Not that I wasn’t behind already, but I haven’t seen Arrow, Chicago Fire, or Nashville yet.  Partially because I was out watching some great improv last night.  Partially because I forgot to DVR them.

But anyway, all of that simply means I only had time to watch one show, and since I wasn’t quite ready to say goodbye to Animal Practice just yet (though the way the ratings are going, it may say goodbye to me first), that meant hitting episode three of The Neighbors.

I’m still not quite sure what to make of this show.  The words themselves can be funny, and the conceit was modestly clever:  the aliens want to hang out with their human BFFs, chaos (and a reasonably entertaining switch of gender roles in the world of bro- and chick-dom) ensues.  The show, however, remains broad in a way that is sometimes funny, sometimes not, and sometimes Disney Channel.

The real breakout on this show (to me, anyway) remains Toks Olagundoye, who plays (alien) Jackie Joyner-Kersee on the show, and in three episodes has already proven an ability to speak in a number of accents (British, German, French, New Jersey, and if I’m remembering correctly, Jamaican?) and look attractive, weird, and vulnerable, often at the same time.

Despite the positives (and the potential for continued growth) this is a show that is still also weighed down somewhat by the premise – unlike the Tuesday comedies which I spoke of earlier, this show has such a large premise, a thematically simple episode (about fitting in) ends up being a mash-up of pop culture references, linguistic jokes, satire of modern American life, and an exploration of father-son dynamics (any of which could have really been explored as an episode all on their own).

Unlike the Tuesday comedies, they didn’t keep it simple.  They threw everything at it.  And so even with entertaining moments, it didn’t necessarily explore the theme we were dealing with as much as it could have.

There’s still something there, though.  Something fun and potential-filled.  Which is why, for now, I’m going to keep watching (on probationary status).

So given my love for both sports and television, I’m going to try to go with a top 10 list in television.

One thing that I should point out – the top 10 only includes shows that are currently airing.  So that means no Breaking Bad, for example, even though it would probably be near the top.  Right now this list essentially is to highlight the shows that I am (currently) most excited about.

One other thing I should point out – there is a lot of television I don’t watch.  I can’t cover it all, guys!  So those shows are also ineligible.

So here we go:

Current Top Ten – October 8th, 2012

1. Homeland – On a list with 8 out of 10 comedies, the top spot goes to Homeland, which is firing on all cylinders early in the second season.

2. Parks and Recreation – Possibly the best comedy on television right now.

3. How I Met Your Mother – Although it’s long in the tooth, HIMYM still can tell compelling, temporally complex stories as good as anyone.

4. New Girl – 1+ seasons in I’m still not entirely sure how much I like this show, but I still watch it regularly.

5. The Mindy Project – The best new sitcom probably won’t get much higher than this all year, especially with Happy Endings and Community returning soon.

6. Last Resort – After the pilot, this would have been #2.  Tough one last week.  I’m still hopeful that they can turn it around, however.

7. Raising Hope – Few shows manage to fit in as much emotional growth into their third act as this one.  It somehow works, though.

8. Ben and Kate – Hopefully the show can find its audience before its too late.

9. The Daily Show – The only reason this isn’t higher is that I don’t always watch right away.

10. The Colbert Report – Same with Colbert.

 

Waiting To Return:

The Walking Dead – I don’t know how many more times I can let them get away with almost making me angry, but at least one more time.
Community – How will the show return without Dan Harmon at the helm?
Happy Endings – The funniest sitcom on right now returns in a couple of weeks.