Top 10 in Arts of the Decade
Time Magazine has decided to jump on the media bandwagon and publish their top list for the best movies, TV shows, books, and plays of the last decade. Below is the link to their list starting with TV shows.
http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,1949837_1948607,00.html
I am only going to comment on the TV shows list, because in my opinion TV has surpassed film as the best storytelling medium our culture has. The serial drama is now my favourite form of entertainment for its ability to tell a story longer than your typical 2 hour movie. That being said I really want to see The Hurt Locker and read Never Let Me Go. As for plays, I have virtually zero interest. This is a 19th century form of entertainment, and I don’t know of a single play that can match some of the movies or TV shows listed in terms of sheer emotional entertainment.
1. The Wire
Hard to argue with this pick. The Wire is the most complete TV series ever filmed. It somehow presents a dysfunctional American city in its entirety and still manages to make it entertaining. Although not my favourite show of the last decade I would still call it the best.
2. Lost
The first season of Lostmay be the greatest television series season of all time. That being said, the series should not rank this high on the list. The period in between the 2nd to 4th season where the writers dragged their feet to collect pay cheques should relegate this show to below the top 5. However, JJ Abrams might still have an absolutely mind-blowing finale in store for 2010.
3. Freaks and Geeks
I have not seen this show but have heard great things. The names involved (Judd Apatow, Seth Rogen, Jason Segal) read like a who’s who of today’s comedy landscape. This makes it even more remarkable that the show aired in 1999-2000 and was promptly cancelled.
4. Arrested Development
Single best comedy show of the decade and in my opinion more influential than Freaks and Geeks. It is still one of the great shames of the decade that this show was relegated to Fox and canceled after under 3 seasons.
5. Mad Men
To put Mad Men ahead of the Sopranos is to say that your favourite Paul McCartney band was Wings. The show has great potential but it is not nearly as entertaining as most Sopranos episodes.
6. The Office (UK and U.S.)
In my opinion the most influential comedy of the past decade. The mockumentary style that Ricky Gervais perfected is becoming more and more mainstream in both TV and movies. I think the British version is still the best but the fact that I have to express that is credit enough to the US version.
7. Deadwood
Like Freaks and Geeks I never saw this show.
8. The Sopranos/Survivor (Tie)
Both shows should be ranked higher on this list. Survivor gave birth to the reality TV craze that continues to dominate network TV to this day. It also had Richard Hatch, one of the greatest TV villains of the decade. As for The Sopranos it remains my favourite TV show of all time. Maybe if I grew up poor and a minority, I would relate more to The Wire, (Thanks Mom and Dad) but for me you can’t touch The Sopranos. I am willing to admit that I have fully cried during some episodes of The Sopranos. That is how good the show is and that is how deeply you find yourself caring for the many times evil main characters.
9. The Daily Show
Forever changed TV news. Makes it hard to take serious news anchors like Brokaw and Williams seriously. Jon Stewart seems smarter than any real anchor and he is infinitely more entertaining to the MTV generation.
10. Battlestar Galactica
I have had girlfriends in the past decade so as a result I have not found myself watching this show. Jokes aside though one of my roommates in university was hugely into this show. He was also an expert on all things science fiction, which for me means that this show is probably pretty good.
Sidenote: Wall-E as the movie of the decade?!?!?!!!! Are you f#%!ing kidding me!!! I have not seen it and have heard it is actually pretty good, but movie of the decade status is just insane. From what I understand it is an animated movie about a virtually mute robot who discovers a post-apocalyptic society. I also have heard that there is great metaphorical significance in the film and that it is very timely considering recent events. That is great but do you really mean to tell me that an animated movie with very little dialogue was the best Hollywood came up with this decade? Fuck you Richard Corliss.
2 years ago • Notes