Friday Night Lights (NBC) - The Taylors (Eric, Tami, Julie, and Gracie). The Garritys (Buddy and Lyla). The Riggins (Tim and Billy). The Colletes (Tyra, Mindi, and Angela). The Saracens (Matt and his Grandmother). Landry Clarke. The Williams (Corrina, Smash). The McCoys (JD, Joe, and Katie). This is the Friday Night Lights family, and with the exception of Landry, it's interesting to note that these are families. And that's the major appeal of this show. Earlier this year, we wrote pleas for you to watch FNL. We begged you to put aside your feelings about Texas, football, and high-schoolers and just give the show a chance. And then we listed our reasons: we compared the show to arguably the best drama ever made (The Wire), we explained that the characters are three-dimensional, we documented all the great music they've used to add even more to each scene, and we confessed that even though we like to think we're pretty manly (well, one of us at least), almost every episode of this past season has blurred the vision a little bit. To contine raving about the show is almost pointless... either you're convinced, or you're not. Regardless, Friday Night Lights and its incredible ensemble cast will entertain us for the next two years, and that's a very good thing.
Mad Men (AMC) - Jon Hamm! Scotch, smoking, sex!! Retro fashion and culture!!! It's actually been so long since this show's incredible season finale happened, I can barely remember what the second season of Mad Men was about (hence, the yelling of fragments above). However, it's definitely on the shortlist of shows I would consider taking with me if I had to pick just one for a deserted island... assuming the island has Lost-esque power capabilities. The things that make Friday Night Lights great apply for Mad Men: great character development, interesting story lines, and characters that are both incredibly flawed yet sympathetic. And while many shows take time to develop those characteristics, Mad Men hit the ground running from Episode 1.1 and hasn't lost steam. Although still in its infancy, I think it's safe to say that we can expect similarly great things of the show in the future.It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia (FX) - If you already watch It's Always Sunny, then you'll recognize the clips below. If you don't, watch them. The first is an extended 6ish minute clip that embodies the general tone of every episode (over-the-top, vulgar, playing on stereotypes, moral voiding, etc). If you like it, you'll like pretty much every episode. If you hate it, you'll hate pretty much every episode. The second clip is the opening sequence of the season finale, probably one of the funniest episodes in the series' 4 seasons. If nothing else, they should make you laugh. Hopefully, they'll convince you to watch the show
