Dann Michalski

Rip-roaringly fun, Futurama delivers non-stop laughs in Season 4. The writing is incredibly good with lots of clever satire and parodies, resulting in ridiculously hilarious episodes like "Roswell That Ends Well," "A Tale of Two Santas," and "Godfellas." But the capstone has to be the Star Trek reunion episode "Where No Fan Has Gone Before," which features the entire original cast (minus DeForest Kelley and James Doohan). However, the guest stars don't stop there; Sigourney Weaver, Lucy Liu, and Hank Aaron make appearances throughout the season. But the episodes aren't all wild hijinks and craziness, as there's some nice character building with Leela finding her parents and Bender facing an existential crisis after meeting "god." Extraordinarily entertaining, Season 4 of Futurama is one of the best seasons of the series.

The facts are these...Pushing Daisies is a delightful fantasy series from Bryan Fuller. The show follows Ned the Pie Maker who has the ability to bring dead things back to life temporarily, and use his power to moonlight as an assistant to his PI friend Emerson Cod; but everything changes when Ned comes across his childhood sweetheart and decides to bring her back to life permanently. The visual style of the show is quite unique and uses bright colors and CGI backdrops to create a fantasy-esque aesthetic. Additionally, the series is given a storybook quality by including voice over narration. And the writing is exceptionally well-done; especially the dialog, which is quite clever and witty. A quirky and imaginative television series, Pushing Daisies delivers a brilliant first season.

One of the most creative and groundbreaking shows ever created, Fox’s 24 broke all conventions of network television. In Season 1 federal agent Jack Bauer leads an investigation to uncover an assassination plot to kill presidential candidate David Palmer, but things get complicated when Bauer’s family is held hostage by a group of terrorist involved in the conspiracy. There are also additional subplots that pad out the season; however, most of them feel like filler and detract from the main story arc. Using real-time and split-screen, the directing style adds a great deal of suspense and tension to the show. And while the cast changes a bit, there are strong performances from Xander Berkeley, Sarah Clarke, Mia Kirshner, and Michael Massee. But it’s Kiefer Sutherland’s performance as Jack Bauer that defines the series. Season 1 has a few kinks, yet overall 24 is a brilliant and exciting season of television.

The Muppet Show continues the laughs into a second season of variety entertainment. Some of the featured guest stars include Bob Hope, Judy Collins, Steve Martin, Julie Andrews, Elton John, John Cleese, and George Burns. A couple of the skits from Season 1 are dropped, such as Vendaface and Wayne and Wanda, but most of the skits are back: Pigs in Space, Veterinarian Hospital, Muppet Labs, Ballroom dancing, Muppet News, etc. Yet, the show finds ways to stay fresh by changing up the format occasionally; such as having the Steve Martin episode be an audition, and having Bob Hope constantly leave his episode to do charities and come back. And for the most part, the acts are well tailored to the guests, and the episodes do a good job at balancing the guest spots with the backstage gags and Muppet only sketches. Delivering a great second season, The Muppet Show in one of the best family variety shows on television.

Season 5 of Dexter was referred to as a “re-imaging of the series,” and it succeeds brilliantly at this. A character drama at heart, this season does an incredible job at developing the main characters and giving them compelling story arcs. In the wake of Season 4’s shocking finale Dexter finds himself broken and lost, and attempts to find redemption in helping a traumatized rape victim track down and exact revenge against the rape gang that abducted and brutalized her; meanwhile Det. Quinn starts to suspect that Dexter is dirty and hires a P.I. to investigate him. The serial storytelling is especially well-done, as the stories move fluidly from episode to episode; staying remarkably coherent and organic. And the guest stars this season, Julia Stiles, Peter Weller, and Jonny Lee Miller, deliver extraordinary performances. Dexter has come a long way, and this new re-imaging in Season 5 makes for an exciting time for the series.

Resistance is futile as Jeri Ryan sexes up Star Trek: Voyager in its fourth season. The Borg take center stage as Voyage finally enters Borg space and gains a Borg crewmember, Seven of Nine. Seven proves to be the missing ingredient that the show needed to take off, as the character exponentially improves the quality of the storytelling. She fills the Spock/Data role of the outsider commenting on humanity. And, Seven’s interactions with Capt. Janeway and the Doctor make for some of the strongest character dynamics of the show. Additionally, the series finally finds a compelling villain in the form of the Hirogen; who are reminiscent of the Klingons. This new energy is also reflected in some incredibly ambitious episodes, such as “Year of Hell,” “The Killing Game,” “Living Witness,” and “One.” Plus, the season is able to gather some impressive guest stars; including Kurtwood Smith, Tony Todd, Virginia Madsen, and Ray Wise. Season 4 of Star Trek: Voyager re-launches the series and finally makes it worth watching.

