2005's top TV

Proving that even a blind hog finds an acorn once in a while Time Magazine has listed Battlestar Galactica as the top TV show of 2005. Of course the other 9 on their top ten list pretty much blow, but you have to crawl before you can walk.

Here are Hillbilly White Trash's top 10 TV shows of 2005:

1. Battlestar Galactica. Ron Moore's reimagining of the 1970's Sci-Fi show is well written and well acted. Next to Firefly it is the most realistic SF show ever. It could be better still if the network would get off Moore's back and let him tell the story the way he sees it in his head.

2. House MD. Hugh Laurie plays rude, drug-addicted politically incorrect, genius doctor Greg House masterfully.

3. Nip/Tuck. Two rich South Beach plastic surgeons who are going through personal upheavals that make a normal midlife crises look like a day at the spa.

4. Deadwood. 1876, the Black Hills of South Dakota. Historical persons like Wild Bill Hickok and Calamity Jane mix with fictional characters in a foul-mouthed, gritty realistic drama.

5. Rescue Me. Dennis Leary plays an alcoholic New York firefighter who is competent only in a burning building. Everything else in his life is melting down like a Soviet era nuclear reactor.

6. The Shield. Michael Chiklis plays Vic Mackey an evil corrupt cop who will murder a fellow officer to keep from being ratted out to IAD one minute then risk his life to rescue a twelve-year-old prostitute from her pimp the next.

7. Rome. The first season of this HBO original series saw Julius Cesar defeat the king of the Gauls, cross the Rubicon, have a son with Cleopatra, become dictator for life and be murdered on the floor of the senate.

8. Invasion. Aliens arrive under the cover of a hurricane and begin replacing the residents of a small town in Florida. The timing of this show is just about perfect with revelations coming just fast enough to keep the story moving.

9. South Park. Even in its ninth season this animated series is still funny enough to make you risk rupturing an internal organ from excessive laughing.

10. Stargate SG-1. This show is showing its age, but still keeps the viewer coming back. It had the guts to bring its grand story arc to a close and move off in a (sort of) new direction.

You may notice that only one show on the list is a network show. Also, there are other shows that are fun to watch, but don't rise to the level of "best". Among them are Bones, Numbers, Stargate: Atlantis and Criminal Minds. Come to think of it this isn't just the best stuff on TV these are the only shows on TV worth watching.