Instead of an impassioned plea  to keep Huge on the air, I’m going to point out my top ten moments from the ABC Family tv show. These are not all big moments, which the show is not about.  The small moments have just as much significance. I love this show. It’s one of the most real shows featuring teens that I’ve watched – sometimes more than Friday Night Lights, the current most real show featuring teens I love to watch. Here are my favourite moments, in no particular order.

1. First weigh in strip tease by Will

That’s truly the way to learn to love your fat. It set up the character so well. Her self consciousness mixed with her chutzpah really makes the character of Will shine.

2. Will being motivated by another camper’s parents to grow more confident in herself.

These parents were unwilling to let their daughter be without them, but that amount of love has overflow for as many other children as are willing to accept it.

3. All the campers actually enjoying LARPing

The mix of kids who were having fun LARPing, the grand mess it was, how the rules were changed, but Becca goes along with it… Though the empowering moment was cliched at the end, the acceptance that her idea of LARPing was going to change and her willingness to enjoy her moment was the biggest accomplishment of that moment.

4. Alistair’s comedic magic show

I think Alistair is my favourite character. He’s so gentle and so amazingly innocent yet surprisingly strong. I hated when his magic act was failing and the other kids were not impressed. I want people to like him, but his brand of weirdness is something that the typical person would shun. While I hate the idea of the tortured person being a clown, I was glad that he discovered something about himself that others also liked.

5. a) Phantasma or b) Dr. Rand trying to tell Wayne she wasn’t really sending signals.

What was up with that ghost story? It was ridiculous. I guess that’s how I’m supposed to feel about Twilight, but I love those damn vampires and werewolves. Okay, so maybe I don’t love them. Maybe I do scoff and laugh, but I’ve read every book and seen every movie. I get it. But it was still funny/awesome. I also found the moment when Dr. Rand told Wayne that she didn’t want to send him the wrong message, highly amusing. She is scared that she is not good enough for a good man like Wayne. I like how he handled the situation. He’s a fine, upstanding man who is well played by actor Stoney Westmoreland.

6. Magic Mushroom

I laughed so hard at this one, but I’m glad about how it brought Trent and Alistair (Athena) together. One of my favourite scenes.

7. Alistair and Ian after weigh in

After I reached the age of 30, I discovered that weight loss is not easy. When once I could eat whatever I wanted (and I did – whole bags of peanut butter m&ms, a dozen doughnuts in one sitting, a whole can of pringles before the 2nd commercial, etc.), now I have to watch my caloric intake, make sure vegetables make up a big part of my day, and other heart healthy, low cholesterol ways to feed myself. Every inch or pound I lose is a victory, but every pound over my ideal weight is a hard journey to losing them. Though I have not had to go through the weight journey that is being written about on Huge, I do understand that moment.

8. Chloe being upset that her friends played a prank on Alistair on their birthday

Chloe was right to call herself a bitch on the last episode, but in this scene, she becomes a bit more human. We know she cares about her brother, that she feels bad about the way that her friends, and she herself, have been treating Alistair.

9. Alistair and Becca’s moment at the end of the episode

I think that the moment once they get back to the cabin was a very sweet moment, a moment where Alistair finally becomes sure of himself. I’m not sure how the lie to his parents about the true nature of his relationship with Becca affected him, but I’m sure that the repercussions will be felt into the next season, if there is one. I hope there is.

10. Salty knowing that Will stole the brownies

I liked Salty. “No seconds!” His connection with Will was unmistakable. His ability to become a part of everyone’s lives, even those who didn’t like him (see: knowing Shay’s daughter’s name before Dorothy did) helped make this dour man likable. So when Will finally sees him after eating the brownies, the look on his face, the remorse on her face… it means he’s found another daughter to be disappointed in. Despite that, it is a telling moment, a moment where we know that Will has a sense of family, despite how she has been treated by her own.

So, what are your favourite Huge moments? Leave a comment below or #HugeMoment on twitter to join the conversation. There are so many, but I know these are the moments that will stick with me.

So we are already 2 categories into the Emmys and I’m 1 for 2. Let’s see how the rest of these go…

I always save the two parters to watch together. There’s nothing worse in Doctor Who world than watching an exciting episode only to find out that it ends the next week.

So, until this weekend, when the final episode was aired, all I had in my memory was The Lodger episode. I loved this episode. Though I’ve enjoyed watching Matt Smith play The Doctor, he did not become The Doctor until this episode. In fact, Amy Pond has been the standout for most of this season. Well, until these two episodes.

Recap: The Pandorica Opens

It starts with Van Gogh (whom I loved! My favourite single-ish episode character) right before he dies [is he the casualty of another Doctor death?] and a painting that obviously upsets him. The painting gets to Churchill (loved him!), who phones [phones???] the Time Vortex and gets Doctor River Song. River Song escapes from prison and heads to the Royal Collection to grab the painting and meets the bloody Queen (another great character from earlier in the season). Whatever the Queen sees makes her extremely sad.

Cut to The Doctor and Amy heading to a cliff made of pure diamonds with writing from the beginning of time. It says: Hello Sweetie with coordinates to Britain being attacked by the Roman Empire. There he meets Cleopatra (River Song) who shows him the painting – The T.A.R.D.I.S. being torn apart by time.

On the painting is time and coordinates, which leads them to Stonehenge and underneath it, the Pandorica. The Pandorica holds “a goblin or a trickster or a warrior – a nameless, terrible thing soaked in the blood of a billion galaxies. The most feared being in all the cosmos and nothing could stop it or hold it or reason with it. One day it would just drop out of the sky and tear down your world.”

As the Pandorica unlocks from the inside, all of the beings that the Doctor has fought converges on the outside. Stonehenge is transmitting to EVERYONE and they are coming. The Doctor’s great plan is to get the Roman Empire to help him defend the Pandorica from all of the emerging enemies. Dalek. Cybermen. Sontaran. Slytheen, Judoon, Draconian… everyone we have seen in the past and the present, here for one reason. The Pandorica opening.

River goes back and shows her future weapons to the past Romans and though she barely gets the help of the leader, she does get a volunteer. Meanwhile, Amy questions The Doctor about the ring she found in his coat pocket. Amy feels something and the Doctor tells her “people fall out of the world sometimes, but they always leave traces… nothing is ever forgotten not completely and if something can be remembered it can come back.”  The Cyberman arm that The Doctor stumbles upon earlier starts shooting, searching for “fresh meat”. Amy is attacked by the Cyberman head only to be saved by Roman Rory!

Rory, lost in the Time Crack, has been transported to the body of a Roman soldier, all of his memories of Amy with all of the knowledge of a Roman Centurion. Much to the astonishment of The Doctor. As the Pandorica enters the final phase of opening, all of the galaxy surrounds Stonehenge. He runs to the top and yells at them “Hello Stonehenge! Whoever takes the Pandorica takes the Universe… Who’s Got the Pandorica? Answer: I do. Next Question: Who’s coming to take it from me?… Look at me, no plan, no backup, no weapons worth a damn oh and something else I don’t have: anything. to. lose… [if] you’ve got any plans on taking the Pandorica tonight, just remember who is standing in your way. Remember every black day I ever stopped you and then, AND THEN do the smart thing and let somebody else try first.”

River runs to the T.A.R.D.I.S. but something goes awry. She ends up back in 2010, back at Amy’s childhood home, which has been invaded by something. She discovers the things in Amy’s room, the book on the Roman soldiers with a captain that looks like the one River confronted and a book on Pandora’s box that imitates the Pandorica. River realizes something. Nothing is real. Something is using Amy’s memories and they are projecting real images – Something has been trying to lure The Doctor to the Pandorica. All of the Romans shut down and come back to life with an awareness of their reason for being. The Pandorica finally opens. Rory rages against his creation. He tries to get Amy to run. Rory declares himself, in much the way that Amy convinces the Professor Bracewell in Victory of the Daleks, to make himself real. She remembers him, but the Nestene Consciousness wins out and he shoots her.

“You have been scanned, assessed, understood. Doctor. Your limits and capacities have been extrapolated, the Pandorica is ready!” All of the Doctors enemies have assessed that he is the most dangerous being in the universe, that the Time Crack is his fault and to save their home worlds, they are locking him up. The Doctor pleads with them that he is not the cause, but the Pandorica closes and all the stars fade from view.

