Here is the moment everyone in the universe has been waiting for.  I am making the announcement that has had everyone holding their collected breath in anticipation.  Uh..no...I did not get a job.  And...no...I haven't gotten my promised tattoo yet. 

What I am yammering about is this:


THE JOHN ROEDEL TOP TEN FALL TV SHOWS!

With the fall season coming to an end in the next few weeks it is time to take a look back and give mention to the top ten shows that demanded my attention.  While I watch a lot more than these elite ten shows, these are the ones who don't last long on my DVR.  Before I unveil these ten programs let me get the negative stuff out of the way first.  Let's take a quick look at the few shows whose stock have fallen in my eyes that pushed them out of consideration.  Many of these shows were probably in my top ten in years gone by.  These programs used to be beloved by me and have not fallen in to the category where I will watch them when I get a chance...


SHOWS WHO HAVE FALLEN:

HEREOS  -  Yawn.  What used to be a fun hour of comic book nostalgia has turned into a mess.  There is no consistency in the characters.  They are built to love one week and then hate the next.  You never know what their motivation is because it changes quicker than the Wyoming wind.  One week someone is evil and then the next they are the hero who the producers want you to sympathize with.  They need to get back to a smaller cast and less "Back to the Future 3" stupidity,  While this season has been a bit better than the last few they rolled out, it is still a far cry from the 1st season.  You make me sad Heroes...you had such promise.  I have three of you saved on my DVR.  I am tempted to erase.

30 ROCK - Blasphemy?  Maybe.  It still is funny and well written.  But whenever I watch it lately I am left unsatisfied.  This might be more my problem than anything else.  I can only take so much creepy sexual tension between Alec Baldwin and Tina Fey.  I still watch it...but it is not in my top ten anymore.  We've grown apart...

V - I was sure you would have been in my top ten.  You're not.  Sorry.  The pilot was clunky and filled with way too much story in just one hour.  I have been getting caught up slowly but it has felt like a chore.  The teenage rebel kid in the show makes me want to send my children to boarding school when they turn 12.

All Ghost Hunting Shows - These type of programs used to be a staple in my television diet.  Not so much any more.  Not because I have given up my dream of becoming the shortest and most terrified paranormal investigator the world has ever seen.  My back is turning to these shows because they have become really boring.  The only thing that really changes from week to week is the location.  They never really find anything except goosebumps, a bump here and there, or piece of dust floating by their night vision camera that they are convinced is a demon.  As soon as any of these shows gives me some sort of evidence that is even semi-compelling I may get interested again.

Dancing With The Stars - Tom Delay?  Come on, really?  Really?  Tom?  Delay?  Really?  Sigh.

Flash Forward - I like it, I really do.  I am just finding it hard to get super invested in it when I am worried that it is going to be canceled any moment.   I have my heart broken too many times on shows like this.  While it started out a little too slow (kind of like V) it has picked up every week.  I am really interested in where it is going....I am just not sure it is going to be around long enough to show me.


So those are the shows a few months ago that I was certain would have been included in the top ten.  Since they have failed to make the cut that means there are a few programs that are going to be there that I would never have thought about including.  You will find this list so complete that you will not be able to argue against it.  So get ready to hurt your neck from nodding in agreement....


THE ROEDEL TOP TEN FALL SHOWS:


10.  Modern Family -

Love it.  Got to have more of it!  It has filled the void that Arrested Development left me with after it's painful cancellation years ago.  Modern Family is smart, funny, character driven, surprisingly sweet, and ultimately a tribute to the 2009 American family. 


Watch this clip and become a fan!





#9 Top Chef

I can't cook...not even a little bit.  That little Roedel factoid does not however prevent me from being able to enjoy this intense BRAVO! network show about a collection of chefs who compete to make the culinary big time.  Aside from the drama that comes as an obvious by-product to a show that puts these cooks in near impossible situations it is amazing to see the creativity that each of the contestants has to tap in to each week.  Regardless of how full I am from dinner whenever I watch Top Chef I am left hungry and wanting to try new foods that I would normally be nervous about.  I would never imagine that this would have ever been a show that I would remotely enjoy....bon appetit!

This clip from this season's Top Chef is one that featured Natalie Portman as a guest judge!






#8 Fringe

A guilty pleasure of mine is really terrible Sci-fi movies and TV shows.  The kind where the story is ultra convoluted and the dialog is embarrassingly simple.  Fringe, while being kind of Sci-fi-ey does not qualify as being terrible.  It is great!  I am sure you have heard the comparison's to X-Files to Fringe.  Yes there are some basic similarities on the surface but once you get to the inner core of what Fringe is about it is easy to figure out that there is a lot of differences.  As an avid X-Files watcher I was often left cold because I never felt like it was heading anywhere.  Was Mulder's sister abducted by aliens?  What was the deal with Scully's baby?  How the heck did The Smoking Man know all the things he knew?  Those were some of the 1903 questions that I never go answered.  Certainly Fringe poses some of it's own questions but the remarkable thing is they answer them fairly quickly.  I recognize that this is not a show for everyone.  Not everyone wants to watch show that deals with the paranormal, inter dimensional worm holes, and a creepy lurking Lenord Nimoy.  But...if you want a show that is rich in character development, tension, a couple scary moments,  and strange mysteries that get solved more often than not than I suggest you give Fringe a try!

Here is a quick clip.




#7 Glee

At first glance this should be an hour of television that should want me to drink a razor blade milkshake.  It has singing teenagers, bright colors, dancing, angst, and a good seasoning of High School Musical so I would have thought this kind of show would be my kryptonite.  It turns out that this is the perfect show to counter all of the other usually darker themed programs that are on my play list.  While some episodes are better than others I contend that there are not many shows out there who know who they are or who their audience is better than this one.  The musical selection is brilliant, the characters are endearing, and I love how it has the ability to laugh at itself.  While at first I was sure this was going to be a cheese-fest I have been happy to see twinges of dark humor and story lines that have kept me coming back for more!  Like Pushing Daisies a few years ago this is a show that creatively is ahead of it's time.  This is the kind of TV that has left a cynic like me singing along on my couch!  And if Jane Lynch does not get an Emmy for her work as the ever grouchy gym teacher than there is no justice!  She has been brilliant!


Time for some feel good TV?  I thought so.




Part Two will be out tomorrow!  I will reveal the top five shows that have captivated me all fall!!  Isn't that going to be exciting?   I know....it is very exciting....