I'm lovin' it...

No, not McDonald's.

Dear god, NO.

Not McDonald's.

[shudder]

Now that the fall premiere season is finally over and all the new shows have had a couple of weeks to dazzle me (or as was so often the case, completely underwhelm and disappoint me), it's high time I made official proclamations of the hits and misses (mostly misses).

This was a particularly odd fall slate this year. Fall 2010 offered up probably the most new pilots I've ever seen for one development cycle, and yet, had probably the least number of winners I've come across in ages. Long gone are the years where I simply had too many spectacular new shows to choose from, it seems. What's worse, of the few great new shows to premiere this fall, my favorite among them has already been canceled. So long, Lone Star. The dreary confines of network programming and the lowest common denominator of mass appeal had you pegged before you even started. Boo.

A few new shows did manage to rise above the dreck and the threat of cancellation (at least for now) and join the my returning favorites in my exalted first tier.

Here are the shows I'm loving the most at the moment, both new and old (note the truly sad brevity of the list):

THE VAMPIRE DIARIES
Never has a show that started off so poorly become so very awesome. The first several episodes of the first season are a bit of a slog, to put it mildly. Each one was better than the last, but it honestly took till about episode 8 before I felt invested in this show and till episode 11 before I started saving them on my DVR for repeat viewings. After the halfway point, it just kept getting better and better. It has the most insane pacing of any show on TV. They cover more ground in one episode than most shows so in a dozen. I keep thinking they're going to run out of room to roam, but I'm continually amazed at just how many different paths they can take. I was going to write about the season 2 premiere because is was insane, but there was just simply too much to talk about. Everyone was afraid that they couldn't keep up with season 1, but they absolutely have. This show hasn't gone soft, it doesn't pull any punches, and it still manages to throw in enough twists and surprises that I'm constantly on my toes. I believe it was right around the time the Damon snapped Jeremy's neck in the premiere that I knew we were in for one hell of a season. Poor Damon. Oh my god, the premiere was just heartbreaking. I understand why Elena is mad at Damon on an intellectual level, but on a more visceral level, snapping Jeremy's neck just seemed... like a good idea to me... right? Hats off to Nina Dobrev though for pulling double duty in the Damon-heartbreak department and knocking both roles out of the park. I think I like her best as Katherine, where she changes up her mannerisms and tone to rise to the appropriate level of sadism. The bigger the hair, the closer to evil, as it were. Even the werewolf angle has been way better than I thought it was going to be. The show tends to align itself more closely with classic definitions of the supernatural and that really appeals to me. Sure there's a lot of magic going around that undoes some of the restrictions, but the basis is true to past form. And, with the latest revelation that Katherine and Mason are in cahoots (!), things look to be getting even crazier from here (as you can see, I started this post a few weeks ago and only just now finished it... pretend it three weeks ago... annnnd, go!). Seriously, this last episode? The brothers Salvatore were almost tortured to death after being outed to the sheriff, Caroline was revealed to her mother as a vamp, the truth about how one becomes a werewolf was revealed, two police officers were murdered, and Katherine's manipulation of Mason was exposed, among other things. For any other show, that would be the season finale or at least the winter finale. For Vampire Diaries? That was just your standard Thursday. Episode five, I think. Awesome. It also doesn't hurt that the entire cast looks like they do... (please see visual aid above).

NIKITA
Who'd have ever guessed that the CW would be the network that would bring me the best night of television on the air these days? Thursdays have suddenly become my favorite night on television again (a feat not accomplished since the Friends/ER era in the late 90s--you know, back when NBC actually had programming... and viewers). This show is kind of a conundrum, but somehow it works. There are more than a few ridiculous elements of this show, but I'm loving it all the same. Seriously, some of Division's standard operating procedures are just absurd, but I find that I'm enjoying the ride enough that I'm willing to let a lot slide. Case in point? Boy, Alex sure spends a lot of time in that computer lab communicating with Division's enemy number one and no one seems to notice... Really? This group, which touts itself as being the be all and end all of espionage, with a tech wizard who, for all intents and purposes, may as well be an actual wizard, doesn't keep track of what the kids are doing online? Seriously? Fortunately, that's really beside the point. It's ridiculous, but the show has a lot that makes up for its shortcomings. It's strange. The conceit totally shouldn't work, but somehow it does. This show has set itself up in such a way that our lead has almost no direct contact with anyone else on the show. Now, don't get me wrong, this has tied the writers hands in some ways, but they always seem to find a way around this particular obstacle. I find myself genuinely concerned for what's going on and eager to see how it plays out. The show kind of sneaks up on me. I don't realize just how invested I am until I notice that I'm on the edge of my seat. It's not a perfect show by any means, but it has proven to be a solid spy thriller. I have heard that in an attempt to improve their key demo numbers the show will undergo some "tweaking," which has me a little nervous, but I'm hopeful that they'll use this as an opportunity to fix some of the key problems with the show. I have a sinking feeling they might turn it into a maudlin love story, but from what I've seen so far, they can make even the most implausible storylines manageable and exciting.