Recap: The Big Bang

This episode starts with where we started at the beginning of the season. Since the Doctor has been locked in the Pandorica for thousands of years, he can not come to Baby Pond’s rescue. No stars illuminate the night sky. She draws them, maybe remembering them, but stars do not exist in this Doctor-less world. Baby Pond brings her Aunt to the museum where they see the Pandorica, somehow unearthed from beneath Stonehenge along with frozen in stone Daleks. She goes up to and touches the Pandorica and when it opens we find…

Amy Pond!

Quelle Surprise!

Back in time to 102 AD, Rory is talking to an obviously only dying Amy. Asking for a miracle, The Doctor appears in a fez with a mop to give Rory his sonic screwdriver. He gets the Doctor out of the box. They put Amy in the box, held in stasis for 2000 years until the box could get a reading of her living DNA. Rory stayed to guard the box, since he was living plastic and thus begins the best love story I’ve ever heard.

Plastic Rory devoted his life to protecting Amy. Just the thought of it makes me tear up a little. As The Doctor pops back in to get back with Amy and crew, a Dalek awakens and starts shooting. This let’s The Doctor know that the light from the Pandorica is a restorative light and a little bit of molecules from every part of the universe exists in that light. As soon as he works it all out, he is shot by the Dalek, who powers down. Amy and Rory run to the Doctor’s body while River Song stays to deal with the Dalek. River meets them downstairs to find The Doctor’s body gone. He is in the Pandorica and he has worked out that if he puts the Pandorica in the center of the exploding T.A.R.D.I.S., exploding at every point in time, which means the Doctor has to stay with it, being forever lost.

His time stream begins to rewind and we learn that when he speaks to Amy back in Flesh and Stone (the Weeping Angel two parter) the second time, it is the unraveling Doctor who implores her to remember what he said to her 7 year old self. Seconds later, he finds Baby Pond, waiting for him the first time. He carries her off and tells her his story, of his borrowed new ancient blue box and on her wedding day, the former day of destruction, she remembers him (with a little help from River) and tells him that he is late for her wedding! He appears, he dances, he takes a little break and runs into River, to give her back her diary. She tells him that they will meet again real soon and that this meeting will change everything. Then she vanishes. Amy and Rory go to collect the Doctor, but a phone call about a Egyptian deity on the Orient Express propels them into next season.

Thoughts:

Whew! What a crazy roller coaster of craziness. Good craziness that is. I loved these two episodes.

My favourite parts:

Seeing Rory come back was awesome! I loved how he stood watch over Amy in the Pandorica. I loved how the legend of his devotion was part of the history, so that Amy saw that devotion, making their reunion all the more sweet.

I LOVE River Song. The fez incident – after being rescued from the time loop on the exploding T.A.R.D.I.S., her first question was about the fez. When she looks to Amy, Amy snatches it from his head and River shoots it. It was a very fun moment in the midst of a very dark episode. The thing that makes me wonder what the history books says about River Song comes when the Dalek shoots The Doctor and everyone leaves to find The Doctor’s body, The Dalek pleads for mercy. It is the first time in the history of Dalek-dom that this has happened. On the second viewing, it is even more badass – even more frightening.

Amy standing up in the middle of her wedding making everyone cringe at the thought that she might be going crazy. I don’t know if I would be brave enough to do it… well, I guess if it was The Doctor…

Watching all of the villains of Doctor Who working together to get rid of the most dangerous being in the universe… The line I quoted in the recap is what The Doctor says while exploring the Pandorica (The Pandorica holds “a goblin or a trickster or a warrior – a nameless, terrible thing soaked in the blood of a billion galaxies. The most feared being in all the cosmos and nothing could stop it or hold it or reason with it. One day it would just drop out of the sky and tear down your world.”). When he says this line, I try to think of what is more terrible than a Dalek or the Cybermen or any of the other league of bad guy that has inhabited the show. But the truth is, the line more aptly describes The Doctor. Because we love him, because we love to see him run, we forget the times he’s had to destroy because we knew that destruction was to save many, many more. He has to make choices that are not fair for any one being to make. But in truth, The Doctor is the most dangerous being in the universe and that is something that we can’t forget. Rory came back to us and we got our happy ending this season, but I can’t help but remember what happened to Donna and how the writers can never give her the happy ending she really deserves.

