ILLUMINATING THE TUBE THE TV UNIVERSE PRODUCED 10 BRIGHT STARS IN 2002 - AS WELL AS MANY BLACK HOLES.Byline: David Kronke Television Critic Stop me if you've heard this before: It's been a lousy year for TV ... Granted, we've all heard it before. No point in belaboring the obvious - the fall season was uninspired; the networks have turned the task of developing innovative programming over to cable, then offer diluted imitations; news programming offers so many unhinged debate segments that the White House should be touting rabies shots over smallpox vaccines; crass reality shows persist in making participants and viewers alike look like dopes. The arts cable network Trio recently ran a documentary persuasively suggesting anything of quality that actually makes it on TV, for any amount of time, has to be a terrible mistake. Fortunately, one can still find bold, original, idiosyncratic id·i·o·syn·cra·sy n. pl. id·i·o·syn·cra·sies 1. A structural or behavioral characteristic peculiar to an individual or group. 2. A physiological or temperamental peculiarity. 3. work on television. It may not be where you expect, but it's there nonetheless, and here are suggestions in the form of a modest Top-10 list as to where it might be found. BEST OF 2002 ``24'' (Fox): Even when the plotting threatens to run off the tracks (or, in the case of season two, when they cheat egregiously on the real-time format), Fox's real-time thriller pitting Kiefer Sutherland against unimaginably complex skeins of terrorists always boasts compelling, addictive mayhem, with cliffhangers every episode that outdo most series' season-enders. ``The Osbournes'' (MTV MTV in full Music Television U.S. cable television network, established in 1980 to present videos of musicians and singers performing new rock music. MTV won a wide following among rock-music fans worldwide and greatly affected the popular-music business. ): 2002's out-of-left-field smash was not only one of the funniest half-hours on TV, but inspired countless op-ed pieces about how it actually celebrated family values. Which may be, as Ozzy would say, (expletive-expletive), but the family does have a unique dynamic that keeps it together and keeps us watching week after week. ``The Daily Show'' (Comedy Central): Yes, Jon Stewart is a brilliant host, but let's also give credit to his equally funny correspondents, particularly Stephen Colbert, Steve Carell, Mo Rocca and Nancy Wells. Together, they manage what even Letterman or O'Brien cannot: earning hearty, honest laughs on virtually every episode. ``Adult Swim's'' oddball quintet of ``Harvey Birdman bird·man n. 1. also One, such as an ornithologist, who works with birds. 2. Slang An aviator. : Attorney at Law,'' ``Sealab 2021,'' ``The Brak brak 1 Noun S African a crossbred dog; mongrel [Dutch] brak 2 Adjective S African (of water) slightly salty; brackish [Afrikaans] Show,'' ``Aqua Teen Hunger Force'' and venerable veteran ``Space Ghost Coast to Coast'' (Cartoon Network): These infinitely weird, unspeakably hilarious shorts, which deconstruct de·con·struct tr.v. de·con·struct·ed, de·con·struct·ing, de·con·structs 1. To break down into components; dismantle. 2. mediocre '60s and '70s Saturday-morning cartoons in a fashion that artfully straddles the fence between affection and virulence, may be the only place true echoes of the Dadaist movement exist on TV. ``Andy Richter Controls the Universe'' (Fox): The good news is that, hands down, it's the funniest, most surreal sitcom currently on network prime-time television. The bad news is that Fox has nothing to pair it with. (They've tried it alongside ``Malcolm in the Middle'' and ``That '70s Show That '70s Show is an American television sitcom that centers on the lives of a group of teenagers living in Point Place, Wisconsin, a fictional suburb of either Kenosha or Green Bay<ref name="That'70sShowFAQs"/> from May 17, 1976 to December 31, 1979. ,'' both of which draw kid viewers too young to possibly understand Richter and company's inspired lunacy lunacy: see insanity. ). Which brings us to ... ``NEXT'' (The Other Network): Former ``Mr. Show'' writer/producer/star Bob Odenkirk created not one but two screamingly funny pilots of his sketch-comedy show for Fox's past fall season. The network opted instead for relentless low-brow fare. Fans who've seen it at Beth Lapides' screenings at a North Hollywood club that changes its name too often to get mentioned here can attest to Odenkirk's brilliance. If paired with ``Andy Richter,'' Fox could've programmed the smartest hour of current network TV. Instead, they went with unwatchable entity ``The Grubbs.'' (Sort of - suddenly, Fox executives were seized with a rare bout of good sense and canceled it before it ever aired). The reinvention of the cop show: Showtime's dark gem ``Street Time'' emerged as the year's most fully realized, most utterly absorbing cop series, pitting troubled parole officers (Scott Cohen, Erika Alexander) against parolees (Rob Morrow, Red Buttons) looking to get over on them, while FX's ``The Shield'' wallowed in the excesses of corrupt cops (led by Emmy winner Michael Chiklis) circumnavigating the system as crassly as the crooks they chased. NBC's ``Boomtown'' reimagined cops-and-robbers stories as cleverly intricate jigsaw puzzles with satisfying emotional payoffs, while ``Monk,'' which premiered on the USA cable network and was later poached poach 1 tr.v. poached, poach·ing, poach·es To cook in a boiling or simmering liquid: Poach the fish in wine. by hit-hungry ABC ABC in full American Broadcasting Co. Major U.S. television network. It began when the expanding national radio network NBC split into the separate Red and Blue networks in 1928. (after previously passing on it), featured an inspired Tony Shalhoub as an obsessive-compulsive detective. On these shows, fighting crime is a snap compared with the characters' battles with their demons Demons