2010 also looks like it will be a banner year for the pay cable network with True Blood, Big Love, Entourage, Eastbound and Down, and Bored to Death all returning.  As far as new shows go, I’m really looking forward to Treme, How to Make It In America, and of course what will be (for me at least) the TV event of the year, The Pacific.

The promo was a great look at the past and whats to come.  Here it is.

15.  How I Met Your Mother- CBS, 2005- present: Not a lot of traditional sitcoms on this list, but How I Met Your Mother is a traditional single camera sitcom with a very unique non-linear storytelling method.  It has a great ensemble cast including Neil Patrick Harris in his greatest role since Doogie Howser, Barney Stinson.

14.  Mad Men- AMC, 2007- present: I think a lot of people wouldn’t have thought a drama set in the 1960’s based in an advertising agency would have worked.  And in different hands they sure might have been right, but under the skillful leadership of Matthew Weiner it’s brilliant.  Mad Men captures an era so different than the one we live in today, and captures it so accurately it’s scary.  I know people that grew up in this period that watch it just for the nostalgia, the fact that the show is so well written and so good is just an added bonus.  Only three seasons in, it’s put AMC on the map as a creator of original shows.  Largely an ensemble piece it’s hard to believe that most of the actors weren’t even alive at the period the show is set.

13. 24- FOX, 2001-present: Obviously when the show creators Joel Surnow and Robert Cochran first dreamed up the idea of 24 they had no idea that the world would change soon after.  The first episode of 24 aired a little less than two months after the events of September 11th, 2001.  All of a sudden the show became the most topical show on TV.  Set in real time with each episode taking place in a twenty four hour period with twenty four episode, one for each hour of the day it was original and ground-breaking.  We can also thank 24 for giving us one of TV’s greatest heroes, Jack Bauer, who also happens to be #1 on our list of TV’s biggest bad-asses.

12.  Six Feet Under- HBO, 2001-2005: The first of four offerings from HBO on this list.  Who would have thought a show about a funeral home could be so good?  The show was so dark, yet oddly comedic as well.  The Fisher might be one of the most dysfunctional families in the history of television.

11. Breaking Bad- AMC, 2008- present: High School chemistry teacher realizes he’s dying so he begins to make and sell meth.  Sounds like the premise for a comedy, but there is very little funny about this great show.  It’s dark and wonderfuly well written.  The only problem is that the seasons are so short.  Season three starts this fall and it’s going to be great!

10. Sons of Anarchy- FX, 2008- present: Readers of JoeOnTheTube.com know just ow muck I love this show.  It is a mix of everything that makes TV great.  Wonderful writing, great characters played by amazing actors, the perfect level of drama with just enough laughs thrown in to break the tension.  This modern retelling of Hamlet set in the world of outlaw motorcycle clubs is a fresh and welcome change to so much of the monotonous TV that is out there.  With only two seasons under it’s belt I had trouble moving it any higher, but next year when the real list comes out and it has a thrid season out I expect it to fall in the top five.Series creator Kurt Sutter knows what makes awesome TV.

9.  Top Chef- Bravo, 2006- present: Despite this being the decade of reality shows I’ve only  included one on this list, the one I consider the gold standard for reality shows.  Top Chef took the format of Project Runway, and improved on it.  At it’s heat it’s a simple cooking contest, but the drama that comes up in the kitchen and in the house where the chefs who are competing (I don’t like the term “cheftestants”) live really turns up the heat.  Plus a little Padma Lakshimi is always a good thing.

8.  It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia- FX, 2005-present: It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia is the funniest show currently on TV, and the second funniest show of the past decade (I’ll get to the funniest show later in the list).  While it might be the funniest show currently on TV, let’s face it that humor isn’t for everyone.  It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia is an equal opportunity offended, and sure to offend everyone who watches it sooner or later, but that’s one of the things that makes it so great.  This show started off with a bang and got better after the addition of Danny DeVito in the second season.

7. The Office- NBC, 2005-present: I know there are those people out there that believe the American version of The Office is just a poor man’s rip-off of the British version, and that might have been the case for the first season and a half, but since then The Office has taken the foundation that the British version poured and built a very solid house on it.  Each season seems to get better and better, and the mockumentry format of the show makes it feel like no other show on TV.  The fact that they’ve held on to the original cast through six seasons despite some of them becoming huge stars says a lot about the quality of this show.