I also liked that the weird moment in the 2nd part of the Weeping Angels episode was when The Doctor was traveling back through his time stream. It was always weird to me that he did that in the middle of going to the rescue. There was always something slightly off about it. His words made me re-watch the first episode again and again because, up until the finale, there was only one time he was with Baby Pond. That it was explained was awesome.

I like them connecting everyone from the past, present, and future in getting the message to the Doctor. I loved every character they used. Van Gogh was my favourite. I wish he could travel with the Doctor. I love that actor. Winston Churchill was my second favourite. From everything I’ve read about Churchill, this actor really delivered. Next, I loved the Queen. She had spunk and attitude. Basically, she ruled. But that moment when she sees Van Gogh’s painting and her whole face gets sad, I am immediately sold on how bad it’s going to be for The Doctor.

Things I didn’t like:

I love happy endings, but Doctor Who has gotten me to the point where I know I won’t always get them. This ending was too happy, like the whole season was just a preview for the upcoming season. Not that it was a waste of time, mind you, but that it was like telling the unnecessary parts of a Doctor Who adventure. I didn’t feel like I was going to lose anything. Threatening to get rid of The Doctor is hard to swallow. Some kind of expedition should have had to be mounted. If Amy can bring Rory back (even though it was with the unwanted help of the Nestene Consciousness), then she can bring The Doctor back. There was soooooo many clues that she had the power to do that, it was obvious what was going to happen at the end.

Despite loving how they brought all the characters together, I think Van Gogh’s painting wasn’t anything new. We saw that the T.A.R.D.I.S. was going to be ‘sploded in the time crack. We knew that somehow he was going to have to make a choice that would mean the destruction of a part of himself. I think that if we had been marching toward his “death” and had known that the whole time, a la David Tennant during the specials, then I think we would have been a bit more on edge. As it is, all we got were clues that The Doctor was going to be alright.

My first giveaway! I’m like a giddy little school girl!

You may not know this, but I love BBC shows. Of course, being American and all, I get to watch them all (even if it’s later than I want *grumble, grumble*) on the fantastic BBC America. One of the shows to catch my fancy is Being Human, the story of 3 supernatural being who live in a flat together in Bristol.

Synopsis: (from BBC)

Being Human is an extraordinary look into the lives of hospital porters George (Russell Tovey) and Mitchell (Aidan Turner). Toiling anonymously in Bristol, England, they lead lives of quiet desperation under the burden of a terrible secret – Mitchell’s a vampire and George is a werewolf. Deciding to start life afresh and leave behind the dark side, they move into a house, only to find that Annie (Lenora Crichlow), the ghost of a woman killed in mysterious circumstances, haunts it. As the three deal with the challenges of their new lives together, they’re united in their desire to blend in with their human neighbors. However, with unwelcome intruders into their world, a threatened revolution from the vampire underworld, constant threats of exposure, and the day to day issues faced by young people – the only thing they may be able to rely on is each other.

I know, I know, it sounds a little bit ridiculous, but believe me, you will love this story, fall in love with the characters and enjoy the many aspects of their secret lives.

The Giveaway:

Each day, starting today, I will ask a question. The names with the right answer will be put into a hat (really, a box) and drawn at random Tuesday morning, the day of the DVD release of Being Human, Season One. The winning person will be notified through the site and a copy of Being Human Season One will be mailed out in time to catch up before the July 24th Premiere of Being Human Season Two on BBC America.

The Season One DVD includes deleted scenes, behind the scenes featurettes, video diaries, character profiles and an interview with creator Toby Whithouse. All prizes courtesy BBC.

So what are you waiting for?

Today’s Question: Russell Tovey was rumored to be up for the part of the title character for what show? Leave your answers in the comments and good luck!

Lost. You either loved it or hated it. I hardly know anyone who tolerated it to get to the end. Good or bad episodes, I truly enjoyed my Lost experience. From the early days when I scoured the internet looking for answers/speculations for the mysteries to the later years when I just watched for the characters (mainly Locke), I loved the show. I remember watching Season 1 on DVD while knitting a baby blanket, simultaneously wishing I’d caught this show during the season and feeling glad I could watch them all in one sitting. Like Sepinwall says, I fall somewhere in the middle of loving the characters and wanting to know the answer to the mysteries, so there are a few interesting takes from this past Sunday’s Lost finale.

