Twelve months ago we argued the small screen was attracting the best writers, directors and actors around. A year on, nothing has changed. If anything, it just keeps on getting better. Zombie drama The Walking Dead looks impressive, Mad Men fails to falter and the lavish Boardwalk Empire brings erstwhile fast-talker Martin Scorsese to HBO.
Multi-casting has freed up our boxes to a whole raft of exceptional shows that wouldn’t get a look-in otherwise (Fringe, Community, et al). Add to that Conan’s new show on GEM as well as both Colbert/Stewart on ABC2 all of which transmit hours after airing in the US and you get the distinct feeling some of the programmers are paying attention. But of course, some shows deserve special homage…
Eastbound and Down – Series 1 [HBO/Warner Home Video]
I knew this was going to be a great show when MC5’s Miss X blasted within the first ten minutes. It set the tone perfectly; defiant, aggressive, blue collar and unrepentant. Danny McBride’s Kenny Powers is all these things and more – a tragic anti-hero. At a mere six episodes long, Eastbound and Down gets to the nub quickly, but it’s not rushed. It’s a finely paced story of redemption and hanging onto dreams – as ill-judged as they are. JUSTIN HOOK
Bored to Death – Series 1 [HBO/Warner Home Video]
Bored to Death is another example of a small scale show with modest ambitions scoring week-in, week-out. Jonathan (Jason Schwartzman) is a struggling novelist recently dumped by his girlfriend. With no career ambitions to speak of and more content slouching around Park Slope with best friend (Zach Galifianakis) it’s a pretty tame set-up. But throw in a side career as a private detective, an anarchic pot-obsessed Ted Danson and the Russian mafia and things get very silly and very good, very quickly. JUSTIN HOOK
Modern Family [Sony]
Look, this show isn’t the standard bearer for innovation. If anything it conforms slavishly to the norms of sitcom-land. Everyone does pretty much exactly what you’d expect them to (the gays flame, the South American is hot tempered, the father is an idiot etc) and the stories tie up neatly within 30 minutes. But within these confines, Modern Family works minor miracles. The characters are they key; they are believable, multi-dimensional and most importantly, funny. JUSTIN HOOK
John Adams [Warner Home Video]
Never let it be said the Brits have a monopoly on period piece, fancy dress drama. John Adams is a sumptuous treat – visually compelling, dense plotting and austere delivery. At times it had a tendency to labour under the weight of its own importance and fanatically serious tone but it’s a small price to pay with wig-bearing Paul Giammatti chewing through scenery and Laura Linney being simply awesome. Best production design this side of Deadwood, which is saying quite a bit. Cocksucker. JUSTIN HOOK
Community [Sony/Universal]
Like Modern Family, Community appears to be a standard sitcom set up – a bunch of misfits drawn together in unusual circumstances (all are attending community college) ironing out their differences in 22 minutes. And for the first few episodes it certainly lived down to this expectation. But then something happened and it became one of the smartest, self-aware, self-mocking, meta-comedies on television. Season 2 which has just started on digital TV here raises the bar even further. JUSTIN HOOK
The Tenth Inning [PBS, via Amazon and record high exchange rates]
Baseball, Ken Burns’ gargantuan 18-hour history of America’s Favourite Pastime (TM) remains the highest rating show on PBS. But that was 16 years ago and since then baseball has suffered some, shall we say, troubles. Barely concealed steroid abuse took down some of the sport’s biggest names under the compact approval of the authorities. Burns’ latest addition doesn’t quite match its predecessor – but for neophytes it’s a good, and often gripping, introduction to an unfamiliar sport. And I usually hate sport. JUSTIN HOOK
Archer [FX-Fox 8]
Adam Reed – the creator and writer of Archer – was also responsible for Frisky Dingo and Sealab 2010. If these shows mean nothing to you the stop reading now. Sterling Archer is a spy and complete fool. An oversexed, alcoholic, trigger happy fool. Think of it as an animated James Bond vs. The Office vs. Arrested Development if that sort of shorthand appeals to you. H. Jon Benjamin is stunning as the voice of Archer – antagonising anyone who crosses his path with an expert balance between smarm, braggadocio and stupidity. JUSTIN HOOK
The Shield – Season Seven [FX]
Over the course of seven seasons, the noose has been slowly tightening on Vic Mackey and his increasingly fractured Strike Team and in this, the finale, writer-creator Shawn Ryan lets the rope strain to breaking point. With moments worthy of Shakespearean tragedy, the writers perform an admirable and brave switch by brazenly turning the audience against Mackey. Michael Chiklis and Walton Goggins (Shane Vendrell) provide some of the year’s most intense scenes. ALLAN SKO
Boardwalk Empire [HBO]
Whilst nowhere near the lofty heights of writer Terence Winter’s former work on The Sopranos (but what is, right?) Boardwalk Empire still succeeds in being a fascinating piece on how corruption and crime fuels society, in this case the suptious looking 1920s Atlantic City. Refreshingly, Steve Buscemi steps from the shadows of supporting role to main star, and doesn’t waste the opportunity. Stephen Graham is excellent as Al Capone, but Michael Pitt as the layered Jimmy Darmody is the heart of the show. Even Omar from The Wire is in it. ALLAN SKO
Sons of Anarchy [FX]
The Shield writer-producer Kurt Sutter took the grit, crime and power struggles of Vic Mackey’s world and translated it to bikers; with excellent results. While a little ham-fisted and sensationalised to start with, the show soon relaxed into a groove and focused more on the relationships between – and motivation of – the characters, all of whom are forever split between what’s right, and what’s right for “the club”. Compulsive viewing. ALLAN SKO
