My Favorite Things

I love lists. At one of my former jobs, we used to ask the new employees to name their top five favorite movies-- “don’t think, just name them.” This way they couldn’t filter out the “uncool” movies. (“The Godfather” is a cool choice. “The Sound of Music” is not.)

Here is the list of my 10 favorite TV series. These are MY favorite; not necessarily what I think are the best. You may notice there are no sitcoms on my list. I’m more of a drama girl; I don’t think the stuff on TV is that funny.

10. Christy. I liked Kellie Martin from “Life Goes On” and it was great to see a show with a Christian message on TV. And Tyne Daly, always awesome.

9. 24. The format of this show was so original. All shown as if in real time and combining politics and law enforcement. Keifer Sutherland was excellent.

8. Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I admit that I only watched a few episodes of seasons 1 and 2. The writing on this show was so good that you forgot it was about vampires and other creatures. “Once More, With Feeling” was a genius musical episode.

7. Veronica Mars. Smartly-written with Kristen Bell as a teen detective wise beyond her years. I wish I had been as cool as Veronica in high school.

6. My So-Called Life. I watched this show my senior year in college when my world was changing just like Angela Chase’s world was changing. I loved how she related to her parents and how the show depicted her crush on Jordan Catalano. Sadly, the show only lasted one season and that is why it didn’t make it higher on my list.

5. Survivor. This is probably an uncool choice, but I always enjoy this show. Not because of the challenges. The social politics are what draw me in. Is it edited strategically? Maybe. Is the outcome fixed? I don’t care. It’s good TV.

4. Gilmore Girls. Great characters and great dialogue. The main weakness of the show was Rory Gilmore, the daughter. She could never match the strength of the Lorelai character and the great actress, Lauren Graham. You gotta have serious acting chops to be cast with her.

3. Lost. Interesting concept combining time travel, survival, and plain old drama. Loved the diverse cast. Loved the mystery of it all and “getting it.” Terry O’Quinn and Michael Emerson were fascinating to watch. There won’t be another show like it for a long time.

2. The Wire. This is my kind of show. Cops, politicians, lawyers. You really have to pay attention to follow the story. And the writers pull no punches; some of the stuff is gritty. It really got me thinking differently about poverty. In truth, I am only now starting the final season, but it has been great so far.

1. Felicity. Love Keri Russell. Love Scott Foley. Love the dialogue of the characters and the voice overs. I wish my college experience had been like Felicity’s instead of my own OBU catastrophe.

There are a few shows I am just getting into which are promising: Rescue Me, Dexter, Rubicon, Fringe. So what are your favorites? Do any of my favorites appear on your list?