The Nip/Tuck Award- Worst Series

Named For: Nip/Tuck (FX) 2003-10
Awarded To: Worst series that you used to like from June 1, 2009 - May 31, 2010
Last Year's Winner: no award

Place. Show (Network) Points (My Vote)

5. Gossip Girl (The CW) 3 points

4. One Tree Hill (The CW) 3 points (2nd)

3. 24 (FOX) 7 points

Runner-Up
2. Entourage (HBO) 8 points (3rd)

and the Poolie goes to...
1. Heroes (NBC) 17 points (1st)

Here with his thoughts on Heroes is Poolie voter, T-time...

The first season of Heroes did everything you want in a show of it's ilk. It introduced a set of disparate characters who would be brought together by fate, while steadily delving deeper into the mythology. It asked a series of questions, answering some of the important ones by season's end while leaving major facets of the universe unexplained. The season culminated with an event foreshadowed early in the season, a major obstacle that concluded the destiny of several,
well-established characters.

Or so we thought, because soon into season 2, it all went wrong. The show caved to fans who demanded their favorite characters return and instead of telling a new story in the developing universe, the show began to follow the people we knew as their lives continued. We saw characters who had outlived their dramatic arc be foolishly working into plot lines they simply didn't belong in. As seasons wore on, we learned less and less about the world and the whole series devolved into a series of villains with nefarious plans threatening the same group of characters.

Season One set a blueprint for greatness, if only they had been willing to let obvious deaths like Parkman's stand, and let Claire fade from the spotlight when she had nothing to do instead of following her like a soap. The world at that point was interesting and full of possibilities. Each season should have answered questions deepening the world, while introducing further questions to pull the audience along. Maybe it is a lesson for future shows. The fans got what they asked for, and when they realized it wasn't what they thought, they abandoned the show in droves.

by Tim Forcella

The Teri Bauer Award- Worst Character Action

Named For: Teri Bauer played by Leslie Hope in 24
Awarded To: The character you love to hate in an action series from
June 1, 2009 - May 31, 2010
Last Year's Winner: Olivia Taylor- 24

Place. Character (Show) Points (My Vote)

10. Clay Morrow (Sons of Anarch) 1 point

9. Aaron Stark (Flash Forward) 5 points

8. Sookie Stackhouse (True Blood) 5 points

7. Bill Compton (True Blood) 8 points (2nd)

6. Matt Parkman (Heroes) 10 points

5. Walter White, Jr. (Breaking Bad) 11 points

4. Tyler Evans (V) 15 points (4th)

3. Dana Walsh (24) 19 points (5th)

Runner-Up
2. Allison Taylor (24) 19 points (1st)

and the Poolie goes to...
1. Skyler White (Breaking Bad)
21 points (3rd)

Here with his thoughts on Skyler White is Poolie voter, Larry...

No wonder Walter White contemplates killing himself all the time. Who could blame him? He’s had to deal with two of the top contenders for this award, who also happen to be his only family. Through two plus seasons, Sklyar White has been miserable, a real testament to why females tend to be the worst. First of all, she’s selfish. The guy is dying of cancer, operating in an extremely dangerous drug ring, and all he gets when he comes home is a scolding about his lack of availability. Are you kidding me? Can the man get a little alone time in between his dealings with drug lords? Jesus. Second, she somehow managed to make Walter feel bad about having cancer. Seriously, he should have told her to GTFO and been done with it. This series, if nothing else, shows you what happens when a man’s home is no longer his sanctuary (#vehicularmanslaughter).

To top it off she decided, in typical female fashion, to sleep with her boss in order to provoke Walter. I pray for the day males are no longer affected by this, because then females will literally have nothing to hold over our heads. Is she deserving of this award? Absolutely. However, if the poolie votes had been cast a few weeks later, she might not have gotten my vote (her terrible son probably would have). Once she started to get into the drug game, a genuine excitement seemed to come over her and she seemed less annoying. With this show, I enjoy the characters involved in the drug operation and dislike the ones living a normal New Mexican life. If she crosses over, she has a chance to improve her likability. She’d still be terrible, just less.

by Larry Avitabile

The Samantha Marquez Award- Female Character Action

Named For: Samantha Marquez played by Vanessa Marcil in Las Vegas
Awarded To: The best female character in an action series from
June 1, 2009 - May 31, 2010
Last Year's Winner: Sarah Walker- Chuck

Place. Character (Show) Points (My Vote)

10. Erica Evans (V) 3 points

9. Teresa Lisbon (The Mentalist) 3 points

8. Ellie Bartowski (Chuck) 6 points

7. Deb Morgan (Dexter) 6 points (3rd)

6. Tara Knowles (Sons of Anarchy) 7 points

5. Ava Crowder (Justified) 10 points (4th)

4. Maryann Forrester (True Blood) 13 points (2nd)

3. Chloe O'Brian (24) 14 points

Runner-Up
2. Kate Austen (Lost) 23 points (5th)

and the Poolie goes to...
1. Sarah Walker (Chuck)
32 points (1st)

Over the past three years we've all loved Sarah Walker because A) she's hot and B) she's kicks the deuce out of bad guys. This season she failed to disappoint on either count.

As awesome as it has been for her to save Chuck time after time early on in the series, this year she played the damsel in distress extremely well. Like Longfellow Deeds, I enjoy that type of girl. When Daniel Shaw kidnapped Sarah and brought her to Paris, we not only loved Chuck for killing Shaw and saving her, but Sarah took a step up as well.

