Good Television

I think we must be in some kind of golden age of television, here in the 00's. Even if you put aside the astounding output of HBO, I've really enjoyed shows like Arrested Development and Heroes and Firefly and How I Met Your Mother and Dexter, and even gotten pulled into girlier stuff like Project Runway and Ugly Betty.

But HBO takes the cake. I've gotten to see Oz and The Larry Sanders Show and Curb Your Enthusiasm in small doses in the past and liked them a lot, but Jesus ... this year I've been catching up on some of HBO's well-regarded dramas, and they're fantastic. I've seen the first two seasons of Six Feet Under and the first season of Deadwood so far, and definitely plan to finish those series when I get the chance. And just this week I've finally been plowing into the first season of The Wire. I've been reading rapturous praise for the show from its small but passionate fan base for a while, and it always looked like it would be up my alley. So with impossibly high expectations, I've been watching it ... and I'm completely hooked. I love it. I even watched an episode before work this morning. When I'm done I'll be looking to convert non-believers and force them to borrow and watch my DVDs (or even better, buy their own to encourage more shows like The Wire). I wish I was home right now watching it.

I guess I'll have to catch up with that Soprano show too at some point. Good things lie ahead.