Best TV Shows of 2005

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84 Temple Grandin
HBO, 2/6

83 Soul Train: The Hippest Trip in America
VH1, 2/6

52 A Family Is a Family Is a Family: A Rosie O'Donnell Celebration
HBO, 1/31

40 Live for the Moment
CBS, 1/28

38 The Pregnancy Pact
Lifetime, 1/23

76 Return to Cranford
PBS, 1/10

64 The Simpsons 20th Anniversary Special: In 3-D! On Ice!
Fox, 1/10

44 Past Life
Fox, Tuesday

56 Celebrity Fit Club: Boot Camp Season Seven
VH1, Monday

59 Undercover Boss
CBS, Sunday

44 The Michael Vick Project
BET, Tuesday

44 Kell on Eath
Bravo, Monday

82 Damages Season Three
FX, Monday

60 La La Land
Showtime, Monday

72 The Inbetweeners
BBC America, Monday

77 Emma
PBS, Sunday

71 Caprica
Syfy, Friday

54 Spartacus: Blood and Sand
Starz, Friday

40 The Deep End
ABC,

67 24 Seaon Eight
Fox, Monday

70 Human Target
Fox, Wednesday

78 Archer
FX, Thursday

70 Big Love Season Four
HBO, Sunday

73 Chuck Season Three
NBC, Monday

51 Demons
BBC America, Saturday

Metacritic's complete Best of 2005 TV Coverage: Critic Top Ten Lists | Awards & Nominations

TV Critic Top Ten Lists

Unnumbered lists are sorted alphabetically by title.

Boston Globe (Matthew Gilbert)
1.	Lost (ABC)
2.	My Name Is Earl (NBC)
3.	The Comeback (HBO)
4.	Rome (HBO)
5.	Nip/Tuck (FX) and Rescue Me (FX)
6.	Six Feet Under (HBO) [series finale]
7.	House (Fox)
8.	Prison Break (Fox) and 24 (Fox) and Sleeper Cell (Showtime)
9.	The Closer (TNT)
10.	The West Wing (NBC)

Chicago Tribune (Maureen Ryan & Sid Smith)
	Battlestar Galactica (Sci-Fi)
	Deadwood (HBO)
	Everybody Hates Chris (UPN)
	Grey's Anatomy (ABC)
	House (Fox)
	Lost (ABC)
	My Name Is Earl (NBC)
	Rome (HBO)
	The Shield (FX)
	Veronica Mars (UPN)

Entertainment Weekly (Gillian Flynn)
1.	Arrested Development (Fox)
2.	Bodies (BBC America)
3.	Lost (ABC)
4.	The Staircase (Sundance)
5.	Entourage (HBO)
6.	Veronica Mars (UPN)
7.	(tie) Stella (Comedy Central) (tie) Wonder Showzen (MTV2)
8.	Real Sports With Bryant Gumbel (HBO)
9.	Everwood (WB)
10.	Prison Break (Fox)

Entertainment Weekly (Mark Harris)
1.	The West Wing (NBC)
2.	The Shield (FX)
3.	Rome (HBO)
4.	The Daily Show with Jon Stewart (Comedy Central)
5.	(tie) Unforgivable Blackness (PBS) (tie) No Direction Home: Bob Dylan (PBS)
6.	Entourage (HBO)
7.	Project Greenlight (Bravo)
8.	The Office (NBC)
9.	The Comeback (HBO)
10.	TV news' Hurricane Katrina coverage (various)

Kansas City Star / TVBarn.com (Aaron Barnhart)
1.	The Staircase (Sundance)
2.	Off To War (Discovery Times)
	30 Days (FX)
	The Boondocks (Cartoon Network)
	The Colbert Report (Comedy Central)
	Entourage (HBO)
	Foreign Exchange (PBS)
	The Girl In The Cafe (HBO)
	I’m Alan Partridge (BBC America)
	Intervention (A&E)
	Kitchen Confidential (Fox)
	The Shield (FX)

New York Daily News (David Bianculli)
	Arrested Development (Fox)
	Curb Your Enthusiasm (HBO)
	The Daily Show with Jon Stewart (Comedy Central) and Real Time With Bill Maher (HBO)
	Deadwood (HBO)
	Desperate Housewives (ABC)
	Lost (ABC)
	My Name Is Earl (NBC)
	No Direction Home: Bob Dylan (PBS)
	Over There (FX)
	Scrubs (NBC)

