In Good Company

AFI, the American Film Institute, isn't so much an institute per se, as it is a repository of old film stock. In recent years though, they have become better known for sparking water-cooler fist fights with their marvelously controversial count-down programs (100 years-100 movies, etc...)

Well, instead of hosting obnoxiously opulent crap-fests like the Emmys or the Grammys, AFI has assembled two knowledgeable, but independent, juries, one for movies and one for TV. Each jury was charged with naming the 10 best within each medium for the year. Here is this year's AFI list of best television series:

24
BATTLESTAR GALACTICA
DEADWOOD
GREY'S ANATOMY
HOUSE
LOST
RESCUE ME
SLEEPER CELL
SOMETIMES IN APRIL
VERONICA MARS

All of the big-boy critical darlings are there, 24, Deadwood, House... Fan favorites, Lost and Grey's anatomy, are alsoon the list. Even indie-cable sleeper, Rescue Me, makes an appearance, but wait, what's this? Do my eyes deceive me? Do you see what I see?

Why, our very own Battlestar Galactica made the list. Are you surprised? Are you scratching your head with wonder? Well, if you are, then you simply have not been paying attention. I have been hopping up and down, waiving my arms, trying to tell everyone that this show is worth watching. It shares a title and a hair-thin premise with the 1978 original, but little else.

Gone, is the clunk and the camp. In, is the drama, suspense and refined story telling. Lurking terror is often implied, but rarely shown. The heroes are flawed. The villains are sexy and believe in God.

Damn straight, it was one of the 10 best shows of the year.

I don't even know what the fuck Veronica Mars is.