#10. Justice League of America / Justice League Unlimited
There have been a lot of great animated series that dealt with Superheroes. Superman: The Animated Series, Batman Beyond, X-Men:The Animated Series, The Amazing Spider-Man, Spectacular Spider-man, Fantastic Four and more, but I never thought one would surpass Batman: The Animated Series. Then came the debut of Justice League of America. JLA was a fantastic show that perfectly mixed the childhood love of Superheroes and writing that would make adults sit on the edge of their seats. Along with wonderful writing and art were amazing voice actors like Michael Rosenbaum's portrayal of The Flash (Wally West!), Phil Lamarr as John Stewart, and the talented Kevin Conroy, Mark Hamill, and Clancy Brown reprising their roles as Batman, The Joker and Lex Luthor respectively. Prior to Batman: Arkham Asylum, an episode of JLA entitled "Wild Cards" was to be Hamill's last role as The Joker. About a year ago I got the entire series run of JLA/JLU and It's one of my favorite things to watch. It's a perfect blend of a action cartoon as well as having funny moments that anyone with a pulse will appreciate. To set up the scene below, Brainiac has bonded with Lex Luthor and plans to kill The JLA, starting with The Flash. In another episode The JLA went into the future and apparently President Luthor killed Flash, which drove the League over the edge and led to Superman murdering Luthor.
#9. The Office
How good does a show have to be, that you can copy the premise from where it originated in the U.K. and only lasted two seasons, bring it to the U.S. and now have it going into the seventh season? As good as The Office, which is one of the funniest shows I've ever seen. Coasting off the buzz surrounding Steve Carell's movie "The 40-Year-Old Virgin", The Office soon proved it didn't need the publicity because it has one of the funniest groups of writers in television today. The Office also has one of the best group of comedy actors on television as well. As many of my fellow bloggers may remember, I even wrote a Spec Script (a.k.a. my own episode to show my comedic talents) for The Office because I'm such a big fan of the characters. I'd eagerly recommend The Office to anyone, especially if they love to laugh. For the record, the season seven premiere episode had me laughing approximately 20 seconds in. And I'll even show you WHY it was so funny.
#8. King of The Hill
"I sell Propane and Propane Accessories." Who would've thought a line like that would belong to one of the funniest cartoons ever. There's so much to love about King of The Hill. Where else can you get an anal-retentive propane salesman, his over the top over-achieving wife, their funny, chubby son and his ditzy teenaged niece? Throw in Hank's friends, parents, and boss and you have the recipe for instant comedy. King of The Hill is at the point where I can watch the same episode over and over and still laugh. I'll even describe some episodes, you tell me if they sound funny. Hank walks in on his mother having sex with her new boyfriend on his kitchen table and becomes blind on Christmas. Substitute Spanish teacher Peggy Hill accidentally smuggles a girl out of Mexico, then tries to return her and gets arrested, all because of her poor Spanish. And lastly, Bobby Hill goes nuts with power for lack of a better word and kicks multiple people in the groin, including his own father Hank. And let's not forget the wonderful character known as Cotton Hill, Hank's father that lost his shins in the war, but still managed to kill Fiddy men! Not fifty, but Fiddy men.
#7. Modern Family
Modern Family is a new show, only in it's second season as of two weeks ago today. The premise for Modern Family is fun, like The Office it's shot in a sort of reality TV format and the characters are aware their being filmed. The first episode was brilliantly written as we followed the lives of three couples, Phil and Claire who are married with three kids, Jay and his much younger wife Gloria with her son Manny, and a homosexual couple consisting of Mitchell and Cameron along with their recently adopted Vietnamese baby. The great thing about the pilot episode is we see all these couples and their problems then at the end we find out that all three couples are related, with Mitchell and Claire being Jay's children, so now we have a whole new can of worms. This show is wonderfully written, and people have taken notice as Modern Family in it's first season dethroned 30 Rock by winning the Emmy for Best Comedy Series. If Modern Family continues to be as well written and funny as the first season I can see it flying to the top of my list in no time. In the scene below, Phil meets his daughter's new boyfriend for the first time.
