The Top Ten Shows on TV You Should Be Watching

We are rapidly coming up on the mid-way point for the television season. There are a lot of shows to watch and lots of shows that still have yet to be shown. "Lost," for example, has yet to start its season. The same can be said for "24."

With all of those shows on, what should you watch? Well, I am just obnoxious enough to think you might care about what I think and I have a few suggestions. So, in my humble opinion, these are the top ten shows of the current TV season...so far. In descending order they are:

Smallville - this show has fallen far in my esteem over the years. I was encouraged to hear that they were dumping the character of Lana Lang as showing Clark pining and mooning over her had long ago stopped being interesting. However, the loss of Lex Luthor has caused something to disappear. The problem is that the character of Superman just isn't that interesting. He's indestructible and limitlessly strong. This means the writers keep having to come up with convoluted ways for the human villains to somehow possess kryptonite, just to put Clark into some kind of danger. In a recent episode, the bad guy had kryptonite on his watch band. Why? No reason was given and it was only there so Clark could end up tied up and we could hear Lois Lane declare her love for him. I still think the character of Green Arrow is now more interesting and deserves his own show.

Law and Order: SVU - of all of the SVU shows, this one routinely delivers the biggest bang for the buck. Sure, it is now a stunt-a-week kind of show where a different celebrity shows up in each episode. Still, somehow, the writing still manages to be strong and the shocks still come. The constant cast of characters manages not to be upstaged. Last year the character of Olivia Benson had a scene of near-rape that was one of the most graphic and shocking I have ever seen on television. This year, it was good to see her character hearken back to that and deal with it.

The Office - still the most cringe-inducing show on television. I have only one complaint and that would be: BRING BACK JENNA FISCHER. Her character of Pam is sorely missed and sending her off to college and rarely appearing is leaving a huge gap. This is some kind of attempt to add drama to the Pam/Jim relationship, but it loses a major player in the inter-office humors as well. Still, the laughs are there and the rest of the cast is doing a solid job of stepping up to the plate.

Family Guy - probably the funniest show on television. I know the South Park guys hate this show, but it is the one show that often leaves me gasping due to laughter. The jokes are beyond outrageous and guaranteed to offend, but if you manage to have a sense of humor, you will love this show. I worry now because Seth MacFarlane is starting to spread himself thin with a new online series plus a new animated series spinning off a character from this show into the new "Cleveland Show." So, see this while it's still funny and see it now.

House - yes, I know this show is the exact same plot week after week. You can tell what is likely to happen on the show just by keeping a clock nearby. Only half-past? Then you know the cure they are trying is NOT the one likely to be the real cure. No, the reason to watch this show continues to be Hugh Laurie as the titular character. Introducing the new private detective was amusing for a time and seeing House rudderless without Wilson was also very entertaining. The purpose of enjoying this show is not the bizarre medical stories. No, the purpose is to watch Laurie manage to add layer upon layer on this very complex, highly grouchy, yet still likeable character.

Ghosthunters - I don't really know if ghosts exist and I wrote a damn book about haunted houses. I just know that this show is guaranteed to bring more chills and thrills than any person who supposedly whispers to ghosts. I have no idea why Grant and Jason still work for Rotorooter, but these plumbers really shine when they are investigating the haunts. I love the team they have now and the addition of Kris Williams adds a nice touch of sexiness to the show as well.

Heroes - the show is back! This season the series hit the ground running and has, as of yet, to let up. The plot is getting more and more confusing as the writers continue to play with the time travel element. Still, after the plodding and horrific start from the previous season, this season has started at a gallop and kept going. For those of you who gave up on this show last season, give it another try this year.

The Sarah Connor Chronicles - my second biggest TV-crush is Summer Glau. Yeah, sure, this entire show is based on an a big glaring logic flaw (Sarah cannot stop Skynet from existing because, if she does, her own son will no longer exist) but you just have to overlook this. If you want cyborgs beating the hell out of other cyborgs, lots of things blowing up, gunfire and even more explosions, this is the show for you. Plus, as I said: SUMMER GLAU!

Life - there are a lot of cop shows. Few of them are as well written as this one. Charlie Crews is not psychic and he doesn't have super powers. He claims to be influenced by Zen, but then often slips up. What makes this show work is solid writing, great plots and great acting by Damian Lewis as the main character. Yes, there was an episode with a monkey in it, and that is a mark against it, but I am willing to overlook it. My one complaint is the moving of this great show to TV show graveyard Friday night.

Life on Mars - this show stands to become the new "Lost." Detective Turner gets hit by a car and wakes up in 1973. You wouldn't think that thirty-five years was that long ago but, as you might guess, it's really like another planet. Again, solid acting and terrific writing. Plus, there is Harvey Keitel, Michael Imperioli and Gretchen Mohl. It's another show based on a BBC original, and it manages to be as solid as the original. Without a doubt, so far, this is the best show on TV.