CHUD.com Community › Forums › SPORTS, GAMES & LEISURE › Television › Best TV of 2008
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:

Best TV of 2008

post #1 of 26
1/15/09 at 1:38pm
Thread Starter 
Series, episodes, moments, lines, whatever. I always enjoy reading this discussion and we don't have one yet. Obviously this is going to be spoiler heavy, so stay away if that bothers you.
Reply
post #2 of 26
1/15/09 at 1:48pm
For me that would be hands down the final minutes of the Lost episode "The Constant".

Season four has been full of great moments that made for great TV and I am sure quite a few are bound to pop up in this thread anyway. But the phonecall between Desmond and Penny that crossed time and space moved me literally to tears. The way their "I love you"s got into synch as the connection broke up was a testament that this show albeit a great mystery series is about the characters first and foremost.

There might have been more riveting, action-laden or provoking scenes this year but this moment touched me emotionally unlike any TV series has done for quite some time.
Reply
post #3 of 26
1/15/09 at 2:01pm
I've been futiley trying to convince my friends who gave up on Lost during Season 3 that Season 4 is a return to greatness, but they're not buying it.

Another highlight for me was the "Silence in the Library"/"Forests of the Dead" arc on Doctor Who. Ample evidence that the series is in good hands with Moffat.

My single favorite moment in television last year though had to be Jon Stewart's simple, understated announcement that Barack Obama had been elected president on Comedy Central's election night coverage. You could see the hope in his face, as well as hear it in the audience's reaction. You looked at Stewart and got the sense that the last eight years had almost been worth it to get to that moment.
Reply
post #4 of 26
1/15/09 at 2:06pm
I think that conversation in The Constant is the closest a TV show has ever come to bringing a tear to my eye. And it's such a great reminder that LOST isn't about the destination, it's the journey. Made even better by the reveal that it's Penny's crew that saves them when the Chopper crashes at the end of the season.

The other big one for me is that 2008 is the year I discovered The Wire.
Reply
post #5 of 26
1/15/09 at 2:18pm
Jan, that's a great pick. I'll admit I got a little misty during that scene.

Some of my other moments?

The Show: "Supernatural"
The Episode: "No Rest for the Wicked" (3.16)
The Setup: It's Dean's last night on Earth before his contract is up and he's dragged to hell. He and Sam are on the road in a last ditch effort to stop the inevitable. Sam attempts to get meaningful, but Dean cuts him off.
The Scene: Dean forces Sam to sing Bon Jovi's "Wanted Dead or Alive" with him.
The Reason I Love It: It's a perfect encapsulation of the characters and their relationship. Also, it's the calm before everything, literally, goes to hell.
Reply
post #6 of 26
1/15/09 at 2:23pm
Vic Mackey's confession in the penultimate episode of The Shield.
Reply
post #7 of 26
1/15/09 at 2:23pm
#1 of 2008 was Barack Obama winning the presidency of the US. To me this is up there with the moon landing in TV history. Also Lost Season 4 was a thing of greatness.
Reply
post #8 of 26
1/15/09 at 2:25pm
Jan, I'm hard pressed to think of a better moment in television last year. And it's not for a lack of good moments, of which there are many, but it's just that that one's the absolute best.

I will say that John Adams is greatness, as was In Treatment.
Reply
post #9 of 26
1/15/09 at 2:26pm
John Adams was the best thing on TV last year.

There's so many moments to love, but the swearing in of Washington really stands out for me.
Reply
post #10 of 26
1/15/09 at 2:31pm
The last season of Law & Order (which started about...a year ago, I think) brought the flagship back to its true greatness that I personally feel has been missing since the late 90s.

Don't get me wrong, the show was fine before season 18 (despite some "off" casting every so often!) I can't put my finger on it, but it was missing something that just "clicked" last season with the additions of Jeremy Sisto, Linus Roache and Anthony Anderson and making Sam Waterston's McCoy DA after frying criminals left and right since '94.

I'd actually go as far to say the teams of Green/Lupo and Lupo/Bernard are the best since Briscoe/Logan from the mid 90s. Ditto with the "Law" team of Cutter/Rubirosa. If it turns out, those two haven't hooked up, I'll be surprised.

Of course, L&O's best quality (imo) has always been its ability to get into any given episode without having to know the entire back-story of its leads - a quality many feel is it's greatest weakness as well.

But I don't know the last time where I "had" to watch new episodes of the flagship when they premiered instead of waiting a year just to see the reruns on TNT.
Reply
post #11 of 26
1/15/09 at 2:39pm
I saw the entirety of The Wire last year, can't top that.

Mad Men : This never happened, you won't believe how much this didn't happen.
The Shield : Shane escaping The Barn and Vic's confession.
30 Rock : Way too many moments to remember. "i tried joining the firemen, but they are biased against the irish"
Lost : Terrific comeback. The season finale left me wanting to punch the Tv.
Battlestar Galactica : Tigh telling Adama he's a Cylon. And them reaching earth.
Generation Kill - All of it. Specially Ziggy's rants.
John Adams - Whoever cast Tom Wilkinson as Ben Franklin deserves a bag of gold.
Reply
post #12 of 26
1/15/09 at 2:58pm
Also have to give props to the May season finale of House M.D. Jesus, talk about gut-wrecking seeing Wilson and Amber together for the last time and then him having to pull the plug mere-minutes later.

