What Show Do I Watch Next?

Well, I'm done with "The Sopranos." This leaves me with a little dilemma again. What show do I want to watch next? The next obvious one is "The Wire," but having just sat through eighty-something hours of Tony Soprano and his crew, I think I need something lighter and ideally shorter. So no "West Wing," no "Six Feet Under," and no "Battlestar Galactica" for now. A couple of possibilities below:

"Deadwood" and "Carnivàle" – two short-lived HBO genre series that aired during the run of "The Sopranos," one a gritty Western and one centered around a Prohibition-era travelling show with some supernatural elements. Both had their vocal fans, but neither had the ratings to save them from cancellation. This left both shows technically unfinished, which might be a little unsatisfying, but I've gotten a lot out of cancelled shows before. "Firefly" and "Twin Peaks" come to mind.

"Once Upon a Time" – I watched the pilot episode last fall and didn't like it, choosing to follow the other fairy-tale themed freshman show "Grimm" instead. However, I've been hearing lots of buzz about "Once Upon a Time," with a lot of people describing it as good guilty pleasure viewing. And I'm definitely not opposed to guilty pleasure television. I'm only one season behind, so now would be a good time to give this another try and determine whether or not I want to catch up.

"Downton Abbey" – In addition to winning practically every television award on the planet, this British period piece is relatively short, with two seasons of eight episodes apiece. Maggie Smith is in the ensemble, and has gotten a lot of press for playing the sharp old Dowager Countess. However, I'm really not much for soap operas, which I suspect "Downton Abbey" really is. On the other hand, because the series is so brief, the storylines and relationships aren't going to be dragged out forever.

"Jekyll" – There's short and then there's really short. While I'm waiting for the return of "Doctor Who" and "Sherlock," maybe I should check out the Stephen Moffatt scripted 2007 drama series "Jekyll," a modern day version of "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde." It's only six episodes, and I've heard nothing but good things about it. Apparently it was shown in the US on the Syfy, but it remains awfully obscure and never attracted much attention Stateside. Maybe that's for a reason? Only one way to find out.

"Modern Family" – This is one of the most acclaimed modern comedies of the recent past, and I still haven't seen a single episode. I think I was initially a little turned off by some of the blander marketing, but I've clearly misjudged it. I'm very curious to see what I've been missing, but the show has never really been a priority for me. I think part of me is a little worried that it won't live up to the high expectations. Or I'll love it so much that I'll turn into one of those fans.

"The Tatami Galaxy" – This recent anime series is the latest work by director Masaki Yuasa, best known for working in the "super flat" style on projects like the experimental feature film "Mind Game." I've really loved his other work, like "Kemonozume" and especially "Kaiba." "Tatami Galaxy" aired as part of the Noitamina programming block on Fuji Television, which is devoted to animation for older audiences. I may have outgrown a lot of these shows, but once in a while I do still like a good anime.

"Adventure Time" – And speaking of cartoons, this Cartoon Network show has gone and become a massive cult favorite while I wasn't looking. I occasionally see some love aimed at "Regular Show" and "Flapjack," and of course there's the whole "My Little Pony" phenomenon that's still going on, but the "Adventure Time" fans are another breed. Stills of the colorful show don't seem to do it justice, so I know I've got to go make time to sit down with a few episodes and see what all the fuss is about.

And I still need to finish watching "Spaced." And I still need to watch the second season of "Louie." And I never did catch up on the rest of "The Big Bang Theory." And "House." And "Nikita." And there must be at least two seasons worth of "South Park" I've missed by now. And hasn't "Futurama" started up again?

Okay, I withdraw the question, guys. I have way too much to watch.
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