And now the story of a brilliant television series that was cancelled, and the one network that resurrected it and turned it into festering garbage. The atrociousness of Arrested Development’s fourth season may not be Netflix’s fault entirely, but the carte blanche that they gave the show’s producers allowed them to run it off the rails. The premise of the show is changed, and it’s turned into more of an anthology series; focusing on a different Bluth family member each episode. The characters have also been changed and rewritten to fit the new tone of the series; causing them to lose a lot of their charm. Still, Season 4 does do a good job at bringing back and using the supporting characters from past seasons. And, the comedy stays true to the clever, unique style of the series. Yet while there are some bright spots, this deformed version of Arrested Development is hard to watch. Season 4 was a huge mistake.

Stephen King’s epic apocalyptic thriller The Stand is brought to television as a four part miniseries. When a plague wipes out 99% of the population a number of survivors begin to receive mysterious dreams calling them to Boulder, Colorado, to begin anew, but a rival community rises up in Las Vegas lead by the demonic Randall Flagg. Featuring Gary Sinise, Laura San Giacomo, Rob Lowe, Molly Ringwald, Shawnee Smith, Matt Frewer, and Ed Harris, the cast is quite impressive. Yet the performances aren’t very good, and neither are the production values. The storytelling’s also rather weak, failing to capture the dyer tone of this apocalyptic tale. The Stand clearly has an ambitious vision, but it’s unable to deliver on it.

Star Trek: The Next Generation carries on without creator Gene Roddenberry in its sixth season. Season 6 also marks the launch of Trek’s first spin-off series, Deep Space Nine, and its first cross-over episode “Birthright.” Yet this branching off comes with the loss of Colm Meaney from the recurring cast, along with several others from TNG’s creative team. Still, the writers deliver a number of impressive episodes, including “True Q,” “Chain Of Command,” “Ship in a Bottle,” and “Rightful Heir.” And, such guest stars as Olivia d’Abo, Ronny Cox, and original series cast member James Doohan beam aboard. Season 6 of Star Trek: The Next Generation continues to deliver entertaining adventures, but somehow it seems a little less ambitious than previous seasons; sticking to what has worked in the past rather than boldly going where no one has gone before.

Remarkably compelling, The Chosen is a groundbreaking, crowd funded biblical drama. Season 1 follows the disciples as they’re called by Jesus to follow him and be part of his ministry. The series features a strong cast that delivers some good performances. And, the writers do an impressive job at developing the characters and making them feel real and relatable. Additionally, the costumes and sets are especially well-done; feeling authentic to the time period. However, it takes a couple of episodes to build momentum, and switching between the various character stories can be a little jarring at times. Yet while Season 1 of The Chosen has a few rough edges, it presents a powerful vision of the Gospel.

Season 4 of 24 derails the series a bit, but it eventually gets back on track. In a pseudo reboot, the series brings in a nearly all new cast and re-writes the Chloe O’Brian character to be a sympathetic lead. But it doesn’t work, and by mid-season most of the show’s familiar characters return. Still, this season marks the introduction of several major characters of the series, including Audrey Raines, Curtis Manning, Bill Buchanan, and Charles Logan. The terrorist threat faced this season is also problematic; it’s all over the place, beginning with a political kidnapping and ending with a rogue nuclear missile (with several other plots in-between). However, the action is still intense and well-shot. And, there are some interesting guest appearances by Lana Parrilla, Leighton Meester, and T.J. Thyne. In its effort to go bigger than ever before 24 tries some incredibly daring and inventive things for its fourth season, but it ends up being kind of a mess (though a fun one).

From Jim Henson comes the fantasy anthology series The Storytelling. John Hurt stars as the Storyteller, recounting accent folk tales about kings and magic and mythical creatures. Some interesting guest stars appear, including Jonathan Pryce, Joely Richardson, and Sean Bean, and the show uses a unique aesthetic that combines live-action, puppetry, and shadow play. Also, the writers use a variety of different kinds of lore that keeps the show from getting repetitive. Still there are some tonal problems balancing the comedy and the more frightening parts, and some the transitions between filming styles can be a bit jarring. The make-up effects and costumes can be problematic as well. Jim Henson’s The Storyteller is an incredibly ambitious series that unfortunately wasn’t quite able to realize the vision that Henson had for it.

