#1. "Lost"
"Lost" was a shoo-in for this slot. It may even be the #1 show of all-time. Despite a pretty large drop-off from the first season, "Lost" still manages to keep you guessing. Other than "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" it is the only show that I actively read about. It is so fun to theorize and discuss what is going on in the "Lost" world. No show has brought fans together like "Lost" has. It is a cult show that also happens to have a sizeable amount of casual viewers.

The stories and mysteries of "Lost" are some of the best I've ever seen. Every character is incredibly crafted through the usage of flashbacks. Unlike in some other shows, you care about these characters because you've seen a large part of their life (both good and bad). To top it off, every actor on the show has taken their character and made it their own. The show has launched several careers (Evangeline Lilly, Josh Holloway, etc.) yet every actor seems like they've been doing this forever.

While the characters on the show are great, the real draw (for me at least) are the mysteries of the island. There are so many things I want to know about the island. Why did they crash? What is up with those "Others?" Why does the button have to be pressed every 108 minutes? What is the monster? The questions go on and on. A show that makes you wonder about those many things is one heck of a show. That is also a show worthy of the #1 slot.

    #2. "24"
The most innovative and thrilling show on television, "24" is one of a kind. Even though the series isn't at its peak anymore, it is still an incredible show. Every year the show drops a few points but it will be several years before it gets bumped out of the top five. The reason lies in the outstanding cast, great storylines, and incredible twists. This is the only show on television that isn't scared to kill off an important character (even though many say "Lost" also is, I don't buy it because they have killed off the two least important characters). In fact, there are only two members of the original regular cast still on the show (a third is scheduled to appear in a few episodes). Very few minor characters from that season are even still around (I can only think of two-Aaron and Mike). Heck, even Jack Bauer has "died" at one point.

No doubt about it, "24" keeps you on the edge of your seat at all times. Unlike other shows where you know the good guys will win in the end, you never know if CTU will pull it off. There have been times when the terrorists have pulled off a slight victory (they infected an entire hotel with a virus and set off a nuclear device, although not where they wanted). That is the kind of show I want to watch. What fun is it if you know everything will turn out well?

Despite all of the deaths that have been racked up, "24" always finds solid replacements. Every year they find a gem of a character to replace those that perished. It is amazing how the quality of the characters and acting hasn't dipped even slightly with so many changes in casting.

While very few shows do anything new, "24" dares to be different. That is the #1 reason why this show is so deserving of its slot at #2 overall.

   #3. "Grey's Anatomy"
With possibly one of the best seasons in the history of television, "Grey's Anatomy" has easily shown the most improvement this year. It was a decent show even last year but it really broke out this season. The show has improved so much that it went from an occasional watch to a can't miss show. The foundation was in place last year, but it finally delivered this year. The cast is outstanding and the most loveable on TV at the moment. I haven't loved a cast this much since "Buffy the Vampire Slayer." Every character is unique in their own way. Smart but shy George is my favorite but you can't really hate anybody on the show. Even characters that were brought in to be villains (Alex and Addison) have a good side to their personality. Even though the characters are so great, they wouldn't be the same without the high quality acting that "Grey's" provides. Sandra Oh and Patrick Dempsey have already been nominated for many awards and I would add T.R. Knight (George) and Chandra Wilson (Bailey) to the list of actors deserving of awards.

The storytelling in "Grey's Anatomy" is also amazing. Every week there are stories that make us cry or laugh. You hope and pray that all the patients (or at least most of them) make it. Not all shows can make you love a guest star that will only be around for an episode. "Grey's" does it for pretty much every one. The top ten episodes of the 2005-2006 season list will be littered with episodes from this show. From the episode where Christina had a miscarriage and Meredith's mother was admitted to the hospital to the recent "bomb episodes," every episode is a treat. If only more shows could learn from their first season like "Grey's" has, we would have a perfect television schedule.

    #4. "Monk"
Out of all the crime dramas on television, a little one on cable television is the best. "Monk" is the perfect mix of mystery and comedy. The mysteries are neither too hard or simple to solve and the laughs are long and hard. Tony Shalhoub (Adrian Monk) is a great actor and the award committees have recognized it. He has won two Emmy's for his portrayal of the OCD detective. The rest of the cast is also great. Lt. Disher plays the incompetent cop very well. Stottlemeyer is a perfectly acted boss and Natalie is Monk's second "nurse." She has done a wonderful job replacing the almost irreplaceable Sharona. "Monk" is often the #1 rated show on cable and it is obvious why. The cast and acting is perfect, the storylines are both humerous and well-done, and the mysteries are challenging yet not impossible. In an overpopulated but largely uncreative genre, "Monk" stands out.

   #5. "Extreme Dodgeball"
I'm sure a lot of you haven't even heard of this show but let me tell you, it is incredibly addicting. This GSN show has a simple but addicting premise. It's pretty much the same thing as the dodgeball you probably played in high school with a few twists. This latest season saw the introduction of quarters and points. Personally, I loved the change but unfortunately not many others did as the show has probably seen its last season. The most memorable part of the show is the players. They range from the wacky (Ben Toth and his body art, The Animal and his crazy on-court behavior, and The Ghoul with his mask) to the athletic (Tyrone Rush, KJ Phelps, and several others are almost good enough to play other sports). The commentators are hilarious. The game is fast and exciting. If you can get past the cheesy concept, "Extreme Dodgeball" is a great show to watch.

   #6. "Prison Break"
The best new show of the season, "Prison Break" impressed me from the beginning. I will admit that I was slightly disappointed but the show is still a great watch. The cast is outstanding. Wentworth Miller (Michael Scofield) is one of the breakout stars of the season. The rest of the ensemble cast more than pulls their own weight. The acting is great. The story has great twists and turns (I had no idea Abruzzi would be the one shot). The only problem that I have with the show is that it has a limited storyline. It would have been better as a tv miniseries or even a movie. At most, I see the show getting three seasons before it gets predictable. Until that time comes, I will enjoy the ride.

    #7. "Veronica Mars"
This critic's darling isn't quite as far up my list as others. It may be the closest thing to "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" (my favorite show of all-time) but it is a shell of it. It's a great show but it has a long way to go to reach "Buffy" status. The mysteries are great. Most of them are challenging and well-crafted. The season long mysteries are spectacular (though this season's bus crash one is nowhere near as good as the Kane murder). The characters are hit-or-miss. Logan, Veronica, Wallace, Mac, and Keith are great characters but the rest (Duncan, Dick, Beaver, etc.) are nothing special. There is also quite a bit of witty dialogue. Almost every sentence muttered in the show is crisp and perfectly written. Now for the bad news. While the characters are good I just can't get over comparing them to "Buffy's" incredible cast. Veronica may beat Buffy and Logan may have Spike tied but otherwise Buffy's characters are a whole lot better. "Buffy" was also much funnier. If I could just get over "Buffy," "Veronica Mars" may be able to move up into the top five. However, I just can't enjoy it when I know that "Buffy" has done everything better.

    #8. "My Name Is Earl"
I debated over which comedy deserved this spot more. Both "Earl" and "Mother" are incredibly funny but I ultimately gave the spot to "Earl" because it is a more original comedy. The show started off with a bang but has been in a slump lately. The biggest problem with the show is that it is incredibly inconsistent. Sometimes there will be an episode where you are laughing almost every minute. Other times you will only laugh once or twice the entire episode. I can put up with the inconsistency because everything else in the show is done so well. Every character from Earl to "Crab Man" is crafted extremely well. There aren't any cookie-cutter characters in this show. The acting is top-notch. The stories are creative. The concept is unique. If the show could just become more consistent, this show would break into the top five.

    #9. "How I Met Your Mother"
"How I Met Your Mother" was one of my most anticipated shows of the new season (as it has one of my favorite actresses, Alyson Hannigan, in it) and it certainly didn't disappoint. In fact, it even surprised me a little. Barney (Neil Patrick Harris) has instantly become one of the funniest characters on television. Who could forget his catchphrases like "suit up" and "legendary?" In almost every episode he finds a way to make us laugh. He introduced us to the "lemon law" of dating and brought us great lines like "it's going to be legen......and I hope your not lactose-intolerant because the end of that word is ...dary." He isn't the only one bringing the humor either. I will never forget the cock-a-mouse that Lily and Marshall discovered (look for that to place high when I do the funniest moments of 2005-2006 list).

One of the two complaints I have with the show is the annoying voiceovers with the kids. I don't necessarily hate the narrator but it is stupid how the kids have to listen through these tales when they just want to know how Ted met their mother (luckily, the show seems to have dropped this lately). The other is the stale acting of Ted and Marshall. I also wish that Alyson Hannigan's Lily would get a few more lines. She is way underutilized. If the producers/actors can correct some of these problems, this show may pass "My Name is Earl" and become my favorite comedy. Until then it will have to settle for second in comedy and ninth overall.

   #10. "Arrested Development"
"Arrested Development" never got spectacular ratings but it was obviously one of the best shows no one knew about. While many are blaming FOX for "cancelling" (I know that it hasn't technically been cancelled yet) this great comedy, I'm just glad they gave it three years. With the abysmal ratings this series got, nobody should blame FOX. They gave it so many chances. While it is possible that ABC or Showtime will pick the series up, it isn't looking likely so we will unfortunately be without our beloved Bluths next season. That is a shame as it is one of the most unique comedies out there. The problem with the show was that you had to watch almost every episode to catch the numerous inside jokes (like the "Star Wars Kid" video). This could be one of the many reasons the show couldn't attract an audience. People just didn't get it because they hadn't seen earlier episodes. While the inside jokes are great, my favorite part of the show is how all the subplots intertwine at the end. All those funny moments come together to make an even funnier ending. So long "Arrested Development," we hardly knew you.

   #11. "Survivor"
"Survivor" was the show that got me into television. For that it will always hold a special place in my heart. Unfortunately, it isn't the event that it used to be but it is still a great watch. It is worth suffering through a boring season like Vanuatu or Guatemala to see great ones like Pearl Island, Borneo, or Palau. While the game itself is starting to get a little stale (you usually know who is going home and there hasn't been a master strategist since Boston Rob in All-Stars), the characters can still entertain you. The best seasons are the ones with great personality in their cast. Borneo (Richard), Amazon (Rob Cesternino), Pearl Islands (Rupert and Johnny Fair Play), and Palau (Tom) are some of the best seasons since they had very interesting characters.

To get this show back to its glory days, the producers will either have to find gems while casting or change the game significantly. Otherwise we will be getting mostly Guatemala type seasons in the future. A few more of those could knock this heavyweight off of the list. Another (although very unlikely) solution would be to only have one season per television year. This would make the game more of an event (kind of like "American Idol's" strategy). Even in its old age, "Survivor" is still one of television's great shows. I just hope it can rebound after several subpar seasons.

    #12. "Alias"
"Alias" is a great show that never got the viewers it deserved. That is the main reason that this fifth season will be the show's last. Unfortunately, I have to say that this is the right time to hang it up. The first two seasons of "Alias" was television at its finest. The third season was still pretty good but it was a shell of its former self. Despite some of the show's highest ratings, the fourth season was a disaster. Now in its fifth year, "Alias" has improved slightly but it is quickly becoming a tired show. Most of the plots used in the fourth and fifth seasons were rehashes of ones from the early days. The show is beginning to get predictable and a lot of the most memorable characters are now gone (Vaughn, Will, Weiss, etc.).

Even though I will miss the show, I'm just glad we were even able to get five good years from a show that didn't exactly draw huge numbers. This is the perfect time to wrap up before the show passes its prime.

   #13. "The Apprentice"
This veteran reality show has never quite lived up to the remarkable first season. Had it not been for this pretty interesting season, this show may not have made the list. Whereas the other big reality shows fell during the first half of the television season (Amazing Race and Survivor were terrible), "The Apprentice" may have moved up my list a little. I think the main reason for the improvement lies in the higher quality contestants that were used this season. The casts for seasons two and three were largely picked for entertainment value and it really cost the show mightily. In addition, Trump tended to make rash decisions largely to shock the viewers. This season, he fired who deserved to be fired. If "The Apprentice" keeps to last season's formula, the show will finally be returned to its previous state.

    #14. "Everybody Hates Chris"
One of a number of great new comedies to begin this year, "Everybody Hates Chris" is funny, original, and charming. Chris Rock is great as the narrator and all the kids are great actors/actresses for their age. Both parents are hilarious as well. Most of the humor comes from Rock's remarks but Julius brings a lot of laughs as well. The running gag about him knowing the prices of everything that was wasted is one of the best on tv. The show can be a little inconsistent but when it is on its game it can be incredibly funny.

   #15. "The Simpsons"
"The Simpsons" is seventeen years old yet it is still making us laugh. After a few down years, it even seems to have improved a little this year. It is remarkable how this show has continued to be funny for seventeen years. Most shows only make it three or four years before becoming stale. This show has stayed hilarious for four times that long.

    #16. "The Amazing Race"
This season, the producers of "The Amazing Race" did something different. They decided to expand the teams to four members each and spent most of the time in the United States. I applaud them for trying something new but unfortunately it didn't work out. That is the main reason that TAR is so much lower than expected on this list. "...Family Edition" had boring tasks, boring locales, and boring cast members. The only thing that saved the season was those crazy Weavers. They became one of the most hated teams in "Amazing Race" history with their feelings of superiority over the others. They were also some of the worst hypocrites ever. They hated it when other teams made fun of them yet they went and did the same thing to the others (and behind their backs). When a terrible team is the best draw you have, you know you have a bad season. Hopefully "Amazing Race" will return to its old glory in its next season (and move up a few spots on this list). It would be kind of hard not to improve after the debacle that "...Family Edition" was.

    #17. "The Office"
The second most improved show of the season, "The Office" went from a stale comedy to one that isn't to be missed. It is still an incredibly inconsistent show (some episodes are boring while others are almost award worthy) but it is having a great season. Steve Carrell is doing a much better job now that he has toned it down a little bit. Jim and Pam are great and the minor characters are extremely well-written and very funny. The problem is Dwight. He can be funny at times but he is way over the top with his delivery. A lot of times I just have to cringe when he speaks. He has improved a little but he is still tying the show down. This show is a great example of why you shouldn't give up on a show too early.

   #18. "Beauty and the Geek"
The summer season of 2005 was a huge disappointment except for one show. This is that show. It is easily the best new reality show concept since "The Apprentice." "...Geek" is loveable, funny, and cute all at the same time. In just its second season, it has already brought us a slew of interesting personalities. Depending on your opinion on him, Richard was either incredibly funny and cute or one of the biggest villains of the year. Season two's Josh is one of the most loveable characters in years. Many of the girls have shattered the myth that all beautiful women are unlikeable divas.

This show has also attempted (and in some ways succeeded) in breaking down the stereotypes of geeks and beauties. The challenges have shown that geeks can be social and fun if they want to be. In season one, we even had a beauty fall for one of the geeks. Basically everyone that has appeared on this show has said that they really learned a lot from their teammates. This is a great show that came from nowhere.

    #19. "Reunion"
When I looked through the new shows that got picked up, "Reunion" was the second biggest standout (Prison Break was the first and you will see it higher up on this list). It never really lived up to its potential but it still made for a great drama. It was yet another groundbreaking drama series that FOX took a chance on. Unlike their other risks, this one didn't pay off and it was cancelled midway through the season. "Reunion" had great storytelling and a solid premise but unfortunately, the acting was very shaky. Had there been better acting, this would have been a top ten (or possibly top five) show. Regardless, it was a good enough show to keep you anticipating what would happen next. The murder mystery was quite possibly the best long-term story arc of this season. The problem is, most people won't get to know who killed Sam. Originally, the producers weren't even going to announce who the killer was. Thankfully, the information eventually got leaked. If you want to know who the killer is, highlight the space next to this sentence. The killer was originally going to be Sam's daughter but they later considered having Craig's father as the murderer. It is a shame that people didn't give this show a chance because it had the chance to become one of the best shows on television if it had been allowed to grow.

