Best of 2009 in TV - So Far

5. 30 Rock

The jokes are fast and furious and even though all don't hit their mark, most do. The supporting cast and guest stars know their roles and pull them off perfectly. The central 4 characters are endlessly interesting and entertaining. As good as Alec Baldwin was in the his late 80s - early 90s film heyday, he seems even more suited to fill right-wing executive Jack Donaghy's shoes. And Tina Fey may have presided over a particularly bad span on SNL, but she has certainly found her place in the world both as a writer and performer in the past 3+ years.

4. Taking Chance

This HBO original drama did many things all other Iraq War feature films had not. Coffins and military personnel bodies were respectively and honorably shown. The political points were subtle and indisputable. And "flyover country" was show exactly as it is: good people with happy, simpler lives. It also contained the best performance of Kevin Bacon's career.

3. Flight of the ConchordsThe original songs weren't quite as good as the first season, but the stories were better integrated with the songs and Jemaine and Bret seemed more comfortable. The interactions with Murray were less frustrating and more unusually funny.

2. Curb Your Enthusiasm

Larry David came back from a 2 year hiatus with his comedy guns blazing. The Seinfeld reunion was a unique idea on several levels that paid off with some of the best rapport of the decade with Jerry Seinfeld and David. It's not quite all-time classic material like the original Seinfeld since that show had David's misanthropy adequately tempered by the other performers and David doppelganger Jason Alexander's curmudgeonly appeal.


1. The National Parks: America's Best IdeaKen Burns's monumental 12 hour documentary about the formation and fight for the National Parks is the one lasting TV experience of the year. Invaluable as a history lesson, insightful in its observations of man's relationship with nature, and inspiring with its specific human stories, Burns can add this timeless archive to his impressive resume. One for the DVD library for your kids and everyone else.