#6. Supernatural
Supernatural was on for five years before I took notice, and I still wouldn't have if it weren't for Batman: Under The Red Hood. In that movie, Red Hood was voiced by Jensen Ackles, one of the co-stars of Supernatural. Supernatural is a wonderful show, the premise is that when two brothers, Sam and Dean Winchester were kids, their mother was murdered by a Yellow-Eyed Demon. Their father wanted revenge and spent all his time going from town to town hunting the Yellow-Eyed Demon and killed any monster, evil spirit or demon he came in contact with. When Sam and Dean's dad go missing, the boys decide to go looking for him while ridding the world of the Supernatural at the same time. Throughout the series the brothers encounter many things that we, the viewers, have heard of including Bloody Mary, The Hook Man, Vampires, Werewolves and of course Demons. As the show goes on the boys even confront Lucifer himself. But Supernatural isn't all dangerous moments and good vs. evil, there are some episodes that are hilariously written. A few include the episode where Sam keeps reliving the same day, ala Groundhog day except every day his brother Dean dies. Another is when the two brother encounter a Trickster (think Loki) and he puts the brothers in a TV Land of sorts, making them live through a sitcom, a medical E.R. type show, and of course a CSI Miami parody.
It's always Sunny in Philadelphia has been on for about six years now and it's already been called one of the funniest shows in television history. After it's first season people were referring to Always Sunny as Seinfeld on crack, which is about as big a compliment as you can get. The show follows four friends, Mac, Charlie, Dennis and his sister Deandra, known as Sweet Dee. Always Sunny got so popular that by the second season they brought in Danny Devito to play Frank Reynolds, Dennis and Dee's father. Sunny is the perfect mix of comedy and sheer absurdity. In the time since it's inception, the Gang has tried to solve the Gas Crisis by buying Gas, storing it and then hoping to sell it back at even higher prices later. The Gang has also done many more crazy things, including the time Charlie and Dee took steroids, Mac and Charlie faked their deaths, and the time Dennis and Dee went on welfare and then became addicted to crack. Sunny isn't for everyone, but the fact it's been one of the funniest and most consistent shows on television definitely is reason enough that you should give it a try if you haven't already.
Who would've thought a show about Clark Kent in Highschool would be interesting. Not Superboy, but Clark Kent, living life with his friends Chloe Sullivan, Pete Ross and his secret crush on Lana Lang? Someone did, because Smallville is now in it's final season after an astounding TEN years on television. The best things about Smallville are the little things, face it, we know how it ends. Clark puts on the suit and becomes the hero we all know and love, but what gets him there? How does he react when he discovers he's from another planet, when he finds out he has laser vision, and when he finds out he has X-Ray vision while in Gym class? One of the best things about Smallville is the cast, Tom Welling does a fantastic job as the likable Clark Kent, making him easier to relate to, which has been one the biggest problems with Superman in my opinion, compared to more relatable characters like Spider-Man. And I don't care what anyone says, in my opinion Michael Rosenbaum (That's right, Flash from JLA/JLU) is the greatest person to ever play Lex Luthor in my opinion. It's easy to play a bad guy, but Rosenbaum plays Lex so well we like him. That's another great thing about this show, it's the first time Clark and Lex have ever been shown as friends, and that's the best part. Once again we know that Lex and Superman are mortal enemies, so how does that happen? Now we find out, and some of the best moments of Smallville are watching Clark and Lex trust each other, because we know what's on the way. Lastly, Smallville is the only place we can see some characters make their live action debut. Honestly, where else are you gonna see live action versions of Cyborg, Bart Allen, Aquaman, Plastique, Doomsday, Green Arrow, The Legion of Superheroes, Hawkman, Martian Manhunter, Star Girl and Dr. Fate? Also in the final season we'll see Deadshot, Hawkgirl, Booster Gold, Blue Beetle, Mera, Deathstroke and even Darkseid. Also, Erica Durance is the hottest Lois Lane ever. Yes, that's her on the right dressed as a certain Amazonian. Soak it in, now go watch Smallville. Below is a wonderful scene where an Evil Lex Luthor (Made from a blast from radiated Kryptonite that created a good and evil Lex) confronts the Kent family after learning of Clark's secret. If you only watch one scene on this list, make it this one.
