Show Me A Hero

As you probably know by now, TV is my favorite thing. I’ve watched every episode of hundreds of shows — of all kinds. I decided to make something that salutes the best of the best (in my humble opinion). Thus, the JASON CREATES TV Hall of Fame was hatched.

The inaugural class, announced today, features nine comedies, 11 dramas and five limited series. They are fantastic shows that resonated with me. I looked forward to new episodes each week (or binged them without abandon more recently). The greats pull you in with original characters, compelling storylines and winning performances, and they never let go. I tried to pick series that ended more than a year ago, but that’s not the case for all of them. I just couldn’t keep out a gem like BoJack Horseman.

Moving forward, I’ll add 15 more programs (10 comedies or dramas and five limited series) next month (Aug. 17), and then every August after that. The only requirements: the show is undeniably awesome; its run is over; it has been off the air for at least a calendar year; and I’ve seen every episode at least once.

Some notes: There are gaps. I was late to the game on premium cable (HBO, Showtime, STARZ, etc.), so I’m playing catch-up. Admittedly, I haven’t seen a lot of international shows, so my choices lean American. I’ve consumed a few of today’s honorees multiple times. (I’m actually working on my third watch of The O.C.) And lastly: I have missed many limited series; I only started checking them out more frequently in the past five years.

Without further adieu, your JASON CREATES TV Hall of Fame inaugural class:

COMEDIES

Baskets (FX, 2016-2019, 4 seasons, 40 episodes, stream on FX on Hulu) – I doubt many people have seen this obscure beauty, but do yourself a favor and stream it ASAP. You can do it in two days. Series director Jonathan Krisel knows exactly what to doing. Best actor/actress: Zach Galifianakis (playing twins). Best supporting actor/actress: Martha Kelly. Best character: Mrs. Baskets (Emmy winner Louis Anderson). Best season: Season 4.

BoJack Horseman (Netflix, 2014-2020, 6 seasons, 77 episodes, stream on Netflix) – I fell in love with creator Raphael Bob-Waksbergs’ characters when I binged the first three seasons in 2017. It kept getting better and better. The monologues, clever play on words and humor floored me. I will always love Keith Olbermann’s Tom Jumbo-Gumbo. Best actor/actress: Will Arnett. Best supporting actor/actress: Amy Sedaris. Best character: Mr. Peanutbutter (Paul F. Thompkins). Best season: Season 2.

Crazy Ex-Girlfriend (The CW, 2015-2019, 4 seasons, 62 episodes, stream on Netflix) – Visionary creator/star Rachel Bloom is a rare talent, and I could not be happier she gave us this story. Covering important subjects like friendship, trauma and mental illness with incredible writing, songs and choreography, what more could you want? Best actor/actress: Bloom. Best supporting actor/actress: Donna Lynne Champlin. Best character: Darryl Whitefeather (Pete Gardner). Best season: Season 1.

Getting On (HBO, 2013-2015, 3 seasons, 18 episodes, stream on HBO/Max) – I heart this little show so much. I binged it a couple years after it originally aired on HBO. The legendary Laurie Metcalf does wonders with her role and earned one Emmy nod for it. I haven’t seen the earlier British version of Getting On, but it’s on my to-do list. Best actor/actress: Metcalf. Best supporting actor/actress: Niecy Nash (a two-time Emmy nom here). Best character: Dawn Forchette (Alex Borstein). Best season: Season 1.

Gilmore Girls (The WB, 2000-2007, 7 seasons, 154 episodes, stream on HBO/Max) – Amy Sherman-Palladino’s quick-paced and rich look at relationships between mothers and daughters and their quirky friends in Stars Hollow, Connecticut. We all remember the drama behind the scenes at the end of the series’ run. It was good while it lasted. Best actor/actress: Lauren Graham. Best supporting actor/actress: Melissa McCarthy. Best character: Emily Gilmore (Kelly Bishop). Best season: Season 7 (just kidding!). Season 1.

Nurse Jackie (Showtime, 2009-2015, 7 seasons, 80 episodes, stream on Netflix) – After her award-winning turn on The Sopranos, Edie Falco got an even bigger chance to shine in this dark comedy set in a New York City hospital. Betty Gilpin elevated the show some more when she joined as Dr. Carrie Roman. Best actor/actress: Falco (in another Emmy-winning role). Best supporting actor/actress: Anna Deavere Smith. Best character: Zoey Barkow (Merritt Wever, another Emmy winner). Best season: Season 7.

