EW's Top Ten TV Ensembles List Misses a Few Gems

Admittedly, reader polls are never the best indicator of what is best or right in this world. One glance at the votes on the Press-Gazette's Web site should tell you that. However, as much as we here at Channel Surfing adore Entertainment Weekly, their latest television-related reader poll came up with some ghastly results. The PopWatch blog asked readers to vote in June on the best TV ensembles. While most of the shows in the Top 10 would probably have a place on our list as well, Channel Surfing bloggers Malavika Jagannathan and Sara Boyd spent more time wondering about those shows that were left off the list. No list will ever satisfy every single person, but couldn't they have at least stretched the list to an even 20?

If you're too lazy to click the link above and go through EW's photo gallery, here are the 10 shows that made it onto their list of best ensembles: "Lost," "Veronica Mars," Friday Night Lights," "The West Wing," "Sports Night," "Hill Street Blues," "Mad Men," "Battlestar Galactica," "Arrested Development" and "The Shield."

So, without repeating those already picked, we'll offer you a few more shows each that belong on this list.

"M*A*S*H"
Working in Korea never seemed so appealing -- and this was well before Bill Clinton could come rescue you if you happened to get thrown into jail -- as it did for the doctors and nurses of the M*A*S*H 4077th. A true cast of quirky but lovable characters -- well, lovable except for Major Frank Burns (Larry Linville) -- they worked in tandem to keep this dark comedy relevant even today.

"The Wire"
Trying to explain who's who in "The Wire" is next to impossible. The endless list of characters are so embedded into the plots, so integral to the bigger picture, that it's almost easier to speed through its five brilliant seasons than wait for us to come up with a primer. A true ensemble cast is one where a main character like Det. Jimmy McNulty (Dominic West) can take a back seat during a season and never disrupt the flow of the show.

"ER"
OK, so the ensembles tended to change over the years, but the show remained grounded in the variety and diversity of characters that walked the halls of Cook County General Hospital. George Clooney or no George Clooney, the cast and crew of this show weathered the departures and arrivals of many new faces without ever skipping a beat. Best of all, the plot felt continuous until the very last episode.

"Seinfeld"
Popular culture will sustain Jerry, Elaine, Kramer and George for all of eternity, we imagine, but "Seinfeld" wasn't just about them. A host of smaller, but equally important secondary characters like Uncle Leo, Frank Costanza, Newman, Susan Ross and Jackie Chiles combined with some of the greatest guest appearances made this show a true group effort. After all, what's "Seinfeld" without the Soup Nazi, Bania, Puddy or J. Peterman? Just another show about friends in New York City. Not that there's anything wrong with that, of course.

--Malavika Jagannathan, mjaganna@greenbaypressgazette.com

"Friends"
Go ahead and be like Mr. Thomas Rozwadowski and get your "Pssh, I knew you would say that" out right now. But it's true. "Friends" deserves a place on this list. If for no other reason than because it took six relatively -- and in some cases, complete -- no-namers and put them on Hollywood's "It List" in a matter of only a couple of years. Admittedly, it took some time for these misfits to feel comfortable on screen and really get into their characters, but once they did, it was a TV ensemble made in heaven.

"Flight of the Conchords"
Let's be honest, if you remove any cast member from this beautiful equation, it just doesn't work. As much as you need Bret and Jemaine, you have to have Mel and Dave. And if you have Mel, you have to have Doug and when you have a personality like Dave, you have to have Murray. I'd even go as far as saying characters like Greg and Eugene are essential. There's truly not a weak link in the bunch.

"30 Rock"
Here's a case where a bunch of semi-successful actors and actresses find their true home and rocket off the charts. The writing of "30 Rock" took people like Tracy Morgan (who was commonly referred to as "the other black guy" on SNL) and Jane Krakowski (previously known as that one chick from "Ally McBeal") and turned them into superstars. And can we talk about Kenneth the Page for a second? Talk about a diamond in the rough. Still not convinced? I think the show's record-setting 22 Emmy noms may help clue you in.

"Gossip Girl"
OK, say what you will, but who can deny the power this group of richy-rich teens has had on the nation, nay the wooorrllld! When you have an ensemble of beautiful people who go out on the weekends and get their little love dramas smeared across the pages of US Weekly, there's simply nowhere to go but up. On the show, they truly have the freedom to play dating musical chairs as much as they want, and really, people will tune in. Whether it's off-again, on-again Serena and Dan or finally-together Chuck and Blair, it matters not. These characters are a delight to watch, not to mention a trendsetter of style for the ages.