"You saved me."

Before the saving took place during the quasi-season finale, Sarah appreciated Chuck's first attempt and did it in a surprisingly comedic way.

"Thank you for saving me. I appreciate the tank."

We also got plenty of sappy Sarah lines to keep me satisfied throughout. My favorites were of course,

"Once we get back, it's all gonna happen. You and me."

"You're still Chuck. You're still my Chuck."

Sarah Walker wins the first two Samantha Marquez Awards and I don't see that trend stopping until Chuck finishes its run.

FOX Upfronts- Gut Reactions

The network upfronts were a while back, but now that the true tv season is over I have some time to look over what got canceled, what's coming back and what's new at FOX, NBC, ABC, CBS and The CW.

First up is FOX.


Canceled: 24 is the only cancellation of note. After some up and downs the past few seasons, they finally pulled the plug on Jack Bauer and company after eight seasons. Dramas Dollhouse and Past Life also got the axe, while another sitcom attempt by FOX ended terribly. Brothers and Sons of Tucson were both theoretically gone before they got through five episodes. Also the way too long running comedy 'Til Death is out of there.

Returning: The four animated shows are back on Sundays. Other FOX staples American Idol and House, MD are also still kicking around as they digress in quality year after year. Fringe will be in its third season, while Glee and Human Target return for sophomore seasons. Human Target likely won't make it further than that as it is set to air on Fridays this fall.

New Shows

I already reviewed The Good Guys when it aired a preview event this spring, but it still looks promising if for Bradley Whitford alone. Two others that could be good for FOX are Lonestar and Running Wilde. Lonestar seems to be a family drama of the Dallas/Dynasty ilk. The lead guy is somewhat of an unknown, but it has Jon Voight and Adrianne Palicki from Friday Night Lights so it doesn't lack in star power. Running Wilde comes from the creator of Arrested Development and stars Will Arnett as a similar character as he played in the earlier FOX hit.

Others that I might give a try include Mixed Signals and Terra Nova. Nova has no trailer out so I'm not quite sure what it's about, but heard it was from Steven Spielberg so that has to be a plus. Mixed Signals is another sitcom, this one starring Roy from The Office.

Bob's Burgers, Raising Hope and Ride-Along all get the pass-aroo vote from me.

24 and Lost- Live Together, Torture Alone

It is the week of Lost and 24 here at the Quiet Pool Perspective. Today I'll give my thoughts on the pair of long-running dramas and we will be graced with Larry's thoughts at some point in the near future.

I've enjoyed tv all of my life. As a kid I loved watching TGIF on Friday nights and Saved by the Bell on Saturday mornings, but I don't remember much more than that. I got into watching Beverly Hills, 90210 and Seinfeld repeats as I got a bit older. I jumped on the American Idol train come season two, which was my junior year of high school, but none of these endeavors made me realize how rewarding television shows can actually be.

During my sophomore year of college, everything changed. My suite-mate Larry brought some tv shows on dvd from home. What were they? 24: seasons one, two and three. Although he had already seen the seasons, he wanted to share them with me and our other roommate, Mags. We rifled through the seasons, albeit those two quicker than me (I was inexplicably more preoccupied with other things at the time). Episode after episode. Disc after disc.

The three seasons were done. We loved it. Lar did his usual, "I told you this was sweet! How cool am I that I knew about this and you didn't?" But we needed more. With Mags's need to have the fourth season dvds in hand, and his lack of wanting to leave the dorm room, he ordered season four online to be delivered. Of course the fourth installment came as an Asian version with crazy subtitles on the screen. We didn't care. We needed more Jack Bauer.

The action. The torture. The real-time format. It was all revolutionary. And because we watched the first four seasons so quickly, it didn't seem to get repetitive to us. We loved it more and more as it went on.  After watching seasons five through eight live, I will admit that it got a bit tiresome (especially six and this final eighth season).

In anticipation of the January 2006 start of the fifth season of 24, we realized we needed another show to hold us over. Enter Lost. It was a different experience. It had action. It had drama. It had comedy. It had mystery. We were once again hooked. As we sped through the first season we realized the second season was currently airing right under our noses. After The Others stole Walt off of the boat we had to watch season two any way we could.

We got into the tv downloading game real quick. We had to see the seven or eight eps of season two immediately so that we could watch it live with the 15 million others that were on board with watching the castaways fight for their lives.

And that is how my love for current television started. Both shows gave us so much to talk about. One was taken at face value, 24. The other was explored in depth, Lost. 24 gave us guns, explosion, car chases, moles, technology, bad guys, etc. Lost gave us flashbacks, intrigue, questions, character development, etc. They were very different, but both of them shaped the view of television I have today.

It is only fitting that they leave our lives within 24 hours of each other. Although under different circumstances, Lost and 24 had their series finales on Sunday and Monday, respectively. The Lost creators set their end date three years ago in order to stop twiddling their thumbs. They finished things on their own terms. 24, which was once a great phenomenon, was growing tiresome and they decided to pull the plug in the midst of its eighth season. They will now move on to making movies for the franchise.

To 24 and Lost, thank you for showing me that much intellect and creativity can be rooted in this medium of television. Am I smarter because I watch such brain wrenching shows like Lost? I like to think so. Have I become a better writer because these shows have ignited my inner-blogger? I also like to think so. So thank you 24 and Lost for this glorious four year ride I've been on with the both of you.

Damn it Chloe! I'll see you in another life.

