The final new addition to The Calvins is Best Television Show. Its inclusion is long overdue since the members of this site are so passionate about the medium. Even better, thanks to the prevalence of full seasons of titles on DVD and the introduction of personal video recorders, it has never been easier to catch up on entire batches of programming at once. For these reasons, Best Television Show is our most popular category in terms of voting. It is also our second most hotly contested first place selection.

Our favorite television show by just a nose is HBO's Deadwood. For those who have never been fortunate enough to see the show, the simple impression might be that it's just a Western full of foul language. That's underselling the brilliance of the David Milch creation by a long shot, though. Perhaps the best way to describe Deadwood is to say that it is a Shakespearian drama set in the wild west. Sometimes the show is closest to comedy, other times tragedy takes center stage, and there is even a fair dose of history. The characters even speak in iambic pentameter, which was the type of verse the Bard used in his own works.

The show takes place in the legendary town of Deadwood, South Dakota, where lawlessness was the primary order of the day. All of the action revolves around a central set of characters, with the brooding Seth Bullock (Timothy Olyphant) and the complicated Al Swearingen (Ian McShane) at the forefront. These two men are frequently placed in conflict with each other, though occasionally they will come together for some common good. Bullock provides the show's moral compass, though he is a flawed man who strays from the path of righteousness from time to time. Swearingen, on the other hand, is the very definition of the character of the Old West, with a kill or be killed attitude that serves him well as he controls the economy and personality of the city.

Along with Olyphant and McShane, Deadwood's cast is nothing short of exemplary. Molly Parker plays the wealthy, upper-class woman who has placed claim in the hills where gold is being discovered. W. Earl Brown portrays Swearingen henchman Dan Dority, one of the show's most likeable characters. The wonderful John Hawkes is Sol Star, Bullock's good friend and business partner, and one of the show's only truly "good men". Doc Cochran is played by Brad Dourif, and he infuses the character with a bitterness and keen intelligence that is stunningly complex. Robin Weigert is tremendous as the drunken, dirty, cursing Calamity Jane, and Powers Boothe is the scheming Cy Tolliver. And that's only scratching the surface with regards to a marvelous ensemble, as Kim Dickens, Jeffrey Jones, Paula Malcomson, Leon Rippy, William Sanderson, Dayton Callie, Garret Dillahunt and Keone Young are all spectacular in supporting roles.

Whenever there is a photo finish, someone is going home disappointed that they lost by such a narrow amount. In this year's Best TV Show category, that near-winner forced to settle for second place is Veronica Mars. And yes, I am a little bitter about it.

Rob Thomas briefly buzzed around inn the vicinity of the public consciousness with Cupid, a clever program that was ended too quickly. A similar fate seemed likely for his teenage-girl-as-a-gumshoe series. Fortuitously, the network that picked it up, UPN, is so low-rated that a largely unwatched program with zealous critical acclaim has a chance to survive. Thank God.

Prematurely ending Veronica Mars before the mystery of Lilly Kane's murder had been solved would have thrown the entire staff at BOP on tilt. While the rest of the world discusses our fourth place finisher, Lost, more passionately, it is Veronica Mars that defines our watercooler discussions. All of the red herrings, subtle clues and sparkling dialogue are celebrated as soon as each new episode ends. And there is a special place in the staff's heart for Logan, the most complicated character on network television today. Luminaries of brilliant dialogue such as other BOP faves Kevin Smith, Stephen King and Joss Whedon have lined up to sing the show's praises, and who are we to disagree? Here's hoping that when UPN and The WB merge, Veronica Mars gets renewed and discovers the mainstream audience is so richly deserves.

Recent television history is littered with unsuccessful attempts to translate popular British sitcoms for America. The Office is a glaring exception to that trend. The NBC sitcom has found the perfect mix of keeping the spirit of the British show while adjusting the tone for America. It also doesn't hurt that they have Steve Carell in the lead role of Michael. It's a definite challenge to pull off a character who has to be annoying, offensive, and likeable all at the same time. The ensemble around him is strong and constantly surprising. The Jim and Pam storyline provides the heart of the show and is currently the best romance (or non-romance) on television. As the show continues it is able to explore even tertiary characters, adding more depth to the palette. That bodes well for the show to be able to continue on without leaning too heavily on the will-they-or-won't-they Jim and Pam couple.

As mentioned above, Lost is our fourth place selection. While we acknowledge that recent episodes lack the quality of some of the show's earliest work, this vote is for its 2005 run. Even the most critical of the show's detractors would be hard pressed to find something wrong with last year's season finale arc, this year's Desmond sing-along start, or the harrowing tale of the rear plane passengers in "The Other 48 Days". Lost walks a fine line by being equal parts inventive and retro. For all of its hallmark ideas about using evolving technology mediums to enhance its stories (The Island Is Waiting), it focuses upon backstory, subtext and patient character development. Would that all shows demonstrated this sort of discipline. But come on, makers of Lost, that diapers commercial segment a few weeks ago never should have been filmed. You guys should be better than that.