The Muppet Show delivers a third season of hilarity with the help of an incredible list of guest stars. Some of the featured performers include Gilda Radner, Raquel Welch, Liberace, Alice Cooper, Harry Belafonte, and Sylvester Stallone. This season also sees the introduction of a couple of new Muppet characters, such as stagehand Beauregard, boomerang fish-thrower Lew Zealand, cafeteria lady Gladys, and sports commentator Louis Kazagger. The show also tries out several new comedy sketches: a sports show parody called “Muppet Sports,” a Fozzie cop skit called “Bear on Patrol,” and an Uncle Deadly Melodrama serial. Jim Henson and his Muppeteers do an amazing job this season, and deliver remarkably elaborate sets and costumes that surpass anything that has been done before. The Muppet Show: Season 3 continues the wholesome, charismatic style of entertainment that made the Muppets a cultural phenomenon.

From creative visionaries Jim Henson and Frank Oz comes The Muppet Show, a family variety show that delivers a ton a laughs. Using a mixture of puppets and costumed performers, Season 1 features a number of fresh, hilarious sketch comedy segments; including Muppet Labs, Veterinarian’s Hospital, Talk Spot, Vendaface, and Talking Houses. Plus, there are two or three open spots each episode that showcase a special guest star. This season’s list of guest stars is quite impressive, with such celebrities as Sandy Duncan, Harvey Korman, Paul Williams, Connie Stevens, and Vincent Price. And while they look a little rough and the voices aren’t quite right, most of the core Muppet characters are here: Kermit, Miss Piggy, Gonzo, Fozzie, Rowlf, Sam the Eagle, and Statler & Waldorf (to name a few). Though clearly a work in progress, Season 1 of The Muppet Show is extraordinarily entertaining and fun for all ages.

Arrested Development finishes its television run with a hilarious 13 episode third season. But even with a shortened season, the show delivers in spades. Picking up where Season 2 ended, Michael tracks down his father and arranges for him to be placed on house arrest while he attempts to track down a British syndicate that set up the Bluth Company; meanwhile Gob discovers that he has a long lost son. The character plots align especially well this season, and the overall story arc is tightly woven throughout the episodes. Also, several interesting guest stars make appearances, including Charlize Theron, Dave Thomas, Judge Reinhold, and Justine Bateman. The comedy is ripe with pop culture and political satire, and the show even takes a few shots at itself. Season 3 contains some of the best that the show has to offer and sends the series out on a high note. Stars that shine twice as bright only last half as long, and Arrested Development streaked the heavens with a brilliance that’s rarely ever seen.

Fargo completely shits the bed in its third season. While the show puts together an impressive cast that includes Ewan McGregor, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, David Thewlis, and Carrie Coon, the characters are some of the most repugnant and despicable of the series, and no fun to watch. The story follows a parking lot mogul named Emmit Stussy who gets into a deadly feud with his twin brother over a stolen inheritance; meanwhile a mysterious businessman named V.M. Varga quietly orchestrates a hostile takeover of Stussy’s company and manipulates Stussy into betraying those closest to him. There’s no one to really root for, and there aren’t too many laughs either. The tone is quite macabre, more so than in past seasons, with a very pessimistic outlook. Still, there are some exciting and intense scenes and twists as the criminal plots and investigations unfold. Series creator Noah Hawley has said that Season 3 of Fargo may be the last, and hopefully it is because it’s slidden so far downhill that it’s just not enjoyable to watch any more.

Jennifer Garner forces her real-life pregnancy into the fifth season of Alias, dooming the series to certain cancellation. When a new terrorist group called Prophet Five emerges APO must discover who its members are and prevent them from uncovering the secrets of Rambaldi. Turning Sydney into a pregnant super-spy is ridiculous and makes the character appear reckless. And the cast turn over (Michael Vartan, Greg Grunberg, and Mia Maestro all leave, special guest appearances not withstanding) is a mortal wound that the show just couldn’t recover from. However, the addition of Amy Acker as a new villain is a highlight of the season, and Rachel Nichols brings a new energy to the show playing the Season 1 Sydney role of a black ops CIA agent who learns that she has actually been working for a rogue faction. Luckily ABC gave the show advanced notice of their cancellation so that it could have several episodes to wrap-up the series; which it does impressively well, delivering an action-packed, emotional finale and finally reveals the Rambaldi endgame. Cancellation ended up being a mercy killing for Alias, as Season 5 really struggled to find a direction and ways to continue the series.