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!

24- Jack's Crying Game

It's been a long time since I've written about 24, mainly because this season has been so bad, but a couple of developments from the past two episodes have made my typing fingers itchy.

We got ourselves another silent clock with the death of Renee Walker. Other than the first one ever, I always seem to get a little sad when the clock is silent. It's the realization that another main character has left us. The first one ever was, of course, the death of Teri Bauer. I was so happy to see that terribly annoying character gone that I had no way of feeling sorry for Jacky B. As I look back on it, maybe it would've been worth having to see Teri through the years if it meant that Jack wouldn't turn into a sad sack over every new girl he finds.

I really love watching Jack Bauer torture people, scream at the top of his lungs, chase down terrorists and everything else that makes him the baddest dude on the planet. But what I don't love is when he becomes a sappy sad sack. If I want to see an action star with a sensitive side, I'm gonna break out the tissues and turn on an episode of Chuck.

He had his wife of so many years die in his arms, and since then it's been Kate Warner, Claudia Hernandez, Audrey Raines, Diane Huxley and most recently Renee Walker. I mean I'm all for Jack being a ladies man, but why does he have to act like a pathetic sap when they get shot, go mentally insane or go back to Texas? I'm not saying there should be only one woman for every man, but there is no way he should be crying over six different women in eight seasons? Give me a break Jack.

Our favorite criminal President has returned. This was the first thing to get me excited about this season. An older, more doubly chinned Charles Logan is back to help with the U.S./Russia relationship. Sure he committed treason as the President of the United States, helping terrorists enact a terrible crime on his own country, but the good people of America could always use his help right? Awesome. He's up to no good an I love every second of it. Take that woman President down a few notches. Show her how we really do things in the oval office.

And finally Dana Walsh. It's incredible how 24 can change the appearance of a character after we find out who they really are. Although I couldn't stand a second of her in the early going, I still found Dana Walsh dumb and unassuming; not evil. Now that the audience has been let in on the secret that she is dirty and was a mole for the terrorists she just looks like pure evil every time she's on screen. Is it just that I'm looking for it now? Or does she has an evil scowl on her face 24/7 at this point?

Still not a great season so far. Let's see if Logan, and hopefully an improvement from Cole Ortiz, can pick things back up down the home stretch.

Bi-Monthly Power Rankings- 20 Through 11

Now that the Olympics are over many of our favorite shows are set to return. Plenty of new shows are also on the horizon. Let's see where The Perspective's Power Rankings stacks everyone up. January and February brought back plenty of series in the Top 20, including perennial number one LOST. I've also caught myself all the way up on a couple of cable gems (Sons of Anarchy, Breaking Bad) so things might look a bit different near the top this time around. A few shows that have missed the cut (Bored to Death, V, Eastbound) not because of failure to entertain, but for lack of episodes and too much time off. Without further ado here are the shows you should be watching, The Quiet Pool Perspective's March Power Rankings.

20 Through 11

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

20. Parks and Recreation- (HM) Thursdays on NBC
The Office copycat makes the top 20 for the first time due to the continued strength of Chris Pratt as Andy Dwyer, the emergence of April Ludgate as a great female character, and a couple of great guest spots in Fred Armisen and Will Arnett.

19. Flash Forward- (17) Tuesdays on ABC
Most of the Poolie voters seem to like this catastrophic drama more than I or anyone else I read does, but it ideology and potential keep in in the top 20. After a long hiatus let's see if the switching of showrunners (twice?) points it in the right direction.

18. The Mentalist- (19) Thursdays on CBS
Still my favorite procedural out there. Patrick Jane all but matches Greg House step for step, but it is the quality of the minor characters and storylines that put it over the top.

17. Survivor- (15) Thursdays on CBS
It was hard to move up after the ending of last season, so Survivor drops a few spots. I'm more than sure that the original reality series will slide back up the rankings as Heroes vs. Villains continues.

16. 90210- (14) Tuesdays on The CW
They continue to shuffle in and out horrific actors and plots that aren't much better, but it is the nod to the original 90210 that keeps me hanging on. If anything, Annalynne McCord as Naomi Clark is worth checking it out all by herself.

15. Mad Men- (11) Sundays on AMC
The third of five straight shows that moved back in the rankings. Mad Men's move has more to do with the addition of Sons and Breaking than its own merits. The 1960s drama doesn't compare to all the critical praise it receives, but it's still a very good show.

14. 30 Rock- (7) Thursdays on NBC
Tina Fey and crew are really making me wonder if 30 Rock ever was as good as I thought it was. I guess it will have to wait until I check out a few eps from seasons past before I can make that judgment. I do know that this season has been lackluster at best.

13. 24- (6) Mondays on FOX
I huge fall for the real time action series. As was talked about in the second episode of the Quiet Poolcast, this season just isn't doing it for me. Yeah I know many people have tired of 24's ways, but I have enjoyed it throughout. Maybe it's just Dana that is ruining it for me.

12. American Idol- (12) Tuesdays on FOX
There might be only a couple of shows that I get as excited for as American Idol. It doesn't move up the rankings though, because it also has the tendency to let me down. The first week of live shows was a complete disaster.

11. Big Brother- (9) Summers on CBS
I wish that Big Bro got the two seasons per 12 months treatment that Survivor and Amazing Race get from CBS, but then again three episodes per week in the summer is also a pleasant way to spend July and August.

