Top TV series 2008

If your own life provides all the “reality programming” you need, and dancing really isn’t your thing, television may well be the vast wasteland critics often make it out to be.

As networks shy away from creative (read: expensive) projects, finding something interesting to watch can be a real challenge. As 2008 fades into the record books, Time looks back at the year that was in TV, identifying the 10 series the editors considered worthy of note.

Here’s the list:

1. The Shield

2. Mad Men

3. Presidential election

4. Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog

5. The Wire

6. Breaking Bad

7. Lost

8. Battlestar Gallactica

9. Architecture School

10. Chuck

Haven’t heard of about half of these? Me, too.

To read more about ‘em, and to catch a slideshow, check out Time.