Top 10 TV Surprises of 2009

Have you noticed how the end of the year warrants umpteen lists of the best this and worst that and most whatever? I’m a list-maker by nature, as the other Nice Girls can attest, so this way of recapping a year is one I can get behind. Besides, far be it from me to shirk tradition! Herewith, the 10 most surprising things in television this year, at least to me.

10. Renew Chuck fan campaign gets national coverage. I was never concerned that Chuck wouldn’t be back for a third season, but in the interest of fandom, I joined our sister site ChuckTV.net in organizing the fan campaign for renewal last spring. We hoped it would draw some notice from fellow bloggers and Chuck fans, and of course NBC, but the day CNN called about doing a segment we were giddy with shock.

Leverage kept summer interesting

9. Summer TV didn’t suck. The networks have been talking about a year-round schedule for several years now, but it’s cable stepping up to fill in the gap during the summer months. This year my time-honored tradition of catching up on broadcast television when it was too hot to go outside was scuttled just to keep up with all the quality shows airing for the first time. The Closer, Psych, Royal Pains, True Blood, Merlin, Leverage…it’s almost enough to make a Nice Girl go crazy from excellent storytelling.

8. Peter is the one holding Kate captive on White Collar. Or is he? In the final moments of the White Collar fall finale, it appeared that Peter was the one who had been holding Kate hostage this whole time, presumably to control Neal. But is all what it appears? Creator Jeff Eastin Tweeted a couple of interesting statements late Friday: “Don’t assume anything you see is what it seems” and “Clue: it was set up from the beginning. How does Peter find Neal in the pilot?” So while my initial reaction was, “WHAT?!?” and an immediate rewind to watch that scene again, even before reading Jeff’s Tweets, I started following the trail of breadcrumbs from the beginning and realized that, no, all is NOT what it seems. (By the way, if you need a refresher on what happened in the pilot, Jeff Tweeted a link to the script.)

7. Justin Suarez isn’t gay. In the November 13 episode of Ugly Betty, teenage Justin walks the gauntlet at his high school where he’s the target for bullies and teasing. Advice from Marc helps him get in with the “mean girls”, but the jocks still attempt to humiliate him at homecoming (which was on a Sunday? what?) by naming him Homecoming Queen. Justin turns the tables by giving the honor to mom Hilda, then later stuns everyone by saying it doesn’t really matter what the bullies say because he isn’t gay. “So, he’s not,” says Marc. Maybe Justin’s still figuring himself out, but I gotta admit, even on a show where scheming and shockers are an art form, I did not see that coming.

6. Glee. I know, I’ve mentioned many times that I’m not a fan of musicals and yet I love this show. Surprising in and of itself, but even more surprising is how it’s been embraced by the general viewing audience, and kept up the standard it set in the first episode. From Mr. Shu breaking out into rap to Finn believing Quinn’s impregnation tale to Tina’s revelation that she doesn’t stutter to Sue Sylvester’s soft side to the usually brilliant musical numbers, this is a show that constantly surprises me.

Guy and Robin flank their half-brother Archer

5. Robin Hood and Guy of Gisborne share a half-brother. By the time this BBC show killed Marian at the end of season 2, it had veered so far from Robin Hood lore that I didn’t know what to expect from season 3. I wasn’t even sure I wanted to watch season 3, but the lure of a brooding Richard Armitage was too strong to resist. The shenanigans continued for most of the season – robbing the rich to give to the poor, clashing with the Sheriff of Nottingham, Robin and Guy continuing their feud – until the fourth to last episode of the series when we finally got some backstory on said feud. It sure took them long enough, but what a bombshell to drop: not only were Guy’s mother and Robin’s father lovers, they had a son. The baby was sent away and subsequently became a criminal, ending up in jail and about to be hanged before Robin and Guy came to his rescue. With Robin and Guy both killed in the series finale, we were conveniently left with the promise that Archer, along with the rest of the Merry Men, would continue Robin Hood’s crusade.

4. Vampire Diaries. I’m not a fan of that other teen vampire series, and when I saw the preview for this show at Comic Con, I came down with the giggles. BethAnne convinced me to give it a shot, though, and wouldn’t you know, the pilot hooked me. Sure, it’s full of teen angst and melodrama, but it’s compelling and entertaining. Despite first impressions at Comic Con, it won a season pass on my DVR.

3. The ending of Every. Single. Episode. of True Blood. Seriously, is Alan Ball trying to give us mass heart attacks?

Dollhouse returned on FOX

2. James Franco guest stars on General Hospital. I don’t watch the soaps. I’ll confess that the acting and production quality generally leave me cold. Yes, I’m a bit of a snob there and yes, I realize that there are plenty of primetime shows with crappy acting, but at least the production quality is better. Anyway. When Golden Globe-winning film star James Franco was announced as joining General Hospital for a lengthy guest role, my jaw hit the floor. The more I’ve read about him, though, the more impressed I am with him and his career choices. Kudos to James for doing what he wants for his career, whether it’s optioning books to produce as films or attending soap opera acting bootcamp.

1. Dollhouse gets a second season. We know now that its second will be its last, but even Joss Whedon was shocked when Fox gave the greenlight for more episodes after dismal season one ratings. I’d say that announcement hit 5.0 on the Richter scale.

What were your biggest TV surprises this year?