Please Like Me (Australia, 2013-2016, 4 seasons, 32 episodes, stream on Hulu) – I hadn’t heard anything about this Josh Thomas vehicle before I discovered it on Hulu. Such a nice surprise. Watching the lives of a newly out gay man and his interesting friends and parents unfold was a treat. I’m sure I’ll watch it again soon. Best actor/actress: Thomas. Best supporting actor/actress: Debra Lawrence. Best character: Hannah (Hannah Gadsby). Best season: Season 1.

Sports Night* (ABC, 1998-2000, 2 seasons, 45 episodes, stream on Vudu) – I’ll never forget vouching for this Aaron Sorkin project, based on ESPN’s SportsCenter, during my high school days while one of my friends argued Buffy The Vampire Slayer was way better. It boasted a stellar cast discussing timely topics every week but suffered from (relatively) low ratings. Best actor/actress: Josh Charles. Best supporting actor/actress: Robert Guillaume. Best character: Dana Whitaker (Felicity Huffman). Best season: Season 1. 

Ugly Betty (ABC, 2006-2010, 4 seasons, 85 episodes, stream on Hulu) – RIP, co-creator Silvio Horta, who died earlier this year. A lovely Hispanic family and larger-than-life characters delivered the goods. I had so much fun spending time with them. Best actor/actress: America Ferrera. Best supporting actor/actress: Vanessa Williams. Best character (tie): the unbeatable duo of Marc St. James (Michael Urie) and Amanda Tanen (Becki Newton). Best season: Season 4.

DRAMAS

Breaking Bad (AMC, 2008-2013, 5 seasons, 62 episodes, stream on Netflix) – I binged this incredible series in 2013 on Netflix. Better late than never. What a ride. Vince Gilligan is nothing if not brilliant. He and the cast won a billion Emmys. Best actor/actress: Bryan Cranston. Best supporting actor/actress: Anna Gunn. Best character (tie): Jesse Pinkman (Aaron Paul) and Hank Schrader (Dean Norris). Best season: Season 6.

ER (NBC, 1994-2009, 15 seasons, 331 episodes, stream on Hulu) – Finally watched the best medical drama in history in 2019-2020. Emotion, raw and relentless. It could still be going today, tackling subjects like the caronavirus and more. It featured so many wonderfully nuanced performances over a decade and a half and was the Emmy winner for Outstanding Drama in 1996. Best actor/actress: Noah Wyle. Best supporting actor/actress: Maura Tierney. Best character: Kerry Weaver (Laura Innes). Best season: Season 1.

Everwood (The WB, 2002-2006, 4 seasons, 89 episodes, stream on IMDb TV) – This special show was one of Greg Berlanti’s finest. Quiet character studies and family dynamics galore. Treat Williams and Emily VanCamp totally deliver. Best actor/actress: Gregory Smith. Best supporting actor/actress: Debra Mooney. Best character: Dr. Harold Abbott (Tom Amandes). Best season: Season 4.

Friday Night Lights (NBC/DirecTV, 2006-2011, 5 seasons, 76 episodes, steam on Hulu) – Clear eyes. Full hearts. Can’t lose. Not with this series. So honest and real. It’s about football, yes, but it’s so much more than that. I lived and died with the Taylors and Matt Saracen every week. Best actor/actress: Connie Britton. Best supporting actor/actress: Zach Gilford. Best character: Buddy Garrity (Brad Leland). Best season: Season 1.

Lost (ABC, 2004-2010, 6 seasons, 118 episodes, stream on Hulu) – What an ambitious and groundbreaking show. And all the essays and think pieces! The pilot is so memorable, and it’s off the races from there, capturing the Emmy for Outstanding Drama Series in 2005. I can’t think of many better ensemble casts. Controversially, I liked the series finale. Best actor/actress (tie): Matthew Fox/Evangeline Lilly. Best supporting actor/actress: Josh Holloway. Best character: John Locke (Terry O’Quinn). Best season: Season 1.

Orange Is The New Black (Netflix, 2013-2019, 7 seasons, 91 episodes, stream on Netflix) – A quarantine binge I finished in less than two weeks in March. Incredible comedy and drama and everything in between. Jenji Kohan and her writers showcase queerness, race and the brutal impact of incarceration on women. Best actor/actress: Taylor Schilling. Best supporting actor/actress: How do you choose just one? Yael Stone, Kate Mulgrew, Taryn Manning, Natasha Lyonne, Danielle Brooks. Best character: Suzanne “Crazy Eyes” Warren (Uzo Aduba). Best season: Season 5.