Coming in at a tie for fifth place is My Name is Earl, the only new show to find a spot in our top ten. In a television era when it was beginning to feel as though the half-hour sitcom might be dying, Earl revitalized the genre with its irreverent humor and lovable characters. The show's concept is almost elegant in its simplicity. Earl Hickey is a guy who has been a bad person all his life. When awful stuff starts happening to him (including a car accident that puts him in the hospital), Earl has a revelation courtesy of one Carson Daly. Karma means that if you do good things for other people, you'll be rewarded in kind. And so it is that Earl makes a list of all the terrible acts he has committed over his lifetime, and implements a plan in which he will try to compensate for each one. My Name Is Earl is hilarious, thanks to both subtle and overt comedy, and its quality is certainly due to the talent of the lead performers. Jason Lee is exemplary in the lead role, and his supporting performers, including Ethan Suplee as brother Randy, Jaime Pressly as ex-wife Joy, Nadine Velasquez and Eddie "Crab Man"Steeples. Jokes carry over from show to show, so viewers who have been with Earl from the beginning are rewarded. The good news for BOP is that My Name Is Earl has been largely embraced by the mainstream public as well, which means that for once, a new show we love won't disappear into the canceled show netherworld long before its time.

Over the past several years, our love for Scrubs has waxed and waned only in degree. From the moment it aired, the show about neophyte doctors struck a chord with the BOP staff. We have been passionate about naïve egomaniac JD, insecure bookworm Elliot, wise busybody Carla, hotshot Turk, horndog Todd, and the villainous Janitor. But it's been our passion for the grizzled veterans of the staff – enigmatic Perry Cox, money-centric tyrant Bob Kelso and dispirited attorney Ted Buckland – that has carried us through some of the show's most inconsistent periods. While JD is the heart of the show, it's John C. McGinley's Dr. Cox who continues to stun us with the depth of his portrayal. He's somehow darker and more vicious than his peer, Bob Kelso, but there is never confusion about the fact that Cox is on the side of the angels. He is the show's moral center and arguably the most underrated comedic actor alive. And while it does not count for the purposes of this vote, the creative renaissance Scrubs has experienced in its current season demonstrates that they have a bright future ahead of them...as long as NBC gives the show the chance it deserves. Season five will be a must-own DVD upon its release if for The Wizard of Oz parody alone.

Finishing in seventh place, it's Arrested Development. The always acerbic chronicles of the Bluth Family have rubbed Fox the wrong way. As punishment, the chimpanzees running that television network banished it to Monday nights, then took a page out of the Futurama playbook by not advertising the move. Finally, its final four episodes were slotted to air against the Olympics on a Friday night. Thanks to the magic of TiVo, BOP's columnists never missed an episode in the past 14 months no matter how well Fox tried to hide theme. As a reward, we were treated to the most vicious television family since Soap...and if you like incest, boy howdy, is this ever the show for you. Okay, that's (hopefully) not a selling point for potential viewers, but it does demonstrate just how far the show is willing to go for the sake of big laughs.

The only shocker in this entire list is that Gilmore Girls does not finish higher than eighth. Long-time readers are well aware of the staff's obsessions with those gorgeous Gilmores. What hurts them in our top ten is timing. We voted at a time when the show was ending its first real creative struggle during its entire run. Never before had Lorelai and Rory fought for such an extended period. The result was that for half a year, BOP's columnists were mad at Gilmore Girls for stubbornly keeping us from the show dynamic we find so uplifting. So, we punished it by not voting it as high as it would have been in 2005 had this category existed. Make no mistake. BOP can hold a grudge.

In 1998 Craig Kilborn left his cable show to take over The Late Late Show on CBS while Jon Stewart took over hosting duties at The Daily Show. Seven years later, Kilborn no longer has a show, and Stewart has just been tapped to host the Oscars. The Daily Show has become more than just a funny current events show. In the void of substance in mainstream media it has sadly become one of the most relevant news shows on the air.

Our final selection is Entourage. As the name implies, it's an exploration of the dynamic between a rising film star, Vincent Chase, and his childhood friends. They must all learn how to handle the constraints and liberties entailed in his newfound recognition and wealth. Season one was a fun introduction to the characters, but the show truly soared in season two once a story arc was added to the previously encapsulated episodes.

The group's real leader, Eric, was faced with the new frustrations in managing his best friend's career. Meanwhile, Vinny was torn between his desire to hone his craft while making a ton of movies. Plus, he had to deal with the emotional impact of the return of former flame Mandy Moore (playing a fictional version of herself) in his life. And the show's breakout characters, Ari Gold (Jeremy Piven) and Johnny Drama (Kevin Dillon), both faced professional turmoil. Heck, even Turtle was given a new skill. We can't wait for season three, because it's been too long since we heard the magic words that define the show: "Let's hug it out, bitch!"

The list of near misses in this category is like a Who's Who of television. The Simpsons, 24, Battlestar Galactica, Everwood, Curb Your Enthusiasm, House and Rome all could have made the top ten with just a bit more luck. (David Mumpower/BOP)

Dan Krovich also contributed to this article.

---