5 Best TV Shows of 08

1) LOST

Whatever mojo the series lost with its much maligned second and third seasons, it certainly dug in and went back to what worked because this season was as compelling and intriguing as the first - when none of us knew what was going on or what a Dharma was. Perhaps it was the strike shortened season that caused the writers to hunker down and really give us meaty episodes, but whatever it was worked as a lot of the side stories were all cast away and secondary characters back stories were quickly established rather than drawn out over multiple episodes. Plus, the Oceanic 6 storyline was the best story on TV this year as everyone was guessing, theories abounded, and the element that made the show so great initially had finally returned. Anyone else already have their DVR's set for January 21st?

2) Mad Men
I finally started watching this show based on a friends' recommendation and what an amazing series to get caught up in. Reaching back to an era when smoking was the norm, women's roles were clearly defined, and decadence ruled. The world of Don Draper is a fascinating place to observe. The writing in the second season was so solid and the only frustration that crept in was having to wait another week to find out what would happen next. The acting and character development is astounding and the show is more than deserving of it's Emmy and Golden Globe nods.

3) 30 Rock
It's a little disconcerting that it took Tina Fey's dead-on portrayal of Sarah Palin on Saturday Night Live to draw viewers over to the funniest show on television. Once people tuned in, they were hooked into the crazy world of Liz Lemon, but those viewers should've already been there as the first two seasons of this show are hysterical - and, not surprisingly, those seasons are now the most requested/downloaded comedy series online. I'm glad that they are now getting the respect they deserve as the Emmy wins yet low viewership had an eerie echo to another incredible show that suffered a similar fate, but was canceled well ahead of its time. (*ahem* Arrested Development *ahem*) Alec Baldwin shines, Tina Fey is the "Elaine May of our time," and Tracy Morgan just makes everything funnier.

4) Extras
While it didn't technically have a full season this year, the tail end of season 2 and the Extra Special Series Finale both aired this year - the latter of which is arguably Ricky Gervais best acting performance to date. Still the master of the awkward moment, Gervais actually took the series in a much more dramatic direction as we grew frustrated with Andy's ever-increasing ego, annoyed with yet sympathetic to Stephen Merchant's Darren Lamb, and our hearts broke for Ashley Jensen's Maggie as she came to grips with her place in show business and her steadfast friendship to Andy despite his treatment of her. The last 20 minutes of the finale are just amazing to watch.

5) The Office

While the writer's strike was unfortunate yet very warranted, it sure seemed to bring out the best in some of these shows. It was like the writers said, "Oh yeah?! Well, here's some awesome scripts right before we go on strike so that everyone will miss us." Which then begs the question - why aren't the rest of the episodes during the season as strong as the ones in the strike-shortened season of The Office? That's not to say that the writing is generally poor or anything like that, but all of a sudden the relationships all started to finally pay off (Jim & Pam, Michael & Jan, etc.), great characters started to shine (Andrew Bernard), and the oddities just grew more odd (Dwight Schrute). I hope that the writers can keep that momentum going - and that the creators of the show pull whatever strings necessary to bring Amy Ryan's Holly back into Michael's love life.

Honorable Mention: Flight of the Conchords

Our favorite kiwis made their debut on HBO this year and the world was finally introduced to the musical stylings of Bret and Jemaine. I was fortunate enough to have received a copy of their album, Folk The World, as well as purchase their audiobook on iTunes (that no one seemed to know about) a year or so ago and I was ecstatic to find out they were filming their own show. Initially branded as a folk version of Tenacious D, Bret & Jemaine proved themselves to be much more as their wit, humbleness, and approachability endeared them to everyone. With a best selling album and another season premiering in February, here's hoping 2009 will be an even better year for the breakout duo.