Bi-Monthly Power Rankings- Top Ten

Although it has been three months since the last installment of The Quiet Pool Perspective Power Rankings, they will keep the Bi-Monthly moniker, because I am simply shifting everything back one month.  August, October, December, February, April, and June works better anyway.  There's that, and there's the fact that I was way too busy moving and starting a new job to post anything at the start of July.  I still don't have time to say a lot, but I do have some new rankings for y'all so take a look...

Rank. Show (Last Time, Highest Ranking) green=moving up, red=moving down

10. Fringe (10, 10) Fridays on FOX
They get one final season to wrap things up in a pretty little bow.  I have no doubt that half the viewers will love the ending, and half will hate it.

9. Sons of Anarchy (9, 3) Tuesdays on FX
Last season was an improvement on season three's hiccup, but not a huge one.  It seems they may never return to the greatness of season two.

8. Curb Your Enthusiasm (5, 1) Sundays on HBO
The former number one takes a big dip after the most recent lackluster season had some time to settle in.  With no new season in the near future, it should stay here for a while.

7. Game of Thrones (4, 2) Sundays on HBO
There was just a lot of clunky story telling in season two.  They need to cut characters and storylines, or add episodes.  There was much too much glancing over arcs.

6. Happy Endings (8, 6) Tuesdays on ABC
The best comedy you aren't watching.  The male actors are hilarious but that's to be expected.  It's the fact that there are three funny ladies in the main cast that sets it apart from the rest.

5. It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia (7, 5) Thursdays on FX
It's going to be tough to compete with its most recent season, but I have a feeling these guys are just in a bit of a zone.  How will they make Mac being skinny again funny?

4. Breaking Bad (6, 2) Sundays on AMC
The start to this season has probably been the best ever.  With a ton of Walt/Jesse action, we have been lucky.  Hopefully they can continue the excitement throughout the eight eps.

3. Homeland (3, 3) Sundays on Showtime
I have the season two premiered queued up on my computer, and I couldn't be more excited about it.  Bring on the suspense!

2. Community (2, 2) Thursdays on NBC
It's probably going to go downhill fast without Dan Harmon at the helm, but with the cast that they have, I have no doubt it will still be funny.

1. Justified (1, 1) Tuesdays on FX
It's been a while now since Justified hasn't been the best show on television.  Somewhere in the middle of season two Justified became the gold standard.

Bi-Monthly Power Rankings- Top Ten

It is that time again, and with the Fourth Annual Poolies only a month away, the most recent installment of the Quiet Pool Bi-Monthly Television Power Rankings could not be any more relevant.  As always, these rankings take into account current success or failure, as well as those achievements or defeats that occurred far in the past.  We now move onto those ranked 10 through 1.

Rank. Show (Last Time, Highest Ranking) green=moving up, red=moving down

10. Fringe (12, 10) Fridays on FOX
The show may have lost a bit of steam with the story starting season four, but things have more than picked up as of late, including a fantastic guest performance by Henry Ian Cusick a couple weeks ago.  The fact that Fringe got picked up for a fifth and final season next year makes me very excited that they are going to be able to end things the way they want to.

9. Sons of Anarchy (8, 3) Tuesdays on FX
The gang won't return until this fall, but the news that Jimmy Smits is going to be on as a guest star only has me more excited than usual for Sons of Anarchy to come back.  Smits was fantastic in his run on Dexter, so I have no doubt he will bring some major entertainment to this FX staple.

8. Happy Endings (9, 8) Wednesdays on ABC
Now that the gang has finished up their second season, I can't stress enough the fact that you need to catch up on Happy Endings.  It seriously has something for everyone, and for me, every single one of those somethings is gold.

Come get some with Jane, Max, and Brad on Happy Endings

7. It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia (7, 7) Thursdays on FX
The more I think back on this past season of It's Always Sunny, the more I realize how great it was.  All three of the main dudes had fantastic years, and even Dee, who I normally don't enjoy all that much, had some great moments in her.  The finale alone kept this show in the top ten.

6. Breaking Bad (6, 2) Sundays on AMC
How much longer can this series go on?  It has to be coming to an end sooner rather than later, and I can't wait to see how they decide to carve out the finality of this epic tale.  Will there be a new big bad in the mix, or will the Walt/Hank showdown finally come to the forefront?

