2010 was a banner year for television, which means there was certainly no shortage of nominees for our third annual "Top 100 Everything" list. Here you'll find the shows, characters, and episodes that made 2010 amazing—as well as the behind-the-scenes players, trends, and TV-relevant happenings that helped shaped the culture of television this year.
We'll be posting 10 items each weekday through December 31, so check back often to see what made the cut!
90. Narrow escapes for two of our favorite cable characters
The season finales of Sons of Anarchy and Weeds featured series heroes Jax Teller and Nancy Botwin pulling the wool over our eyes while they executed incredible plans, saved the day, and wowed us with their savvy.
89. Tyler wolfing out on The Vampire Diaries
Tyler's first werewolf transformation was as painful, wrenching, and emotional as anything on TV this fall.
88. Anyone for tennis? A whole lot of tennis?
Workdays came to a halt in June, with many sports fans glued to the longest tennis match in history. The game took place on tennis' grandest of stages, Wimbledon; played over three days, it lasted 11 hours and is exactly the reason ESPN has so many channels.
87. The Benson Interruption
For this new-in-2010 Comedy Central show, a glassy-eyed Doug Benson (Super High Me) asks his standup comedy friends to come and do bits, during which he interrupts them. Then his friends get frustrated. Then we laugh. Then we eat more Doritos.
86. How To Make In America's opening sequence
It's all New Yawk up in here! Not to mention that the theme song is awesome.
85. Lost's talented island bros
Mark Pellegrino (Jacob) and Titus Welliver (The Man in Black) both had fantastic years. Pellegrino also suited up as a compassionate Lucifer in Supernatural, and the intense Welliver moved up a notch toward stardom with splendid turns in The Good Wife and Sons of Anarchy. Keep an eye on these guys in 2011.
84. The pure campiness of The Event
We had high expectations for this sci-fi... ahem, event, but it's collapsing under the weight of its own suckitude. Now we enjoy watching it as one of TV's best comedies.
83. Community's "Epidemiology"
While other sitcoms based their Halloween episodes around costume parties and trick-or-treating, this zany episode featured the students of Greendale turning into zombies and eating each other. Plus, Britta followed up her adorable squirrel costume from last year with a cute T-Rex outfit. And Senor Chang as Peggy Fleming? Genius!
82. ESPN's 30 for 30 Series
This ambitious project saw filmmakers make documentaries about some of the biggest, worst, and most obscure stories to take place in sports over the last 30 years. The journeys transported us inside the complex mind of Rasta running back Ricky Williams, to the intersection of drug cartels and soccer in South America, and into the demise of one of pro football's biggest can't-miss talents.
81. Criminal Minds' "Mosley Lane"
This creepy Season 5 episode saw the BAU team investigate a child abductor—and kept us on the edges of our seats. Actor Matthew Gray Gubler showed he's a double threat with a splendid job directing the episode.
NEXT: TV.com's Top 100 Everything of 2010, Vol. 3 (80-71) >>
ESPN'S 30 FOR 30 series were great.
89. 85 & 83 asre all related to shows i watch and i just watched that episodee of Vampire diaires two days ago.
i just wanted to Hug Tyler
Its nice to see a Criminal MInds episode on your list. The best show on TV.
That Criminal Minds ep was totally terrifying. That woman who played the abductor still scares me at night. Goob did a great job!
Is there anyway to view the items shown by "Hulu" when not in the States? Kinda sucks for us foreign types.... :(
Criminal Minds never ceases to capture my attention, which these days is hard to do on network TV. Tyler's first transformation was hard to watch and heartbreaking.
Not a lot to get excited about on this list. I like Matthew Gray Gubler - but don't watch Criminal Minds on a regular basis, anymore. I will look for this episode, however, when the repeats begin.
I love Criminal Minds and Moseley Lane, directed by series star Matthew Gray Gubler, was excellent.
That particular episode of 'Criminal Minds' would have to be one of my all-time favorites! They did that episode remarkab;ly! The Event has been ... interesting. Some episodes I found to be highly enjoyable, but other episodes have just been pointless. And that longest tennis match - wow!!! I love it!!! :P
Lol @ The Event, It's quite a funny show to watch, ratings-wise.
Is anyone watching Detroit 1-8-7? I think it's great, but what do I know?
Titus Welliver was robbed at the 2008 Oscars when he wasn't even nominated for his amazing supporting work in "Gone Baby Gone", so it's nice to see him getting a little bit of recognition. He's an amazingly talented bloke and it wouldn't surprise me to see his star continue to rise. Also, every one of the "30 For 30" docs have been stellar, good to see them get a mention.
The werewolf transformation was just amazing. Heartfelt, painful, disgusting, emotional.... I'm so happy it's on the list! The writers/directors/actor and actress deserve it :D
That transformation scene on The Vampire Diaries was so hard to watch, Michael did an excellent job and I felt everything and cried with Caroline the whole time and just wanted to help. Candice and Michael saved that ep for me, they WERE the ep.
How to Make it in America is doing good!
So many Community fanboys. Mad Men's "The Suitcase" better be top 3
I expect to see a lot of Community references in your list.
the bottle episode and the consiparcy theory episode were the best this year
Community and Criminal Minds are the best ones on here!
Lol @ Tennis, forgot about that..
Nancy Botwin does it Again!!! Weeds latest season ended surprisingly in the classic fashion of the show! Tyler on Vampire Diaries went through a lot and his performance was heart wrenching good! The event is different and not as bad as made out to be, take it all in stride people!
Give it up to : 85. Lost's talented island bros
Yay for TVD. The beyond epic season one finale should be somewhere on here for its cliffhanger.
Won't number 1 just be some biased opinion? I think Lost destroys criminal minds?
Community's halloween episode was one of the best things i have ever seen
Good call on the Criminal Minds episode. Super creepy episode.
Good call on the Criminal Minds episode. Super creepy episode.
i think that community ep should have been up higher...it was amazing
Community's Modern Warfare will definitely be top 5. Maybe #1
Love the How to make it in America theme song, Lost island bros were amazing and Community was hilarious
Oh please have more Community! Also, Community AND Lost same list? Sweeeet. I wonder what number Raising Hope is going to be: FOX's first good live action comedy since Arrested Development.
I'd think that episode of Community would be higher up, but eh, I'm sure it isn't the last we'll see of it in this list.
i really hope community and lost are in at least the top ten
i have a feeling community will be on the list a lot..
"Mosley Lane" was the best episode of Criminal Minds ever. MGG did a great job! I wish there was more episodes like this.
This all seems so completely random...but ok