Top 5 TV Shows of 2010

The real story of the last 10 years in entertainment is the rise in quality of television. Sure, there were sporadic bursts of genius before the new millennium (Twin Peaks, Seinfeld, and of course I Love Lucy) but finding 5 good shows in any particular year would have been a challenge. Now though,there are at least 10 good shows, of which I haven't seen several (most of Treme, Boardwalk Empire, Breaking Bad) but what I did see convinced me that in many ways any show in the following top 5 could compete with any mainstream film released this year.

5. 30 Rock

30 Rock represents something unusual for television comedy, auteurism. The show is clearly Tina Fey's brainchild, but more than that I can't help but feel that the show is Tina Fey. The show is obviously based on her experience as head writer at Saturday Night Live and as head writer on this show and beyond that she actually plays a version of herself. The really amazing thing is that it's relatable at all. It is consistently funny even though it always takes chances. It also had one of the single best episodes of the last year in its live show. Like almost everything else about the show, it shouldn't have worked, but it did.

4. Parks and Recreation

This show could have been even higher on my list but for some strange reason NBC didn't renew it this fall. Much like The Office (the creator, Greg Daniels, other show) it struggled in its first season but really shined in its second. Again, like The Office, this show had to get out from under its predecessors shadow. Amy Poehler began as essentially a female version of Michael Scott but when she found the character's flaw not to be a lack of intelligence but instead a lack of cynicism the show really became something worth watching every week. It is the perfect show for our times, a hilarious send-up of government with some real bite and warmth underneath.

3. Bored to Death

Yet another comedy, this second season HBO send-up of both hipsterism and the private detective finally lived up to its promise after a disappointing first season. The show was created and written by a polarizing novelist whose work attracted reviews of every extreme. I can't really say I was much struck by his work in that area, I always felt like I was reading a Bukowski wanna-be. Well, he is finally doing his best work on this show. The plots are always funny and enlightening, both a commentary on our times and a complete departure from it. New York City is portrayed as a cultural island where any sort of weirdness is possible. The best thing about the show, though, is the cast: Jason Schwartzman plays essentially the same character he always plays to typically great results, Zach Galifianakis finally plays a (semi-) realistic character instead of the caricature hes known for, and best of all is Ted Danson as a stoner magazine executive who is all charm and no sense.

2. Modern Family

The most critically acclaimed new show of the last couple of years is capable of melting even my skeptical heart. The genius of this show isn't how funny it is (as can be seen above, there are a lot of funny shows - - laughs aren't hard to come by on TV these days) but how it manages to fit genuine warmth and sentiment into a formula which is usually lacking in both. The jokes and situations are relatable to anyone who has had any sort of family. Best of all is how the show acknowledges our country's growing multiculturalism. It never feels like veiled racism or an attempt to gain some minority viewership, but a genuine attempt to explore the new American family, whatever that means.

1. Mad Men

The far and away best show of the past few years just keeps getting better. The heir to cultural milestones like The Sopranos and The Wire, this show has single-handedly created a monster out of AMC and paved the way for thoughtful drama on television. This season featured the best set design of any show, ever, in the sleek new office for the Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce Advertising Agency. The 60's serve as both an entertaining backdrop and a complement to the current decade. The show is never preachy and never less than entertaining.