There are several shows that have had their best seasons yet this season. We’ve talked about those shows. The flip side, however, is that there are a few shows that are having their worst season. Some we still watch (or watched) and some we have decided to just let go. Here are the shows we think should reassess during the summer hiatus (or whichever hiatus they went on…)

House – Dull, dull, dull. Without the delicious thrill of watching House walk the edge of breakdown, our Sherlock Holmes is ridiculously boring. One of the best parts of House has been watching him spar with Wilson and while we do get more of that, the edge that was once part of  it feels like an already lost battle. House has lost because he can’t win. His drugs don’t work, his leg doesn’t work and without him, his team can barely work. I really did like his interaction with Wilson’s ex-wife, Sam (played by Cynthia Watros – who is very convincing). She seems so sweet, but there is an edge there, the first bit of edge we’ve seen since Chase killed James Earl Jones.

Murderer.

Anyway, the part of me that is a nice person doesn’t want the character of House to put himself in mortal danger, but the drama-loving tv watcher in me wants to see him walk that fine line again, hoping his intelligence will keep him from tumbling over.

24 – I have not watched every episode from this season, but what I did see was dreckitude. And yes, I’m using a word I learned on America’s Next Top Model. Deal with it. Coming off of last season, which started with an awesome made for television movie, I expected the writing to start getting better. They even got more terrific talent involved (love Katee Sackhoff), but it does not seem to have helped. People are still whiney and acting as if they don’t have the ability to do the jobs they are paid to do. Oh well, espionage and being double agents can make you look like a jerk.

Dexter – Shouldn’t it be good television to finally watch a character get the father-figure he always wanted before discovering he’s not all he should be and then having to make the decision to put him out of his misery. Most people would blanch at the thought of watching a son kill his father (or father figure), but on a show like Dexter, that’s just what we expect. As Dexter deals with the fact that he was the cause of his father’s death, is reeling, still, from having killed his brother, Dexter meets the “father” of his dreams in serial killer Arthur Mitchell, who has been killing for a very long time and who also has a family. Dream come true for the character, but is less than exciting for us. Season 3 was also a bit dull, especially after the excitement that was the Bay Harbour Butcher (Doakes is missed) in Season 2, but while I wanted to watch every episode of the previous seasons when they aired, I found myself letting two or three go buy before finally settling down to watch. Here’s hoping the aftermath of this season’s shocking ending will lead to some really dynamic television.

10 Things I Hate About You – Granted, though we are not dealing with a separate season, the writing is a lot less dynamic. While the Chastity character is a little less annoying, the individual storyline are showing signs of weakness. Cat is no longer convincing as the driven feminist. Bianca’s shallowness is dull and the times she tries to step out of it does not feel liberating. Cameron’s heartbreak also feels artificial, his sidekick friend is no longer needed, and the edge that was Patrick Verona has softened now that they are semi-dating or whatever. And poor Mandella, who continues to suffer in silence in a wasted friendship with Cat, is also slightly depressing in the new woman she has found for herself. Well, I hope she’s happy anyway. Just 4 episodes into the second half and I’m just not feeling the show like I did when it premiered.  Larry Miller is still fabulous as the father and Joey is much more likable, but in the end, it hasn’t even been funny enough to justify continued watching.

Heroes – GACK! I’m still watching this? Yes, I am. I hate myself for it. I can’t leave a storyline unfinished and I do so love Hiro. But this season was pretty much the suckiest season ever.

The Office – There have been some very good moments for this show, but, unlike the shows on the cusp of being either good or bad, this has had too many boring moments. The wedding and birth was amazing. Watching Andy woo Erin has also been amazing. But the takeover, the revamp, the plotting against Jim as manager, the revival of Monkey and Dwight… boring. There wasn’t enough sass in it and the uncomfortable things have been toned way down. Also, not enough Kelley.

Smallville – Clark Kent, you are not Batman.

True Blood – The Maryanne storyline dragged on much too long. Knowing that there is something that could kill vampires opens it up for other supernatural beings that can handle the “outed” creatures.  While the exciting, nail-biter of a season ender comes as a great relief compared to the rest of the season, if Bill is locked away all next season, True Blood may find itself on this list again.

What do you think? Which shows are having their worst season yet? Did we get these right, or are we being short sighted? Let us know!

Although I never spent time any any town other then Maun, I love Botswana. I love how big it is, that you have to charter a plane to get to anywhere, or drive for hours and that the animals, for better or worse, own the land as much as the people do. So it was with no small amount of expectation that I come to the No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency on HBO.

I was a little surprised that Jill Scott was tapped to play Mma Ramotswe, but now that I see her in the role, it’s perfect for her. She comes off as shy, but we see she is tenacious and smart, and that’s what makes her a good detective. She is personable, so people feel comfortable talking to her, and as she solves each week’s three cases, we grow to know more about her, the colourful cast of characters around her and the country that she loves.

Anika Noni Rose, far from the woman she played in Dreamgirls, is the almost nondescript, proper, 97% percentile graduate of a secretarial school, Mma Makutsi. While she appears a little hard and standoffish, we see her opening up to those around her in slight bursts, first with the little boy who comes begging for a job, then with  Mma Ramotswe when she finally tell her about her brother, who has AIDS.  As of episode 3, she has gotten a title raise and is not Assistant Detective and will go out on cases by herself. I can’t wait to see more of Rose in this part tragic, part comedic role.

There are others who add depth and humour to the show. The mechanic, JBL Matekoni, that is desperately in love with Mma Ramotswe, his two assistants, clowns both, but endearingly so, and the hairdresser, BK, who all play a part in the schemes crafted by Scott’s character.

If you like character driven plots, beautiful scenery, stories that speak to the human condition and make you think about your own, you will like The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency. The season is only 6 episodes long and if you’ve missed some episodes, I’m 100% sure HBO will help you catch up.