I am constantly discussing must-see TV shows with my friends and there is always one particular comment that bothers me. When discussing a show I have not seen people will always tell me, you must watch the 3rd season, best ever. And it always bothered me because there is no way I could just watch the 3rd season and ignore the first 2. In reality, my friend may be right and this may just be the best season ever but I would still need to watch the first 2 seasons. This whole conversation had me thinking about what truly are the best 10 season of TV in the last 10 years. Here are my favorites in no particular order (except for #1, it really is that great)
And Here We Go!!!!!!
1. Prison Break, Season One:
In my opinion this was the greatest first season in TV history. Obviously this is a very bold statement but I truly believe this. The ingenious storyline and awesome characters are not rivaled out there. With his brother Lincoln Burrows sentenced to death for a crime he did not commit, his younger sibling Michael Scofield is a genius who devises an elaborate plan to help him escape prison by purposely getting himself imprisoned. The brothers, along with six other prisoners at Fox River State Penitentiary manage to escape in the amazing first season of this 4 season-long show. The execution of the having the planned escape tattooed onto the body of Scofield still blows my mind when I think of it. There are fantastic characters, each focused on just enough for you to care about them. The villains including Theodore “T-Bag” Bagwell, Captain Brad Bellick and John Abruzi are simply amazing. I don’t often do this but I guarantee that anyone who watches this season will fall in love with one of the most inventive and amazing seasons in television history.
2. Dexter, Season Four:
Dexter is a fantastic show. Each season we learn more and more about Michael C. Hall’s award winning character. Surround by the familiar crew of cast mates at Miami Metro Homicide, Dexter is faced every season with his own trials and tribulations along with a new and deadly serial killer. Season 4 was the amazing culmination to the first era of the series. The season revolved around two major story lines. Dexter’s personal life is as stressful as ever as he attempts to settle down with his new wife and kids. They have all moved in together as Dexter struggles to see how he can actually live his double life or whether he really wants to. This is all going on while Miami is rocked by the new Trinity Killer whose killing patterns date back decades. Every season of Dexter is highlighted by its guest appearances by the new serial killer. In season 4, the Trinity Killer is played by John Lithgow who won the Emmy for this performance. Without revealing too much for those few who have not seen this season, I will just say that this has earned a spot on this list due to the series finale. The two major story lines of the season are brought together in one of the most shocking season finales ever seen in TV.
3. Community, Season Two:
Like most comedies out there, Community has had its highs and lows. Season 1 started out good but not great as Community really established itself as one of the funniest shows on television with a fantastic season 2. With amazing story lines, recurring jokes and hilarious characters such as Senior Chang, season 2 really built this show’s following. Troy and Abed became staples in our weekly schedule and each episode got funnier than the next. The show’s creators saved the best for last. The season finale, which has become known as The Paintball Episode was one of the most amazing and funniest TV experiences of my life. It is a must watch.
4. Arrested Development, Season Two:
This show really earned its epic status with its second season. Very few shows especially shows that were on air for such a short period of time have the massive following that Arrested Development has. The comedy and its writing is a pure work of art that has written this sitcom’s place in history as one of the greatest shows ever. With hysterical characters, an ingenious script and story line, this season left me with stomach pains from laughing so hard. I will forever quote this show and calling someone a chicken and seeing someone in jean shorts will simply never be the same again. Go watch this show right now.
5. Battlestar Galactica, Season One:
There have been some amazing sci-fi TV shows and Battlestar Galactica is up there with the best of them. “The show is wrapped in mythology and steeped in clunky plots and bad acting, but the first three years were stellar ones, kicked off by a breathless first season in which the show could do almost no wrong, when it turned convention on its head to present a gritty, believable, and thoroughly compelling human drama about the lives and heartbreaks of the sole survivors of an alien genocide.” Season one and three are easily the best seasons in this show with great characters and developing and intriguing stories. The episodes are long and some of the characters are quite annoying but the show is a true adventure drama that keeps you on edge. I will always love Commander Adama and the crew of the Galactica. You must watch this FRACKING show!!!
6. Friday Night Lights, Season One:
Based on the very successful and popular film by the same name, FNL avoided cancelation after cancelation simply due to the cult following it has developed. This is truly one of if not my favorite shows of all time. With Dillon, Texas, a small Southern town steeped in religion and football, as its backdrop, the characters in this show will quickly become your family. You will win, lose, laugh, cry and fall in love with these characters. The show got rave reviews and even got the following compliment from The New York Times saying, “FNL is not just television great, but great in the way of a poem or painting.” The characters are complex, the dialogue very realistic and the directing and music beautiful. There is no way to watch this season and not root for the Panthers on their path to State.
7. The Office, Season Two:
Consistently one of the funniest shows on TV, the Office, and now in its seventh season is often most well known for its hilarious second season. The writing was out of this world and the characters really came into their own in this season. Michael began his transformation from a bumbling annoying idiot to a bumbling loveable idiot. Now that I am a few years into the working world it shocks me just how accurate this show is to real world office life. The mixture of strange yet lovable characters really make this show; as even the smallest supporting roles add so much to the show. The focus on Michael’s ridiculousness, Dwight’s insanity, Jim and Pam’s flirting, Jim’s prankings, Kevin’s love of food, and Creed’s ability to creep you out truly make this an awesome season.
8. Heroes, Season One:
Very few Sci-fi shows have ever captured the eye of almost the entire country as Heroes did. Heroes combined X-Men and a classic suburban drama all into one. Heroes revolved around normal people realizing their amazing and unreal powers. With the tagline of “save the cheerleader” this season won over its American audiences. The entire country anticipated the season finale which did not disappoint. With complex heroes and even more complex villains, the first season of Heroes made even the biggest jocks out there love a little sci-fi. Though the show digressed in the subsequent seasons, Season One will go down forever as a classic and must watch season of TV.
9. Breaking Bad, Season Four:
Wow do I love this show. I had heard about the show a little late and after a little catch up, I immediately was upset at myself for letting this show run without me watching it. Breaking Bad is a fantastic drama with everything you could want. There are very few shows which focus so much on what drives its characters as this drama about a cancer stricken chemistry teacher who becomes the largest Meth cook in the southern portion of the United States. Every season of this show was great but nothing compared to season four, especially the end of season four. Walter White is my hero! His growth and the unbelievable story line of the fourth season is really quite fascinating to watch. Before you say the general story lines sounds strange to you, give it a few episodes and then try to tell me that you are not addicted Yo!!!!!!!!! (pun intended)
10. 24, Season One:
Though I feel that many of these seasons are exactly the same, the first season of 24 was a nonstop action packed season that would have made an amazing action packed movie. The show is quite clever with 24 episodes, each representing 24 hours in a hellish day in the life of one Jack Bauer. Season 2 was good but this show was really made in season one. The season established Jack Bauer as a total superhero and a staple name in the minds of every TV loving person out there. Though the show quickly wore on me, there have been very few seasons that I have enjoyed more thoroughly than this season.
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