The 10 Best US TV shows of 2008

It has been an odd year for US television. It began in the midst of a writers' strike and will end with the threat of an actors' walkout. In between there was some outstanding television and some so bad that even the writers' mothers must have struggled to love it (Cashmere Mafia and Lipstick Jungle spring to mind). Luckily, there were some pearls amid the dross.

Along the way we said goodbye to The Wire's hoppers and The Shield's bad lieutenants, welcomed some entertaining imports (notably Summer Heights High and Skins, both of which received critical plaudits in the US this year) and some less-than-entertaining reboots (Knight Rider: The Return - why?) and wondered if the reality TV juggernaut would ever die. It was a bad year for sophomore dramas (most struggled to regain their audiences post-strike) and an indifferent one for new shows (the biggest new hit this year was CBS's straightforward The Mentalist, which is well-acted but rarely involving). Without further ado here are the best US shows of 2008:

1. Mad Men

There are dramas and then there is Matthew Weiner's 1960s-set Mad Men, which was a class apart from everything else on television this year. The second season, which begins on BBC4 in 2009, jumped the action forward by two years to 1962 and the middle of JFK's short presidency. Otherwise it was action as usual, all strong drinks and wild pitches as the men and women of Sterling Cooper struggled to keep their private lives from becoming increasingly public as secrets bubbled to the surface. John Hamm's Don Draper remained the smooth, almost blank, centre around which the action swirled but this season really belonged to the women from Don's desperate housewife Betty (January Jones) to voluptuous secretary Joan (Christina Hendricks) and ambitious, conflicted Peggy (Elizabeth Moss).

2. The Wire/The Shield

We said goodbye to two superlative crime shows this year as The Wire and The Shield bowed out. As the former turned its keen eye on Baltimore's dying print industry, the latter counted down to Vic Mackey's brutal endgame. Along the way favourite characters were killed off while others made career-destroying decisions and some, although not many, got the ending they deserved. (Valchek, you old survivor, you.) Both shows have had their critics but ultimately their power could be seen in their finales, which, although very different, remained unflinching and true to their bleak and individual visions.

3. Gossip Girl

Some shows succeed because they dare you to look at the worst of human nature and recognise the capacity for evil lurks within each one of us. And then there's Gossip Girl. The CW's teen soap features some of the most unapologetically shallow characters ever to strut their Marc Jacobs-clad stuff across a TV screen and then asks you to cheer for them. The genius of the show is that you do. Gossip Girl really hit its stride in its second season, ramping up the melodrama and catfights to Dynasty levels while keeping the sharp, knowing one-liners flowing. Best of all, in perfectionist Queen Bee Blair Waldorf (Leighton Meester) and her never-less-than-louche beau Chuck Bass (Ed Westwick) it gave us a Scarlett and Rhett for the text generation.

4. Lost

The show that should have been dead and buried by the end of its disastrous second season continued its remarkable comeback with a taut, tight fourth season in which we flashed forward rather than back. With the endless triangle between Sawyer, Kate and Jack taking a welcome back seat for much of the series, other characters from the lovelorn Desmond to the creepy Ben grabbed their chance to assume centre stage. Add to this a spine-tingling season finale complete with obligatory philosophical references and what's left to say but "bring on season five".

5. Generation Kill

As if creating Homicide, The Corner and The Wire was not enough, the powerhouse duo of Ed Burns and David Simon also found time to give us their take on the Iraq war. A powerful, realistic look at the daily rhythms of war, Gen Kill (which starts in the UK on FX on 25 January) stood out by virtue of its banter and outstanding use of music and deserves extra praise for its refusal to jazz up the source material for the sake of a "story". Instead we were treated to nine hours of war as it is, confusing, loud, at times mind-numbingly dull and occasionally flat-out terrifying.

6. Brotherhood

It's an ongoing mystery why this powerful crime drama isn't more popular. The convoluted tale of the political and criminal machinations of the two Caffee brothers (Jason Isaacs and Jason Clarke) is one of the tightest dramas out there. A dark, taut exploration of crime, guilt and the ties that bind, Brotherhood rarely takes the easy way out and never talks down to its audience. Forget the over-the-top Dexter or the melodramatic Damages, this is one walk on the dark side which truly pays off.

7. 30 Rock

2008 was the year that Tina Fey assumed control of the world. While most of the acclaim was for her frankly terrifying impersonation of would-be VP Sarah Palin, it was her performance as Liz Lemon in 30 Rock that won the awards. In a world where female characters are generally still portrayed as obsessed by clothes, men and cosmopolitans, Liz is a Cheetos-eating, sarcasm-using beacon of sanity. Alec Baldwin's money-obsessed Jack Donaghy may get the best lines but it is Liz (and the down-to-earth Fey) who gives 30 Rock its (cynical) heart.

8. Chuck/Pushing Daisies

Some shows just don't get the audience they deserve. Take Chuck – after a so-so first season, the spy drama has been NBC's most entertaining programme this year, balancing a sweet centre with involving characterisation and consistently funny lines. If there were any justice then it would be a sure thing for a third season. Justice, however, is frequently in short supply – just ask the cast of the now-cancelled Pushing Daises. Bryan Fuller's quirky drama was admittedly polarising and certainly too saccharine for some but, despite its flaws, it was also that rare thing – a drama with a unique vision that was completely different from anything else on US TV.

9. Friday Night Lights

Another show which fails to get the audience it deserves, this high school football drama is the most realistic depiction of small-town life out there and the relationship between beleaguered coach Eric Taylor and his fiery wife Tami remains the most believable on TV. While the second series was a bit of a mish-mash with a couple of thoroughly unbelievable plotlines, series three has been a wonderful return to form. The episode in which the cocky Smash Williams finally accepts his future remains one of the strongest, most emotional hours of television this year.

10. Daily Show/Colbert Report

In a year dominated by election coverage, which saw stars made of the witty Rachel Maddow and the quick-thinking Campbell Brown, the best political commentary was still found on Comedy Central where Jon Stewart and Steven Colbert skewed everyone regardless of political affiliation. Since Obama's victory, The Daily Show has struggled to find a clear voice but Colbert remains the funniest fake host out there. Those who don't agree should try to catch his Christmas special – festive television programming will never seem the same again.

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