The Quiet Poolcast: Episode 2- Chuck, Chuck, Loose

This past Monday's episode of Chuck was the last one before it takes a break for the Olympics. Apparently there was a big uproar over what went down in Chuck vs. the Mask. I wasn't at all upset about the fact that Chuck made a move to get with new Nerd Herder Hannah and Sarah showed some interest in Captain Shawsy. In fact I liked it a lot. Last Friday, while recording the second episode of The Quiet Poolcast, Lar and I came to the conclusion that this situation was going to happen soon and we were loving it. Hannah is awesome and Chuck will be able to have an actual relationship for a while. Don't get me wrong, I'm as much of a fan of Chuck and Sarah as a couple as anyone, but you can't have them playing cat and mouse throughout the entire series. If Schwartz and Fedak get to end this thing when they want to, doesn't it make sense that the whole thing ends with Suck (that's Sarah and Chuck) finally settling down together for a happy normal life together? I think so anyway, and you can't get there by having them not pursue others in the meantime.

So in the second episode of The Quiet Poolcast Lar and I begin by talking about this season of Chuck so far, I rant a little bit about WWF/WWE because of Stone Cold Steve Austin's appearance in Chuck and then get into a long convo about 24 past and present. This week's episode didn't counter any of the negatives that we talked about regarding the start to this season. Somebody tell Cole Ortiz to step his game up pretty quickly or I'm gonna lose it!

Check out Episode 2 of The Quiet Poolcast here.

24- Showing Respect to Mr. Bauer

Last night we began viewing the eighth longest day of Mr. Bauer's life. The first thing I need to mention is that I wasn't left with any spark after this two-hour season premier. There was something to the beginning of last season that had a fire to it and got me extremely excited for the rest of the season. Maybe it was the fact that they took a year off and it was great to have it back, or maybe this season's just not going to be as good, but I wasn't left as excited this year when the clock hit 11:00 p.m.

Having said that, there were a lot of things I liked about the season premier of 24. After the cold open hits us with some random dudes shooting at each other, we get to see what I (and the people of Tropic Thunder) like to call Simple Jack. This is when we get to see Mr. Bauer doing normal every day things. The only other time we really get to see him act this way is the beginning of season one when he's at home with the first Teri and Kim. Sure in season 5 he is eating breakfast with Tami Taylor, but he is doing it under a false identity and he's hiding out from people. Not the same. In season 8 we get to see a once gain retired Mr. Bauer relaxing with his granddaughter, the second Teri, watching some cartoons. The whole relaxed atmosphere makes the change that much better when he has to turn his killing face on.

We're now in New York City, which is a great change of scenery. If there is something that got stale from 24, and it wasn't the fact that they repeat story lines, than it was the location. There's only so many horrific things that can happen in Los Angeles. The skyscrapers. The jam-packed streets. The underground entrance to CTU NY. It's all a nice change of pace. The CTU NY inside itself is really cool looking.

Then we get to the new guy. Cole Ortiz, played by Freddie Prinze, Jr., is the head of field ops CTU NY. AKA the new Chase Edmunds. I like what I've seen so far from Cole. When he first hears that Jack Bauer is bringing in a guy with information about the hit on President Hassan, he simply asks, "Jack Bauer?" The subtle, yet surprised, nature of his reaction shows that he knows what that name means and unlike some that have come before him, Cole has a grasp of the historical relevance of what Mr. Bauer has done for this country. Then we get to the point where me continuing to call Jack, Mr. Bauer makes sense. Every time that Cole talked to Jack, he called him Mr. Bauer. The respect that he showed him was awesome to see. This is the kind of admiration that all young government agents should show Jack Bauer. And I might continue to call him that as long as Cole does. When the chopper lands on the roof and Cole meets Mr. Bauer for the first time he again simply state, "It's an honor to meet you, Mr. Bauer."

The man getting everything done (or not done) at CTU NY is Brian Hastings, played by Mykelti Williamson. (Update: I can't believe I didn't realize this was Bubba Gump at first)  I love how wrong he has been about everything so far to start the season. I also love how confident he has been in everything he has done and said during the first two hours. Incompetence like this, we have not seen from the head of CTU since Lynn McGill.

Chloe is back. She is at CTU NY for some bogus reason. Something to do with Morris. This is the one thing that got me angry during the premier. This is just too coincidental. Chloe just happens to be working in New York now that Mr. Bauer is here. I much would've rather seen Mr. Bauer get twisted up in the situation in New York and then have him call her in because she was the only one who could help out. She was the only one to get things done the right way. Maybe bring her in for ep 3 or something. Just didn't have a good feel to it.

What did have a good feel to it was the partnership between Mr. Bauer and Chloe. Although she came in for season 3, it does seem like these two have been together for the entirety of the show. When Chloe makes her plea for Mr. Bauer to stay in New York, it was fantastic.

Jack. You've come to me for help many times, and I've never let you down. You've asked me to do crazy things, and I've always taken your side. Please. Help me. I can't do this by myself.

Anyway not the home run to start the season like we saw last year, but there is a lot of promise in what we have going on here. We get another two-hour dosage tonight before they go back into the regular time slot of Mondays at 9:00 p.m.

Bi-Monthly Power Rankings- Top Ten

As the winter hiatus is upon us, four months of the television season has passed us by. A lot has happened since The Perspective's November Power Rankings, so let's see where everyone stacks up at the beginning of 2010. These Bi-Monthly Power Rankings take into account both current and past performance. For example, although I have enjoyed Modern Family much more than 30 Rock this season, the NBC comedy stays on top of the ABC laugher because of its historical performance. Without further ado here are the Quiet Pool Perspective's January TV Power Rankings.

