AFI Picks the Ten Best TV Shows...But Who's Watching?

By Barry Garron

Late Saturday afternoon, I returned home. No sooner did I walk through the door then my wife inquired, "Well, which ones did you pick?"

I had been one of the 13 jury members selected by the American Film Institute to choose the ten best TV shows of the year, including movies and miniseries. The rules exclude unscripted reality programs. Even if they didn't, I doubt it would have changed anything.

My fellow jurors included Del Reisman, a brilliant writer whose credits go back to "Playhouse 90"; Dick Askin, former president and CEO of Tribune Entertainment; Neal Baer, who is a doctor but is better known as exec producer of "Law & Order: SVU"; Rich Frank, former president of Walt Disney Studios; Matt Roush, critic for TV Guide; and Melissa Gilbert, actress and former SAG president. I'm not sure how much prestige I added to the group but I was very grateful to sit among them.

We had come in with a long list of shows and then spent the entire morning and a little of the afternoon debating, pleading, lobbying and persuading each other so as to reach consensus on which ones belonged in the Top Ten.

"So what were they?" my wife asked. I started rattling off the names just as the AFI lists them, in alphabetic order. "Dexter," "Everybody Hates Chris," "Friday Night Lights," "Longford," "Mad Men..."

A frown began to form on her face. Also a quizzical look. I continued. "Pushing Daisies," "The Sopranos," "Tell Me You Love Me," "30 Rock," "Ugly Betty."

"What are these shows?," she asked. "I've never even heard of them." Of course, that's not entirely true. You'd have to have just flown in from Jupiter not to know about "The Sopranos." And "Ugly Betty" isn't exactly a trade secret.

But her point was, how good could these shows be if most people are unfamiliar with most of them? Four of the ten shows were available only to those who pay extra for HBO or Showtime. (Judging was based on new episodes in 2007, not "The Sopranos" edited reruns on A&E.)  "Mad Men" was a summer show on AMC.  Of the five network series, three had been in danger of being canceled for weak ratings.

Not long ago, series such as "Seinfeld," "E.R." and "Frasier" were both viewer and critical favorites. In recent years, though, it's been an either/or proposition. It's still possible to get a huge audience for an event, such as the crowning of an "American Idol" or a Super Bowl contest. However, there are so many entertainment options aimed at so many demos that even the best shows have trouble attracting viewers and attention.

It's encouraging that cable, in addition to its many awful reality shows, also has become home to some of TV's finest programs. It would be even more encouraging, though, if people would find these shows, wherever they happened to be.