6.  Big Love- HBO, 2006- present: It’s hard to qualify Big Love, I guess it is a drama, but man it sure is funny sometimes as well.  The show centers on a modern polygamist family, the Henricksons living n Sandy, Utah.  Bill Henrickson is just like any other modern man, except he was raised on a polygamist compound and he has three wives.  The problems that comes with having three wives are the same as the problem you have with one wife, just three times as many.  The series also introduced us to one of the great villains of the decade, the Prophet Roman Grant , played by Harry Dean Stanton.  Season 4 starts January 10th, it’s going to be great.

5.  30 Rock- NBC, 2006- present: The show that takes place within a show, sort of.  With a cast like Tiny Fey, Alec Baldwin, Tracy Morgan and an amazing supporting cast how could this show not be great.  Despite the first three seasons not doing great in the ratings, NBC has stuck with it (even with all the fun they have at the Peacock Network’s expense) and each season gets better and better.  With Tina Fey Writing many of the episode it shouldn’t be a surprise how great this show is.

4. Curb Your Enthusiasm- HBO, 2000- present?: It would be easy to understand if Larry David retired from television all together after creating, Seinfeld, one of the greatest sitcoms of all time, especially considering all the money he’s made.  Luckily for us that wasn’t the case.  In 1999, just a year after Seinfeld went off the air Larry David started in a special for HBO called Larry David: Curb Your Enthusiasm.  It was intended to be a one-off show, and it became the series, Curb Your Enthusiasm.  The show is loosely based on Larry David’s real life, and is completely improvised, which adds to it’s comedic appeal.    The seventh season of Curb Your Enthusiasm just ended last week, and there is a good chance that it will be the end of the series.

3. The Wire- HBO, 2002-2008: If not for The Soprano’s, The Wire would be the greatest show in HBO history; and it is easily the greatest cop show on the decade, maybe of all time..  Set in the gritty crime ridden city of Baltimore each season dealt with a different aspect of life revolving around the drug trade.  The central police characters were the same, but the story was different each season with stories dealing with the port, politicians, the school system and the print media.  The show was raw and it was real.  No happy endings here.

2.  Arrested Development- FOX, 2003-2006: Easily the funniest show of the past decade.   If ever there was a case of a show being gone too soon this is it.  Arrested Development centered around the Bluth family, a high dysfunctional group of misfits surrounding the only sane member of the family, Michael.  The writing was brilliant and the cast was amazing with Jason Bateman, David Cross, Jeffrey Tambor, Will Arnet, Tony Hale, Portia De Rossi, Jessica Walther, and Michael Cera.  As if that wasn’t enough, the guest stars and supporting cast were a virtual who’s who of Hollywood, including Ed Beagly Jr., Liza Minneli, Carl Wethers, Charlize Theron, Scott Baio, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, James Lipton, Amy Poehler, Ben Stiller, Jeff Garlin, Christine Taylor, and Jane Lynch to name only a few.  This show lives on in DVD, and soon to be in re-runs on IFC.  There are talks about a movie, but no news on a release date yet.  I would also like to point out that this show made me feel okay about my condition, I’m a never-nude.

1.  The Soprano’s- HBO, 1999-2007: Easily the best show of the past ten years, and maybe the greatest show of all time.  The Soprano’s is what TV should be.  It was real, it was dynamic, it was gritty, and we loved every bit of it.  From the moment we meet Tony Soprano and his ducks to the final scene in the diner, The Soprano’s never took a misstep.  The Soprano’s made it alright to root for the bad guys.  It was unlike any other show that came before it, and while may will try I don;t know that it’s formula will ever be repeated successfully.  David Chase is brilliant, and  hope that he will come back to TV again soon.

I’m sure I left a lot out.  Let me know what you think belonged on this list that I missed.

The rehearsals are still going on and Cheryl is rehearsing with Jason Alexander in the diner.  Everyone things Cheryl is doing great, especially Larry.  The two ex’s are starting to hit it off again and make plans to get together later that night at Cheryl’s house after the party that Julia is throwing for Jason Alexander’s new book, “Acting Without Acting.”  As Larry is leaving he see’s Mocha Joe, the lot coffee guy who Larry asks for a favor.  At the party Jerry Seinfeld tells Larry that Mocha Joe was a little upset that Larry didn’t tip him.  At that point Julie Louis-Dryfus pulls Larry aside and asks him if he left a ring on her table.  Larry proclaims his innocence,but Julia isn’t buying it.  Larry spots Mocha Joe outside and confronts him about what he was just told by Jerry.  In order to make it even Larry agrees to do a favor for him, going to pick up his coffee beans in West Hollywood.

