EWB's Top 50 Shows of 2010: The Results

[Dan]

Peep show in 50th?!

You people are the worst. Seriously.

Too much American drama crap.

[Josh]

I've never seen Dexter, and all signs point to it being a potential favorite for me, so I'll hold back my usual "go to fucking hell" response.

Sort of the same for The Walking Dead.

BUT COMMUNITY! Yes, absolutely, the single best show on television. Period. And as for Ken hosting Raw, that was just completely the wrong environment for him. He works perfectly (as does everyone - seriously, right down to the most incidental characters) on Community.

. . . . yeah, okay, Community should have been #1, mature response be damned.

[Rocky]

Out of curiosity...

How many people outside of the US watch Community? &

Will non-Americans see the humour in it?

Edited January 1, 2011 by Rocky Feller

[LL!]

Do you think Community is a British show? It's part of NBC's Thursday line-up.

[Rocky]

HA!! Yes I did think it was... My bad Fixed above.

Looking back... For some reason I was picturing the image posted up for The InBetweeners instead of Community

Edited January 1, 2011 by Rocky Feller

[GoGo Yubari]

Oh cool I found a wifi network and a charger that works.

For my money both The Walking Dead and Dexter were a bit overrated, but The Walking Dead benefited from the fact that everyone watched it and it wasn't hard to catch up on since it had six episodes. The problem for Walking Dead was that the writing was incredibly uneven and a lot of stuff they clearly wanted to make be big moments didn't work because they didn't do a great job of fleshing out their supporting cast. The pilot was truly wonderful, though, and season two is really the test for the show. But I think it has the same edge that Modern Family (a show which manages to appeal to both a broad audience and critics/fans of shows like Community) does where the very fact that so many people watch it means that it's going to end up with a prominent position (I think Modern Family's spot was decidedly more well-earned than Walking Dead's, though).

With Dexter it's just like... I don't know. I don't care anymore? It's treading water until endgame now, but since it's Showtime (where Weeds is on like its eighth season or something) endgame probably won't be until Michael C. Hall wants to do something else with his career. Season five worked pretty much entirely on the strength of Julia Stiles and Johnny Lee Miller doing great work as Lumen Pierce and Jordan Chase, respectively. The subplots were haphazard (and in one case, outright forgotten halfway through the season) and it didn't feel like anything whatsoever was gained from this season in the end, since

They jammed the reset button incredibly swiftly by putting Lumen on a bus. It would have been nice if they had managed to get Stiles for a couple episodes at the start of season six to really let her realization that she doesn't need to kill anymore play out. Instead it was like "well I'm cured this is kinda fucked up er bye now."

But whatever, it's an established show with years of history and some great seasons backing it up. That's a factor. And for Community to make the jump it did from just outside the top fifteen to a spitting distance away from having finished #1 is incredibly good stuff. It'll be interesting to see where shows like Community and Mad Men that are gaining strong followings on EWB place next year, and if Dexter can hold on to the top slot. And the end of Lost and the fact that Terriers was a one-season wonder means that there'll be at least two new shows in the top 10 and that's not even factoring in the fact that most of the shows had noticeable differences in where they landed this year with the exception of a few (Sons of Anarchy, Lost, and Dexter were the most notable examples of a show staying in the same spot two years running, and Chuck only dropped one place).

So long story short, it should be readily apparent by now that I love running this list, I love seeing how it changed from year to year, and I was basically waiting to run it all year. So thank you to everyone who voted (even The Pub Landlord), the turnout this year both for the voting and for discussing the results may well have doubled last year's! And thank you to whoever it was who tallied all the votes up, if not for you this list would probably have finished a couple days later than it did. And stay tuned for EWB's Favorite Film of 2010, probably coming near the end of the month! GoGo out (until I post again, inevitably).

[Jimmy]

I don't think Community's even been shown in the UK, which could explain it's lack of lack from UK viewers, except those who've saught it out on the internet. If it's as good as any of you say, I might have to check it out.

