Bi-Monthly Power Rankings- Honorable Mentions

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...

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

Around the World in 80 Plates (-, -) Wednesdays on Bravo
A mix of Top Chef, The Amazing Race, and Survivor?  I'll take it.  It was still mostly Top Chef on the run, but definitely worthy of an easy watch in the summer.

Dallas (-, -) Wednesdays on TNT
This has been a very good guilty pleasure.  I never saw the original, but this new version has had more twists and back stabs than anything else on tv this year.  I'll take that.

Franklin and Bash (-, -) Tuesdays on TNT
Zack Morris as a lawyer is fun every week.  There's not much meat on the bones, but I continue to watch.

The Glass House (-, -) Mondays on ABC
This is on the list simply because it has been so memorably bad.  It is an early favorite for the Heroes Award, as this has been terrible to watch, but I also haven't looked away yet.

The League (-, 12) Thursdays on FX
The third season was a disappointment after a fantastic second year.  I'm hoping for big things from the comedy this fall.

Love in the Wild (-, -) Tuesdays on NBC
Jenny McCarthy was God awful as the host, but the second season had Ben, who was one of my favorite reality contestants in a while.

Men at Work (-, -) Thursdays on TBS
Not in contention for a Poolie come next June, but this was certainly one of the best comedies of the summer.  Hyde, Mike Cannon, and that one dude from a few eps of The O.C., made for a good trio.

The Newsroom (-, -) Sundays on HBO
Most people either love or hate The Newsroom.  I'm not one of those people, as it's been okay thus far.  I'm not outraged, and I'm not cheering.

Political Animals (-, -) Sundays on USA
Ho hum, nothing to see here.  The pilot was very interesting, but it hasn't gone much of anywhere since then.

True Blood (-, 8) Sundays on HBO
It's not what it used to be, but True Blood is also a far cry from the disaster that was season three.  It's been fun this summer.

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.

Bi-Monthly Power Rankings- Honorable Mentions

It is a sad day when the Poolie Awards are all over, but look at the bright side, there are always the Bi-Monthly Power Rankings to look forward to! The July edition is here to tell you what shows currently on the air you should be tuning in to see. Take a look and then turn on your tv.

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

The Challenge: Rivals (-) Thursdays on MTV
It's Big Brother with less strategy and a lot more fighting. I've never watched The Challenge before, I've never seen Road Rules, and I haven't watched Real World since Tech in Hawaii back in '99, but Jacoby's love for this show has me on board for the summer.  UPDATE: After watching this past week's episode, I am out.  Not enough substance and too much bickering.  I knew there was a reason I stopped watching Real World.

Noah Wyle on Falling Skies

Falling Skies (-) Sundays on TNT
The third episode (fourth hour) of Falling Skies airs tonight, and I am a bit shakier on the series than I thought I would be. I loved it after the two hour premiere, but I wasn't too thrilled with last week's installment. They need to continue to give Jesse from Hannah Montana a larger role, and they should do just fine.

Franklin and Bash (-) Wednesdays on TNT
I will never complain about Zack Morris being back on television. I'm just surprised that I never checked out Raising the Bar. As Peter Bash, Mark Paul Gossawhatever seems to playing a very Zack Morrissey character. He's been pretty darn funny so far, so I am down to watch it during the summer when much less television is on. If it were on in the fall, episodes would probably start to stack on top of each other, un-watched.

Good Luck Charlie (-) Sundays on Disney
With Hannah Montana and Jonas ending their runs, and Sonny With a Chance turning into the Gawd Awfulll sketch show So Random, Good Luck Charlie has become the best show on Disney. Little Charlie Duncan is easily the cutest character on television since Michelle Tanner, and it's a joy to watch the family around her every Sunday.

The Killing (HM) Sundays on AMC
I feel like everyone and their brother has written something about The Killing as of late. My biggest problem with The Killing is that its horrendous finale is overshadowing just how awful this show was on the whole. Yes it was ridiculous that we didn't find out who killed Rosie by the end of the first season, but that was just another notch on The Killing's belt of terrible moves. It was a 13 episode CSI story that bored audiences to death in the process. The lead characters were impossible to enjoy and after their first couple of leads on who the killer was, it was obvious that it wasn't going to be any of them. It wasn't the typical procedural format, but it certainly had an obvious format of its own. Introduce someone who might be the killer, have the cops investigate it for a while, then find out it's not the killer. There is so much more to say, but you have heard it all before. The saddest thing of it all though, is that I will probably be tuning in to season two just to see how bad it can get.

