Tuesday, August 3, 2004

WONDER WHERE THIS BLOG RANKS: Yes, it's the Parents Television Council Top 10 Best and Worst Shows For Family Viewing, which tells us what "good people" should be watching.

Their "best" shows are:

1. "Joan of Arcadia"--I can't argue with this one, and am actually a little surprised, especially in light of the police plots on the show, which can run a bit gory, and several sex-related storylines.
2. "Doc"--Yes, it's the show that stars Billy Ray Cyrus. His mullet gets second billing.
3. "Sue Thomas, F.B.Eye"--Huh? Oh. It's on PAX.
4. "Reba"
5. "7th Heaven"
6. "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition"--According to the PTC, this "shows the heights to which reality TV can aspire. " Yeah, because there hasn't been any really good reality TV this year (see, e.g., "The Apprentice," "Amazing Race").
7. "Everybody Loves Raymond"
8. "American Idol"--"American Idol is an entertaining show that the entire family can enjoy because it focuses only on the surprisingly good performances turned in by talented young singers." I'm sure those who watch the show can find at least four errors in that sentence.
9. "American Dreams"
10. "The Bernie Mac Show"--Glad to know a show that features the line "I'll whup your head till the white meat shows!" is acceptable for family viewing.

The "worst?"

1. "Everwood"--In spite of the fact that's it's from a former "Dawson's Creek" showrunner and follows "7th Heaven," this is one of the best shows on TV for exactly the reason the PTC seems to hate it--it dealt with sexual issues this year with an uncommon degree of nuance and intelligence.
2. "That '70s Show"--The PTC's criticism of this show is that "Teen sex and drug use on this series are depicted as risk- and consequence-free." Yet, in the next sentence, they note that one of this season's storylines depicted an unwanted pregnancy. Hmmm---that doesn't seem "risk- and consequence-free" to me.
3. "Fear Factor"
4. "Two and A Half Men"
5. "C.S.I. Original Recipe"
6. "The Surreal Life"
7. "Girlfriends"
8. "Las Vegas"
9. "Will and Grace"
10. "Cold Case"

We can be thankful that they didn't include HBO--one can only imagine the race for the #1 "worst" slot between "Deadwood," "Sopranos," and "Sex and The City."

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