Top 10 Television Shows (Part 2)

The time has come for Part 2 of my wonderfully amazing take on television shows. I know you were all on the edge of your seats wondering what would make the Top 5...well wait no longer! I give you the Top 5 television shows...at least in my eyes.

5. That 70's Show (Weekdays on FX and the CW - syndication) :

I wasn't around for the 70's and I hear it was a damn good time indeed. Well here is your chance to live in the 70's with a wide variety of characters and the most stereotypical (yet true) acts of the age. Come if you will to Point Place, Wisconsin and main character Eric Forman's basement. This is where most of the show originates from and usually most episodes begin. The cast of characters (and I mean that in every sense of the word) include Forman himself (Topher Grace as a skinny, somewhat awkward teenager), Stephen Hyde (Danny Masterson as a hard-rocking stoner who lives in Forman's basement and Forman's best friend), Donna Pinciotti (Laura Prepon as Forman's girlfriend and next door neighbor), Michael Kelso (Ashton Kutcher as a narcissistic ladies man), Jackie Burkhart (Mila Kunis as a wealthy teenager who is preoccupied with how beautiful and bossy she is), and Fez (Wilmer Valderrama as a foreigner from a far away country who is looking to score with anything that moves). Together these group of teenagers, along with their families, go on adventure after adventure figuring out what to do with their lives, hooking up with each other, and being there for each other. The reason I say that it takes you back to the 70's is that there are so many references to Nixon, wars including the Korean War and battle of Iwo Jima, as well as the infamous pot smoking that occurs pretty much anywhere anytime, but usually in Forman's basement. These moments of the show are referred to as "The Circle" in which four of the teens (sometimes with others like Forman's sister or stoner Leo would be there) would be sitting in a circle smoking pot and the camera would move to one of them at a time while they would have a conversation about something totally off the wall. The series ended May 18, 2006 after 8 seasons on Fox. The show has done well in syndication and continues to shine on DVD releases.

4. Scrubs (Thursdays @ 9:30pm on NBC) :

This show, which has become one of my favorites thanks to syndication on Comedy Central, focuses on the lives of several characters working at fictional Sacred Heart Hospital. The main character, John "J.D." Michael Dorian (played by Zach Braff) is the narrator of every episode except seven. He stars as an intern at the beginning before moving onto resident and currently an attending physician at the hospital. J.D. is a nerdy character known by most to be quite the geek. He is best friends with Surgical Attending Physician Christopher Turk (Donald Faison), who is married to Nurse Carla Espinosa (Judy Reyes). Other characters on the show include Dr. Elliot Reid (Sarah Chalke) whom J.D. has been in and out of relationships with throughout the course of the show, Dr. Robert "Bob" Kelso (Ken Jenkins) who is the Chief of Medicine at the hospital, the Janitor (Neil Flynn) who is obviously a Janitor who loves to torture and kid with J.D. (appears in every episode but one), and Dr. Percival "Perry" Cox (John McGinley) who is an Attending Physician, Residency Director, J.D.'s mentor, and overall bad ass motherfucker. If you ever want to hear a good rant or just see someone who loves to argue and be cruel watch Dr. Cox call J.D. a girl's name or have him battle the wits with Dr. Kelso. Some guest stars have included Colin Farrell, Tara Reid (J.D.'s girlfriend on and off as well), and Brendan Fraser (Dr. Cox's brother-in-law and best friend). Scrubs will conclude it's seventh and final season this fall.

3. Family Guy (Sundays @ 9pm on Fox) :

Welcome to Quahog, Rhode Island and the home of the Griffin family. Created by Seth MacFarlane (who voices many of the animated characters), the Griffin family consists of father Peter (MacFarlane), mother Lois (Alex Borstein), sons Stewie (MacFarlane) and Chris (Seth Green), daughter Meg (Mila Kunis), and pet dog Brian (MacFarlane). The show revolves around the antics of Peter, his family, and the surrounding Quahog neighborhood. The show constantly references pop culture as well as just simple family daily life, from learning to drive to throwing a birthday party for Stewie. Family Guy is probably best known for it's use of flashbacks and random antics that are brought up by the characters. There are typically about five to seven of these occurrences per episode. Overall between the Griffin family as well as supporting characters like Quagmire, Cleveland, and the Swansons, Family Guy has become a hilarious show that will touch on most anything in the world. They gained fame early on before falling out and being cancelled by Fox a few years back but due to their huge commercial success on DVD release the show was brought back and is here to stay!