Gilmore Girls delivers more laughs and family drama as the show moves into its second season. When Luke’s wayward nephew Jess comes to live with him, Jess soon gets a reputation as a troublemaker and causes a rift between Rory and Dean; meanwhile Lorelai explores the possibility of owning her own inn and helps her father transition from the corporate world to running his own business. Milo Ventimiglia is a good addition to the cast and has great chemistry with Alexis Bledel. Also, a number of the secondary/supporting cast members get explored more. And several interesting guest stars are featured, including Madchen Amick and Seth MacFarlane. Entertaining and fun, Season 2 of Gilmore Girls continues to grow and develop the series.

Second seasons are notorious for surpassing their predecessor, and Dead Like Me is no exception. After an excellent first season, Dead Like Me takes it up a notch. With a solid foundation set, Dead Like Me extends itself by pushed the limits, and finding the endless possibilities of the show. Season two moved the series away from being about a girl named George who adjusts to life after death as a grim reaper, and instead becomes an ensemble show; following the struggles of all of the members of the grim reaper group that George belongs to, and explores the various stages of their afterlives. But even in the mist of all these heavy dramatic themes, the comedy remains as clever, witty, and hilarious as ever. Dead Like Me has an extraordinary quality and an ability to connect with people, giving them new perspectives on life, death, and the afterlife; and Season 2 sends the series out on a high note.

In its fifth and final season (on the WB) Buffy the Vampire Slayer attempts to deliver the series' most powerful and epic saga. While there is a “big bad” this season, the focus is on Buffy herself, as she explores the true natural of what “the slayer” actually is. The main story arc follows the appearance of Buffy’s mysterious new sister, and her possible connection to a hell god named Glory. Michelle Trachtenberg makes for a good addition to the cast and gives a new dynamic to the show; with Buffy taking on a sisterly role. The writing this season is also quite ambitious, leading to one of the most shocking season finales in modern television. Still, there are some tonal problems as the series mixes its usual camp and lightheartedness with the more serious and dramatic themes of this season. In many ways Season 5 of Buffy the Vampire Slayer marks the end of an era and a conclusion to Buffy’s story arc as a slayer.

With series co-creator and executive producer Larry David having left the show, Season 8 of Seinfeld has a bit of a rocky start but quickly recovers and delivers a lot of laughs. Featuring such classic episodes as “The Bizarro Jerry”, “The Little Kicks,” “The Susie,” “The Little Jerry,” and “The Yada, Yada,” the writers deliver some of the most iconic sketches of the show and step-up their game in the absence of David; feeling the pressure to prove themselves. George again gets a serial story arc, this time as a board member for a memorial charity foundation dedicated to his late fiancée; meanwhile, Elaine takes over the J. Peterman Catalog when Peterman goes on a sabbatical, Jerry gets into the movie bootlegging business, and Kramer and Newman throw competing millennium parties. Several recurring characters return and a number of interesting guest stars appear; including Bruce Davison, Sarah Silverman, Ben Stein, Christine Taylor, Lloyd Bridges, Robert Wagner, Amanda Peet, and Raquel Welch. While it’s not as strong as some of the previous seasons, Seinfeld’s eighth season is still incredible entertaining and fun.

Season 2 of Witchblade reboots the series, confusing and muddling the show. With the timeline reset at the end of last season, NYPD detective Sara Pezzini rediscovers the powers of a mystical weapon known as the Witchblade (which seems to guide her and influence her) and the cult of followers that surround it. The timeline reset causes a number of continuity issues, as all the events and subplots from the first season are ignored and the Witchblade seems to have different powers than before. Some of the guest stars featured include Jeffrey Donovan, Eric Roberts, and Alexis Dziena. The stunt work is pretty good and several of the cases-of-the-week are fairly interesting. Yet while it’s entertaining, overall Season 2 of Witchblade is a mess that doesn’t seem to know what it’s doing...and thus was cancelled.

Tales from the Darkside returns for a fourth and final season of ghoulish stories to frighten and amuse. Some of the highlights include “No Strings,” “Do Not Open This Box,” “Family Reunion,” and Stephen King’s “Sorry, Right Number.” And Debbie Harry, Bradley Whitford, Stephen McHattie, and Kim Greist guest star. To its benefit, the show cuts back on the comedy episodes a bit and focuses more on horror; thought it still has some truly awful goofball episodes, such as “Barter” and “The Yattering and Jack.” Also, the writers do a pretty good job at providing a variety of creatures; from witches and ghosts, to demon and werewolves. Additionally, the show does better at recognizing its limitations and at working within its budget than in some of the previous seasons. Yet while Season 4 of Tales from the Darkside is an improvement, the show is still kind of a mess and was cancelled, retuning man to “the sunlit world of what he believes to be reality.”

