For an American sci-fi fan, these are dark times. Ron Moore and Joss Whedon aren’t producing television series, Star Trek lives on only as a rebooted film series and Star Wars: The Clone Wars is still on the air. But somewhere beyond the horizon lies a strange organization still producing quality television. As alien as it appears, the BBC’s Doctor Who is the show to watch for escapism, fantasy and the occasional lesson.

Sci-fi is often knocked in the mainstream of entertainment for being too weird and fanciful. Make no mistake about it, Dr. Who is a weird show, even by the standards of the genre. We follow around an alien character named the Doctor who receives little back story, and never gives us a name. More than that, he travels through time and relative dimensions in space in a blue phone booth, encountering some of the strangest creatures in existence. Often the storytelling can feel disjointed, comically out of this world and slightly repetitive. American sci-fi bases itself around getting at familiar subjects and experiences by setting itself in a faraway place. Who’s philosophy is the utter unfamiliarity of a place and the danger of an adventure into the unrecognizable. As a result, the overarching themes of the Federation, the browncoats and the 12 Colonies of Man have been scraped away, leaving the show to succeed or fail based on the creativity of a brief encounter with a strange race or character. While devoid Roddenberry’s grandiosity, the show never the less is incredibly entertaining for its inventiveness in both alien species and new cast of secondary characters which crop up every week.

However, there are several elements that bind the show together to make it a powerful addition to the pantheon of good television. First and foremost is the superb acting talents which play the Doctor. In their own ways, Christopher Eccleston, David Tennant and Matt Smith’s Doctors all display a lovable and endearing character, at times childish and flippant covering up a fierce moralism and cutting intellect. Indeed, despite his human appearance, this is what makes the Doctor so alien and fascinating is his ability to in effect act as an adult version of a child genius. Brilliant and brilliantly funny at the same time, it is a welcome departure from the flawed but stoic warriors who dance across the sky in America. The British wit is alive and well in the Doctor.

Another critical element of the show is that it actually handles time travel in an interesting new way. The viewer is first introduced to characters who’ve encountered our heroes before now, but later in the travelers personal timeline. In other words, time travel allows us to view character development in reverse, where we are introduced to characters after they have an established relationship and watch the details of how the relationship developed later. Additionally, the aftermath of events which take place in the season finale are strewn throughout the regular season, leading to a surprising and innovative reveal every time. This is a brilliant innovating in storytelling through time, cutting away from the tired clichés of non-interference or paradox creating car chases that ruined time travel in America.

Finally, for a series that constantly shifts cast members and even protagonists, there is one constant that keeps the viewer coming back for more: great villains. Be it the robotic efficiency of the Cybermen, the deceptive simplicity of the Ood or the sheer power behind the iconic Daleks, the series villains are terrifying for their utter inhumanity. Indeed, viewers will find themselves nervously standing at tip-toe when that single blue eyestalk emerges from the dark, knowing that a horde of people are about to be ruthlessly exterminated.

Inventive, gripping and at times extremely amusing, there’s good reason the Doctor is gaining popularity in America. With new episodes coming in September, but a wealth of material already available from the BBC this is a show no one will want to miss, regardless of what time you come into the series.

Designed to replace a venerable animation institution, King of the Hill, Bob’s Burgers represents yet another rip-off of the Simpsons’ formula: a fat Dad with three annoying kids. Its only claim to originality is that this awkward family works at a fast food joint and none of the characters are voiced by Seth MacFarlane.  The pilot revolves around the restaurant receiving a health inspection after being accused of serving human flesh. No further description of the plot is necessary as there are no jokes, character development, messages or charm of any of sort in this show. The closest the show comes to humor is the childish insertion of the phrase “child molester” into its dialogue, which will shock the viewer for the two seconds necessary to make them forget that what they are watching is uninspired, unfunny dreck.