1. I am very happy with the storytelling. Sometimes the storytelling can get bogged down with cleverness or learning answers or uniting the couple of the series, or killing off characters. This storyline was well told and the moments of renewed memories were really fantastic. I hope, however, if I wake to find myself in limbo knowing I’m dead and waiting for other characters to get with the program, I hope I don’t look as smug as the Losties did.

2. Terry O’Quinn is an amazing actor. I don’t know if he tried to do this, but within the the familiar face, the face we’ve come to know as John Locke, I could see the subtle and not so subtle nuances of the Man in Black. Yet when we see him in the sideways world, there is nary a trace of that pure evil and, as my husband can attest, that pleased me to no end.

3. I feel like the people who felt the most responsible for others (Hurley, Desmond, even Ben) were the ones trying to bring the other Losties to peace. If they somehow got trapped in their dream world as well, that can’t be helped.

4. I loved the renewed memory scenes. Each one brought fresh tears to my eyes. My favourite scene involved Claire, Kate and Charlie. Dominic Monaghan did such a great job of conveying the emotions he felt as he finally found the love of his life. I guess, in contrast to the great sadness I felt when he died, it was cathartic for me to see him happy once again.

The show wasn’t about the mysteries, the adventures, the power struggles for control of the island. The show was about the people, people who crash landed on an island and became a family. The writers of Lost, for all of their sci-fi adventures and Others, gave us a character written drama that took care of the characters at the end.

Don’t get me wrong, I feel like Team Cuse/Lindelof answered well less questions than their “not every question will be answered” allowed for, but they told a story that brought tears to my eyes every time. Each renewed memory was so well acted by the principals that I realized just how special of a cast this had been. I started a Locke fan and came away from the finale a Locke fan. There was such a vital difference between how he acted as himself and how he acted as the Man in Black – I could tell the difference. To me, his performance was inspired, enlightened and satisfying.

I was a little put out that the sideways world was just a limbo created by all the people to wait for each other. It felt like they knew where they were going, but they used the mysteries to put us off of the scent. It’s not a pleasant thing to feel tricked and despite how good the show was, how much I truly liked the ending, I felt tricked by the other elements that rounded out the show. Even though the show did not rise and fall on the mysteries, the mysteries were a diversion that did not pay off. In a way, it makes me angry because I spent a lot of time on what amounts to a diversion, a non-essential part of the story. I feel duped and I’m just not sure if I can let it go, even with the amazing ending we just watched.

Sometimes the road was arduous. Sometimes, it was joyful. It was a road I willingly traversed and for better or for worse the ride was mighty fine.

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!

The Top 3. There something about being in the top. These shows are not necessarily the best shows on television, but after having a season or two playing, they’ve decided this is the year to bring their A-game. Shows like Modern Family, The Good Wife, and Treme, shows that I think are really good this year, have to get to their second season and be better than the first. If the writers make that happen next year for some of these freshmen shows, I will be a happy tv camper. The Top 3:

3. Parks & Recreation – The biggest turnaround of any comedy has been Parks and Recreation. It started out as a mildly funny comedy about an awkward deputy director with a crazy, assorted cast and has become a complex, wildly hilarious show about an deputy director of the parks department who wants everything too much. This character, Leslie Knope, played with precision by Amy Poehler, started out as a Michael Scott-esque screw up, but became her own entity in the 2nd season. The other characters became less shallow as well, and the depth that has been added to them, especially Ron MF Swanson, has made their characters more believable, more likeable, and much, much more funny. The antics of Aziz Ansari’s Tom Haverford as he tries so desperately to be cool. The excessively put down Jerry, the forever bored April, who has a crush on Andy, who is in love with Ann who is dating Mark – that’s a square you don’t want to be a part of! If you’re watching the show, you know what I mean. If you’re not, you’re missing out. Every episode has had an element that was so crazy, so funny, that I walk away wondering how the writers can live with themselves. They are killing me. To be serious for a moment, though, if I wrote a comedy, Parks and Recreation is where I aspire to be. Here’s hoping that next season sees an increase in the comedy and the writing stays just as big as it is now.