Love Bites (-) Thursdays on NBC
For some strange reason, I've been enjoying this Love Actually-esque drama series. Maybe it's because I'm a sap, or maybe it's because I like the idea of introducing brand new stories and characters each and every week, but I'm tuning in with interest on Thursdays this summer.

Annie (right) on Treme

Treme (16) Sundays on HBO
This second season of Treme has been an extreme disappointment so far. I understand that their were many of my fellow Poolies that bowed out early because it didn't bring much to the table, but there was a lot in season one that gave me hope. Season two leaves me with very little hope, and I haven't been all that entertained in the process. Granted I am a couple episodes behind, but nothing seems to be happening. There is a difference between letting a story build, and just bringing it nowhere. My theory for this is that the great The Wire mastermind has taken more of a backseat this time around. In season one he had his name on seven of the ten episodes. Through the first ten of season two, he has it on only four.

True Blood (-) Sundays on HBO
I have yet to watch an episode of the fourth season, but I'm kind of excited to start it. There's no way it can be as ridiculous and as bad as the third installment was.

The Voice (HM) Tuesdays on NBC
What started out as an interesting new twist on the singing competition series, turned into another reality competition that I scream at for being so stupid. There have been plenty of things I enjoyed about The Voice, but 45 minutes of filler in the two hour final performance episode was not one of them. The judges had all gotten on my nerves by the end of this season, Blake doing that the least. But to those that think that this is the answer to Idol, you all have another thing coming. It's a case of novelty for most of you. This is new and bright and shiny, so you think it's amazing. Give a season or two more, and you'll be ripping your hair out every time Adam asks a contestant how they are doing, or each and every time they go back to the social media room to ask a dumb question. It has been nice, but in the end it's going to be another Idol.

Wilfred (-) Thursdays on FX
Elijah Wood and an Australian man dressed up in a dog suit. What's not to love?

Bi-Monthly Power Rankings- Honorable Mentions

Yes, it is that time again. It's time for the Quiet Pool Perspective's take on power rankings. Every two months, here at The Pool, we like to let you know what you should be watching on the small screen. Just like in sports, an opinionated take on what is the best of the best is great for television. It's too bad that Tim Goodman is the only other one out there that I know of that puts out Power Rankings. His come out weekly, or any week that he remembers to do it, and that's a bit much. Every couple of months, the television landscape changes here at The Pool, and therefore we now come out with our November Power Rankings. So go grab a couple of boat drinks, turn on some reggae, and take a look at what you should be watching.

Horatio Sans, Chris Parnell and Chris Gethard of Big Lake

Honorable Mentions

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

Big Lake- (-) Tuesdays on Comedy Central
Although it is unlikely to get a second season, Big Lake deserves some recognition if only for Chris Parnell's fantastic performance over the 10 episode first season. If you enjoy his Dr. Spaceman on 30 Rock, you will die for his Chris Henkel on this show. He's absolutely ridiculous at all times and at no point does it cease to be hilarious. He could be the most underrated comedic actor on the market right now.

Eastbound and Down- (-) Sundays on HBO
I'll probably take heat for this, but I feel this season of Eastbound is a big let down. This is kind of a situation where the creators had a great idea for a funny character and had no idea how to write funny stories around him. The hilarity of Kenny Powers came out in full force over those first six episodes in season one, but this year I have not been impressed. Last week made a turn in the right direction when they began to play on his relationship with his dad. Seeing him so obsessed with Don Johnson was pretty hilarious.

Glee- (-) Tuesdays on FOX
I'm still shocked at how much critical attention gets paid to this show. It's not any better written than a show like Grey's Anatomy, in fact it's much more inconsistent. It doesn't get any more viewers than some of the top network dramas. Is it just because there's singing? I mean that's why I still give it as much attention as I do, but it's weird that the top critics still take time to write reviews on this mostly garbage show. Any show that can be split up into three distinct types based on which one of its three show-runners are in charge in that give episode, is completely ridiculous. Having said that, I still enjoy it...mostly for Santana though.

