Steve's Top 10 Favorite Television Shows of All Time
10.	Twin Peaks Every week, I religiously watched "Twin Peaks"--even after its deteriorration into a soap-opera. Its greatest strength was its spooky, hypnotic portrayal of the enigmatic. Perhaps this could be attributed to the genius talents of David Lynch, Mark Frost, and Angelo Badalamenti. Unfortunately, the show inherited some irritating trends like lame character plots, an absence of direction, and excruciating detail to slow-paced old men. Evenutally I suspected David Lynch of being weird for weirdness' sake, thus dispelling that intriguing veil of mystery. Best moment: Cooper helps Leland find peace in "Arbitrary Law". Jump the Shark moment: Waiter shuffles back and forth as Cooper bleeds on the ground in "May the Giant Be With You".
9.	The Practice "The Practice" featured consistently terrific plots (especially in its earlier seasons). The storylines focused on the fascinating, paradoxical world of our legal system. Complicated scenarios often tore the lawyers between legal ethics, conscience, and success--which often contradicted one another. Morally muddy characters periodically competed against each other in engrossing, thought-provoking debates. Although the storylines became overdramatized and retreaded, I still remained a loyal viewer. Best moment: Ellenor reveals why she called Helen to the stand during the Vogelman trial in "One of Those Days". Jump the Shark moment: Helen shoots Vogelman in "Loser's Keepers".
8.	Law and Order I knew I was addicted to "Law and Order" when I began regurgitating the same legal jargon as the characters. This series follows a familiar, episodic paradigm: in the first half-hour, the detectives book the murderer; in the second half hour, the assistant D.A.'s put the murderer away. However, my favorite episodes usually explore social issues, or present twists in the storylines: odd cases, infuriating public servants, partner rivalries, half-hour character crossovers, etc. My least favorite episodes tend to be "whodunits" and plots were they spend the whole hour interviewing people. Perhaps the series has survived so many cast changes because of inattention to character development--hence, I savior each glimpse of the characters' personal lives. Yet despite this neglect, I would be unhappy if Sam Waterston or Steven Hill ever left the show. I still enjoy the paradigm where the D.A.'s periodically receive cynical advice from Steven Hill. Recently, I've begun to resent the growing tendency toward "ripped from the headlines" plots (which I call "ripped-off from the headlines") that copy sensationalist real-life stories. This trend has caused "Law and Order" to plummet on my list. Best moment: McCoy and Curtis reflect on the testimony in "Double Down". Jump the Shark moment: McCoy criticizes new ADA Carmichael for questionable tactics in "Cherished".
7.	Angel Although I think that "Buffy" covers a better range of social issues and likeable characters (the smug heroes and villains in "Angel" irritate me), the creative storylines and humorous twists kept my interest piqued. Best moment: Angel and Darla reuinte in "Reprise". Jump the Shark moment: Love triangles start between the characters following a ballet in "Waiting in the Wings".
6.	The Simpsons "The Simpsons" could perhaps represent the greatest comedy ever broadcasted. The show satires everything from famous personalities to social culture, with any irreverance usually presented in good taste (the expection being, perhaps, some of those Halloween episodes). It also excels in making the bizarre funny. Often hillarious and occasionally touching, this show has and always will be a prime time staple. Best moment: Homer plugs up a water tunnel (to the horror of the sliding kids approaching him) in "Brush With Greatness". Jump the Shark moment: The Simpsons characters act out spin-offs of their own series in "Simpsons Spin-off Showcase".
5.	Star Trek: Deep Space Nine While "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine" flunctuated in quality from episode to episode, one main story element remained compelling: the Dominion. The Dominion greatly improved the show with its intriguing members: treacherous shapeshifters and samurai-like Jem'Hadar soldiers. Soon, the Federation and Dominion engaged in hostilities that revived the fascinating confrontational elements that "Babylon 5" regrettably relenquished. Best moment: An elderly Jake says goodbye to Sisko in "The Visitor". Jump the Shark moment: Odo kisses Kira in "His Way".
4.	The Mole Out of all of the reality TV shows, I enjoy a whodunit called "The Mole" the best. The contestants attempt to win money for the team by succeeding at challenges, with one catch: a hired "traitor" among them secretly tries to sabotage their efforts. The players take a quiz on the Mole's identity at the end, and the player with the lowest score leaves at the end of each show. Throughout each season, it amused me trying to narrow down the Mole's identity. After failing to deduce the culprit in the first season (the Mole seemed like the most useful player), both my brother and I started developing a "profile" for the second season Mole. It worked pretty well. Best moment: Kathryn faints in the "trust" challenge. Jump the Shark moment: n/a.
3.	Babylon 5 "Babylon 5" struck me as a science fiction World War II, where the outcome remained uncertain. Each of the six major races resembled different factions of world history: the Shadows, Nazi Germany; the Earth Alliance, America; the Minbari Federation, Japan; the Centauri Republic, Colonial Britain; the Narn Regime, Africa (I can't think of a comparison for the Vorlons because they were so enigmatic). Often, the plot paralleled intriguing historical incidents like McCarthyism, Germany and Russia's non-aggression pact, the bombing of Coventry, and the Civil War. The strength of the series was its finite five-year life span, which almost allowed the plot to stay focused. Its irreverance for the status quo gave the storyline a fresh unpredictability--in contrast to the encapsulated episodes of the "Star Trek" genre. Unfortunately, I thought the series plummetted tragically downhill when the main Shadow-Vorlon storyline concluded. But in retrospect, I still recall the various times where I proclaimed, "This is the best show I've ever seen!" Best moment: G'Kar rebuts Londo's tirade in "The Long, Twilight Struggle". Jump the Shark moment: Sheridan cheats death at Z'ha'dum in "The Hour of the Wolf".
2.	The Big Moment Unlike other game shows which dished out quick money based on the contestants' know-it-all, luck, or so-called skill, "The Big Moment" actually rewarded contestants for hard work. The crew would pick a daunting challenge--usually outside of the player's expertise--and allow that player one week to practice. For example, a karate expert would have to recite 100 digits of pi without error. If the player could accomplish this challenge during their one opportunity on the show, then they win well-deserved cash and prizes. To my disappointment, ABC cancelled this suspenseful, genuinely triumphant series after only a few shows. Best moment: After a week of practice, a military contestant attempts the last and hardest box juggling trick in his "big moment". Jump the Shark moment: n/a.
1.	Buffy: The Vampire Slayer "Buffy: The Vampire Slayer" continuously impressed me with innovative premises and strong acting talent. It sported hilarious sardonic humor; yet managed to hit hard with gripping dramatic issues. The episodes stood consistently compelling--even in the later seasons--and the finales always packed a dynamite climax. Best moment: Buffy's scream thwarts the Gentlemen in "Hush". Jump the Shark moment: Not yet applicable!

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