Ten of TV's high-profile half-hour comedies air their season finales within the next week. We decided to take a look at those 10 shows, ranking them on their performances this season.
Take note, these are not "career" rankings. If overall multi-year performance were being considered, The Office and 30 Rock would be at the top. The thing is, we don't think those shows have had particularly great seasons, based on the high standards they've set for themselves.
So looking specifically at the 2009-10 campaign, here goes:
GUFFAWS GALORE
Modern Family
(season finale Wednesday on ABC and Citytv)
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Liked it from the start, but then really came to love it as the rookie season progressed. Of the 10 main characters (11 if you count infant Lily), there is not a single weak link. Our personal favourites are Phil (Ty Burrell) and Cam (Eric Stonestreet), but all the kids keep getting funnier the more they're given to do. Having such a big cast sometimes doesn't work, but in this case, at the end of each episode we're left wanting more. A true hit from both critical and ratings perspectives.
MOSTLY GUFFAWS
The Big Bang Theory
(season finale Monday, May 24 on CBS and CTV)
We've been laughing hard at this show for three seasons, but one small chink in the armour that the creators need to consider: In too many episodes this season, king-of-the-nerds Sheldon (the incomparable Jim Parsons) has been too much of a selfish jerk. Yes, he is socially incompetent, we get that. But early in this series, Sheldon was socially incompetent without being borderline hostile. If Sheldon loses his loveable side, this series will lose its edge, too.
FUNNY AND IMPROVING
Parks and Recreation
(season finale Thursday on NBC and Citytv)
OK, sticking our neck out here, but this series is much funnier than its reputation suggests. The episode a few weeks back when Leslie (Amy Poehler) gathered the four living past-and-present parks-department directors for a picnic might have been our favourite single episode of any sitcom this season.
Cougar Town
(season finale Wednesday on ABC and Citytv)
Don't change the title! There has been talk of doing exactly that, since some people actually are offended — this, in a world of hard-core porn at the touch of a computer key — by the notion of older women snagging younger guys. Yes, we understand this Courteney Cox series has moved in a different direction than the one it started with, and the title isn't as applicable as it once was. But both positively and negatively, brand recognition has been achieved. So don't panic; just keep being funny and people will find you.
FUNNY BUT STALLING
Community
(season finale Thursday on NBC and Citytv)
For the first two months of the TV season, this was our favourite new sitcom, ranking even higher than Modern Family. But at the halfway point the plots got goofy. Are we already running out of bizarre but even remotely plausible things that can happen on this zany college campus? Still love the cast, but perhaps we could take the main characters away from school every once in a while, just to change it up.
The Middle
(season finale Tuesday on A; Wednesday on ABC)
Much like Community, our early-season admiration for this Patricia Heaton sitcom has been tempered slightly due to a mid-season slump. The Mother's Day episode was a real mess, with way too many things going on, although the barbecue episode last week had some really good moments, and the finale bounces back to form. The kids are funny, so keep fleshing them out.
AMUSING BUT INCONSISTENT
The Office
(season finale Thursday on NBC and Global)
One of our all-time favourites, but far too much time is being spent on Michael Scott's love life. This isn't Sex and the City.
30 Rock
(season finale Thursday on NBC and Citytv)
One of our all-time favourites, but far too much time is being spent on Liz Lemon's and Jack Donaghy's love lives. This isn't Sex and the City.
AWKWARD SILENCE
How I Met Your Mother
(season finale Monday, May 24 on CBS and Citytv)
Fans of this show are incredibly devoted, but we have to say, the episodes we've seen this season weren't just disappointing, they were terrible. Idea: Set a date for the mom-revealing moment, a la Lost. That would re-spark public interest, then pack it in gracefully.
Two and a Half Men
(season finale Monday, May 24 on CBS and CTV)
Charlie Sheen's in trouble. The kid is about 34 now. While we have developed a greater appreciation for this show by watching it in reruns in recent years, it's time to mute the "manly men" madness.
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