Michelle’s Top 5 TV Shows of 2008
5. The 2008 Beijing Olympic Opening Ceremony Minutes before the 2008 Summer Olympics kicked off in Beijing, many Americans about to watch the coverage on NBC were probably thinking “Cammannnn, what kind of backward pony-show are these 
pinko Commie bastards gonna put on for the entire world.” Hours later, those very same Americans were forced to steam clean their couch cushions after their collective a**holes were blown out. The Opening Ceremony was UN. BE. LIEV. SCHREIBER. A. BLE. From the almost terrifyingly accurate 2008 drummers (who were trained to smile so as, you know, not to scare the bile out of children), to the thousands of dancers performing Tai Chi in perfectly concentric circles, to the torch bearer DEFYING F**KING GRAVITY AND LOGIC, to Bob Costas, Beijing has officially set the new standards for brain-melting spectacle. Make sure to set the bar real low for the 2012 London Ceremonies, when a toothless man will offer the world a biscuit made out of failure.
4. Greatest American Dog Thank you, CBS, for finally realizing what the world needs: A reality show about Man’s Second Best Friend*. Here is the secret to the success of this throwaway summer reality show from CBS: Make it look like a reality show about dogs, when in fact it is a reality show about INSANE DOG OWNERS. The dog’s were just adorable bystanders trotting alongside their severely disturbed trainers. And can we talk about the episode titles?? A sampling: “He’s a Farter, Not a Fighter”; “The Fast and the Furriest”; and “Salvador Doggy”. It is on that basis alone that we must rank Greatest American Dog as one of the Top Shows of 2008.
(*After Meth)
3. Saturday Night Live If ever a show in 2008 brought me back to my middle school days, it was SNL. Little does this show realize it had the pleasure of spending many a Saturday night live with me (yes, ME!) in my bedroom, knee socks stretched to their limits, sorbet spoon firmly placed in mouth, as I waited to see how Sarah Palin was to be lampooned by the deservedly praise-lavished Tina Fey, not to mention brilliant performances by Kristen Wiig (“Surprise Party” is a gem) and my personal favorite Bill Hader. We were also lucky enough to see some dramatic actors push their comedic limit (Jon Hamm comes to mind), and that you should never, ever let a swimmer host the show again, no matter how many medals he has, because he probably can’t read. (Mark Spitz is so mad at me right now.)
2. Summer Heights High My favorite comedy of 2008. Without rehashing on why this is my number one must see of the year (yes, it’s on HBO on Demand), just check out both of my earlier please along with hilarious clips here and here.
1. The Real Housewives of Atlanta Dear Nene Leakes: Thank you. Thank you for easily being the most hilarious reality show character in all of 2008. Thank you for being friends with the most hilarious televised gay man in 2008 (who has the prettiest feet I’ve ever seen.) Thank you for making up a little song about how your friend Kim, the one who lied about cancer and who was also melted over a BBQ in the “Black Hole Sun” video, and thank you for not being tardy to the party. You are anything but tre tre tre declasse. We love you.
Honorable Mentions: “Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew” I figured I’d throw a bone to my home network and say “Hey VH1, you’re still A-OK in my book.” I loved the second season of Celeb Rehab, due in large part to the good graces and amazing hair stylings of Dr. Drew Pinsky, and the inimitable Jeff Conway and Gary Busey. And it wouldn’t be a TV list of mine if I didn’t mention:
“Mad Men” Seeing as one of our other BWE.tv editors ranked this show (spoiler!) as his #1, I won’t spend too much time explaining why Mad Men was one of the best scripted series of the year. (This is the same reason I won’t even breathe a word about the fabulous 30 Rock, because at this point you should just assume it’s on my every Top 5 list.) So, without getting too wordy on you, about how Jon Hamm is God, etc etc., please allow this animated GIF to sum up why Mad Men is boss:
Sara’s Top 5 TV Shows of 2008
5. Grey’s Anatomy. I know, this show is starting to totally suck. But have you ever heard of a little thing known as LOYALTY? Plus, let’s face it. This year they introduced McPutHisWangInDoctorYang, and they ripped a dude’s face off. Not sure if George will survive through the end of next year, so let’s hope that they get rid of him in a really Grey’s Anatomy-y way. One thing’s for sure: the ghost of Denny is hot.
4. I Love Money. When I saw the first episode for this show, I predicted that it would be “exactly like The Gauntlet, except 400 times more trashy.” Boy was I wrong. It was about 6,000 times more trashy. Though these competition shows involving recycled “___ of Love” contestants are getting really old, I Love Money will forever remain in my heart as one of the most brain-hemorrhage-inducingly awesome shows I’ve ever seen.
3. So You Think You Can Dance. DO I NEED TO EVEN EXPLAIN TO YOU MY LOVE FOR THIS SHOW??
2. Gossip Girl. While everyone is constantly complaining that The Hills is fake, they’re missing out on probably the most realistic television to ever beam into our living rooms. It’s called Gossip Girl you guys, and it’s basically a documentary about high school life. After the writer’s strike, it seemed as if I’d never love again, or see a new episode of GG. Thankfully, when it came back this year, it was better than ever. The story line may have shifted too much onto Jenny Humphrey, but let’s be honest, if they went full-on Chuck-Blair, I’d tire too easily of them. Way to play hard to get GG. I’m still hungry for more.
1. Tim & Eric Awesome Show Great Job! I mean, duh. This show remains one of the freshest, most hilarious things on TV right now. I see comedians everywhere on the internet (and on stage) imitating these guys, and I don’t blame them. Tim and Eric have mastered the art of making you laugh while also making you extremely uncomfortable; it’s something that is very difficult to pull off, but when done well, is utterly sublime. Sure, it might get me in trouble at work when I try to give a “business hug” to a coworker, but it’s worth it sure is worth it when the person gets the joke (they don’t).
Dan’s Top 5 TV Shows of 2008
5. Top Chef You know, as much as I write about Top Chef, I don’t truly consider it one of my “favorite” shows. It’s a good show, but I mostly make it a point to watch every week just to have something to follow — it’s not unlike the one character in Slaughterhouse Five who takes a sh*t at the same time every day just so he has something he can control that the Germans can never take away from him. (Flawless analogy? Check.)
4. South Park Hits some weeks, misses some other weeks, but it’s always worth watching for that reason. It’s also remained fiercely topical and one of the few legit sources of satire outside Colbert and The Daily Show, and nearly every episode contains at least one moment that simply won’t give up until you relent into giddy laughter. (Example)
3. The Office / 30 Rock I hate to lump them together, cause both shows have evolved so independently of one another and are miles beyond what appeared to be limited-potential first seasons, but The Office and 30 Rock continue to simply cruise every week with dozens of laugh-out-loud moments and a gradual upward trend towards total absurdity. And like children, I can’t rank one above the other.
2. Lost Season 4 was the best Lost season yet. There aren’t any word combinations in the English language that I haven’t written about this show already, so I see no need to explain this inclusion further.
1. Mad Men I initially groaned at the prospects of having yet another series to catch up on and more spoilers to avoid, but two iTunes purchases and one lengthy flight to Asia later, I finally became privy to the current best show on television. It’s got the Sopranos‘ sense of humor and moral bankruptcy mixed with an eerily convincing 60s aesthetic, terrific characters, and more smoke than Good Night and Good Luck and Backdraft combined. Here’s hoping for a long, Sopranos-like stay on television too, only minus the 3-year gaps.
