Recap from the last blog post: I enjoy watching TV and movies in my free time. I have watched so many great TV shows and films over the years, and I wanted to create a way for me to rank them. I decided to create the BEST Rating system to categorize my favorite TV shows and movies! 10 points for each category (BEST), and the average will be calculated to determine the show’s or movie’s overall rank. The categories are: (beginning , ensemble , storyline , talk). I will go through my favorite Comedy-Crime shows, evaluate them based on each category and assign a number (0-10). I will then calculate the avergage rate for each show and create a bar chart to observe the ranking. The three TV Shows that I will evaluate are: Monk, Psych, and Izombie! These are my opinions and recommendations, but feel free to come up with your own top 3 list.

Monk

Beginning

Monk was a series on the USA Network that started in 2002 and ended in 2009. Since I was five years old when the show first started, I begin watching later on when I was around 10 because my mom used to watch and enjoy the show. I instantly loved the show from the pilot episode. The pilot was titled Mr. Monk and the Candidate, and the main premise dealt with Monk trying to investigate an assasination attempt on the mayor. The episode definitely grasped my attention as I was able to see Monk with all his quirks and extraordinary abilities to see clues and I have been hooked ever since. I also have to point out the wonderful theme song, It’s A Jungle Out There, by Randy Newman. The theme song wasn’t apart of the the show until season 2, but it will always be a bop and I can’t believe how relevant the song is today!
Rating: 10

Ensemble

The main cast consists of Tony Shalhoub as Adrian Monk, Bitty Schram as Sharona Fleming, Ted Levine as Leland Stottlemeyer, Jason Gray-Stanford as Randy Disher, and later on in the series Traylor Howard as Natalie Teeger. The show revolves around Adrian Monk, a private police homicide consultant, who battles with OCD and multiple phobias as a result of the death of his wife Trudy as well as the way he is raised. He is quirky and is the main source of comic relief, but he is by far the best detective in San Francisco. Randy Disher ad Captain Leland Stottlemeyer work alongside Monk as detectives in the San Francisco Police Department. Sharona Fleming works as Monk’s nurse and assistant for the first two seasons and some episodes in season 3, then Natalie Teeger takes on the role in the middle of the third season. Each member does a wonderful job of playing their characters. In my opinion, Sharona was the best nurse/assistant for Monk and when Natalie came into the show it felt a little off. Towards the end of season three, I feel the group began to get into the groove and it started to feel like the old episodes. I also wished there were more diversity in the show when it comes to the main characters.
Rating: 8.5

Storyline

The show follows the story of Adrian Monk as he solves crimes and try to solve the ultimate mystery of who killed his wife Trudy. Trudy’s death led Monk to have several phobias and severe OCD, but he still manages to solve several crimes for the San Francisco Police Department. Every episode deals with a different mystery that the audience can follow along with and come up with different theories about who committed the crime and why. Some of my favorite episodes include: Mr. Monk And The Earthquake, Mr. Monk Gets Jury Duty, Mr. Monk And The Kid, Mr. Monk and the Rapper, and Mr. Monk And The Foreign Man. All episodes made me laugh hysterically, smile widely, and cry a little at times. This show is definitely a cult classic, I still binge watch episodes in my free time and I am always shocked at the episodes’ endings.
Rating: 10

Talk

I applaud the writers for creating such wonderful scripts that allow each actor to shine. Each character has different dialogue and ways they would communicate with one another. Each charcter had defining speech patterns and commuincation skills that set them apart from one another. Captain Stottlymeyer has a strict manor , he used to work with Monk as a detective, however he seems to come off as angry, annoyed, and a little jealous of Monk because he is not as great of a detective as Monk, but also highly admires his tenacity. Randy is often is the jokster / not the brightest bulb and this comes through in some of his one liners and the way he says them. Sharonna gave off tough love to Monk , she would yell at him but at the same time defend him from people trying to talk down on him. Natalie kind of treated Monk like a child through the ways she would talk to him and try to get him out of his shell. Adrian Monk’s mannerisms and communcation methods were a standout for the show. The way Monk would light up when he talked about his wife felt so authentic and real. The fact that these actors can still recite the lines just as they did years ago is amazing. I watched their reunion in a youtube video and was blown away by how each of them sounded and acted just how I remembered. The different manarisims from Monk and how Natelie, Randy, and Captain Stottlymeyer would speak to him was so spot on.
Rating: 10

