Best TV shows this decade

So I read that the AV Club is beginning their best of the decade lists on Tuesday, and they're starting with tv shows.
Because it makes me feel cool, I'm beating them to it with my own tv show lists.

First, I'll point out the fact that I have never seen a few shows that are loved by all, such as "The Wire", "Deadwood", "Big Love", and "Breaking Bad".
And, with one exception, I'm listing only shows that began in 2000 and since. This means no "Daily Show"and "Freaks and Geeks", and saddest of all, no "Angel" or "Buffy the Vampire Slayer".

Here are the best shows that have had too few episodes to be considered best of the decade right now, but are insanely good so far.

6. "Dollhouse"

Starting off with an interesting premise, that of a company using beautiful people as maleable dolls imprinted with personalities to suit requests of rich clientele, and Joss Whedon being the brains behind it, "Dollhouse" had an uneven first few episodes. Certain story threads seemed to be going nowhere, some of the personalities of the week weren't very intriguing, and Eliza Dushku was unsurprisingly not very good as the doll who is experiencing memories of her life before the dollhouse. Then, BOOSH! Episode 7. Everything turned around. Dushku suddenly seemed wonderful and the overarching story amped up significantly. It's become a wonderfulling compelling and thrilling hour of television every Friday night.

5. "Parks and Recreation"

When it debuted in March, I found "Parks and Recreation" funny, but not great, sometimes not even very good. Those first 6 episodes showed promise of a great ensemble cast, but instead focused only on Amy Poelher's sometimes irritating lead. But this fall it came back and it finally started fleshing out all its great characters and is now the funniest show on NBC's Thursday night lineup.

4. "Community"

This new show is similar to "Parks" in that it has a huge ensemble from which an endless amount of conflict and funny can arise. And holy fuck, does it ever! The misfits at misfit community college thing is seriously special. The writers are doing some great things with character match-ups every week. Chevy Chase is even hilarious!

3. "Better Off Ted"

This magical office comedy comes from the creator of the criminally short live "Andy Richter Controls the Universe". Jay Haarington plays the most loveable executive on television, and Portia De Rosi the funniest as his boss. Ted's monologues to the camera, Phil and Lem's wonderful friendship in the lab. and de Rosi's heartless narcissism make this one of the funniest new shows.

2. "Modern Family"

This show took me by surprise. The ads looked thoroughly awful, but this is a great new show. It does wonders with its faux-documentary format, embracing it much more than "Parks and Rec" and "The Office", having the couple do confessionals together. The show has also found a new star in Ty Burrel, the socially clueless and clumsy father. He conveys so much in that goofy face of his. Him staring embarassed as his hot step-mother-in-law through her underwear all over him was comedy gold.

1. "Party Down"

I watched the first episode of "Party Down" when it aired and I thought it was hilarious, but something was missing. Around episode 3, all the kinks had been ironed out, and it was really getting into its hilarious characters. Co-created by Paul Rudd and Rob Thomas, creator of "Veronica Mars", the show features several Mars regulars working comedy magic. The wonderful Ken Marino, Martin Starr, and Jane Lynch are only but a few of the great employees at the titular catering service. By the last episode, guest starring a wonderfully scary Kristen Bell, the show has reached comedy perfection. I can't wait for season 2.


This took forever. More later.