The Top 5 Shows of 2010 You Didn’t Watch
As 2010 comes to a close, many writers take the time to write about the best shows of 2010. They often write about the popular and well received shows, categorizing them into the "best" field, but more often than not, it's the shows that are NOT being watched that deserve words of praise and encouragement.
So in light of this fact, I bring you my list of the top 5 shows that you didn't watch in 2010 in the hopes that you will make them part of your 2011 watching resolutions. The following shows are "on the bubble" are all severely underrated and could use a little bit of love.
Common Enemies
Dan and Jack are at it again as they work to outwit an obnoxious CSI consultant to catch a famed thief, but end up on another mission to save Liz and Ruiz.
Ethan Phillips (Star Trek Voyager) makes a guest appearance as Alfonso Laviolette, an ego-centric consultant hired on to catch Roland, "The Tech Bandit" (Derek Webster). Of course Dan, always one to go it out alone with his cop sense, wants nothing to do with Laviolette and his wishy washy science ways. Of course, ingeniously, Dan and Jack are able to outwit the consultant and catch the thief on their own using Dan's intimate knowledge of Metroplex BBQ restaurants and intuition.
Meanwhile, we find Ruiz and Liz undercover hot on the tails of a dirty state senator Buddy (Ray Wise) only to find themselves taken hostage by him. It's up to Dan and Jack, with the help of Roland the thief, to get up there and save the day.
This is one of the few episodes where we have two main stories going independently of each other. Usually we don't see much action from Ruiz and Liz, and especially not together working a case. I suspect that Liz is going to try to avoid taking on any more police work in the future, though, as she's learning that Jack and Dan's life is a lot harder that it seems.
Overall, it's a fun episode with plenty of great dialog, and we get to see Jack and Dan really work as a team with Jack really going along with Dan's crazy cop ways.
Other Thoughts
- "I may fail you, it's too early to tell." - Dan
- "This may be the week I'm kicked off the force." - Dan
- HIckory House BBQ and the Crescent Hotel are real places. I like it when they use real locations in the show, and they need to do so more.
- "There's three things I know. Fast cars, Fighting crime, and the varieties of good BBQs in the Metroplex" - Dan
- "Let's go pust a punk!" - Jack
- "I work 5 or 6 days a year, travel the world, eat like a king." - Roland the thief on why he steals.
- Fox 4 makes another cameo.
- NYGEN Technologies isn't real, but it looks like it was filmed in Victory Tower.
- "If you slept with a hostage, you gotta save em yourself." - Dan on why he's so willing to save Ruiz.
- The entire precinct is in a state of shock at Liz in her outfit.
- Liz: "I would have picked that up, but I can't bend over right now."
Jack: "It's ok, I can't stand up right now."
Vacation
One of my favorite shows from last spring is back, and its back in fine form. The Good Guys is an action comedy that pays homage to the cop dramas of the 70s while at the same time mocks their cliche style. In the fall return for season one, Dan (Bradley Whitford) and Jack (Colin Hanks) find themselves suspended after a property damage incident downtown, which is amazing considering it hasn't happened until now.
The main story revolves around the fact that Stark fires his gun in public, gets sprayed with pepper spray, commandeers a vehicle, and drives down the road blind and destroying a lot of property resulting in a week long suspension, or "vacation" as Dan puts it. You can't even be surprised that that's what Dan would do in this situation, which makes it all the more hilarious. With their "vacation" time, Jack has a chance to get away from his chaotic partner while Dan continues his renegade cop ways by "borrowing" $50,000 dollars to help out his informant and bust a loan shark. Of course he merely ends up in a situation where he has just now financed a prison break via the corrupt warden, and it's up to Dan and Jack to get the money back. The side story involves Liz (Jenny Wade) and Jack as they continue to work though their rocky, tension filled relationship as friends wanting to be more than friends again. It doesn't take up much of the story, but it's a good buffer between the chaos that is Dan and Jack's life as a detective pair.
One of the best things about The Good Guys is the great chemistry between all the characters: between Dan and Jack as reluctant and adversarial partners; between Jack and ADA Liz as former couple with plenty of left over emotional connection; and between Dan, Jack, and Lt. Ruiz (Diana-Maria Riva) and her desire to fire them with every fiber of her being but having to accept the fact that Dan always finds a way to save the day. The characters all have a lot of heart and are always likable. Over the course of this season, Dan and Jack have definitely started go get much more comfortable with each other and are turning into a great team.
Other thoughts
- "I don't need my eyes to bust a punk. The only sense I need is my cop sense!" - Dan
- 'I'm two thirds fun, one third danger." - Jack
- "It's not stealing if they don't see you take it." - Dan
- Milkshake - Using an spoiled jug of milk to disable a pursuing car.
- "I love the smell of teargas in the afternoon!" - Dan