Thursday Thirteen v. 2

My 13 Favorite TV Shows

Rules: No sports, no reruns and only national shows qualify. The list may change during the new season, since it looks like there are some good shows coming.
Since there are fewer sitcoms than ever, and I'm not a fan of the reality shows, this list was harder to compile than I thought.




1. My Name is Earl. The best ensemble cast on TV. Each one perfectly suited to their character. Jaime Pressly plays the best drunk in the history of television. If you're a Survivor viewer, time-shift Earl and soon, you'll be time-shifting Survivor.

2.The Late Show with David Letterman. The first half-hour is just about the funniest thing on TV. I've always preferred Dave over Jay. Jay strikes me as too phony-show biz, and belongs in L.A.

3. The Simpson's. It's slipped a little recently, but still shines.

4. Curb Your Enthusiasm. I don't have HBO, so I have to catch up with this by buying the DVDs. I'm always a year behind, but it doesn't matter. The DVDs are cheaper than the cable, and just as good.

5. Weeds. I don't have Showtime, either, so I watch the DVDs. Smart, funny and as edgy as anything on television. The odd subject matter makes it unique and worth watching.

6. American Chopper. It's been fun watching the shop grow from a tiny acorn to a huge conglomerate. The Teutel's are great to watch and true chopper artists. Sometimes the arguments seem staged, but fun nonetheless.

7. Pimp My Ride. I'd like to do a follow-up show and see what these cars look like a year later. Probably as trashed as they were when they first rolled in.

8. 60 Minutes. Still rolling along after many years on the tube. Andy Rooney deserves more time.

9. The Daily Show. A great lead-in to Letterman. Laugh out loud funny, and sad, since the news they present is based on fact. Does anyone remember who the original host was?

10. Cops. White trash on parade. If you're on this show, you're not calling your family and friends to tell them that you're going to be on television.

11. CBS Sunday Morning. Charles Osgood hosts this little news-magazine show. Usually, it's better than it's evening cousin, 60 Minutes. The stories have more humanity and are generally softer.

12. How I Met Your Mother. Hey, I told you this list was hard to put together! A little goofier than most of the shows here, but I like serials, and this one has an interesting continuing story line.

13. Saturday Night Live. Fading fast, and from what I understand, it's close to being cancelled. This was tough to pick, since I don't watch as much as I used to, but I'll go with history.