Sir Griffin's Top Ten of 2011
As we close out 2011, allow me to wish each and every one of my loyal readers a
very Happy Hanukkah, Merry Christmas, Happy Kwanzaa and Happy Holidays. I thank you for your loyalty and for making TV & Burgers an overwhelming
success.
It is now time for Sir Griffin’s annual list of his ten best shows of 2011. Before you read you do have to remember that this is my list,
not yours, and thus if you disagree feel free to make your own list, but do not
disparage mine. I list my shows alphabetically and not in any order of
favorites. Also, there are a lot of shows out there that I just do not watch
that are often critically acclaimed and since I’ve never seen them I cannot
include them no matter how good they are. I have never seen Mad Men or Breaking
Bad so don’t look for those on this list. So without further ado I bring you
Sir Griffin’s Top 10 of 2011.
2 Broke Girls – From the first episode I fell in love with this show. Kat Dennings and Beth Behrs have incredible chemistry together. The story is simple. Beth plays Caroline, a one time socialite now poor and working in a cheesy diner with the street smart Max, played by Kat. They are trying to save up enough money to start their own cupcake business. The supporting characters are funny and Beth has what have to be the sexiest legs in the world. Chestnut the horse is gone, but hopefully he’ll make an occasional guest appearance.
The Amazing Race – Year after year this is the best reality show on TV. If you have never seen it, the show is about teams of two on a race around the world facing difficult challenges along the way. It’s fun to get to know all the contestants and witness their often bizarre relationships. Many seasons have teams that you despise and I always thought that was great, but the recently concluded season had nothing but likeable teams and that was the best. Bonus points for including Hank Aaron and the Atlanta Braves on the finale this season and for one team going to a place (The Dump) that was right across the street from the hotel we stayed at this past summer.
The Big Bang Theory – My inner geek tells me that this is
can’t miss TV. From the characters that I can relate to in their complete
geekiness to the appearances from Evil Wil Wheaton I just cannot get enough of
this show. The characters are real to me and there may be nothing funnier than
the oddball relationship between Sheldon and Amy Farrah Fowler. I do miss Priya
and hope she does return at some point, but then again I would like to see Penny
& Leonard get back together. It’s just fun.
Fringe – When last season ended and Peter never existed I had no idea what was going to happen this fall. To say I am pleased is a bit of an understatement. Why more people do not watch this show I do not know, but for me it is brilliant. Walter turning more reclusive just makes his character that much more intriguing to me. As Olivia gets to know Peter all over again and Walternate up to something I know the next half of the season is something I anxiously await. And why is Nina drugging Olivia? I must know!
The Middle – This is one of two great
shows that take place in a fictional town in Indiana. The Heck family consists
of parents Frankie & Mike along with their three children, Axl, Sue &
Brick. They are not wealthy and Frankie is probably the world’s worst used car
salesperson. All the characters have their own quirks and have good comedic
timing with each other. I love Brick, his obsession with reading and his
particular quirk of repeating words in a whisper to himself. It also cracks me
up that Sue’s middle name is Sue.
Modern Family – Quite often this is the funniest show on TV. My own little prince sees me as his own Phil Dunphy which I take as a compliment. By far, my favorite characters are Cam & Mitchell. The rapport they have with each other combined with their instantly quotable one liners makes for big laughs. I enjoy the multiple family aspects of the show as we are never too long with just one set of characters. The way they mingle in and out of each other’s lives is a delight. The Christmas show this year was a classic.
Parks & Recreation – Set in fictional Pawnee, Indiana this
show is the story of the oddballs that work in local government. Since I do spend a lot of my time working for the government I can also say that this may
be the most realistic show on TV. I work daily with each and every one of these
characters and I’m pretty sure I am Ron Swanson. My sister does not like this
show and I think her reason is because the Parks & Rec Department has an
ongoing feud with the “stupid” library people. This show was never funnier than
the episode in which the tiny horse known as Li’l Sebastian died.
