TV Power Rankings

As we started to build out our television coverage in the 2000s, we decided to that ranking TV shows for our audience. Naturally, it was skewed towards the tastes of men. We are a men’s lifestye magainzine . . .

It was fortunate timing, as we were living through the Peak TV years when cable television was flourishing and creativity was exploding. Everyone wanted to push the envelope, and writers, directors, actors and actresses suddenly wanted to do TV, as long as it wasn’t the formulaic TV being peddled on the old networks.

So out TV Power Rankings were born. For a while we were publishing them twice per year, and it’s fanscinating to look back and see how we reacted to all of that amazing content. What an era, when we had shows like “The Sopranos,” “Breaking Bad” and “The Wire” along with comedies like “The Office” and “Entourage.”

INTERVIEWS

One of the benefits of publishing a regular TV Power Rankings involved access to interviews. We never had any issues getting interviews, particlarly with Will Harris being a member of the Television Critics Association (TCA), but it helped when we requested interviews in connection with a show being selected for our power rankings.

TV Power Rankings interviews: Fall 2010 Edition
This year we have more fantastic interviews. This time we spoke with Aleksa Palladino (co-star of “Boardwalk Empire”), Grizz Chapman (co-star of “30 Rock”), actress Mayim Bialik (the former star of “Blossom” who’s now a regular on “The Big Bang Theory”), Paul Lieberstein (co-star and writer for “The Office”), Kyle Killen (creator of “Lone Star”), and Michael Schur (co-creator of “Parks & Recreation”).

TV Power Rankings interviews: Winter 2009 Edition
For the 2009 Winter Edition, we conducted interviews with “Breaking Bad” star Bryan Cranston, executive producers David S. Goyer (“FlashForward”) and Kurt Sutter (“Sons of Anarchy”), and “Bored to Death” creator Jonathan Ames.

TV Power Rankings interviews: Spring 2009 Edition
For the Spring 2009 edition, we chatted with Annie Wersching from “24,” Greg Grunberg from “Heroes,” Johnny Gelecki from “The Big Bang Theory,” and “Lost” producers Carlton Cuse and Damon Lindelof.

Josh Radnor – “How I Met Your Mother”
It’s just this highly innovative, really… (Laughs) …weird show! You know? The stuff they come up with, these writers…I’m, like, “Wow, this is not where I expected this to go!” And so I think the people that are onto us feel like they’ve got a secret password or something to go into this really strange world…that’s really fun to be in! So, yeah, I’ve had some really nice things…

Jack Coleman – “Heroes”
“Well, I don’t think anybody anticipated that it was going to be this, but, um, I think everybody had an idea that the show had real promise, so…the fact that it has stuck around and found an audience does not surprise me. The fact that it has become this kind of runaway train is, uh, yeah, quite surprising. Not because of the show…because the show is amazing and deserves it, in my opinion…but, you know, you never know. You never, never know. Look at all the shows that were so highly touted which are off the schedule now, and it’s just…it’s just such a crap shoot. You really don’t know what you’re gonna get.”