Community is quite possibly the funniest show on television. There, I said it. Those that don't believe me can ask my good buddy Kello who recently bought the first season on DVD. Community has the perfect mixture of amazing writers and amazing talent that can improv, making it ten times better than most comedy shows on today. That's why it gets the third spot on my list even though it's only in it's second season. Community is about a lawyer named Jeff Winger that must return to Community College after it's found out he doesn't really have his Law Degree. While there he starts a fake study group to help him get with this girl he likes named Britta, but the fake study group soon becomes a real study group when wacky characters join including an Ex-Football Jock that injured himself doing a keg flip named Troy, a Christian mother of two named Shirley, a very eccentric young man named Abed that relates to life through TV and movies, and a crazy old rich man named Pierce Hawthorne, played by Chevy Chase. When all these characters mix and match you're sure to get something memorable as this group of misfits quickly become friends, and even more in some instances. In the scene below, Pierce, Troy and Abed agree to a water gun fight, and it's probably one of my favorite scenes since the show's inception.
#5. It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia
It's always Sunny in Philadelphia has been on for about six years now and it's already been called one of the funniest shows in television history. After it's first season people were referring to Always Sunny as Seinfeld on crack, which is about as big a compliment as you can get. The show follows four friends, Mac, Charlie, Dennis and his sister Deandra, known as Sweet Dee. Always Sunny got so popular that by the second season they brought in Danny Devito to play Frank Reynolds, Dennis and Dee's father. Sunny is the perfect mix of comedy and sheer absurdity. In the time since it's inception, the Gang has tried to solve the Gas Crisis by buying Gas, storing it and then hoping to sell it back at even higher prices later. The Gang has also done many more crazy things, including the time Charlie and Dee took steroids, Mac and Charlie faked their deaths, and the time Dennis and Dee went on welfare and then became addicted to crack. Sunny isn't for everyone, but the fact it's been one of the funniest and most consistent shows on television definitely is reason enough that you should give it a try if you haven't already.
#4. Smallville
Who would've thought a show about Clark Kent in Highschool would be interesting. Not Superboy, but Clark Kent, living life with his friends Chloe Sullivan, Pete Ross and his secret crush on Lana Lang? Someone did, because Smallville is now in it's final season after an astounding TEN years on television. The best things about Smallville are the little things, face it, we know how it ends. Clark puts on the suit and becomes the hero we all know and love, but what gets him there? How does he react when he discovers he's from another planet, when he finds out he has laser vision, and when he finds out he has X-Ray vision while in Gym class? One of the best things about Smallville is the cast, Tom Welling does a fantastic job as the likable Clark Kent, making him easier to relate to, which has been one the biggest problems with Superman in my opinion, compared to more relatable characters like Spider-Man. And I don't care what anyone says, in my opinion Michael Rosenbaum (That's right, Flash from JLA/JLU) is the greatest person to ever play Lex Luthor in my opinion. It's easy to play a bad guy, but Rosenbaum plays Lex so well we like him. That's another great thing about this show, it's the first time Clark and Lex have ever been shown as friends, and that's the best part. Once again we know that Lex and Superman are mortal enemies, so how does that happen? Now we find out, and some of the best moments of Smallville are watching Clark and Lex trust each other, because we know what's on the way. Lastly, Smallville is the only place we can see some characters make their live action debut. Honestly, where else are you gonna see live action versions of Cyborg, Bart Allen, Aquaman, Plastique, Doomsday, Green Arrow, The Legion of Superheroes, Hawkman, Martian Manhunter, Star Girl and Dr. Fate? Also in the final season we'll see Deadshot, Hawkgirl, Booster Gold, Blue Beetle, Mera, Deathstroke and even Darkseid. Also, Erica Durance is the hottest Lois Lane ever. Yes, that's her on the right dressed as a certain Amazonian. Soak it in, now go watch Smallville. Below is a wonderful scene where an Evil Lex Luthor (Made from a blast from radiated Kryptonite that created a good and evil Lex) confronts the Kent family after learning of Clark's secret. If you only watch one scene on this list, make it this one.#3. Community
Community is quite possibly the funniest show on television. There, I said it. Those that don't believe me can ask my good buddy Kello who recently bought the first season on DVD. Community has the perfect mixture of amazing writers and amazing talent that can improv, making it ten times better than most comedy shows on today. That's why it gets the third spot on my list even though it's only in it's second season. Community is about a lawyer named Jeff Winger that must return to Community College after it's found out he doesn't really have his Law Degree. While there he starts a fake study group to help him get with this girl he likes named Britta, but the fake study group soon becomes a real study group when wacky characters join including an Ex-Football Jock that injured himself doing a keg flip named Troy, a Christian mother of two named Shirley, a very eccentric young man named Abed that relates to life through TV and movies, and a crazy old rich man named Pierce Hawthorne, played by Chevy Chase. When all these characters mix and match you're sure to get something memorable as this group of misfits quickly become friends, and even more in some instances. In the scene below, Pierce, Troy and Abed agree to a water gun fight, and it's probably one of my favorite scenes since the show's inception.
