Show 3.

Scrubs




Starring.. Zach Braff, Donald Faison, Judy Reyes, Sarah Chalke, John C. McGinley, Neil Flynn, Ken Jenkins...




First airing in 2001 on NBC, this series centring on the goings on at Sacred Heart Hospital. The first 8 seasons are shown through the eyes of John Dorian (J.D) (Braff). He is shown to grow up from an intern in Season 1 to medical professor in Season 9. His relationships with his colleagues become a major part of the show's storylines and funniest episodes. From his on/off romantic relationship with Elliot Reid (Chalke) (Ross and Rachel-esque) and his bromance with Chris Turk (Faison). The bromance especially forms a lot of the humour in the show. Turk's partner throughout a large portion of the show, Carla Espinosa (Reyes) is a nurse that at first is repulsed by him but later becomes his girlfriend, then fiance, then wife and finally mother to his children. J.D's reluctant mentor, Dr. Perry Cox (McGinley) is an acerbic Resident that J.D seems to relate to, for some strange reason, even though he is fond of calling him girls' names constantly. There are few occasions where he shows a positive view of Dorian's work and even validates him to a certain degree, even goes as far in 'My Fifteen Minutes' to praise him greatly in front of the hospital's board of directors. In season 8, Cox is given the job of Chief of Medicine which is open since Kelso's replacement, Dr Maddox (Courtney Cox) was forced out. Original Chief of Medicine, Bob Kelso (Jenkins) is seen as the show's villain. He nearly always chooses the hospital's budget or its overall wellbeing over the patients and their wellbeing. Throughout the seasons, his evil is shown to be a front so the decisions he has to make aren't so bad for everyone. The times he doesn't act like this are sparse and tend to shift the audience's perception of him to positive. When he retires from his post at Sacred Heart, he becomes much less hated by the other characters. He hangs around the hospital's coffee shop, eating muffins because of his 'free muffins for life' competition win in an earlier season. He and Dr. Cox even become friends because they both have been Chief of Medicine and he wants Kelso's guidance. The 'Janitor' played by Neil Flynn, from the pilot episode, has an adversarial relationship with Dorian. An incident involving a penny being stuck in a door created the relationship which endured throughout the series. His actual name has a certain mystery about it. In the season 8 finale, he tells J.D that his name is 'Glenn Matthews' but moments later he is acknowledged by a different name from another member of staff. It is unclear whether it is his actual name or not.
I like this programme because it is unlike any other I watch. The single camera setup in sitcoms is something that is much more popular since the show's inception in 2001 with shows such as: Cougar Town, Peep Show and The Mighty Boosh. Although Scrubs was one of the more famous shows that used the single camera setup, it has been used since the early part of the 60's with shows like The Brady Bunch. I like the fact that there is no laugh, I find that the inclusion of one in most shows often dilutes the hilarity of the supposedly funny moments. The show's humour is often described as 'zany' but that is rubbish it is just completely different to most of the things that are on TV right now. I'm for one very sad that it has been somewhat cheapened by the final season being nearly the opposite of the ones before it. The change of narrator and location has made it a shadow of its former self. I choose to forget about that and focus on the 8 glorious seasons before. The best thing about the whole show is Zach Braff. It is quite right that the creator's managed to get the late John Ritter to portray his dad because there is a great similarity between them in their acting styles. J.D is the protagonist of the whole show and he is also the one character that I feel I can easily relate to. It's not because he's the only young white male on the main cast, he just seems to 'speak to me'. Not really, he just makes me laugh and his internal monologue means I know how he feels and can see myself in him occasionally. Also Dr. Cox's elongation of words never fails to make me laugh. This show should never be taken of E4. I'm out. 

Show 4.

One Tree Hill


Starring: Chad Michael Murray, Hilarie Burton, Bethany Joy Galeotti, James Lafferty, Sophia Bush, Lee Norris, Antwon Tanner...


