You know, I'm going to come out and say anyone who doesn't name a cable TV show from about the past ten years is just kidding themselves. TV has never been as good as it is right now, with the possible exception of The Prisoner in the 60s... but even that was kind of repetitive. My pick is: The Shield Not a single episode was a notch below superb. It was gritty and realistic like The Wire, but fast-paced with lots of action. The writers could write male characters, but they could also write female characters-- you almost never see that. They weren't afraid to get grisly, but at the same time there were also scenes that were actually really funny, or even dramatic in a non-gay way. I suppose that after a while it became less about police corruption and more about the characters, but that's only because the characters were so fucking awesome. There were heaps of twists and turns that you didn't see coming, and some that you did but were awesome anyway. I have seen every single episode of this series three times (I don't watch a lot of TV-- but I still go through phases where I watch nothing but The Shield), and I keep picking out new things I might have missed the first time through. It's over now, and chances are there won't be any more episodes or movies or anything... and maybe that's for the best-- but wow was it ever amazing. Runner-up: Breaking Bad.
My first selection would be 24 followed by the Sopranos, The Shield, Burn Notice, Prison Break, and finally Breaking Bad :2thumbsup: Hotwater
Going against the cable grain with the dark, gritty, and absolutely brilliant Homicide: Life On The Street.
