Poll Results - What Was The Best New Show Of Calendar 2005?

A fairly good response for this question although I honestly thought that the results would be spread out a little more. There were fifteen votes cast. Numb3rs, Commander In Chief, and Everybody Hates Chris all tied for fourth place with no votes. The Office, which debuted last spring came in third with three votes or 20%. In second place with five votes (33%) was My Name Is Earl. The winner, although without a majority of the support was Prison Break with seven votes (46%). ( One note about a show that wasn't included. While Doctor Who debuted in Canada in 2005, it isn't widely available to our friends to the south. As a result I didn't include it although I at least think it was probably at least as good as most of the shows that I listed.)

What I was expecting: I had thought that, because of their ratings, Numb3rs and Commander In Chief, might get at lest one vote. Numb3rs has been a major success in terms of ratings, knocking off two highly regarded NBC series, while I suspect that Commander In Chief has benefitted from the rather lackluster Family Edition of The Amazing Race. How it will do against real opposition from other programs including a more traditional season of The Amazing Race is another matter. What did surprise me was that Everybody Hates Chris got no support. The series has been well supported by "real" critics (that is to say the guys who get paid to review TV shows), and has done well in the ratings, at least well for a UPN show. Maybe this represents a prejudice against UPN shows from my readership.

This brings us to the three vote getters I expected these three series to get the lion's share of the vote. It's representative of something important that NBC is using The Office and My Name Is Earl as a significant part of their strategy to try to salvage something out of their "Must See TV" Thursday lineup and weakening their position on Tuesday nights as a result. I haven't reviewed them yet but these two shows have a significant draw to them and are successfully pushing a different notion of what a situation comedy can be. I have watched Prison Break, and even given it a favourable review. The only problem is that I haven't stuck with the show after the first few episodes - it was on Monday nights which is a problem for me, and while I will make an effort for a show I'm addicted to - like 24 - Prison Break hasn't really gained any traction with me because I haven't been able to see every episode. It may indeed have had - as one voter commented - "plot holes you could drive a truck through" but the show is compelling enough to encourage willing suspension of disbelief, and this can't help but be a good thing.

New poll up shortly.