Season 7 of Dexter delivers one of the most compelling story arcs of the series as Dexter and his sister Deb are set on a collision course. After discovering Dexter’s secret life of as a serial killer Deb tries to break him of his addiction to killing, but is eventually forced into choosing between accepting his killer natural or taking him down. Full of twists and turns, the episode arcs are extremely engaging. Jennifer Carpenter steps up and owns this season, delivering incredibly strong and compelling performances. And, recurring guest stars Ray Stevenson and Yvonne Strahovski create captivating characters that enrich the show’s character dynamics. Dramatic and thrilling, Dexter: Season 7 is a little unconventional but extraordinarily powerful.

Chris Carter takes back the reins in Season 3 of Millennium and tries to get back to the show’s roots…and fails miserably. After the death of his wife Frank Black moves to Virginia and becomes a consultant with the FBI, and works to expose and bring down the Millennium Group. The show does a complete 180 and makes the Millennium Group the villain. And in a move just as bad, Lance Henriksen is paired with a new co-star, Klea Scott, who has no charisma. However, there are several interesting and exciting cases-of-the-week, and the show still managers to draw a number of interesting guest stars; including Art Bell, James Marsters, Jon Polito, Keegan (Connor) Tracy, Amanda Tapping, and KISS. Plus, Terry O’Quinn continues on as a recurring character despite the shift of Millennium into the villain. Yet while it has some things going for it and delivers some thills, Millennium’s third season is clearly going in the wrong direction, and led to the show’s cancellation.

“This is who we are.” Glen Morgan and James Wong take the reins of Millennium in Season 2 and steer it in a new direction. After killing a sociopath who abducted his wife, Frank and his wife separate, meanwhile the Millennium Group begins to vet him to move up in the group and learn their true purpose. Kristen Cloke joins the cast as a recurring character and brings a great new dynamic to the show as a fellow Millennium candidate and investigative partner for Frank Black. However, Megan Gallagher, though listed in the main cast, is relegated to more of a guest star as she becomes Frank’s estranged wife. Also, the tone of the show changes as the cases turn supernatural and the Millennium Group becomes a secret society; which adds a layer of intrigue to the show that was hinted at but not really explored in the first season. Extraordinarily bold and daring, Season 2 of Millennium is incredibly thrilling and full of mystery.

From Chris Carter, creator of The X-Files, comes the dark, quasi-supernatural, crime drama Millennium. Season 1 follows former FBI agent Frank Black who moves his family to Seattle and becomes a consultant on criminal investigations as part of the Millennium Group; a group of specialists that investigate crimes of a violent or unusual nature. Starring Lance Henriksen, Megan Gallagher, and Terry O’Quinn, the show has a solid cast that delivers some good performances. And a number of interesting guest stars are featured, including CCH Pounder, Paul Dooley, Brad Dourif, and Jeffery Donovan. Additionally, Carter brings along several X-Files writers and producers, such as Frank Spotnitz, Glen Morgan, and James Wong, which gives the series an early X-Files feel; gritty and atmospheric. Going to the dark and disturbing places that most police procedures won’t, Millennium delivers a strong first season.

Incredibly ambitious, Season 3 of Angel sets out to prove itself as Buffy moves to a new network, cutting all ties. When Darla turns up pregnant with Angel’s child the team attempts to uncover how this impossible pregnancy occurred and what it could mean; meanwhile a vampire hunter from Angel’s past is resurrected to get his long awaited revenge. The writers do an impressive job at constructing the multi-episode story arcs and at building tension and suspense. Still, there are some tonal problems when they transition from the heavy, dramatic arcs to the lighthearted case-of-the-week episodes. Amy Acker joins the main cast and makes for a great addition to the team. And, recurring guest stars Daniel Dae Kim, Keith Szarabajka, and Laurel Holloman give especially good performances and make for interesting characters that enrich the show. It’s a bit of a mess at times, but overall Angel’s third season is remarkably compelling and is full of exciting action.

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine comes to an end in its seventh and final season. Sisko embarks on a quest to reopen the wormhole and meets Dax’s new host Ezri, who comes to him for help, and the Dominion War takes several turns, leading to a climatic final battle. With the show coming to an end, several recurrent characters, such as Kor, the Grand Nagus, and Sloan, and the Mirror Universe, are given farewell episodes to wrap-up their stories; all leading to an ambitious 10-episode arc that culminates in one of the best television finales ever (a near perfect conclusion to the series). Still, not all of the episodes and storylines work, and there are some tonal problems balancing the A and B stories. Also, the replacing of Terry Farrell with Nicole de Boer as Dax creates some challenges. Yet while it has a few weaknesses, Season 7 of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine proves to one of the strongest of the series, sending the show out on a high note.