BEST OF 2005: The Television

While much of my 2005 TV habits consisted on channel surfing, I did make a point of putting the remote down for these shows:

10. Extras (HBO)
Ricky Gervais's newest show isn't is good as BBC's The Office and the humour is verrry British, there are plenty of good laughs here.

9. Six Feet Under (HBO)
The show made a nice recovery to have a touching final season. I was pleased with how all of the storylines--even Nate's sudden death--wrapped up, and the final montage in the series finale is the gold standard for how to end a TV show.

8. Scrubs (NBC)
It's a crime that NBC held this show off of the fall schedule so that it could air tripe like Joey and E-Ring. Thank goodness Scrubs returns later this month.

7. The Comedy Central Roast of Pamela Anderson (Comedy Central)
These roast shows are so underappreciated; no other forum offers quality comedians taking nasty shots at one another in cold blood. You can watch most of the clips from the show here, and I still can't get over the bits from Greg Giraldo and Nick Di Paolo.

6. Entourage (HBO)
The show found its footing during the second season, as no other show makes such great use of its guest stars. While Jeremy Piven gives one of the best performances on TV, it's still a shame to see such wooden actors as Adrian Grenier and Kevin Connolly in the lead roles.

5. Lost (ABC)
Cheers to a show that never underestimates the intelligence of its audience! As long as the writers refocus on the original ensemble of terrific actors (instead of "The Tailies" on the other end of the island) this gimmick will continue to succeed.

4. The Colbert Report (Comedy Central)
A great premise, a great star and great execution. It's about time that someone skewered the Talking Head genre and Stephen Colbert has the fake gravitas to pull it off. Anyone still sitting through Leno and Letterman monologues ought to switch over to Colbert's "The Word" segment for a wakeup call.

3. Curb Your Enthusiasm (HBO)
Oh, to live life as Larry David: frequent awkwarness, befuddling coincidence and the constant absorption of blame. Yet we still root for him each week- a testament to Larry David the writer and improv actor.

2. The Office (NBC)
Steve Carell doesn't get enough credit for this show. While he made a name for himself playing clueless newscasters (on The Daily Show, Bruce Almighty and Anchorman) his Michael Scott is a multilayered breed of buffoon. He's confident, yet wildly insecure, ambitious yet disillusioned. The supporting cast deserves its kudos too, with whipping boy Dwight serving as the villain and the Jim/Pam unconsumated flirtation serving as the show's heart. We're starting to see signs that NBC actually recognizes the potential of this show. Here's hoping that a Thursday night timeslot will lure more fans onto the bandwagon.

1. Pardon the Interruption (ESPN)
I've said it many times before, but nobody makes sports more enjoyable to follow than Wilbon and Kornheiser. As a gift to us diehards, this season they made the show 10 minutes longer each day, giving us more of the analysis, humor and thoughtfulness that we can't get anywhere else.