TV's best of 2007

Ken Burns' "The War" on PBS was, without question, the best program on television in 2007 - and, yes, that includes "The Sopranos" - but the documentary's rousing victory only brings up more questions and asterisks as I unveil my year-end best-of lists.

It's always like this: rule reminders, caveats, convoluted explanations. And here's the big one: Unlike most other arts, television does not run on a yearly calendar, rendering this whole exercise nearly pointless. But people love lists, so I comply.

The broadcasting and cable seasons are becoming ever more arbitrary (which is why both Season 1 and Season 2 of "The Sarah Silverman Program" took place in 2007) but, in general, television spans two years. The last one. And this one. It's a quirk we live with (but for list purposes, a series had to start its season in 2007).

Television is also different from film in that the storytelling is alive, the series are evolving (or devolving, as the case may be) and opinions can change with the content. A film tells a story in two hours or less most of the time, then history judges it. A television series tells 13 or 22 hours of a story, then comes back to do it again the next year - and if there's a noticeable drop-off in quality, then the critical perception also evolves (or devolves).

What's more, the best show on television - period - didn't even air in 2007. "The Wire," HBO's masterpiece, returns next month, so look for it here (no doubt) when I make this list again in December 2008.

And, finally, "The War" is a documentary, and I don't make lists for documentaries (or unscripted fare). So, if it's not a drama and it's not a comedy, but it was the most magnificent offering on the small screen in 2007, how to honor it? Well, I'm creating a new category: Program of the Year. It's the smart way to go, and it will solve this dilemma in the future if it arises again.

Wouldn't you know it, as soon as I make a new category, I have to make an amendment to that as well. Why? Because I have a runner-up: "Planet Earth" was also a spectacular piece of work, a marvel of determination and dedication - all in high-definition. Few programs were quite so wondrous as this Discovery Channel gem, so it deserves special consideration.

Now that I've explained it all, there's more: I don't confine my lists to a tidy 10. There's always far more greatness than an all-inclusive list of 10 would allow. So even if such a catchall would be easier and do away with the need for a special Program of the Year category, it just wouldn't be fair.

And, no, I'm not going to make a Worst of 2007 list even though I started compiling it. It was unwieldy and depressing and only reminded me of why it's so important to celebrate the odd bits of brilliance in a shallow sea of awfulness.

Here, then, asterisks, explanations and modifications duly noted, the Best Television in 2007:

Program of the Year

"The War." Moving, informative, personal and important, "The War" managed to take what most people thought was an all-too-familiar subject (thanks to the History Channel) and reinvigorate the story. Burns is one of our great American filmmakers, with an impressive lineup of excellent documentaries, and "The War" is his finest work.

The 13 Best Dramas (in order)

1. "Dexter," Showtime. Deliciously warped and beautifully gruesome, "Dexter" had one of the most compelling story lines and, in Michael C. Hall, one of television's best actors. That combination elevated the sophomore series to new levels of greatness.

2. "Mad Men," AMC. Matthew Weiner's superb character study unfolded at its own pace, which allowed viewers to marvel at the acting, writing, incomparable visual style and original premise. This look at Madison Avenue advertising in 1960 was a period piece so rich in slow detail that a second viewing is almost mandatory.

3. "The Sopranos," HBO. There were misses in this extended season for sure, but "The Sopranos" will go down as one of the finest examples of art and entertainment we've ever seen. David Chase gets credit for staying true to his storytelling traits and not pandering to the masses as he closed out a landmark series.

4. "Rome," HBO. Admit it: You forgot about the swords-sandals-and-sex epic that had its long-delayed second (and final) season in January. Ambitious, glorious and fun, it ended way too soon.

5. "The Shield," FX. The Grand Guignol of basic cable, it was always easy to take this series for granted because it delivered gut-wrenching, well-acted, well-written drama in every episode, every season. But Season 6 set the stage for the end, giving viewers more of what they always expected: a frenetic cop show, with Michael Chiklis leading one of the most criminally underappreciated ensemble casts on TV.

6. "Extras: The Extra Special Series Finale," HBO. A virtuoso performance from Ricky Gervais, combined with brilliant writing from Gervais and Stephen Merchant, turned this phenomenal series ender into one of the most creative 80 minutes on television in 2007. Dark humor, unexpected drama and a treatise on fame and friendship that was both sweet and mean, it's the only show here to land on both my drama and comedy lists.

7. "The Riches," FX. Audacious and exhilarating even when it was uneven. In "The Riches," viewers got to see Eddie Izzard and Minnie Driver steal the American dream - and suffer from it. A strange, funny, riveting ride.

8. "Brotherhood," Showtime. Another exceptional character study - this time of Irish brothers, families, gangs, politics and fractured relationships. "Brotherhood" may have disappointed some with its Season 2 wrap, but it remains one of the most visceral series on television with a real sense of place and feel.

9. "Damages," FX. Glenn Close was the clear winner in a stellar field of "older" female actresses migrating from film to television (Holly Hunter and Lili Taylor included), mostly because "Damages" allowed her to be absolutely magnetic in every frame. Another winner for FX (which renewed the series for two more years) and for viewers as well.