Top Ten

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

10. True Blood- (9) Sundays on HBO
HBO has played some season one marathons as of late and it reminded me of how much better the second season of True Blood was. It's transformation from a vampire drama to a fantasy action series lifted it in the November rankings. The folks from Bon Temps won't return for a while, but I'm looking forward to what they have in store.

9. Big Brother- (8) Summers on CBS
Big Bro finished at the end of the summer, but it's performance has lasted in my memory. Russell Hantz's fantastic performance proved to be the best Survivor I have seen to date, but it still couldn't compare with any season of Big Bro. Survivor is just Big Bro's less detailed, less complicated little brother.

8. Modern Family- (10) Wednesdays on ABC
Easily the best new show of the year so far, Modern Fam has made another improvement in the rankings. The 2009 finale Undeck the Halls could have been reason enough for it to move up to the eight spot. Any of Manny, Phil, Jay or Cameron could be my favorite character on any other comedy this season. On a bit of a tangent, Manny and his "innocentes" spawned a bunch of practical jokes by me and my family this holiday season.

7. 30 Rock- (4) Thursdays on NBC
The show centering around TGS with Tracy Jordan has taken a big dip due to a lackluster at best start to the fourth season. I don't know if they aren't doing the same sorts of gimmicks as in seasons two and three, or if those same gimmicks just aren't working any more. Whichever it is, they need to do something if they want to stay at the top of the comedy game. The fact of the matter is that they need to get Tracy more and more air time. Maybe if Alec Baldwin retires from acting again (like he claims to be doing) this could happen.

6. 24- (7) Mondays on FOX
I am currently watching season five of 24 for the second time and it is quite fantastic watching President Charles Logan squirm during the first half of the season. Rumor has it that he will be back for the eighth season starting this month. It probably won't be a large role, but it's exciting none the less. Other rumors floating around are that this will be the final season of the real-time action series. If so, let's hope Jack leaves on a high note and mirks himself on the way out.

5. The Office- (6) Thursdays on NBC
Some of the use of the supporting characters hasn't been as good the past couple of seasons, but Michael Scott has yet to disappoint. The Scranton, PA paper boss (or co-regional manager now) has been as awkward and ridiculous as ever and it gets me every week. With David Wallace on his way out due to a buy out, I hope the new boss at corporate can bring a good, new dynamic to the show in 2010.

4. Friday Night Lights- (5) Wednesdays on The 101 Network
The Dillon, TX drama continues to impress me with its ability to work in new characters, while keeping the original characters so enjoyable. The ex-Panthers are slowly leaving us (Smash, Street, and now Saracen) but Luke and Vince have brought their own positives to the new Lions squad. The loss of Tyra and Lyla was less of a big deal because the combo of Jess and Becky are an improvement.

3. Chuck- (3) Mondays on NBC
Thankfully Chuck and his cronies will return earlier than previously announced, because I don't know if I would have been able to wait until March to see Mr. Bartowski with Intersect 2.0 in his brain. Starting this month with a two day premier, I believe Chuck will only get better as the lead character now will know how to do many ridiculous activities (like kung fu).

2. Curb Your Enthusiasm- (2) Sundays on HBO
This season has without a doubt put Curb in a class of its own as far as comedies go. Not one episode this season was I not completely impressed and in tune with what Larry David had to offer. The Seinfeld reunion plot of the season was the best running theme they've come up with so far. The Producers season (Four I think) was the next best idea. LD will now think about if he wants to make another season. We can all hope that he thinks of something good.

1. Lost- (1) Wednesdays on ABC
The final season is upon us. When Lindelof and Cuse announced that they were setting an end date for the mysterious island series, I was excited because it meant they were actually knew exactly where they were going with the show. The bad news is that now I am sad that I can see the final episode in the distance. I have steered clear of any articles relating to the last season of Lost, because I want to go in fresh and with hardly any knowledge of what anyone else thinks is going to or supposed to happen. I'm very excited.

Preseason TV Power Rankings

With the beginning of September comes the return of the Preseason TV Power Rankings.

