Bert Ehrmann (from the Fort Wayne Reader)'s Best for 2006:
The Wire is not an easy series to watch. Some plot elements in the current season are derived from events in previous seasons. And unless the viewer is willing to invest time in the series, the underlying story of The Wire can be confusing. I have to admit that when I first started watching The Wire I had a hard time getting into the series. I finally broke down and re-watched the first season on DVD over the course of a week to begin to understand the series. But trust me, this time spent is worth it.
The Wire easily outpaces every other procedural cop drama on network television; making these other series look quaint and old in comparison. From the depiction of real-life politics and street life, The Wire gets just about everything right.
The rest, in alphabetical order.
Battlestar Galactica: I seriously considered naming BSG as the best show of the year as I had last year, especially since the current season of the show is as good as, or better than, the previous. But I had to go with The Wire since right now the series is the more powerful and timely of the two shows – and that's saying a lot considering that BSG continues to explore life on 21 st century planet Earth in the guise of science fiction.
Deadwood: Sadly, this third season of Deadwood will be the last as the series was canceled BEFORE the 2006 season even aired. This season, Deadwood focused on mining baron George Hearst (Gerald McRaney) and his quest to either control or destroy the town of Deadwood. Unfortunately, Deadwood ended with a cliffhanger, and there is some question as to whether we'll ever get to see whether or not Hearst gets his way.
Lost: I had a hard time calling Lost one of the best television shows of the year, especially after the relatively dull "Fall Season" this year. But I wasn't able to ignore the fact that the second season of Lost was arguably BETTER than the first and felt that the show deserved some recognition. Though I fear that the current season of the series might have marked the beginning of the inevitable decline of Lost, it's impossible to take away just how good season two of Lost was.
The Office: I suspect many years from now historians will look back on season two of The Office as the GREATEST comeback series in the history of television. From just how bad/mediocre The Office was during the first season to just how good it came to be in season two, it's almost as if another group of people are writing the show. My only question is; how long will Steve "Mr. Movies" Carell stick with the show before heading for better paying
Read up here.
