Saturday, May 1, 2010

Bi-Monthly Power Rankings- 20 Through 11

Well it's that time again. Along with hearing myself talk, here at the Quiet Pool Perspective we like to let you know what tv you should be watching. Every two months I give you a few quick thoughts on the best television out there for viewing in what we call here at The Pool, the Bi-Monthly Power Rankings. As always I will rank the top 20 series on tv and here's what the May 2010 version looks like.

20 Through 11

Show- (last time)...red=moving down, green=moving up

20. Justified- (-) Tuesdays on FX
I haven't gotten a chance to post about an episode of Justified since the premiere (because Idol and Lost take up my time on Tuesday and Wednesday), but it has been very solid early on. None have been as good as the first ep. The semi-procedural nature of the show is a nice change-up for me. Just like The Mentalist and House, Justified works as a great procedural because of how good the main character is.

19. Jonas- (HM) Sundays on Disney Channel
The Jo Bros finished up their first season of television in March with a fantastic finale chock full of musical performances. All three guys bring a certain Zack Morrisian charm to the show, right down to the words and glances to the camera. People can rant and rave about Glee all they want, but Jonas is the best musical comedy on television.

18. 24- (13) Mondays on FOX
Oh how the mighty have fallen. I'm not one of these guys who's gonna write a show off just because it does the same thing over and over (like many critics out there). I can appreciate the repetitiveness of a 24 when it's doing it well. Last season they did it well. Whether it was the reintroduction of Tony or the fact they were working with the FBI and not CTU, it was a great season. This year they've taken a nose dive and it's sad that they'll be going out on a bad note.

17. Parks and Recreation- (20) Thursdays on NBC
I can't imagine what the addition of Adam Scott to this rising comedy is gonna do. I know I might be a bit biased, because I absolutely loved his character Derek Huff on Step Brothers, but I think the show would be better suited if he played closer to that character than his Party Down character. His dry, down-on-his-luck Henry Pollard works for Party Down because everyone around him is so outrageous, but on Parks you already have April and Ron that fill the quiet comedy assassin roles. We need somebody to come in and tell all of these people how dumb they are. Cue Derek Huff.

16. The Mentalist- (18) Thursdays on CBS
Patrick Jane's sarcasm goes a long way, but it's been the extra effort of Kimball Cho that keeps The Mentalist in the rankings. Yes it's a straight procedural, but every once in a while you need one of those to keep things light. The supporting cast has been great this season, especially Cho, who got an entire ep dedicated to him and his gang related past earlier in the year.

15. American Idol- (12) Tuesdays on FOX
Did American Idol just drop down to my third favorite reality series? It's a sad state of affairs, but how can you blame me? The competition this season has been lacking, the judges continue to get on my nerves, and even Seacrest hasn't been on his game this year. The early eliminations of Lilly Scott and Did Benami didn't help the cause. Maybe it is a product of the majorly boring episode we endured this week, but I'm glad X-Factor will be around soon to spice things up.

14. Survivor- (17) Thursdays on CBS
In my opinion, you should have to watch the Life at Ponderosa webisodes on CBS.com if you watch Survivor. It really gives you the full effect of the season. The bittersweetness that exudes from each contestant that gets voted off is breathtaking to watch. They get to stuff their face with great food, shower away the disgust, and sleep in an actual bed. But then again they lost, so they are deeply saddened at the same time. Great stuff. Oh and by the way this has been a great season of back stabs.

13. Mad Men- (15) Sundays on AMC
I think Mad Men moves up just based on folk lore. When I watch the show it moves down the rankings, and when it's not on it Mad Men moves up. Credit all of the tv blogs and podcasts that continue to claim that it is one of the best shows on television. I still don't see it that way, but if it's not always super entertaining, the superb quality of the series needs to get credit.

12. 30 Rock- (14) Thursdays on NBC
James Poniewozik said that "sometimes it's just worth taking note of what an effortlessly weird show this has become." And I agree completely. I thought at first that 30 Rock had gotten really bad this season, but I might have mistaken bad for weird. Don't get me wrong, it's still not where it used to be, but it's just oh so weird now. Everything is completely over the top, and my memory may be failing me but I don't remember it like that in the beginning.

11. Big Brother- (11) Summers on CBS
The more I watch Idol and Survivor, the more I realize how great the Big Brother season is. There's something so refreshing about relaxing in the summertime heat and watching people fight with each other three times a week. We had a terrible cast of awful human beings this season and it was fantastic. Imagine if they get some dudes I would enjoy watching!

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