Countdown to 2010, #9

Top 10 Television Shows of 2010

One of the major events of the year was that I got cable television for the first time in six years. It actually didn't increase my TV-watching that much, and in fact one of the reasons that I delayed getting my cable for as long as I did was that not having TV gave me an excuse to go watch my shows with other people. I think there are some great shows out there, but it's a lot more fun when you can share them, whether that means actually watching with another person, or just talking about it afterward.

These were my favorite shows this last year (roughly organized by genre).

• Lost. Of course.
  
• Heroes. More for my weekly Heroes-watching tradition with Brady and Melanie than for the show itself (though I think it's done pretty well this season).
• Battlestar Galactica. Not as nerdy as it sounds.
  
• Top Chef. I caught last season's finale, and liked it enough to follow the new season this fall.
• Project Runway. I enjoyed this even more than Top Chef, and I got my roommate on board, too.
• 30 Rock. I finally figured out why it was funny halfway through season 3, and then had to go back and watch seasons 1 and 2. Season 4 has not disappointed yet.
  
• Modern Family. This show just makes me happy every time I watch it.
  
• Buffy the Vampire Slayer. No spoilers, please; I'm only on season 4. But so far Buffy has lived up to all the lofty expectations my personal guide to the Buffyverse set for it beforehand. Don't let the movie turn you away; the TV show is a different animal entirely.
• Pushing Daisies. The only good thing I can think of about the end of Pushing Daisies is that it never had a chance to lose its charm, if it ever would have. There is no other good thing about the end of Pushing Daisies.
• The Bill. It's British. You probably haven't heard of it. But at least one of my readers will understand why it makes the list.