Indeed, everything about this show feels half done. The animation is bland and juvenile, seemingly pasted together by a pair of high-schoolers testing out their first piece of animation software. The voice acting is practically monotone as though the voice talents (and the author uses that term loosely) recognize that the mundane run-on sentence of schlock they are droning isn’t worth their time or effort. Even the melodramatic sound effects of this show are gallingly generic enough to come off as cheesy and unprofessional. Cartoons don’t necessarily need high production values, but can’t come off as feeling hurried and incomplete. It feels as though the producers stayed up all night to meet a deadline. If this is the care given to the pilot, nothing good can be on the way.

Boring and uninspired, one wonders how this raw, unfinished project was rushed into our TVs. Nothing about this show feels finished or remotely memorable and as a result it lacks any value as entertainment. One can only hope that in keeping with the show’s flimsy premise, the executive who gave it a green light is ground up. Unsafe for consumption by humans or the higher functioning apes, Bob’s Burgers is a terrible show and a waste of the viewer’s time.

Bob’s Burgers airs on Sundays at 8:30 on Fox, but probably not for much longer.

Plot Summary (Spoilers Follow) : Joseph remains depressed after the attack and has stopped going to work. He grows increasingly isolated from his son, who is becoming disobedient and skipping school to hang around Sam in the Tauron neighborhoods. Joseph hopes to become closer by taking Willie to a fishing spot where the family went before the accident, but Willie is bored. A Caprican teen makes fun of Willie for being Tauron, so Willie beats him while Joseph looks on in horror. Sam suggests that they both need closure, and Joseph agrees to enact the Tauron funeral rights.

Life is not treating Daniel well either. After publicly pledging to stop making a profit on holoband on Sarno’s show, the board of Graystone Industries will be voting to fire him. As he lies awake at night, Amanda reminds him of the hard times they faced when their family was first starting out. The next day, he marches into the board room with the Cylon prototype, pitching it as the next big innovation: a race of beings completely obedient and subservient to humanity. To demonstrate this, he orders the robot to rip off its own arm, unaware that Zoe-A is inside of it. Daniel wins the vote.

In V-world, Tamara-A is desperately seeking a way out. She believes a woman named Vesta, who leads a gang in the illegal areas of the net, can help her. Vesta, shoots Tamara and is shocked when her Avatar doesn’t disappear. Vesta and her associate Heracles hope to use this ability to their advantage. They take Tamara into an online game called New Cap City, a virtual copy of Caprica city with no laws. Using Tamara to distract a major player named Chiron, Heracles manages to copy his avatar. Using the avatar as a disguise, he and Tamara sneak into a vault to steal money from Chiron. However, an alarm is triggered and guards rush in. Tamara uses her body to shield Heracles before erasing the guards. Having discovered that Tamara is dead and that she cannot “wake”, Vesta hopes to exploit Tamara’s unique abilities. Despondent, Tamara hugs Heracles, only to take his guns and mow down all of Vesta’s gang. She tells Heracles to find her father in the real world.

After Joseph receives the ceremonial Tauron tattoos to bid his wife and daughter farewell, Heracles arrives at the Adama house. He tells Joseph that Tamara sent him. Shocked, Joseph informs the him that Tamara is dead and chases him out into the alley when he flees scared. As her father lies there, Tamara ominously walks down a similar alley in V-world with guns in her hands.

Since Caprica premiered, one of the critical questions that plagued the early episodes was “Where is Tamara?” Here we are given an explosive answer. Genevieve Buechner gives a magnificent performance in this installment, graduating from minor character to full blown star. It is a pleasure to watch Tarama evolve from a vulnerable pawn and awaken to her own confidence and power in V-world. The ending comes as a complete shock and watching Tamara’s transformation in those few brief seconds, with all of its complexity and raw emotion makes it a classic moment in the series.

Indeed, the scenes in V-world were incredibly impressive. One of the unique abilities of Caprica is the ability of its directors and artists to blend genres. Notable instances from past episodes include the wonderful way the talk show format was blended into the Sarno episode. Here, a visually stunning homage to neo-noir serves as a perfect way to demonstrate the danger and mystery of V-world. More broadly, New Cap City serves as a great way of reintroducing the themes of violence and decadence which permeate Caprica and reflect back on our own society. After watching this episode, a viewer won’t be able to pick up an FPS without asking question of where we are heading as a society.

