The Only 3 Christmas TV Plots

Joss Whedon, Judd Apatow, HBO prominently featured

(NEWSER) - From the standard (No. 16, Friday Night Lights) to the quirky (No. 29, Wonder Showzen), the long-running (No. 8, Lost) to the canceled-too-soon (No. 4, Freaks and Geeks), The Onion runs down the 30 best shows of the '00s:

• No. 1, The Wire: This drama “unfolded like a great American novel.”
• No. 2, The Sopranos: A brilliant cast served up “soap opera, mob intrigue, and surrealist digressions.”
• No. 3, Arrested Development: The cult sensation “not only makes viewers laugh, it makes them feel smart.”

These tropes are so overused, they're not funny anymore

(NEWSER) - If you're tired of hearing sitcom characters joke that they just threw up in their mouths or ironically comment, "That went well," after something decidedly didn't, you're not alone. On Vulture , Margaret Lyons lists 10 overused TV situations and lines she'd be happy to never hear again:

• "And by [thing], I of course mean [opposite of thing]." Lyons would say, "Chandler Bing called and he wants his ironic detachment back," except that joke is "even more overdone."
• "He's standing right behind me, isn't he?" Sure, it is plausible that in real life, a person might be caught gossiping. "But no one has ever actually, authentically said, 'She's standing right behind me, isn't she?'"

Did we really need the first 'Love Boat,' let alone the second?

(NEWSER) - Hollywood is constantly churning out movie remakes that really should never have been greenlighted, but TV doesn’t get off scot-free. The Huffington Post lists 11 boob-tube remakes we really never needed to see:

• Knight Rider: “The original starring The Hoff is a camp classic,” writes Ross Luippold, but “not even Will Arnett, who was cast as the voice of KITT until being replaced by Val Kilmer, could save this dud.”
• The Love Boat: “The 1970s were encapsulated in The Love Boat: polyester clothes, soft lighting, and a swingin' good time.” Something that time-sensitive should never be remade.

Forget new shows: You're missing out on these old shows

(NEWSER) - This fall, instead of trying to figure out what NBC's sure-to-be-mystifying The Event is actually about, why not pick up a great show that's already on the air? Kevin Fallon gives his 12 picks in The Atlantic :

• Cougar Town: Don't count Fallon among the many Cougar Town haters . He calls the Courteney Cox show one of "television's strongest ensemble comedies," a "sharply written sitcom about a quirky group of friends and neighbors."
• In Treatment: Don't be scared by its unusual format (often, "the screen is shared by just two actors for an entire episode"): Gabriel Byrne 's show about therapy is "one of the finest acting showcases in television."

Matthew Perry and Hawaii Five-O are both back

(NEWSER) - It’s never too early to start scheduling your DVR for fall’s new TV. Entertainment Weekly critic Ken Tucker lists the 10 shows he’s most eagerly anticipating:

1. Mr. Sunshine: Matthew Perry is the owner of a sports arena and has Allison Janney for a boss. Tucker calls the dialogue “sharp and snappy” and says this “could be another part of the sitcom renaissance.”
2. No Ordinary Family: Michael Chiklis, Julie Benz, and their family develop superpowers. With that star power and producer Greg Berlanti (Everwood, Eli Stone) on board, “you’d be crazy not to be curious about how they’ll pull off this concept.”