I've updated my original list a lot, as well as adding the comments...
12. Beast Wars - Totally awesome. Amazing battle scenes, characters so well-developed you forget they're animated, captivating story arcs, and genuine maturity, even going so far as to drop a few Shakespeare references for us more well-read 6-year-olds.
11. Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman - The warmest, most feel-good version of Superman to date, which works just fine with me. The first season alone is enough to put it firmly on this list.
10. Seinfeld - All the bizarre quirks of a modern social life wrapped up in 9 Seasons of pure comedic genius.
9. Justice League/Justice League Unlimited - The best, most adult thing to come out of the DCAU. It's too bad the last season didn't wrap up enough and started to camp up in places, but still, the show was of
LOST-level quality at times.
8. Frasier - Richly cultured and self-parodying of that at the same time, this is truly one of the best shows ever. Appropriately enough, the show got better and better with age. Also, Niles Crane is probably my all-time favourite TV character.
7. Heroes - The show we were all waiting for, even if we didn't know it. Comic books and superheroes blended with modern life seemlessly thanks to the terrific characters and superb atmosphere. I hope this ascends with future seasons.
6. Scrubs - Very funny and very moving. Tricks you with a mask of selective reality and cartoonishness and then slaps you in the face with the fact that none of it could be closer to real life. Dr. Cox is probably #2 on aformentioned favourite characters list.
5. The first three seasons of Smallville - Epic, powerful, moving, cool, and a dream come true for any Superman fan. Too bad the show took such a dive after that that I can't even consider the later seasons part of the same series.
4. Friends - Seen them all a hundred times. Still great. The earlier seasons are a lot better than the later ones, but this is still my favourite conventional sitcom.
3. Arrested Development - Almost too good to be true. How could anybody think of something this inspired, and original, and flawlessly built, and fall-on-the-floor hilarious? Who cares. Just be thankful for it.
2. The Simpsons - More or less the definitive TV comedy for the 20th Century. It has something for everyone, and it's usually something grand. Time has shown, though, that for the new millenium.... it's just not compatable. Should've quit while it was ahead. Ah well. I love it.
1. LOST - So far, I can't think of a show I've gotten more into. The characters, the dialouge, the settings, the terror, the emotion, the music, the mystery, just everything has been perfect so far. I'm so afraid it's going to fall apart during the next season.... let's keep our hopes up that it doesn't.
Honorable mentions:
- Batman: The Animated Series - Brilliantly original and mature. A few of the sillier episodes prevent this from being higher.
- The Cosby Show - Always a lot of fun.
- Quantum Leap - Wonderful down-to-earth Sci-Fi/Adventure/Comedy.
- I Love Lucy - The mother of all sitcoms.
- Beverly Hills: 90210 - Ah, teen life. If you're rich. And beautiful. But still nice. I've gotten really into this over the summer.
- Rome - Such a thourough endeavour that it feels like you're looking back through time.
- Stella - 10 episodes of hysterical absurdity. The only thing keeping it off the list is that it's sort of a watered down, more mainstreamed(i.e. sans the random dry-humping and dildos) version of their 26 short films, which may have defined my favourite type of humour for me.
- Futurama - The catch-all parody of that most marvelous genre we call Sci-Fi. Clever, funny, maybe a bit forced at times, but still always a blast.
- Family Guy - A big box of all-purpose belly laughs. It sometimes gets too wrapped up in its own little world, especially in the newer seasons, but more often than not I laugh out loud 4 or 5 times an episode.
