The return of the 13 series

The get back on the 13 lists in 13 days, these are my favourite shows. I don’t think this needs much of an introduction. I was going to add pictures to this but that takes too long.

The Sopranos
This blog was going to be based on shows from this century, however if I did that then I would have to leave out my two favourite shows, one of which is The Sopranos. I didn’t start watching it until the third series when my brother made me watch it (it is his favourite show). After the first episode I went back and watched the rest. It is utter genius. Tony Soprano is an arsehole, he’s never going to change and like many characters in the shows listed here, you will be on his side until the end. When you want the bad guy to be ok at the end, you know it’s brilliantly written television. I couldn’t pick a favourite series because it just seemed like it was one. The thing I loved most about the show was that each little story was given time to materialise into something, sometimes it would be a couple of episodes, sometimes it was a couple of series but the payoff was always worth it. Quite possibly the greatest show of all time. It also has the greatest entrance to any show.

The Wire
Any show that has a gay black Robin Hood inspired character has to be good. The Wire is the show that every critic loves but didn’t get big viewing figures. A show that has so many characters that it can have it’s main character (McNulty) hardly be in an entire series. The show was based around the different aspects of the Baltimore Police Department. The core of the show was always with the police trying to stop the drug dealers, but it would also expand on that every time. One series would concentrate on schools, then the next would be about the newspaper, another would be an election. It had many things going on but you never felt lost. Going back to my first sentence, just like Obama, Omar was my favourite character. He started off slow, but when he was a witness in a murder trial he became the unsung hero of the show. Every time he was on the screen he stole it, and they way he died was a total shock. Plus Bubbles survived all 5 series, which to me makes it a classic.

Spaced
I remember the moment I fell in love with Spaced. It was the first episode, Tim and Daisy looking for apartments and then they both break down and then when they decide to live together, Daisy wipes dribble off her chin. This show plays to the geek inside me as it is just a parody of everything. To do that and make the show feel original is a clear sign of genius. The slow motion gun fight is one of the finest moments in sitcom history. Unlike the UK Office when they ruined it by giving it a clear ending, Spaced never did that, letting you wonder if Tim & Daisy ever got together.

The Apprentice
I like three reality shows, I’m a Celebrity, X-Factor and Britain’s Got Talent. I love The Apprentice. There is never a dull episode because Sir Alan, Nick & Margaret are always unintentionally funny. The contestants do the most bizarre things, especially when they have the worst idea in history, yet they think it is the next big thing. It probably isn’t one of my 13 favourite shows but the junior version starts tomorrow and I’m looking forward to this. A lot.

Porridge
The greatest British sitcom of all time. Ronnie Barker has perfect comedy timing and acting chops. It was so clever and the fact it was set in a prison means it should be a disaster, yet it wasn’t. My girlfriend says this show is boring but I don’t think she’s ever given it a chance. The use of language in this show was a step above everything else and the Father-Son dynamic between Barker and Richard Beckinsale was the backbone to the show. Every episode was funny but sometimes they would have moments they made you remember it is set in a prison and it can get to everyone.

The Shield
Quite possibly my favourite cop show. It wasn’t as well written or acted as The Wire but damn every episode was exciting. It follows the life of Vic Mackay and his Strike Team Police Force who are cutting corners and breaking the law to build a future for themselves. All the series follow Vic trying to keep his head above water the whole time. I was always looking forward to the ending of this show to see what outcome he would have. I thought he would be killed, but the ending that happened was probably the greatest ending of any show. Part of me always wanted to see a happy ending. Michael Chiklis was fantastic in this show.

Scrubs
Some people hate on Scrubs because it’s a sitcom that always ends with a moral to the story. Some people hate on Scrubs because it’s a sitcom that always ends with a moral to the story. I don’t care about that because the previous 20 minutes are hilarious. I like the voiceover and the day dream sequences. I also like that it’s got a bit off a throwback to classic US sitcoms while still being original. I feel the show is actually underrated as lots of people say it is generic but they are wrong.

The Office: An American Workplace
I like the original English series. They were funny and new. Then came the Christmas specials. The first was hilarious, whereas the final episode was a massive letdown. I hate that Tim & Dawn got together because I didn’t like the characters, particularly Tim. He was a knob so why would you want him to get his dream girl? I watched the American version when it was first on and I wasn’t the biggest fan of Series one, but I did love the basketball episode, which kept me interested in the second series and I’m glad I stuck with the show. The US Office is less realistic but who watches a sitcom for realism? They took the annoying parts of the UK one and just stuck to what the show does best. I also like Pam & Jim and want them to get married. I also think Dwight K. Schrute might be my hero.

Father Ted
It was ridiculous in the vein of Fawlty Towers, and with each series the ideas were insane, but it was always funny. The greatest double act in sitcom history could be Father Ted and Father Dougal. The Christmas special where they get stuck in a lingerie store with other priests is probably my favourite ever xmas episode of anything, and the episode with Richard Wilson guest starring was better than the entire run of One Foot in the Grave.

Dexter
This isn’t one of my favourite 13 shows, but I’m really looking forward to series 4 returning in a few months. It was a great premise of a show, following the life of a serial killer with a code. The first two series were fantastic, series three was only good for the interaction between Dexter and Miguel was brilliant, but there was too much fluff with the smaller storylines. However I’m very excited about the fourth series as it stars the legend that is John Lithgow (famous for Harry and the Hendersons, Cliffhanger and 3rd rock from the Sun).

Veronica Mars
I know what you’re thinking, what the fuck is this teeny bopper show doing in a list of my favourite shows? Well it’s awesome and I clearly have the taste of a 14 year old girl. I love this show and I was a fan for life from episode one. I loved it so much that I immediately went on Amazon and ordered the first series from America due to it not being available in this country. Kristen Bell is one of my favourite actresses and the fact is I usually refer to her as Veronica Mars instead of her real name. The show had a film noir feel if it was made by somebody who wanted to make the genre mainstream. When I first saw it I went into overdrive and tried to get as many people to watch it. There is no other teen show like it.

The Simpsons
My favourite show ever. I could watch The Simpsons all day, every day for a month and feel like I had a very productive month! I actually think that the episode ‘You Only Live Twice’ (Where Homer gets a new job working for Hank Scorpio, unknown to him that Hank is a bad guy) is the greatest episode of anything ever made. I love every character on the show and saying that for something like Gavin & Stacey is one thing because it has about 8 people in it, The Simpsons has 100’s of them and I love them all. He might be evil but I want to be friends with Mr Burns, if I had a child, I’d want him to have the sweetness and innocence of Ralph Wiggum. I want Ned Flanders to be my neighbour. I love this show and to the hatred of my girlfriend, she hates them boxsets but to me they are the world’s biggest cubic zircona of my collection.

I’ll admit I don’t think the series as good as it was when it first started, but I still laugh more at the show than almost anything else. The fact that the first 13 series are faultness to me shows you that I think no show can hold a candle to this.

30 Rock
Again, probably not a top 13 show for me at the moment (this top 13 list is just a fucking lie really come to think of it!) but this is the one show I want to watch the most right now. Tina Fey is the funniest person on television right now. Tracey Morgan is hilarious just playing himself. It’s got that woman who was very annoying in Ally McBeal (who wasn’t annoying in that show, but I mean the really annoying one) who is brilliant, and it has THE BALDWIN. Everybody loves THE BALDWIN and this show is perfect for him. I love this show.