Nick the telly critic

I was discussing TV shows with my pal, Gav, the other day.  He happens to think Grey’s Anatomy the best show ever.  This, along with him not ‘getting’ Arrested Development, does bring into question our friendship, but now he has been publicly shamed so perhaps he’ll amend his preferences.  Anyway, it prompted me to compile my top ten TV shows, nay THE top ten TV shows:

1.    The Wire – without equal.

2.    Battlestar Galactica – almost as expansive as The Wire but in a very different way.  I watched all five seasons twice in three months. 

3.    Breaking Bad – I cannot wait until July for the final part, bitch!

4.    Buffy the Vampire Slayer – the greatest teenage show ever, by far, and platform for future Whedon greatness (The Avengers).

5.    Arrested Development – the cleverest comedy around, everything is finely crafted and multi layered.

6.    The Killing – the original Danish version, compelling.

7.    Modern Family – Phil is my hero and model for my impending fatherhood.

8.    Band of Brothers – well, it’s like a film version of Saving Private Ryan.

9.    The Office (US version) – much better than the UK one (he says having never seen it).

10.  Californication – who knew Duchovny could be so good in a part!?

Special mentions: Game of Thrones (may break into top ten but only seen season one), Firefly, Sherlock, Outnumbered, the best of the Attenborough shows (Planet Earth?) and the odd Horizon. Oh, and Strictly Come Dancing.

Likely future additions: The Sopranos, Homeland

What is surprising is that there is nothing British in my list.  There is even something Danish for crying out loud!  What happened to British TV? We still do the best nature programmes, and quite possibly the best costume dramas (not my bag) but once we did the best comedies too at the very least.

I once read someone explaining that they thought The Wire slightly edged Battlestar but if they had to give one show to an alien race to explain humanity, they would choose Battlestar (the irony being, of course, Battlestar is about aliens).  I definitely see where they were coming from.

In other news, trying to do Insanity, after the programme has finished is quite psychologically difficult, but I am just about keeping my fitness up.  I am not yet taking it to the next level though, so that needs some thought and motivation.

Climbing-wise, I am sporting a pulley injury (self diagnosed, of course) so there hasn't been any.  I am doing a few pull ups though and managed 100 yesterday evening across 20 sets of five.  I am doing cold treatment on it every day (along with icing my knees, I look a right state covered in ice lying on the sofa!) so hoping it clears up soon.