Jerrica's Top 5 Shows Still on TV

There are hundreds of great shows that have come and gone, but there are several that have withstood the trials and tribulations of being on television, among them the Nielsen gauntlet and the time slot shuffle. Here are my 5 favorites that are currently running and with very good reason.

1. "The Simpsons" - With 17 seasons under its belt with at least two more guaranteed and a movie on the way in 2007, "The Simpsons" is credited with establishing FOX as a major network when it was still gathering cornerstones, and the Simpson family comprised the largest and most solid block of their programming. The best show on TV is an animated series that had written into its contract that FOX couldn't touch the series, thereby eliminating any tampering with the successful formula and brilliant writing that keeps "The Simpsons" alive and kicking whereas 99 percent of all shows would have limped into cancellation long ago. It's commentary and satire is priceless, it has been the subject of philosophical and theological books, it's taught in universities as a subject and reference material, and it's broadcast and loved all over the world. The show has woven its way indelibly into pop culture, so deeply in fact as to be honored with Homer's trademark word "D'oh" being an official entry in the Oxford Dictionary of Quotations along with Shakespeare. When "The Simpsons" finally goes off the air, the end of an era will have come to pass and an entire generation will be lacking for a piece of their lives that has been there as long as they can remember.

2. "24" - In an age where terrorism dominates the news, "24" was ready to begin ahead of its time, having set its series premiere into motion long before that fateful day in 2001 that changed the world as we know it. Its launch was delayed due to the devastating events of 9/11, but when it finally made its debut, it flew out of the gate at the force everyone predicted and then some. With Kiefer Sutherland ("Flatliners" and the "Young Guns" films) making the leap from the big screen to the small one, "24" essentially set the trend as the first contemporary TV show to feature a prominent movie actor as its star and main character, just as it was the first to bring back real and engaging seriality to television, and to give Reality TV a run for its money. Watching "24" is like watching a 24-hour movie broken down into one-hour episodes with commercials, and the most common assessment upon viewing the show for the first time is that it's completely and utterly addictive, or in the words others use, "It's like crack." Even music artist Moby is a fan of the show and has spoken of the 5-year sweeping sensation as such. (Interestingly though, there's nothing Moby is more a fan of than "The Simpsons.") And, FOX has been making the very wise decision the last two years to begin the season in January and run straight through May without a hiatus. Now that's real time with real momentum.

3. "Smallville" - Throughout comics history, the story of Superman has fascinated fans as a pivotal piece of Americana. Superman was the very first real superhero, and his adventures have been told time and time again in comic books, television shows, and motion pictures. The latest TV incarnation of Superman, however, revolutionized the way fans looked at the larger than life icon and introduced Clark Kent, Lex Luthor, and Lana Lang to a whole new generation, some of which had oddly enough never even heard of Superman. Telling the origin of Superman from the very start of learning his identity is a concept explored only for moments at a time in any given past media. Until "Smallville" came along, the early years of Superman were left in the dark and very much unexplored, and since it premiered 5 years ago, "Smallville" has been reinventing the classic and original superhero, World's Greatest Hero nonetheless. The series has captured so much that we knew about Superman and created so much that we never imagined about him, as well as redefining much of the mythology to become truly unique in its own right, and that exceptional slant continues to shine so brightly as to have fans claiming its stars and characters as some of the best to ever carry the Superman torch. Nothing says it better than Christopher Reeve appearing on the show twice officially passing this torch along for this new adaptation of the mythos. As its tagline states, "Every story has a beginning," and "Smallville" tells it like no one else ever has.

4. "Supernatural" - Though it's only been on one season, The WB struck gold with last fall's new addition to its lineup, and now the newborn hybrid network The CW has picked up the show to run in the same time slot that it was moved to mid-season this year, which brought it right behind The WB's other golden child "Smallville." It was a fitting match. Teen sci-fi fantasy meets teen horror drama with hints of sci-fi fantasy. Jensen Ackles, the actor who plays Dean, played Lana's boyfriend Jason on "Smallville" the year before "Supernatural" paired him with Jared Padalecki, leading to their rise as the kings of teen horror television. Eric Kripke's fun, scary, and dramatic rollercoaster with a classic rock soundtrack and formula that defies all current TV conventions broke the mold to become a new, hip and younger version of "The X-Files" that is always interesting and highly entertaining. The show will be entering its sophomore year this fall with a fan following that is increasing exponentially and an expanding mythology and Winchester family dynamic that boasts tons of fantastic potential and emotionally engaging story behind it all. This is a freshman to watch because it's going really cool and wonderful places.

5. "Medium" - Most dramas, especially the ones on NBC that are almost invariably characterized in totality as legal or crime shows, have a hard time balancing more than one element, much less blending many aspects together well, but "Medium" manages to perfectly juggle psychic investigations with the life of a seemingly ordinary working wife and mother. The balance is surreal as is the subject matter and content of each episode. Allison Dubois is a real life medium, and this show is inspired by her real life as a psychic investigator who has dreams, visions, and a sixth sense. Patricia Arquette ("True Romance" and "Beyond Rangoon"), mostly overlooked and underappreciated as an actress on the big screen, has found a worthy project for her lovely talent that showed so much in this series as to earn her an Emmy for her work on it. The writing is intricate and intriguing, and the material is seriously refreshing for the current market of programs out there. Just having finished its second year on the air, "Medium" is an outstanding example of what primetime drama should be.

Honorable Mention: "Scrubs" - The 5-year dramedy full of jokes and tearjerkers is a modern day "M*A*S*H" that is now seemingly being taken for granted by its network. Zack Braff (director and star of "Garden State") leads a great mix of offbeat characters that have as much heart as they do wits and quirks. It's the quality kind of sitcom that is sadly dying and falling out of fashion like so much underappreciated genius.

There are plenty of other shows that could be and probably should be on this list, at the very least as Honorable Mentions, but these listed here are the ones that stand out for me and I've summarized my reasons why. On a side note, "Lost" was a high contender for the #5 spot, but while the first season was overwhelmingly strong, the second has been hit-and-miss episodes all the way with much drawn-out delay adding to the impatience many viewers are experiencing with the developments, or rather the lack thereof. The shows listed above are ranked as such because they represent the most recent and enveloping reasons I love TV.