5 TV Shows to Watch This Year

This is a list of five tv shows you shouldn't miss in 2009. You may be frustrated with some of the garbage that makes its way to your living room tv set, but if you sift through the detritus, you can find some great tv shows. Yes, you can find a few diamonds amongst the "reality tv" nonsense that flows seemingly unfettered to your tv screen.

Without further ado, here is my list of 5 must watch tv shows for 2009.

Must-Watch TV Show #1

Mad Men. If you are a fan of good, quality television shows and you haven't seen the AMC gem, put it at the top of your list for 2009. Mad Men is that show that has had critics and die-hard fans falling over themselves with praise. I haven't heard a negative word about this show. The audience, however, is still quite small, at an average two million viewers per episode. After it swept the Emmy awards this year, though, Mad Men solidified its spot as perhaps the best drama on tv.

Mad Men stars John Hamm as an advertising executive in the 1960's. The agency is located in the center of the cultural universe: Madison Avenue in Manhattan, New York. The show is very interesting, well-written, and entertaining. Taking place in a time where the U.S. is at the brink of some serious upheaval and change, Mad Men has the feel of the last vestiges of an Empire. You get the feeling that Rome is about to burn and the hoop skirts and skinny ties are going to disappear forever. One thing the show does great is it stays away from being formulaic or nostalgic or even clche for that matter. Matthew Weiner, the shows creator who previously wrote for The Sopranos, tells intricate stories that are not at all superficial. When you watch Mad Men, you are totallly enthralled, entertained, and are given space to think between dialogue and rich imagery.

Must-Watch TV Show #2

Breaking Bad. Another AMC tv drama/comedy, Breaking Bad is the story of a down on his luck high school chemistry teacher in the no-man's-land of New Mexico, who resorts to cooking and selling crystal meth to pay for his cancer treatments and to provide for his family after he's dead. It is surprisingly upbeat though. Bryan Cranston (Malcolm in the Middle) plays Walter White, the main character. The show's first season starts with the rythm of a sadsack character who is in a sad situation, but ends up restoring his pride in himself by taking action, which gives it a feel-good underdog quality. The show is rather complex though, as we start to learn, through flashbacks and reacquaintances with old friends, the details of Walt's previous life. At one time, he was a brilliant mind and his former love interest is now married to Walt's wildly successful and benevolent ex-business partner. There is a lot due to unfold in the second season of Breaking Bad. This is a definite must watch tv show.

Must-Watch TV Show #3

Flight of the Conchords. Okay, I admit I might lose you with this quirky-beyong-belief selection, but I had to add it to the list because it's one of my favorite shows on the air. I haven't missed an episode. I also thought I'd spice thins up by including a comedy on this list. Flight of the Conchords is an HBO half-hour comedy featuring two New Zealand-born folk musicians trying to make it stateside in New York City. The two guys, Jemaine and Bret, define the word hipster. The main comedic element to the shows is the band's insouciant naivete, strongly supported by a cartoonish fantasy element, and epic albeit ridiculous music video breakdowns in each episode.

One of the best things about Flight of the Conchords is that the show breaks format from most other shows and does it in a very original, well-thought out way. The two stars, Jemaine and Bret, know who these characters are because they've played them on stage for years prior to the show's origins. Definitely check out "Flight" if you get a chance. Be warned, it's not for everybody, but if you're looking for some straight-up entertainment, give it a shot.

Must-Watch TV Show #4

Californication. Hank Moody (played by David Duchovny) is a novelist having a crisis of faith. In short, he can't write. This is how the Showtime series Californication starts. Things change for Hank as we move through the second season and embark on a third, which will start sometime in 2009. Californication, created by Dawson's Creek alum Tom Kapinos and produced by Duchovny, is a wholly original tv show. That's to say there is nothing else on the air like it. I supposed you could compare some aspect of it to another insider-Hollywood-show Entourage, but it is it's own animal entirely in the mature adult concepts it takes on. The basic premise of the show is that Hank is trying to find happiness and meaning in his work life while vying for affections of his ex-girlfriend (Natasha NcElhone) and trying to be a decent father to their daughter, Becca. He constantly screws everything up though, which makes the story interesting. You get the feeling there is no such thing as a happy ending, and if there were, the show probably would have no entertainment value whatsoever.

Californication is ridiculously entertaining and not just because of the clever (and colorful) wordplay, but because the situations Hank gets himself into are so funny and relatable. Nothing seems like too big a stretch because the messes he gets himself into take place in the netherworld of the entertainment business in Los Angeles. Definitely check out Californication on Showtime in 2009.

Must-Watch TV Show #5

30 Rock. I was considering adding The Office to this list, but I think that me suggesting that show is a given, because it's probably the funniest show on tv. It's hilarious and brilliant. I wanted to write about 30 Rock because it's a show that I only started watching this season. I don't know how the Rock stayed off of my comedy radar for so long, but evidently it did. 30 Rock is a show created by SNL alum Tina Fey, which she stars in alongside Alec Baldwin and Tracy Morgan. It is an over-the-top comedy about the entertainment business. Specifically, the show takes place at 30 Rockefeller Plaza, NBC's headquarters. It has the pseudo-jokey-reality built into it, which is a tough thing to carry out. But the people who write and act on this show have rewritten the ironic tv entertainment rule books.

Tina Fey plays Liz Lemon, the head writer of a late-night comedy sketch show, of which Tracy Morgan's character is the star. Alec Baldwin is the executive in charge of the network and the unlikely friend of the hapless, romantically-challenged Liz Lemon. 30 Rock is funny, entertaining, and as clever as tv comedy gets. Watch 30 Rock Season 3 Online.

Well, that's my list of must watch tv shows for 2009. I hope you enjoy these shows as much as I do. Why spend the money to see a movie when you can watch some good quality tv for free at home.