The actors who make up the Adama family are more than worthy of praise as well. Throughout the episode the emotional bonds between Sam, Joseph and Willie are palpable. It feels as though the characters have a long history with one another, despite the fact that the writers only provide modest hints at explicit events. Combined with Tauron rituals, which make wonderful use of classical mythological motifs, the Adamas feel like a real family, complete with the emotional and cultural baggage being part of one entails. This is also true of the scene between Daniel and Amanda. The playful yet caring banter between them is pitch perfect. It was as though Paula Malcomson and Eric Stoltz actually had been married for years.

With a beautifully crafted plot and some of the finest acting in the series yet, this installment of Caprica stands out even among the high quality works that have populated the first season. Viewers would do well to hook themselves into the net tonight to enjoy this classic episode.

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Pawn Stars details the dealings of Rick Harrison, owner of the Gold and Silver Pawn Shop in Las Vegas. Along with his father (nicknamed the Old Man), son Corey and Corey’s dimwitted friend Chumlee, Rick deals in everything from vintage cars and antique muskets to plastic toys. The show’s format details the various items that come into the pawn show, which the cast examines, values and decides on whether to purchase the item. While all of the cast members are foul mouthed, they come off as down to earth working men, rather than the immature jerks the likes of which populate The Jersey Shore or The Real World. What’s more, it is clear that the cast maintain a fondness for each other despite it all. The cast will endear itself to viewers because it represents the genuine tension of working in a family business, rather than the melodrama of being locked in a house or stranded on an island with 8 immature strangers.

As the opening narration states, “Everything in this store has a story and a price.”  These are the two elements that make the show interesting. As each item is examined, a fascinating mosaic of facts and history blend to give each item a story. Learning what makes an item valuable, how it was made and how it came into the owner’s possession represents an intriguing look into fields as diverse as metallurgy, printing, and engineering. This is especially true of items that need restoration or are counterfeit, which have an added element of suspicion and disappointment which give the show an exciting edge.

Complementing this academic element is the wheeling and dealing that goes on as the cast decides whether to buy an item. The shop is a business and every item needs to be sold for a profit. Unlike the Antiques Road Show, valuing an item is not an idle exercise in intellectual curiosity. The interactions that occur as the cast seeks to talk down the price of a gold coin, broken pinball machine or a classic car humanize the show and build in an element of tension that complements the scholarly expertise nicely. It makes the show relatable as well. Viewers will become enraptured as they share in the hope of finding a million dollar item, and the despair of finding out grandma’s prized antiques are worthless junk.

A pleasant balance of family drama, archeological curiosity and the desperate search for profit, the show is easily addictive and thoroughly enjoyable. The only drawback to the show is that its format rarely changes and after watching several episodes, it can become repetitive. Never-the-less, Pawn Stars represents a triumph: it is a reality show that is at once intellectual, charming and enjoyable.

Pawn Stars airs on the History Channel Mondays at 10:00PM

The brainchild of Simpson’s creator Matt Groenig, Futurama is the story of the adventures of the crew of the Planet Express Delivery Ship in the 31^st century. The show revolves around Phillip J. Fry, a pizza delivery boy from our time frozen for a thousand years, his cycloptic love interest, Leela, and his hard drinking, hard smoking robotic roommate Bender. Supported by zany cast of superbly written characters from the crazed Professor Farnsworth to the loveably pathetic lobster Dr. Zoidberg, the world of Futurama represents a rich mosaic for Groenig and his writers to examine modern life and mock it mercilessly.

Indeed, Futurama’s satiric bite remains among the best on television and can stand up against the best episodes of South Park or the Simpsons. In the latest season, our heroes are confronted with a giant battle station that censors entire planets, nefarious plots involving the latest “eyePhone” and a fierce debate over whether humans and robots should be allowed to marry. Despite being timely, the show’s punch lines never feel forced and story and characters are never sacrificed for a cheap laugh. While the show is a work of science fiction and derives much of its humor from classics of that genre, its situations are familiar enough that casual viewers will love it.