5. Curb Your Enthusiasm (5, 1) Sundays on HBO
A sub-par season overall, with a number of fantastic individual efforts, Curb stays put based on its great legacy in the comedy world.  When will LD decide to make another season?  And will it compare to the best that this series has had to offer?

4. Game of Thrones (2, 2) Sundays on HBO
Thrones takes a slight dip, because unlike what I heard about the beginning of season two, this is starting slower than season one did.  I honestly think that this show would greatly benefit from a 14-17 episode season.  Sometimes it feels like they are just glancing over moments instead of digging deep.  Why not take advantage of the source material, and make each book two seasons of 10 episodes even?

3. Homeland (3, 3) Sundays on Showtime
September 30, that is when Homeland returns, and we can't wait.  The trailer is out, and it has me all excited.  How will Carrie get things done after all that happened at the end of the first season?  What about Brody?  Nazir?  The mole?  There are a lot of questions to be answered.

2. Community (4, 2) Thursdays on NBC
The NBC comedy jumps up to its highest ranking ever at the Quiet Pool.  A number of great episodes in a row will do that for a series, and between the war ep, the Blade ep, the Law & Order ep, and more, Community has had that in spades.

1. Justified (1, 1) Tuesdays on FX
The champ remains.  Justified has been number one for a long time now, and a season that backed up its stellar sophomore campaign should keep it here for a good while longer.  The question now becomes, "can they do it again?"  And "will they ever run out of steam?"

Bi-Monthly Power Rankings- Top Ten

It's time for the March Power Rankings Top 10...

Place. Show (Last Time) red=moving down, green=moving up

10. Mad Men (9) Sundays on AMC
The long wait is almost over.  Mad Men returns in March.

9. Happy Endings (11) Wednesdays on ABC
If this show keeps climbing the way it has, Happy Endings might find its way into the top five by the end of the year.

8. Sons of Anarchy (8) Tuesdays on FX
Kurt Sutter is announcing new characters.  I wish one of them was replacing a dead Clay Morrow. Oh well.

7. It's Always Sunny (7) Thursdays on FX
Can the next season compete with the genius they put forth this fall?

6. Breaking Bad (5) Sundays on AMC
If you only count the second half of the season, Breaking Bad would be a top three show.  Don't forget the boring first half of the season.

5. Curb Your Enthusiasm (3) Sundays on HBO
The weaker episodes of the season are starting to make their way into my memory.

4. Community (6) Thursdays on NBC
Who's excited to see Troy and Abed back togetherrrrrrr?

3. Homeland (4) Sundays on Showtime
Will season two be able to build on the greatness of the first?

2. Game of Thrones (2) Sundays on HBO
Less than a month away until Game of Thrones is back!  Winter is still coming!  It's always coming!

1. Justified (1) Tuesdays on FX
Has this season disappointed?  Nope.

Quiet Poolcast- The River and Luck

This weekend T-Time and I discussed the series premiere of ABC's The River and the second episode of HBO's Luck, before turning to some Over/Unders in this podcast.

Here's the timeline:

The River: 0:00 - 9:58
Luck: 10:04 - 16:33
It's Always Sunny: 16:56 - 20:52
Happy Endings: 20:58 - 22:53
The League: 22:59 - 26:02
Fringe: 26:07 - 27:46
Awake: 27:52 - 29:57

Listen Here

Podcast Powered By Podbean

Bi-Monthly Power Rankings- 20 Through 11

I recently finished listing all of my favorite shows of the year, but what about now? What shows that are still on the air are the series you all should be watching? Well that's what the Quiet Pool Bi-Monthly Power Rankings are for. In the first rankings of 2012, we will recognize the shows that have been succeeding as of late, and some that will be returning to our screens for the first time in a while this winter. Next up are spots 20 through 11 on my list.

Rank. Show (Last Time) green=moving up, red=moving down

20. The Walking Dead (11) Sundays on AMC
I had a difficult time keeping The Walking Dead inside the Top 20 after its horrendous fall run. They aired seven episodes of action that easily could have been done in three. This, of course, led to an extremely slow pace, and not a lot of interesting material. Also, I still haven't found a character that I enjoy.