Focusing on the basketball team at Tree Hill High, Tree Hill, North Carolina, originally trailing the lives of half brothers Nathan (Lafferty) and Lucas (Murray). Their relationships changes throughout the show starting as warring enemies to affectionate friends. Both of their relationships with the female characters are also under a lot of scrutiny. The show when it was in its infancy, the show seemed to focus on five central characters; the aforementioned Lucas and Nathan Scott, Haley James, Peyton Sawyer and Brooke Davis. All the main characters change almost unrecognisably throughout the current 8 seasons. For the first four seasons, the show is set when the characters are at high school and from the fifth season onwards it is set at least five years from the group's graduation. Music plays a massive part in the show, in the first few series this is shown through Peyton's almost obsessive need for music. It is used by many bands as a vehicle to showcase their music. This is because they know that a large amount of 12-30 year olds watch around the world especially in the US and UK where a great deal of music is listened to, especially the type that features. Since the fifth season when it went forward in time, the show has evolved its storylines to incorparate things that have become more relevant to the group since they have grown up. In the seventh season, due to Lucas and Peyton's departure, Schwahn decided to introduce a number of new characters. Haley's sister, Quinn is brought in, fresh from a separation from her husband, her storylines focus around her coping with her new found singularity. Nathan's sports agent and newfound best friend, Clay is brought in. He is shown to be a ladies man at the beginning of his time on the show but as his back story is explored it is shown that he has a lot of baggage. His women related antics are shown to be a direct result of the fact that her wife, Sara died suddenly, leaving him alone and destitute. Also, there are a couple of other new characters, Alex Dupre, a seemingly washed up actress and Julian Baker who has appeared in previous seasons but becomes a regular in season 7, his relationship with Brooke and blossoming film directing career have been his major story arcs.This show has been a major part of my tv schedule since I found it when it was in its 3rd series being shown on British television on e4. It is pure escapism for someone who lives in the Jeremy Kyle guest holding pen that is Weston-s-Mare. No one is ugly in Tree Hill, for the most part the ideology of the show is that of positivity, minus the Columbine style school shootout and crazy stalker masquerading himself as Peyton's half brother. The focus of the first four seasons or so on basketball really got me interested in the sport. I was not the only one that was like this and basketball became the big sport in my school for a period of time, this shows the appeal of the show. Any show that has lasted for 7 years can't a bad one. I definitely rate this and I'll probably watch it over and over again on dvd for years to come. Although it will be repeated on tv so buying the dvds would probably be a waste of money. Great show. 

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Show 5.

Gilmore Girls


Starring: Lauren Graham, Alexis Bledel, Scott Patterson, Melissa McCarthy, Keiko Agena, Yanic Truesdale, Edward Herrmann, Kelly Bishop...




First broadcast in 2000 on the WB and then later on the CW, Gilmore Girls is a story about a mother (Graham) and her daughter (Bledel) who live in fictional Stars Hollow, Connecticut.
The show explores many different themes that range from family life to class divides in society. Relationships features heavily on the dynamic of the show, Lorelai's relationship with her parents, Richard (Herrmann) and Emily (Bishop) Gilmore creates a lot of both the humourous and heartfelt moments throughout the show's seven seasons. 
It has become synonymous with its fast paced dialogue, gestured by the show's tagline "Life's short. Talk Fast." The speech is often peppered with pop culture references, however vague and obscure. There are so many of these references, that the DVD releases of each series comes accompanied with a booklet full of 'Gilmore-isms' to explain them all.
The way that the show references so much in a short space is impressive and one of the reasons I enjoy the show so much. I love the dynamics of the cast and especially Lorelai's way of interacting with every single person in the show. The continuity of relationships in the show is a great feature, the questioning of Luke (Paterson) and Lorelai's relationship - will they, won't they? Clichéd but always great for watching. Throughout the whole seven seasons, in my opinion, there isn't a weak link in the main cast. A couple of the actors that feature heavily; Jared Padalecki (Dean Forester) and Milo Ventimiglia (Jess Marino) have gone on to star in bigger shows; Supernatural and Heroes respectively. It can be seen as a vehicle to get onto bigger and better things.
There is talk of a Gilmore Girls film being seriously considered by the people that could make it happen, the idea has now definitely moved on from being just fans pleading for it to happen. they are looking for a silver screen adaptation so much because a large chunk of avid viewers hated the way in which the final episode tried to copy the first episode. This didn't satisfy them sufficiently.
I'm not surprised that TIME magazine has named it one of the "100 Best TV Shows of All-TIME." It's a show that isn't particularly plot-driven - this might hinder the film version - but also it makes you want to know more about the characters and their stories, making you watch on. That is all you can ask from a great TV series really.