It is not often that a television show gets a second chance to shine, and as another adult cartoon recently proved, after being resurrected it can bear little resemblance to the original gem. However, despite being off the air for years save for a series of direct to DVD movies, Groenig’s show continues to be fresh. Any television enthusiast tired of summer reruns will find themselves welcome in the world of tomorrow.

Futurama airs on Comedy Central Thursdays at 10:00PM

Something, Something, Something Dark Side, the newest incarnation of Family Guy’s Star Wars parodies, is a pleasant surprise after a particularly unpleasant season. Seth MacFarlane has done what George Lucas did with Episode III and barely managed to salvage his series.

Put bluntly, Family Guy is no longer funny, nor has it been for some time. The show that was once putting viewers in hysterics with its zany characters and ridiculous gags long ago fell victim to its own success. Its famous cutaway gags are no longer witty, and all too often rely on increasingly obscure 80’s pop culture references or gross-out humor that would make Eric Cartman blush. Its weekly plots seem to be one long running diatribe of MacFarlane’s political views, which lack the clever subtlety of the Simpsons or South Park’s satiric bite. All of this will lead viewers to the regrettable conclusion that MacFarlane and his writers stopped trying sometime around 2005.

Indeed, what makes SSSDS work is that the Family Guy writers don’t have control over the story and can’t rely on cutaways. The result is that they are forced to take what made the show hilarious in its early seasons, its character’s charming stupidity, and work it into the grand narrative of Lucas’ magnum opus. Not only is it fun to watch the Griffins act out their parts as the heroes of the Star Wars saga, but fun to watch how bit players in the Family Guy universe are each incorporated into the saga to give life to the minor characters in surprisingly funny ways.

Although it is entertaining, the piece as a whole continues to suffer from two other Family Guy habits: repeated breaking of the fourth wall and padding. Some jokes are repeated ad nauseum to the point where one must wonder whether they are there to fill time. Moreover, the characters comments on the parody leave us with the feeling like we are watching the episode with someone interrupting the show every few minuets It destroys the flow of the story nearly as effectively as the two nerds in the front row of the theater arguing over the inaccuracies in the Phantom Menace.

Overall, the episode is well done. It gets in an above average number of laughs and will please Star Wars fans with its in depth references and shot for shot recreations of some classic scenes. Much like the film, it will leave viewers eager for a conclusion, both for this series of entertaining Star Wars parodies, and the unfunny filler that MacFarlane airs in between them during the rest of the season.

Plot Summary: Spoilers below

Zoe-A is experiencing Zoe’s memories and trying to discover her own identity. Daniel continues to experience problems producing Cylons. He is avoiding Joseph, who is having trouble dealing with his own grief and is haunted by visions of his daughter. Amanda begins investigating Zoe’s life, but is interrupted by Agent Durham who questions her about Ben Stark, who she didn’t know was Zoe’s boyfriend. Lacy goes to lunch at Sister Willow’s house, where Willow plies her for information about Zoe’s work. Two of Daniel’s technicians transport the cylon to his home. Zoe-A reacts violently as one of the assistant tries to work on her, cutting off his finger. Sam takes Willie around little Tauron, where he begins introducing Willie to crime by throwing a trashcan through a window, getting both of them arrested. Amanda convinces Daniel to attend a memorial for the bombing victims. Lacy secretly visits the Graystone house and talks with Zoe-A, who feels trapped in the robot body. At the memorial, Daniel is visibly uncomfortable. Amanda meets Natalie Stark, Ben’s mother, who gives her a number of Zoe’s things, including an STO pendant. Joseph confronts Daniel about the Tamara avatar. Their talk is interrupted by Amanda speaking to the crowd. She says that she didn’t know her own daughter, and declares that Zoe was involved in the bombing as the crowd erupts in anger.

Hulu-Caprica: Rebirth

One should not discount Caprica as just another show that is failing to live up to its premise. This episode still holds its own. In particular, elements like the way news clips are seamlessly cut into the narrative, the banter between Daniel and Amanda and Daniel’s private moments of reflection remind us of why the show is excellent. These elements make the characters feel like real people whom the viewers can identify with and care about. This is particularly true of the masterful way the shots of Zoe-A and the CGI cylon are done, reminding us of the character and the person within the metal shell. Viewers will find themselves with a knot in their stomach as Amanda watches movies of Zoe and shiver in their seats as Zoe-A wipes the blood from her hands after injuring the technician. The acting remains superb and the characters remain incredibly well drawn.