Psych

Beginning

Psych was a series on the USA Network that started in 2006 and ended in 2014. I learned about the show through a promotional video staring Adrian Monk. Once watching the trailer, I knew I would like it because it had a very similar premise to Monk the tv show. The pilot episode, titled Psych , gives us a glipse at the characters and what the show will be about. The epsiode deals with Shawn convincing the Santa Barbara police department that he is psychic and can help solve crimes. Just like Monk he has an extraordinary ability to see clues that no one can see, so I was invested at this point. I also like how they begin most episodes with a flashback of Shawn and/or Gus when they were younger which often forshadows the major plots in the episode. The theme song ,I Know You Know by the Friendly Indians, is great and I love how the show creates different versions of the song depending on the theme of the episode. For example, whenever they have a Christmas episode there is a Christmas altered theme song, the Mexico and Telenovela episodes had a Spanish version, and my favorite version has to be Boys II Men Acappella used in the two episodes staring Gus’ friends in an Acappella group.
Rating: 10

Ensemble

The main Psych cast includes Maggie Lawson as Juliet O’Hara, Corbin Bernsen as Henry Spencer, James Roday Rodriguez as Shawn Spencer, Kirsten Nelson as Chief Vick, Dulé Hill as Burton Guster, and Timothy Omundson as Carlton Lassiter. This was a very diverse cast and I loved how they didn’t make Gus the “token black friend” and we actually got to see his personal life. It was really like Shawn and Gus were both the main characters. Carlton, Chief Vick, and Juliet all worked as real detectives who often called on Shawn and Gus to help solve crimes. Juliet was Shawns’ love interest and the chemistry is undeniable. Henry Spencer is Shawn’s stern but lovable father who worked as a police officer and taught Shawn everything he knows. Also, I need to point out some of the amazing guest stars such as Kenan Thompson, Phylicia Rashad, and Kerry Washingtion. All the cast members seem to get along as they have all come back to reprise there roles in both of the Psych movies.
Rating: 10

Storyline

Psych follows the life of Shawn Spencer who is blessed with the gifts of heightened observational skills and a vivid memory. He convinces people that these gifts are his psychic ability and he uses it to solve crimes. Every episode deals with a different crime as Shawn and Gus team up with the Santa Babara Police Department to solve cases. There is always some type of plot twist becuase Shawn is definitely not a psychic and the clues he can see are often used to make the wrong assumptions at first. Some of my favorite episodes include: Heeeere’s Lassie, Dual Spires, Tuesday the 17th, Last Night Gus, and High Top Fade Out. Psych is the first show that I have seen that created a random musical episode but I have to say the Psych: The Musical was amazing. Also, both of the movies Psych: The Movie and Psych 2: Lassie Come Home, remain 10/10. You never know what you’ll get when watching this show and I love that about it!
Rating: 10

Talk

Psych has a good balance of comedic and dramatic dialogue. Shawn has some great funny quick one-liners, and can also give some solid advice. Gus also has great comedic timing and is also knowledgeable about a variety of different topics so his jokes are often super specific. It is almost as if the writers on the show has learned each actor’s personality and written the characters specifically for them. Shawn would always say some out of pocket stuff, but it would be so hilarious. Like the time he called Gus’ Acapella group quarter black when he joined, eventhough he was the only white person in the group. Chief Vick, Juliet, and Carton Lassiter often have the more serious dialogue with some funny one-liners when it comes to their interactions with Shawn and Gus. I wish Shawn’s dad and Juliet had more scenes together, so that the viewers could see their dynamic. The way each character delivers the lines is amazing and I know the actors had a great time depicting these characters.
Rating: 9.5

Izombie

Beginning

Izombie was a series on the CW Network that started in 2015 and ended in 2019. I stumbled upon the show when it was released on Netflix. I watched the trailer and wasn’t really drawn into the show initially because I thought it was kind of boring. I gave it a try based on it being popular on Netflix, and was interested in the overall premise. The pilot episode introduces Liv Moore ,a medical student, who gets turned into a zombie at a party and then takes a job at a coroner’s office to be able to eat brains. When she eats the brains she has visions, and flashes of dreams or memories of the victim which allow her to solve crimes. The solving crimes part really got me interested and I stayed for the unique twist of her having the ability to see visions from the point of view of the victim. Also, she kind of embodies the victim in some ways taking on their mannerisms and personalities which made the show more fascinating. The theme song is Stop, I’m Already Dead by Deadboy & the Elephantmen. I enjoy the theme song here and there, but would most likely skip past it while watching the show.
Rating: 8

