Dan's Top TV Shows of 2009: #21 - #11

Here I continue my countdown of the best TV shows I saw in 2009. Just to remind everyone: this has nothing to do with my super-poll to find the best TV shows of the '00s. Anyway, Part 1 of my annual list (with the three rules included) has been available for a few days now, and Part 2 continues below:

21. Robin Hood, series 3
Fans hated the fact Marian was killed-off last year, but that shock definitely gave Robin Hood a sense of danger it never had before. Still, this was a schizophrenic season of mixed fortunes -- new heroes (sanctimonious Brother Tuck, plucky villager Kate), new villains (fruity Prince John, sneery Isabella), and a reckless sensibility half the time. However, it was largely good fun (warts n' all), and the two-part finale was one of the year's biggest surprises: an epic, rousing castle siege climax with three big death scenes and a fan-pleasing cameo for a fallen favourite... [read reviews]

20. Being Human, series 1
The setup sounds like a terrible kid's joke (a vampire, a ghost and a werewolf live together...), but Being Human was far better than its silly premise suggested. Doctor Who scribe Toby Whithouse crafted a funny, freaky comedy-drama that proved very diverting and funny. The vampire element avoided cliches, but still felt quite naff, while Russell Tovey stole the show as nerdy werewolf George. [read reviews]

19. Psychoville, series 1
As a huge fan of The League Of Gentlemen, this horror-comedy from two of that quartet avoided being a lukewarm rehash of halved quality. Its DNA was similar, but Psychoville's serialized storyline, broader geography, and inclusion of different actors (most notably Dawn French) gave it a unique feel of its own. The fourth episode was a highlight of my TV year (a loving, clever homage to Hitchcock's Rope in its "one take" filming), and while the climax was a frustrating cheat that soured the delicious pudding, Psychoville as a whole was the year's best new comedy. [read reviews]

18. Ashes To Ashes, series 2
It was great to see the second series of the Life On Mars sequel/spin-off find its feet in its sophomore year. Each week's investigation was decent, an overarching mystery blended nicely with the ongoing police corruption storyline, and the Alex/Gene sexual chemistry was downplayed to stronger effect. It also ended with one of the year's craziest scenes, that left you desperate to see the imminent, concluding third series. [read reviews]

17. Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, season 2
It felt destined to be an embarassment of RoboCop the TV series proportions when you first heard about it, but The Sarah Connor Chronicles was a surprisingly robust and entertaining TV continuation of the first two Terminator movies. It felt like a throwback to late-'90s sci-fi drama in its execution, and the second season was an entertaining effort with a string of great episodes towards the end (topped by a fabulous, game-changing finale that sadly won't get a chance to bloom.) It was a shame the middle was so saggy and so tedious at times, but either end was snappy and fun. [read reviews]

16. Torchwood, series 3
The "Doctor Who family" took their foot off the pedal in 2009, with spin-off Torchwood choosing to air a five-part series over five consecutive nights on primetime BBC1. It was a risky venture, but it paid off with huge and sustained ratings that week. The plot itself was darker, richer and more mature than usual Torchwood fare (a disquieting tale of alien junkies after the world's children), which is hopefully a sign that this sci-fi drama's belatedly found its identity. [reviews: part 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5]

15. Dollhouse, season 1
A disaster in the ratings for Fox, even Joss Whedon's fans were in two-minds about Dollhouse when it finally got started. The concept was sexy and cool (following the exploits of a covert organization with the technology to imprint people with various personalities and skills), but the first five episodes were of uneven quality. Thankfully, the alleged "game-changing" sixth episode fulfilled that promise and Dollhouse's latter half was a pretty riveting, intriguing dose of sci-fi action with some big ideas. [read reviews]

14. Harper's Island
The reaction had been very mixed in the US when Harper's Island arrived on British shores. In fact, the show had been cancelled by CBS. Expectations duly lowered, BBC3's brainwave of showing double-bills every Sunday worked a treat -- it was like getting a modern, slasher-version of Agatha Christie's Ten Little Indians to cap your week. I really enjoyed it, more than I ever expected to. The shakier, soapier start flew past quickly because of the scheduling, and the final third of the series was absolutely delicious, silly fun. I even liked the tongue-in-cheek, creepy explanation for "whodunnit". [read reviews]

13. Dexter, season 3
The first two season's appeared to exhaust the most obvious, tantalazing possibilities inherent in a drama about a serial-killer. Season 3 of Dexter did find a new facet to explore (giving our eponymous antihero a best friend/protege), but third time wasn't the charm. A fun performance from Jimmy Smits aside, season 3 was awash with too many superfluous subplots and a general lack of the spark, edge and gripping cliffhangers that characterized previous years. That said, things certainly picked up in the latter half of the season and Michael C. Hall remained riverting throughout. [read reviews]

12. 24, season 7
The godawful sixth season needed to be scrubbed from our collective memories, and season 7 of 24 did a good job of mass erasure. The relocation to Washington D.C (if not in reality) gave everything a different feel and atmosphere, the new characters worked very well (particularly sassy, conflicted Rene Walker), and the season's plot was an improvement on Day 6's confusing mess of halfbaked ideas and improvised plotting. True, like nearly every season before now, things reached a natural conclusion mid-season (with the White House siege), only to veer off into less fulfilling narratives until the 24th hour finale, but this was a decent comeback overall. [read reviews]

11. Doctor Who, specials
The idea of four specials spread across 2009 felt like a worthwhile compromise for the lack of a concluding series from departing showrunner Russell T. Davies and overworked (overexposed?) lead actor David Tennant. Unfortunately, they were of mixed quality. Easter's "Planet Of The Dead" was fun but weak emotionally, winter's "Waters Of Mars" was familiar territory intensely told, and the seasonal two-part swansong for the Tenth Doctor was a smorgasbord of stupid ideas, rescued by the emotional (if overlong) New Year's Day climax. Still, as the curtain closed on RTD's tenure as "Head of Who", a part of me quietly rejoiced. [Planet Of The Dead review, Waters Of Mars review, End Of Time review]

The concluding third part will go live this Sunday. I guess regular readers can work out what shows will make my personal top 10 of the year... but can you guess the order?

<== Part 1 --- Part 3 ==>