all crystals; its stargate is 100% effective; is the sharpest knife in the drawer...
I'm enjoying the fourth season of Stargate Atlantis very much!
:)
Morjana
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11-16-2007 @ 7:45PM
pat said...
Stargate Atlantis sucks this season, however Dexter keeps being awesome although I really wish Lila would die.
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11-16-2007 @ 11:31PM
The Midnight Penguin said...
I don't know what else they want from Las Vegas. It's been a staple to a Friday night, EXTREME guilty pleasure. It's done well for TNT on reruns from what I can gather. The only reason I could think that NBC would tank the show is that it costs too much! Really, between the cast and visuals, this show can't possibly be raking in what it costs to produce it!! I'm not complaining, don't get me wrong. They've already sunk so much in, I really don't see them pulling this show until they believe they can get a more solid show that can consistently pull in more (which I believe is around 1.5-2 mill without looking it up.) The one thing I haven't read during the WGA strikes is the fact that Law & Order was supposedly renewed, and I would have guessed they had filmed those eps (to possibly take LV's slot?) but no whispers I've seen...
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11-17-2007 @ 12:24AM
Nathaniel said...
pat, I really don't know how you could dislike this season of Atlantis. It's had some awesome action-packed and great storyline episodes, and is stronger than ever before!
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11-17-2007 @ 5:25AM
Michael said...
When are you guys going to start reviewing one of the BEST shows on television - The Unit??? I'm highly disappointed that this show receives NO coverage from this site when it consistently puts out some of the best episodes week after week. The most recent two parter from the last two weeks was an emotional roller coaster and not one word from you guys. Come on! I have yet to talk to a single person who saw this week's episode and wasn't moved to tears by the last ten minutes of the show.
There is enough coverage of all the substandard fare on TV here on TV Squad that I would imagine at least ONE writer here can monitor this show. Hell, I'd do it for free just so other fans can have a place to comment on the shows. What do you say guys???
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11-17-2007 @ 2:39PM
Notwhoopi said...
I had to become a new commentor just to post my agreement with #14 - Michael. Without any doubt "The Unit" is one of the best shows television offers. It is relevant, has excellent, strong character development, and gives us such human stories each and every week. Kuddos to Eric Haney for allowing and guiding the adapted vision of "Delta Force" to enter my house every week.
And like the above mentioned writer, I too choked up during the last ten minutes of this week's episode to say nothing about the shriek of pure angst when Williams was shot the previous week.
I do wish TV Squad would add this show to their list of shows worthy to be reviewed and subsequently commented upon. There is surely no other show currently like this one whereas we do have rash of formulistic procedural shows and near slapstick comedy fodder where characters are easily identifiable and exchangeable.
One poignant thing that "The Unit" has done for me is to make me re-examine the way I viewed our armed forces during the late sixties - early seventies. I wish that I could have viewed those draftees the way I view today's volunteers.
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11-17-2007 @ 4:34PM
LesFez said...
Stargate Atlantis has been fantastic this year. It is finally coming into it's own, planting the seeds for some excellent story arcs, and progressing the show in a great way.
I'm loving it.
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11-18-2007 @ 1:49AM
rpmguiar said...
Stargate Atlantis has had 8 solid to fantastic episodes so far this year. I can't wait for the mid season 3 parter
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11-19-2007 @ 9:12AM
snarkella said...
Stargate Atlantis is a shadow of its former self this season. The episodes have largely been without suspense and boring. The cast changes have taken the heart right out of the show and those that remain seem out of character. What were they thinking?
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11-25-2007 @ 7:02PM
blabbergirl said...
SGA, alas, is suffering from writer's brain cramps this season. The episodes are disjointed, the characters, once so rich and interesting, come across as flat and mindless. That's a shame, too, because the actors are some of the best and deserve challenging roles, not B movie scripts.
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12-02-2007 @ 5:41PM
pat said...
Most of today are nothing more than ripoff of other shows with a name change. CSI, Bones, CSI-whatever, Law & Order, L&O spinsoff, I quess the TV executive would prefer to put on the same shows So as not to insult anyone intelligence (since they have none)
SOme of the Best shows are put up against Shows with a loyal audience or switched around so mush you are never sure if the show is on or not.
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