Honorable Mentions

The Amazing Race
CBS- Sundays at 8:00- Premiers 9/27

Entourage
HBO- Sundays at 10:30- Finale 10/4

Gary Unmarried
CBS- Wednesdays at 8:30- Premiers 9/23

Gossip Girl
The CW- Mondays at 9:00- Premiers 9/14

Mad Men
AMC- Sundays at 10:00- Finale 11/8

Rules of Engagement
CBS- Mondays at 9:30- Premiers Midseason

Top 20

20. 90210
The CW- Tuesdays at 8:00- Premiers 9/8

19. Wizards of Waverly Place
Disney- Fridays at 8:00- Premiers 10/9

18. Heroes
NBC- Mondays at 8:00- Premiers 2/21

17. The Mentalist
CBS- Thursdays at 10:00- Premiers 9/24

16. Hannah Montana
Disney- Sundays at 7:30

15. Survivor
CBS- Thursdays at 8:00- Premiers 9/17

14. Greek
ABCFam- Mondays at 9:00- Premiered 8/31

13. Family Guy
FOX- Sundays at 9:00- Premiers 9/27

12. House, MD
FOX- Mondays at 8:00- Premiers 9/28

11. One Tree Hill
The CW- Mondays at 8:00- Premiers 9/14

10. American Idol
FOX- Tuesdays/Wednesdays at 8:00- Premiers Midseason

9. Friday Night Lights
DirectTV- Fall '09/NBC- Summer '10

8. True Blood
HBO- Sundays at 9:00- Finale 9/13

7. Big Brother
CBS- Sun/Tue/Thur at 8/9- Finale 9/15

6. Curb Your Enthusiasm
HBO- Sundays at 10:00- Premiers 9/20

5. 24
FOX- Mondays at 9:00- Premiers Midseason

4. The Office
NBC- Thursdays at 9:00- Premiers 9/17

3. Chuck
NBC- Mondays at 8:00- Premiers Midseason

2. 30 Rock
NBC- Thursdays at 9:30- Premiers 10/15

1. Lost
ABC- Wednesdays at 9:00- Premiers Midseason

The Sopranos Award (2009)

The Sopranos Award for Best Action Series

Rank. Show- Total Points...(My Rank)
10th. Criminal Minds- 1 point

9th. Fringe- 2 points

8th. The Mentalist- 4 points...(5th)

7th. Harper's Island- 6 points

6th. Heroes- 6 points

5th. True Blood- 7 points

4th. Terminator: TSCC- 7 points...(4th)

3rd. Lost- 20 points...(2nd)

Runner-Up
2nd. 24- 21 points...(3rd)

The Poolie Goes To
1st. Chuck- 23 points...(1st)


And now with a few words on why Chuck deserves this year's Poolie, here is T-time of Solomons Lines...

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A spy show from the creator of “The OC.” A cast of unknowns. A far-fetched plot line. That seemingly doomed Monday slot on NBC. The prospects for Chuck were dubious at best. Two seasons later, Chuck has defied the odds and become one of the best shows on TV. It does action, comedy and romance and it does them all well. The moments that are supposed to be heartfelt, are. The comedic parts are legitimately funny. The action parts push the plot line, and while no characters are ever in real peril, the contrast enhances the dramatic scenes.

While bringing a little of everything, Chuck manages to not take itself too seriously. It knows what it is, a lighthearted show, about a lighthearted guy. Zach Levi's performance as the title character is outstanding. His character tends to take things lightly, able to find the humor in almost any situation. Seamlessly, humor translates to drama for Levi and as so often in well done comedies, the moments of emotion are incredibly sincere. Relationships built up during comedic and action scenes often possess greater authenticity. Chuck builds toward that concept with well established characters, never ceasing to be entertaining along the way.

The Frank Pembleton Award (2009)

The Frank Pembleton Award for
Best Lead Character in an Action Series

Rank. Character (Show)- Total Points...(My Rank)
10th. Peter Petrelli (Heroes)- 0 points

9th. John Connor (Terminator: TSCC)- 3 points

8th. Friday (Crusoe)- 5 points

7th. John Locke (Lost)- 6 points

6th. Gabriel Sylar (Heroes)- 8 points...(3rd)

5th. Benjamin Linus (Lost)- 9 points

4th. Patrick Jane (The Mentalist)- 9 points...(2nd)

3rd. Chuck Bartowski (Chuck)- 15 points...(4th)

Runner-Up
2nd. Jack Bauer (24)- 16 points...(5th)

The Poolie Goes To
1st. James 'Sawyer' Ford (Lost)- 16 points...(1st)
And with no guest spot, you are stuck with me on this one...

With all of the ups and downs, ins and outs, curve balls and game changers over the past five years on and off the Lost island, one thing has remained constant. Sawyer is an absolute stud. In the time we’ve spent with James on the island, we’ve witnessed him hoard supplies, kill the real Sawyer, shack up with Jack’s woman and give out plenty of nicknames.

In season five, the con-man really got a chance to shine. With the departure of the Oceanic Six it was Sawyer’s turn to step up to the plate and lead this group of idiots. With time travel happening all around them James is the strong, take action leader that the pastaways need. Time stops in the mid 1970s with the Dharma Initiative in full swing. When the pastaways are captured by Dharma, Sawyer takes the opportunity to put his conniving skills to good use as he comes up with an elaborate story in which his name is Jim LaFleur and his group was on a salvage vessel looking for the Black Rock. Three years pass and Sawyer is sly enough to become head of security at this joke of an Initiative, woo Juliet into a relationship, in which she makes him dinner every night, and live happily ever after in Dharmaville. That is until Jack, Kate and the gang come back and ruin all of his fun.

The Titus Pullo Award (2009)

The Titus Pullo Award for
Best Supporting Character in an Action Series

Rank. Character (Show)- Total Points...(My Rank)
10th. Hiro Nakamura (Heroes)- 2 points

9th. Lafayette Reynolds (True Blood)- 3 points

8th. Kimball Cho (The Mentalist)- 3 points

7th. Noah Bennett (Heroes)- 5 points

6th. Hurley Reyes (Lost)- 8 points...(5th)

5th. Derek Reese (Terminator: TSCC)- 8 points...(2nd)

4th. John Casey (Chuck)- 10 points...(3rd)

3rd. Sayid Jarrah (Lost)- 12 points

Runner-Up
2nd. Morgan Grimes (Chuck)- 15 points...(1st)

The Poolie Goes To
1st. Tony Almeida (24)- 18 points...(4th)

And now with some words on Tony Almeida here is Mags...

