15 on 15(+6) - TV edition

Yeah, I'm a few days late on this one. And I don't watch TV too often these days, so my list may be even more eccelectic than you'd expect. Anyway, without further ado:

15. Iron Chef (the Japanese version, dubbed in English) - My all-time favorite cooking show. Top-notch chefs battle head-to-head to fashion tasty and creative dishes that incorporate a specified ingredient. This show is hysterical on many levels. First, there's the host (I think he's called the Chairman or something like that), who's always dressed up in some flashy shirt (my dad refers to him as "The Japanese Mozart") and is the only guy who's voice isn't dubbed into English. He's serious about his food; he even relishes biting into a yellow bell pepper like an apple in the show's opening credits. The challenger enters the arena (Kitchen Stadium) like a heavyweight prizefighter, and then selects one of the Iron Chefs by calling out his name and pointing to a giant mural of that chef. The Iron Chef rises from below the stage with the appropriate amount of dramatic music and smoke. Then the Chairman announces the ingredient and uncovers said ingredient by whipping a dropcloth off of the ingredient table with a dramatic flourish. Then the clock starts - the chefs have an hour to prepare their dishes. The majority of the show follows the progress of the two chefs (and their various sous chef helpers) as they scramble about the kitchen. This is accompanied by play-by-play commentary and general chit-chat with Japanese celebrities (who will ultimately judge the meals and determine the outcome). The dubbing is pretty funny too. All in all, the Japanese version is far superior to the American spin-off.
Favorite episode: I'm not sure I can pick out any one episode in particular. But Iron Chef Morimoto defeating American challenger Bobby Flay was a classic.

14. The Dick Van Dyke Show - Ah, "classic" television, in vintage black and white. Thanks to the advent of TV on DVD, I recently got to see several episodes from this series, and it's a great show. Dick Van Dyke is a master of physical comedy and has impeccable timing.
Favorite episode: The Curious Thing About Women -- Where we learn that opening other people's mail can be dnagerous, especially when it's a self-inflating raft.

13. The Cosby Show - I have fond memories of this show from my childhood. It brings back memories of the family all sitting together around the television for some good wholesome entertainment. I'm not sure if that actually happened, but that's what comes to mind when I think of the show. Bill Cosby as Cliff Huxtable is very amusing, and his children's antics are reminiscent of Cosby's stand-up routine Fatherhood.
Favorite episode: Pilot -- Where Cliff uses Monopoly money to teach Theo about budgeting and finance in the real world.

12. MacGyver - What can I say? MacGyver is just cool. Armed with little more than his Swiss Army knife, some household objects, and an extensive knowledge of chemistry and physics, MacGyver could get himself out of any jam. I'm not really even sure what his job was, but I think it was some sort of governmental secret agent gig.
Favorite episode: It's been a long time since I've seen this show, so I can't remember any one episode clearly enough to list as a favorite. But you can check out an episode guide here.

11. Law & Order - It's high drama "ripped from the headlines." And you've gotta love the dramatic gavel sound. Derek and I once thought up a drinking game to this show, but I don't know if we'd be able to make it through a full episode. Although I don't see myself ever being a prosecutor, I'd still like to have Jack McCoy's courtroom presence. And I have to say that watching this show probably had a strong influence on how I portrayed mock trial police officers.
Favorite episode: This show has been on for years, and I doubt I've seen even half the episodes. Nevertheless I have seen quite a few, and they start to blend together after a while. Add to that the complication of the various spin-off shows and I have no clue what my favorite episode is.

10. The Daily Show - A fantastic show. Oh, and I'm talking about The Daily Show in its current incarnation, anchored by Jon Stewart -- not the original with Craig Killborn. This show is like a televised version of The Onion, but funnier because the news stories are real. In addition to Stewart's hillarious take on current event, the show has a bunch of correspondents who do field pieces with the severity of Dateline or 20/20. Throw in a random Lewis Black rant, and you've got one heck of a show.
Favorite episode: Because of the topical nature of the show, it's hard to pick out a favorite. I'd just recommend watching it whenever you get a chance, or catch up on clips of the show over at Comedy Central.

9. The Colbert Report - Stephen Colbert got his start as a correspondent on The Daily Show, and now he has his own spin-off that follows it. Colbert's show is basically a parody of The O'Reilly Factor. Like The Daily Show, it pokes fun at current events. It's brimming with ego and self-aggrandisement as well as self-referential humor.

Favorite episode: Again, this one's topical. Check out the clips on Comedy Central -- especially segments like "The Word" and "Threatdown."