That two-parter is exactly what all show-runners should strive for in their season finales!
Reply
post #13 of 26
1/15/09 at 3:02pm
the opening ceremonies of the Olympics is probably the #1 moment of 2008.

But my favorite moment had to be 'NAKED MAN!" on HIMYM.


Best new character: Knit Knots on Imagination Movers. Truly Boring and awesome.

I'd also say it was the year of the spy, as CHUCK and BURN NOTICE topped my favorite shows of 2008.
Reply
post #14 of 26
1/15/09 at 3:05pm
Favorite episodes:

The Wire, "Late Editions"
Mad Men, "Meditations in an Emergency"
Lost, "The Constant"
The two-part House finale from Season 4. It was the last time I cared about the show.

Favorite moments:

Battlestar Galactica - "Earth."
Mad Men - Peggy and Pete's conversation on the couch.
The Lost - "PENNEH?" "DESMOND?" Cue tears.

Moment that ripped my guts out and bummed me out for days - The final scene in "Late Editions."
Reply
post #15 of 26
1/15/09 at 3:08pm
The best moment of TV in 2008 was...the New York Giants defeating the...New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLII, ending the Patriots undefeated season, and allowing Big Blue to win their 3rd Lombardi Trophy.
Reply
post #16 of 26
1/15/09 at 3:17pm
The Shield:

Vic's confession was amazing, as was pretty much entire finale, particularly Vic's last trip to the Barn. "For the last 3 years," and Vic's turn on the other side of the table was some really wrenching stuff.

Battlestar:

The tracking shot of Galactica's crew on Earth spoke volumes with such economy, it was fantastic. I have particular love for the Chief's reaction. A lot of fans were let down by this season, but how this ending couldn't have you salivating for more is beyond me.

30 Rock:

The best comedy on TV had too many great moments to count, but if I had to choose a moment, it would probably be Jack's elaborate elevator scheme to test Kenneth's morality. Or synchronized running in the Olympics. Oh, or A Blaffair to Remblack. Shit!
Reply
post #17 of 26
1/15/09 at 3:34pm
"Family meeting."
Reply
post #18 of 26
1/15/09 at 3:35pm
THE SHIELD.

Every minute of it.
Reply
post #19 of 26
1/15/09 at 3:42pm
Something that was not the best but maybe the worst of 2008 but definitely the most memorable moment of 2088:

The semi-final of the UEFA European Championship between Germany and Turkey. I am sure some football nuts around here will vividly remember. A riveting game full of unexpecting twists and turns. The whole country was watching it. And then the unthinkable happened in the 60th minute. Due to heavy rain the transmission broke up all over Europe for 6 minutes. No picture. Nothing. People went batshit insane. Quite a scene to behold watching about 5000 people yelling and throwing everything they got at the screen. The picture went back on afterwards. But this was the closest to riots I have witnessed for quite some time.

Though the victory of the German team was quite a peace keeping force afterwards...

Now back on topic.
Reply
post #20 of 26
1/15/09 at 3:49pm
Chuck vs. Santa Claus.
Reply
post #21 of 26
1/15/09 at 8:47pm
Not a specific moment, but Matt Keeslar's line delivery on The Middleman was one of the best things about that series.
Reply
post #22 of 26
1/16/09 at 2:44am
Friday Night Lights, 2.14 - Smash's speech, set against Explosions in the Sky, 'The Moon is Down'.

And FNL season 3. I'll stay clear of spoilers for non-DTV viewers, but it matches season 1. People are finally catching on, it seems.
Reply
post #23 of 26
1/16/09 at 3:03am
When Sean's girlfriend took a shit in his hot tub in Nip/Tuck.

Matt setting himself on fire while freebasing in Nip/Tuck.

Rosie O'Donnell hanggliding in Nip/Tuck.
Reply
post #24 of 26
1/16/09 at 3:11am
"Do you realize what you've done to me?"
"... I've done worse."

DAYUM. A culmination of all that's happened for seven seasons and a final knife in the back of the idea that somehow he was still a good guy at heart. It was the perfect character summation of Detective Vic Mackey in every way, shape and form.
Reply
post #25 of 26
1/16/09 at 9:16pm
Obama winning was the best. But if that's cheating, it's the second to last Shield episode followed by the Galactica cliffhanger. The biggest disappointment was Season 3 of Venture Brothers. It drifted down to merely good.
Reply
post #26 of 26
1/16/09 at 9:55pm
Im going to be one of many here.

Vic's confession near the end of the season. That was several years of buildup, all culminating in 3-4 minutes of pure brilliance.

God Im going to miss that show.
Reply
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:
  Return Home
  Back to Forum: Television
CHUD.com Community › Forums › SPORTS, GAMES & LEISURE › Television › Best TV of 2008