2. Chuck – I caught up on Chuck a few days before Season 3 aired. By the end of my marathon viewing, I was amazed that I had not been watching this show live. Because House had been my number one wife on Monday nights, I was reluctant to trade a show that had, for 5 seasons, been so great to a show that was growing in spectacular. I was fortunate because I was able to watch a number of House episodes before Chuck aired in January. However, it only took about three episodes before I realized that Chuck was turning out way better than House this season. So I switched. I DVR House and I watch Chuck live. It has revolutionized my Mondays. I have not had any qualms about the way the story followed the thwarted love between Sarah and Chuck. I loved how they used those storylines to create a chilling episode that forced Chuck to choose between his squeamishness in using deadly force and his love of Sarah. Love won. Love and Subway. Also, Morgan and Casey are awesome and I look forward to watching them together.  (squeal!) I’m so excited!

1. Supernatural – Oh my word, this show, this season, has been awesome. I’m not saying it’s perfect, but it’s done something good with each storyline that pushes the story forward in a foreseeable way. Every story (even if you don’t like how they went from shooting Satan in the head to chasing after wraiths and little boys possessing their bodies) has been excellent, touching on the heart of this season’s arc, the coming Apocalypse, as well as dealing with the issues of trust, faith, respect, love, and everything else that comes up when you feel betrayed by your family.  Also, Mischa Collins has become my favourite non-brother character and I hope he gets his own show. He needs to walk the earth and discover his humanity in his fallen condition, or something. Very fish out of water, don’t you think? Anyway, Kripke et. al did an incredible job of writing this season and the way they connected everything they’ve written in previous seasons in so tight a culmination is Herculean. I can’t wait for Season 6!

There are other shows that have aired. I hear Breaking Bad is really good this season. People are still raving about Mad Men and Sons of Anarchy I also heard was really good. Those are shows I just can’t keep up with if I’m watching a full slate of show now. But they are on my summer list for catching up. So what about you. If you’re watching a show that deserves to be mentioned, put it in the comments!

Continuing my countdown of shows that were the best this season, shows who are past their first season (or with the way shows run now, who had a significant enough break that you feel as if it is in a new season) and having their best written shows of any season, I give you 6-4.

6. 30 Rock – Dealing with all the news that is going on with NBC and Universal, 30 Rock has been outrageously funny lampooning the crazy decisions the company has made in the last season. And what do people who are angry at a company like to do? Laugh at them. 30 Rock has stepped up admirably while still carrying on their normal storyline. Of the comedies that are past their first season, this is one of the best written comedies this season.

5. Ugly Betty – The writing this season has been fantastic. Laugh out loud funny moments, crazy over the top moments, tender and sweet moments, crazy vaudevillian villain moments – it is everything you would expect in a spanish-style telanovella. I’m glad last season was not the last season of Ugly Betty. Not only would nothing have been solved, but we would have been left with a non liberated, braces coated wannabe who never learns to stand up for herself and make her own way as a sophisticated woman of the world. The first season gets you hooked on the telenovella, but this last season  helps you say goodbye to characters you’ve grown to love.

Losing Marc and Amanda will be hard. I’m glad he finally stood up for himself with Wilhelmina. And after all her scheming, when she gives up, she gets it all. I’m sure there’s a Christian sermon somewhere in there. Plus, I like happy endings. Good job writers!

Looks weird out of blue, doesn't he?

4. Friday Night Lights (April 30) – While this season will be starting in a few days on NBC, those of us who caught the first run on Stars know what the rest of you are in for. The stories were heartbreaking and uplifting. We lose some of our favourite people, we gain some new people, we see a Remember the Titans style coming together, as realistic as you can get on tv and we see the agony of defeat and the triumph of retribution as Coach Taylor starts the year off at a new school with a new team. There were several episodes that made me just break down because, growing up in a small, southern town is just like that, like what you see in Dylan. I don’t want to spoil the coming season for those of you who haven’t caught it yet, but this is the best season of Friday Night Lights thus far. You’re in for a treat!

So, how do these show stack up? Are they out of order, not supposed to be on the list, what do you think? Tomorrow, I’ll have my top three shows and I know you’ll agree with all of them!

