Entertainment Weekly Best of 1996 list...yuck!!

Entertainment Weekly TV Writer lists his top ten TV programs for 1996 in the new year end issue.

• NYPD Blue
• X-Files
• Larry Sanders
• Newsradio
• Simpsons
• Friends
• Murder One
• Profit
• Seinfeld
• Moeshia

I have to agree with Ken on NYPD, X-Files, Seindfeld, Newsradio, and Simpsons. I have to wonder about the rest of the list.

Larry Sanders is a great show, but with only 13 episodes a year and a huge hiatus I don't think it belongs on the list.

Moeshia may be the best thing on UPN, but it's just standard sitcom material.

Friends still has a charming cast, but I feel the writing hasn't been up to last season's standards.

I've never seen Profit so I can't comment on that show. I don't watch Murder one so I hold back comment on that show as well.

I'm wondering how Frasier and 3rd Rock couldn't have made the top ten. Frasier is consistenty one of the best written, directed, and acted sit-coms on TV. 3rd Rock has been a big hit and added tons of fresh material to prime-time. Plus the cast of 3rd rock was listed as one of their top 25 entertainers of the year???

Brian Giese

(for the record writer Bruce Fretts inlcuded his top 10 and Frasier made his list)

In article , [email] wrote:

In case you hadn't figured it out yet, the critics (both TV and movie) at EW are complete fools! (IMHO...)

overrated

overrated, and declining!

Can't rate (don't watch)

Yep.

overrated

Better than last season, but I don't think it gets into the Top 10.

Yes, but mostly for last season.

Based on only 4 episodes?!! Even I'm not that bold!

Eh, probably...

No! There are better "teen sitcoms" ("Boy Meets World" and "California Dreams", come to mind).

And what a surprise, those idiots at EW left off "Homicide", "Party of Five", and "ER"! And at least "Time" included "Ned & Stacy" and "3rd Rock".

EW = morons! >:/

I agree.

IMHO, Seinfeld has gone downhill this season. Its not real awful, but the fact is its not up to Seinfeld's potential and it shouldn't be in the top 10.

Aaron

In article , [email] says...

I have watched Seinfeld throughout its years. And, I have to say that this season is my favorite. It is more off-the-wall, and to me that is funnier. Not any less clever, just crazier. There seems to be this idea on a.t.s. that once the realism starts declining, then therefore so must be the quality.

A few favorite moments from this season: Pam. Pam! PAM!!; the laser-like beam and the red buzzing light coming from Kramer's apt; Kramer acting like a dog; the dog coughing...

Sitcoms change, like musical groups. Sure, some "sell out," but others mature and become just plain different. So, it's fine if you miss your old Seinfeld. I happen to enjoy both. This whole Seinfeld-bashing thing reminds me of people talking about musical groups and how they cannot accept a group's change throughout the years ("I only listen to their old stuff, etc"). Sometimes the old stuff is better. Sometimes it is worse! And most of the time, it is different.

So, this season is my favorite. I have simply laughed louder and harder at this season's episodes. Sorry to ramble, but I have just had enough of this!

The older episodes are definitely superior to the current shows. Too many times this season I have found myself cringing at lame gags that are better suited for lesser shows ("Drew Carey","The Single Guy", "Men Behaving Badly").

Don't get me wrong--I still love the show and think it is better than 99.9% of what you will find on the tube at any given time. But, I hope if Seinfeld does come back next season it will be for fewer, higher-quality episodes (see "Larry Sanders").

I agree. I think people were expecting the shows to suck because Larry David was gone, so if they noticed something that was a molecule different than earlier episodes (at least, what _they_ considered different), it was instantly labeled as "garbage". I remember at the start of the season, people were complaining about the show's new "editing style", for crying out loud! Too much analyzation, not enough relaxed viewing.

My fav this season was "The Chicken Roaster", but I also liked "The Little Kicks" and "Bizzaro Jerry". The others were great too, but not as good as those three. In fact, I don't think there's a single episode this season I haven't liked. It seems just like more of last season.

Definitely? :)

Too many times this season I have found myself

Like what? Nothing this season has seemed to be "suited for lesser shows", at least when I watched them. What sorts of things are you talking about? (BTW, if those lesser shows used the gags that have been on Seinfeld this season, then I don't think they'd be considered lesser anymore)

I don't get HBO (don't laugh).