However, putting great characters on the screen is not in and of itself enough to make a great episode. The main issue with this particular installment is it lacks any pretense of subtle narrative. The cloud of sinister mystery surrounding Sister Willow dissolves when we are introduced to the polygamous cult known as the Willow family. Instead of a complex villain, Sister Willow feels more like a caricature of a zealous nut. Another problem is the repeated flashbacks to the STO symbol at the end. These give off the impression that the directors don’t think the audience is smart enough to pick up the references that were crafted into the episode. They do nothing crassly insult the viewer’s intelligence. But the worst incident takes place between Zoe-A and Lacy. Zoe-A describes herself as three entities combined into one, when Lacy blurts out the word “trinity”. While the connections to our own religious traditions make the show relevant and thoughtful, this dialogue feels contrived and ham-handed. The writers could not have been more blatant if they filmed Ron Moore in a cathedral wrapped in the Shroud of Turin singing “This show is about religion” to the tune Handel’s Messiah. Good science fiction reflects society back us, rather than forcing itself down our throats. Although this is one incident, its sloppy execution jolts the viewer out of what could have been an engrossing scene.

On the whole, this episode is minor disappointment. The cliff hanger ending is well done and successfully accomplishes two things: it will leave viewers eager for the next installment and thanking their various gods that the current one is over.

Plot summary: Spoilers Below.

58 years before Galactica, the planet Caprica is enjoying a period of material and technological prosperity while its society descends into hedonism.. Surrounded by sex, violence and human sacrifice in a virtual world called the V-club, Zoe Graystone (Alessandra Torresani) looks down on a virtual avatar of herself and tells her comrades Ben Stark (Avan Jogla), and Lacy Rand (Magda Apanowicz) that the avatar (known as Zoe-A, also played by Torresani) holds the key to God’s plan for redeeming society’s decadence.

In the real world, Zoe is resentful and disobedient toward her wealthy parents, Daniel and Amanda Graystone (Eric Stoltz, Paula Malcomson). Resolved to leave her unfulfilling life, Zoe and her friends run away. As they board a train, Lacy gets cold feet and refuses to go. Moments later, as Zoe watches in horror, Ben opens his jacket to reveal a suicide vest. In the name of the one true God, he blows the train to pieces.

Several weeks later, the devastated Daniel attends a memorial for the victims. It here we learn that a group of monotheistic extremists known as The Soldiers of the One (STO), has taken credit for the bombing. Daniel encounters Joseph Adams (Esai Morales), who has lost his wife and daughter in the attack. Joseph is an immigrant from Tauron, another planet whose people are looked down upon on Caprica. The two men begin to bond in their grief. Lacy, ridden with survivor’s guilt, attempts to find solace in the mysterious Sister Willow (Polly Walker). Upon returning to V-Club, Lacy discovers that Zoe-A has survived her creator’s death. Zoe-A is a perfect replica that possesses all of Zoe’s memories and thinks of herself as a person. Zoe-A begins searching for her purpose and with Lacy’s help begins trying to find a way into the real world. But Daniel discovers Lacy accessing the V-club, becoming suspicious.

Attempting to deal with his pain, Joseph, now a single parent, works to connect with his son William (Sina Najafi). Daniel busies himself by attempting to create a robot for the Caprican government. The project is over budget and not making progress. To make matters worse, the Vergis Corporation on Tauron has made a technological breakthrough and Graystone Industries is in danger of losing its contract. At the same time, Daniel begins investigating the V-club, where he glimpses Zoe-A. Amanda, who has been in shock since her daughter’s death, receives a visit from the police, who now suspect Zoe may have been linked to the bombing.

Daniel confronts Lacy about Zoe-A. They travel to the V-club, where Daniel meets her. He’s initially hostile, viewing her as nothing more than a computer program, but eventually seems to warm to her. He asks to hold her, but as they embrace he downloads her program over Lacy’s protests.

