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Let’s get one thing straight – I’m angry. This column is both fun and frustrating to write. On one hand, I get to provide commentary on A&E ’s first-ever year-end top 10 TV shows list. On the other, this year I’ve found that it’s taking every ounce of my strength not to have this column devolve into a tantrum about a certain snub. So without further ado ... the top 10 TV shows of 2006, as compiled by the A&E staff. And, more importantly, what I say you should think about it. 10. “Prison Break” This show started the “serial dramas with story lines that can’t continue beyond a season or two” fad. People tell me I’d like it. Maybe. 9. “Veronica Mars” I talk about this show ad nauseam, so I’ll spare you the details. Needless to say, if you’ve never watched, do so. They’re supposedly dropping the ongoing mysteries as well, making it less difficult to jump into. So do it. 8. “The Wire” Needed special help (a deciding vote from me) to be discussed later in the column. 7. “Grey’s Anatomy” One of my roommates last year watched this every week, and she’d invite a gaggle of girls over to drink wine and watch. I’d end up taking part if I had nothing better to do. This is why I: a) know way more about this show than I should and b) find that I enjoy it when I’m drunk. Also, just so you know which side of the debate I stand on, Meredith is a shameless hussy. 6. “Project Runway” My girlfriend doesn’t watch TV ... except for this show. That says a lot. 5. “Entourage” “Sex and the City” for men. This show was the sole beneficiary of the Jane’s Addiction 2003 reunion album “Strays” (its theme song comes from that album). It also happens to be funny. 4. “24” Season five was great, and season six looks stellar, with an all-star cast and the return of Milo (Eric Balfour), the only character aside from Jack and Kim to survive since season one. Meaning he’ll die. 3. “Heroes” This show improves every week, but it’s not perfect. Though it has cool special effects on a TV budget and an interesting story, it’s got problems – like bad writing. Maybe it’s because I’m taking a screenwriting class, but I’ve never noticed bad dialogue this much. However, it could well merit this lofty position by May. Just not now. 2. “Lost” Too high for a show that’s becoming “The X-Files: Hawaii.” “Lost” has been off the air for a month and I don’t miss it. I don’t find myself wondering what’s going to happen when the show returns, nor counting the days till it does. 1. “The Office” No arguments here. “The Office” is the most hilarious sitcom since “Arrested Development.” In fact, it’s so good that I don’t miss “Arrested” as much as I’d feared.

So what are the biggest snubs? First, “Battlestar Galactica” is not on here. If you’re not watching the show because it’s sci-fi, get over yourself. If you’re obsessing over “Lost” mysteries and reading internet theories, you’re already a geek anyway. As for the big snub, let’s talk about “The Wire.” The plight of “The Wire” fascinates me. It’s the most acclaimed show on TV, with last season receiving a score of 98 at metacritic.com. Yet it continues to lag behind other HBO shows in popularity. In the past, I’ve likened “The Wire” to Italian neo-realist cinema. Specifically, its cameras mimic the human eye, its actors are not stars, it does on-location shooting and the only music the it uses is from sources within the show’s world (like a boom box in the background). You won’t see a more thorough deconstruction of a city, from its police force to its industries, politicians and schools. It’s obvious why people don’t watch “The Wire” – it’s too real. Unlike “Law & Order,” things don’t get wrapped up neatly. Plotwise, the show is a slow burn; it develops gradually, and watching without paying full attention is a bad idea. Plus, the level of human suffering can be extraordinarily difficult to watch. For as good as the shows on our list are, they’re easier to watch than “The Wire.” Their sole intention is to entertain, and they don’t exactly challenge you. “The Wire” isn’t solely entertainment – it’s one of the best public policy lectures you’ll see. “The Wire” is the America people don’t want to believe exists – and by ignoring it, we’re doing a pretty good job of staying in denial.

E-mail Humphrey at mhumphrey@media.ucla.edu if you can’t wait for Jack Bauer’s triumphant return (!) next month. Send general comments to ae@media.ucla.edu.