Best of 2009 in TV - Sepinwall on TV

Last week, I gave you my list(s) of the best TV shows of the decade. Today, it's this year's turn, with my list of the best TV shows of 2009. As often happens, I couldn't limit myself to 10 and wound up with a mix of 20 new and returning series. So go over and read, watch the embedded video, etc., and then come back to yell at me for shows that you feel I ranked too high, too low, or not at all.

UPDATE: A couple of additional list thoughts:

1)As I predicted at the end of 2008, this was an incredibly strong year in television. This list could have easily expanded to 25 or 30 entries to include other Sepinwall faves like "Burn Notice" or "How I Met Your Mother" or "30 Rock" (or even interesting newbies like "Kings" or "Nurse Jackie") that I didn't like quite as much in '09 as I did the stuff that made the list. And based on the screener deluge that greeted me when I returned to the office yesterday, I have no reason not to have similarly strong feelings about 2010.

2)Don't get too hung up on the order. The top 4 shows are more or less interchangeable in my eyes in terms of the great years they had, and I spent a lot of time shuffling other shows around while trying to figure out how you judge a "Modern Family" against an "In Treatment" or "Lost." In many ways, I think Mo Ryan had the right idea with her list, which she insists on doing in alphabetical order.

3)In case you're curious to see what made some of my previous year-end best-of's, I added a category tag at the bottom of this post that will take you to my lists from 2005 (the year the blog started) to the present. Note that the first few years will feature links to non-existent Star-Ledger columns, as for a long time NJ.com stories disappeared after 14 days. Click here to read the full post

Sepinwall on TV: Best (episodes) of the rest

Today's column, as promised on Friday, is my look at some of the best episodes from shows that overall weren't strong enough to make the Top 10 but had great individual moments. Lots of video clips in this one, too, including "Dr. Horrible" in its entirety. Click here to read the full post

Sepinwall on TV: Top TV shows of 2008

Today's column features my annual top 10 list -- which, as always, has me cheating with a tie at one spot near the end. The list:

1. "The Shield"
2. "The Wire"
3. "Mad Men"
4. "Chuck"
5. "Lost"
6. "The Office"
7. "Battlestar Galactica"
8. "In Treatment"
9. "Breaking Bad"
10. "Burn Notice" & "The Middleman" (tie)

To read the full column with flowery praise of each choice -- plus embedded video of memorable moments from each show -- click here.

Last year, the top 10 list ran on the same day as my list of the best episodes for shows that didn't crack the top 10, but this year that second list won't run until Monday. So feel free to grouse about the absence of "30 Rock," "Friday Night Lights," et al between now and Monday, when I give 'em nice plugs. Click here to read the full post

Sepinwall on TV: Best of 2007

Two columns today celebrating the best stuff I saw in 2007, starting with my top 10 list:

1. "The Sopranos"


2. "Mad Men"


3. "30 Rock"


4. "Friday Night Lights" season one


5. (tie) "Dexter" &


6. "The Shield"


7. "House"


8. "Extras"


9. "The Office"


10. (tie) "Chuck" & "Pushing Daisies"
    

To read the full column where I elaborate on why those shows got the nod (and include video links to great scenes wherever possible), click here.

Meanwhile, I did a second story about the best episodes and/or moments of shows that either just missed the cut (say, the "Price Is Right" episode of "HIMYM" or the mugging episode of "Flight of the Conchords") or weren't good enough for top 10 consideration but had rare moments of genius (say, the "Lost" finale or the "Day Man"/"Night Man" episode of "It's Always Sunny"). Lots and lots of YouTube links in that one, so click here for it all.

Click here to read the full post

Best of the Best '06

Last column of the year, which means it's Top 10 time. As discussed last week, I decided to spread the wealth with two lists, one for returning shows, one for 2006 rookies. The lists:

Returning Shows

1. "The Wire"
2. "The Shield"
3. "The Office"
4. "Battlestar Galactica"
5. "Deadwood"
6. "The Sopranos"
7. "How I Met Your Mother"
8. "The O.C." (season four only)
9. "24"
10. A tie between "Scrubs," "House" and "Grey's Anatomy"

New shows

1. "Friday Night Lights"
2. "Dexter"
3. Stephen Colbert at the White House correspondents dinner
4. "30 Rock"
5. A tie between "Country Boys" and "When the Levees Broke"
6. "Doctor Who"
7. "Heroes"
8. "Kidnapped"
9. "Broken Trail"
10. "The Loop"

To read the full column with elaboration on the choices (given the space limitations of writing capsules for 23 shows), click here. Click here to read the full post

Best of the best

Merry Chrismukkah, everybody. My top 10 list ran in today's paper (Matt's is here). For posterity's sake, here's my list, if not the descriptions:

1. "Battlestar Galactica"
2. "Deadwood"
3. "Veronica Mars"
   
4. "Arrested Development"
   
5. "Sleeper Cell"
   
6. "Grey's Anatomy"
7. "House"
   
8. "The Daily Show" & "The Colbert Report"
   
9. "Bodies" & "Viva Blackpool"
   
10. "Rescue Me" (FX)

Honorable mentions: "Lost," "The Shield," the finales of "Six Feet Under" and "Everybody Loves Raymond," "Project: Greenlight," "How I Met Your Mother," "The Office," "Survivor: Palau" and "The Amazing Race: Rob & Ambuh."

Click here to read the full post