Show 6.

Family Guy

Starring... Seth MacFarlane, Alex Borstein, Seth Green, Mila Kunis, Mike Henry...


                                                                         The only animation in this list, MacFarlane's satirical view of popular culture centres around the Griffin family consisting of Peter & Lois, Chris, Meg, Stewie and anthropomorphic dog Brian. It is famous as being the only show that has been reinstated due to high DVD sales of previous seasons. Although comparisons have been drawn with 'The Simpsons', it has been held in high regard by critics on the whole, with only a small minority of them looking at the series negatively. Also, the series has been nominated for an Emmy for Outstanding Comedy Series, a feat that has illuded the yellow infested sitcom. This made the series one of only two animations that have been nominated in this category alongside 'The Flintstones' in 1961. Cutaways are used as one of the the main ways to create a joke and they are also used to formulate future jokes in the episode. The best joke, in my opinion, is the episode titled 'Three Kings' this is the one that pastiches three Stephen King stories. This one is 'Shawshank Redemption' Andy Dufrense (Peter Griffin) is talking to the Warden, metamorphosing himself as Carter Pewterschmidt. They are conversing and the Warden is being difficult, Andy askes him to stop being obtuse. the shot changes to the Warden looking like an obtuse angle. Smart humour, for sure.


                                                                   P.S Shut up, Meg.

Show 7.

Glee


Starring: Matthew Morrison, Lea Michele, Jane Lynch, Cory Monteith, Amber Riley, Chris Colfer, Kevin McHale, Jenna Ushkowitz, Dianna Agron, Jayma Mays, Jessalyn Gilsig, Mark Salling...




Focused around a group of social underdogs who join the glee club to find acceptance with their peers, this is a musical comedy drama with real heart. The glee club is headed by McKinley High's Spanish teacher, Mr Schuester (Morrison). A former student at the school, he took charge of the club to bring it back to the level that it was when he was involved. His story is shown throughout the first series to include a blossoming romance with the school guidance councillor (Mays) and his wife having an hysteric pregnancy which she doesn't tell him that isn't real, causing great pain. He seems to use the club as a form of escape from these things. He shares this with his students in the club.
Things happen at McKinley High that seem improbable (to me) in real life but somehow they seem to work in this setting. The head cheerleader, Quinn Fabray (Argon) gets pregnant by the school's quarterback, Finn Hudson (Montieth), but it's later reveal that the baby is Finn's friend, Noah 'Puck' Puckerman (Salling) (its like Jeremy Kyle for pretty people). Teenage pregnancy is in the news, what seems every other day, but surely this situation isn't a regular occurancy? If it is, god, we are screwed.
Love triangles seem to be a mainstay of the writer's outlook for the show. The club's two leads; Rachel Berry (Michele) and Finn have a thing whilst he is thought to be the father of his girlfriend's baby. Also, the Schue and the mysophobic guidance councillor get close while he's married to his wife, a crazy bitch.
There seems to be so many subplots in any one single episode it seems impossible to keep up, but i think it is possible to create some sort of series arc in your head if you try your hardest.
To be fair to the writers - Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk and Ian Brennan - choose to tackle lots of different issues such as; homosexuality and peers' view of them, paralysis, teenage pregnancy etc. they could do something that could be twee and even MORE cheesy, instead the issues portrayed have given the show a level of creditability.
Other characters like Kurt Hummel (Colfer), Mercedes Jones (Riley), Artie Abrams (McHale), Tina Cohen-Chang (Ushkowitz) give the show's cast massive diversification of race and sexuality but at points it seems like they are just there to fill the gap to stop critics pointing out a lack of ethnicities. There are a couple of people in there that have a line every 7 episodes or something stupid, I just hope that the second series includes them all in enough detail to show the audience new things about them, giving the show a fuller feel. I am glad to hear that the recurring characters of Santana (Naya Rivera) and Brittany (Heather Morris), cheerleaders that have taken over from Quinn as the most popular people in school, have been promoted to season regulars as of the beginning of the second series. 
I like this show because of many reasons; the music, SUE SYLVESTER! but the main reason is that Glee really doesn't take itself seriously at all, its a campy form of escapism from the outside world full of disappointment and despair. You can sit down for an hour and watch an episode and come out of it and feel so much better for it.
The introduction of Glee is a breath of fresh air at a time when the world needs it, and for that, Ryan Murphy, I salute you. 