There are plenty of people who don’t watch television because they don’t think there is anything good on television. They don’t like procedurals because they are tired of cop shows and they don’t like the dramas because you have to watch them from week to week; the storyline is so intertwined with each episode. When they do watch comedies, they watch The Big Bang Theory or Two and a Half Men, both of which are horrendous, but what they don’t know is that some shows are having their best season ever, or they are rebounding from a horrible previous season.

I’ve got nine shows that are worth watching this season, a few that have become a waste of DVR space, and a couple that are on the cusp of good and bad with some really good storylines and some really Titanic ones all in the same season. Today, we’ll look at 4 shows that have been or were amazingly good this season.

9. Castle – I’m not going to deny that I love Nathan Fillion. To do so would be egregious and seriously wrong. Ever since Firefly, I’ve been a big fan and I think that he walks that line of silly and serious with the stride of a genius. Although I didn’t take to Stana Katic  immediately, the writers and directors have done great things to make her character appear softer, more comedic, as well as large and in charge. Detective Beckett is a role model. Also, despite how unlikely it is that this character could actually exist as a real teenager, Castle’s daughter is one of the best parts of the show. She is so refreshing and I love seeing her on-screen. Don’t get me started on the dynamic duo that is Detectives Ryan and Esposito. While they started out as shallow characters, the writers are doing more to flesh out the type of cops they are. Their partner chemistry works really well together and as a duo, make excellent straight men. Castle’s mom, with tiny hints to who she was versus who she wants to be now, is a welcome relief on the show. I enjoy seeing her trying to conquer aging like she’s conquered every other thing in her life. Her character feels real and for that, I appreciate the way she’s written and the way Susan Sullivan acts her. Last but not least, my favourite Medical Examiner (other than Cam on Bones) on television is Lanie. Tamala Jones’ no nonsense approach to Lanie’s character helps me enjoy every visit to the dead body because it usually means visiting her. The sly way she flirts with Castle and the very open way she communicates with Detective Beckett makes me appreciate the dialogue written for her and does a better job of explaining the character than even a description could. In other words, this season of Castle rocks!

8. Leverage – Even without Sophie (and I missed the constant presence of Gina Bellman), the cons were grander, the jokes were funnier, the connecting moments were nearly flawless and I think I fell a little bit more in love with this cast. Watching Nathan disintegrate, going back to drinking, but still be frakkin awesome. It was also great to watch the team looking out for him while being the exceptional thieves they are. This show is VERY unrealistic and I love that about the show. It’s a weird thing to say, I know, but I love the hacker who can do anything with electronics and has tried to. I love the strong man who can control himself. I love the self conscious, daredevil, risk-taking thief with a heart of gold. I love the grifter, both of them, who can sell any unbelievable story. And I love the head guy, who comes up with the cons and makes them all work. The crew works unbelievably well together and the moments of comedy are laugh out loud funny. I love the hints of romance between Hardison and Parker, I love watching Eliot beat the shit out of someone, I love when you think the con has gone wrong only to find out they were prepared for it all along. I even like the perennial bad guy, Mark Sheppard as Sterling, Nathan’s arch nemesis. That’s right, if you do a show about getting even, you gotta have an arch nemesis. I love it. The writers who came up with this idea, the team that picked the cast, the direction the cast takes their characters in – it blows me away, it’s so fun! Thank you, creators and writers of Leverage!

7. Psych – I thoroughly enjoyed this season of Psych. The writers have finally found the right balance between the characters. While Shawn Spencer’s character is still over the top, James Roday plays him with a subtlety that is decidedly sweet. Also, making more use of Dule Hill’s Burton Guster was a wise decision. Dule imbues the role with just enough skepticism to make his character believable and just enough silliness to make him the perfect match for Shawn. The fallibility of Shawn’s deductions have been heartening. More things for him to try to get out of, more ways for him to be wrong and let the others around him help, mainly his father and the police. Also, the frequent mention of The Mentalist made me laugh, mainly because they realized that they were doing the same show in different ways. The writers definitely don’t take themselves too seriously and the actors followed suit, making this the best season yet.

The list continues tomorrow, but I want to know what have been your favourite shows this season that, based on the writing, are shows that should not be missed?