--Sara Boyd, sboyd2@greenbaypressgazette.com

Commercial Interruption: "Southland," bringing the heat or going south?

Sometimes there's just too much television for one Channel Surfing blogger to handle. That's when we need a break to sit back, relax and indulge in some friendly back-and-forth (via email, of course — we don't actually like to speak to one another in person). Bloggers Malavika Jagannathan and Sara Boyd discuss whether or not "Southland" filled "ER's" scrub-covered shoes. While Sara thinks the show held its own, Malavika wonders if it's good enough to be in the same category as an "NYPD Blue" or "Law and Order." But don't call this a catfight quite yet ... mee-ow.

Sara: For 15 years, the 9 p.m. Thursday night timeslot on NBC had been filled with the sights and sounds of County General Hospital and the "ER" cast. When viewers said farewell to a lovable cast of hospital do-gooders, they also became very skeptical of anything that tried to claim its spot and hold the same viewership. But then we were introduced to "Southland." I'll admit, previews for cop drama didn't give me too much hope for the tiny show that could. It had a mostly B-list cast (the most notable, Mr. Ben McKenzie of "The O.C." fame) and it appeared on the surface to be just "another cop show." With the success of shows like "Law and Order," "CSI" and "NYPD Blue," to say the show had a lot riding on its premiere was a clear understatement. Perhaps I had low hopes going in and even a cynical view of how a cop drama could possibly capture the same audience that a beloved hospital show produced. But I was more than pleasantly surprised by "Southland."

The show seemed to stand on its own -- not relying on flashy, big-name actors or too much "shoot-em-up" drama for it to be effective. The premiere was violent and graphic, don't get me wrong, but it also spent a fair amount of time on its character development, giving the viewer enough to care about on the first day, and the desire to come back for seconds. McKenzie plays Ben Sherman, a rookie police officer trying to keep up with his jerk of a training superior. It's a pretty typical set-up, but there's a little hint of mystery in Sherman's past that's only been hinted at thus far. There was more than one scene where I was on edge, clutching couch pillows in suspense, and as a premiere I thought it did a great job of leaving the viewer wanting more. I think it is a little early to truly call this show a hit or miss, but I'm optimistic -- which is a rare feeling for me on Thursday nights.

Malavika, I know you disagree, where did the show miss for you ?

Malavika: OK, admittedly, I was watching the show half-assedly because it definitely lost me after the decomposed-body-being-eaten-by-a-dog shock factor. Can I get an ewwww please?

"Southland" is desperate to be network television's "The Wire" -- you know, the cop show that isn't. From the looks of things, though, it also wants to be "NYPD Blue," "Homicide: Life on the Streets," "The Shield”" and "Crash." Everything about the show screams cable wannabe, from the grittiness to the low camera angles to the bleeped out words. In a way, this is good for NBC. It's not another "Law and Order" clone or a "CSI," but the end result is a hodgepodge of features from other cop shows giving "Southland" a feel that I've seen it all before. Rookie cop trying to feel his way around the job? Rick Schroder from "NYPD Blue." Landing you in the middle of things without a a lot of exposition or background? "The Wire." Graphic scenes and language? Michael Chiklis will kick you if you don't say that's straight out of "The Shield" playbook. Even the final scene -- supposedly a shocking reveal that Michael Cudlitz's character John Cooper hangs out at a gay bar -- is stolen from Season 3 of "The Wire."

Now, truly, I'm not a cop show snob. I've seen so many episodes of "Law and Order" that I can recognize when they're recycling plotlines, yet I continue to watch. I also love John Wells, since he has produced two of my all time faves -- "ER" and "The West Wing," but that's exactly why I was expecting much more from the show. The longevity of "ER" -- which kept me glued until the bitter end -- came from the fact that it was like nothing else on television ever, not just network television, ALL television. No cable network could match it. "Southland," on the other hand, just feels like a network version of so many other police dramas. If it wants to follow the "ER" path, it has to be much more and I just didn't get that sense on Thursday night.

Sara, was there something in particular, other than Benjamin McKenzie's beautiful face, that made you feel connected to the show?

Sara: Perhaps that's part of it, too. After a while I got tired of "ER" and I felt that it began to drag along, limping around until someone took it out back and put it out of its misery. Minus the final episode -- I probably didn't watch the show in years. So on one hand, I was relieved to actually see something new in that timeslot. And just like "ER," I wasn't singing its praises until the third or fourth episode. The fact that I could actually walk away from the first round of "Southland" thinking, "Hmm, this could be a very good show," is promising.

