How I Met Your Mother: Season 1 (+)

I am as surprised as you are. I seriously thought I would hate this show. It has lots of things I hate one-liners, sit-com cinematography, cheesy plot devices, and chief of all sins, a laugh track. I hate those things. I mean I really hate them. But somehow despite all the odds I actually really like this show.

I think like this show because of the energy it puts off. Its a show that is having fun. The cast is awesome with vets from Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Freaks and Geeks, and Doogie himself. The main character is charming as is his leading lady. They all seem to be having fun doing the show and being together. Its mostly a show about people goofing off, which is very infectious. The jokes and plots are actually pretty funny too.

The show also makes a few bold departures from traditional sit-com land. Spoiler-Alert (Skip this paragraph if you haven't seen the show): The very first episode sets up that the romantic lead is not the titular mother. The whole season builds to a relationship that the audience knows is doomed. That's pretty damned bold, because we like the relationship and we are just waiting to have our collective hearts broken.

The DVD is pretty cool. The creators commentaries are pretty funny. The spend a great deal of the time talking about how their lives inspired certain things to plugging their band that wrote the theme song to talking about places they like in New York. I liked them by the end of the DVD set. There is also some behind the scenes footage and stuff like that.

Pros: Great cast, good energy, funny jokes, bold creative decisions
Cons: Traditional sitcom, cheesy plots, bad cinematography, LAUGH TRACK