#.2 Lost
I was skeptical about watching Lost for the first time. My cousin gave me the DVD's and recommended it, I turned it down though, he wanted me to watch it so bad he physically put the DVD's in my hand and made me take them. After taking them they sat on my dresser for a month collecting dust until one day the cable went out and I put the first disc in. I finished the entire season three days later. Lost is without a doubt one of the most addictive shows I've ever watched. The way they line up questions and make you wait for answers is excruciating but it's written so well you can't help but to keep watching. For those that don't know, Lost is about a group of people on an Airplane traveling from Australia to California when the plane for some reason (you find out why later) rips in half and causes the passengers to land on a seemingly deserted island. Over the course of the show you find out things are not as it seems as many questions arise. What's in the forest? Why are there Polar Bears on a tropical island? Why hasn't the rescue team come for the passengers yet? And most importantly, are they alone on the island? Lost throws these questions at you as soon as it starts, I guarantee anyone who watches the first episode will finish the season off. It's almost impossible to stop, Lost is the Pringles of the television world. Over the course of the show you'll wonder who you can and can't trust, you'll see that some characters have inadvertently affected other people's lives even though their all strangers to one another. There's a reason why Lost was one of the biggest shows on TV for the past few years, simply because Lost is one of the best shows of all time.
#1. Scrubs
And alas, we arrive at number one on my list, Scrubs. Scrubs is a show about a young Intern named John Dorian but known as J.D. and his first year working as a Doctor in Sacred Heart. Along with his best buddy Turk, a neurotic female co-worker named Elliot, and a sassy seven year veteran nurse named Carla we see one of the most touching shows I've ever seen. Scrubs is a comedy, it bleeds comedy, everything about it. The jokes J.D. and Turk play like climbing on top of each others shoulders to make the world's largest doctor, to the fact that J.D.'s mentor Dr. Cox refers to J.D. only as girl names, and of course J.D.'s weird day dreams. But it's even more than that, Scrubs is touching. The reaction you see when J.D. has one of his first patients die, or Turk and Carla date and split up, or J.D. constantly trying to get respect from his mentor all come across so genuine. And the cast is so talented, not just the main cast but the second-tier and even third-tier characters get to use their talents and bring out the perfect emotions to make you laugh of cry. Without a doubt Scrubs is a comedy first and foremost, but it's something more than that, it's just a really, really great show. I own seven of the nine seasons on DVD and I plan on finishing my collection, and I can honestly say that those DVD's will never leave my collection. Scrubs is a fun, heartwarming show that anyone of any age can enjoy, and that's why it's my favorite television show, and if it ever falls from number one, it'll always make my top ten.
Other Great Shows: Arrested Development, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Eastbound and Down, Freaks and Geeks, Titan Maximum, My Name is Earl, Everybody Loves Raymond, Everybody Hates Chris, Spectacular Spider-Man, Batman: The Animated Series, Superman: The Animated Series, and Boy Meets World.