THE GOOD WIFE
Oh my god, this show just keeps getting better and better. I'd say it's probably the best drama on air. Certainly the best drama on network programming and I'm not the only one who thinks so. It does well enough in the ratings department, but for CBS's standards, it could be better. I honestly don't know why it isn't more of a smash runaway hit. I have to assume that people have the gross misconception that this is a show for middle-aged housewives and that it simply isn't their kind of show. Well, I have news for you, this show is NOT a sappy Lifetime: Television for Women soap opera. At first blush, I thought that might be a pitfall it would get sucked into, but fortunately, I couldn't have been more wrong. Above all, this show is smart. I never feel like I'm being talked down to or spoonfed. This show doesn't reduce itself to the obvious, the simple, or the convenient. Even the most seemingly irrelevant of details had a juicy, twisty angle to it. Everyone has motives (whether they're political, professional, sexual, or as it so often the case, all three) and they manipulate their surroundings in a bid for control. The entire cast is superb and manages to juggle the tangled web that's all around them. Julianna Marguiles is second to none, but with a cast this amazing, it's a close race. The love triangle among Alicia, Peter, and Will just keeps getting better and better, but in a very different way than others shows would have it play out. It's all very adult, and I mean that in the best possible way. This show spares viewers from having to watch people whine about their emotions or act like junior high school students when it comes to adult relationships (Dear Parenthood, you could learn a thing or 17 from this show.) It's cool and usually restrained, and somehow, that makes the tension even greater and the payoffs even more satisfying. Oh my god, was anyone not screaming at their TVs when Eli Gold deleted Will's voicemail from Alicia's phone?! Ahhh! Awesome. Oh man, and that scene in the parking garage between Kalinda and Blake?! Sexy, violent, and spectacular. This show is cerebral and sinister and exciting and any viewer from any demographic would do him/herself a favor by giving it a shot. This is not a chick show, although I can't tell you how refreshing it is to see superb female characters that aren't just stereotypes for male characters to play off of. This show is just a great drama. Plain and simple.

TERRIERS
I already sang this show's praises in my last post, so I'll keep this short. This really is the best little show that no one seems to be watching and I really think it's because people don't know that it exists. What other explanation could there be? This show has a hell of a lot to offer and is deserving of a huge audience. It's funny and dark and extremely well-written. I doubt it'll be back for a second season, but I'm going to enjoy every minute while I can (minutes that truly seem to fly by). It has sucked me in in a way I never would have expected and I hope to hell FX realizes their own idiocy in scheduling and finds a way to give this show its due. Highly recommended.

CASTLE
Episode for episode, this is the most carefree, fun-filled romp on air. This show is incredibly easy to watch, but it isn't without real substance. It definitely errs on the side of light, but certainly has it's harder elements as well. I'm not usually one for crime procedurals, but the writers for Castle (as well as the characters/actors) just seem to be having so much fun doing their jobs that I can't help but to have fun too. Even the A-plots are engaging. In a way, they kind of remind me of Life. They're off-beat and quirky and always manage to suck me in. The show understands that at its core, its a show about fiction, and that's where it really shines. It's like taking someone to a place you love, but somewhere they've never been before. You have fun watching them experience that place for the first time. Watching our good friend Nathan Fillion geek out over crazy cases is just a pure delight. If the A-plots weren't good enough, the ongoing storylines and character dynamics are surprisingly warm and satisfying. Even the will-they-or-won't-they relationship between Castle and Beckett has retained its crackle and doesn't feel overdone. The writers did a brilliant job of shifting gears between the pair and it has managed to keep the interplay fresh and fun. The show could have gone ages with one member of the pairing (usually the man) pining for the other, but Castle turned things around last season in a surprising way. When it all boiled down, Castle moved past his crush and Beckett acknowledged her own. It made for a nice twist that is still having repercussions for the two of them. There's a genuine affection between the pair and I'm in no hurry to see them hook up. The show has fostered a dynamic between the two that is so warm and playful that you love seeing the two together, but you're not dying for them to be lovers. It's a difficult line to walk, but they're doing it very well. This is far and away one of the most effortless shows to watch, and when stacked up against my heavy-hitters, it makes for a lovely palate cleanser. The one-liners alone are enough to keep me coming back for more. Oh, and the incredibly rare, yet delightful characterization of Castle's daughter. What's that you say? Not all teenage girls are horrendous bitches? Why no, no they're not.

