Bi-Monthly Power Rankings- Honorable Mentions

It's that time again. The Quiet Pool Perspective's Bi-Monthly Power Rankings are back, and a lot has happened since early September here at the Pool. The Weekly Comedy Rankings have been working so well at helping gauge what shows are doing well on a week by week basis, that I might try to start doing the same thing with the other categories. For now, here are the November Power Rankings. Remember these take into account past and present performances, and the Honorable Mentions are not necessarily numbers 21 through 30 on my list. Enjoy.

Show (Last) red=moving down, green=moving up

American Horror Story (-) Wednesdays on FX
This is easily the strangest show on television, which is why I keep coming back for more. In no way is there anything redeeming from American Horror Story, but the shear disgusting, ridiculous, and weird events have me intrigued week after week. I honestly want to find out more about this haunted house.

Big Brother (16) Summers on CBS
This summer series falls out of the Top 20 and loses the top spot among reality shows for the first time in a long time. This season's cast was terrible, which didn't help, but after starting this season's Survivor immediately after Big Brother ended, it was clear which one is currently more entertaining to watch.

Bored to Death (-) Mondays on HBO
It's still nothing to go crazy over, but the third season of Bored to Death has been off to a good start. Jason Schwartzman is great if you can take his, and creator Jonathan Ames', style of humor. The other two leads are what make this show worth coming back to week in and week out. Ted Danson is fantastic, and Zach Galifianakis has done his best work outside of that Jimmy Fallon interview on this show.

Hart of Dixie (-) Mondays on The CW
From the creator of The O.C., Chuck, and Gossip Girl, Hart of Dixie is once again killing it for Josh Schwartz. It is just so easy and enjoyable to watch. Add to that, the fact that it has one of best casts on television, and you have a winner. Summer Roberts, DeShawn Hardell, a new and improved Jason Street, and Roy Martin combine for some very fun tv.

The League (12) Thursdays on FX
T-time has some very interesting ideas as why The League hasn't gotten off to a good start this third season, the one I like best being that they just hit a groove in season two. Aside from the third episode of the fall, which was good by all standards, they seem to have fallen into a habit of being lazy and relying on being dirty just for the sake of being dirty. Don't get me wrong, being dirty can work great, as The League proved last year, and Always Sunny proves time and time again, but you can't just be dirty and think it's automatically going to be funny.

New Girl (-) Tuesdays on FOX
It was a short sample there in the early going, but I loved what I saw out of Zooey Deschanel on the New Girl. Maybe my opinion will be different after the long hiatus due to baseball playoffs, but her Jess is one of the funniest females on television, and I don't see that changing any time soon. The jury is still out on some of the dudes on this show. I enjoy Schmidt so far, but Nick is heading down the wrong path as a character, and the new guy has yet to show anything.

Once Upon a Time (-) Sundays on ABC
Only two episodes in, but it is definitely the better of the two fairy tale shows this fall (Grimm was pretty, pretty boring on Friday). Sure, the acting doesn't seem all that great, and I'm not sure how the flashbacks are going to continue to be interesting as the series moves forward, but I am a sucker for anything dealing with Snow White, Jiminy Crickett, and Malificent (even if they so overtly made us know who that character was by saying her name in dialogue).

Parks and Recreation (20) Thursdays on NBC
I was early on the Parks bandwagon of being a much improved show at the beginning of season two, but I was ready to jump off as soon as Alan Sepinwall and every critic known to man started calling it the best comedy on television. For a while there it was definitely the most overrated comedy on tv, but it was still in my top 20 overall. To start this season, it just hasn't been good at all, and it falls out of the rankings. Rob Lowe saved that show at the end of season two, and most of season three, but his character has dropped off a cliff this season.

Revenge (-) Wednesdays on ABC
Like Hart of Dixie, Revenge is just so fun. I've always been a huge Emily VanCamp fan, but this character of hers takes the cake. It has been fantastic to watch the first half of this season, and I only see it getting better as the second half of this first order continues. The show seems to be becoming more serial as we move forward, which is what did wonders for Justified during its run.

Suburgatory (-) Wednesdays on ABC
Hard to tell what this show is trying to be, but it's enjoyable. Even when it's not funny, it's still a good watch. You can't say that about a lot of comedies, but Tessa and especially George are so easy to like, which is a good sign for the future. Once they get their footing on what they want to do comically, Suburgatory could go places.