Show 8.

Gavin and Stacey


Starring Mathew Horne, Joanna Page, Ruth Jones, James Corden...


Originally starting on BBC Three, this is of the few shows to make the leap to BBC One. The titular characters are Gavin Shipman (Horne) and Stacey West (Page).  The show follows their long distance relationship from Gavin's hometown of Billericay, Essex to Barry Island, Wales where Stacey and her family live. The title characters aren't all that the show is about. Their best friends, Smithy (Corden) and Nessa (Jones) have a certain appeal to the audience. Even perhaps, their story throughout the whole three series and christmas special is more intriguing than the archetypal relationship of Gavin & Stacey. With many sexual encounters between them, one of them resulting in a baby called Neil. The supporting cast is filled with British TV stalwarts; Larry Lamb as Gavin's dad, Michael Shipman, Rob Brydon as Stacey's Uncle Bryn, Alison Steadman as Gavin's mum, Pamela, Melanie Walters is Gwen West, Stacey's mother.
I really like this programme because its a really likeable show that isn't pretentious at all, so lifelike. It doesn't sugar coat family life or sensationalise it in any way. Every single thing that happens in the twenty episodes is plausible in real life. The fact that James Corden and Ruth Jones are the writers of the show and they haven't made themselves the protagonists really lets their characters, 'Smithy' and 'Nessa' in fact become the people that the audience warm up to easiest. A cast of eccentrics are assembled round the writers' characters that compliment them perfectly. This romantic comedy will stand the test of time and will be remembered as most definitely the best thing to come out of BBC Three, probably ever, seeing what rubbish they are making at the moment. It is officially better than Robbie Williams, Oasis, Kylie etc, this is because that it has cracked America, thanks to BBC America, becoming a hit when broadcast on Friday evenings. All these things amalgamate to make this show a massive success, which has even resulted in an American remake by ABC. I do hope it doesn't ruin the franchise. That is all.

Show 9.

Peep Show




Starring David Mitchell, Robert Webb, Olivia Colman...

Written by Sam Bain and Jesse Armstrong, this sitcom centres on Mark (Mitchell) and Jeremy (Webb), two flat sharing best friends. They are the oddest pairing of friends; Mark is an anally-retentive loan manager whereas Jeremy is a work shy, drug smoking, rock band hopeful. The clever use of the first person view helps to really get into the character from the audience's point of view, this technique is unique to this show, separating it from every other one. It is bizarre to begin with but well worth sticking with it to reap the rewards of this British cult classic. Also, another thing that set it apart from other shows of its kind is the internal monologue feature, again helping to get inside the character and get a level of intimacy that is sparsely available anywhere else. With supporting characters such as the crack addicted Super-Hans (Matt King) and Mark's boss, Johnson (Paterson Joseph), it is a great representation of Middle England. There is no surprise that this show is constantly being touted as the greatest British sitcom of the 2000's. 

Show 10.

Cougar Town

Starring Courtney Cox, Christa Miller, Busy Phillips, Dan Byrd...


Courtney Cox plays Jules Cobb, a recently divorced mother who has started dating again. Residing in an archetypal suburb, aptly named 'Cougar Town' in the state of Florida, Cobb and her friends are obsessed with looking younger and they are focused on Jules's dry sex life. The supporting cast that includes Scrubs' Christa Miller really help to flesh out the stories running throughout the series. The underlying sexual tension between Jules and neighbour Grayson (Josh Hopkins) throughout all the episodes is a great series arc. This comedy is smart, funny and an interesting insight into the slightly outdated concept of 'cougars', what it loses in up to date terminology it more than makes up for in wit and clever scripting. This show is definitely worth a watch and if you stick with it, you'll see a damn fine Courtney Cox doing something that comes surprisingly close and occasionally surpasses her portrayal of Monica Geller in 'Friends'.

Favourite TV Shows

Over the years that I've been watching TV, there have been few shows that I've really wanted to watch. the ones i have wanted to watch, I admit that most of them are American, I don't know why this but I definitely don't agree with many people's views that American TV is better than English or vice versa. TV like any medium is subjective to the viewer so cannot be strictly be classed as good or bad. I watch these shows for different reasons. I'll show you over the next few posts which have made the list and why.