Larry get’s stuck in traffic and is going to be late to Cheryl’s so she cancels.  Larry was also late picking up the beans and the place is closed.  The next morning Larry finds out that Cheryl had Jason Alexander over in his place, and starts to get jealous of the time they are spending together.  This obviously is the beginning of the end.  Larry does all he can to catch the two of them together just to confirm his suspicions.  At the same time he’s looking for who really left the ring on Julia’s coffee table.  At one point Larry even catches Jason in Cheryl’s dressing room, but Jason escapes through the bathroom window before Larry can confront him.  Larry tells Cheryl, “You’re not attracted to him, you’re attracted to George! I’m George!” In the end Larry ends up writing a new script for the show that gives Cheryl and Jason less screen time together.  This outrages everyone and Jason quits.  Larry offers to play the part since it is based on him anyway, and it doesn’t go so well.  For the betterment of the show Larry quits.  He tells Jeff (at least I assume it was Jeff on the other end of the phone) that since he did this all to get Cheryl back and that didn’t happen he decided to quit.

Larry is sitting at home watching the show as it airs, and he seems happy.  When Cheryl is supposed to come on screen Larry is shocked to find out that Virgina (played by Elizabeth Shue) is playing the part.  At that point the doorbell rings and it’s Cheryl holding some Mocha Joe’s coffee.  The two make up and Larry might have also discovered who left the ring on the table.

Like I said it was a great way to end.  No one is really sure if the show is coming back or not.  Larry David is mum on the thought of a 7th season, and HBO hasn’t said anything either.  I personally hope it comes back, but if it doesn’t it’s nice that Larry ends on a high note for once.

Thoughts and Observations:

• “Act without Acting.”  Brilliant.  It’s almost as if they were summing up Jerry Seinfeld’s acting style.
• “I respect wood.  I revere wood!”
• Jerry explaining why Larry can’t play George, “He’s an icon. She’s an icon. He was an icon. [points to self] Icon. [points to Larry] No-con!”
• It would have been great if Leon showed up in the final episode.  He was underutilized this season.  I love Leon.
• Was it cruel that Jason Alexander left his dogs in the hot car all day long?
• I really didn’t think the finale was that bad, but boy they kept bringing up how bad the cast thought it was.  That’s the problem with things like finales, they will never be as amazing as you want them to be.
• Jerry and Larry really are just the same.  Jerry Seinfeld could have played Larry David on Curb Your Enthusiasm and it might have been just as good.  The scene where Jerry gives Larry Larry’s stare to tell if he was lying was great, and dead on.  Jerry even describes them as “twins in the womb.”
• Michael Richards really was under utilized in this episode, and maybe all season.  I hope this helps vindicate him after the trouble he got into.
• We got to see almost 15 minutes of the fake Seinfeld Reunion show on Larry’s TV.  It really was great.  For a while there I thought we would see the whole episode.
• I complained a bit about the whole seaosn being a little far fetched, but I really did love it.  It was great seeing the whole cast back together again for the first time on TV.  This really was almost as good as a real Seinfeld reunion and in someways maybe it was better.

All that being said, tonight both the funny and unrealistic were out of control.  It’s time for the table read of the Seinfeld Reunion, and all the cast and crew are gathered at the studio. Larry makes the rounds of the cast members.  Julia-Luuis Dreyfus is asking Larry about Cheryl.  She seems surprised that Cheryl got the part.  A few moments later Jason Alexander asks Larry the same thing, and then asks to borrow Larry’s pen.  Michael Richards seems to be worried because he might have Groats Disease.  He remembers that Funkhowser’s friend Danny Duberstein had Groats, and Larry promises to put Michael in touch with him.  Before the read starts, Larry spots Funkhowser at the craft services table loading up.  Larry doesn’t want him there, but agrees to let him stay if it’s ok with Jerry.  Funkhowser tells Jerry a filthy joke and Jerry takes a liking to him.  Before the table read begins Larry is introduced to a crew members daughter, who tells Larry that she will be late after lunch because she is talking the little girl to the doctor, because the girl has a “rash on her pussy.” See what I mean about being un-realistic?  What mother of a nine-year-old talks about her daughter that way?  The answer is NO MOTHER OF A NINE-YEAR-OLD TALKS THAT WAY.  Larry doesn’t even thin it’s that strange, and continues to repeat what’s wrong with the girl throughout the episode.