However, I've never been one to get into too much of the police drama. Sure, I watch "Law and Order," but only the "SVU" division, and really only because Elliot Stabler is yum, yum, yummy. I never got into "NYPD Blue" and I've never felt compelled enough to watch "The Shield" or "The Wire." Plus, "CSI" just bugs me. From that standpoint, "Southland" held my attention, it was gripping without feeling phony and it had surprises, which is hard to pull off in this day and age of television viewers. I don't think it's a bad thing to call it "The Wire" for network television -- from what I've been told, that's quite the compliment. The point is, network TV is running every version possible of "CSI" or "Law and Order," and its new dramas are comprised of shows like "Knight Rider" and "Ghost Whisperer." I think "Southland" at least has hope, which is more than I can say for about 90 percent of the new shows today. I like McKenzie's character, sure, but I'm also a big Regina King fan and am interested to see how Shawn Hatosy's Sammy Bryant character develops. Plus, I'm happy knowing there's no threat of seeing Dennis Franz's bare ass.

So MJ, do you think you'll tune in again next week?

Malavika: If I do, it's only because there's nothing else to watch in that timeslot ("Grey's Anatomy?" Puhlease). But, beyond that obligation, I don't feel too compelled to give it another chance.

Judge for yourself: "Southland" airs at 9 p.m. Thursdays on NBC.

What did you think of the new show? Comment now!

-- Sara Boyd, sboyd2@greenbaypressgazette.com and Malavika Jagannathan, mjaganna@greenbaypressgazette.com

Commercial Interruption: Life goes on at County General even after "ER"

Sometimes there's just too much television for one Channel Surfing blogger to handle. That's when we need a break to sit back, relax and indulge in some friendly back-and-forth (via email, of course — we don't actually like to speak to one another in person). Bloggers Malavika Jagannathan and Sara Boyd put on their scrubs and pull out their verbal scalpels to dissect the series finale of "ER." After 15 seasons, it's hard to top what the show has already done, so writers went for less retrospection and more action. The two-hour episode was classic "ER" -- chaotic and heartfelt with a dash of nostalgia thrown in -- but did it hit its mark?

Malavika: Now I don't want to brag or anything, but I accurately predicted the ending of "ER" in my post yesterday when I wrote I'd be happy "if they ended in the middle of a major medical trauma with the camera zooming out through the ER doors one last time." Which is exactly what happened. Powers of psychic ability aside, though, I was pretty thrilled. When the last shot zoomed out to show the entire hospital for the first time, it felt right. There wasn't anything special about the "ER" finale -- no freak accidents or shooting sprees -- and I liked this feeling of enduring continuity. Not to get all high school English teacher here, but "ER" has always been about the circle of life and death, that even as people die or leave, life goes on and we endure. Even the title of the last episode "And in the end..." echoed that theme, so there was no better way to end the show by letting us go even as the doctors and nurses continued to work.

Of course, it wasn't all business as usual, either, as old characters made appearances for one final hurrah. We saw Mark Greene's daughter Rachel show up as a prosopective med student (I always figured she'd show up in the ER one day, but most likely as a patient... whoops... I guess people do grow up). Doctors Susan Lewis (Sherry Stringfield), Kerry Weaver (Laura Innes), Peter Benton (Eriq La Salle) and Elizabeth Corday (Alex Kingston) all showed up for the opening of Dr. Carter's (Noah Wyle) family inheritance-funded medical center for the underserved. Even Benton's deaf son Reese made an appearance. Of course, I was hoping for a few more cameos -- most notably missing from this parade of former characters was Goran Visnjic as Dr. Luka Kovac -- but I guess it would be somewhat unrealistic if every former character popped up in Chicago on the same day.

Did the ending work for you, Sara?

Sara: I'll be honest, that "ER" prediction was so accurate I think you should begin a new segment called "MJ's Melodramatic Mindreadings." Spooky.

And yes, the ending worked for me. Even though my "ER" viewing span dwindled in the last few years -- I'll be honest when Dr. Kovac was gone so was most of my interest -- I always knew picking the show back up would be relatively easy. It's a standard set-up and a successful standard set-up, at that. Last night's finale was in perfect pitch with what the show has been for 15 years. It was an episode that could've easily been any other Thursday night at County. And really, to truly respect its fans, that's what it needed to be. The beauty of "ER" is that no matter what the plot, no matter what the drama -- you'll get some excitement, some suspense and perhaps the best part, you'll get some kind of emotional connection.

