Happy New Year! Showtime series named best of 2007
You know it’s time to run to the liquor store for some bubbly when the msm start publishing their obligatory year-end lists en masse. Happily for us, Showtime series have been popping up all over TV critics’ best-of lists. Here’s a sample:
Rob Owen, of the Pittsburg Post-Gazette, only gives Dexter and Weeds honorable mentions. We’ll pardon him, though, because he glows about his No. 9, The Tudors:
Sexy and full of schemers, this sumptuous, R-rated Masterpiece Theatre-like retelling of the life and (many) loves of King Henry VIII is a feast for the senses. Star Jonathan Rhys Meyers slinkily moves through his scenes like a creature preparing to devour his prey. … A graphic, soapy costume drama, The Tudors offers a lot of fun, a little history and standout performances from Meyers and Sam Neill as a scheming cardinal.
St. Petersburg (Fla.) Times critic Eric Deggans complained about the deplorable the state of TV in 2007, but found Californication and Dexter among the bright spots, placing them at Nos. 9 and 1, respectively.
“He may be a hedonistic, egotistical, self-destructive jerk paralyzed by his past success, but failing novelist Hank Moody is also surprisingly likable, thanks to cynically glib star David Duchovny,” Deggans wrote.”… Who knew The “X-Files” dour conspiracy theorist could make that so entertaining?”
As for his No. 1 pick, the critic said “producers nailed Dexter’s playfully macabre inner voice in a flurry of ambitious plot lines. … Never has watching someone get away with murder felt so good.”
Tim Goodman, of the San Francisco Chronicle, didn’t limit himself to a Top 10, listing his favorite dozen or so dramas and comedies. He named Dexter the No. 1 drama of the year, calling star Michael C. Hall one of the best actors on TV. Brotherhood was No. 8 on his drama list, for being “one of the most visceral series on television with a real sense of place and feel,” and The Tudors made No. 12 for being “glorious costume candy.” On the comedy side, Goodman showed some love to Californication at No. 5, calling it “an underappreciated, socially incorrect curveball” and to Weeds at No. 6. “Just when you thought it might all implode, the show actually expanded to new creative highs (pun intended),” he wrote, noting that the ensemble cast also has been “woefully underappreciated.”
Finally, Diane Werts of New York Newsday, proclaimed “the surge of Showtime” No. 1 on her list of 2007’s small-screen happenings.
“Premium cable’s perennial also-ran raced into the lead this year — creatively, at least — thanks to a seemingly continuous stream of compelling series about oddball outsiders,” she wrote.
Dexter challenged our moral assumptions with its serial killer with “good” motives (or are they?). The suburban drug-dealing comedy Weeds sustained its hilarity and heart. Brotherhood remained a gritty, layered city saga of family, crime and politics. This American Life transferred beautifully from National Public Radio, and Penn & Teller’s debunkery kept delighting. Add the period pomp of The Tudors and the show-biz sleaze of Californication, plus the suds of The L Word, and there isn’t a more provocative slate of series anywhere.
Yes, Ms. Werts. The staff at Showtimefan HQ couldn’t agree more. We hereby anoint your Top 10 as the most splendid year-end list. Ever. Happy New Year!
Tags: best-of-2007-showtime-fan, critics-showtime, Showtime, showtime-brotherhood, showtime-californication, showtime-dexter, showtime-fan, Showtime-Network, showtime-tudors, showtime-weedsRelated Stories
POSTED IN: Brotherhood, Californication, Dexter, Showtime Programming, Showtime Stars, The L Word, The Tudors, Weeds
0 opinions for Happy New Year! Showtime series named best of 2007
No one has left a comment yet. You know what this means, right? You could be first!
Have an opinion? Leave a comment: