Ok, here’s my top tv shows 2006. I based this not just on whether or not I like the show in general, but specifically on how good it was in 2006.

Here we go, the shows you’re probably not watching…

10. Lost.
Sadly, this is on the list because I was having a hard time coming up with 10 good shows. Season 1 (we all know) was brilliant. Season 3 I’m watching by default. They’re not covering all of the characters as much or as well and I don’t care that much about the characters that are getting all the attention, but maybe that’s just me.

The good: Juliet is wonderful, a complicated, compassionate hard as nails character that I love and still don’t think I can trust.

9. Brothers & Sisters.
This is good. Brothers & Sisters has done a great job of creating sibling dynamics. There’s 5 siblings and watching them at a dinner table talking and bickering and being brutally honest and loving each other reminds me of the way my family is. Realistic sibling dynamic isn’t something that we see on tv often, so it makes the list for that.

8. Prison Break.
Really this was better in 2005 when the first half of the first season was taunt and compelling. Now the most interesting aspect of Michael Schofield is his relationship with Lincoln and Sarah. At the end of last season we had what was possibly the best prison kiss ever. But now there’s several story threads and not all of them are interesting. The ones that are interesting are still compelling enough to make the list and keep me watching each week. Plus, the twist at the mid-season break was really good.

7. Veronica Mars.
2006 was not the best year for Veronica Mars either but even at less than it’s best it’s better than a lot of the shows out there. I defer to the master and quote Joss Whedon, “…Veronica Mars’ best friend [has been] murdered. Some months later, she was drugged at a party and raped in her sleep. Welcome to the funniest and most romantic show on TV…The show is filled with deft, glorious wit…But what elevates it is that in a TV-scape creepily obsessed with crime-solving, VM actually asks why. It knows we need our dose of solution as a panacea against the uncontrollable chaos of life’s real mysteries. And it shows, feelingly, that having the answers is never enough.” You can read the full article here to find his deft use of “hypnotically incorrigible nemesis” because, how brilliant (and appropriate for those of you who know) is that?

6. So You Think You Can Dance.

Ok, so you probably have to like dancing to have loved this show. But if you do, then you loved this show! Where oh where are our dvds Fox?

5. 24.
Exciting, dynamic, gripping. 24 was better than season 4, but season 3 is still my favorite.

4. The 4400.
Even though none of you watched The 4400 during the summer you can get the first two seasons on dvd and they’re worth it. During season 3 the mythology evolved, the story and the characters grew and it was fun and exciting to watch. Isabelle was a fascinating character as she grew from her innocence and naivete into herself. Shawn had to grow up which the charcter was ready for. Even though Jordan still patronizes him which bugs me. I missed Kyle, but there were very few moments this summer as good as, “Shawn Ferrell, do you know me?”

3. Grey’s Anatomy.
Grey’s Anatomy just keeps getting better. The M&M with Bailey was emotional and honest and gripping and surprising. Addison gets to be strong and vulnerable and does it flawlessly. Nearly everyone is better when they’re in scenes with her. It really started with her confession at the end of the season that everyone knows Derek loved Meredith except Derek and Meredith which was honest and heart wrenching because up until then I didn’t like her much at all. And, you can’t beat the the awkward end of the season premiere.

2. Heroes.
Heroes built slowly and had it’s flaws but has now really begun to step into its potential and mythology. The characters are becoming more interesting as they interact with each other and understand what’s going on. The show is surprising and Mohinder’s voice overs lend a great sense of mystery and grandiosity. At last they’re figuring out how to be a sci fi show, at least in their promos which is good and about time.

1. Supernatural.
It’s on at the same time as Grey’s Anatomy so set your Tivo one way or another. What makes the second half of season 1 and the first half of season 2 so brilliant? For the ladies: hot, witty, charming, hot guys. Men: not to worry none of that should detract from the lots of guns, great music and bad ass ’67 Chevy Impala. In all seriousness, that’s not enough to make a great show. The writing is good (which makes the brothers witty) and the mythology is developing (which is always important in sci fi or you end up with the X-Files). But the interaction between the brothers holds everything together. The actors have had time to find their footing, deepen their characters to make them interesting and complicated. After everything that’s happened since the pilot they walk around in the emotions that are inevitable (which gives it continuity which is something Smallville was lacking for years). The rage and grief and loss and genuine connection between them is visible in the everyday-ness of everything else they do. They don’t have to sit around and talk about it (like Dawson’s Creek) because it’s just there, so obviously and subtly, which creates a sense of reality in an unrealistic show. Besides, how can you see this and not want to watch Supernatural?