Call me a sap, but that's what I think makes the show work. It goes beyond the trauma rooms, operating tables and waiting lounges and makes you feel something, not only for the doctors, but the short-lived characters that are the crux of the story: the patients. Even with last night's episode, while squeezing in the necessary reunion, you still had the elderly man and his wife, the newborn twins and the man dying of cancer. It's just as Malavika put it -- life goes on, even after a show must come to an end.

So MJ, with so many previous characters coming back, was a part of you like me -- waiting to see if Dr. Doug Ross (George Clooney) showed up?

Malavika: I would be lying if I said I hadn't been looking for another Clooney cameo, even thought the chances of it happening were pretty slim.

Since I have Dr. Ross on mind -- mmmm, let's take a moment here -- I have to give the writers some major props for bringing him back subtly into the storyline a few episodes ago. Instead of making a flashy, dramatic comeback, we saw him in Seattle, working with Nurse Carol Hathaway (Julianna Margulies) to get a grieving grandmother (Susan Sarandon) to give her grandson's organs for donation, both not realizing that the kidney they're sending to Chicago will go to help their friend Carter. "ER" has always been an ensemble drama, so even a star like Clooney -- or a guest star like Sarandon -- are only bits and pieces of the big picture.

I thought Sara brought up a great point that "ER" makes memorable characters of even the shortlived appearances of the patients. For the hour or so, you get sucked into the lives of people you have no reason to care about and the show stayed true to this formula to the end.

Sara: The only thing I could add is that even though we didn't get to see Dr. Ross one last time, the finale did something really important within its characters -- it set itself up to continue the cycle. Just as we all remember watching a fresh-faced Dr. Carter deal with emotions far beyond his medical experience, we got to see the full circle last night with Alexis Bledel's med student character. It didn't try to push a phony dramatic ending where life at County stops because we're not there to watch it anymore. Instead, it started another chapter.

Malavika: At first, I was thinking, man, wouldn't it have been great to have Alexis Bledel ("Gilmore Girls") for the entire season as intern Julia Wise? But I think bookending the show with Carter's first day and her first day wraps up the show quite nicely, as Sara suggested, and gives a continuity to the show that'll last beyond us watching it. On that note, here's a clip from Season 1 when Carter first shows up in the "ER." Seems like a good way for us to end this post.

Editor's note: The series finale of "ER" snagged 16.5 million viewers last night, which is the highest rated series finale for a drama since... wait, for it, "Murder She Wrote" in 1996.

--Malavika Jagannathan, mjaganna@greenbaypressgazette.com and Sara Boyd, sboyd2@greenbaypressgazette.com

How will "ER" end tonight?

It's still hard to believe that "ER" will end tonight after 15 years of blood, guts and drama.

Since its debut in 1994 -- yes, the same year Tonya Harding's ex-husband ordered the attack on Nancy Kerrigan and South Africa elected Nelson Mandela -- "ER" changed the landscape of the medical drama. In its heyday, episodes of "ER" had more than 30 million viewers each week, which is only slightly less that the 2008 population of California.

As someone who has probably watched most, if not all, the episodes of the show, I'm not sure what I want out of the series finale. I can, however, tell you what I don't want to see and that's a "St. Elsewhere"-type ending. (Or apparently a "Life on Mars" ending, which surpasses St. Elsewhere for ridiculous and outlandish plots). I also don't need a 10-years-later flash-forward or a group hug in the ambulance bay. In fact, I'd be more than happy if they ended in the middle of a major medical trauma with the camera zooming out through the ER doors one last time. At least, that way, "ER" will end the way it started -- chaotic, always moving and, in a way, constant.

Of course, a dash of sentimentality is expected, but nothing too tear-inducing. With that in mind, here are my top five favorite things about "ER" from 15-year run.

1. Doug Ross (George Clooney). Move over, McDreamy. Clooney's Ross set the bar high for well-coifed, womanizing television doctors and he did with it heart. High point: saving a drowning kid from a drainage pipe in a tuxedo.

2. Guest stars galore. From the mundane -- Mariska Hargitay of "Law and Order: SVU" fame as a receptionist -- to the memorable -- Cynthia Nixon as a stroke patient, a guest list for "ER" is like a who's-who of Hollywood. Most recently we saw Susan Sarandon as a grieving grandmother and tonight's finale features "Gilmore Girls" star Alexis Bledel.

3. Freakish accidents. There was the tank. The various shooting sprees. The occasional sprinkler incident. The time Dr. Carter (Noah Wyle) and his med student Lucy got stabbed. But nothing could top the episode where Dr. Romano (Paul McCrane) lost his arm in a freak helicopter accident. There really was no better way to shut up the show's resident misogynistic racist jerk. It was so successful a move that Romano was killed off by a second freak chopper accident next season when it exploded over the hospital.

