You’d think that, with over one hundred and twenty programs on the air, it would be hard to pick the best and the worst. It’s not. In the case of the year’s worst, the problem is that there’s so much of it. Kinda sad, really. Anyway, here we go…
15. The West Wing – After the opening arc of Zoe’s kidnapping, this show has rapidly devolved to the point where Josh Lyman, screaming, “”You wanna a piece o’ me?”” is a highlight. Come back, Aaron Sorkin! all is forgiven!14. Tarzan – The pilot was the best version of “”Tarzan In New York”” that I’d ever seen. Unfortunately, not only did he stay there, but they required him to speak. Apparently, the “”adventures of the teen-aged fill-in-the-blank”” WB format only works if the entire cast is good, and the writing is at least good. They should’ve made “”Tarzan”” a movie of the week, and stopped.13. Frazier – Definitely tired, creaky and so over.12. Friends – Only the cast’s talent and chemistry are keeping this show on the air. The writing is so tired that the series has dropped past the self-parody stage. Let it die, please!11. ER – Well into the self-parody phase, this once gripping medical drama is now nothing more than bad “”Chicago Hope”” [ie -“”Chicago Hope”” without Mandy Pantinkin…].10. Hack – This bargain basement “”Equalizer”” lacks the wit, charm, style and intelligence of the Edward Woodward vehicle. David Morse deserves better.9. L.A. Dragnet – Last season, as “”Dragnet””, the series had some pizzazz – showed some promise. This season, it was disemboweled. The Ed O’Neill/Ethan Embry chemistry was sacrificed for a re-working that teamed O’Neill with a bunch of young actors who had zip for chemistry and seemed to each be in their own, separate series. The writing sucked big, too.[pagebreak]8. Coupling – Did not make the transition from the UK to the U.S. Maybe it was the accents.7. The Mullets – Not a lot I can say here. Consistently awful writing, no cast chemistry and a ridiculous premise – no wonder it stinks.6. Stripperella – Stan Lee must have really needed the money.5. Mutant X – This show’s creative team could learn a few lessons from the crew of “”Jake 2.0″”. Instead of re-working a show’s premise over and over, they should have picked a direction and developed it. A little intelligence wouldn’t have hurt, either. I don’t find it coincidental that the show started its rapid descent into hideousness after Howard Chaykin left.4. Andromeda”” – “”The universe is a dangerous place…”” Well, duh! The series lost its vision so there could be more standalone eps, and the captain could get laid more often. From the anti-Trek, to exceedingly awful Trek in just two short seasons, and a bit. Scuttle the Andromeda Ascendant and put it out of our misery.3. American Idol – Wannabe idols singing music to cause unconscious by… Make it stop!2. Threat Matrix – If I want quality spy stuff, I’ll watch “”Alias””, or “”24″”, not this pathetic example of everything that can go wrong with an espionage series. Bad writing,chemistry between only two of the core cast members, stories that are like some awful hybrid of “”The Man From U.N.C.L.E.”” and “”24″”. “”Karen Sisco”” sits until March, while this travesty gets a full season order. There just ain’t no justice! 1. Fear Factor – The most truly revolting show on TV. The people who pitched this should be boiled in oil. The people who came up with the ad campaigns, and the suits who approved them, should be made to suffer a thousand papercuts, rolled in salt and only then,boiled in oil. It’s gotten so that it’s not safe to watch NBC while trying to eat dinner. It’s enough to make a peacable guy go all medieval, y’know?Coming Soon: Animation, Mini-Series and Guilty Pleasures