Bi-Monthly Power Rankings- Honorable Mentions

Well it's that time again. Along 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 then come up with 10 more as honorable mentions. Because of the sheer volume of great tv out there in 2010, the honorable mentions won't necessarily be 21-30, just the one's I want people to know about at the time being. For example, this time around Californication, House and Greek aren't on my list of Honorables, but that doesn't mean I don't like them more than those that are. They got a shout out last time so I'm making room for some newcomers.

Honorable Mentions

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

90210- (16) Tuesdays on The CW
The acting and writing continues to be terrible, but that's never stopped me before. 90210 is worth watching for nostalgia, atmosphere and Naomi Clark. She is still somewhat of a villain, but she's really the best on the show because she is just completely out there about every topic on earth.

Bored to Death- (-) Sundays on HBO
This dry, subtle comedy had only a short first season to wet my appetite, but I'm hungry for more. Jason Schwartzman, Ted Danson and Zach Galifianakis are quite the trio. I'm still waiting for Zach's character Ray to throw some of his empty Schweppes cans down a tube into the basement.

Flash Forward- (20) Thursdays on ABC
They still haven't sold me with a lot of character development on this show, but the mystery keeps it a worthy watch. What's the deal with the blackout? Who's a bad guy? What will happen next? These are all questions that keep me involved in the plot of the show. Now if they could only get me to care about what happens to the characters, it might move up the rankings.

How to Make it in America- (-) Sundays on HBO
Another HBO series that got a short first season order. How to Make it, which was labeled as Entourage East early on, was much better than the LA dramedy this year. The way they use New York City as a character is fantastic, and it might be worth the watch just for the superb opening credits alone.

Life Unexpected- (-) Mondays on The CW
The first of two straight family dramas just finished up its first season run and still hasn't been re-upped for a second. Life Unexpected always give off a loving feeling, even if the given episode deals with some strange form of tragedy. I for one continue to want to see good things for this small family of three.

Parenthood- (-) Tuesdays on NBC
And then there is the big family drama. If you ever have enjoyed Brothers and Sisters, this is the show for you. Parenthood is basically a good version of it. Less stupid drama, more real life issues and comedy. Oh and there are actually characters on this show that are likable. One of them happens to be Dax Shepard's Crosby. I never thought I could like this dude, but he brings it here.

Party Down- (-) Fridays on Starz
Adam Scott is leaving the show for greener pastures at NBC next year so watch it while it's still around. Season two has opened with Adam's Henry Pollard as team leader of the catering company and he has a new outlook on life. It's much different than the down on life Henry we first met in season one, but Adam Scott can pull anything off in my book, even an acapella Sweet Child O' Mine.

Rules of Engagement- (-) Mondays on CBS
It always seems to get a half season order, but Rules is not only the only Monday CBS comedy that is good, but the only one that is tolerable. All five leads bring something good to the table. Adam, although he gets less air time than David Spade's Russell or Patrick Warburton's Jeff, is the highlight of every week for me. His combination of self-deprecation, loser attitude, and femininity bring about most of the laughs every episode.

Treme- (-) Sundays on HBO
As I mentioned in my first review of the series, Treme has gotten off to a good start. The quality of the writing and acting has been great so far. The only thing holding it back are story lines that don't give you much to hold on to. In the same way that Mad Men started out as a period piece about people working at an ad agency, Treme has started as the same in post Katrina New Orleans. If the new David Simon series can grow in plot the way Mad Men did over its second and third seasons, I'll be excited.

V- (-) Tuesdays on ABC
V has returned from its long hiatus, and done so in fine fashion. The battle between good and evil is on the verge of coming to the forefront. If there is a major downfall in V it is that they really haven't kept it a surprise that the Visitors are bad. Before the show started they made it seem like it was going to be a question of whether or not you should trust the Vs (not that different than The Others on Lost). Although many of the people in this universe may trust the Vs, there is no mistaking that they should not be trusted, and that just leaves a lot of mystery out of the equation.

Bi-Monthly Power Rankings- Honorable Mentions

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.

Honorable Mentions

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

Bored to Death- (HM) Sundays on HBO
Jonathan Ames and friends finished their short first season run a while ago and won't be back until late this year. It's hard to get a grasp on how good it really is, but what I've seen I've really enjoyed.

Californication- (20) Sundays on Showtime
Hank Moody and his girls recently finished their third season in fantastic fashion. Although Moody is a great character, the show itself isn't one that I can't wait to see week in and week out.

Eastbound and Down- (-) Sundays on HBO
Nobody knows when Kenny Power and crew will return to our television sets. Like Bored to Death, Eastbound only aired half a season to start its series run. Completely hilarious, but I'll hold back giving it higher praise until I can see them do it again.