Katie Cassidy on Gossip Girl

Gossip Girl- (-) Mondays on The CW
The TV Show Girl, over at AOL's TV Squad, recently tweeted that she "gave up on Gossip Girl." While I have long since looked forward to watching it, it's still in my rotation. Sometimes I get behind by a week or two, but I always catch up on it. I'm glad I've stuck with it, because the story they're going to with Katie Cassidy's Juliet and Sam Page's Colin has me very intrigued. Why on Earth would she be going through all of this trouble to take down the characters we know on Gossip Girl? I have no idea, but unlike most of the stuff from the past few seasons, it's interesting.

Hawaii Five-0- (-) Mondays on CBS
I came for Scott Caan and the Hawaiian atmosphere, but I may be staying for CBS wonderboy Alex O'Loughlin. I never even tried his most recently failed projects Moonlight or Three Rivers, but I've been pleasantly surprised with his performance on Hawaii Five-0. Maybe CBS was right to continue to give this guy platforms. Maybe those other shows were just bad. He seems like a pretty big stud so far, and his relationship with Scott Caan has been great to watch so far.

Jersey Shore- (HM) Thursdays on MTV
Absolutely no question in my mind, Pauly D is the best thing about this show. Between "The cabs are here!" and his version of "It's tee shirt timeeee!" he is solid when it comes to yelling things. On top of that he's a stud, he never ruins things for other people, and he will blow up on you if you give him a chance. The Situation is great and all, but he went down the wrong path a few times this season, and I can't help but say he kind of embarrassed himself. This season, on the whole, could have been better. If they didn't make the entire first half of it about Ronnie and Sammie they would have been much better off.

League, The- (-) Thursdays on FX
Every time Jackie Boy tells me that The League was the funniest comedy of a give Thursday night, I can never tell if he's serious, joking, or somewhere in between. I was one of the only ones I knew enjoyed the second half of The League's first season, but now I feel like I'm the only one who isn't absolutely loving this second season. It might be a bit better than the end of last year, but it still hasn't been great. I was all about making the show more about fantasy football last year, because the non fantasy stuff was either ridiculously dirty, or ridiculously unfunny. This year the fantasy stuff is just killing me. They're doing the general comedy better, but every time there's a football story line I want to shoot myself in the head.

Sherlock and Dr. Watson

Sherlock- (-) Sundays on PBS
I just finished watching episode one of this three ep first season (writing Saturday). These Brits went with an interesting format; three one and a half hour episodes to start things off. I've never been one to watch things from the UK, but something about Sherlock Holmes intrigued me. The difference with this version of the famous story, is that our Sherlock and Watson are in modern day England. I really enjoyed the first installment and am absolutely looking forward to the next one. It will definitely be higher on my priority list next week, and it should be on your radar as well. If you like mysteries and Englishmen, you will probably love this.

Survivor- (15) Wednesdays on CBS
What a bad group of contestants can do to you huh? Or maybe what a couple of good ones can. The last two seasons featured Russell Hantz, last year's winner for the Terry Fator Award at the Poolies. This past spring we had an All-Star season hat had Russell, Boston Rob, Coach Wade and a variety of other greats. This season we have what? Jimmy Johnson out in week 2? A somewhat intriguing Jimmy T out a week after that? There is nobody left in this crew that I'm even rooting for to stay in the game. At any point I couldn't care who gets eliminated. That's not a good sign.

True Blood- (13) Sundays on HBO
Oh how the mighty have fallen. Maybe I'm being harsh by removing True Blood from the Top 20 entirely, but maybe I'm just making a statement. This last season was quite a crazy step down from the greatness of season two. Maybe now people will agree that Maryanne Forrester was one of the great evil bad guys of the decade. She helped bring True Blood as high as eight in the power rankings, and all these werewolves did was drop it off the list completely.

Also fallen out...Sonny With a Chance (18), Top Chef (20).

Bi-Monthly Power Rankings- 20 Through 11

Rick Moonen guest judges on Top Chef

Here we go with some of my favorite series currently on television. Here we have numbers 20 through 11 on the Quiet Pool Perspective's September Power Rankings. We have one new edition and a couple of big slippers. Enjoy.

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

20. Top Chef- (HM) Wednesday on Bravo
This is just quality reality television. The contestants don't get as in depth a look as some of the other greats, so I haven't loved or hated any of them as much as Big Bro or Survivor peeps, but the challenges are great. Each week it's something new. Through two seasons of watching, I have never gotten mad at this show, which is the main reason it took American Idol's spot in the top 20.