See also devil; evil; ghosts; hell; spirits and spiritualism. ademonist one who denies the existence of the devil or demons. bogyism, bogeyism recognition of the existence of demons and goblins. and neuroses. Curb Your Enthusiasm (HBO Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBO) A form of oxygen therapy in which the patient breathes oxygen in a pressurized chamber. Mentioned in: Ozone Therapy ): Larry David's series seemed to delight in gratuitous outrageousness (in one episode, characters seem almost miffed miff n. 1. A petulant, bad-tempered mood; a huff. 2. A petty quarrel or argument; a tiff. tr.v. miffed, miff·ing, miffs To cause to become offended or annoyed. that L.A. wasn't attacked by terrorists), and that need to provoke was sometimes funnier than the material, but the show remained a viciously funny hire-wire act. The Sopranos (HBO): You've no doubt tired of hearing how brilliant this show is, and you're likely bored of accounts of how the show can't quite replicate its original brilliance. So I'll forgo all that and list it here without comment. PBS PBS in full Public Broadcasting Service Private, nonprofit U.S. corporation of public television stations. PBS provides its member stations, which are supported by public funds and private contributions rather than by commercials, with educational, cultural, documentaries ``Commanding Heights'' and ``Hybrid'': The former somehow made the global economy the stuff of epic intrigue; the latter transformed a corn farmer into the most mesmerizing mes·mer·ize tr.v. mes·mer·ized, mes·mer·iz·ing, mes·mer·iz·es 1. To spellbind; enthrall: "He could mesmerize an audience by the sheer force of his presence" character David Lynch never created. FIVE BAD TRENDS Rather than crab about specific lousy shows (which would be shooting fish in a barrel and take too long to machete down to a mere list of 10), here are five troubling trends that help create bad programs. High-concept over quality: Networks frequently opt to schedule programs that are easily explained in a 30-second promo over shows that might actually be something people want to watch, guaranteeing a big splash of viewers upon their premiere but inevitable audience erosion in subsequent airings. ``Birds of Prey'' - which boasted the seemingly can't-miss idea of sexy superheroes from the Batman universe - was the most high-profile failure of this lot, but was hardly the most egregious example (Fox wantonly indulged in such behavior this season). Hanging on too long: Suddenly, with a plethora of crummy crum·my also crumb·y adj. crum·mi·er also crumb·i·er, crum·mi·est also crumb·i·est Slang 1. Miserable or wretched: a crummy situation in the family. 2. programming that deserves a quick hook, networks have become more circumspect and patient with their faltering shows. It's become so costly to produce even lousy shows (thanks in large part to networks' premature cancellations in the past) that it has become fiscally prudent to stick with shows with stagnant ratings. Which explains why ``Hidden Hills,'' ``Fastlane'' and the overrated Overrated was a Horde World of Warcraft guild, based on the US Black Dragonflight Realm. On November 2 2006, the majority of the guild members were indefinitely banned from the game for use of (or directly benefiting from) a third-party "wall-hack", used to bypass content ``Life With Bonnie'' remain on the air, but underscores why quality programs should earn a place on network schedules - they actually have a chance to build by word-of-mouth rather than languish, like these shows, on the strength of a handful of mouth-breathers who can't manage enough oomph to change the channel. ``Osbournes'' spin-offs: Four words - ``The Anna Nicole Show.'' Moreover, Liza Minelli and ``husband'' David Gest agreed to a deal with VH1, but it got torpedoed after executives saw how dreary the footage was. Truly chilling was numerous other celebrities waxing gaseous on what great subjects they would make for such series. Relationships as media events: It's sort of the opposite of ``Celebrity Boxing'' - call it ``Celebrity Caring'' - but, in the end, is just as noxious. Jennifer Lopez announced her engagement to Ben Affleck, and Whitney Houston and Bobby Brown insisted all was well in their lives on ABC. Jon Voight beseeched daughter Angelina Jolie to get psychiatric help on ``Access Hollywood.'' Justin Timberlake trashed trashed adj. Slang Drunk or intoxicated. Our Living Language Expressions for intoxication are among those that best showcase the creativity of slang. ex Britney Spears in a music video. And, well, ``The Bachelor'' smooched a lot of gals right up until the moment he asked one of them to marry him (and, off screen, sign a prenuptial agreement). Awards show pomposity: In the wake of 9-11, Tom Cruise asked Academy members and millions of viewers, was it still relevant to distribute trophies to overpaid o·ver·pay v. o·ver·paid , o·ver·pay·ing, o·ver·pays v.tr. 1. To pay (a party) too much. 2. To pay an amount in excess of (a sum due). v.intr. To pay too much. actors. His portentous por·ten·tous adj. 1. Of the nature of or constituting a portent; foreboding: "The present aspect of society is portentous of great change" Edward Bellamy. 2. answer: ``Now - more than ever.'' He didn't explain why, though. At the Emmys, Oprah Winfrey was lionized like she was Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr. and Florence Nightingale all rolled into one Adj. 1. rolled into one - made up of several components combined into a single entity combined - made or joined or united into one (weight joke not intended). Ease up, Dream Factory denizens. You're not handing out Nobel Prizes. Particularly not this year. CAPTION(S): 2 photos Photo: (1 -- cover -- color) TOP 10 in entertainment Our critics applaud 2002's best music, TV, DVDs and theater (2) TV's Andy Richter |
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