Raising Hope – From the minds behind My Name is Earl comes another classic series in the same vein. Little Hope is the daughter of Jimmy Chance and serial killer Lucy. Jimmy gained custody as Lucy received the death sentence and is now doing his best to raise his daughter amidst the crazy people in his life. Jimmy lives with his parents, Virginia & Burt, and his great grandmother Maw Maw. Maw Maw has been more lucid this season than she had been in the first year and that has only made things funnier. How anyone could not be charmed by this show is beyond me and the little girl that plays Hope is adorable.
Survivor – By my own admission I am a Survivor fanatic. I am obsessed with the show; however, I have no ambition to ever appear as a contestant, a la Cochran. The next season is not until February and I am anxiously awaiting the release of the cast list. As I have said before I do not care for Redemption Island or bringing back old contestants to mix with the new, but that never stops me from watching. This recently completed season was one of the best ever.
The Walking Dead – No show scares me as much as this
one and I love it. This season has improved on the last and our band of misfits
have hardly moved after spending most of their time at Hershel’s farm while
searching for the missing Sophia. Each week is a surprise and for my money this
show has done a fantastic job of character development in a very short time.
When it was revealed that Hershel was keeping a barn full of Walkers it shocked
me. But nothing prepared me for the moment went little Sophia walked out of
that barn and Rick shot her in the head. I could not sleep after that. That my
friends is what great storytelling is all about.
So there you have it. Thanks for reading and Happy Holidays to all!
It is now time for Sir Griffin’s annual list of his ten best shows of 2011. Before you read you do have to remember that this is my list,
2 Broke Girls – From the first episode I fell in love with this show. Kat Dennings and Beth Behrs have incredible chemistry together. The story is simple. Beth plays Caroline, a one time socialite now poor and working in a cheesy diner with the street smart Max, played by Kat. They are trying to save up enough money to start their own cupcake business. The supporting characters are funny and Beth has what have to be the sexiest legs in the world. Chestnut the horse is gone, but hopefully he’ll make an occasional guest appearance.
The Amazing Race – Year after year this is the best reality show on TV. If you have never seen it, the show is about teams of two on a race around the world facing difficult challenges along the way. It’s fun to get to know all the contestants and witness their often bizarre relationships. Many seasons have teams that you despise and I always thought that was great, but the recently concluded season had nothing but likeable teams and that was the best. Bonus points for including Hank Aaron and the Atlanta Braves on the finale this season and for one team going to a place (The Dump) that was right across the street from the hotel we stayed at this past summer.
Fringe – When last season ended and Peter never existed I had no idea what was going to happen this fall. To say I am pleased is a bit of an understatement. Why more people do not watch this show I do not know, but for me it is brilliant. Walter turning more reclusive just makes his character that much more intriguing to me. As Olivia gets to know Peter all over again and Walternate up to something I know the next half of the season is something I anxiously await. And why is Nina drugging Olivia? I must know!
Modern Family – Quite often this is the funniest show on TV. My own little prince sees me as his own Phil Dunphy which I take as a compliment. By far, my favorite characters are Cam & Mitchell. The rapport they have with each other combined with their instantly quotable one liners makes for big laughs. I enjoy the multiple family aspects of the show as we are never too long with just one set of characters. The way they mingle in and out of each other’s lives is a delight. The Christmas show this year was a classic.
Parks & Recreation – Set in fictional Pawnee, Indiana this
Raising Hope – From the minds behind My Name is Earl comes another classic series in the same vein. Little Hope is the daughter of Jimmy Chance and serial killer Lucy. Jimmy gained custody as Lucy received the death sentence and is now doing his best to raise his daughter amidst the crazy people in his life. Jimmy lives with his parents, Virginia & Burt, and his great grandmother Maw Maw. Maw Maw has been more lucid this season than she had been in the first year and that has only made things funnier. How anyone could not be charmed by this show is beyond me and the little girl that plays Hope is adorable.
Survivor – By my own admission I am a Survivor fanatic. I am obsessed with the show; however, I have no ambition to ever appear as a contestant, a la Cochran. The next season is not until February and I am anxiously awaiting the release of the cast list. As I have said before I do not care for Redemption Island or bringing back old contestants to mix with the new, but that never stops me from watching. This recently completed season was one of the best ever.
So there you have it. Thanks for reading and Happy Holidays to all!
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