10. Saturday Night Live - Justin Timberlake
Season 32, Episode 9
Aired December 16, 2006

Okay, it’s probably a bit too early to add this to an end of year list yet re-watching the episode it amazes me to think that this is easily the best all-round episode of SNL in the last three seasons. The writing and acting just snapped together in that episode for a change - no-one would be able to tell me with a straight face that they weren’t “giving it on up for homelessville!” Not to mention sketches The Barry Gibb Talk Show, Hip Hop Kids, Target Greatland (A sketch where I usually reach for the fast forward button) or Santa’s My Boyfriend. Usually when watching SNL I’ll talk about the one funny sketch for the next few days, as that’s the only memorable one. Not this episode. And hey.. I didn’t even mention the brilliant SNL Digital sketch that had the internet raving for some reason.

9. South Park - Miss Teacher Bangs A Boy
Season 10, Episode 10
Aired October 18, 2006

South Park was always going to be in the top ten, season ten has been great but the question was - which episode has been best? After a long think, Miss Teacher Bangs A Boy just edged out Make Love Not Warcraft. As usual, the episode was a great commentary on the situation with teachers having sex with their students, more importantly how the media and the public are dealer with female teachers against male teachers. Any excuse to throw in a TV parody is also good as Cartman did his best impression of Dog, the Bounty Hunter. Great episode.

7. Veronica Mars - The Rapes Of Graff
Season 2, Episode 16
Aired March 29, 2006

This may not be one of the better episodes of Veronica Mars but it’s one of my favourites. First we have the George Michael and Maeby popping up for no real reason as students at Hurst for her to solve the mystery of the week. The reason I really liked this episode was how everything wraps up nicely but Veronica never actual solves the case. What might be a simple plot hole is actually the writers planting the seeds of a story arc for season three - brilliant in my opinion.

8. Scrubs - My Half-Acre
Season 5, Episode 9
Aired February 7, 2006

Many said that Scrubs took a turn for the weird in season five but you won’t hear that from me - Scrubs was at it best this year. My Half-Acre, the first in a two part guest appearence from Zack Braff’s then-girlfriend Mandy Moore in which she played a character very similar to Braff’s J.D. - a clumsy goof. The B story was just as good involving Dr. Kelso and the Cool Cats, Turk’s air band.

6. Arrested Development - Development Arrested
Season 3, Episode 13
Aired February 10, 2006

The final episode of Arrested Development aired in a two hour block to quickly get the show off the air. Despite the series taking a bit of a fall, the final episode made up for it as all questions were resolved in a half-hour episode (from finding out that Lucille was behind everything to finding out that Annyong was a double agent!) It’s a shame that the show is dead but after the way season three went I’m not too upset because it ended fantastically. Then again, there may just be a movie to look forward to..

5. Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip - Pilot
Season 1, Episode 1
Aired September 18, 2006

I remember reading about this when it was first announced and getting really pumped as it had two great crosses - a SNL type comedy show and a behind-the-scenes look written by Aaron Sorkin. The pilot did not let me down in the slightest and only made me anticipate more. Matthew Perry and Sarah Paulson fit their roles like gloves and the fireworks are only starting in this episode. The main references to the film Network are also a nice touch. While some say that Studio 60 has changed it’s ways slightly to appeal to the mainstream, this pilot is all-Sorkin as Sports Night fans would remember him.

4. Entourage - A Day In The Valley
Season 3, Episode 2
Aired June 18, 2006

Entourage is a frustrating show to watch. With twenty-eight minute long episodes you are constantly left wanting more when the credits hit. A Day In The Valley is not quite one of those episodes however with everything wrapping up just nicely, but the episode makes a person want to join Vinny’s entourage for the day. Just so many great bits in this episode that really give depth to the characters more then expanding plot arcs from Vince and company seeing his own movie to Ari being thrown in the pool to Vince having his Almost Famous moment and giving away his car. I really look forward to the reason of season three when it returns.

3. Extras - David Bowie
Season 2, Episode 2
Aired September 21, 2006

The most cringe-worthy show on television, Extras has almost turned it’s back on it’s American viewers to focus on Andy’s horrible out of date sitcom “When The Whistle Blows”. As a result, we get to see Andy Milman become semi-successful, and Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant abuse this for all the humour they can. Their are so many quotable lines in this episode alone but the real stand-out is seeing David Bowie sing the word’s “poor little fan man, national joke” about Andy being hopefully while Andy’s friend Maggie sits their smiling as if nothing is wrong.

2. Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip - The Christmas Show
Season 1, Episode 11
Aired December 4, 2006

Three words can be said about this episode, SO-MUCH-DEVELOPMENT! Let’s see.. there was Danny announcing his true love for Jordan despite the fact that we have no idea if Jordan in interested, Darian, Lucy and Andy knocking the hell out of Christmas despite Matt wanting to do the big Christmas show, the story behind getting as many coconuts as they can find, and Matt actually giving Harriet a nice kiss right before she went out on air. And if you didn’t have a tear running down your cheek as the New Orleans band played Oh Holy Night then your not human.

1. Veronica Mars - Not Pictured
Season 2, Episode 22
Aired May 9, 2006

This is how all final episodes should be written. A truly brilliant episode which not only closed plot arcs from the season, but managed to close what I thought were answered ones from the season before it! Brilliant performances all around but the person who really shone was Kyle Gallner as Cassidy Casablancas who turned from good quiet guy to crazy maniac in a forty minute span. I could into a lot of great detail about this one, but just go out and grab the first and second season DVDs and find yourself compelled to some great storytelling.