The table read is going well, and seems like it would be a very funny episode.  The premise is that George made millions off an iPhone app called iToilet, and then lost it all investing it with Bernie Madoff.  His ex-wife, played by Cheryl didn’t lose her money since she pulled her money out, and now George wants to marry her again so he can get his money back.  Larry is the only one that doesn’t seem to be enjoying the read because he is concentrating on Jason Alexander putting Larry’s pen in his mouth and ear, and scratching his back and chest with it.  Larry is disgusted and when Jason tries to give him the pen back Larry refuses.  While working on the script Larry receives his first text message from the 9-year-old he was introduced to.  Turns out her mother gave her Larry’s number.  Larry begrudgingly texts her back which opens the floodgates.

At lunch Larry asks Jeff how he can get in touch with Funkhowser’s friend Danny Duberstein.  Jeff informs him that Danny is dead, and Larry wonders what he’s going to do with Michael Richards.  The restaurant they are in is packed, but since Larry slips the maître d’ $20 every time he goes in, Larry and Jeff are seated right away.  Larry get’s a few more texts from the little girl, and looses his cool with her sending her a text in all caps.  When he arrives back on the set for the reunion the little girl’s mother confronts Larry and tells him that he has to make it up to her by taking them both to lunch and giving the girl a present.    Inside Jason and Larry continue to argue about the pen after Jason gives him a replacement that Larry feels isn’t as good as the original.

At the news stand with Leon, Larry convinces him to portray Danny Duberstein and they agree to meet Michael Richards the next day at 2 after Larry’s lunch with the mother and daughter.  As Larry is going up to pay for his magazine, cash in hand he encounters the maître d’ and the guy takes the cash right out of Larry’s hand.  Larry is shocked, but doesn’t do anything about it.  At lunch the next day, larry doesn’t tip the maître d’ because he took the $20 the day before.  The guy is offended and Larry get’s horrible service causing him to be late to his meeting with Michael and Leon.

Forced to work alone Leon convinces Michael that he is Danny Duberstein, and that the only way he beat Groats was by wearing his lucky hat which he gives to Michael.  Larry is standing watching the rehearsals with Leon and Larry is itching all over.  Looks like he may have gotten that rash from the little girl.  Michael Richards is wearing the  hat Leon gave him, when Funkhowser crashes the set again, this time with the real Danny Duberstein’s widow.  When Michael finds out the truth he storms out and confronts Leon in front of a huge crowd a la a few years ago when Michael Richards screamed and yelled some racial slurs at some audience members, nad of course just as it happened before the crowd is filming it with their cell phones.  I told you last week that I didn’t think this reunion would happen.  I still have my doubts.

Larry is having a doctors look at the rash when he tells him where he got it from, his nine-year-old friend with a “rash on her pussy.”  The doctors leaves the room as Larry is texting the little girl and tells his receptionist to call the police.

Wow, that was a long re-cap, but a lot happened in that episode, and it was a little longer than usual.

Thoughts and Observations:

• “No, you gotta do that once every 13 years. You gotta recharge the mitzvah.”- Leon on being Jewish.
• “You don’t loan Jason anything that can be inserted.”- Jerry’s advice to Larry about loaning Jason Alexander a pen.
• I love the fact that Michael Richards can talk about the incident that pretty much destroyed his career a few years ago.  I was wondering if it would come up during this whole reunion show thing.
• Am I the only one that was completly surprised at just how dirty Funkhower’s joke for Jerry was?
• In the reunion episode, Jerry donated his sperm so that Elaine could have a kid.  They’d had sex many times before, do you suppose they did it the old fashioned way or did Jerry use a jar?
• How long is this episode going to be is, Kenny Bana, George’s mom, and Newman are all worked into it somehow?  I guess the finale did have almost every episode that was ever on the show on it.
• George’s iPhone app the iToilet is brilliant, especially if you’ve ever tried to find a bathroom in NYC.  There was actually a Seinfeld episode where George claimed he knew of a good public bathroom anywhere in the city.  Good to know he finally put that knowledge to good use.
• Just FYI, Groats isn’t real disease, but a disease that Curb Your Enthusiasm made up in its second season.  Nice to see them bring it back.