TOP TEN TV SHOWS OF THE YEAR

Go ahead and roll your eyes, (Jamie) but I still enjoy putting together these lists each year and look forward to seeing what other people pick as well. I'll be able to post my Television and Music picks now, but won't get around to posting my Movies one until later in the month. Stupid Kansas City still hasn't gotten Juno or Sweeney Todd and won't get There Will Be Blood until 2008. Sigh. But here are my picks for 2007's Best Television Shows:


1. LOST


Still the absolute best show on television. Sure, maybe if The Wire had been on in 2007, it might have topped it, but other than that, nothing else on TV even comes close. Nothing. If there is anyone out there reading this, who has still never sat down and watched this show, you owe it to yourself to rent the DVDs from Blockbuster and find out what the big deal is. Even with the huge amount of hype surrounding the show now, it still manages to deliver. Consistently. The season finale alone of season three was better than most full season's of TV dramas and I'd go as far as saying it was better than most films I saw this year.

Rarely does a show continue to deliver thrills and surprises and characters that you actually care about after being around for three seasons. People might bitch that there aren't enough "answers" but that's the wrong way to even approach this show...simply enjoy the ride. Without giving anything away spoiler-wise, they even went as far this season to toss the question of "Will they ever get off the island" out the window! On a lesser show, that would have been the endgame, with Lost, it's simply a bump on the road.

2. PUSHING DAISIES


For a brand new show to place this high on my list, you know it's got to be something special. Pushing Daisies isn't just special, it's the best new show on television, which is really saying something. Reaper started off strong with an amazing pilot episode and then fizzled every week after that. Pushing Daisies just keeps getting better with each and every passing week!

Television doesn't usually take a chance on something as romantic and charming as this and again, with a lesser cast and lazy writers, this could have been a huge flop. But instead it's smart, charming, and easily the most colorful show on television. A word of caution however, never watch this show before eating, or you'll catch yourself craving pies left and right...

3. THE OFFICE


Would be #2 if the "hour-longs" didn't knock them down a bit. Who knew too-much-of-a-good-thing would apply to this awesome show?! But you know how it completely redeemed itself?! The last episode they aired before the writer's strike kicked in, "The Deposition," was seriously the best episode ever. It was the perfect mix of laugh-out-loud funny and holy-shit-that's-sad. They managed to make Michael's love of "That's what she said" into an entire new venue when a court reporter has to read it back and turn it into the old "Who's on first" routine.

And for the love of God, why does Michael hate Toby sooooooo much?! I hope we never, ever find out!

4. EXTRAS


Thanks to this show, I can no longer watch the Harry Potter films without thinking of Daniel Radcliffe flinging a condom around being like, "I've had sex...a lot of sex!" It goes without saying, but Ricky Gervais is a genius. Don't forget the CHRISTMAS SPECIAL airs this Sunday!!!

5. JOHN FROM CINCINNATI


Even with this show being about...well...nothing, it still captured my interest like few shows on television ever have. It was just...just so different. It's hard to put my finger on what was so appealing about it, but it really found it's own path and never took the turn you expected it to take. I think it'll be interesting to see when (and if) the DVD is released if a whole new fanbase starts up and demands a second season. It's probably just wishful thinking, but I really enjoyed the series and would love to see where they would take it from here.

6. STUDIO 60 ON THE SUNSET STRIP


Best show to get canceled because people are just idiots. (Yeah, I'm bitter...) The biggest complaint I read over and over again was that the "sketches weren't that funny." That makes about as much sense as "I don't like The Office because they never sell enough paper." It was soooooo much more than a show behind a show. The way the network tried for control, or silenced the writers, the love stories, the entire John Goodman character...dammit, I loved this show soooo much! If you'll excuse me, I need to go cry off in a corner for a second...

7. BIG LOVE


Such an outstanding show that I really didn't expect to enjoy when it first started out. I remember being pretty "meh" about it at the beginning. But the end of the first season and the entire second season changed my mind in a hurry! If you think it's simply a show about Mormons, you're missing out. It almost turned into a Sopranos-esque show during moments here and there. People getting gunned down, backstabbing, lies, gambling...it was a great ride and I'm enjoying the direction they're taking it.

8. THE DAILY SHOW


And that about does it for the series shows...the rest of these are my source of news and infotainment!

9. REAL TIME WITH BILL MAHER


10. COUNTDOWN WITH KEITH OLBERMANN