_________________________________________________

In the world of black ops, terrorism and constant action on Fox’s 24, Jack Bauer reigns king. Jack has been through more than anyone in the service of his country; the murder of his wife, constant physical torture and mental stress, kidnapping. His experiences run the gamut. Throughout the seven seasons of 24, there has been one man by Jack’s side more than any other, one man who had earned the trust of America’s watchdog. That man is Tony Almeida, your winner for Best Supporting Character in an action series.

Leading up to his apparent death in season five, Almeida was always Jack’s right hand, the one guy he could always count on. Halfway through season five however, Tony died in Jack’s arms after receiving a lethal injection. Season seven begins and surprise! Tony is alive after some terrorist injected him with a magical alive serum 10 minutes after he was left for dead. As anyone who watches 24 knows, every season there is a mole, and Tony has filled that role amazingly. I mean he started the season as a terrorist, switched sides and was fully trusted by Jack, and then switched back. All the while he maintained his unflappable demeanor. Tony really has helped 24 make a great comeback this season. Congratulations, Almeida.

FOX Upfronts- Gut Reactions

What's Gone
Do Not Disturb, King of the Hill, Prison Break, Sit Down Shut Up, Terminator

--Worst move of this season's upfronts was canceling Terminator: TSCC. Not only was it a great show, but it kept getting better and better as it went on. I'm glad to see Sit Down Shut Up and Do Not Disturb gone.

What's Back
24, American Dad, American Idol, Bones, Dollhouse, Family Guy, Fringe, House, Kitchen Nightmares, Lie To Me, Simpsons, Til Death, So You Think You Can Dance

--Really? Dollhouse and Lie to Me were better than Terminator? Interesting. 24 is back so I'm assuming Jacky B makes it through that experimental stem cell surgery. Either that or Renee Walker takes over as the woman that saves the world...no thank you.

What's New
Brothers, Cleveland Show, Glee, Human Target, Past Life, Sons of Tucson, Wanda Sykes Show

--Not much promise for the future of FOX. I'll check out Brothers and Cleveland Show, and maybe give Glee another try, but nothing excites me here.

--Brothers is a sitcom starring Michael Strahan (New York Football Giants) as Mike Trainor, an ex-NFL star that has spent all his money and moves back home. Daryl Mitchell (House Party, 10 Things I Hate About You) plays Mike's brother, a handicapped restaurateur, and Carl Weathers (Rocky, Happy Gilmore) is the father.

--The Cleveland Show is the Family Guy spin-off starring the Griffin's neighbor, Cleveland. That's pretty much it. I'll watch because all Seth MacFarlane's stuff is good.

--I turned the Glee pilot off halfway through because it was pretty awful. I am only hearing good things about it so I might give it one more try this fall.

The Teri Bauer Award (2009)

The Teri Bauer Award for the
Character You Love To Hate in an Action Series

Rank. Character (Show)- Total Points...(My Rank)
10th. Catherine Weaver (Terminator: TSCC)- 0 points

9th. Jack Shephard (Lost)- 3 points

8th. Olivia Dunham (Fringe)- 3 points...(3rd)

7th. Riley Dawson (Terminator: TSCC)- 4 points

6th. Kate Austen (Lost)- 5 points

5th. Larry Moss (24)- 8 points...(5th)

4th. Bill Compton (True Blood)- 10 points...(2nd)

3rd. Matt Parkman (Heroes)- 13 points

Runner-Up
2nd. Allison Taylor (24)- 16 points...(1st)

The Poolie Goes To
1st. Olivia Taylor (24)- 17 points...(4th)
And with no guest spot, you are stuck with me on this one...

24 has always been a hotbed for hated characters. Whether it was Teri Bauer, Ryan Chappelle, Sherry Palmer, Audrey Raines or the one and only Behroooooz, I have found myself screaming at the tv throughout the show's seven season run. After a yearlong break, due to the writers' strike, 24 has come back with a vengence and given us three, and maybe more, very hateable characters. Larry Moss found himself in fifth for the award, but the mother/daughter combo of President Allison Taylor and Olivia took gold and silver of this awful character olympics.

After the first gentleman has been severly wounded by a terrorist, the President reaches out to her estranged daughter and brings Olivia to the White House. She immediately becomes a nuisance, quarreling with her mother about the past and just being in the way when terrorist Juma comes to take over the White House. After most of the people being held hostage in the White House (RIP Bill Buchanan) end up alright, Olivia goes behind her mother's back to get Chief of Staff/Shawshank Warden Ethan to resign. Interestingly enough President Taylor appoints Olivia to fill in for Ethan while this tragic day continues. She makes dumb move after dumb move concluding with putting a hit on Jon Voight 'the actor's character Jonas Hodges. While not as terrible as past 24 hall of famers, Olivia definitely delivered moments of rage during this year's 24.

The Samantha Marquez Award (2009)

The Samantha Marquez Award for
Best Female Character in an Action Series

Rank. Character (Show)- Total Points...(My Rank)
10th. Claire Bennett (Heroes)- 0 points

9th. Trish Wellington (Harper's Island)- 2 points

8th. Sookie Stackhouse (True Blood)- 3 points

7th. Grace Van Pelt (The Mentalist)- 4 points

6th. Renee Walker (24)- 5 points

5th. Ellie Bartowski (Chuck)- 10 points...(5th)

4th. Cameron Phillips (Terminator: TSCC)- 10 points...(1st)

3rd. Chloe O'Brian (24)- 11 points...(4th)

Runner-Up
2nd. Juliet Burke (Lost)- 16 points...(3rd)

The Poolie Goes To
1st. Sarah Walker (Chuck)- 19 points...(2nd)
And with no one to speak on Sarah's behalf, this is what you get...

