Husband and I have been rewatching Arrested Development for the past few days.  Every time I watch it it reminds me again why it is my favorite television show... why I hate the networks for cancelling it (and wonderful shows like it) and why I hate the American public for just sitting back and letting it happen.  And yet, with the delightful narration of Ron Howard and the little ukulele theme tume leading the way, I can still sit back and bask in the glory of it for the two and a half seasons that it DID exist.  In honor, I shall list my favorite television shows.

1) Arrested Development (2003-2006).  Follows the trials and tribulations of the ridiculously self-involved Bluth clan.  When patriarch George is arrested for "light treason," good son Michael must try to keep the family and the business held together.  This is pretty much the greatest comedy show ever written.  So many jokes crammed into every episode that, even on the fifth or sixth viewing, you are catching something else.  Jokes that honor the long-term viewers while not feeling exclusive to new viewers.  Characters that are simultaneously completely over-the-top, and completely like your own family.  Pure joy.

Favorite Character(s): It's a tie between Tobias and The Narrator... but pretty much every character is horrible and lovable and hilarious.  Oh yeah, and Barry Zuckercorn.  And the bad-news doctor.
Favorite Story Arc:  Mrs. Phyllidia Featherbottom!  Also really enjoyed Maeby as a studio exec.

2) Pushing Daisies (2007-2009).  When Ned is a boy, he discovers that he has the ability to bring dead things back to life with just a touch.  Unfortunately, a second touch from Ned kills the subject again, and this "gift" causes Ned to become an odd but earnest young piemaker with no real attachments in his life save his Golden Retriever, Digby.  When he hears of the untimely death of his childhood sweetheart, Chuck, he can't resist bringing her back to life - no matter what the results.  Described as a "Forensic Fairy Tale,"  there has never been anything quite like Pushing Daisies.  I want to LIVE in this show!  It is magical, mysterious, dark, funny, and ultimately extremely cheerful.

Favorite Character(s):  Olive!  Also Emerson Cod and the Aunts.
Favorite Story Arc: Get Thee to a Nunnery... or Rent-A-Friend!


3) The Venture Brothers (2003 - Present).  Twins Hank and Dean live with their hulking bodyguard Brock Samson and thier father Rusty Venture - a former child genius and boy adventurer a la Johnny Quest, now a balding, pill-popping dismal failure living off of his brilliant father's glory.  This adult animated show ruthlessly lampoons old Hannah-Barbara cartoons, while maintaining a brilliant storyline and a massive cast of brilliant characters.  Almost too clever for its own good... almost.

Favorite Character(s):  This is TOO hard!  If forced, I might have to say Dr. Girlfriend and The Monarch... Although my favorite FAVORITE guest moment HAS to be Dr. Dugong... and I love all the old Jonas Venture bits...
Favorite Episode: "The Family that Slays Together." Parts 1 and 2


4) My Name is Earl (2005-2009).  Earl Hickey is a deadbeat, small-time criminal who wins the lottery, but is immediately hit by a car.  In the hospital he hears Carson Daly talking about Karma on television, and Earl makes a decision to turn his life around.  With the mantra of "Do good things, good things happen,"  Earl and his brother Randy revisit their troubled pasts and try to make amends for the things they did wrong.  A top-notch ensemble, unique characters, and hilarious and heartwarming writing made this show a never-miss!

Favorite Character(s): Joy and the Crabman!  Close second to Randy.
Favorite Story Arc: Crabman's secret past!

5) Seinfeld (1990-1998).  "A show about nothing."  This mother of the modern comedy follows the lives of comedian Jerry Seinfeld and his self-obsessed friends as they go about thier trivial lives.  Absolutely brilliant, and hasn't lost anything over the years!

Favorite Character(s): George and Elaine.  Puddy.
Favorite Episodes: The Parking Garage, The Fusilli Jerry, The Marine Biologist, The Rye

6) Quantum Leap (1989-1993).  In attempting to create a time travel device, Dr. Sam Beckett accidentally becomes trapped in the past.  He "leaps" into the body of another person, and must "put right what once went wrong" before he can "leap" away.  His best friend Al is the only one who can communicate with him, in the form of a hologram that only Sam can see and hear.  This amazing sci-fi show expertly combined humor, mystery, action, romance, and uplifting stories.  With a regular cast of only two, Al and Sam carry the show with a wonderful chemistry.  A classic.

Favorite Character(s): Al.  But Sam is great too!
Favorite Episodes: Catch a Falling Star, What Price Gloria?, Good Night Dear Heart, The Leap Home, Black on White on Fire... sooo many.

7) King of the Hill (1997-2010).  Hank Hill is just your average hardworking middle-class Texan - but his friends and neighbors are anything but normal.  Hank and his wife Peggy deal with the mundane aspects of life while trying to raise thier son Bobby in a world that, at times, seems to have lost all common sense.  This show is a gem - the characters are so real they feel like friends, and the show at times seems to be the only one that weighs in on political issues and current events while maintaining humor, optimism, and dignity.

Favorite Character(s): Khan and Minh!  I also have a strong love-hate thing with Peggy.
Favorite Episodes: High Anxiety, I Don't Wanna Wait for Our Lives to be Over, That's What She Said, The Redneck on Rainey Street, Orange you Sad I Did Say Banana?, Peggy's Magic Sex Feet



8)Flight of the Conchords (2007-2009).  Bret McKenzie and Jemaine Clement are the two members of New Zealand's fourth most popular folk-parody band, The Flight of the Conchords.  Transplanted to America, they try to make it big in the city.  This is an odd little musical show, quirky and supremely deadpan.  It has great songs and a clever supporting cast!

Favorite Character(s): Murray!
Favorite Episodes: Bowie, The Actor, The New Cup

9) Star Trek: The Original Series (1966-1969).  Captain James T. Kirk leads his crew on a mission of deep space exploration and adventure.  I can't really describe how much I love this show... it was the first science fiction show to fully realize the potential of the genre to make us look at our own time, our own issues differently.  It broke barriers in regards to race as well, showcasing characters from many origins working together.  It had the first interracial kiss ever broadcast on TV!  It had groovy 60's babes, melodramatic fight scenes, and WILLIAM SHATNER.  I acknowledge that parts of this show haven't aged well (especially graphics and costumes), and some episodes are downright silly, but it remains one of my favorites to this day!

Favorite Character(s): Mr. Sulu!  

Favorite Episodes: The City on the Edge of Forever, Return to Tomorrow, Bread and Circuses, The Menagerie

10) Futurama (1999-Present) Phillip J. Frye is a loser in the year 1999... but when he is accidentally frozen and transported 1000 years into the future, he meets a hilarious group of misfits at a space delivery service owned by his senile great-great-great-great-grandnephew, and finds that maybe the year he was born in wasn't the year he was meant to be in.  Filled with great guest stars and awesome homages to classic science fiction, this adult animated show is a must-watch!

Favorite Character(s): Zap Branigan!  Also Dr. Zoidberg.  And Richard Nixon.

Favorite Episodes: Branigan Begin Again, Cyber House Rules, A Head in the Polls, How Hermes Requisitioned his Groove Back.

I seem to have a thing for animated shows and sci-fi.  I also noticed that this is disproportionately comedy-heavy... I just feel like no matter how good a drama is, I'm never going to re-watch it like I will with a comedy.  Maybe one day I will do a list of top 10 dramas to even out the playing field.