As Daniel and Joseph become closer, Daniel introduces Joseph to the V-club and to Zoe-A. Although initially repulsed, Joseph is tempted by Daniel’s offer to use Zoe’s program to resurrect his wife and daughter. In exchange, Joseph must use his contacts with the Tauron crime syndicates to obtain Vergis’ technology. With the technology in his possession, Daniel creates an avatar of Joseph’s daughter, Tamara (Genevieve Buechner). However, she is terrified when she and her father meet because she cannot feel her heart beating. Heartbroken by this, Joseph leaves Graystone’s lab in a rage. He returns home and tells William that they will begin to rebuild their lives through Tauron traditions. This includes adopting the Tauron form of their surname: Adama. In the meantime, Daniel attempts to download Zoe-A into the robot he developed. Although this succeeds at first, the robot eventually breaks down. It appears Daniel has truly lost everything left of Zoe.

With the technology stolen from Vergis, the robot successfully completes its tests and Graystone Industries is awarded the contract to build more of them. Daniel is responsible for the creation of the first cybernetic life-form node or Cylon. Following the test, the Cylon rises on its own and calls Lacy. In Zoe’s voice, it ominously says that that it will need her help.

If the purpose of science fiction is to reflect society back at us, Caprica is an excellent specimen. Issues of terrorism, materialism, race and faith seamlessly course through its two-hour pilot. Importantly, the show doesn’t club the viewer over the head with these themes, but develops them naturally through its wonderful set of characters. If there is any element from Battlestar that Caprica replicates beautifully (aside from the CGI robots) it is the wonderfully developed cast of primary and secondary characters. Stoltz, Morales and Torresani give masterful performances of complex characters thrown into extraordinary circumstances. But the secondary characters add a depth to Caprica’s universe that is often lacking in other shows. In particular, Walker’s performance as the mysterious Sister Willow and Sasha Roiz’s role as Joseph’s brother Sam, stand out. The only characters who won’t amaze the viewers are Malcomson’s Amanda Graystone, who is tragically underused throughout the pilot as well as Apanowicz’s Lacy Rand, who feels at times like a one dimensional caricature of a distressed teenager.

The other factor that makes Caprica a wonderful addition to anyone’s Friday night is its aesthetics. Far too often, science fiction is characterized by a few characters standing in a brightly lit room staring at CGI effects. Caprica’s world is not driven by special effects. Its technology feels instantly familiar and the show doesn’t rely on technobabble to drive its story. It expansive sets, combined with Bear McCreary’s hauntingly beautiful soundtrack, delight our eyes and ears as flawlessly as the story provokes our minds and hearts.

“All of this has happened before, all of this will happen again.” Caprica takes the mythology created for Galactica to set itself up, but stands on its own two robotic legs. Although it lacks the fast pace battles and war drama that made Galactica exciting, Caprica makes up for it through beautifully crafted drama between wonderfully complex and flawed characters. Overall, it promises to entertain, shock and surprise us for weeks to come. Highly recommended for hardcore Galactica fans or first time viewers, Caprica will again leave the viewers fraking amazed.

In the first episode of HBO’s new show, Pilkington begins to talk about how humans should reproduce. He believes that when a woman turns 78 she should die, but that a small baby should be born from her body when she dies, so that it would be a “good-bad situation”. Immediately, Gervais cracks up at the idiotic premise. The worst part about it is that Pilkington believes that this system will be the next stage of evolution. Gervais and Merchant try to convince him of the ridiculousness of the idea, but it does little to persuade him.

The other funny segment was “Monkey News” in which the men discuss a story having to do with monkeys. Pilkington begins to speak about how angry he would be if he was a monkey because humans get all the credit–particularly for space travel. He eloquently points out that a monkey went into space before man. Although it is a somewhat legitimate point, it devolves into babble after he says that the monkeys were taught to fly the spaceships using buttons and a banana dispenser.