With it now being official that Chuck will have a third season, it is time to celebrate the announcement of Sarah Walker winning the inaugural Samantha Marquez Award. As the main heroin of the action comedy, Sarah has it all going for her. She's brilliant, rather attractive, and can protect you from bad guys. What's makes Sarah the best female character in an action series for 2009 is that not only is she all bad ass as a CIA agent protecting Chuck, but she always finds a way to get you all emotional from her heartfelt moments with the computer geek turned operative.

Sarah's Season Two Highlights
-Sarah's teenage insecurities come out when we meet her high school nemesis, played by Nicole Richie, in the reunion episode with Casey as the DJ.
-Sarah uses her CIA magic to get Chuck his well-deserved Stanford degree.
-We get to meet Sarah's father, who is none other that the great Gary Cole.
-Sarah makes dinner for Chuck as the play house on a mission in the suburbs.
-Torn between Chuck and that stud MI6, we witness Sarah coming to her sense and choosing the nerdherder.
-After being dismissed from her position, Sarah goes out of her way to come back and save Chuck off duty.
-Sarah takes Chuck out to the desert to see his estranged father, Orion.
-When it is called in for Chuck to be locked up in Washington, Sarah makes her move and take Chuck on the run.

Bye Bye Buchanan

This past Monday Bill Buchanan sacrificed his life to save the President of the United States, Allison Taylor. As they do every time a main character dies, the people at '24' used a silent clock to fade out to commercial after the explosion that Bill created.

This is significant to me because Bill Buchanan has been my favorite character during the seven seasons of the show. Sure I've liked Tony and you can't be a 24 fan if you don't love Jack, but Bill really got it done for me day in and day out.

Bill first appears in season 4 when he comes to CTU LA from Division to oversee things. By the end of the season, Tony and Michelle Dessler retire and Bill becomes head of CTU. In season 5 Bill, along with Chloe, spend most of the day helping Jack be Jack behind closed door. They get detained for some of the season because of it. It was actions like this that made Bill and also David Palmer in his day, the best characters on the show.

Ten Most Influential and Heart Wrenching Deaths

10. Paul Raines (Day 4)- After taking a bullet for Jack, Paul is being operated on in CTU, but Jack forces the doctor to switch over to a suspect that they need information out of. Raines dies on the table.

9. Michelle Dessler (Day 5)- At the beginning of season five, Michelle is blown up by a bomb in her car a la Jack McKay.

8. David Palmer (Day 5)- About five minutes before Michelle, Palmer got shot by a sniper within the first five minutes of the season. This death was way to abrupt to get at me the way it should have.

7. Lynn McGill (Day 5)- Rudy really took one for the team after the poisonous gas was released inside of CTU. It would have killed everyone in the building if he didn't go on his suicide mission to stop it from getting to Jack, Chloe and the gang.

6. Bill Buchanan (Day 7)- Another self-sacrifice for the good of others, Bill blew himself up to save the President. Not enough drama leading up to his move, and no slow mo, what's that about?

5. Curtis Manning (Day 6)- After taking bad guy Assad into his clutches and threatening to kill him, Jack tells him to put his gun away or he'll have no other choice. Curtis refuses and Jack shoots and kills the long time CTU agent.

4. George Mason (Day 2)- Mason was hit with poisonous plutonium earlier in the season and was told he would have maybe a week to live. Knowing this he piloted the nuclear bomb so that it was near no one else when it blew up.

3. Milo Pressman (Day 6)- Milo returned to 24 following a five year absence and left in style. When the Chinese bad guys came into CTU to take control they asked who the leader was. To protect Nadia, Milo said it was him, as he stood to face the Chinamen. They shot him instantly.

2. Edgar Stiles (Day 5)- Wow season five was action packed. Edgar was caught in the poisonous gas that McGill eventually stopped. His downfall was filled with slow-mo and a great score that grabbed my heart right out of my chest.

1. Ryan Chapelle (Day 3)- Now Chapelle was a jerk most of the time, but when Stephen Saunders said he wanted Chapelle dead or he would do something really bad, I had a hard time not choking up. Jack ended up shooting Chapelle in the head from point blank.
For a good cry click here.

Jack Is Back

The show that got me to be the terrible television freak that I am is back after taking 2008 off because of the writers' strike. For the second time, Jack Bauer and 24 had a two night, four hour premier this past Sunday and Monday. Back during my sophomore year of college, Larry brought the first three seasons of the real-time drama to our suite. I finished the 72 episodes in about 6 weeks (albeit this was much longer than it took Larry and Mags who stayed up til 5 a.m. watching eps). Mags then went out and bought a bootleg Asian version of season 4 so we got to see the best season ever (with Habib Marwan) before it came back on the air in January.

Now I agree with all of you that seasons five and six have not been up to par with the fourth or third installments, but season seven has started out with a bang. Even though I knew beforehand that, spoiler alert, Tony, Bill and Chloe were coming back for this season, it was still an unbelievable moment. Sure I am as gullible as the next idiot and believed Tony was completely dirty, but finding out that he is working under cover with Buchannon and Chloe to take down the corrupt US Government was like a magical conjunction. When Jacko joins them during the fourth hour to go under, it truly geared me up for a great season.

Just think, Lost starts in less than a week...