Top 10 TV shows of 2010

Forget about the so-so fall season. If you step back and look at 2010, it was an era in which turning to the tube for quality viewing brought many rewards.

The top 10 shows of the year:

1. "The Pacific" (HBO). The follow-up to "Band of Brothers" shifted the true-life stories of World War II soldiers to the other side of the world. It was more passionate, more introspective and captured the human condition like no other miniseries ever has.

2. "Mad Men" (AMC). This highly inspired drama was on its hottest creative streak ever this year. Week to week, it was a near limitless source of dark comedy (a secretary died at her desk and no one noticed) and high drama (Don Draper, played by Jon Hamm, found his soul). During this season, "Mad Men" earned a reputation as being one of the best dramas in television history.

3. "Breaking Bad" (AMC). Although the plots occasionally lapsed into melodrama, spot-on performances and keen directing lifted this drama into a whole other realm, producing a satisfying and tightly woven hour. ("The Fly" episode was one of the finest hours of television this decade.)

4. "Community" (NBC). "30 Rock" and "The Office" may hog the acclaim, but "Community" has shown it's just as worthy of praise and Emmy attention. From the claymation Christmas story to the zombie Halloween antics, this is the type of comedy that doesn't rest on laurels. This is 2010's best comedy.

5. "The Walking Dead" (AMC). The best translation of a comic book to the small screen ever, this dark drama following survivors of a zombie apocalypse is a worthy successor in tone and spirit to "Lost." It's not about death; it's about living.

6. "Glee" (Fox). Each episode contains at least one gem in either the musical performances or the comedy: Sue Sylvester rapping "Vogue"; Gwyneth Paltrow singing "Forget You"; cheerleader Brittany thinking Dr Pepper is a dentist. It all works.

7. "Lost" (ABC). They're dead. If you think I just spoiled the series, you obviously don't know what a thrill ride "Lost" was, perhaps the most captivating adventure ever to be on prime time.

8. "Raising Hope" (Fox). During a fall season in which newcomers were rarely fresh or thinking outside the box, this domestic comedy about a low-rent family upstaged the entire freshman class. Thank Greg Garcia, the man who gave us "My Name Is Earl" and brought all the best of that series to this one.

9. "Dexter" (Showtime). Just when you think Dexter Morgan (played brilliantly by Michael C. Hall) has done it all, he's thrown into a mentor/ romance relationship with a female victim who shares his lust for blood. After all these years, "Dexter" remains on the cutting edge and leaves us breathless each week.

10. "Friday Night Lights" (NBC). No other drama has handled major transition as well as this drama about a Texas high school obsessed with football. By now, the original class of students has departed and a new batch has replaced them on the field (and in our hearts), but this series marches on without blinking an eye.

(E-mail Terry Morrow of The Knoxville News-Sentinel in Tennessee at morrow2@knews.com .)