This is the time of year where everyone cracks open their Top 10 lists, or Top 5 lists, or highlights of stuff released this year, etc. Fewer people acknowledge that this format is all rather restrictive, and doesn't take into account things we may have discovered this year but were around beforehand, or perhaps something that has been around for a while finally hit its form and is worth acknowledging or revisiting. A fine example of this format is here, among other similar posts. Not one to pass up a good idea, I've decided to so a similar thing.
Here then are my highlights and lowlights of 2011.
Highlights
The Middle: This quirky sitcom does everything right. It feels like an indie film. It has characters that are rooted in believability but are then pulled just enough into a little bit of the extreme (but not too much) - such as the teenage boy who is frustrated and embarrassed by everything the rest of his family does, and the daughter who is obsessed with every extra curricular activity on the planet. It has recurring secondary characters that make the neighbourhood feel consistent and lived in (such as the loser workmate, teachers at school, and the singing preacher (really) who isn't in your face but rather tells it the way he sees it and lets everyone decide for themselves. Oh, and it's genuinely funny.
Doctor Who: Matt Smith proved himself as the Doctor last year. This year, the entire production team proved that they can deliver a season arc that is thrilling and surprising. It was full of eye-opening twists, and the new aliens of The Silence are just plain terrifying. This season included what is now one of my favourite episodes of all time: The Doctor's WIfe, written by Neil Gaiman. (Yes, that Neil Gaiman.)
Fringe: This sci-fi show gets better every year. From really taking the parallel world idea and going with it full ball to tweaking the opening credits to clue the audience in as to which "world" (or time) the episode is going to be set in. It's an intelligent, well thought out thriller that has filled its world with a mythos that expands beyond what you see in front of the camera. It also takes a lot of guts to literally write a character out of existence and not bring them back in the same episode.
Boxcutters / Televised Revolution: I may have listened to these two Australian television related podcasts in previous years. I can't remember, because this year I really took an interest in them. I didn't listen to every episode every week, but if a news story caught my eye and I decided to listen, chances are that it was an engrossing (and often times also humorous) conversation.
The Spicks and Specks Finale: I'm not including every episode of the series this year that aired. They were all good, but not all of them were great beyond what we've seen in previous years. The finale, however, was the perfect way to say goodbye to this show. Some shows get to go out on their own terms. Some get to go out at the height of their popularity. Few shows get to do both at the same time.
Good Game: It's been around for a while, and the format that presenters Bajo and Hex present to us hasn't really changed over the past few years. However, that has worked to its advantage because this year it actually felt polished, professional, and a genuine insight into the gaming industry. They've got the balance between fun and informative spot on, and give us interviews that are actually interesting and insightful. They've become the Margaret and David of gaming.
Rashomon: Kurosawa at his best. We were treated to two of his films on SBS this year, the other being Seven Samurai, and boy were they good ones. While Seven Samurai is a fantastic action film, Rashomon is potentially now one of my all time favourite films. Briliantly executed, I couldn't stop thinking and raving about it after I had seen it.
Kenny: It's been a while since I've seen a comedy that's actually funny. Kenny was just what I needed. It actually made me laugh.
Lowlights
The Gruen Franchise: Don't get me wrong. The Gruen Transfer is a great show. So was the election special Gruen Nation. However, with the expansion to Gruen Planet - an idea that in itself is interesting - the restraint of the show has been loosened. It's still entertaining, but it feels like it's lost its focus at times. The main culprit is Wil Anderson. The focus of Gruen Planet meant that he had to be somewhat restrained in his humour, and that worked for him and the show. However, now he seems to have been let loose. He just spends the half hour taking cheap shots and making crude attempts at jokes that aren't funny to anyone but him.
The Treatment of Top Gear Australia: Let's face it. It was never going to be as popular as the U.K. version. That being said, it could have developed a nice audience for itself, and I'll admit that I actually enjoyed it. But Channel 9 decided to treat it like dirt, change the time-slot every week, and then axe it when they thought it wasn't working because people weren't watching it. Had they actually given it a chance and been consistent (or even pushed it onto Go!), perhaps it might still be with us.
The Split Season Format of Doctor Who: While the episodes were good, the fact that they were split into two lots of six was not. It felt like we were always waiting for new episodes we knew were there. The season, while it was incredibly satisfying in its conclusion, could have been even more so had the BBC decided to air it in one full season.
Pan's Labyrinth: I really was looking forward to seeing this film. I wanted to experience the wonderful fantasy that del Toro had created. Then I watched the film, and realised that the Labyrinth was hardly in the film, let alone anything about Pan. The wonderfully dark fantasy that everyone claimed was in this film was hardly there at all.
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