19. Treme- (18) Sundays on HBO
Treme came out with a good first ten episodes last spring. I wasn't left that excited, but I enjoyed every hour that I watched. I'm looking forward to seeing if they introduce anyone new after the major character that we lost at the end of the first season.

18. Sonny With a Chance- (19) Sundays on Disney Channel
Without a doubt my current favorite on Disney. Demi Lovato has shot up the charts for best leading ladies on television. Her comedic moments are so much better this season. Add that to Sterling Knight and the improvement of fat Grady and you got yourself a ridiculously fun sitcom.

Hank Moody doin' work

17. Californication- (17) Sundays on Showtime
A pretty long hiatus for the David Duchovny dramedy. I'm looking forward to the appearance of Rob Lowe next season. There's no way he'll be as funny as in Parks and Rec, but he could just be in a groove right now.

16. Parks and Recreation- (16) Thursdays on NBC
Speaking of the NBC comedy...Parks won't be back until mid-season because they needed to leave room for the God awful looking Outsourced. The addition of Adam Scott and Rob Lowe have me extremely excited for its return.

15. Survivor- (14) Wednesdays on CBS
A couple of great seasons last year keep Survivor near the top. Can they continue this run? Will some people tune in just to see ex-Cowboys coach Jimmy Johnson? I know I'm looking forward to seeing the hair get messed up in Nicaragua.

14. Justified- (15) Tuesdays on FX
Justified had a great first season, with the second half picking up steam to what was a fantastic finale. Timothy Olyphant, as Raylan Givens, has created one of my favorite characters on tv.

Russell with a beautiful vase

13. True Blood- (8) Sundays on HBO
And so we get to the biggest faller of the September Power Rankings. As Larry said to me a week or so ago, "they think that good tv is just the craziest sh*t you can think of." I mean I'm a fan of crazy, but to a certain point. When that's basically all you're giving me, I get fed up with it. My biggest problem with this season of True Blood is that every episode just runs together. I can't pick out a single episode by name, number or even event. Russell has been on and off for me, and in no way a decent replacement for Maryann as the big bad of the season.

12. The Office- (9) Thursdays on NBC
Another big dropped even though it hasn't been on since the last rankings. I'm having some residual bad feelings towards the last season of The Office. Maybe I didn't like it as much as I thought, or maybe it's because Alan Sepinwall and company repeatedly tell me that it was an awful year for the NBC comedy. Either way, this next season should be interesting as we watch to see who will take Steve Carell's place as the main man.

11. Mad Men- (13) Sundays on AMC
Mad Men is a show that can be extremely boring for some. As it was for me when I first started watching. Now whether it's because I'm writing about every episode, or it has just gotten significantly better, Mad Men is now so very interesting to me. There's something about writing about every little detail of a show that will cause you to either love it or hate it. In this case it is the former. The other thing is that after three and a half seasons, it's much easier to get involved in the goings on of these characters.

Summer Poolies Watch- Action

After just finishing up the the 2010 Quiet Pool Television Awards, let's take an early look at the 2011 Poolies. Two months of the season have already gone by and a lot has already happened. Sometimes these summer shows don't get as much recognition because they air so far before the awards are voted on, and sometimes it's because they're just not that good. Either way, let's take a look at what has happened so far in the action award categories.

First up is the Sopranos Award for Best Action Series. Now first up to mention are Breaking Bad and Justified, both of which aired their final two episodes of the season in June, qualifying for the 2011 awards. Both had fantastic endings to their third and first seasons, respectively, and currently sit at the top of the rankings. True Blood is the only other previous nominee to have aired so far this year. The first six eps of this third season haven't been as good as last summer's affair, but still a worthy candidate for sure.

Also on my radar for the Sopranos Award are Persons Unknown and Covert Affairs (right).  Persons is a mystery thriller that has been good but not great. I'm really curious to find out all the answers to why everything is happening, but the process isn't entertaining me right now. Covert Affairs airs its third episode tonight and I'm decently excited. On USA, I didn't have much hope for it, but the cast and the feeling of serialization won me over. Piper Perabo is extremely cute as the lead agent. Add Christopher Gorham from Harper's Island and Peter Gallagher, most known in my parts as Sandy Cohen from The O.C., and you have me on board.

