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RSSIt was the best of times . . . my favorite TV moments of 2008
TiVo and I have made our list and checked it twice and here's our list for our favorite TV moments of 2008:
1. Tina Fey is Sarah Palin and Amy Poehler is Hillary Clinton on the season premiere of Saturday Night Live (September 13, 2008): There is no doubt that Fey's inspired take on the would be Vice-President was the TV performance of the year. But this first skit which paired Fey with Poehler's bitter, exasperated Clinton was downright brilliant and proved, once again, that when Saturday Night Live is good, it's very very good.
2. Jim tells Andy about Battlestar Galactica on the "Business Ethics" episode of The Office (October 9, 2008): A welcomed reprise of the classic Dwight and Jim rivalry. Dwight tries to prove to Jim that he doesn't waste time at work but when Jim tells Andy that the new Battlestar Galactica is a "shot by shot remake" of the original and mentions characters from Harry Potter, Star Wars, and Lord of the Rings, Dwight can barely take it. The hilarious scene was reminiscent of the Jim/Dwight pranks of season one and an example of how the show, now in it's fifth season, can still be the funniest thing on television.
3. The island disappears on There's No Place Like Home episode of Lost (May 29, 2008): No show does season finales like this ABC drama and this one had many great moments (Locke in the coffin, Penny and Desmond's reunion, Sun screaming as the boat explodes). But nothing can top the fact that the whole island disappeared. Where did the island go? How will Jack and the gang go back to a place that's not there any more? What does it all mean? I don't know but I can't wait to find out
4. Amber dies on the Wilson's Heart episode of House (May 19, 2008): Definitely the most heart wrenching moment of 2008. And a credit to both Anne Dudek and Robert Sean Leonard that I didn't even like Amber and I couldn't stop sobbing.
5. Julie tells her father the truth about what happened with Tim in the "Jumping the Gun" episode of Friday Night Lights (January 11, 2008): If you need any proof that Kyle Chandler is one of the best dramatic actors on TV, look no further than his "Damn, Julie. Damn" upon hearing that his daughter had lied to him.
6. Abby dances out of County General on "The Book of Abby" episode of ER (October 16, 2008): This is a series not known for its graceful exits but they did good on this one. A perfect and peaceful ending for one of the show's most troubled characters and a hint that this series will end on a high note.
7. Barney and Ted do naked man poses on "The Naked Man" episode of How I Met Your Mother (November 24, 2008): There were so many instantly classic funny moments on this comedy in 2008(the "Intervention episode and Barney using the NCAA brackets to narrow down which woman he had wronged come immediately to mind), but Barney and Ted showing off their Naked Man poses was the definitely the highlight. Whether you liked the Cooper Tone baby, The Thinker or my personal favorite, the Burt Reynolds, you'll laugh three out of three times.
8. Warrick is shot in the "For Gedda" episode of CSI (May 15, 2008): We knew Warrick wouldn't be back but how he was killed and by who was one of the season's best surprises.
9. Peggy tells Pete the truth in "Meditations in an Emergency" on Mad Men (October 26, 2008): I don't know about you but I had been waiting for this moment for a long long time.
10. Eli sees George Michael for the first time in the "Pilot" episode of Eli Stone (January 31, 2008): We knew instantly that the show would be different and take chances. We also knew instantly that the difference would work. So few network TV shows try new things these days -- Eli Stone relishes telling its story in an unconventional and utterly compelling way.
Honorable mention: Dylan is the father of Kelly's baby on "The Bubble" episode of 90210 (September 16, 2008): I put this in at the risk of inciting a TV Gal rebellion. But maybe you'll indulge me because it's the holiday season. To have this TV love triangle resurface after eight years, well, I can honestly say, there wasn't a moment this year that made this TV fan happier.
Those are my favorite TV moments of 2008. What are yours? Talk about it below.
Highlights of the Week Ahead
All times listed are Eastern Standard Time for December 15-21
CBS comedies are all new tonight. And I for one will be tuning in to see Emilio Estevez, Charlie Sheen's real life brother, on Two and a Half Men (Monday, CBS, 9 p.m.).
It's the fall finale of Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles (Monday, FOX, 8 p.m.). The show will return with new episodes on Friday, February 13.
