1. Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Witty show that perfectly mixed drama, comedy, satire, intelligence and action. It doubles as a perfect metaphor for young lives, and after seven years, offered the best dialogue and character development you could find in any medium. Visit my Buffy page for more.
2. Arrested Development
This was undoubtedly the funniest sitcom ever to air, and it rewards repeat watchings. We still quote it all the time. Enjoy the Simpsons mashup at left.
3. Community
Community is easily the funniest sitcom on tv right now, but it's more like an anti-sitcom. It sends up every sitcom cliche it can think of. One of my favorites was its clip-show episode: a series of flashbacks to other episodes. The twist was that those other episodes had never happened, so we jus saw tantalizing hilarious snippets of what might have been.
4. Batman / Justice League
2 shows?! Whatever, it's my list, I can do what I want. These are terrific dramas, with cool noir art. Justice League Unlimited in the last season was spectacular! All of the episodes were part of a large chain that culminated in a grand finalé. The best part - the Speed Force! Also, The Question ...?
5. Lost
Lost is finally over, but it went out with a bang, and I for one think it wrapped up well. Except, of course, for the 50 remaining plot details they never answered. Well, it was fun while it lasted: no other show kept us riveted week after week like this one. Download Lost wallpapers I made.
6. Dollhouse
This great show only lasted two seasons, but it built a fascinating mythology in that time. It was riveting to watch: when anyone can be anyone else, you get twist after twist after twist, and no deux ex machinas like Lost.
7. Breaking Bad
Rachel and I are in the middle of watching this right now. It's stunning and flawless.
8. Veronica Mars
Great cast in a complex and fun show with a hot Miss Mars. Out of all the beautiful Kristen Bell images you can find online, I thought this one was the most fun. Download some VM Wallpapers here!
9. The Daily Show
The funniest show on TV. John Stewart and his cast have achieved something better than making fun of stars, shows, and society; they make fun of the media itself, and all the sensationalism and inanity contained within. Here are some great Daily Show wallpapers and photos.
10. The Simpsons
Most brilliantly executed, longest-running satire ever created. It should keep running forever ... when are they finally going to create an all-Simpsons network?
11. Firefly
Short-lived ensemble show with nine great characters in a space Western. The DVD set is great. Serenity, the movie, was even better.
12. The Office
I watched the whole run of the British Office. I couldn't make out half of what they were saying, but the other half was hilarious, and I thought it would be impossible to top. But the American version did it, and how. See Office wallpapers and other photos.
13. Freaks & Geeks
Just watched this spectacular but short-lived show on DVD. Jason Segal, James Franco, Seth Rogen and more all got their start here. Check it out immediately!
14. Six Feet Under
Incredibly well-done show I caught on DVD after a recommendation by the lovely Rachel. Its level of quality would place it higher on this list, but it was just hard to watch at times.
15. The Middleman
Go find this obscure show on DVD. If you have a very specific sense of humor that appreciates bizzare sci-fi happenings, ridiculously complex dialogue, running gags and great characters, it's for you.
16. Penn & Teller: BS
Big Props to Penn & Teller for making this show. I didn't agree with every one of their conclusions, but most of them I did, and we need a show like this on tv to try to stem the tide of misinformation.
17. How I Met Your Mother
This seems like just a regular, formulaic comedy, but somehow it works and is hilarious. Also nice to see a lot of accurate NYC jokes. No idea why they feel compelled to squeeze in the weird framing element of his kids, though. Not actually expecting it to ever pay off.