Best Duos

Scooter rounded up some of the TV bloggers for a Best Duos on TV list (as a sequel to last years Best Character list). It could be any duo from any show with new episodes since last June 2008. Just any duo that sparks up the screen, whether it be friends, enemies, lovers, family, anything. And if looking back at last year's single character list and this years duo list, it's that we bloggers really do love our Friday Night Lights. Plus, the buzz on The Big Bang Theory is really picking up this year.

Here was the compiled list of the Top 25 Favorite Duos, along with my own Top 10 picks that I submitted at the end of the post:

1. Coach Eric and Tammy Taylor (Friday Night Lights)
2. Liz Lemon and Jack Donagy (30 Rock)
3. Sheldon Cooper Ph.D. and Penny (The Big Bang Theory)
4. Jim Halpert and Dwight Shrute (The Office)
5. Patty Hewes and Ellen Parsons (Damages)
6. Dr. Temperance “Bones” Brennan and Special Agent Seeley Booth (Bones)
7. Emerson Cod and Olive Snook (Pushing Daisies)
8. Blair Waldolf and Chuck Bass (Gossip Girl)
9. Shawn Spencer and Burton “Gus” Guster (Psych)
10. Chuck Bartowski and Special Agent Sarah Walker (Chuck)
11. Sam and Dean Winchester (Supernatural)
12. Marc St. James and Amanda Tannen (Ugly Betty)
13. Barney Stinson and Ted Mosbey (How I Met Your Mother)
14. Bill Adama and Laura Roslin (Battlestar Gallactica)
15. Landry Clark and Tyra Colette (Friday Night Lights)
16. Ben Linus and John Locke (Lost)
17. John “J.D.” Dorian M.D. and Dr. Christopher Turk (Scrubs)
18. Sookie Stackhouse and Bill Compton (True Blood)
19. Jeff Patel and Lester Barnes aka Jeffster (Chuck)
20. James “Sawyer” Ford and Juliet Burke (Lost)
21. Homer and Marge Simpson (The Simpsons)
22. Bill Adma and Saul Tigh (Battestar Galactica)
23. Richard Cypher and Kahlan Amnell (Legend of the Seeker)
24. Earl and Randy Hickey (My Name Is Earl)
25. Michael Westen and Fiona Glenanne (Burn Notice)

Submitted by Voters: Dan, Ducky, Kath, Matt, Sandie, Scooter McGavin, TVFan, Vance

And here's my list that I submitted, though I must say now that I've seen the results, I'm so ashamed of myself for completely forgetting about Pushing Daisies. I also had a few on my list that I was highly considering but at the last moment, switched off for other picks.

1. Tami and Coach Eric Taylor - Friday Night Lights
2. Ben and Locke - Lost
3. Liz Lemon and Jack Donaghy - 30 Rock
4. Blair Waldorf and Chuck Bass - Gossip Girl
5. Penny and Sheldon - The Big Bang Theory
6. Bones and Booth - Bones
7. Tyra and Landry - Friday Night Lights
8. Amanda and Marc - Ugly Betty
9. Dean and Sam Winchester - Supernatural
10. Megan Smith and Charlie Hogan - Privileged

I had also highly considered: Marshall and Barney (How I Met Your Mother), Michael Westen and Fiona (Burn Notice), Sawyer and Juliet (Lost), Cappie and Casey (Greek), Chuck and Sarah (Chuck), really any pairing on Friday Night Lights would have worked, and I seriously had to withold myself in picking a top 10 solely from this show alone.

And I should have also considered: Earl and Randy (My Name Is Earl), Any pairing from Pushing Daisies.

I also considered those from The Office but deemed it worked best in ensemble moments (and I got irritated by Michael and Dwight this season, which was my initial duo to pick)

Vance at http://tapeworthy.blogspot.com

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Best of TV - The 2007 - 2008 TV Season

With the upcoming Emmy Award announcements coming Thursday morning (July 17th), and the fact they get it wrong a LOT, here is (finally) my Top 20 list for the Best of Television for the 2007-2008 TV Season which this year I'm encapsulating from the summer of 2007 to June of 2008. (With the ranking from the three previous lists (Best of TV 2007, Best of TV - Fall 2006/Winter 2007 Season, and Best of TV 2006) in parenthesis.)

Best of Television - Summer, Fall 2007/Winter 2008 TV Season:

1. Lost - ABC - (4, 2, 6) Has totally found its way again and boy is it amazing!


2. Pushing Daisies - ABC - (2, New) Marvelously odd and romantic with a twisted deadly sense of humour all against bright and luscious colours.


3. Friday Night Lights - NBC - (1, 1, 3) An imperfect season that takes a close look at the imperfect lives of the people of Dillon, Texas as the real human dramas surrounding the regular daily routines in this small town sucks us in with its emotional attachment.


4. 30 Rock - NBC - (5, 10, Not Ranked) A rock solid comedy that is beyond bizarre and quirky.


5. Mad Men - AMC - (10, New) Seductively sleek in its fascinating look at the men who ran Manhattan in the 60's, and the women who stood behind them.