I have viewed four other actions since June 1st...none of which have any shot at earning a nomination. The Good Guys is the best of the bunch, if only because there are a few funny Bradley Whitford moments that I can hear while I'm multitasking. I gave up on ABC's The Gates after a few episodes, dropped TNT's Memphis Beat after two, and would have already been finished with SyFy's Haven if it didn't take place in Maine.

Let's talk about some characters. Let's start with the Frank Pembleton Award for Best Lead Character in an Action Series. The two returning nominees are Raylan Givens and Walter White who finished third and seventh in 2010, respectively. Only two of their eps from last season should count, but next year should be more of the same for both of them. At this point I'm bumping both Jesse Pinkman of Breaking Bad and Eric Northman of True Blood to lead and putting them right in the thick of this thing. Anyone else have a chance? Maybe The Good Guys' Dan Stark for his humor if the category is light due to the lack of Losties. Also on my radar: Joe of Persons Unknown and Jason Stackhouse of True Blood.

So now we get to the newly named Desmond Hume Award for Best Supporting Character in an Action Series. Now that Lost is off the air I wanted it to be more represented in the Poolies, and since Jack and Sawyer split their award the past two seasons, I felt Desmond deserved the honors for dismantling the competition in 2010. Thanks to Jaydon for the tip, and no offense to Rome's Titus Pullo, but he was more of a lead character anyway.

Although we again lose the Lost favorites in this category, 2011 should be as crowded as ever for this award. I could make up a ten man list of worthy nominees just from what has aired since June 1...

• Boyd Crowder- Justified
• Saul Goodman- Breaking Bad
• Andy Bellefleur- True Blood
• Gus Fring- Breaking Bad
• Bo Crowder- Justified
• Auggie Anderson- Covert Affairs
• Hank Schrader- Breaking Bad
• Blackham- Persons Unknown
• Lafayette Reynolds- True Blood
• Art Mullen- Justified

Action has been depleted in good female depth the past two years. Ava Crowder is the only returning nominee to have taken the screen thus far, but she has some competition from her own show in Winona Hawkins, who made a late season push. Then you have Jessica Hamby and Sookie Stackhouse from True Blood. The latter was a nominee for worst character last year, but hasn't been nearly as annoying this season. I know it's only two episodes in, but Covert Affairs' Annie Walker is extremely fun to watch (and not only for aesthetic reasons). Also on my radar are Skyler White of Breaking Bad, Janet of Persons Unknown and Joan Campbell of Covert Affairs.

Who has ticked me off so far this summer? Well if it isn't those characters vying for a nomination for the Teri Bauer Award. Now that Bill and Sookie are out of my dog house on True Blood, there is plenty of room for newcomers. Where to find them...hmmm...how about True Blood? Tara Thornton and Franklin (left) have been equally awful, while Lafayette's new man Jesus is giving them both a run for their money. The Breaking Bad trio of Skyler, Marie and Walter White, Jr. are also always in the running.

And finally we have the 'Through the Looking Glass' Award for Best Action Episode. Both Justified and Breaking Bad's season finale's 'Bulletville' and 'Full Measure' are on pace to earn nominations. Both the Persons Unknown and Covert Affairs pilots were good and are on my radar. Nothing from True Blood has stood out yet.

So there you have it. An early look at the action awards at the 2011 Poolies. Next up is comedy.

Bi-Monthly Power Rankings- Top Ten

Today the Quiet Pool Power Rankings conclude with the July 2010 version of the top ten tv series. There has to be a new number one, as the long-time champion Lost has ended forever (single tear). Not much movement other than that as not much has happened since May.

Top Ten

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

10. Dexter (-) Sundays on Showtime
And 48 episodes later, I've seen all of Dexter. The reason I started the series, John Lithgow, ended up being well worth the wait as the fourth season was terrific.

9. The Office (9) Thursdays on NBC
Certainly a weak season in terms of The Office, but I'm not one too jump off the bandwagon too soon. Too late? Maybe.

8. True Blood (10) Sundays on HBO
The first season has started strong this summer. Let's hope the addition of were wolves doesn't send it into a turn for the worst.

7. Breaking Bad (6) Sundays on AMC
This is the best show on television. Blah, blah, blah. You can't just say it. You have to prove it by entertaining. Still great, but not my favorite.