8. Jeopardy! - The king of game shows. This show brings back fond memories of quiz team in high school. Like any good game show, you can play along at home, and either marvel at what kinds of things the contestants know or scream at the television in frustration when they miss an "obvious" one.
Favorite episode: Any episode with a healthy dose of answers I know the question to. :)

7. The X-Files - The truth is out there. This is one of the few series which I followed fairly faithfully while it was on TV. It had its highs and lows, which is part of the reason it's lower in these standings. FBI agents Fox Mulder and Dana Scully trek across the country (and sometimes the globe) investigating the paranormal - which invariably turns out to be some amazing or freaky phenomenon that modern science cannot really account for. (And while we as the audience got to "see the truth," Mulder and Scully never seemed to hold onto the crucial evidence that would prove the existence of the varioius phenomena. And amazingly, no matter how many mutant creatures they found, Scully always insisted that it had to be something less exotic and more explainable by science. That's not to say that Mulder was always right; many of his theories were pretty outlandish, and occasionally it was something explainable.) The show tracked everything from weird mutants to werewolves to astral projection, but aliens and alien abduction was a recurring theme. In fact, the backbone of the series revolved around the government's knowledge and collusion with aliens. All in all, the show could be weird at times, but it was suspenseful and frequently pretty funny too.
Favorite episode: The first few seasons were by far the best. The show really went downhill after Mulder left the show; the Mulder-Scully dynamic was a fundamental part of the show. Little Green Men is good, and is probably the first episode I saw. But my favorite is probably Jose Chung's From Outer Space.

6. Arrested Development - I've only just recently been introduced to this fine show, thanks to Adam and Matt. And while I haven't even gotten through all of the first season, it's downright hysterical and I've been promised the best is yet to come. The characters are outrageous and over the top, and I marvel at the minds that devised the bizarre yet amazingly funny plots. It's full of quotable lines. I'm looking forward to seeing more of this series, thanks again to TV on DVD.
Favorite Episode (so far): Top Banana -- Where we learn that "there's always money in the banana stand," and "OH MY GOD, WE'RE HAVING A FIRE... sale."

5. The Practice - A counterpoint to Law & Order - "reasonable doubt for a reasonable fee." It's a great legal drama with compeling characters and interesting cases. There are plenty of trial tactics to love, and the show isn't afraid to confront the ethical turmoil of defending clients you know are guilty. But we get to peek inside the DA's offices as well, and see both the valiant struggles for justice and the potential of prosecutorial abuse of power.
Favorite Episode: Once again, the early episodes were the best. Things started to fall apart as some of the main characters dropped out of the picture. Bringing James Spader on board was a good attempt to save the series, but it wasn't to be. Luckily, Spader's character got spun off to Boston Legal, which while good isn't as good as The Practice. All said and done, my favorite episode has Eugene giving a thoroughly masterful cross examination. I'm not 100% sure, but I think it was the fifth episode in the first season (Part V - it was before they were naming the episodes apparently).

4. Whose Line Is It Anyway? - If you want to watch something really funny, watch this show. I think it's only on ABC Family now, which is a shame, but if you've never seen the show I highly recommend it. Often imitated, never replicated. This is great improv comedy. I used to watch the original British version on Comedy Central (back when I had cable); later, Drew Carey created an American version. The British version had more rotation among the participating comedians, which added a little variety. But the American cast (Ryan and Colin were veterans of the British show) is so good that you don't really need any others.
Favorite episode: It's an improv show; half the fun is seeing what wild and zany stuff they'll come up with next. So my favorite episode is probably one I haven't seen yet. But even if it's a repeat, it's still hysterical and I'll still end up watching it.

3. Jeeves & Wooster - Based on the characters created by P.G. Wodehouse, this show is everything that makes British 'humour' great. Wooster and company engage in all types of crazy hijinx and find themselves in increasingly funny entanglements. Luckily the ever-wise and incomparable Jeeves is there to sort things out.
Favorite episode: The Bassets' Fancy Dress Ball (or, A Plan For Gussie) -- Where we meet the infamous (and hillarious) Spode and learn he has a deep, dark secret...

2. The West Wing - A very well written show with great characters. Really, I'm not sure what I can say about this show that Derek hasn't mentioned in his various blog posts. Given the state of government, sometimes I wish Martin Sheen was President.
Favorite episode: Hartsfield's Landing -- The President proves his mental prowess both on the chessboard and in balancing delicate and dangerous diplomacy with China and Taiwan.

1. Firefly - I learned about this show after it had already been cancelled. It had an entirely too-short run on FOX. It's really a great show; I guess given the kinds of shows FOX generally shows, Firefly was just too good for the network. Despite it's short run, the show's done very well in DVD sales and even spawned a movie. I think there are still some efforts to bring this show back, which I think would be fantastic. Firefly is a space-western set aboard the Firefly-class spaceship Serenity. It was created by Joss Whedon (creator of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel). What really makes the show is its cast of characters. They're fairly complex with dynamic relationships between each other. The episodes that were made had some great plots, and Whedon's sense of humor and knack for snappy dialogue (peppered with some Chinese words and phrases!) makes for some great TV.
Favorite episode: Out of Gas is a great episode that examines how many members of the crew met. These flashbacks are incorporated into a storyline in which an explosion on Serenity illustrates the fragility of life in space. It's beautifully shot and has some great music as well.