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#22. Frasier

Growing up, I never really saw the appeal of this show. I found it to be pompous, boring, and irrelevant to my own personal experiences. How the fuck was I supposed to relate to 30-something psychiatrist and his bizarre family? Then I hit the age of 19, and went to university where I made the discovery that people like Frasier and Niles actually DO EXIST. Maybe it was just that I grew up a little, or maybe it was that I lived with a real life version of Niles (still recovering from that experience...), but whatever the reason, this show just works for me now.

I'll preface this review by saying its not for everyone, but it never tries to be - after watching five minutes you will know whether you'll like it or not. The show is focused around a radio-psychiatrist who enjoys opera; you know what you are getting yourself into when you start watching. It never tries to be something that its not (see Friends, for example), and I really appreciate that in a show.

I love how the show handles its characters - there really isn't the strong presence of a straight man, each character is crazy in their own right (except maybe Roz). In fact, from time to time each character will fall into territory of being unlikable, but when they do, they always receive some sort of fitting karmic justice. Although there are no normal characters, they are still believable because of their consistency between episodes.

More important than the individual characters is the way that they interact - and that is where the value of the show really lies. Frasier and Niles are one of the best comedic duos I can think of, and after adding the Martin (their father) into the mix the show hits gold. Scratch that - platinum. As much as the rest of the cast is funny, these three made the show what it is.

One other reason that this show is on the list is that it was a spin-off, and in my books it is the most successful spin-off ever. It won too many awards to list, and I think it was leagues better then Cheers (a comedy that has yet to make me laugh).

I also love the satirical commentary that it provides on academia and how out of touch with reality that it can be. A very heavy emphasis is placed on intelligence in our society, and this show takes that value down a notch time and time again. It also markets itself to the very group that it is making fun of, which I think is pretty funny. And the titles they give each scene are usually very witty.

Ultimately its only #22 because it doesn't draw me in the way that others on the list do. I like Frasier, but I have never set aside time for it, and I don't think I ever will. I enjoy watching what happens to the characters, but I don't really care. Also, I find that the humour in the show can be a little too 'sophisticated' (or more accurately, pompous) for even me.

Also, it has a laugh track, and those things just annoy me - I hate when a show pats itself on then back for a joke that just isn't funny.

So in summary...

Why it made it onto the list

- It has great characters (maybe I should stop listing this, it is basically one of the most important aspects for me of any shows that I watch).

- The witty titles that they give each scene.

- The dynamics between Frasier, Niles and Martin.

- Its basically the only spinoff I have really liked (or at least that currently comes to mind).

Why it wasn't higher

- It fails to really captivate me.

- It appeals to a limited audience.

- It has a god damn laugh track.

21. X-Files

If there was one thing I'd like to do to David Duchovny besides fuck him, it would be to watch him in this show. That being said, I don't really remember all that much about it, except that this show scared the living hell out of me when I was younger. I actually wasn't allowed to watch it for a while, but I found a way around that through getting my brother to record it and then watching the tapes in my basement (I was a crafty little guy). Then I turned 10 and I could watch it whenever I wanted.

The X-Files was a legitimately creepy show at times. Its hard to find a good creepy/thriller show these days because they usually rely on the tedious habit of killing off most of their cast (fuck you 24) or asking more questions than could ever possibly be answered (fuck you Lost). X-Files did leave some open endings, but the premise of the show was to explore the unknown, so it came with the territory. Also, towards the end of the series a lot of the open stories actually came to an end.

As much as I liked the characters, it was usually the plot that drew me into this show. I think a lot of that was because each episode could be watched autonomously, which I really appreciated. I love good shows with an overarching storyline, but I hate that in so many of them if you miss an episode, its almost impossible to keep up (fuck you... Heroes?).

Definitely my favorite encounter that the duo had was with the 'black oil' alien race that could control people's minds. The closest thing that I could relate them to were the 'Yerks' from Animorphs (don't know if anyone read those), but they scared the shit out of me.

It was also hugely successful. It won tons of awards, and you could hear the phrase 'The Truth is Out There' all the time in the 1990's. In addition, one of my favorite Simpsons episodes of all time features Mulder and Scully (the one where Homer finds an alien).

If I had to complain about anything with regards to this show, it would be its ending. I actually don't remember all too much of it, except that Mulder was unreplacable, and the series ending suffered when he stopped being a regular on the show. In fact, aside from Mulder and Scully, I don't really remember any of the other characters very much at all. So I guess that means the supporting cast wasn't that great...?

Also, I watched an episode recently, and it wasn't nearly as good as I remember it being - mind you, it was a pretty lame one, but it shook up my confidence a little.

Reasons its on the list

• It was immensely successful (16 Emmys)
• It was legitimately creepy
• Had a huge impact on pop culture
• David Duchovny
• Great plots

Reasons it isn't higher

• Ending could have been better (though they did alright with what they had at the time)
• I really just don't remember it well enough to justify a higher rating.