The CEBL does the Elam and it’s very fun. Would be great with NBA players.

Next up, My 10 Favourite Uneven Shows That Still Have Perfect Seasons/Runs

10. The single episode of The Late Late Show hosted by Adam Pally and Ben Schwartz during a blizzard - an hour of chaos that you can’t believe was actually on the air; worth seeking this one out, too

9. The Chris Gethard Show, S2E9 “One Man’s Trash” - this show is always wild, but this episode is incredible. Paul Scheer & Jason Mantzoukas are guests, so it’s already good, but the concept & turns make this an all-time great episode of TV. Don’t spoil it. Just go watch it: youtu.be/Nwi_kE0gy94?...

7. Ricki Lake - in a world of Springer, Donahue, and Sally Jessy, Ricki Lake felt less trashy & younger, but never less fun or interesting

8. The Larry Sanders Show - a total cheat to get another show I love onto a list, but it DID use the format & have legit celebrity guests, so it’s a grey area!

5. Full Frontal with Samantha Bee - sharp and pointed, always funny, but also felt about as vital as comedy can feel

6. Late Night w/ Seth Myers - somehow both blue sky and starkly political; a good hang; with joyful interviews, and great recurring digital-only bits, like Corrections

3. Conan - an absurdist, almost surrealist take on the late show format, wringing comedy from bending the form but never breaking it; great interviews, too

4. The Daily Show - smart, sarcastic, and at its peak, culturally important; also a great launch pad for so many incredible comedians

1. Letterman - in high school, my sister & I would always come home to watch together; a bridge to old-school tv, but still felt new & bratty; big guests, great bits

2. Late Late Show w/ Craig Kilborn - only 5 seasons; incredible recurring bits; didn’t take itself seriously in the best possible way

Incredible television front to back. There’s a scene where all the lawyers finally get together, and you can feel the actors all being like, “*that’s* how you’re playing it?!” and I just love it.

Next up, My Favourite 10 Talk Shows

9. Sort Of - one of the absolute peaks of peak TV; small and beautiful and human and warm

10. Baroness von Sketch Show - reliably hilarious comedy from a specific collective voice and viewpoint; never surprised to see these sketches regularly going viral

8. Letterkenny - another show about small town Canadian life which rings true while also being stylized way beyond the bounds of any reality; its use of language is inventive, hilarious, & unlike anything on TV; rare show that successfully draws you into a whole new lexicon, rewarding repeat viewing

6. Mary Kills People - I wrote for season 3, but *loved* the first 2 seasons before that; dark & slyly funny, a fun cat & mouse, & about really big ideas of right & wrong

7. Odd Squad - for kids, but so funny; Naked Gun in tone, great young cast, & the best use of Canada’s wealth of comedians on TV

4. Michael: Tuesdays and Thursdays - way ahead of its time, a lot of shows of the past few years have touched on anxiety, but almost 15 years ago this one took it straight on; very funny, too

5. Trailer Park Boys - fun to watch this with my Dad, who recognized it as feeling like his small home town

3. Degrassi - nobody’s written more Degrassi than me (including a Degrassi Next Class Halloween movie no one will ever see!) but I was already a massive fan of all the seasons & generations that came before me. Small, specific, human stories told truthfully enough to sometimes be banned in America!

I’ve got multi-cam coming up, too!

I sneakily already included My So-Called Life and Freaks & Geeks on another list. And there will be other teen shows on later lists. My whole project here is built on cheating the categories.