2. House (Tuesdays @ 9pm on Fox) :

I was originally going to put this as the number 1 show but the more I thought about it, plus I got a few choice words from Hock last night, I figured that even though this show is the best show on TV at the moment, it is not the greatest television show...at least not yet. House is a medical drama series starring Hugh Laurie as the infamous Dr. Gregory House. Dr. House is the head of Princeton Plainsboro's Department of Diagnostic Medicine who specializes in infectious diseases and nephrology (kidneys). Although those are his specialties he appears to be an expert in almost anything medicine related. Along with his "residents" Dr. House diagnoses and treats patients that no one else can seem to diagnose. The doctors that "help" him with these patients are Dr. Eric Foreman (Omar Epps), Dr. Allison Cameron (Jennifer Morrison), and Dr. Robert Chase (Jesse Spencer). I say "help" because it is shown in every episode that these doctors run the tests, take the medical history, and relay the information to the patients while Dr. House sits back, seemingly already able to diagnose the problem. He is best friends with Dr. James Wilson (Robert Sean Leonard), an oncologist who frequently provides aid to Dr. House and, it has been noted, that Dr. Wilson may be House's only true friend. Keeping all of these doctors in line is Dr. Lisa Cuddy (Lisa Edlestein) who is the Dean of Medicine at the hospital. House, as a show, has been the winner of Emmy awards, Peabody awards, Golden Globe awards, and a Screen Actors Guild Award in 2007 for Laurie. It is not hard to see just how special this show is. Dr. House as a character is someone who encompasses a wide range of emotions without every actually showing any of them. He may not show them but his fellow doctors and his patients show them, and Dr. House is always there to tell them exactly what is wrong with why they feel this way. Sometimes it is philosophical and sometimes it is just plain common sense. Either way there is nothing better than sitting in front of my TV and watching Dr. House deal with another mysterious illness and watch him masterfully work to cure it.

1. The Simpsons (Sundays @ 8pm on Fox) :

What other show could you honestly choose in this spot? It is the definition of television history and it is embedded as such in our minds. From the show's debut on December 17, 1989 to present day, the Simpson family has graced our homes every Sunday night. On May 20, 2007 "The Simpsons" ended their eighteenth season with their 400th episode. There is a cast of seemingly thousands on "The Simpsons" regular episodes. The main family, which needs no introduction, includes Homer, Marge, Lisa, Bart, and Maggie. They are your typical American family with two pets, three children and a house but they are very atypical in their daily lives. Only on "The Simpsons" could you constantly not show up for work because you feel like doing something else that day. Only on "The Simpsons" could you go every place imaginable (US states and foreign countries) at the drop of a hat when your family is seemingly getting by financially day by day. Only on "The Simpsons" could you be transported into a life ripe with trials and tribulations that most of us are glad we never encounter but still in some way, shape, or form we can relate almost any episode to our individual lives. I am a Simpsons nerd by all interpretations of that phrase and I can honestly say that there have been seemingly endless occurrences where I can relate something that just happened in my life and immediately think back and say that "The Simpsons" touched on that topic in one way or another. In the end, that is the definition of a fantastic show. It is what all shows strive to do and unfortunately not many accomplish. That is the reason that "The Simpsons" has been around for so many years and that is why I believe this show is, by far, the greatest show ever created.

There you have it. The Top 10 Television Shows of my time. You may agree or you may disagree, in the end we all have our own opinions on the subject. There are some that I will agree are not for everyone, but if you watch an episode of any of these shows I dare you not to tell me you cannot see the goodness in what they try to accomplish and why they are found funny or entertaining by most people. Television finds new and exciting ways to entertain us and keep us glued to our seats every day of the week. These shows do that for me every week without fail. Which ones keep you glued? Let us know.