[apsham]

I still push that Always Sunny should've easily been top three - over Community at least, but I don't really get the appeal of Dexter either. Ahh well.

[Cadj]

I don't think Community's even been shown in the UK, which could explain it's lack of lack from UK viewers, except those who've saught it out on the internet. If it's as good as any of you say, I might have to check it out.

It's on Viva I think.

Pleased to see it at #2 and that Terriers charted high. (I'm still upset that I'll never see Hank and Britt again )

I really should catch up with Dexter, I bought the first season on a whim and loved it a lot but haven't got around to watching the rest yet.

[LittleDaniel]

Community? Never even fucking heard of it.

I think its very telling of your personality that upon seeing a show you've never heard of place so high in the list, instead of thinking "hmmm, maybe I should check this out" you just get angry about it.

Good list, and good job to Gogo for compiling it!

[The Pub Landlord]

So long story short, it should be readily apparent by now that I love running this list, I love seeing how it changed from year to year, and I was basically waiting to run it all year. So thank you to everyone who voted (even The Pub Landlord), the turnout this year both for the voting and for discussing the results may well have doubled last year's! And thank you to whoever it was who tallied all the votes up, if not for you this list would probably have finished a couple days later than it did. And stay tuned for EWB's Favorite Film of 2010, probably coming near the end of the month! GoGo out (until I post again, inevitably).

No problem I was bored. However naturally, I'm disappointed as an Englishman that this list is nearly made up of American shows that I don't watch.

[Meacon Keaton]

Maybe England should make better shows, then. (Y)

[The Pub Landlord]

Maybe England should make better shows, then. (Y)

Maybe but I'm guessing more Americans voted on this poll than British people.

[Jimmy]

We should. But we've had a few good one's this year. This Is England '86, Misfits and The Inbetweeners were all phenomenal. The Apprentice Was top quality. Doctor Who's a lot of fun as well.

[LittleDaniel]

In order to avoid an international situation here, I'm about to watch an episode of the Inbetweeners (because that was the only thing on Pub's list [minus Skins, but I already love Skins] that didn't sound like shit).

[Jimmy]

Skins has got progressively worse. I hope the 5th season picks it back up, but nothing matches up to the first and second.

[LittleDaniel]

Oh yeah, thats what I meant. I tried to watch the third series, but had to quit two or three episodes in.

[TGC]

I have thus far watched the first 5.5 episodes of Spartacus Blood And Sand. I wish I had seen this prior to voting, as it would have made my list. What an epic show.

I am of the opinion that this past season of Dexter, aside from the rather silly final 5 or so moments of the season finale, was amongst the best seasons as a whole. In my opinion everything just clicked this year from top to bottom.

I have added Community, Parks and Rec, and Breaking Bad to my Netflix list now. The Nice thing is I can watch P&R on instant queue and if I like it I can watch the upcoming 3rd season live, so that is nice.

[LittleDaniel]

God dammit the episode of the Inbetweeners I was watching on youtube is missing the middle section.

Fuck this show and all of Britain!

[TKz]

So long story short, it should be readily apparent by now that I love running this list, I love seeing how it changed from year to year, and I was basically waiting to run it all year. So thank you to everyone who voted (even The Pub Landlord), the turnout this year both for the voting and for discussing the results may well have doubled last year's! And thank you to whoever it was who tallied all the votes up, if not for you this list would probably have finished a couple days later than it did. And stay tuned for EWB's Favorite Film of 2010, probably coming near the end of the month! GoGo out (until I post again, inevitably).

No problem I was bored. However naturally, I'm disappointed as an Englishman that this list is nearly made up of American shows that I don't watch.

I'm pretty sure at least half, if not more of the forum is British. I'm British and pretty much every show on this list I've seen and most of them have aired in England, even if they're not airing the current season.

And yeah, maybe some British shows would make it on the list if we'd produced anything worth watching. Like... ever.