David Kronke was appointed Mayor of Television after a bloodless coup in 2000. Since then, he has improved infrastructure, championed greater educational opportunities and fought for reforms that have utterly erased corruption and incompetence from the television industry. Since Mr. Kronke has ascended to power, Television is a far better place. AFI's Top 10 ... TV shows
The American Film Institute, that dispensable dispenser of list after list after list, revealed, in addition to its Top 10 films of the year, its top-10 TV series. NBC may not be doing all that well in the ratings, but it has a lot of fans at the AFI, so much so you'd swear Jeff Zucker was on the panel. Winners include:
"Battlestar Galactica," Sci Fi's remake of the cheesy '70s show that never came close to making this list, I can assure you. (Sci Fi is part of NBC-Universal.)
"Dexter," Showtime's grisly drama starring Michael C. Hall as a serial killer who kills serial killers but oddly enough is never plagued with suicidal thoughts.
"Elizabeth I," the HBO miniseries starring Helen Mirren as the queen before "The Queen" (which made AFI's other list).
"Friday Night Lights," NBC's evocative look at small-town Texas high-school football; AFI's panel accounts for a sizable chunk of the show's audience.
"Heroes," NBC's new phenomenon about a disparate group of super-heroes and villains in which the world was saved via the rescuing of a Texas high-school football cheerleader. (Memo to NBC: Cross-over episodes with Hayden Panettiere on "Friday Night Lights." Problem solved.)
"The Office," NBC's workplace comedy where very little work ever gets accomplished.
"South Park," Comedy Central's tasteful, bittersweet exploration of the hopes and dreams of the good-hearted citizens of a bucolic Colorado town.
"24," the Fox thriller where Kiefer Sutherland saves the world without having to save any cheerleaders.
"The West Wing," NBC's departed show whose inclusion on this list helps pretty much no one.
"The Wire," HBO's great drama that shows just how well that War on Drugs is going.