Ensemble

The main cast includes Rose McIver as Olivia ‘Liv’ Moore, Aly Michalka as Peyton Charles, Rahul Kohli as Dr.Ravi Chakrabarti, Malcom Goodwin as Clive Babineaux, Robert Buckley as Major Lilywhite, David Abders as Blaine “DeBeers” McDonough, and Bryce Hodgson as Donald “Don E.” Eberhard. This cast was a great ensemble because everyone had a unique personality. Liv Moore has the most interactions with all the characters as she is the center of the show serving as the protagonist. Peyton plays her best friend the Assistant District Attorney. Peyton’s interactions with Liv feel genuine, and when it comes to her job as the Assistant District Attorney she is firm and is not scared to call people out. Dr.Ravi Chakrabarti is the first to know that Liv is a zombie and instead of calling her out he admires her and tries to help find a cure. His interactions with Liv and Clive are hilarious and he may be my favorite character. Clive works alongside Liv as a detective, he is naive of her abilities but willingly uses help whenever he cannot solve the crimes on his own. We get to see his personal and love life throughout the show which I don’t often see for typical detective characters. Major Lilywhite who was the love interest for Liv throughout the show had quite a lot of character arcs. Blaine and Don E. worked as the antagonist, Blaine being the one who turned Liv into a zombie and Don E. working as Blaine’s puppet. The cast all did a great job of creating a unique show with diverse characters.
Rating: 10

Storyline

The concept of a medical student turning into a zombie and helping a detective solve crimes by eating the victims’ brain is extremely unique. Each episode dealt with a different victim and Liv having to solve how they died. Some episodes were so funny and different, while some of the episodes were not that interesting. Some were so absurd it seemed like the writers just put random stuff on the page. It came to a point where Liv was smuggling people into Seattle who had illnesses and turning them into zombies so they would survive. The ending to the series was not what I imaginged, but it was a happy ending. Some of my favorite episodes include: Salivation Army, Blaine’s World, Eternal Sunshine Of The Caffeinated Mind, Astroburger, and Some Like It Hot Mess. Although the show had a really great premise, I think some episodes could be executed better.
Rating: 8.5

Talk

I believe that the actor who played Liv had the hardest job when it came to the dialogue. Not only did she have to create the character of Liv Moore, she also had to embody the victims (i.e whenever she ate the brain). She had to speak and act like them even learning different languages to be able to give off the same personality and mannerisms. The way Liv would communicate with Clive was different from Ravi because Clive didn’t know her secret of being a zombie in the early seasons. She had to pretend to be normal and that this new ability of solving crimes came from her being a psychic. When she was around Ravi, she could just be herself and freely eat brains and have visions, and work with Ravi to find a cure. Don E. and Blaine had some great dialogue as they would often go back and forth with their evil plans. Don E. definitely had great comedic timing and would be the comedic relief to Blaine’s vile dramatic monologues. Peyton and Major knew Liv the longest and you can tell through their communcation and nonverbal interactions. Overall, the dialogue on the show seemed natural eventhough the show’s concept was very bizarre.
Rating: 10

Overall Analysis

Now, I will add up all of the categories and take an average to get the TV show’s overall rating. I will be using a lambda function that will take any number of arguments (b, e, s, t) and return the average of the values.

best_rating_m2 = lambda b,e,s,t: ((b + e + s + t)/4.0)

monk = best_rating_m2(10, 8.5, 10, 10)
psych = best_rating_m2(10, 10, 10, 9.5)
izombie = best_rating_m2(8, 10, 8.5, 10)

# A dictionary is then created to keep track of the overall rating for each TV show or movie. 
rating_list = {'Monk' : monk, 'Psych' : psych, 'Izombie' : izombie}
print(rating_list)

{‘Monk’: 9.625, ‘Psych’: 9.875, ‘Izombie’: 9.125}

# Plot a bar chart to visualize the rating
import matplotlib.pyplot as plt
# Sort the list to show highest ranked shows first
lists = sorted(rating_list.items(), key=lambda x: x[1], reverse=True)
x, y = zip(*lists)
plt.bar(x, y)
# Limits for the Y axis
plt.ylim(0,10)
# Add title and axis names
plt.title('My Top 3 Favorite Comedy-Crime TV Shows')
plt.xlabel("TV Shows")
plt.ylabel("Ratings")
plt.show()

The graph shows that my favorite show is Psych with Monk coming in a close second and Izombie coming in third on my list of my top favorite Comedy-Crime TV Shows.