6. Community (8) Thursdays on NBC
Just re-watched paintball ep, 'Modern Warfare' and my God is this show unbelievable at times. Some of the early season stuff wasn't great but we're definitely on the right track.

5. Friday Night Lights (7) Wednesdays on 101 Network
One final season of the football drama set to go and lucky for us many of the characters we've lost or are going to lose will be back for the final four episodes or so. Sounds like a great ending is in store.

4. Modern Family (5) Wednesdays on ABC
Unlike Community, Mod Fam started out with a bang, and finished with one as well. There were a few duds here and there but it's the best comedy to hit network tv since The Office.

3. Sons of Anarchy (4) Tuesdays on FX
Have yet to watch my third favorite series live, so I'm nervous about it holding up the same way as when I was able to watch four eps in a row. Starts up again this fall so get pumped.

2. Curb Your Enthusiasm (3) Sundays on HBO
LD usually takes longer than this to guarantee another season. Curb will be back again and the only thing we know is that Ricky Gervais will guest star.

1. Chuck (2) Mondays on NBC
We didn't have to worry as long as last year to get a renewal for Chuck. Having said that, I assume and hope that next fall will be the final season of the spy comedy. End it well and don't let it drag on Schwartz.

True Blood- Everyone For Themselves

Spoiler alert...Below are some thoughts on last night's True Blood season three premier. So watch the ep, put on your shiny red robe, and read what I had to say.

Jessica Hamby- "I am a freak of f*cking nature."

As much as I like to see everything that goes on in the characters lives that I am watching, sometimes I'm not sure a show like this works well when opening a premier just seconds after the last season's finale. Because everyone in Bon Temps was doing something different and crazy at the end of last year, it was a bit difficult for me to get myself into the mindset of what the heck was going on in this supernatural southern town.

When you start the next season like a month or too later, and the viewer is forced to try and figure out what happened since the last time we saw the characters, that nine month hiatus kind of makes sense. When your forced to get right back in the thick of the events you witnessed last August and September, it's a little more tiresome to grasp.

I'm about to get into some more complaining about the show, so I'd like to quickly add that I really enjoyed the premier and I'm real excited that it's back. I thought the second season was a great step forward from what was already a good first season and I'm hoping that it only gets better with age.

Something I see as a detractor in True Blood, and maybe just more so in this third season premier, is the use of their ensemble cast. There seems to be no depth to anything when everyone is off doing their own thing. Bill was being captured, Sookie was searching for him, Sam was looking for his family, Lafayette, Jason, etc. On occasion it's hard to get a good feel for the show when everyone is off on their own.

What was so great about a show like Lost was that it used it's ensemble so well. They were always in groups. Most of the time a single character got the spotlight of an episode, but everyone else was in factions and I think that is a tactic that worked really well.

When I start a season it's always interesting to see who jumps off the page right away as great or terrible. I mean Eric was my favorite character last season, but I didn't like his start last night. Who did impress me? Andy Bellefleur! This dude was such a whiny chump back in season one, and his transformation to an authoritative figure telling Jason Stackhouse exactly what to do, was really awesome. He doesn't get much screen time, but I hope that can change.

Who came up on the other end of the stick after one ep? Tara f'in Thornton. What a terribly annoying cry baby. Oh boo hoo, you're hypnotized boyfriend killed a bunch of people. Waa waa. Get over yourself and do something productive. She's making an early push for a Teri Bauer Award nomination. And to top it off, they brought her mother right back into the fold with all of her religious blabber. This story line should stop immediately.

See ya next time at Fangtasia.

Bi-Monthly Power Rankings- Top Ten

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 best of the best in May 2010 looks like.

Top Ten

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

10. True Blood- (10) Sundays on HBO
It's been a long time since True Blood was on the air, but its third season is just around the corner. Now that Lost will be off our television screens for good come next month, True Blood is going to have to fill my science fiction/fantasy void. I hate looking at spoilers, so I have no idea what the next installment is going to focus on. All I know is that there is a wolfman.

9. The Office- (8) Thursdays on NBC
Steve Carell says he's leaving The Office after his contract runs out next season. Can this show go on without him? Alan Sepinwall seems to think it might benefit from giving Michael a limited role, but I disagree. He and the new addition of Erin are the only things keeping this show alive for me. Michael's antics will get me every time, and their inability to showcase some of the minor characters' talents has proven tiresome. Where are the great Creed moments?

