With all that being said, however, we were still able to find ten favorites—it was just a bit harder than it looks. Here's our list of the best television offerings from 2009.

#10: "I'm On a Boat," Saturday Night Live

There have been more popular Digital Shorts produced by The Lonely Island—"Dick in a Box," "Motherlover," and "Jizz in my Pants" come to mind—but, for us, none top the unbridled joy of "I'm On a Boat." Besides the fact that it's hilarious, catchy and has T-Pain on backup vocals, "Boat"—which debuted during the February 7th edition of Saturday Night Live—has the temerity to name check Leonardo DiCaprio, Kevin Garnett and Poseidon in its lyrics. We don't want to sound obsessive, but there's a good chance we watched "I'm On a Boat" five times over the course of this paragraph.

#9: Bored to Death

Proof that sometimes all you need is chemistry. With its trendy locales and hipster slant, Bored to Death should have been the twee-pocalypse. But because of Jason Schwartzman, Ted Danson and 2009 Breakout Star of the Year^TM Zack Galifianakis—all three giving award-worthy performances—Jonathan Ames' soft-boiled detective series overcame the flaws inherent in its premise.

#8: Desperate Housewives

Sometimes it feels like we're the only ones still watching Desperate Housewives. That's a shame because the soap opera continues to offer audiences deliciously twisted cliffhangers—witness the fall finale's plane crash—and Eva Longoria-Parker, who might be the funniest actress on television.

#7: Party Down

A closer sister to the British version of The Office than its American counterpoint, Party Down was, at times, too much like Ricky Gervais' iconic series. But it hit all the right notes of awkward poignancy and, thanks to Adam Scott's beyond deadpan delivery, managed to get some of the unctuous contempt right as well.

#6: Community

We'll say it: Community has the best chance of any comedy currently on television to become the next Arrested Development. It won't, of course—except for maybe the cancelation part—but there are moments when this show is that funny. Why aren't you watching it again?

#5: 30 Rock

When it comes to 30 Rock, the perfect is the enemy of the good. If Tina Fey's hilarious funhouse of television satire doesn't give us the best episode ever, we get antsy and start writing e-mails to friends that begin with "30 Rock isn't funny anymore!"  But, then an episode like "Dealbreakers Talk Show #0001" happens and reminds us that no other show can make us laugh as hard or as loud (just ask our neighbors). So all you haters: sit back, relax and smile... with your mouth.

#4: Glee

Nothing on Glee should work: it's corny, silly, and obvious and features so many hateful characters that you might need an attendance sheet to keep up. That it does work, however, is a credit to both creator Ryan Murphy and the cast, which is top-to-bottom amazing beyond Jane Lynch's already iconic performance as Sue Sylvester. As an added bonus: Glee's fall finale was one of the best episodes of any show this year.

#3: Chuck

The show that lived only so television critics could feel good about themselves! Chuck was famously on the bubble for much of its second season only to be given a last minute reprieve that may or may not wind up serving the better angels of the series itself. Put us in the camp that Chuck should have ended after a near-perfect second season that was filled with enough unrequited love, geeky references and super-spy intrigue to last a lifetime.

#2: The Office

At this point, calling The Office "a comedy" is probably a bit misleading. Much has been written about how this season has been more depressing than seasons past, but, while true, this turn has just made everything feel more legitimate. These are depressing times, people! The tone aside, has any series ever so effortlessly found ways to use its ever-growing cast of characters? Witness Andy and Erin (Ed Helms and Ellie Kemper as the uncool versions of Jim and Pam), who have gone from also-rans to the MVPs of Dunder-Mifflin in just one season. Well into season six, the most striking thing about The Office is that it manages to keep getting better. 

#1: Mad Men

If a top-ten list exists without Mad Men ranked first, does it cease to be a top-ten list? When it comes to Mad Men, there isn't much left to say—how many times can you read about Jon Hamm's brilliance or the show's impeccable writing without going cross-eyed—except for the simple truth that Matthew Weiner has even outdone his mentor David Chase. The third season of Mad Men was better than any season of The Sopranos. There is currently nothing even close to this good on television.

If the name The Adventurer's Handbook sounds familiar, that's because it's actually already a book by Mick Conefrey that chronicles the history of some selected explorers and what their adventures can teach people. (Like, how to stop an anaconda from eating you whole, for instance.) Mr. Hill's co-written script isn't a straight adaptation of the book (thank goodness), but rather a tale about four 20-something friends who love Mr. Conefrey's tome so much they decide to go on an adventure to find one of the "mysterious locations" mentioned within it. Expect lots of cursing, as the script is reportedly a hard-R, and plenty of bromantic moments between the friends.

We're always happy to see Mr. Hill on screen. (Yes, even in Evan Almighty.) Of all the Apatow Players, he manages to be the only one who can really express full-on rage; when his eyes pop and his voice rises, Mr. Hill reminds us of Chris Penn circa Reservoir Dogs. And while on first glance The Adventurer's Handbook sounds too high concept to actually work, we do appreciate the effort to branch out from his natural comfort zone of slackerdom. To their credit, the current crop of comedy superstars has actively attempted to do that more often. (Seth Rogen might be committing career suicide with his wayward version of The Green Hornet, but at least he's trying!) And the idea of Jonah Hill and his friends playing miniature Indiana Jones' whilst telling dick jokes and getting high seems like a pretty smart way to start accomplishing that. Plus, now that he's boys with Jason Schwartzman, this can only mean one thing: Jonah Hill finding a spot in the next Wes Anderson movie!