19. The Office (12) Thursdays on NBC
The Office has not been good in its first season without Steve Carell, but it also hasn't been all that bad. Even though most write it off as awful while touting the much worse Parks and Recreation, it has been much better than expected this year. If they can figure out how to work Ed Helms out of the starring role, The Office has a chance to stay in the Top 20.

18. Revenge (HM) Wednesdays on ABC
It's so very soapy, but Revenge has been extremely fun to start the year. It's refreshing not seeing Emily Van Camp complaining every second after those last few years on Brothers and Sisters. The back half of this first season is going to have to go somewhere interesting to keep Revenge in the running for a top spot.

17. Dexter (9) Sundays on Showtime
I don't know what was worse, the terrible imaginary killer story line in which the imaginary character did non-imaginary things, the terrible Deb story line in which she seemingly fell in love with her brother, or the terrible moment to end the season when they wasted an epic moment in the series with an absolutely non-dramatic scene. I have faith that next season will be interesting though.

16. Wilfred (18) Thursdays on FX
Since June, very few have recorded comedic acting performances like Jason Gann had over the first 12 episodes of Wilfred. As long as series like The Office and Modern Family keep heading in the wrong direction, Wilfred's first season looks more and more like one of the best comedies of the year.

15. Survivor (20) Wednesdays on CBS
This move up in the rankings is more of a reflection on its competitors than on Survivor itself. This season was very good, but so many series (Dexter, Walking Dead) took nose dives that this reality giant moves up by default. With any luck the next season of Survivor will not feature Redemption Island, and will not feature a Hantz showdown.

14. Boardwalk Empire (17) Sundays on HBO
As slow-moving as the second season was for a majority of the time, it did feature one of my favorite episodes of the year. The season finale was so rewarding that it made up for some lackluster moments early on. They really went for it, and the story they decided to tell in year two was brilliant.

13. Parenthood (15) Tuesdays on NBC
The family drama never stops for the Bravermans. At this point I'm really curious what they're going to do with some of these child actors as they begin to grow up. It is already becoming glaringly obvious that Jabar is ridiculously obnoxious. He was fine as a tiny kid, but as an older one, he's brutal. Less screen time for him would be preferable.

12. The Vampire Diaries (13) Thursdays on The CW
Nobody does the cliff hanger like Vampire Diaries. Well nobody does it as often. After marathon-ing my way through the first two seasons, the third has gotten off to a quality start with Joseph Morgan stealing the show thus far.

11. Happy Endings (14) Wednesdays on ABC
This ABC comedy has become a must watch on Wednesday nights. This gang has gelled in ways that not many casts do. Adam Pally is excellent, and it has three funny females, a feat almost never achieved. Who would have thought that The Girl Next Door would be one of the funniest women on tv?

Weekly Roundup- Alex, Max

As we near the holiday break some things are starting to heat up, while others are taking a turn for the worse. The big three continue to stay near or at the top of the Weekly Comedy Rankings, while a couple of familiar faces remained in the Top Five of the Week in its second edition. Let's take a look.

Weekly Comedy Rankings

1. Happy Endings
2. Community
3. It's Always Sunny
4. New Girl
5. South Park
6. Parks and Rec
7. Family Guy
8. Last Man Standing
9. Modern Family
10. The Office
11. Suburgatory
12. The League
13. Good Luck Charlie
14. Bored to Death
15. Rules of Engagement
16. Wizards

I went with Dean Pelton as the MVP of the week for his ridiculous actions on Community. Jim Rash was fantastic as he made both T-time and Jaydon's best moment of the week. Jaydon loved when he uttered "I loved you innnnnnnn, IMDB," and T-time thought the funniest thing on tv this week was the Dean loving Jeffrey's impression of the bald man.

T-time went with Alex from Happy Endings as his MVP, and after a second watch, I have a really tough time disagreeing. I gave Elisha Cuthbert's character best moment for when she wanted to make out with Max, but basically everything she did in this episode was revolved around that same concept, so an MVP vote could have been necessary.

