Under the radar
Water cooler talk always consists of the most popular programs currently on the air. Shows like ‘American Idol,’ ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ and ‘Mad Men’ are continuously talked about. But what about the less notorious shows on television? Some of these underappreciated shows have been shifted to different timeslots and never get the love they deserve. The top-five shows that should be added to your next water cooler discussion of shows on TV follows.
5. ‘Two and a Half Men’ (CBS)
Many people may wonder why TV’s No. 1 comedy is on this list. Getting more than 16 million viewers each week should be enough to earn a little appreciation, right? Wrong. For the seven seasons ‘Two and a Half Men’ has been on CBS, the show has been constantly panned by critics for its vulgarity, crude jokes and sexual innuendos. But these aspects are what make the show funny, and each episode consistently delivers humor each week. The comedy of the show should overshadow the vulgarity. ‘Two and a Half Men’ should be applauded for its continued comedy power even after seven years on TV.
4. ‘Southland’ (TNT)
John Wells, who produced the hit shows ‘ER,’ ‘Third Watch’ and ‘The West Wing,’ also produces this underrated police and detective drama. ‘Southland’ takes an authentic look at the Los Angeles Police Department. The show was poised to be NBC’s next signature series after the departure of ‘ER’ in 2009. This emotional and well-acted drama proved to be a modest success in its first season, which only consisted of seven episodes. It wasn’t a surprise for fans when it was green-lighted for season two. As shooting was in progress for season two, NBC cancelled the show to make room to fit ‘The Jay Leno Show’ in its primetime lineup. Luckily, TNT rescued the remaining episodes. TNT plans to air season two this spring, but production has come to a stop. Since ‘The Jay Leno Show’ doesn’t seem to be working out on NBC, ‘Southland’ has unfortunately suffered a premature death.
3. ‘Smallville’ (The CW)
Shows that consistently show strength in ratings for nine straight seasons should be celebrated, not disowned by their networks. ‘Smallville’ is a great example of this. The show chronicles the life of a young Clark Kent before he becomes Superman. It survived the WB/UPN merger in 2006, yet it has been stripped of its primetime airing on Thursdays at 8 p.m. and pushed back to Fridays at 8 p.m. After moving to Friday nights, also known as the TV graveyard, its ratings have steeply dropped. This is a shame because it will be even harder for viewers to get hooked on this exceptionally well-written and visually pleasing story of the future Man of Steel.
2. ‘Friday Night Lights’ (NBC/DirecTV)
Based off the book and film of the same name, ‘Friday Night Lights’ shows how Texans living in a small town love their local high school football team. Premiering in 2006 on NBC, the show never garnered an audience size it deserved. Even with the show being loved by every TV critic who came across it, it struggles to find its audience. The most disappointing aspect of ‘Friday Night Lights’ is that it continues to get looked at every major awards show for its stars Kyle Chandler and Connie Britton.
1. ‘Better Off Ted’ (ABC)
‘Better Off Ted’ was one of ABC’s best new comedies when it debuted in March 2009. The show stars Syracuse University graduate Jay Harrington as the character Ted. The titular character is the head of R&D at a morally corrupt and heartless technology company. Ted and his co-workers spend the show trying to avoid their cold and unapproachable supervisor Veronica, played by the Emmy-worthy Portia De Rossi. ABC granting the show a second season was a welcome surprise. ‘Better Off Ted’ was forgotten and struggling to find viewers on Tuesday nights because of the success of ABC’s three new comedies on Wednesday nights. This comedy has received tons of praise by TV critics due to its dry and witty humor.
Published on February 7, 2010 at 12:00 pm
