Super '08

So 2008 might not go down as a great year. (Stupid economy!) But at least our TVs paid huge dividends with plenty of great entertainment. As we get close to closing the book on 2008, we pick the 29 best programs, people, networks, moments and more from the year in cable TV.

29. Guilt Trips

The wide range of cable networks, like a good menu, has something for everyone -- including that tantalizing dessert that you know you should stay away from, but sometimes just looks too good. So occasionally we may find ourselves straying away from the likes of History or National Geographic Channel and wandering on over to E! to partake in something like Sunset Tan. Yes, it's not the most nutritious -- but it's pretty tasty at the moment. We can always go back to the healthy stuff tomorrow, right? Er, right?

28. Sideline Siren Song

ESPN's sideline reporter Erin Andrews sparked controversy at a Cubs vs. Brewers game when she wore a slightly slinky dress and was allegedly getting too chummy with the Cubbies, even causing Cubs skipper Lou Piniella to ask, "Are you doing a baseball game today or a modeling assignment?" But we applaud Andrews -- if you're going to tell us about pulled groins, you should look really good doing it.

27. Sex, Drugs And Birthday Cake

A hard-rock Flight of the Conchords, IFC's Z Rock presented an interesting dichotomy between Brooklyn band Z02's rock 'n' roll lifestyle and their day job as a Wiggles-esque kids party band. It also featured lots of non-PC humor, great guest spots by the likes of John Popper and Dave Navarro, and an alarming number of cameos by bassist David Z's bare buttocks.

26. Redefining Body Image

Women sick of thunder thighs and tiny breasts embraced Lifetime's series How to Look Good Naked with host Carson Kressley. With some attitude adjustments and sizzling makeovers, he turned self-loathing wallflowers into confident women willing to bare all to prove it.

25. Fangs For The Drink

With billboards proclaiming, "Real Blood Is For Suckers," hilarious online video ads and a realistic blog that features exposes on vampires living among us, HBO's hype for True Blood threatened to eclipse the series itself. An idle threat, since Alan Ball's new drama was such a fang-tastic hit that HBO renewed it for a second season soon after the September premiere.

24. Smithy & Nessa

Much like the show's title characters were with one another, we were instantly smitten with the BBC America comedy Gavin & Stacey -- particularly with series creators James Corden and Ruth Jones as Smithy and Nessa, whose reluctant hookups provide a sour complement to Gavin and Stacey's sweet love story.

23. Ring Leaders

For our money, the best wrestling entertainment on TV this year came not from WWE or TNA but from old AWA matches on ESPN Classic and Hulk Hogan's Celebrity Championship Wrestling on CMT. If only we could arrange a Sgt. Slaughter vs. Frank Stallone steel cage match to determine the undisputed champ.

22. "Anarchy" Reigns!

Ever wonder what The Sopranos would look like in leather? Sons of Anarchy continues FX's string of hard-hitting dramas by delving into the violent world of California bikers and the unique type of family they form. Among other highlights, it shows that Ron Perlman looks just as scary out of his Hellboy makeup, and makes us all but forget that Katey Sagal once played the bonbon-chomping Peg Bundy.

21. Starz Makes A Splash

HBO and Showtime have set the standard for original drama series on premium networks, but Starz showed it's serious about stepping into the fray with Crash, a gut-wrenching series based on the Oscar-winning film. Even Dennis Hopper, who's been known to play a nutball or two, says his character is the craziest he's ever played.

20. The Real MTV

With MTV long since abandoning its original MO to follow rich kids around with cameras, shows such as CMT's genre-bending CMT Crossroads, Sundance Channel's Live From Abbey Road and upcoming Spectacle: Elvis Costello With..., and Austin City Limits and Soundstage on PBS HD have become the best sources for "music television."

19. Believe In Magic

ESPN scored in March with its most-watched documentary, Black Magic, which studied the legacy of basketball players and coaches from historically black colleges and universities who played, lived and persevered in the age of segregation -- brilliant coaches such as John McClendon, Ben Jobe and Clarence "Big House" Gaines, and pioneering players like Dick Barnett, Cleo "Skywalker" Hill, Richard "Pee Wee" Kirkland and Earl "The Pearl" Monroe.

18. Seven Words You Can Always Say On HBO

The world of comedy lost a giant when iconoclastic comedian George Carlin passed away in June. Carlin, who did 14 original solo HBO standup comedy specials in his career, his last being It's Bad for Ya in March, got a fitting tribute as 11 of his comedy specials aired back-to-back on HBO2.

17. TCM Lives Up To Its Acronym

Some networks, after establishing an identity and cultivating an audience, go in search of larger audiences -- and end up losing what made them successful in the first place. Not so at TCM. Still putting the "classic" in Turner Classic Movies, TCM will bring families together in December with its celebration of Disney's classic live-action films from decades past, including The Parent Trap, Swiss Family Robinson, Old Yeller and more.

16. See Jane Play

As fans of Malcolm in the Middle, we were naturally thrilled to see Bryan Cranston return to series television in Breaking Bad. But when Jane Kaczmarek then returned in TNT's Steven Bochco-produced Raising the Bar, well, we were giddy. With the series averaging 5.5 million viewers a week, Jane, along with Mark-Paul Gosselaar and Gloria Reuben, have secured themselves another successful series and some happy TV viewers to boot.

Next: 15. We Probably Shouldn't Bring This One Up Just Now ...

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