Top Five of the Week

1. Homeland
2. Once Upon a Time
3. Sons of Anarchy
4. Revenge
5. Hell on Wheels

Homeland might have had its best episode yet this past Sunday, Once Upon a Time continued to improve in the early part of its first season, Sons of Anarchy had 90 minutes worth of heart-wrenching stuff, and Emily Van Camp continued to shine in another episode of Revenge, but I was extremely pleased with what Hell on Wheels put forth in its second installment.

Anson Mount has been electric in his first two episodes as Mr. Bohannon. With the introduction of The Swede in episode two, I already have two characters I enjoy 10 times more than anyone through 11 episodes of The Walking Dead. As T-time and I chatted about a couple days ago, TWD seems to be pulling a bit of a Sons of Anarchy season three situation, in that they're dragging a two episode arc into six. Let's move on and pick up the pace.

Bi-Monthly Power Rankings- 20 Through 11

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.

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

20. Survivor (17) Wednesdays on CBS
The quality of scripted television severely outweighs that of reality competitions that Survivor is the only one holding it down for the latter, hanging on to the number 20 spot this time around. This season has been interesting so far. It's nice to see Coach back in the mix, I've really enjoyed the introduction of Cochran, and there a few contestants I love to hate already. All in all, it's a good mix.

19. Modern Family (15) Wednesdays on ABC
Things started out well in this third season, making me think that the second season slump was just that, a slump. Recently, though, Modern Family has reverted back to some of its season two habits that had me wondering where the first year magic had gone. Luke and Phil Dunphy are the only ones holding it down these days. They are both hilarious, but no one else really is all that great anymore.

18. Wilfred (HM) Thursdays on FX
It took the descent of a number of other comedies to move Wilfred up the rankings. Jason Gann's title character has been the funniest thing on television this season. The rest of the show had its ups and downs, but they were mostly up, which is why Wilfred makes it way into the Top 20. Not many comedies can make you laugh out loud consistently while also making you question what in the world you're doing with you life. Wilfred does.

17. Boardwalk Empire (14) Sundays on HBO
The HBO drama has been moving slowly in its second season, but it's still very interesting. Jaydon told me earlier this year that I need shows to be entertaining more than interesting. I think the combination of both makes a show fantastic. It's what Lost was best at. It's what the second half of this most recent season of Breaking Bad was great at. Boardwalk has yet to find the right balance.

16. Homeland (-) Sundays on Showtime
Talk about a great start to a series! Only five episodes have aired thus far and it is already at number 16 in the rankings! I question how well they will be able to succeed in a second season, but the ride in the early going has been one of the best I've seen in a while. Homeland is basically a trillionaire's Rubicon. Rubicon wishes that on its best day it could have been a dead homeless man's worst episode of Homeland.

15. Parenthood (19) Tuesdays on NBC
Parenthood has been on a good run as of late (yet to watch this week's episode) mostly because Haddie and Amber have had much less screen time than a year ago. When they continue to highlight Adam, Zeek, Max, and Joel, Parenthood is doing its best work.

14. Happy Endings (HM) Wednesdays on ABC
At this very moment...11:24 p.m. Tuesday, November 1, 2011...Happy Endings may be the show I most look forward to watching every week. I enjoyed it when it first aired last season to an extent, it continued to grow on me as the season went on, and by the time the second season came around I was sold. It has been between Always Sunny and Happy Endings for the best comedy of the fall thus far, and I might go with the latter by a slight margin.

13. The Vampire Diaries (18) Thursdays on The CW
Before the last episode with all the ghosts I would have been shouting from a rooftop for you to watch Vampire Diaries. Even with that most recent dud, this show is still fantastic. It's non-stop excitement, as they are never afraid to change the game or throw eight cliff hangers into one hour long episode. The addition of Joseph Morgan's Klaus has only added to the stellar cast of characters on this show.

12. The Office (4) Thursdays on NBC
When you lose the funniest character on television from last year (proven by Michael Scott's Poolie in June), you are sure to take a hit. If this was solely on current performance, The Office wouldn't make the Top 20, but being in the Top 10 for so long, and rising as high as fourth at the end of last year, will make it difficult to knock this long time favorite from its perch. Ed Helms is failing miserably in the lead role, and James Spader has brought almost nothing to the cast. Thankfully, Dwight, Jim and a number of the supporting players have kept their performances high.

