Pop Culture Bracketology: Television first round discussion and results

Below is the discussion that took place via e-mail between WEEKEND staffers over the past few days concerning our Television bracket (note: grammar/style is conversational, and less "correct"). Then below that are the results!

Round two discussion begins today.

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Cory Barker: Hopefully you've looked at the bracket and are ready to discuss some TV match-ups. So let's hear some discussion: who has some upsets in the first round? Remember: reply to all so we can all see your thoughts.

I'm pulling for Community in the comedy bracket. Anyone think it shouldn't take down Two and a Half Men?

Max McCombs: I'll agree. I've only seen about 2 episodes of Community, and they were fairly enjoyable. Two and a Half Men stopped being funny when the kid hit puberty.

I think I could make an argument for Psych over Modern Family.

CB: Ooooooooooh, I'd love that. I think Psych is criminally underrated. Criminally.

MM: I wholeheartedly agree. I know Modern Family is a critical darling, but the one episode I watched was thoroughly unmemorable and unfunny.

CB: Listen, I love Modern Family, but it IS NOT as funny as people think it is. It's cute and generally amusing, but I dunno. I feel like Community gets a lot of credit for people one pop culture reference after another, but no one ever talks about Psych that way -- when they should.

Austin Morris: Max, you must have caught one of the two or three mediocre-to-bad episodes of Modern Family, because outside of those it has been fantastic. However, I think that Psych has a consistent track record of being hilarious over multiple seasons, so I'd be disappointed but okay with a Psych upset.

CB: Other TV match-ups to think about:

Dexter v. Big Love: I don't watch the latter, but have heard nothing but good things. And I think the former is a little stale despite a mini-resurgence in S4.

SNL v. Top Chef: Two NBCU products that have maybe seen the better days. But which one is still good enough to advance?

Vampire Diaries v. Smallville: Smallville is uneven as shit, but it's still fun. I feel similarly about VD -- thoughts?

AM: Top Chef blows SNL out of the water. Even its worst seasons have been more consistently entertaining than the past few seasons of SNL.

And I actually don't find Vampire Diaries uneven--it's a major guilty pleasure. I vote for it.

Can I put forth my bid for a Good Wife upset of CSI? Julianna Margulies deserved her Globe and Emmy. Sure, CSI was good in its early seasons, but has anyone cared since the Miniature Killer storyline, or even before?

And PLEASE GOD Friday Night Lights over Desperate Housewives.

CB: Fair enough on the first two counts.

As for Good Wife, agreed. It's a really solid show that people are warming up to as the season goes along, which is kind of rare these days.

FNL >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>DH.

Brian Marks: I'll go ahead and toot Big Love's horn. I think there are few dramas right now that have characters that are as fleshed out and complicated as on Big Love. The idea of polygamy is completely foreign to most people (certainly me), but instead of turning it into a circus or some kind of comedic relief, the characters all seem like real people. And although the show doesn't bash you over the head with social critique, they have a lot of great political and social observations. Plus, four consistently strong seasons is a bit of a rarity in dramas.

I would disagree with the SNL sucks folks. I've only watched Top Chef two or three times, to be fair, but I'm pretty sure the basic format remains the same. I don't think that a cooking show/reality show, no matter how exciting, can be better than SNL. That last few years of SNL were pretty weak, but they've settled on a strong cast now. The show is also incredibly influential when it comes to politics; for anyone who watches political news shows, it's rare for them not to show clips from SNL's opening skit. Politicians even (stupidly) use those skits to back up their positions. Besides that, the show is just plain funny.

Also, I think Parks and Rec is way underrated, and better than Entourage. It's not just a copy of the Office anymore and Aziz Ansari is hilarious. Watching a pack of douchebags lost its appeal a long time ago.

CB: Parks and Rec is the best comedy on TV right now. Period. Anyone willing to argue Gossip Girl over Mad Men?

Kaleb Havens: Both The Office and 30 Rock have more compelling main characters with tighter group dynamics and much more subtle humor than Parks and Rec. The show has potential, as evidenced by some of the more original gags and character moves, but to say it's the best comedy on TV right now is smothering it with unwarranted praise.

I watched the pilot and see very little worth in Gossip Girl. Even its supporters admit the show doesn't reach far past cliche. Mad Men, for all its faults, is a show of immense psychological depth. Even when this makes the episodes a little slow and unwieldy, it means the characters are rich and their interactions are realistic. That being said, I have Breaking Bad taking down Mad Men all the way (in round two), no question. If you haven't caught up with Breaking Bad, you're missing a brave new direction of American Television.

BM: Mad Men is the best.

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RESULTS FOR ROUND ONE -- Winners in bold with percentage of vote

Drama Region

1. Mad Men -- 100 percent of vote
16. Gossip Girl

8. The Mentalist
9. Breaking Bad -- 83 percent of vote

5. NCIS -- 83 percent of vote
12. In Treatment

4. CSI
13. The Good Wife -- 83 percent of vote

6. Dexter -- 67 percent of vote
11. Big Love

3. House -- 67 percent of vote
14. Sons of Anarchy

7. Desperate Housewives
10. Friday Night Lights -- 67 percent of vote

2. Grey's Anatomy
15. Damages -- 83 percent of vote

Reality/Talk/Variety Region

1. American Idol -- 83 percent of vote
16. Late Night with Jimmy Fallon

8. The Biggest Loser
9. Big Brother -- 67 percent of vote

5. Saturday Night Live
12. Top Chef -- 67 percent of vote

4. The Amazing Race -- 67 percent of vote
13.Project Runway

6. Late Show with David Letterman -- 83 percent of vote
11. Extreme Makeover: Home Edition

3. The Daily Show -- 83 percent of vote
14. Hell's Kitchen

7. The Bachelor
10. The Colbert Report -- 100 percent of vote

2. Survivor -- 57 percent of vote
15. Next Top Model

Comedy Region

1. 30 Rock -- 100 percent of vote
16. Hung

8. How I Met Your Mother
9. Glee -- 57 percent of vote

5. Two and a Half Men
12. Community -- 67 percent of vote

4. Big Bang Theory -- 83 percent of vote
13. Party Down

6. Curb Your Enthuasiam
11. It's Always Sunny in Philly -- 67 percent of vote

3. The Office -- 100 percent of vote
14. Weeds

7. Entourage
10. Parks and Recreation -- 83 percent of vote

2. Modern Family
15. Psych -- 67 percent of vote

Sci-Fi/Fantasy/Action Region

1. LOST -- 100 percent of vote
16. Warehouse 13

8. Chuck -- 67 percent of vote
9. Dollhouse

5. The Vampire Diaries
12. Smallville -- 83 percent of vote

4. Burn Notice -- 83 percent of vote
13. Caprica

6. Fringe -- 83 percent of vote
11. FlashForward

3. 24 -- 67 percent of vote
14. Spartacus: Blood and Sand

7. Heroes
10. Supernatural -- 57 percent of vote

2. True Blood -- 67 percent of vote
15. V