…continues from here
#10: Dexter
Why the show is OSOM: Imagine the following stichomythia between an adolescent son and his father: “Dad I have an urge!”, “I know Dexter… It’s normal at your age.”, “Sure, that too! But this is not what I had in mind…”, “What did you mean then son?”, “Well, simply put, I like to kill people!”. Next, take that dialogue and put it on a dark and mysterious frame, decorated with a bunch of painful secrets, the freedom of solitude, the art of survival and some flexible morals. Great job! You have a novel! Now, take that novel and send it to some serious cable network in Hollywood, like Showtime… And Voila! You have an OSOM show!
PS.: Don’t forget to add some of the best opening credits ever made for a TV series!
#9: Death note
Why the show is OSOM: All right, let me spell it out for you, in case you haven’t realized it already: Japanese people are /oʊ/-/ɛs/- /oʊ/- /ɛm/. These bastards have the sickest imagination on the planet! Compared to them, ancient greek mythology looks like the Pollyanna series. For instance, they can take an ‘innocent’ looking notepad, trasform it into the deadliest weapon and then give it to the Shinighamis (i.e. the Death Gods)! Now, the person whose name is written in its pages shall die a horrible death! How cool is that? And what happens if this notepad falls into the wrong hands? What a stupid question! What do you think it happens? You have an OSOM anime, of course!
#8: Grey’s Anatomy
Why the show is OSOM: No, it’s not because of Katherine Heigl. That girl is just not my type. (Yes, you heard me right the first time.). And no, it’s not beacuse of it’s unique theme. There are more medical shows on TV than homeless people on the streets. Then what’s so special about it? It’s simple, really. Grey’s anatomy is the classiest “everyone-does-everyone-else” drama, there is! And I mean it in every possible way. The acting is great (My special respects to Sandra Oh, Patrick Dempsey and Chandra Wilson), the writing (thanks to Shonda Rhimes) is smart, sophisticated and spot-on, while the general atmosphere is always elevating and socially educative… That’s why it’s OSOM!
#7: Avatar: The last Airbender
Why the show is OSOM: “Water… Earth… Fire… Air… Long ago, the 4 nations lived together in harmony. Then everything changed when the Fire Nation attacked. Only the Avatar, master of all 4 elements, could stop them. But when the world needed him most, he vanished. A hundred years passed and Katara & Sokka discovered the new Avatar, an airbender named Aang. And although his airbending skills were great, he still had a lot to learn before he would be ready to save anyone. But they believed that Aang could save the world…” See what I ‘m sayin’? That’s why the show is OSOM!
PS.: That, and the fact that Aang and Appa have a totally random, ugly arrow, tattooed in their heads!
#6: Prison Break
Why the show is OSOM: Prison Break ranks second on my list of the shows having the Pringles principle (You know, the “once you pop you can’t stop” kind of thing). I dare you watch one episode without seeing the next one! Also, Prison Break amuses me just because it irritates so many people. And I mean of course those who said that only the first season was worth-watching, They said it got old after that. The also said that every next season was worse than the previous one. I have only a simple question for you folks: If you got sick of the series, then WHY ON EARTH WOULD YOU WATCH IT, UP TO THE LAST SEASON? Don’t bother, I know why: It’s because the show is OSOM!
#5: Friends
Why the show is OSOM: For us, Phoebe will be always obsessed with that freaky ‘smelly’ cat, Monica will never rest before the napkins are folded correctly, Rachel will keep singing “I like big butts” to make her baby sleep, Ross will always introduce himself as doctor Geller, Chandler, will allways be, well… Chandler and Joey will never stop the Q-tip even when there’s resistance. It lasted ten seasons. That was no accident. It’s still on TV everywhere. That’s no accident either. On top of that, It has some of the best one-liners ever made for a sitcom. That’s why it’s OSOM!
#4: Family Guy
Why the show is OSOM: When it comes to comedy, there are three types of good shows: The funny, the hilarious and the TIOBIATHALS (= Turn It Off Because I’m About To Have A Lough Stroke). Family Guy is easily one of the dominant series of the last category. It is politically incorrect, incoherently random and absurdly funny! And even though the show got unnecessarily gore after a while, its first 3 seasons will be hardly topped, even by the brilliant british comic television. That’s why it’s OSOM…
#3: House MD
Why the show is OSOM: House MD is NOT about the series theme. House could as well be an astronaut, a dog hunter, or even a carpet cleaner. House MD is NOT about the rest of the cast. Hugh Laurie would act equally successfull even among a bunch of one-armed untrained monkeys with Alzheimer’s. House MD is NOT about the plot or the music (even though the ‘Massive Attack’ opening theme is OSOM too). Provided that there’s challenge to it, House could make the typical, boring, life-is-slow-and-painful-I-want-to-kill-myself-now HBO writing into something actually worth watching! (Luckily for us, HBO would never write for another network, let alone FOX). Basically, House MD is about House himself, arguably the most interesting and deep character ever created for a TV series. This guy is totally unpredicatable. He’s a real “true neutral” character, as any nerdy D&D fun would confirm. That’s why he’s OSOM!
PS.: House is not miserable. It’s the others who are jealous of his OSOMness and happiness. Think about it! He’s a smart, single, kick-ass doctor, who works at his own pace, make others do the dirty stuff for him, never pays for lunch or dinner and who believes in nothing and noone but himself! This guy is the definition of Nietzche’s superman! Why on earth would he be miserable?
#2: Da Ali-G Show
Why the show is OSOM: Sacha Baron Cohen is exactly like House, with one major diferrence: Sacha is for real! He’s a great actor, an insightful writer, a hilarious impersonator and a quick improviser. He’s the epitomy of brilliance! I am sure that the great Aristophanes would be proud of the human race having people like him living in the 21st century. Sacha you ‘re OSOM! Respek!
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And finally…
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The only…
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The ultimate…
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The one in a lifetime…
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The 8th wonder of the World!
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#1: LOST
Why the show is the OSOMest there is: First of all, this series is not a series! It’s a freaking six-season movie! No individual season themes. No filler episodes. No irrelevatnt stories. No time to waste! Every single subplot is always part of the main plot. Just like a (very long) feature film. And not just any film. A super-exciting one. So exciting in fact, that every time I watch it my heart rate is elevated at the levels where I can actually burn calories… I kid you not! I haven’t felt that way since 2004, when the Balance of our Universe decided to take a break on its duties and let the Greek soccer team win the European cup! Secondly, this movie is so well connected that you have to see it all at once! Otherwise the Curiosity might kill you, instead of the cat! And I am talking from personal experience here. I ‘ve been suffering for the past 4 summers just beacuse I was waiting for the new seasons to come out. But this is not the best part! The most fun is that nobody knows what the hell is going on, on this island. And of course, the ingenious writers won’t reveal but small hints about what’s actually happening on the show. And still some numbnuts would complain for not getting enough “answers”. But seriously people: WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU? How can you demand answers when you know that the lack of them is what makes LOST so OSOM?
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Other shows I considered for my top-20 list: Alias, Sex and the City, Will and Grace, The Office (UK), Firefly, Arrested Development, Scrubs, Veronica Mars, The Simpsons, 30 Rock, Breaking Bad, The X-files, The 4400, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Californication, Futurama, Heroes, How I Met your Mother, Battlestar Galactica, The Wire, CSI (Las Vegas).
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