11. The Walking Dead (11) Sundays on AMC
Those who complained about The Walking Dead's first season being too quick and action packed (notable critics) are probably loving this season of Walking Dead. I, on the other hand, loved the first season, and am therefore having issues with season two. It's just going at a much slower pace, with a whole lot less happening in each episode. It also doesn't help that I don't enjoy any of the characters. Give me someone to root for. Even Rick, who I want to like, does absolutely nothing for me.

Weekly Comedy Rankings- Food On Your Face

It was a slow week with NBC Thursdays on repeats, but there were still some comedies to rank around these parts. Let's get to it...

1. Happy Endings
2. The League
3. It's Always Sunny
4. Bored to Death
5. Last Man Standing
6. Modern Family
7. Rules of Engagement
8. Wizards of Waverly
9. Up All Night
10. Suburgatory
11. South Park
12. How to Be a Gentleman
13. Man Up

My MVP was Max Blum of Happy Endings. He continues to impress with his Max thing...watch what happens. My funniest moment was every time Jay Pritchett got involved with the soap opera on Modern Family. The least funny thing and LVP both go to everything about Man Up.

Bi-Monthly Power Rankings- Honorable Mentions

Whoah buddy! The fall tv season is upon us, and so are the September Power Rankings here at the Quiet Pool Perspective. Here is your look at what you should be watching, or catching up on if you have missed the boat.

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

30 Rock (18) Thursdays on NBC
The NBC comedy didn't leave that great of a taste in my mouth after last season, so it falls out of the rankings. It doesn't air again until mid-season, so I doubt it will return any time soon.

Kasey on Bachelor Pad

Bachelor Pad (-) Mondays on ABC
I don't watch Bachelor. I don't watch Bachelorette. But putting all of these crazy people in one house does it for me. This season hasn't had a top group as enjoyable as last year's Dave and Kovacs, but it's been just as fun to hate on Kasey and Vienna.

Entourage (-) Sundays on HBO
I haven't hated this final season of Entourage thus far, but it has been really boring. Other than the episode when Tig blew his brains out, I could really care less about what is going on. I vote for Vince getting back on coke before it's all over. That was the most interesting thing in series history.

Falling Skies (HM) Sundays on TNT
I enjoyed the first season of Falling Skies, but if this was on during the year, it definitely would have started to back up on my DVR. I was never excited to see the next episode, but it was nice to have each Sunday this summer.

Dave and Alex on Happy Endings

Happy Endings (-) Wednesdays on ABC
I just finished listening to Mo Ryan and Ryan McGee wax on about the things they didn't like about Happy Endings. I was visibly angry at them. I really enjoy this series and you all should get on board the Happy Endings train. I'm not sure what the point of airing a new episode in the middle of the summer was, but I was pretty excited to see it.

iCarly (-) Fridays on Nickelodeon
With Hannah, Jonas, and Sonny of the air, Nickelodeon is the current king of teen comedies with iCarly coming into its own. I've enjoyed Miranda Cosgrove ever since School of Rock, but never gave this show a chance until this summer. She and her tv older brother Jerry Trainor kill it on this Nick show week in and week out.

The Lying Game (-) Mondays on ABC Family
I could only get through two episode of Nine Lives of Chloe King, I have seen six of Switched at Birth but not really enjoying it, so The Lying Game is the only new ABC Fam show I am really enjoying. The leading girl is all well and good, but it's her tv sister that I am really loving. This is some nice and light summer fare.

The Mentalist (-) Thursdays on CBS
It took me a while to finish this past season of The Mentalist, but once I got to that finale, I was certainly glad I did. It was some of the most suspenseful and emotional television I had seen in a while. I just don't know where the show goes from here, now that the only long-running story line is basically finished.

Marnie on True Blood

True Blood (HM) Sundays on HBO
This season hasn't been nearly as strange for strange's sake as last year, but I was over the witches from day one...especially Marnie. I can not stand her, and she is ruining the entire season. The only bright spot from this season has been Bill's development into a likable character...well that and the absence of Larry's were-panthers.

Wilfred (HM) Thursdays on FX
I've said enough about Wilfred through my reviews as of late, but I wanted to put it here in Honorable Mentions to note that I was very close to adding it to the Top 20. I have thoroughly enjoyed this first season, and am excited to see the finale.