Amph Favorite television seasons.

That's right, *****es. This isn't favorite series or episodes. You have to pick your favorite year-long (or less if you're a Brit or have cable) runs. Series that were canceled after only one season (e.g., Firefly) or have only run one full season so far (e.g., Homeland) or seasons that you worked on (e.g., Mad Men season 5) don't count, so don't bother whining about how Fox screwed Joss over a decade after the fact or name drop Vincent Kartheiser or whatever. I'll start.

The Office (U.S.) Season 2: Remember when this show was really, really good? Hipsters who insist on the inherent superiority of the British series don't, but the rest of us cool people do. "The Dundies," "The Fire," "Booze Cruise," and especially "The Injury." Basically all of the episodes are gold. It was not only a sitcom, it's a sitcom with a lot of... whatever major organ we use as a metaphor for emotion. Spleen?

 

I'm from the future.

A Game of Thrones seasons 3 and 4.

Yeah, I know that's two seasons. I don't care.

 

I was going to mention this season! Other notable episodes include "Conflict Resolution" and "Michael's Birthday".
Conflict Resolution spawned perhaps my favourite Dwight quote ever:

 

1. That's cheating. I know I didn't lay it out, but I think it was implied! Hmph.

2. I'm not so sure. I felt there were some unnecessary changes RE: the sack of Winterfell and Dany not ****ing totally burning down the House of the Undying that diminished the climaxes of those arcs (and don't get into spoilers). I hope they'll do everything right in the next couple seasons.

 

Oh, I absolutely agree.

Taking this seriously, I have to think for a bit about this. My favorite season of television ever? That's a pretty good question.

 

It doesn't have to be one single season. I have more than just the one I named.

 

House Season 2: This was by far the best season of the show. The storylines and philosophical conflicts were still fresh and the dynamics among the characters were still developing without being forced and awkward a la Season 1. The Season 2 premiere is the best episode of the entire series, in my view.

24 Season 2: This show turned into a self-parody by Season 4, but this season was its peak. A dispassionate yet honest and visceral chronicle of what a "ticking bomb" investigation and crisis would entail; most specifically the ethics of torture and the cultural and theological conflicts among the Islamic community regarding "terrorism", and the pitfalls of racial profiling. The last 8 episodes stretched credulity beyond belief, but the first 16 were rock solid.

Rosseane: No specific season, as I tended to fall asleep halfway through reruns on Nick at Nite, but I always thought it was cool how nobody on this show was really attractive...this was a prosaic show about a middle class family.

Three's Company Season 6: I'm a Furley guy, so many people will no doubt disagree with me on this one, but this was easily the best Furley season.

 

Man, that prohibition on single-season shows knocks out my top two.

Monty Python's Flying Circus season 2. Frankly when your season starts off with Graham Chapman in drag debating a small patch of brown liquid, you're off to a rocking start - and they were. The sketches here are the most consistently funny they ever were, with none of the awkward non-starters of season 1, or the slow buildups of season 3, or the...

... hell, I just like to ignore season 4, it's pretty bland. But season 2 is just a non-stop hit parade - Spanish Inquisition, Silly Walks, Archaeology Today, How Not to Be Seen, Spam, and one of my top three Python sketches, The Bishop, are all in there. While none of the individual episodes ever reach the spectacular heights of Season 3's seventh episode, "Salad Days," the sum of its parts puts S2 head, shoulders, and a Cardinal Ximenez above the other three, and indeed, most comedy programs.

 

Okay, some favorites:

BSG 2: Tigh running the ship at the beginning, the "family" divided, Kobol, Athena slowly earning the trust of the crew, the Cain arc, D'Anna Biers, the election cycle... the storylines of this season were amazing and the characters were in a perfect dance of motivations, struggles, introspection, and agency. All the seasons were great, but season 2 was just that tiny bit better, and up near the top when it gets harder and harder to get better, "tiny" is a big deal.

Dexter 4: After the exit of an awesome character in season 2, and the slightly disappointing season 3, I thought Dexter would never get back up to its season 1-2 heights. Boy, did season 4 prove me wrong. John Lithgow stole the season as Trinity. Dexter's narration never worked better to explore the themes of the season and show, in particular his quixotic bid to build and maintain a normal life for himself and those he loves. But you really wanted him to be able to do it. Thus, the ending was a gut-punch of a shocker.

Think of some more later.

 

They were solidly lower middle-class, if that. Both Roseanne and Dan did not have reliable employment (both lost jobs at one point or another) and they were never financially secure until the travesty of the final season. This was probably my favorite sitcom growing up. Plus, I had a huge crush on Darlene. I kind of miss the sitcoms that actually focused on money troubles and social commentary.