Other Great Shows: Arrested Development, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Eastbound and Down, Freaks and Geeks, Titan Maximum, My Name is Earl, Everybody Loves Raymond, Everybody Hates Chris, Spectacular Spider-Man, Batman: The Animated Series, Superman: The Animated Series, and Boy Meets World.
Thanks everyone for taking your time to read my list of shows, I had fun writing it so I hope you guys had fun reading it. I'd love to see what you think, what you agree or disagree on and your favorite shows, so feel free to comment and let me know. Until next time, I had a blast.
- Jason Todd
The best part about this whole thing is, I've watched every single thing with you and it....it's awesome. I definitely agree with your top ten. Hell they may even be my fav.
ReplyDeleteWe've watched a LOT of stuff together. Lmao.
Oh before I go, Curb Your Enthusiasm is a whack show son! Lol.
Aww lol we really have watched EVERYTHING on that list, that's funny. I didn't even realize that until ya pointed it out.
ReplyDeleteAnd Curb RULES lady! RULES!!!! :P
Great post JT! I could probably go on a long rant about all the shows I love, but I'll try and be brief..
ReplyDeleteI'm a big fan of probably half the shows on your list. Supernatural, Lost, Always Sunny, and Modern Family are shows I've either seen once or not at all.
Community is definitely, as Pierce would say, "Streets Ahead", but I'm waiting to see how it holds up over time. I'm actually kind of sick of the Office, but I wouldn't dismiss it or anything. The Simpsons ranks huge for me, as well as Big Bang Theory. And of course, an all time favorite is Seinfeld. I can still sit and watch those TBS marathons of it for hours on end. Also I loved the show Arrested Development, but I have to be in the right mood to watch that.
I really love the cartoon American Dad, although I suspect I'm the only person in the world who would say that. I can't get enough of how aloof Stan Smith can be. He's like a cartoon Steven Colbert, but not quite as cleverly written.
And one show that really surprised me last year was Parks and Recreation. It was quite dull the first season, and the 2nd season was hilarious. I think we chatted about this before, but it's another show that would be worth watching on DVD.
As far as shows from the past, I grew up on Night Court, Who's the Boss, Grwoing Pains, Step By Step, and Full House.
And of course, there were the cartoons- the best of which include Batman:TAS and Spider-Man. I would get up at 6:30 every Friday to catch Gargoyles too (and that was darn early for a 10 year old to do on his own!) Skeleton Warriors was another nostalgic cartoon, which had the most rocking theme song ever.
Wow, I've wasted a lot of my life....
Thanks Kello. I gotta say, you saying Streets Ahead caught me off guard and I love it. I'm gonna add streets ahead to my vocabulary. Thanks Community! *Cheesy Grin*
ReplyDeleteI was kinda getting sick of the Office near the end of season six but season seven has been good so far. I'm kinda sick of The Simpsons at this point since the older episodes were SO much better, but there is a really good episode every once in a while.
I LOVE American Dad, I can't believe I forgot it for the Runner-Up list, because Stan is amazing. That's my favorite Sunday Night Fox cartoon actually.
I remember Gargoyles, I was a big fan of the old Ninja Turtles cartoon, as well as Street Sharks. I LOVED Street Sharks.
I've wasted a lot of my life as well, but I enjoyed it :P Lol
Just had the chance to finally read through this whole list, JT! I've watched about half of the shows on this list at least once, and I guess I'll have to see what the other ones are all about.
ReplyDeleteSmallville got on my nerves about halfway through the second season so I stopped watching, but I'll get back into it one day. I have the first five seasons on DVD, after all.
I didn't used to like Scrubs, but I watched a couple episodes about a year ago and liked it considerably more. Not sure I enjoyed them enough to watch the whole thing, but I definitely wouldn't object to watching an episode here or there.
Oh, and Street Sharks was Jawesome!!! Sorry, had to say it...
Glad ya finally finished this monstrous read! Haha and hopefully you do watch Smallville again eventually and it doesn't get on your nerves again. Scrubs has always been one of my favorites though since I caught it around season 3. I coule watch those dvd's over and over and not get tired of them, and I have.
ReplyDeleteJust for the record, Jawesome is officially one of my new favorite terms, only because it was so Streets Ahead.