UK comedy and US Drama, that's just the way it works. 30 Rock, 'Earl and Scrubs kinda mess up that ideology though, so they're notably absent, but also close contenders for being included all the same. Like everything else i'm into though, I really don't get to watch as much TV as i'd like, often having to pick up the DVDs for something of a second chance. That said, here's some of the stuff I have enjoyed this year.

Okay, so the first-half of Season 2 offered little exciting other than the mere appearances of the rather sexy Kristen Bell, but with the first season and volume recently finished airing in the UK and now out on DVD around the world, the phenomenon is only really just beginning. And rightly so, because alongside the somewhat original concept, the first season is effortlessly appealing, exciting and special. Littered with a handful of engrossing characters and plots, all alongside an obligatory mystery or two, even at it's worst, Heroes is still worthy productive viewing.

Fonejacker
As the increasingly simple concept of prank phone calls, it's hard to imagine how something so obviously sound-based would translate to TV, more particularly, as a series of half-hour episodes. Somehow it works, as the recorded dialogue between Kayvan Novak and the irritated public is a childishly surreal conversation of funny, with Novak assuming many identities including an African scammer, a cockney-geezer car salesman, and a fast-talking Irish salesman from an IT crowd with a long and dirty company name. But more than just voice acting, the humour comes from the victim's themselves and their responses. Random, childish, surreal, and yet, one of the surprise hits of the year.



The IT Crowd
The IT Crowd is a living example of why things should always be given a second chance. While the first season wasn't as bad as everyone made out, it was still nowhere near as good as past shows from the man that is Graham Linehan. Thankfully the second season expands on the laughs while still retaining the signature style of the first season, and indeed, the creator himself. As with all comedy it won't be to everyone's tastes, but it is easily one of the few examples where the sophomore season is better than the debut.

With the previous season set almost entirely in the shadowy and mysterious Swan Electromagnetism research bunker, the third season of LOST is undoubtedly very much a different show.

This is evident as early as the opening episode, with the show continuing it's infamous style of opening seasons with a bang. Here, the shock is just as incredibly sinister as that of the two seasons before it, so absurd, illogical, so...out of the blue. But assuming you don't put too much effort into nit-picking the scientifics behind the show, this blend of real-life and surrealism is the show's biggest asset, and the third season continues this ideology frequently. Things turn altogether more mysterious, and while the fans that want answers get them in handfuls, obligatory follow-up questions and mysteries are also included. The show's return to the outside, naturally, bringing the new sightings, discoveries and mysteries.

But beyond the actual plot and revelations, the season's biggest change is the introduction of not one new character, but a group of them. With 'The Others' being one of the show's biggest mysteries in the preceding seasons here they're given a chance to fully develop themselves, both as show mythology and individual characters. The end result is a season with a new clear focus, because while all of the previous characters and plane survivors continue to dominate the show, there's also that reminder and focus on these new characters. Desmond, one of the most prolific and pivotal characters to the events of last year is given a chance to grow here, and the fleshing out of his -and the other characters- personality against that of the existing characters are some of the best scenes of the season. After all, for all it's sci-fi absurdity and cloud-monster enemies, the centre and focus of LOST is always the characters. On that front, the season doesn't disappoint, and if anything, the finale only reinforces that notion.

With it's cemented series finale in 2010, LOST still has a lot of story to tell and ground to cover. The third season however, while once again different to that of the previous years helps end the opening trilogy with plenty of answers to past mysteries and questions, while once again, changing the show forever with a surprisingly daring finale. With Season 4 beginning in a month's time, hopefully the show can continue both it's creative momentum and success.