BOARDWALK EMPIRE
This show is kind of hard to sum up. The pilot was beautiful and impressive and solidly done, but I honestly didn't know if the whole gangster thing would be enough to keep me coming back for more. In general, the mob and kingpins and whatnot aren't really topics that grab me. Along with that, this show has similarly sobering (heh) tangential storylines which make for a fairly heavy drama to follow. As it turns out, I'm loving it all. It's pretty dark, but it's not without it moments of levity. The show is incredibly well-crafted and the world of 1920s Atlantic City feels completely authentic. At first, it did more to impress than immerse, but now, it just feels thoroughly organic to the story and you don't even really notice the little details--which as far as I'm concerned, is a testament to how well done it is. You wouldn't notice a lamp or a rug on any other show, so while I appreciate how beautiful each scene is, I'm more enthralled by the story than the set design. I think the fact that HBO doesn't have commercials has a lot to do with my enjoyment of this show. I never watch commercials, but even simply fast-forwarding through them tends to break up a narrative. Indeed, most shows have to organize their pacing around half a dozen breaks. With Boardwalk Empire, it just flows smoothly and I get swept up in it. For being such a serious drama, it moves along at a surprising clip and never feels labored. I don't know if you remember a show called Kings, but that was a show that got crushed under its own seriousness. Boardwalk Empire does not. There's enough ribaldry and insanity going on to underscore the often grave tone. I'm always a little surprised and even a little sad when an episode ends. It really has a lot more going on than just gangster stuff and that helps put everything into focus for me. The gangster elements provide a context, but it's the characters who make the story. The beyond peculiar courtship between Nucky and Margaret developed in the context of prohibition and corruption, not in spite of it. Speaking of which, the manipulations and mindgames between them have been unduly engaging. You don't generally think of Steve Buscemi (sp?) as a romantic lead, but in this particular setting and with this particular character, he makes for a hell of a rake. This show is dark and twisty and I'm totally loving it. Best of all, it's on HBO, so even though it has a niche audience, there's no threat of it being canceled. Indeed, after only the pilot, HBO greenlit a second season. [insert all-too-rare sigh of relief]

Honorable Mention:

HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER
I'm as shocked as you are. No, seriously. After an entire season of complete and total letdown, this show seems to have regained a lot of its former luster. I never knew how much I missed you! The episodes of this new season have been fun and light and most of all, in line with who these characters really are. I spent all of last season being unbelievably annoyed with everyone on the show because no one was doing anything that even kind of made sense for their characters. Robin was a controlling, pathetic bitch, Barney was a cartoon character, Ted was... even more annoying than usual, and Lily and Marshall just needed to stop. Everything. This season? I'm remembering why I love this show and these people. Breaking up Robin and Barney was probably the best thing that ever happened to the show. I'm actually enjoying seeing them onscreen together again. They play off one another so well when they're not a couple. Ted's annoyance level has diminished considerably, and Lily and Marshall, in spite of an unfortunate desire for children, are charming again. Now all we need is to meet the effing mother already (or geez, even a potential mother would be a step up) and I think this show might just have redeemed itself. Here's hoping the sparkling Jennifer Morrison either is the mother, or at the very least, leads us to her. Her talents and charm were so wasted on House for so long that it's very nice to see her back in a role that isn't a total disaster. Welcome back, Jennifer. And welcome back, Show. You were missed.

So there you have it. The sadly short list of shows I'm really loving right now. Don't get me wrong, there are many other shows that I enjoy, but more and more, shows like Chuck and Glee just don't have me chomping at the bit like they used to... more on in a future post.