Queer As Folk* (Showtime, 2000-2005, 5 seasons, 83 episodes, stream on Netflix) –  A true pioneer. Sure, it’s very white, which was glaring during my rewatch on Netflix, but it’s still worthy of Hall of Fame recognition. And still relevant today. The exploration of the gay experience in America in the beginning of the century was vital. Best actor/actress (tie): Gale Harold/Peter Paige. Best supporting actor/actress: Michelle Clunie. Best character: Debbie Novotny (Sharon Gless). Best season: Season 1.

The Americans (FX, 2013-2018, 6 seasons, 75 episodes, stream on FX on Hulu) – I dipped out of this series after two seasons — I wasn’t wild about it at first — then came back when the critical praise and awards chatter wouldn’t let up. It finished so strong, and I’ll never forget the last few minutes of the series finale. Best actor/actress: Keri Russell. Best supporting actor/actress: Noah Emmerich. Best character: Philip Jennings (Matthew Rhys). Best season: Season 6.

The Good Wife (CBS, 2009-2016, 7 seasons, 156 episodes, stream on Prime Video, CBS All Access) – Another quarantine binge. Robert and Michelle King hit a home run with the lawyer show, a genre I really enjoy. It never quite got the respect it deserved. Punchy and political, my favorite parts were Carrie Preston’s Elsbeth Tascioni and the deep bench of judges. Best actor/actress: Julianna Margulies (a two-time Emmy winner here). Best supporting actor/actress: Christin Baranski. Best character: Kalinda Sharma (Archie Panjabi, another Emmy winner). Best season: Season 1.

The O.C.* (FOX, 2003-2007, 4 seasons, 92 episodes, stream on HBO/Max) – I devoured the original airings on FOX, then watched every rerun on Pop TV in 2016. I started again with Hulu and now HBO Max. Clearly, I can’t get enough of Ryan Atwood and the Cohen clan. I dig the soapiness and revalatory music choices. Best actor/actress: Benjamin McKenzie. Best supporting actor/actress: Peter Gallagher. Best character: Julie Cooper (Melinda Clarke). Best season: Season 1 (a whopping 27 episodes!).

The West Wing (NBC, 1999-2006, 7 seasons, 155 episodes, stream on HBO Max) – One of my early all-time favorites and the beginning of my love affair with Aaron Sorkin. It’s another show that claimed dozens of Emmys. Sure, it addressed a much different time, but the smart writing was top-notch, especially during the campaign years with Jimmy Smits. Best actor/actress: Martin Sheen (nominated for six Emmys here). Best supporting actor/actress: Allison Janney (a Emmy winner many times). Best character: Toby Ziegler (Richard Schiff, who won an Emmy as well). Best season (tie): Seasons 1 and 7.

LIMITED SERIES

Angels In America (HBO, 2003, 6 episodes, stream on HBO/Max) – I remember watching this tour de force in college. It moved me to tears. Tony Kushner and Mike Nichols deliver big time, and an all-star cast gives it everything they’ve got. The Emmys prove it. Best actor/actress: Justin Kirk. Best supporting actor/actress: Meryl Streep. Best character: Roy Cohn (Al Pacino).

Godless (Netflix, 2017, 7 episodes, stream on Netflix) – I instantly connected with this effort — written/directed by Scott Frank and set in the 1880s American West — probably because Merritt Wever and Jeff Daniels are two of my favorite actors working today. I blew threw it in one sitting. Best actor/actress: Jack O’Connell. Best supporting actor/actress: Merritt Wever. Best character: Frank Griffin (Emmy winner Jeff Daniels).

Show Me A Hero (HBO, 6 episodes, 2015, stream on HBO/Max) – Who would think that a story about local politics and public policy in 1987 would be so engaging? Credit the potent scripts from David Simon, Lisa Belkin and William F. Zorzi and a slew of passionate performances. Best actor/actress: Oscar Isaac. Best supporting actor/actress: Carla Quevedo. Best character: Norma O’Neal (LaTanya Richardson Jackson).

The Night Of (HBO, 2016, 9 episodes, stream on HBO/Max) – Filled with intrigue and suspense, The Night Of impressed me in a major way. Exactly how a murder mystery should be done. It was created by the great Richard Price and Steven Zaillian. Best actor/actress: Riz Ahmed (an Emmy winner here). Best supporting actor/actress: Poorna Jagannathan. Best character: Dennis Box (Bill Camp).

When We Rise (ABC, 2017, 4 episodes, buy on YouTube, Apple, Google) – Far from perfect, it’s a big swing from Dustin Lance Black that mostly works because of several affecting performances. These stories need to be told. Best actor/actress: Rachel Griffiths. Best supporting actor/actress: Jonathan Majors. Best character: Young Cleve Jones (Austin P. McKenzie).

*viewed complete series twice