8. Community- (9) Thursdays on NBC
Two weeks ago Community did a full on parody of Goodfellas using chicken fingers as a metaphor for drugs. Absolutely put this show over the top for best Thursday night comedy. Every single character on the show, except for Britta, is hilarious. And Britta works because she is used like a punching bag by me and the other characters.

7. Friday Night Lights- (6) Wednesdays on DirecTV
FNL's fourth season is about to start on NBC. Of course I've already watched it via DirecTV this fall and winter. Was it a great season? Yes. Could it have been better? Of course, that's why it's only number seven. The question still remains is next year's final season going to be enough to give us some good closure on the Taylor family and the state of high school football in Dillon?

6. Breaking Bad- (7) Sundays on AMC
Last week's ep was fantastic, and supposedly tonight's is even better (and crazier). Before last week I didn't think this season was stacking up to season two's standard, but if things keep progressing at the current rate, Breaking Bad could rise higher up the charts. I've said it before and I'll say it again, sprinters make the best bobsledders Walt and Jesse need to come together as partners again to make this show return to its greatness.

5. Modern Family- (5) Wednesdays on ABC
I'm definitely on the Poniewozik side, rather than the Sepinwall side, of the Phil's dad argument. I thought last week's episode was fantastic and it had much to do with the inclusion of Fred Willard as the father figure. The two of them were exactly alike and it worked perfectly. Phil is exactly the kind of guy who would emulate his father because he thought he was the best man in the world. Even when he's trying to be serious with dear old dad, he can't help but compliment him on a great joke. Classic Phil.

4. Sons of Anarchy- (4) Tuesdays on FX
Another one with a long layoff, and I'm getting sick of reading creator Kurt Sutter's tweets about which episodes he's finished writing, but Sons of Anarchy proved to be worth the wait after a fantastic second season last fall. With the third season ready to kick off in September, I'm excited to watch Jax, Clay and the rest of Sam Crow in real time this fall.

3. Curb Your Enthusiasm- (2) Sundays on HBO
And Larry David decided that he will take time out of his busy Marriage Ref Jury Duty to create another season of Curb. Yes! Rumors were flying around that Ricky Gervais will be guest starring on this season of the comedy hit. Not quite sure if that is happening, but LD is gonna need to come up with something golden to top the Seinfeld Reunion. But then again, he had to top him moving in with the Blacks, so he's fully capable.

2. Chuck- (3) Mondays on NBC
Chuck gets the bump past Curb due to the utter brilliance of the final two episodes of season 3.0. The first episode of 3.1 was also great, but come on! Chuck vs. the American Hero and Chuck vs. the Other Guy were instant classics. The hilarity of the Morgan, Casey, Awesome trio in the penultimate episode combined with the chills and thrills of the final one were tough to be matched by anyone.

1. Lost- (1) Tuesdays on ABC
Sometimes I take a step back and think that my loyalty to this show goes unwarranted. Then I watch the next Tuesday's edition and am completely enthralled by what's on the screen. The action, the drama, the questions, and the nostalgia. You can poo poo the blatant nods to season one all you want, but a lot of true fans of the show really like that. Damon and Carlton have come out and said that there will be questions left unanswered when the show ends. Of course! Why would answer everything?!? Your show would never live on. By leaving some (or many) things left with no answer, it allows people to talk about it long after it's gone. The arguments that will ensue about what really was going on in certain circumstances will benefit the show far greater than if everything is summed up cleanly in episode 618.

Bi-Monthly Power Rankings- Top Ten

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.

Top Ten

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

10. True Blood- (10) Sundays on HBO
The Vampire drama stays put after not being on the air for a while. The third season will premier this summer. Here's hoping that Sookie finally leaves Bill and makes us all happy. I hate Sookie and I hate Bill, but the two of them together is that much worse.

9. Community- (13) Thursdays on NBC
Another big jump, passing out its Comedy Night Done Right brother, 30 Rock. Chevy Chase has been showing us that he's still got it and everyone else seems to be stepping their proverbial game up.