    #20. "Scrubs"
Unfortunately, I never got to see this show until this season. Now I regret that decision. "Scrubs" mixes a few laugh out loud moments with good story and character development. My two hardest laughs this season probably came from this show. The "Indiana Jones" parody with Turk adventuring inside a patient's body was genius. When J.D. drove his scooter into a puddle that was so big it went underground I laughed forever. It was so ridiculous that you couldn't help but laugh at it. It is that kind of humor that gives "Scrubs" a unique personality in the comedy world. While other shows may have several jokes that you think are sort-of funny, Scrubs has one moment each week that you remember (and laugh at) for weeks.

   #21. "Threshold"
This short-lived series was easily the best science fiction show of the year. Unfortunately, because it wasn't a crime drama CBS gave it little patience and yanked it after its ninth episode. If only ABC was the network it ran one. It would have been a far superior lead-out to "Lost" than the boring "Invasion" has been. I would bet that would have been a breakout hit. Like "Surface", "Threshold" had a fast-paced plot. We never got to see the aliens but we learned so much about them in only nine episodes. This show also had the most promise of the new alien shows. This plot could have played out over seven or eight seasons or it could have just as easily been wrapped up in a season (had CBS allowed the show to produce a series finale). It was the most unpredictable too. The only problem was that the plots tended to repeat themselves. There would always be a "monster of the week," the Red Team would identify it, and then stop it. This could easily have been remedied by making the show more serial and by disposing (or limiting) the single episode arcs. If this were done, I have no doubt it would have been a top five show. Sadly, CBS didn't give it a chance and it led to the third most heartbreaking cancellation of the season. I'm betting if five years (when crime dramas have run their course and viewers tastes change) that CBS will regret not giving shows like this a chance.

   #22. "Surface"
The second best of the deluge of sci-fi shows to hit the air this season, "Surface wasn't afraid to turn the genre on its head. Most supernatural shows are slow to develop and so confusing that you almost have to re-watch every episode to understand everything that is going on. "Surface" moved quick from the beginning. We got to see the entire creature in one of the early episodes. We've learned more about this universe in fifteen episodes than we have learned in a season and a half of "Lost." It is also an easy enough plot to understand yet still smart enough to make for an interesting show. The characters are the show's weakness. Only Nimrod stands out and he is a CGI creation. Laura and Rich are bland characters with very little development. If it gets a second season (which isn't very likely) I really hope that they develop these characters further. It is the only thing that kept Surface from receiving a higher rating.

  #23. "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition"
"Extreme Makeover" is a veteran show that used to be in my top ten. Unfortunately, it is getting a little stale in its third season. This may be because they are continuing to spend more and more time on the family's story and less time on the house building. This would have been ok in earlier seasons but it is boring now because we have seen the same kinds of stories over and over again. The focus should now be on the building. I love to see what the designers come up with each and every week. However, there is very little time spent on individual projects anymore. We used to get to see at least four or five projects go from concept to reality. "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" is still a great show but it is losing a lot of its charm.

    #24. "Deal or No Deal"
This game is so simple that you think it would get boring. However, partly because of its simplicity, it is a really addicting concept. It is fun to play along with the contestants to see how much you would have won had you been playing the game. This is the funnest game show to hit the air since "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?" Let's just hope NBC doesn't run it into the ground like ABC did to Millionaire.

  #25. "Desperate Housewives"
This is a decent show but I have just never gotten why it is such a hit. It can be funny at times but many of the storylines are way over the top and unrealistic. This is also a show that is in decline (already). This season's story is nowhere near as compelling as the Mary Alice mystery of last year. The entire Applewhite family is generic and easily forgettable. I'm hoping that the showrunners can get their act together again and save this season from mediocrity.