You know I didn't go into watching Momma's Boys (premiering Tuesday at 10 p.m. on NBC) expecting much -- a show about three men and their moms who try to find a mate among 32 women isn't exactly high on my list to begin with. But this show is really really bad and I am all fired up about it. I've had it with awful awful people getting a platform on network television. One mom, Khalood Bojanowski, announces early on that her son can't be with an African-American woman, an Asian woman, a Jewish woman or a woman with a big butt. We do not need to see a bigot on TV. We just don't. There's no big lesson that can be extrapolated from such disgusting behavior. It offends me that she is going to be on national television. One of the sons, Michael Sarysz, still lives with his mom who does his laundry, makes his bed and does all his banking for him. Does that scream catch to you? I'm all set with this show. ALL SET. No stars.
The Muppets are back with a new Christmas special A Muppets Christmas: Letters to Santa Wednesday at 8 p.m. on NBC.
That's all for today. I'm back on Wednesday with this week's familiar faces and much much more. Have a question? Seen a familiar face? Want to nominate a quote of the week? Write me at amytvgal@zap2it.com.
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Zap2it Twitter Talk 
Amy: Thanks for picking a moment from How I Met Your Mother. While I generally think the post-strike episodes of last season were better than this season, it is still a consistently good show. I'm looking forward to catching it in reruns on ABC Family starting in January.
Great Colunm Amy!! I too love HIMYM and am happy you included the Naked Man Poses. Captain Morgan was one of my favorites.
On another note, Big Head Todd, where are the Monsters and when are you going to make a new album?! :)
Amy, you're so right about that scene from FNL. Kyle Chandler did more with three words and a look than a lot of actors do in the entire run of their series.
I'm not even going to try and pick 10 favorite scenes from an entire year - I've probably got 20 from Chuck alone.
There is quality television out there, you just have to be patient and find it - and try stuff that may not sound appealing at first. Friday Night Lights is a perfect example of that - I have less than no interest in football. A friend talked me into giving it a try and I'm so glad they did - it's truly a gem.
Thank God, too, for cable networks who seem willing and able to take risks on scripted tv. Many of my favorite shows aren't even on the big networks (Burn Notice, The Middleman, Eureka, Kyle XY, Psych, Shameless).
How can you forget the Dean and Sam reunion on the S4 Supernatural premiere. That was gret TV.
AMY: I agree with you that the SNL skit from the season premiere was one of the funniest moments of the year. However, it doesn't bode too well for the rest of the season, since Tina Fey and Amy Poehler are no longer regular cast members. Sorry, but I think the rest of the SNL cast isn't as funny as Fey and Poehler, and certainly not as good as some of the actors that were on during the 1980s and 90s. :-(
I have some favorite moments from the new season of Friday Night Lights, but I guess it's too soon to discuss, since most people haven't seen the episodes on DirecTV. All I can say is that I loved the send-offs they wrote for Smash and Jason. (**I don't think those would be considered spoilers!**)
One of my favorite network shows is 'Chuck', so of course, I have too many favorite moments to list all of them here. I especially loved the episode where Chuck has to save the world by playing the arcade game, Missile Command. Also, I loved the episode where Sarah goes to her high school reunion. Seeing Casey as the party's DJ was priceless! :-)
Smallville has been better than ever this season. There have been plenty of good moments, but one of the most memorable was when Doomsday crashes (LITERALLY!) Chloe and Jimmy's wedding.
I also wanted to add the 24:Redemption movie. I know a lot of viewers criticized it, but I was just so glad to have Jack Bauer back in a new episode! The ending was depressing, but made me want to watch the upcoming season even more.
If we can mention reality shows, then I would put American Idol on the list. Most people were surprised that David Cook eventually won more votes over the (apparently?) unstoppable David Archuleta. Also, on Dancing with the Stars, I was surprised that Cristian de la Fuente was able to continue dancing the week after he had injured his arm (on live TV). Seriously, I felt queasy every time they showed the clip where Cristian's arm seemed to snap during his performance! He danced a lot better with only one arm than some others could do with both arms! :-0
For me it's the Sam & Dean reunion on the season 4 premiere of Supernatural .. that hug! OMG awesome & sooo emotional (it was fully earned by the storyline, and fans had been waiting for it for sooo long)
Can someone tell me when FNL is returning to NBC? I mean, to those of us without DirectTV? I haven't seen any mention of it Amy's column. Thanks
Hi Adam,
Friday Night Lights returns to NBC for a third season on January 16. Whoo-hoo!
Amy
YES!! I love the HIMYM, Eli Stone, and Lost moments too! I couldn't have picked better myself. I've been catching up on Eli Stone this weekend and I am soooo sad that it could be over! And I can't wait for the return of Lost! The fourth season was completely awesome - better than seasons 2 and 3 combined, and that was still good TV. That finale was mind-boggling!
The House and Lost moments you mentioned (as well as when Jack tells Kate they have to go back) were the highlights of my TV year.