8. The Office- (5) Thursdays on NBC
Barely hanging on to the lead as top dog of Thursday Night comedies. And that is only because of its history of hilarity. I again think that the fact that this show is just running old. There are only so many times that certain shticks can work.

7. Breaking Bad- (-) Sundays on AMC
After catching up on Breaking, it jumps all the way up to seven. Andrew Page you can no longer call me an anti-denti. Look at how high up the Power Rankings I put Dr. Tim Watley!

6. Friday Night Lights- (4) Wednesdays on 101 Network
A small dip after a less than stellar fourth season. Although I've written about my problems with this season, it doesn't mean that it still isn't a joy to watch. The mood, tone and scenery could put FNL in the top ten by themselves.

5. Modern Family- (8) Wednesdays on ABC
Another big jumper. Modern Fam and Community are the best two comedies on the air right now. Again it might have the edge over The Office because everything about it seems new. But then again, there's no one in Scranton calling for Moon Landings.

4. Sons of Anarchy- (HM) Tuesdays on FX
Boom! Sam Crow killed it during the first two seasons and has me on the edge of my seat as I wait for season three to start in September. Will they be in Ireland? What's gonna happen with Gemma? Great things on the horizon.

3. Chuck- (3) Mondays on NBC
The great storytelling of Chuck is basically just icing on the cake for me, because between the comedy, the action and the music, Chuck is already a smash hit in my mind. And wait, Scott Bakula is returning as Mr. Bartowksi? Yes.

2. Curb Your Enthusiasm- (2) Sundays on HBO
This is the number one comedy currently not on the air. Here's hoping the LD decides that he needs to make another go of it. I'd like to see Jerry come in for a while in the next season. The other three Seinfeld guys I could do without.

1. LOST- (1) Tuesdays on ABC
And yes it continues to hold the top spot. The complaint I hear about LOST that makes me the most angry (especially when it's Bill Simmons) is that it's too confusing. They don't want to have to think about their tv show. Don't you see? That's the joy of a show like this. You get to use your mind without having to read. It's perfect!

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.

Cable Fall Preview

Although many of these cable shows have already started, I believe they need their just due here.

HBO
Entourage
I thought I'd mention the two HBO programs that are finishing up their current seasons. Entourage has four episodes left and it has been as lackluster of a summer as ever for the entertainment dramedy. Lowlighted by Tom Brady's awful performance, season six has been less than stellar. Stop following E's love life. Nobody likes him. It's torture.

True Blood
True Blood, on the other hand, has taken as giant leap in the right direction in its sophomore season. What started out as a weak-charactered vampire show, has turned into a fantastic-storylined supernatural thriller. The 10th episode of this second season was one of my favorite eps of any show in a long time. After this past Sunday's penultimate ep, there is only one left this summer.

Curb Your Enthusiasm
Curb Your Enthusiasm finally returns on September 20. After what was one of the two best seasons in the show's history, Larry David had a lot to live up to this fall. He found a way to get me even more excited. Prettttty, pretttttty, pretttttty excited. A Seinfeld Reunion. All four of the main actors from Seinfeld, yes Jerry Seinfeld, Jason Alexander, Julia Louis-Dreyfuss and even Michael Richards, will be major contributors on this season of Curb. Not only that, but the premise of the season will be Larry and the gang putting a Seinfeld Reunion in the works.

Disney
After the DVD release of Hannah Montana The Movie this month and the television premier of Wizards of Waverly Place The Movie this past Friday, the Disney Channel's big three are picking up major steam. Joined by Sonny with a Chance, these three shows have gotten me hooked on the Disney Channel as I used to be with Even Stevens back in the day. They don't come without major success either, as the Wizards Movie recorded the highest viewership of the summer, with 11.4 million viewers. I'm assuming most of them are not 23 year old dudes.

Greek
I have yet to watch the season 3 premier of Greek that aired tonight (Monday) but I'm definitely excited for it to be back. Whether it's hating on Rusty's awkwardness, loving Cappie's wit, or crushing on Casey for some inexplicable reason, Greek always brings plenty of entertainment.

Mad Men
Mad Men is three eps in now, and it started up where it left off. Interesting, but not entertaining. I find myself a bit intrigued by the stories and historical elements of the show, but they don't manage to portray them in a way that gets me excited for the next episode. I'd much rather watch a show that can entertain without being smart (the late Las Vegas) than a smart show that fails to entertain (Mad Men).