Notes from the Wasteland: Top ten reasons to watch in 2006

Everybody loves to dump on TV. But at its best television offers up a few tasty morsels that outshine any other form of entertainment. Doubt me? Take a look at a few of my favorites:

10. Animal Planet
They’ve brought back Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom. ‘Nuff said. Well, all right, I’ll say more. Want a gripping reality series? You can’t get beat the action, pathos, and righteous vindication of Animal Cops Detroit, Houston, or San Francisco. Need an alternative to the Super Bowl? Try the Puppy Bowl. Need to be whisked away to a world you never knew? Plunge into Elephant Diaries.    Don’t care for animals? Have all your worst fears confirmed on Animals Behaving Badly. This channel has it all. 9. The CW
Rumor has it this new channel will be changing its awkward name before it premieres in the fall. Thank goodness. But the good news is that most of the crap that lived on UPN and WB will be tossed when these two are combined to form a new network. Together they make for a ferociously attractive line-up. I don’t know for sure what will and won’t make the transition, but I’ll make a few fearless predictions. So long Eve, Charmed, What I Like About You, and One Tree Hill. Hello Veronica Mars, Everwood, Everybody Hates Chris, Gilmore Girls, Smallville, America’s Next Top Model, and Supernatural. Even with the uninspired Smallville in the mix, this is engaging television. If the CW picks the right pilots (rumor has it that the edgy Cult has the inside track) it might end up with the best schedule in network television.8. The Closer
Kyra Sedgwick is back as the most recognizably human female cop in television. She calls her Mom; she privately and rapturously eats Hostess Ding Dongs; she leaps hungrily on her lover, the tasty Jon Tenney, even as she’s wracked with insecurity over their longterm prospects. And she’s smarter than everybody else in her division put together. With insightful writing from creator James Duff and the support of an excellent ensemble cast, this is the best addition to the police procedural since the original CSI.7. Reality Shows that Don’t Stink
The best of the reality shows are enduring while the chaff falls away. I’m not a big fan of this genre, but I can admit when it’s done well. The Amazing Race has dropped the annoying family angle and gone back to the more gripping formula of pitting teams of two against each other as they fly around the world, following clues. American Idol transcends its own tiresome clichés to show why it’s the top show on television. Its successor, Dancing with the Stars, cavorts ably in its footsteps. And at least Extreme Makeover: Home Edition and the new Miracle Workers rely on uplifting and helping others rather than on eliminating them and tearing them down. They’re like eating jelly beans -- hard to stop once you start.6. A Golden Era for Comedy?
Arrested Development ushered in a slew of smart, less sappy sitcoms. (Hopefully this series will get picked up by Showtime, as it deserves.) While more traditional, tired shows like Two and a Half men continue to pull in the viewers, other comedies are breaking the rules in hilarious and intelligent ways – and they’re getting renewed. My favorite among them is NBC’s The Office, a funny follow up to the brilliant BBC series by Ricky Gervais. Also notable are the enjoyable Raising Arizona rip-off My Name is Earl, and mid-season replacements Free Ride, Sons and Daughters, and The New Adventures of Old Christine. Showtime stepped up to offer the amusing and intelligent Weeds, which has its second season due this summer. Add those to old stand-bys like The Simpsons, South Park, The Daily Show, Curb Your Enthusiasm, and The Family Guy, and suddenly we’re looking at a possible New Golden Age of Comedy.5. Doctor Who
The Sci Fi Channel brings back to the US one of the most successful franchises in television history when it begins airing the new, reimagined Doctor Who series on March 17.   Christopher Eccleston (Elizabeth, The Others, 28 Days Later) is the ninth actor to play the Doctor, the last remaining Timelord who uses a mysterious machine called the TARDIS to mess around with the past and future of the universe.   Eccleston combines an impish sense of mischief with a ruthless dark side that always keeps you guessing as to how he’ll react. The first few episodes are enjoyable, but you can still feel the writers finding the voice of the series. But when an old enemy returns in episode five, a fascinatingly dark sensibility takes over, the plots gain new urgency, and things get personal for the Doctor. A must for science fiction fans.4. Monday Nights on Fox
Beginning March 20, Fox combines its two best dramas into one unbeatable block of action and suspense. Strap yourself in for Prison Break at 8pm (7pm Central) and 24 at 9pm. 3. PBS
Any network that brings you The News Hour with Jim Lehrer, Frontline, Sesame Street, and Masterpiece Theatre doesn’t need defending by me. The Electric Company and Monty Python’s Flying Circus changed my life. There’s no doubt that every day PBS helps another child learn to read or another adult to explore and appreciate their world. Watch and contribute.2. Sports
I can’t predict what the great moments in sports will be in 2006, but you can bet they’ll be aired on television. Whether you follow your favorite team to the World Series, relax with a beer over Monday Night Football, or clean your house in between gymnastics routines on Sunday afternoons, sports on television delivers greater excitement than you could ever find at your local 12-plex.1. HBO
All hail HBO! Check out the riches it offers us in 2006. First, new seasons of The Sopranos (be sure to watch this Sunday, March 12 at 9pm), Deadwood (sometime this summer), and the greatest series ever written for television – The Wire (which returns in the fall). All of these series are so juicy, so smart, so damn fun, that I was tempted to give them each a slot on this list. But there’s even more to love about HBO.   Big Love, starring Bill Paxton and Chloe Sevigney, premieres after The Sopranos, and should do for polygamy what Six Feet Under did for funeral homes, that is, give it a human face, full of drama and complex characters. Add to this rich stew of drama the harrowing documentaries Dealing Dogs, now airing, and the uplifting 39 Pounds of Love, which premieres March 22. Nobody in film, books, television, or theater does it better than HBO.Did I miss something fabulous? Feel free to post your favorites here on the Monsters and Critics talkback.Next week, ten shows that make me want to turn off the TV and get a life.(Monsters and Critics' columns are written by outside contributors. The views expressed do not necessarily reflect those of Monsters and Critics. In the interests of creating an open forum, we invite you to volunteer a regular column of your own. To apply contact the "submissions" department via this form. Please include an outline and sample.)

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JuliaMar 10th, 2006 - 14:42:16

You forgot Entourage. Best show on HBO.

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dwd329Mar 10th, 2006 - 16:23:30

For fans of HBO's Deadwood, the Real Deadwood Podcast is a source of entertainment, interviews, and news from both HBO Deadwood and the real Deadwood in the Black Hills of South Dakota. Check it out at http://www.realdeadwoodpodcast.com.

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JonMar 11th, 2006 - 00:09:05

Doctor Who is definitely one of the top things to turn on in 2006. Thanks for the nod!

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