The Top TV Shows To Watch In 2010

The new year is upon us and that means we will get a batch of new and old TV shows popping up in the coming weeks, so here is a list of what is apparently the top shows that you and I should be tuning into.

“Human Target” Premieres January 17 on Fox

An action show based on a DC Comics graphic novel – yeah, boys are gonna love it. Ex-”Fringe”-r Mark Valley stars as Christopher Chance, a private security guard who integrates himself into his clients’ lives and then makes himself a human target in order to draw the threat out. But what drives him? Hmmm, cue fingers drumming on table. The preternaturally chiseled Valley is assisted by “Pushing Daisies” vet Chi McBride and “Watchmen” weirdo Jackie Earle Haley. No love interest has been announced. So yeah, girls are gonna need that.

“Lost” Final season premieres February 2 on ABC

It’s not a new series, but it deserves to be on this list because a lot of newbies (and oldies who’d given up) are going to want to tune in to catch what’s sure to be a crackerjack last season of “Lost.” Most shows keep going until they run out of gas and get cancelled, leaving the creators with little time to wrap up loose ends. But the makers of “Lost” knew they’d need to plot the finale to their twisty show long in advance, so back in 2007 they got ABC to agree to an end date of May, 2010 – even though the show was and is a ratings powerhouse – so they could start working backwards and make sure everything hung together. Mysteries like the smoke monster will finally have to be solved (or I’m starting a riot, dammit!), so apparently the sixth season will no longer devote precious minutes to flash forwards and other time travel business. But surely it’ll find time to show Jack and Sawyer with their shirts off again, no? Or else, you know – riot!

“Past Life” Premieres February 11 on Fox

You must watch at least one episode of this show just to enjoy how incredibly bad it is. And perhaps you’ll only have a chance to watch one episode of this show – that’s just how bad it is. Though it’s reportedly inspired by the novel “The Reincarnationist,” about a guy who goes to an institute specializing in the past-life memories of children to help him figure out why he’s remembering being a pagan priest in ancient Rome, it’s more plausibly inspired by the sound of TV executives scraping the bottom of the crime show barrel. In lieu of the novel’s “Da Vinci Code” intrigue, the show is a straightforward procedural, pitting a female believer (Kelli Giddish of “All My Children”) opposite a macho skeptic (Nicholas Bishop, “Home and Away”) as they investigate unsolved crimes by talking to people who are going through some sort of past life regression. The pilot episode has a teenage boy remember being a little girl who was drowned a couple months before he was born. Oh, the angsty faces! Oh, the silliness! You’ll die laughing, but don’t worry – you’ll be reincarnated so you can laugh at this show again.

“Parenthood” Premieres March 1 on NBC

Ron Howard had a family comedy hit on his hands with “Parenthood” in 1989, starring Steve Martin as the eldest brother in a loopily loveable clan. Two decades, a couple of Oscars and another family comedy (“Arrested Development”) later, Howard’s finally getting around to milking that cash cow on the boob tube. The TV version of “Parenthood” doesn’t seem to have been updated much. There’s still a single mom (Lauren Graham of “Gilmore Girls”), a ne’er-do-well brother (Dax Shepard) and an earnest dad (Peter Krause from “Six Feet Under”). But now the controlling parent played by Rick Moranis in the movie has gender-bended into Erika Christensen in the series. Judging from the trailer, the pieces don’t seem to fit together as well this time. (Do you really buy Krause as a dedicated family man?) But if anyone can spin a laugh out of sweetly dysfunctional family dynamics, Howard can.

“The Marriage Ref” Premieres March 14 on NBC

Jerry Seinfeld is producing this reality show about ordinary married folks and the celebrities who judge them. Turnabout is fair play, tabloid readers! For our alleged viewing pleasure, an assortment of actors, comedians and sports stars will crack wise and decide who’s right and who’s wrong in disputes between real-life spouses. We’re not sure if anyone gets voted off or if winners get to trade in their frumpy spouses for a celebrity. But we’re pretty sure that Seinfeld, who met his wife when she was newly married to someone else, isn’t qualified judge anyone’s union, ever. Ditto for sports stars, for pity’s sake. We’re also sure that Seinfeld’s wife has him over a barrel while this show is on the air. And that’s why we can’t wait to watch!

“Sons of Tucson” Premieres March 14 on Fox

This sitcom sounded like it could be a lazy cross between “Malcolm in the Middle” and “My Name is Earl” (please let hick worship die soon), but it’s actually a pretty shrewd one. Three brothers are about to be sent to a foster home when their father goes to prison, so they hire a loser to pose as their dad. The loser? Tyler Labine from “Reaper,” who’s just young, burly and caustic enough to keep the show sizzling. The kids are too caustic for their own good – they sounds like irony-lovin’ screenwriters, not kids in a fairly horrible predicament. But with writers from “Wonderfalls,” “Samantha Who?” and naturally “Malcolm in the Middle” plugging away at this show, they’re sure to grow on us.

“Treme” Premieres in April on HBO

From David Simon, creator of “The Wire.” That’s all discerning TV viewers need to know, really. “The Wire” was the best series of the last decade and Simon has the kind of talent that can only get sharper (and maybe angrier) with age. But if you need to know more: “Treme” is set in New Orleans three months after Hurricane Katrina, when people are just starting to come back. The title refers to one of the city’s oldest neighbourhoods, which is where much of its music and dance originated. Several of the main characters seem to be jazz musicians. The cast includes Wendell Pierce (Bunk on “The Wire”), Steve Zhan, Khandi Alexander and Melissa Leo (“Frozen River”). But as in “The Wire,” the real stars will be the social issues Simon tackles. Expect a lot of singing, dancing and outrage.

“Boardwalk Empire” Premieres in the fall on HBO

It’s like “Mad Men” but set in the 1920s with gangsters and gun molls! Martin Scorsese lent his name to this drama by directing the pilot, which is the brainchild of “The Sopranos” scribe Terence Winter. (If you’ll recall, “Mad Men” creator Matthew Weiner also came out of David Chase’s talent lab.) Steve Buscemi stars as Nucky Thompson, the “undisputed” ruler of Atlantic City (wanna lay bets on his rule getting disputed?) just as Prohibition takes hold. Michael Pitt, Kelly Macdonald, Michael Shannon and Michael K. Williams (Omar on “The Wire”) round out an excellent cast. Lots of attention to period detail should make this show the most stylish of the New Year. Or perhaps the most glamorous show on TV? The 1920s were an even better-looking decade than the 1960s, don’t you think?

“A Game of Thrones”

There are already two blogs devoted to following the casting and Northern Ireland location shoot of this series’ pilot episode, which HBO hasn’t yet confirmed will air. The reason for the feverish fan interest? The series is an adaptation of the first novel in George R.R. Martin’s beloved fantasy series that uses knights, tournaments, creatures and icy locations in the service of telling human stories where villains aren’t always the bad guys and where the honourable solution isn’t always the best one in the long run. (Thanks to Time Magazine and the Chicago Tribune for these observations.) Lena Headey from “Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles” will play a royal woman who’s as cunning as the men around her. Peter Dinklage, Sean Bean, Jennifer Ehle and Mark Addy costar. With any luck, HBO will green light enough games to take us through all the novels in Martin’s saga.

The only one of these shows that I will be watching is Lost, I’m glad it is ending but I am also going to miss it. Any of these shows catch your fancy?

source: 10 TV shows to watch in 2010 [MSN]

Popularity: unranked [?]

The Top TV Shows To Watch In 2010

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