Top 10 TV of 2010

Another year has come and gone, and we’re a few days into 2011, yet I have failed to come up with a top ten list of 2010. But I’m a blogger – I’m pretty sure that doing top ten lists of the year is a contractual obligation. I won’t say “better late than never”, because we all know that’s not true…

Anyway, some people say that the golden age of television is long-gone, something it would be hard to disagree with when looking at the top ratings winners of the year – a particularly dismal set of autotuned wannabes on the X Factor and a bigot being dragged across the floor in Strictly Come Dancing. But, a closer look at the schedules shows that 2010 was a vintage year for television and there were plenty of great programmes I’ve not been able to squeeze into the list. The Apprentice continued to be the perfect reality show, conflict, drama and absolute stupidity boiled down into its purest form. The final season of 24 was right up there with the best in its nine years on air and the few who stuck with FlashForward to the bitter end found that it had an answer to pretty much every question posed earlier in its run. This is England ’86 was a superb piece of television drama, Life proved that Attenborough is still the king of natural history documentaries, The IT Crowd continued to breathe life into the studio-based sitcom, Mongrels was a very funny and original comedy and both Strike Back and Thorne continued to improve Sky1’s credentials with original drama. Plus, of course, Big Brother bowed out after a decade on air, in its final weeks reminding us just why it was so loved in its hayday.

And that’s not to mention the many shows I have to admit to not having the time to see. Being usually averse to costume dramas, I gave Downton Abbey a miss, only to find everyone raving about it. Rev, The Trip and Moving On were all apparently brilliant but somehow passed me by, while I also still need to find the time to catch up with the latest seasons of Mad Men, Fringe and Dexter.

Anyway, on to the top ten…

Lost: The End

Having had a little time to think about and rewatch this episode, it’s about time I wrote my final recap and review of an episode of Lost. This is The End.

Lost: The End – first thoughts

This morning at 5am, Sky1 screened the Lost finale at the same time as the US West Coast. And it was breathtaking. I’ll do a full recap and review later in the week, once I’ve had time to gather my thoughts, but for now, I’ll jot down my first reactions.

Lost: What They Died For

It’s almost time. Next week, Lost will be over. Tonight’s episode paved the way for the epic final episode we’ve been building up to since 2004. If last week’s history lesson divided opinions amongst fans, surely tonight’s reminded everyone of what is so good about this show. Full of references and memories from the last six seasons, packed with emotion, wit, action and full of surprises, it’s given me renewed confidence that Lost is going to go out on a high when the final episode airs at 5am on Monday morning on Sky1HD & Sky1.

Lost: Across The Sea

A very different episode of Lost tonight, with a lot of information to digest and analyse. A long time ago, on an island far far away, some of the very oldest questions were answered as we went back to where it all began.

Lost: The Candidate

This week’s episode of Lost was a thrilling, draining emotional rollercoaster. Questions were answered, allegiances were confirmed and many tears were shed, with everything now almost in place for the two and a half hour finale in three weeks time. I think I need a lie down after watching that, but first here’s a look back at this amazing episode…

Lost: The Last Recruit

Apologies for the lack of updates to the site for the last few days, everything will start appearing on here by the end of the week, starting with this, a look back at the latest episode of Lost from last Friday. It was another good one, and is followed by a two-week gap before the next episode due to the series also having a week off in the US.

Lost: Everybody Loves Hugo

Lost is hurtling quickly towards its conclusion now and the tension is really beginning to build. In tonight’s explosive episode we saw some more old faces, got a conclusive answer to one of the show’s oldest questions and witnessed a touching moment we thought we’d never see.

Lost: Happily Ever After

Oh, wow. This final season of Lost just keeps getting better and better. I loved last night’s episode. Read on for more about Happily Ever After…

Lost: The Package

After last week’s epic, mystery-answering episode of Lost, tonight’s episode was bound to disappoint in comparison. But actually, it was a very enjoyable hour, with plenty going on and another blast from the past. Read on, as we open The Package…