 

This was the one that best struck a balance between being about a "normal" family but also being humorous. It's rather strange how it hasn't retained any cultural salience compared to other hit sitcoms. It was sort of sandwiched between two different eras that both did their jobs better.

It's interesting to note, though, that Darlene was in the second season of 24 that was also on my list, and in fact was one of the most sympathetic characters of that season.

 

The Wire: Season 4. With all the (justified, I'm sure) hype Breaking Bad gets, it's easy to forget that The Wire was the BB of its day. Season 4 was The Wire's peak.

Friday Night Lights: Season 3. A terrific season, culminating in the magnificent last two episodes. It could have been the end of the series, and what an end it would have been. Instead, the series went on for two more seasons, finishing with another great episode. The end of the second to last episode of Season 3 is the single best scene of television I've watched.

BSG: Season 2.5, which began with the Pegasus and ended with New Caprica. I include all of the New Caprica story arc in my way of thinking, so that extends into Season 3 by several episodes.

 

It's a tie for me between Doctor Who S1 and DS9 S4. There are just so many episodes that I thought were good (The Unquiet Dead, yes, even with the hokey zombie plot) to great (Dalek, Bad Wolf/Parting of the Ways, which frankly showcase tour de force performances by Eccleston in his all - too brief run as the Doctor), that my favorite episode changes from week to week, sometimes day to day (there's only one episode I really hate, primarily because there was never a follow - up with a certain character in that episode). On the other hand, while certainly there are some duds in S4 of DS9 (that happens when you have a 22 - 26 episode season), but that was also the year that they brought in Michael Dorn as Worf and from The Way of the Warrior on through that season, he brought burst of energy into that show. The Way of the Warrior is probably my favorite ep from that season followed by The Visitor (If only because I'm a sucker for the angst that episode provided).

So yeah, toss up between those two seasons/series.

 

My favourite series (yes, series) of all time is "Blackadder Goes Forth". It's the perfect synthesis of comedy and commentary. There isn't a weak link, character, performance, moment or line of dialogue in any of the six episodes.

 

Season 4 of The Wire is still, IMO, the best season of TV to air. Others that have been mentioned that I agree with: Season 2 of the Office and Season 2 of 24. I would add, season of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Season 4 of Lost.

 

Babylon 5 Season 3



The Centauri have invaded Narn, using weapons considered criminal. The Shadows have begun attacking, and Earth has sowed the seeds to become a dictatorship. Babylon 5 stands alone, but not for long, as the beginnings of a future alliance are seen.

 

Agreed on Season 2 for both House and 24. As far as The Wire is concerned, I'd go with Season 3.

Can't really think of one for the other shows I like.

 

I'll take all these and add the following:

Doctor Who, Series 5. Best series of NuWho, IMHO. It had a story arc that actually developed along with the series (and wasn't, like in the RTD era, just a bunch of obscure hints throughout the series that were only explained at the finale), and also one of the most beautiful episodes ever (Vincent and the Doctor).

Avatar: The Last Airbender, Book 3: Fire. No weak episode in this one, some fantastic character development, and an amazing, brilliant finale.

Downton Abbey, Series 1. Because perfection.

 

Couldn't agree more about Season 4 of The Wire. Hands down the best season of television to me.

 

The second and third seasons of X-Files were killer. I'd also throw in the third season of House, M.D., as well as the fourth season of Dexter.

 

I actually thought Book 3 had a number of weak episodes. In particular, after the invasion in "The Day of Black Sun" the story seemed to lose a lot of narrative momentum. Everyone just sort of kicked about aimlessly until things started accelerating for the finale again. Not that these were bad episodes, mind you. They just didn't add much. And for my money, I would say there was more character development in "Zuko Alone" than we saw in "The Firebending Masters."

 

How can you not love "Indiana Jones and the Firebending Masters"???

 

I just finished a rewatch of A:TLA and I disagree so much. I initially thought the same as you, that Fire was kind of weak, especially compared to Earth. However, upon my rewatch, I discovered that "The Firebending Masters" is really one of the most fantastic episodes of the series. This is referred to in the episodes, but almost every one of the characters in Team Avatar went off on a trip alone somewhere with Zuko (Toph eagerly anticipates her own adventure with Zuko, but doesn't really get one). "Firebending Masters" is Zuko's episode with just Aang, and is the completion of their own personal development with regards to Firebending; Zuko no longer has his anger to power his bending and Aang has always been a bit timid about fire ever since he hurt Katara. The episode resolves all of that, as well as providing a lot of the mechanics and history of firebending that we know now.

"Boiling Rock" are episodes I have loved since the first time I saw them, involving the rescues of Hakoda and Suki, along with some pretty sweet fight scenes (especially on the cable cars). "Southern Raiders" is the resolution of Katara's mother arc and the amazing, metafictional "Ember Island Players" is one of the greatest episodes in the history of televison, ever.