2008 was a bit of a shaky year for TV, particularly for U.S. shows as the writer's strike cut short (in the case of 24 rendered absent) many seasons. As for British TV it was mainly a case of excellent wildlife shows and documentaries (eg natural world), quiz shows QI/mock the week/Buzzcocks and the always reliable top gear. Dr Who had some solid episodes (river song) and some crap ones (where the dr is stuck on a spaceship) and Torchwood vastly improved despite still having many faults (at least the characters were fleshed out though).
Ever reliable american shows included Stargate Atlantis (occasionally excellent), Medium (solid) and tudors.
Only 2 shows became unwatchable, they were Desperate housewives (Desperate plotlines) and Heroes (utter rubbish).

10. American dad/ Family guy
I'm including these as one entry as it's really hard to say which one is the better and they are still very similar. I'd say that Family guy has the best characters but American Dad has better comedy plots. Either way they usually deliver some kind of shocking humour and thanks to the quickfire nature of jokes there are usually more hits than misses.

9. Terminator: Sarah Connor chronicles Season 1 and 2 (ongoing)
The first few episodes had me thinking we had terminator prison break/24 style but towards the end of the first season, and the first half of the second, more and more layers have been added to the show to the point where it's getting quite interesting. the only criticism I'd have is that Sarah Connor comes off as a minor character. More time seems to be dedicated to teenminator (an obvious role for summer glau) and John's uncle from the future. The Cromarty terminator and the liquid metal terminator are also interesting characters, one trying only to kill the Connors, the other solely interested in making sure Skynet exists. John Connor can still be a brat, especially with his current girlfriend, but they have even made that interesting with a recent twist. the show could still go either way (or get cancelled) but I remain optimistic as the writers seem to be developing plenty of plot potential.

8. Journeyman
I only watched this at first as it had Lucuis Vorenus/Kevin Mckidd in it. The first episode was a bit like quantum leap but with each episode it got more interesting. It was also a relief that they didnt drag out keeping it secret from his wife and messing with his past girlfriend. The final episode suggested there was a lot more going on and that other "Journeymen" existed. Sadly, it got cancelled so we'll never know - although the second season bible that was released on the net suggested it would have got even better.

7. Eli stone
Not as stylish as Pushing Daisies but it's slightly stronger anchoring in reality made it more relatable, this show about a lawyer who becomes a prophet was a surprise hit for me. Although it occasionally got a little too Ally Mcbeal, most of the time it had solid done-in-one stories with an ongoing plot of accepting his powers. Even better was the fact that the second series had him not only believing he was a prophet but had others believing him too and trying to change things for the better. Annoyingly it's being cancelled. I just have to hope there's some sense of closure in the final episode (I've delayed watching the final episode for fear of it not).

6. Battlestar Galactica - first half season 4
Part of me feels like it shouldn't be included as it's only half the season but I can remember enjoying it even if I'm not sure why. I think the problem with this season was that it ditched episodic storytelling and what we are getting is a 20 hour film. It was all good but we've only seen the first half. I was annoyed that the 13th cylon still hasn't been unveiled and still don't think the earth revelation was that amazing, although i was impressed how they ended their quest home so quickly. The fact I have no idea what the second half is about is partly worrying/ exciting. They have a hell of a lot to wrap up and whether they succeed or not remains to be seen.

5. South Park
Considering how long this show has been running, I'm amazed it's still so good (unlike the simpsons). While not laugh a minute, when they get a good episode it blows Family Guy/ American dad out of the water. Highlights this year include the brilliant "cloverfield" and "highschool musical" send-ups as well as the presidential episode that somehow aired only a day after the election.

4.Dexter
This series was a lot weaker than the previous two but then i couldn't see how they could top it. It got off to a very slow start and had an atrocious episode including a paedophile that almost made me stop watching. Luckily the show picked up, with a curious spin on an awkward friendship that resulted in a relatively fun run up to the finale. The marriage stuff is getting tedious and the "mystery" this season was pretty poor. Hopefully the next series is better although i suspect they could spin wheels as it had been given two more. Still odd how a show that is really off its game is still far better than almost everything else.

3. Spooks
Who would have thought that what was initially a BBC rip off of "24" would not only have reached it's seventh series but surpassed it's main influence. The new series got off to another grim start by killing off the shows main character of the last 4 years, Adam. For another show this would spell doom but for spooks this was the second time they killed off the main character (Aside from Harry and Malcolm there are only season 4 onwards characters alive/present. Luckily the transition of leads was far smoother than the first time round and Lucas Black slotted comfortably into the role of the lead character. At least this time Lucas Black was different from Adam (not the case with Adam and Tom). Ros was also back and without kid, kicked severe ass throughout the series. It was also nice to see Harry get so much screen time. The ongoing story of the russian sugarhorse case came to a great conclusion involving more key deaths and a shocking betrayal. As usual the series ended with a great cliffhanger. I hope it's back next year and it's good to see that the BBC can still hold its own against American tv.

2. Supernatural series 4
When this show started I thought it would slot neatly into the watchable medium/stargate comfort slot but with its fourth season it's actually become a great show. Key to this is how likeable the two main characters are, even Sam who i guess has to play the straight man to Dean's joker. The arc this season is definitely the best with the Winchester's caught in between a war of Angels vs Demons. The writers have also struck a perfect balance before arc and stand-alone stories so that none of them feel like filler. The stand alones are usually hilarious, such as the "scared to death, Dean" episode and the one with the suicidal teddy bear, come to life. The timetravel Flashback episode was also great with an amazing "duh" twist I should have seen from the first series. If the second half of the series is as good as the first - there may well be a new number one next year!

1. Lost series 4
the show picked up a lot last season when the writers were given a finite number of episodes to tell the whole story. This season began the reduced 16 episode season and while we may be down 8 episodes, we have also lost all of the annoying "filler" stories. The Flashforwards injected new life into the shows format giving as many mysteries as the flashbacks do. We also got some strong hints as to what's going on with the revelation that time travel/warping is definitely at play. We were also treated to some classic episodes including the gut punch ending to the Jin/Sun episode (where I worked out the twist but not the death). The finale was also great with the ship/army storyline coming to a head and the shock disappearance of the island, not to mention who was in the coffin. I have absolutely no idea what the new series will involve but at this stage I have faith that it will be great TV. All i need to know know is where/when is the island and please, please, bring back Jin!