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As much as I bitch about TV and how antiquated the medium is, there are a few good offerings these days. Sure, the majority of the shows being produced and aired are not worth sitting through ( see ABC’s My Wife and Kids, CBS’s Yes Dear, or NBC’s Joey for examples of presentations that contribute to the overall shitty quality of network TV ) there are shows that are not only worth watching, but that are as good as the best offerings from other mediums.

Without a doubt the best thing on TV currently airing is HBO’s Deadwood. It would be a closer race if HBO was currently airing The Wire, but luckily ( for the purposes of this post ) they are not aired during the same time frame.

With its strong character development, engrossing story lines, and gritty drama Deadwood wins “The best thing on TV” hands down. The slow evolution of a lawless mining camp to civilized (?) town provides the backdrop for the most interesting character development on TV in years. While many critics are content to count the number times words that you can’t say of network TV are uttered, or to comment on how violent the series is they fail to realize or accept that this is not a show for kids - and that adults can and should decide for themselves if this is the kind of show they want to watch. For those that can’t deal with it, there is always George Lopez.

While Deadwood only pulls in about half the viewers of HBO’s The Sopranos it is arguably better, although the first three seasons of The Sopranos were at least as good as Deadwood so far, but lets face it, The Sopranos has slipped a little. This does bring up the fact that 3 out of the 5 best “TV Shows” are produced by HBO - The Sopranos, Deadwood, and The Wire are superior to everything else available. HBO also produces one of the best talk shows on the dial as well - Real Time with Bill Maher, as well as one of the best comedies - Curb Your Enthusiasm.

Outside of HBO the pickings are slimmer, but available nonetheless. FOX’s Arrested Development is as funny a satire as I have seen since spinal tap, but its days may be numbered. The thing is, you have to really watch it to get it, and it is hard to do with the 12 minutes of commercials, the animated ads for the simple life the pop up during the show, and lets face it, a majority of American TV viewers want something simple with a laugh track.

FOX knows a thing or two about producing quality dramas. FX’s The Shield, Rescue Me, and Nip Tuck are all better then any of the Dramas produced by the big networks. USA’s Monk also has its moments.

Strange, but up till now I have not mentioned the Big 3 networks at all except to point out how lame their sitcoms are. I think that is the real story - that the big 3 don’t have any of the best shows. They do have a few show’s that are not horrible, but none that I would say are good. They pander to the lowest common denominator and regurgitate the same old tripe over and over. How many CSI’s or Law and Order’s do we really need? How many times can we watch an old I Love Lucy or Brady Bunch episode recreated?

As long as the FCC stays away from cable I won’t have to find out.