We don't know if you're aware, but in between his reviews of seasons of The Sopranos, TV Club editor Todd VanDerWerff pops in reviews of other series, just to break the Jersey chill (and it can be a cold chill indeed). Between seasons three and four, he reviewed Spaced, and between seasons four and five, he reviewed the original British Office. Now, as he approaches the end of season five, he'd like you to pick the show he'll tackle in the gap between seasons five and six. He's come up with 12 options, and we've included a poll for you to pick the one you like best. Voting will remain open for two weeks, and Todd will announce the winner in his Sopranos finale post, going up Wed., Dec. 21 at 1 PM ET. Write-ups of the winning series will commence Wed., Jan. 18, 2012, at 1 PM ET.
The options are:
Carnivale: HBO's weird tale of mysticism and carnival folk in the Great Depression wasn't horribly appreciated in its own time but has gained a cult following in the years since. Todd would tackle season one between seasons five and six of The Sopranos, then move on to season two between seasons 6A and 6B of The Sopranos.
Daria: MTV's Beavis & Butt-Head spinoff is one of the great, underrated series of the '90s, and watching it would be a fun flashback to the disaffected youth of the time. Todd would watch the first season between seasons five and six of The Sopranos and proceed from there, depending on interest.
Extras: Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant's follow-up to The Office would seem to be a natural fit for the TV Club Classic treatment. Though not as obviously great a series as the preceding work, it's still got plenty to recommend it and one hell of a series finale. Todd would cover the whole series between seasons five and six of The Sopranos.
Farscape: Who doesn't like a good spaceship series? With the whole series out on Blu-Ray for the first time, Todd would dive into the world of John Crichton, Aeryn Sun, and Moya, a world he's only visited very briefly and not at all comprehensively. He'd watch season one between seasons five and six of The Sopranos.
Fawlty Towers: This classic British sitcom is one of the greatest comedies ever made and still one of the funniest. Boasting great work from John Cleese, it's one of the inspirations for Cheers, among others. Todd would cover the whole 12-episode series in between seasons five and six of The Sopranos.
Frisky Dingo: Here's another series Todd has very little familiarity with. Adam Reed and Matt Thompson created this series after they created SeaLab 2021 and before Reed went on to create Archer. Todd would cover the entire run of the series, which introduced Killface to the world, between seasons five and six of The Sopranos.
Life On Mars (U.K.): Somehow, we here at TV Club have covered the U.S. remake of Life On Mars in its entirety, but not the original British series that inspired it. Well, perhaps it's time to go time traveling with a '00s cop who wakes up in the 1970s. Todd would cover the whole series between seasons five and six of The Sopranos.
The Middleman: This one-season wonder didn't make much of a splash when it aired on ABC Family a few years ago (we barely even covered it), but fans of smart genre storytelling and lightning fast dialogue made it into a cult sensation. Todd would cover the whole series between seasons five and six of The Sopranos.
Movie/Miniseries round-up: Made-for-TV movies and miniseries have been a significant part of the TV landscape since the 1970s, but few people write about the most classic examples of the form. Todd would jump around through the form's history for eight weeks, stopping at such highlights as Angels In America, The Day After, and The Singing Detective.
Prime Suspect (U.K.): Though the American remake flopped and was fairly swiftly canceled, the original British series, featuring a historic performance by Helen Mirren, is one of the great TV mysteries of all time, unfolding in a series of miniseries over the better part of two decades. Todd would cover one miniseries per week, over seven weeks.
Rome: HBO's return to the days of the Roman empire was meant to be the network's replacement for The Sopranos, actually, but a combination of solid-but-not-amazing ratings and a high budget led the network to cancel the show after only two seasons. Todd would look at the series' first season between seasons five and six of The Sopranos and the second between seasons 6A and 6B.
Slings & Arrows: This Canadian series is probably the only great TV series about life onstage. Set in and around a Shakespearean theatre company, the series encompasses a great deal of wisdom about life, love, and death in just 18 episodes. Plus, it's often funny as hell. Todd would cover the complete series between seasons five and six of The Sopranos.
Polling is closed, but feel free to use comments to suggest other series we should consider in the future.