2006 was a great year for television. Drama, suspense, comedy and great special effects all contributed to a pretty solid year for TV. Initially I planned to do a straight-up top 10 list of the best shows of 2006 but after going over all of the great TV shows this year, I decided to narrow it down to five worth watching shows. The rest fell into one subcategory or another. So without further ado, here are TV Blend’s favorite shows of 2006.
1. 24
The fifth season of ‘24’ was by far the most intense and suspenseful of the series. Jack Bauer made it through the day but half his friends didn’t. Season five saw the deaths of David Palmer, Tony Almeda, Michelle Dessler and Edgar Stiles. Unfortunately not one bullet, explosion or breath of nerve gas managed to do Kim Bauer in. What amazes me is the way they’re able to continue making Jack Bauer bigger and badder with each season without jumping the shark.
Best Moment: Jack shoots Henderson’s wife in the leg to get him to talk.
2006 was definitely the year of the Cylons. While continuing to develop the stories of the people on Galactica, the writers also took time to give viewers a better idea of what these humanoid robots are all about. Amazingly enough, the Cylon-portion of the story is just as interesting as that of the humans. Without question, the Cylons are still the bad-guys but at least now we have a better idea of where they’re coming from and what their motives are.
Best Moment: The Battlestar jumps into New Caprica’s upper atmosphere.
3. Heroes
For a new show, ‘Heroes’ really took TV by storm this fall. “Save the Cheerleader. Save the World” became a household catchphrase, thanks to NBC’s marketing but all in all, the show delivered everything the hype promised. Similar to ‘Lost’ in its first season, ‘Heroes’ is taking its time introducing the characters and slowly bringing them together. ‘Heroes’ has also managed to set a good pace for the show in which the ratio of questions asked to questions answered remains well balanced. The show is also delivering goodies to it’s internet fan base on a regular basis with regular website updates including weekly editions to the online graphic novel. Good writing, great acting and directing all contribute to what is easily the best new show of 2006.
Best Moment: Nathan flies.
4. The Office
By the end of the second season of ‘The Office,’ all of the main characters really came into their own. Side characters like Creed, Stanley and Kevin got a bit more screen time and proved they were just as hilarious as Dwight and Michael. So what better way to start up season 3 than by adding some new faces to the mix? Though the show got off to a somewhat rocky start with Jim over at the Stanford office, things finally came together when the two offices merged. The Christmas episode was easily one of the best episodes of the series.
Best Moment: Every Dwight vs. Andy moment
The CW made a good choice in picking up ‘Veronica Mars’ for a third season. Some have complained that ‘Veronica Mars: The College Years’ doesn’t have the same edge as the first two seasons. Perhaps they’re right but after a recent rewatch of season 2, I’ve come to realize that the smaller story arch works much better for this type of show. Sure, season three squeezed a couple pointless stand-alone episodes into the mix (eg. Piz’s missing stuff or the stolen playbook episode) but I think I prefer those over season 2 where Veronica and her dad took turns barking up the wrong trees trying to figure out who crashed the bus. The “Spit and Eggs” fall finale episode this season was one of the best episodes of the series. Keep up the good work, Rob Thomas.
Best Moment: Parker yells “Rape!”
And now, the subcategories:
Close But No Cigar:
Rescue Me - Season 3 of the FX drama ‘Rescue Me’ was the grittiest yet. Leary’s performance as Tommy Gavin was fantastic as was the writing on the show. Just when you think things couldn’t get worse for Gavin after his son died at the end of season 2, things… well… got worse.
Grey’s Anatomy– The show got a little too focused on the Meredith-Derek-Finn love triangle but other than that, ‘Grey’s’ continues to be fantastic.
How I Met Your Mother– The Robin Sparkles episode (Titled “Slap Bet”) was probably the funniest half hour of TV I’ve watched in a long time.
The Colbert Report - Stephen Colbert’s portrayal of the neo-conservative is pure brilliance.
Best New Shows of 2006
Studio 60 On The Sunset Strip - Sorkin’s newest creation is both dramatic and funny. There’s solid writing and great performances by Bradley Whitford, Matthew Perry and Amanda Peet.
Ugly Betty - ‘Betty’ is such a fun show and it only seems to be getting better with each episode.
Friday Night Lights - Its got something for everyone – sports, teen drama and an extra layer of more adult-oriented drama. I consider it sort of a guilty pleasure but its really a good show.
Men In Trees - The show doesn’t seem to have developed a huge following just yet but hopefully it will now that it’s following ‘Grey’s Anatomy.’
A For Effort – Shows that improved greatly in the fall:
Lost - Tailies were biting it left and right but the real interesting stuff didn’t happen until we got to meet The Others.
Desperate Housewives - To be honest, I can barely remember what happened at the end of season 2 but the beginning of season three was fantastic.
Shows To Get Caught Up On:
The Wire - If ‘The Wire’ lives up to its reputation, its a pretty phenomenal show.
The Closer - I’ve heard great things about ‘The Closer’ and more specifically, Keira Sedgwick’s performance.
