This article was written, by me, on May 25, 1998 and posted to the rec.arts.tv newsgroup. That original article has been slightly edited by me before being placed on the web on May 25, 1998.
OK, it's the end of the season, and here's my Season-End Review (for the purposes of this review, I'm mostly sticking to Primetime).
For this section, I'm just going to list my favorite networks (in order), my "Top 5 Shows" in each category (or, at least, my "Top 5" in the "Drama" category), followed "Special Mentions", "Honorable Mentions" and "Guilty Pleasures", and then finally the "Biggest Disappointment" and "Most Overrated" show in each category.
For truth in advertising, I'm including a list at the end of the Drama and Comedy categories of all the shows from this season I saw at least 2-3 times, but which did not warrant special mention (yes, I do watch a lot of TV, when I can). As you can see, I have sampled a lot of the dramas this year, but many fewer sitcoms! So, if a show is not listed in any of my lists, I probably didn't see it (or, at the most, I only saw it once).
In the following other sections (which are linked to), I will go on with the discussion of why I chose the shows I chose in the Dramas and the Comedies lists, respectively. (WARNING: I am a windbag, so sections 2 and 3 are lllooonnnggg.)
1. TV & THE NETWORKS (in order):
1. Non-Network (especially Non-TV) Entertainment
2. Cable/Satellite (e.g. HBO, USA, etc.)
3. WBN
4. Syndication
5. NBC
6. FOX
7. CBS
8. UPN
9. ABC
2. DRAMAS:
1. Buffy The Vampire Slayer
2. La Femme Nikita
3. Party of Five
4. ER
5. Earth: Final Conflict
"Special" Mention : Sleepwalkers, C-16: FBI
Honorable Mentions : The Pretender, Profiler, The Practice,
(in no order) Michael Hayes, Nash Bridges
Guilty Pleasure(s) : Pacific Blue,
Soldiers of Fortune, Inc.
Biggest Disappointment : Dawson's Creek
Biggest Decline : Homicide: Life on the Street
Most Overrated : Ally McBeal
Seen, at least 2-3 times : The X-Files, Melrose Place, 7th Heaven,
(but no special mention) Three, Love Boat: The Next Wave, Push,
JAG, NYPD Blue, Beverly Hills 90210,
Star Trek: Voyager, Significant Others,
Law & Order, Chicago Hope, Prey,
Nash Bridges, The Magnificent Seven,
Early Edition, Total Security,
Walker Texas Ranger,
Star Trek: Deep Space 9, Conan
The Adventurer, Pensacola: Wings of Gold,
Fame L.A., Mike Hammer: Private Eye,
Honey I Shrunk the Kids, Silk Stalkings
3. COMEDIES:
1. Frasier
2. Just Shoot Me
3. Friends
4. 3rd Rock
Honorable Mentions : Seinfeld, The Nanny, Working
(in no order)
Guilty Pleasure(s) : Sabrina The Teenage Witch,
Boy Meets World
Most Horrid Sitcom (Ever): Union Square
Most Overrated : Dharma & Greg (Ally McBeal: see Dramas)
Seen, at least 2-3 times : Nick Freno, The Tom Show, Alright
(but no special mention) Already, Jenny, Suddenly Susan,
The Closer, Clueless, Dharma & Greg,
The Drew Carey Show, Two Guys a Girl and
a Pizza Place, The Gregory Hines Show,
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