With such ridiculous segments, Gervais and Merchant, among comedies brightest talents, are in a great setting. The show itself is done in an animated style reminiscent of the Flintstones (which, oddly enough, they reference in the show) and show their animated persons sitting at a table discussing with occasional cutaways describing certain elements of the story.

The problem is that I can’t really figure out why this needs to be a television show. Yes, the segments become more ludicrous when you actually see what Pilkington is describing, but it isn’t a constant which warrants watching the screen the entire time. The animated style is not impressive and much of the time is just showing the animated men sitting in a studio. Thus, I kept getting the feeling that this show, although funny, doesn’t necessarily mean that it is better than the podcast. It has the feeling of a simple video podcast, but one that you don’t need to be watching constantly in order to enjoy.

Nevertheless, both Gervais and Merchant are funny enough to make the show deserving of a large audience. Although it is very likely that you will find yourself doing other activities while watching it.

Ted hasn’t had a lot of success, but he immediately becomes smitten with reporter Robin Scherbatsky (Cobie Smulders). On their first date, Ted impresses her but then makes the faux-pas of using the L- word. Reversing traditional gender roles, Robin is the one who doesn’t want to commit to a relationship but chooses to focus on her career. Begrudgingly, Ted accepts that they can just be friends and introduces her to his circle of friends and immediately click.

Opposite Ted is his best friend Marshall who has been in a nine year relationship with Lily and they are completely in love. Ted wants what they have while Barney attempts to do everything in his power to keep him single. Barney doesn’t believe in relationships or in marriage and wants his “best friend” (Ted always says Marshall is his best friend) to understand the “awesomeness” of being single in New York.

Despite Barney’s efforts, the first season of How I Met Your Mother tells a number of stories about Ted and Robin searching for love but consistently coming back to each other. Ted begins to look for love in other places and stops actively pursuing Robin but his belief that Robin is the one never subside. All indications lead the group of friends to believe that Robin is simply not interested in dating Ted, but it begins to change when Ted stops pursuing her.

Marshall would love to help his best friend find a girl but his life is quickly evolving into adulthood. After he proposes to Lily, the two attempt to become more sophisticated with disastrous results. Both realize that wine and cheese parties are nothing compared to the good company of their friends at the local bar, MacFaddens. Barney becomes Ted’s wing-man, introducing him to attractive women by simply saying “Have you met, Ted?” and walking away. While Barney is happy with the constant stream of women, Ted is still intent on meeting the girl of his dreams.

Ted begins to date Victoria (Ashley Williams) and feels like she is the one. Robin becomes jealous and realizes that she has romantic inclinations towards Ted, sentiments she carefully shares with Lily. Victoria’s relationship with Ted weakens when she moves to Germany after being accepted into a culinary school. Robin is secretly happy and decides to invite Ted over late one night. “Nothing good every happens after 2am” future Ted warns his children, but young Ted decides to go to her apartment.

After some more drama, the season ends with Robin and Ted finally becoming a couple. However, their fortune is contrasted with Lily’s decision to move to San Francisco to attend art school–effectively breaking up with Marshall.

The strength of How I Met Your Mother is the writing and the characters. Even the most successful have particular characters that are weakly played or tangentially attached to the story arch, but this is simply not the case in HIMYM. All characters are played with energy and realism, absurd as they may sometimes be. Particularly noteworthy is Neal Patrick Harris as Barney. Most people know Harris as Dougie Howser M.D., but he successfully breaks the fetters of his childhood role and creates an enormously funny character. The oversexed, cool guy Barney is always asking his friends to “suit up” (get dressed up in suits and go out) and frequently describes things as “legen- I hope your not allergic to – dary”. While the character prototype is nothing new, Harris, a gay man, portrays a misogynistic straight man enormously well.

Harris is surrounded by a cast of vibrant, quick and very believable actors. Josh Radnor, Jason Segal, Alison Hannigan and Cobie Smulders all play drastically different people but those with convincing and entertaining interactions. The nicest thing about watching the ensemble is seeing all the smiles. I constantly saw characters smiling ear-to-ear at the edges of the screen showing that the actors have a great time and make the show all the more believable.

Without a doubt, How I Met Your Mother is a winner.