Glee- (HM) Wednesdays on FOX
The singers come back on the air in April and will finish the season with nine more episodes. Although I hesitated at first, the dramedy/musical has won me over in a sense and I always look forward to the musical performances.

Gossip Girl- (19) Mondays on The CW
The boys and girls of the Upper East Side took a step forward this season when they highlighted Nate, Dan and newcomer Olivia, but kind of sputtered through the end of the fall season when Serena became the focus of the series.

Hannah Montana- (18) Sundays on Disney Channel
A fourth and final season will begin in 2010. Hannah has gotten better and better as Miley gets older and older. Her comic timing continues to improve, and Billy Ray has been a comic genius considering his absolute lack of acting chops.

House, MD- (14) Mondays on FOX
The story telling on House has fallen off the map for me. The season started on a high note with House in the mental hospital, telling more of a serialized story. Recently I have not looked forward to the same old procedural plots each and every week. Losing Kutner was brutal to the show and now without Cameron I don't see a return to the top any time soon.

Jonas- (-) Sundays on Disney Channel
The Jo Bros continue to rise up on my list of awesome dudes. I absolutely had my doubts going into my first viewing of Jonas, but the three brothers didn't disappoint when I watched most of the first season in marathon style one Sunday afternoon. Sure it is corny, but with my love of Danny McCoy and Las Vegas, you already knew I enjoy corny.

Parks and Recreation- (-) Thursdays on NBC
The Office-esque comedy came into its own in this, its second season. Amy Poehler has her moments, but it was the writers' ability to get Chris Pratt's Andy Dwyer into the Parks and Rec building after his broken leg healed. Now able to interact with all of the characters, Andy has proven to be a must see all on his own.

Sons of Anarchy- (-) Tuesdays on FX
The motorcycle gang action series just finished its second season on FX in December. Sure I've only experience half of the first season, but it shows so much promise that I'm giving it an honorable mention spot already. I only see Sons moving up as I continue to catch up.

Sunday Speculations- Wes Andersonian Bored to Death

Bored To Death
I wish I had caught up on Bored to Death by last Sunday, because that ep was the best of the season. This week's was good, but The Case of the Stolen Sperm didn't compare to The Case of the Beautiful Blackmailer.

My first thought after watching the first couple episodes...very Wes Anderson-esque. The dry, subtle comedy felt like a mixture of Bottle Rocket and Rushmore. The lead character, Jason Schwartzman's Jonathan Ames, is somewhere between Schwartzman's Max Fischer of Rushmore and Luke Wilson's Anthony of Bottle Rocket to me. As a fan of Wes Anderson's films, I have enjoyed Bored to Death thus far. My favorite Wes Andersonian part from this week's ep was when Ames quickly bought flowers at the market handed them to his ex-girlfriend, stated, "You forgot these," and ran away. So good.

With basically three major characters, each one of them brings something completely different to the table. Ted Danson is having a great season, shining as Ames's boss here, and having a stellar episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm a while back. In The Beautiful Blackmailer, Danson's George Christopher was fantastic at being stoned and funny, something the third dude has failed to do thus far.

Zach Galifianakis plays Ames's best friend Ray. Although he didn't excel in the pot smoking scene with George, Ray has had his moments early in the season, but doesn't come close to the other two guys in my opinion.

Final note...It's really getting ridiculous that Hollywood keeps stealing my brothers' ideas. First it was T-time's tv show about fantasy football and now it is JJ's idea that it is funny to order a cheeseburger- no cheese. The kid has been ordering that way since he was 10, and it's never not funny. My personal favorite is the Big Mac with cheese, no cheese.

Amazing Race
Flight Time and Big Easy continue to shine as two of the best contestants I've seen on The Amazing Race. Last week they were berating a girl that was afraid to go down a water slide, and this week they were just getting down with some Dutch Dancing. They're fun, they're competitive and they've got a chance to win this thing.

These poor poker playing girls. I've hated them since the beginning, so it was nice to see them finally get eliminated this week. The, what do you call it? Road Block? When the teams have to choose one task or another. These two weak girls had no chance at either thing and it was hilarious. First it was a long hole of Dutch Golf, in which they had to finish in eight strokes...They didn't get halfway down the fairway in eight strokes. The other side of the Road Block began with one of those carnival games where you slam down the mallet to ring the bell. After over 70 tries, the girls finally gave up. The part that had me screaming at the tv was that they weren't even trying to swing the mallet hard! It was like watching Zoolander in the coal mines they were acting so dainty with that thing. Embarrassing.