So, without further ado, my top 10 favorite TV shows of all time (subject to change in the future, of course):
10. Rizzoli and Isles
If you've been to my Facebook, tumblr, or have had a conversation with me recently, you probably have heard my talk about the TNT show Rizzoli and Isles. It follows a detective and medical examiner as they solve crimes. Honestly though, very few people care about that (including myself). It's like most shows on TV, I watch for the characters and this show has really interesting ones. However, the reason I watch and have fallen in love is the relationship between Maura and Jane. The chemistry, the gay. I love every second of subtext the cast and creative team pours all over us viewers. Keep it up, Gayzoli and Isles.
9. Lost Girl
I find whenever I go into describing this show I just embarrass myself. Like Buffy, Lost Girl's explanation does not do it justice. Basically, the attractive Mary-Louise Parker look-a-like is on a search to find out who she is and where she belongs. There is magic, mythology, and some really FANTASTIC girl-on-girl action with Dr. Hot Pants. It is original, well-written, funny, and sexy. Thumbs up. Can't wait for season 2.
8. The L Word
Oh, The L Word. You really sucked a lot of the time. But, you had girls kissing so how could I say no? You rocked it out the first couple of seasons and then season 5, my god. I remember when that ended I cried. Not because it was good or emotional but because I knew the creative team behind the show would royally screw up the last season. My god did they ever. BUT, I still liked the characters (in certain versions anyways) and again GIRLS MAKING SWEET LOVE. This show does not make spot 8 due to its substance, but it certainly makes it for its prevalence in my life, the support it provided when I came out, and, well, GIRLS MAKING SWEET LOVE.
7. Queer As Folk
Everyone is going to be like, "What? Gay men beat out the lesbians?" Yes. Times a million. This show came before The L Word and did everything 10 times better. The story lines, the relationships, the character develop. Like all of the shows on this list, it had its stumbles (especially where the lesbians were concerned), but overall it is one of the perfect example of being gay in America. My friends and I watched this show constantly. It was responsible for changing the mind of one of my most homophobic friends, in fact. Funny, realistic, complicated, and full of heart. I cry like a girl watching the last episode every time.
6. Grey's Anatomy
Shonda Rhimes is a sick, sick woman. She is hands down the greatest television writer. She knows how to keep things dramatic and ridiculous to draw viewers while still providing substance, excellent story lines, and hilarious writing. The cast is incredibly talented and good-looking... I fought this show for so long. I thought because it was so mainstream it couldn't possibly be something I would like. Well, I am very dumb. The quotes alone were enough to draw me in, but as usual I stayed for the characters. Those beyond flawed humans who can never seem to get it right. And, really, who can't relate to that?
5. Firefly
And so begins the true fangirling... Joss Whedon amazes me. His work literally inspires me. His mind is something I wish I had. This show is probably the finest example of his brilliance. It was original, beautifully written, and had one of the best casts ever put together for a television show. The plot of both the show and the movie that followed blew my mind. Seriously. I can't even deal with the fact that is only had like 13 episodes. Everyone is very stupid.
4. Angel
Angel marked the beginning of my Joss Whedon obsession. Yes, I watched this before the show it was the spin-off to. I often get confused... Most of my favorite shows, underneath whatever plot they might have, are about human nature and this one takes the crown for that. It was dark and complicated and said more about power and humanity than I can explain here. I can't think of one episode I don't like or one season that didn't make me bawl... And while we are on subject of bawling, fun sidenote, when Joss killed Cordelia I cried for literally a half hour. I had never been so affected my something fictional before or since. Truly incredible. Kudos.
3. Gilmore Girls
I get mocked for this show a whole lot, but I don't care. It was hilarious. The writing and delivery of the lines was amazing. Who doesn't wish they could actually talk and interact like that? PLUS, the relationships on the show were outstanding. I'm not just talking about Rory and Lorelai. My favorite was the inter-generational ones. I love the complexities of the interactions between the whole Gilmore clan. To me, it was very real and I can never pass up an accurate representation of a family... Also, well, I'm in love with Lauren Graham. She really is a fantastic actress who deserves way more credit than she has ever gotten. I mean, for real, was there before or has there been since a show like Gilmore Girls? The answer is no whether your opinion is positive or negative.
2. Charmed
Putting this at number 2 was a hard choice, always has been. This show literally started EVERYTHING for me. Its books were the thing that sparked my interest in reading. Several of the other shows on this list were discovered because they came on before or after Charmed. My imagination came alive watching Prue, Piper, Phoebe, and Paige do the things they do. It is embarrassing how long this show has been a part of my life. In fact, it is in my DVD played right now... When Shannen Doherty left the show she said it was for 12 year olds. Maybe. Maybe it wasn't always the deepest work on television, but I think 8 years on air speaks for itself. I know for me, it wasn't about the mythology or the witchcraft. It was about the sisters. Their lives, their developments. That is ultimately what always gets me. The actresses and the characters were strong women with interesting personalities and stories... I'm not ashamed to admit I still to this day LOVE and watch this show.
1. Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Obviously this show had quite the effect on me. Willow was the first girl I was attracted to (even before I knew I was gay). I still maintain that my overblown sense of right and wrong and my exhausting belief in doing the right thing came from this show, came from the ideas and themes presented in it. Buffy taught me about life by taking vampires and evil and using them as a metaphor for the things people go through. I'm talking things inside of all humans, choices, sacrifice, and fighting for what you believe in. Being as I am a social worker through and through I don't really think that it is surprising that I was drawn to this show. Joss always said his goal was to create something that people remembered, something that got inside and fed the imagination. For me, he did that. This show, like Charmed, has stuck with me for years. I wrote fanfiction about it (the only time I ever have, believe it or not). It got in my mind and inspired me. I even considered going into television writing for awhile because of that inspiration. Buffy was just something that resonated with me. Something I still to this day experience when I put those DVDs in.
Maybe it is a tad weird to get so much from a TV show, but honestly all of the shows on this list provided me with something at one time or another that I wasn't getting somewhere else. People don't often see the world as I do or live their lives like me, but I know Buffy would. I know the Charmed ones would have stood up for what is right. Lorelai would get the joke... These shows made me laugh, cry, and everything in between. I felt them. I don't think a lot of people can say they feel that much ever, but I get to feel it double: in the real world and in the fictional worlds I inhabit. I experienced them and they stay with always.
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