10. "Lost," ABC. The only broadcast television winner in this category (there are plenty of really good dramas on the networks, but this list is upper tier only), "Lost" gets the nod for being compelling and addictive in every episode, but really ramping it up midway through last season. (Remember how I said that storytelling on television is an evolving, living thing? "Lost" truly proved that by stepping on the gas in the most rewarding way, leaving viewers with an inspired, daring finale.)

11. "Big Love," HBO. Where's the love for this show? Yes, I know, it's that odd combination of not only across-the-board excellence, but also less than urgent. Still, there may not be a more consistent series on this list, episode to episode.

12. "The Tudors," Showtime. Oh, glorious costume candy. Enough said.

13. "Life on Mars," BBC America. You have to be part Anglophile to get it all, but the writing, acting and especially the premise are knockout fantastic. A detective gets hit by a car in the present day and ends up in 1973 - it's booze, cars and collars galore. Count me in.

Lists are partially (mostly?) made to be haggled over, and you'll no doubt deem some of your favorite dramas worthy. But the only ones I truly had a hard time trimming into the just-missed pile were "Tell Me You Love Me" on HBO (tremendous writing and acting, but more realistic drudgery than entertaining), "Rescue Me" on FX (a perennial winner that went off the rails), "Friday Night Lights" on NBC (the rationale being that I could only justify one show that I loved but somehow never watched and that went to "Big Love") and "Dirt," the FX series with Courteney Cox that got at an inkling of a big theme but ultimately fell short.

The 11 Best Comedies (in order)

1. "Flight of the Conchords," HBO. Fall-down brilliant while being as subtle as possible, this series combined deadpan writing with hilarious songs (built into the narrative) and became the cult hit of 2007.

2. "30 Rock," NBC. Tina Fey, Alec Baldwin and Tracy Morgan bring decidedly different comedic chops to this series, but the end result is the best sitcom on broadcast television, a show that is searingly funny at every turn.

3. "Slings and Arrows," Sundance. Funny, intelligent, nuanced and charming, this sensational Canadian import ran for three all-too-short seasons, and this last one was especially evocative. Of all the unknown series I've recommended to people, "Slings and Arrows," the behind-the-scenes story of a Shakespearean theater company, generates the most passionate thank-yous.

4. "Extras: The Extra Special Series Finale," HBO. Painfully funny and dead-on in its vivisection of fame, it perfectly capped its two-season, under-the-radar run. The star cameos were, as usual, pure genius and Merchant, Gervais and Ashley Jensen were in their finest form.

5. "Californication," Showtime. The nudity and sex got all the headlines but David Duchovny as a down-and-out writer in Los Angeles turned in a wonderfully sarcastic performance that elevated the rapid-fire barbs of writer Tom Kapinos to new levels of abusive-based joy. An underappreciated, socially incorrect curveball from Showtime.

6. "Weeds," Showtime. Few series take as many story-arc risks as this one about a pot-selling mom in the suburbs, and just when you thought it might all implode, the show actually expanded to new creative highs (pun intended). Mary-Louise Parker, Justin Kirk, Kevin Nealon, Romany Malco, Elizabeth Perkins, Tonye Patano - another woefully underappreciated ensemble cast.

7. "Pushing Daisies," ABC. This is the only freshman series from the broadcast networks on either list, but it's a real delight. Charming, coyly funny, wink-wink smart and visually stunning, its quirks are boundless and the fact that it survives in the mainstream is the kind of encouraging achievement that offsets just how bad the freshman crop was this year.

8. "The Office," NBC. I'm not sure the hourlong episodes were the best idea, and the series showed some strain on its workplace confines, but it remains one of the best written, wittiest and most hilarious (yes, there's a difference) sitcoms on TV.

9. "The Sarah Silverman Program," Comedy Central. Two short seasons in one calendar year. The first installment was more brutally funny, but both were wickedly creative and risk taking, which too few series can claim.

10. "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia," FX. Early episodes felt more forced than in the past, but this politically incorrect gem still managed to mine audacity for belly laughs at an impressive rate.

11. "Entourage," HBO. It's easy to take this dramedy hybrid for granted, but it's so effortlessly enjoyable that it makes 30 minutes feel like 10 and that's and achievement you can't ignore. A pleasure without guilt.

The just-missed list for comedy includes the CW's "Reaper," "Aliens in America" and "Everybody Hates Chris"; the Independent Film Channel's "Minor Accomplishments of Jackie Woodman" and "The Business"; HBO's "Curb Your Enthusiasm"; and NBC's "My Name Is Earl."

It was grueling to winnow these lists. The sheer volume of lame and forgettable series is tempered by the fact that there's more than enough high-quality series to sustain the savvy viewer. In fact, the rising amount of "good" shows out there was uplifting - but this is a list of greatness. Sometimes I just couldn't find a way to include miniseries such as "The State Within" on BBC America, or a movie like "Longford" on HBO or an unscripted gem like "This American Life" on Showtime. It was difficult not to make more of "The Sopranos" as a body of work than its season merited or to give more attention to emerging basic-cable series. I think the newly minted Program of the Year will help going forward, but, ultimately, this was a collection of scripted, original series - period.

Here's to more debate, fewer asterisks and the continued elevation of quality in 2008.

E-mail Tim Goodman at tgoodman@.... You can read his blog, the Bastard Machine, at www.thebastardmachine.com.

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This article appeared on page E - 1 of the San Francisco Chronicle