Revisionist TV shows that I liked

Tonight Battlestar Galactica will be ending as part 2 and 3 of the series finale will be airing on the Sci-Fi Channel. This leads me to ponder great revisionist shows that have come to an end.

Battlestar Galactica (Sci-Fi Channel, 2003-2009): This has to be one of the best SF shows on TV. I think it is better than Star Trek. Ronald D. Moore took a lame space opera premise and turned it into gold. You believe that the events in this show could happen. In the Star Trek universe, everything was too shiny, too new, and had more in common with Buck Rodgers. Great stories, great characters, and any series with Edward James Olmos in, it has to be good. This series took the standard SF premise and made it real. Enterprise came close to the grittiness of Battlestar Galactica, maybe Deep Space Nine with the Dominion War episodes, but this show is the winner. At least we will have the prequel spin off Caprica to watch.

Deadwood (HBO, 2004-2006): David Milch's revisionist take on the Western turned this TV staple upside down. John Wayne in the introduction to the first episode of Gunsmoke called that a gritty adult Western. This is a gritty adult Western. Ian McShane, Timothy Olyphant, and Robin Weigert really brought their characters to life. This show ended way to soon.

Canterbury's Law (Fox, 2008): I love Perry Mason and this show was the ultimate revise of the Perry Mason myth. Elizabeth Canterbury played by Julianna Margulies seemed to win as much as Mason did, but she put herself on the line doing so and was not above playing hardball and using dirty tactics to do so. Her regular opponent played by Terry Kinney (who just ate up playing this nasty character after being such a nice good guy in HBO's Oz) was a mean and nasty Hamilton Burger who wanted not just to win but to destroy Canterbury. This show ended way too soon.

The Shield (FX, 2002 - 2008): My pick for best revisionist cop show. Shawn Ryan created a great show and while the focus was on Vic Mackey, brilliantly played by Michael Chiklis, I want to focus on two other characters, Claudetter (CCH Pounder) and Dutch (Jay Karnes). These two characters are the closest to what I think is a real top detective. No Sherlock Holmes or Columbo, or Monk, but two real hardworking cops dealing with the BS around them as they solve cases. Karnes is to be commended in how he brings Dutch to life, brilliant detective weighed down by real life flaws. Just a great show that brings a whole new dimension to the TV cop show.

Oh well.