4. Crazy medical stuff! From the monkey pox epidemic that shut down the hospital for weeks to the time surgeons accidentally biopsied a pair of testicles from a female patient, "ER" had all the strange medical mysteries and the jargon to boot. (If I'm ever in an ER, I expect the doctors to order a CBC, a chest x-ray and a chem panel, stat!)

5. New faces. "ER" did a great job of transitioning its original cast and adding new members to the point that you expected it. Sure, Doug Ross and Carol Hathaway were missed, but, Luka Kovac a.k.a. the Hot Croatian Doctor and Abby Lockhart were perfect replacements as the it-"ER" couple. In the end, we'll be as sad to say goodbye to John Stamos' Dr. Gates as we are to bid farewell to Dr. Carter.

The "ER" series finale airs tonight at 8 p.m. A special retrospective will air at 7 p.m. on NBC.

--Malavika Jagannathan, mjaganna@greenbaypressgazette.com

TV Potpourri: Dr. Rory Gilmore on ER, Fox's new "Glee" club

Hugh Jackman wasn't kidding: the musical IS apparently back.

Everyone's favorite TV guru, Michael Ausiello, reports at EW.com that Fox's upcoming musical comedy "Glee" will feature Broadway and television veterans Kristin Chenoweth (serenity now, Tom) and Victor Garber ("Alias") as recurring cast members on the mid-season replacement for "American Idol." Described as a sort of "Friday Night Lights" for the drama geeks, the show follows the efforts of a Spanish teacher trying to makeover the school's less-than-excellent glee club. Did I mention that Ryan Murphy, best known as the creator of the deliciously weird "Nip/Tuck" is responsible for this?

More News from the ER

Apparently Rory Gilmore couldn't hack it in the news biz, so she moved on to... medical school? "Gilmore Girls" star Alexis Bledel has signed on to guest star in the "ER" series finale on April 2 as new intern Julia Wise, according to Radar. On the heels of the much-anticipated return of George Clooney (supposedly in the March 12 episode) to the show, it's not terribly exciting, but we're looking forward to a lot of speed talking and coffee. Speaking of Clooney's return, he did tell Larry King that his appearance will coincide with another big-name guest star: Susan Sarandon.

--Malavika Jagannathan, mjaganna@greenbaypressgazette.com

If Noah Wyle is here, can George Clooney be far behind?

With the final season of "ER" wrapping up, it's time for old characters -- mostly George Clooney -- to return to the hallowed halls of County General for one final round. (See, I'm so clever with my medical terminology).

On tonight's episode, Noah Wyle -- who played the earnest and babyfaced Dr. John Carter for eleven seasons -- returns for the first of a four-episode arc, the beginning of the end that's rumored to include a Clooney appearance at some point before the "ER" doors close forever. Or at least that's what fans can hope for.

Already, other former "ER" cast members, including Anthony Edwards, Sherry Stringfield, Eriq La Salle and Julianna Margulies will reprise their roles for the show's last episodes. Aside from Clooney's potential salary, there's nothing stopping him from appearing because, let's be honest, it's not "ER" without a little Dr. Doug Ross to stare at us with smoldering outrage. No offense to John Stamos, who has nicely transitioned into the necessary hottie doctor role after Goran Visnjic slowly exited from the show, but there's only one Doug Ross and you, sir, are no Doug Ross.

Tune in tonight at 9 p.m. on NBC to see Noah Wyle come back to "ER." The series finale airs April 2.

-- Malavika Jagannathan, mjaganna@greenbaypressgazette.com

"Previously on..." necessary for post-strike episodes

Do you remember where you were five months ago? What were you wearing? What were you eating?

Yeah, neither do I.

Now, I'm no senior citizen, but I feel like I am experiencing the onset of dementia every time I watch a post-strike episode of any show. Take last night's episode of "ER." It began by introducing a new character, but I could barely recall what had happened to the characters I sort of knew.

Would it kill producers to tack on a handy "Previously on..." recap? That may not be necessary for a show like "30 Rock" or "The Office," but linear shows like "ER" and "Brothers and Sisters" with involved plotlines and multiple characters desperately need a 30-second recap to bring everyone back to speed. Especially after five months of reruns.

Please bring us back to the post-strike world gently. Begin with a recap.

What's the word on recaps? Annoying or helpful?

-- Malavika Jagannathan, mjaganna@greenbaypressgazette.com