Why not pitch some treatments for future shows. It'd be cool if the writers, sans Larry David, could develop some scripts based on input from fans on the net. Give it a try!

Me wrote in article ...

:

:

says...

but

this

funnier.

a.t.s. that

quality.

laser-like beam

a dog;

mature

Seinfeld.

of

group's

the

harder at

this!

I don't know if it is my favorite season, but I certainly think it's been very good! My favorite episode from this season was just re-run, the one with the "Bizarro" friends....

DPW

In article , [email] says...

says...

but

in

this

funnier.

a.t.s. that

quality.

laser-like beam

like a dog;

others mature

Seinfeld.

of

group's

etc").

the

harder at

of this!

i never cared for seinfeld and think it is mostly ALL crap: the old AND the new! thank you...

whatever wrote:

<Wry, knowing look...>

Newman!

DPW

On Mon, 23 Dec 1996 17:34:28 -0700, [email] (Ian J. Ball) wrote:

Can you post the Time list?

In article , [email] wrote:

The list SHOULD go 1.Seinfeld, 2.Simpsons, 3. Ned and Stacey ...(the rest is irrelevant)

Ya what is with the time thing? You have to tape 3 shows all at the same time to see what you want!

In article , [email] wrote:

I don't get "Time", so I can't. I only peaked over someone's shoulder on the flight back to LA, so that's where I saw it! ;>

I do remember that the "Time" list had a couple of PBS-type shows, and also included A&E's "Pride & Prejudice" at #3! :)

If you don't like EW's list, then ignore it. I'm just fine with the list; I suppose that makes me a moron.

Jennifer Liao

Seinfeld, Third Rock, Newsradio, Frazier, are shows I continue to enjoy --

I dont care for Ned and Stacy, respect Simpsons but dont enjoy it, pretty indifferent about most others.

I really think Seinfeld is the one show today that could be comfortably placed among classics like The Honeymooners, I Love Lucy, Dick Van Dyke Show, Andy Griffith, et al

just an opinion

jim

From: [email] (SUBTEECHUR)

I really think Seinfeld is the one show today that could be comfortably placed among classics like The Honeymooners, I Love Lucy, Dick Van Dyke Show, Andy Griffith, et al

just an opinion

jim

----------------------

I vote for Molly Dodd to be added to classics list... \

How comes Cheers and Roseanne aren't classics?

(snip)

Not! "The Simpsons" should be number 1. There is no better written, more clever show on the air today. I agree that "3rd Rock" should have made the top 10, though.

Oh no. I think if it is regularly made series, and it is good enough (it certainly is, IMO) it belongs on the list. If it has a few fewer episodes (13 against 22 isn't that many fewer) then that doesn't really matter. It's quality that counts.

I'm not really a Friends fan. It's okay, but a show like Frasier is much better written and is much funnier. (I am in a minority on this one I think. In the UK, Frasier immediately follows Friends and college TV rooms tend to fill up when Friends starts and empty when it ends and Frasier comes on. I find this very disappointing.

The second season hasn't been shown over here yet. The first season was superb, IMO.

Say what in the heck is Moesha??

In article , [email] says...

It's 13 a season, and there are usually 2 seasons a year for this show. HBO doesn't follow the conventions of the major networks in this regard. And the hiatus was a fluke thing in that quality episodes used to come out w/ no hiatuses (hiati?) and the quality hasn't changed. This show is just plain good, and in my opinion, no ifs, ands, or buts.

nabikanch,[email],Internet writes: The list SHOULD go 1.Seinfeld, 2.Simpsons, 3. Ned and Stacey ...(the rest is irrelevant

Wrong. 1 - Late Show 2 - Simpsons 3 - Homicide 4 - Seinfeld

I'm from England, and we don't get all of your shows, e.g. Ned & Stacey. However, I did see it in Australia on holiday, and I thought it was shit! It can't compare to Seinfeld or Friends. From the U.S. programs that I've seen this year, I would have to put the list down as :-

• Friends
• Seinfeld
• Homicide
• ER
• X-Files

Do you guys get the British versions of Men Behaving Badly and Red Dwarf, because they really are brilliant! And what about Only Fools and Horses?