The New York Times (Alessandra Stanley)
1.	The Colbert Report (Comedy Central)
2.	Sleeper Cell (Showtime)
3.	Weeds (Showtime)
4.	House (Fox)
5.	TV news' Hurricane Katrina coverage (various)
6.	Grey's Anatomy (ABC)
7.	Commander In Chief (ABC)
8.	Law & Order: Criminal Intent (NBC)
9.	The Closer (TNT)
10.	Martha (syndicated)

Newsday (Diane Werts)
1.	Battlestar Galactica (Sci-Fi)
2.	House (Fox)
3.	My Name Is Earl (NBC)
4.	Everybody Hates Chris (UPN)
5.	Veronica Mars (UPN)
6.	Barbershop (Showtime)
7.	Slings & Arrows (Sundance)
8.	Sleeper Cell (Showtime)
9.	The Shield (FX)
10.	Lost (ABC)

People Weekly (Tom Gliatto)
1.	Lost (ABC)
2.	The Comeback (HBO)
3.	Prison Break (Fox)
4.	Everybody Hates Chris (UPN)
5.	Supernatural (WB)
6.	The Colbert Report (Comedy Central)
7.	Veronica Mars (UPN)
8.	Desperate Housewives (ABC)
9.	Dancing With The Stars (ABC)
10.	No Direction Home: Bob Dylan (PBS)

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (Rob Owen)
1.	Battlestar Galactica (Sci-Fi)
2.	Lost (ABC)
3.	Sleeper Cell (Showtime)
4.	Entourage (HBO)
5.	Arrested Development (Fox)
6.	The West Wing (NBC)
7.	The Office (NBC)
8.	My Name Is Earl (NBC)
9.	Veronica Mars (UPN)
10.	Over There (FX)

Pop Matters
1.	Arrested Development (Fox)
2.	Lost (ABC)
3.	House (Fox)
4.	The Simpsons (Fox)
5.	Veronica Mars (UPN)
6.	Nip/Tuck (FX)
7.	South Park (Comedy Central)
8.	The Daily Show With Jon Stewart (Comedy Central)
9.	24 (Fox)
10.	The Shield (FX)

San Francisco Chronicle (Tim Goodman)
1.	Arrested Development (Fox)
2.	My Name Is Earl (NBC)
3.	Rescue Me (FX)
4.	Rome (HBO)
5.	Entourage (HBO)
6.	Lost (ABC)
7.	Extras (HBO)
8.	Everybody Hates Chris (UPN)
9.	Family Guy (Fox)
10.	Over There (FX)

San Jose Mercury-News (Charlie McCollum)
1.	Lost (ABC)
2.	Various programs (FX)
3.	Deadwood (HBO)
4.	The Daily Show With Jon Stewart (Comedy Central) and The Colbert Report (Comedy Central)
5.	Veronica Mars (UPN)
6.	No Direction Home: Bob Dylan (PBS)
7.	Nightline (ABC)
8.	Various programs (BBC America)
9.	Grey's Anatomy (ABC)
10.	Arrested Development (Fox)

Time - Best New Shows (James Poniewozik)
1.	Battlestar Galactica (Sci-Fi)
2.	The Office (NBC)
3.	Weeds (Showtime)
4.	Sometimes In April (HBO)
5.	Project Runway (Bravo)
6.	Wonder Showzen (MTV2)
7.	The Colbert Report (Comedy Central)
8.	How I Met Your Mother (CBS)
9.	Prison Break (Fox)
10.	Everybody Hates Chris (UPN)

Time - Best Returning Shows (James Poniewozik)
1.	Lost (ABC)
2.	Deadwood (HBO)
3.	Arrested Development (Fox)
4.	Veronica Mars (UPN)
5.	Entourage (HBO)
6.	American Idol (Fox)
7.	Six Feet Under (HBO)
8.	Rescue Me (FX)
9.	The Shield (FX)
10.	South Park (Comedy Central)

USA Today (Robert Bianco)
1.	Lost (ABC)
2.	24 (Fox)
3.	House (Fox)
4.	Grey's Anatomy (ABC)
5.	Rescue Me (FX)
6.	Veronica Mars (UPN)
7.	My Name Is Earl (NBC)
8.	Arrested Development (Fox)
9.	CSI (CBS)
10.	Desperate Housewives (ABC)

Village Voice (Joy Press)
	Arrested Development (Fox)
	Deadwood (HBO)
	Green Wing (BBC America)
	Kath And Kim (Sundance)
	Lost (ABC)
	Rescue Me (FX)
	Rome (HBO)
	The Shield (FX)
	Veronica Mars (UPN)
	Weeds (Showtime)

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