6. Weeds - Showtime - (6, 7, 8) Mary Louise Parker. Enough said.


7. Burn Notice - USA - (New) Jeffrey Donovan. Enough said.


8. So You Think You Can Dance - FOX - (11, Not Eligible, 16) Yes, we think they can dance!


9. Ugly Betty - ABC - (3, 4, 9) It may have faltered post writers strike but the first 2/3rds of the second season was bang on hilarious and ridiculous in its plotting.


10. Damages - F/X - (New) At times it may have repeated itself a little too often to get the confusing point across but when it did, it was gaspworthy.


11. Aliens in America - The CW - (9, New) Soft on the outside, biting and sharp on the inside.


12. Chuck - NBC - (9, New) A fun spy show with a heart of gold.

13. Project Runway / Project Runway Canada - Bravo/Slice Canada - (14, 13, 14/ 14, New) I'm not sure who is more fierce, Christian Siriano or Iman.

14. The Office - NBC - (10, 2, 2) Faltered a LOT but redeemed itself with a stellar finale that redeemed some of the previous season.

15. Bones - FOX - (15, 14, 20) I still wish the ending was flushed out more but until the twist end, the show made a procedural funny, romantic and humane.


16. How I Met Your Mother - CBS - (12, 6, 10) It had a hot and cold season but when it was hot, the show was HOT!

17. Gossip Girl/ Greek - The CW/abcFamily - (18, New/ New) Young people flirting, flirting and flirting. And other things young horny attractive people do. Addictively watchable and smarter than their glossy sheen let them on to be (not smart. Just smarter...).


18. Desperate Housewives/ House - ABC/FOX - (20, Not Ranked) Home is where the heart is and both these shows rebounded with stellar seasons that got to the emotional truths (with a lot of sarcasm along the way).

19. Brothers & Sisters/ Grey's Anatomy/ Men In Trees - ABC - (13, 9, 18/ Not Ranked, 18, 4/19, 16, Not Ranked) The large ensemble dramedies made for addictively fluff TV.

20. Entourage - HBO - (16, Not Eligible, 15) Always a good time hanging with the boys, no matter how stupid it could get.

Always A Bridesmaid, Shows that are consistently good that never get its due respects: The New Adventures of Old Christine, Everybody Hates Chris, My Boys, The Big Bang Theory, Corner Gas, Degrassi: TNG, Top Chef, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Supernatural, Eli Stone

Reality Shows That I Still Watch Because Like the Mafia, They Suck Me Back In Everytime: The Amazing Race, Survivor, American Idol

Huge Disappointments: Heroes, Bionic Woman, Big Brother, Lipstick Jungle, Private Practice, Welcome to the Captain, Big Shots, Life

Not As Bad As You Think They Were. For Real: Carpoolers, Back To You, Samantha Who?, My Name Is Earl, The Return of Jezebel James, Miss/Guided

Should have been better than it was, though it was showing some signs of life by the end: Reaper, Cashmere Mafia, Dirty Sexy Money, Journeyman

Yah Yah, Shows That Are Still On My List That I Know I Must See and Catch Up With To Join The Rest of the Club: Battlestar Galactica, Dexter, The Wire

Shows I Just Didn't Get, That I Just Don't See Why They Have Cult Hits: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, Moonlight

Shows I'm Glad I Gave Up In Previous Seasons (Finally!): ER, Prison Break, Law & Order, Law & Order: CI, CSI

Shows I Gave Up But I'll Occasionally Watch And Realize That They Are Still Quite Good: Law & Order: SVU, Cold Case, Without A Trace


My Previous Best of Television Lists:

Best of Television 2007
Best of Television Fall '06 - Winter '07 List
Best of Television 2006
Best of Television Fall '05 - Winter '06 List
Best of Television 2005

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Damages - Spoilers From Eight Months Ago

I finally started catching up with the critically acclaimed, viewers challenged, Glenn Close starring Damages from F/X last summer (which only started playing here in Canada this winter and is already currently available on DVD) and HOLY SH!T...

I'll continue after the jump to avoid any spoilers but seriously, did the pilot just end that way? Did anybody else actually catch this series? Don't tell me how it unravels but does the series continue to be as amazing and enthralling as the pilot was?

Whoa! I'm seriously like, did that just happen? Glenn Close as Patty Hewes is one tough and ruthless muthaf*cka (I've been listening to "Original Musical" from [title of show] a lot so I've been singing/swearing like a sailor).

Plus, when did Ted Danson start doing dramas and why hasn't he done it before? He's amazing. Same with Tate Donovan (below with Close), who I only know from The OC and even lighter fare than that. Who knew both could be so terrific in a dark drama?

Okay, I don't have much new to say but don't read below if you haven't watched the pilot yet.
First of all, what an excellent cast. Rose Byrne, Zeljko Ivanek, Danson, Donovan, Close. Wow!

Okay, but they were pretty blunt that Close's character Patty Hewes and Donovan's Tom Shaye conspired to kill Rose Byrne's Ellen Parson's dog but did they kill her boyfriend David Connor (Noah Bean) too (to pull Ellen onto Patty's side even more)? Or was that Frobisher's men?

I think I may have been overreading things but I'm sure there will be plenty more twists along the way.

Alright, I just needed to get that out of my system and since I know no one that has actually watched the series, there's no one to discuss it with me in real life.

More After the Jump...