Thursday, June 26, 2008

The Perfect TV Family?

As part of the new classics list I mentioned in yesterday's blog, Entertainment Weekly listed a number of sidebars and featurettes to go with the lists of best movies, TV shows, music, etc. of the past 25 years. (Check out the gallery of "The Office's" Rainn Wilson as various TV characters).

As part of the TV section, EW listed an all-star roster of what might make the perfect TV family:

Dad: Cliff Huxtable of "The Cosby Show"
Mom: Lorelai Gilmore of "Gilmore Girls"
Grandpa: Abe Simpson of "The Simpsons"
Grandma: Dorothy Zbornak of "The Golden Girls"
Son: Sam Weir of "Freaks & Geeks"
Daughter: Brenda Walsh of "Beverly Hills 90210"
Uncle: Buster Bluth of "Arrested Development"
Aunt: Jackie Harris of "Roseanne"
Dog: Brian Griffin of "Family Guy"

I'm not really sure what criteria EW used for their picks — who would be the best dad? The weirdest uncle? — but I think we can do a bit better.

My list:
Dad: Noah Bennet of "Heroes"; One simple rule for dating his daughter: If you date his daughter, he will have you killed.
Mom: Lois of "Malcolm In The Middle"; OK, she was a bit abrasive and scary, but trying to keep those kids in line, she had to be.
Grandpa and Grandma: I'll keep the same picks as EW, because I can't really think of anyone better.
Son: Dean Winchester, "Supernatural"; Not only does he keep the family business going, but he sold his soul to save the life of his brother.
Daughter: Buffy Summers, "Buffy The Vampire Slayer"; you know, she saved the world — a lot.
Uncle: Junior Soprano, "The Sopranos"; Just to ensure no one messes with the family.
Aunts: Selma and Patty Bouvier, "The Simpsons"; Just to keep things intersting.
Dog: Digby, "Pushing Daisies"; C'mon, it's the best dog on TV.

Who are some of your favorite TV relatives?

THURSDAY'S BEST BETS: ABC returns "Hopkins," a real-life "ER" that is more of a documentary than a reality show about the men and women who staff Johns Hopkins (ABC, 10 p.m.) It makes for interesting drama, but the medical stuff might prove to be a bit extreme for some folks.

Much less extreme is "Swingtown" (CBS, 10 p.m.), which still manages to find an audience. It goes opposite "Fear Itself," (NBC, 10 p.m.) which has been a bit inconsistent but is still interesting.

Finally, the TBS comedies, "The Bill Engvall Show" and "My Boys" begin at 9 p.m.

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

You didn't mention my fav thur show 'Last Comic Standing'. It's two hours tonight. I roll on the floor laughing at 'some' of these comics.

Anonymous said...

favorite TV dad: I respect Noah from "Heroes", but I still have to go with Steve Keaton from "Family Ties". He did everything for his kids, even though his son Alex treated him rather shabbily at times.

Mom: This isn't even close. Sarah Conner. Because she loves John so much she's given up any semblance of a normal life, she can break down any weapon in 60 seconds, she can kick anyone's a--, and she looks like Lena Headey. HELLO....

Brother: I second you on Dean Winchester, but for brother, even more than son. Dean was willing to go to hell for Sam. I doubt your brother would do that, though I am sure he still remembers you at the holidays, Phillip.

Sister: Sydney Bristow. When Sydney found out she had a sister, she basically put her a-- on the line, Dean Winchester style, to save her sister. Buffy Summers also gets a vote here, except her sister, Dawn, deserved to be kidnapped by vampires.

Son: Brandon Walsh. Not only did Brandon maintain the family home at the famous zip code even after his parents left town, "Casa Walsh", but Brandon did a lot for a lot of people including helping Donna Martin graduate and helping Dylan and Steve out of legal troubles.

Daughter: Betty Suarez. Her dad gets a vote for great TV dads, but Betty has gone to bat for her father with the INS and went to Mexico to help him get back.

Grandparents: Not enough choices to recall so I will go ahead with Dorothy Zbornak and Abe Simpson - why not. Though I always liked those Huxtable Grandparents on "The Cosby Show". They were always so nice to their grandkids and had great stories.

Uncle: Fester. He may have been butt ugly but fiercely loyal to his family. Like Junior Soprano - bald - only less killing. But all heart.

Aunt: The 2 aunts on "Pushing Daisies" are about as loyal as Aunts can be to their supposedly deceased niece.

Dog: Digby is awesome, but you can't pet him - or he crokes. So, I give my vote to the late pooch, Eddie, from "Frasier". Awesome tricks, and loyal to Martin, and drove Frasier and Niles crazy at times, but they did love that little Jack Russell.

Phillip Ramati said...

Good call on the Huxtable grandparents.

Unknown said...

Dad: Mike Brady- The Brady Bunch
Mom: Claire Huxtable-The Cosby Show
Grandpa: Abe Simpson- The Simpsons
Grandma: Marie Barone-Everybody Loves Raymond
Son: Stewie Griffin-Family Guy
Daughter: Darlene Conner-Roseanne
Uncle: Jessie Katsopolos- Full House
Aunt: Vivian Banks-Fresh Prince of Bel Air
Cousin: Will Smith-Fresh Prince of Bel Air
Dog: Brian Griffin-Family Guy

Anonymous said...

Brian Griffin is awesome.

Anonymous said...

Good article. Thank you.

Sildenafil Citrate said...

I would like to more know about it.

Anonymous said...

Excellent site you have here but I was curious if
you knew of any user discussion forums that cover the same topics talked about here?
I'd really love to be a part of online community where I
can get comments from other experienced individuals that share the same
interest. If you have any recommendations, please
let me know. Thanks a lot!

My web site - come dimagrire in fretta (http://www.tokeitop100.com/)