The Extratextuals

Inspired by Mike Newman’s fantastic and highly recommend Faves, 2008 list, and as a pale imitation, here are some media highlights from 2008, in installments.

First, though, a word on categorization – if I saw it in 2008, it’s on this list, even if it came out earlier; and if I saw it on the Internet, it’s web video not television.

Television

10. Chuck. The show is infinitely silly, but that’s the point. Like Pushing Daisies, it kept me sane in hard times. Adam Baldwin, Awesome, Lester – fun stuff.

9. Food Network in HD. I knew when I got my HDTV that I’d love travel shows all the more, and nature shows. But I didn’t count on how much food porn I could stomach on a daily basis, and how that threshold would increase with HD.

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awards, book reviews, lists, satire 538.com, Andrew Sullivan, best of 2008, Better Living Through Reality TV, Chuck, Chutry Experiment, Colbert, Facebook, Food Network, Heartland TV, Jon Stewart, lists, Lost, Man vs. Wild, metacritic, Mike Newman, Obama, Pushing Daisies, The Daily Show, The Wire

Continuing with my reactions to the pilots for new shows, below the fold, I review ABC’s Pushing Daisies, Dirty Sexy Money, Samantha Who?, and Big Shots. Sorry Grey’s Anatomy fans, ABC didn’t show Private Practice. Nor did they show Cavemen, Carpoolers, or Women’s Murder Club. Read more…

previews ABC, Big Shots, Dirty Sexy Money, fall previews, pilots, Pushing Daisies, Samantha Who?