WARNING: There will probably be spoilers for each season. Just FYI.
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LOST - SEASON ONE
Lost's first episode is one my favorite pilots of all time. That opening sequence - in which Jack stumbles onto the wreckage of Oceanic 815 and rushes to save as many lives as he can - is gripping and movie-like in its quality. Jack's speech to Kate about conquering fear by counting to five while she stitches him up is one of my favorite scenes of the series. And then afterwards, we're introduced to the weirdness of the Island they're on when while sitting by campfires, they first hear the roaring noises of the Smoke Monster and Charlie utters a deeply sarcastic "terrific" before we break to the first commercial break.
That opening pretty much tells a new viewer what they should expect from Lost: A plane crashed on a deserted island. There are dozens of survivors, each with their own backstory, and they're going to have to figure out how to survive together. Oh, and there are some really weird things going on in that jungle. (Seriously, weird shit.)
Each episode of the season provided the audience with more mysteries about the Island and its inhabitants, and each episode made us care more and more about the survivors of Oceanic 815. It's just so well done. Plus, it's also fun to watch now and nostalgically remember the days when our biggest question was "What's in the hatch?" or "WTFPOLARBEARS?" Oh, how young and innocent we were.
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BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER - SEASON THREE
While Buffy's second season definitely had the best storyline of the show's run (hello, Angelus), the show's third season was its best overall effort. It introduced so many characters that became Joss Whedon classics: Faith, the slutty slayer with anger issues, Wesley, the pansy ass watcher who would transition to an ultimate badass on Angel, and Anya, a tactless former demon who provided much-needed comic relief in the seasons to come.
The main storyline of the third season, in which Sunnydale's major (who makes to-do lists that schedule meeting with boy scouts right after becoming invincible) plans to become a demon at the High School graduation, is weaved skillfully all through the season, and provides both tension and hilarity throughout. The Major is such an unusual villain - he chastises his minions for cursing and spreading germs while planning the killings of hundreds of people. The third season also includes the heartbreaking storyline of Angel returning from hell, only to realize that staying in Sunnydale with Buffy will only hurt them both in the long run. Thus, the spin-off Angel was born.
While the story arcs of the third season are fabulous, there are also amazing stand alone episodes that make this season Buffy's best. The Wish, in which Cordelia wishes up an alternate universe in which Buffy never came to town, is a favorite of mine. Lover's Walk, in which Spike returns to Sunnydale drunk and pathetic after losing Dru, and Doppelgangland, in which Willow's leather-wearing slutty doppelganger from 'The Wish' shows up, are both classics. And if The Prom doesn't make you break down and cry, well, you're not human.
The third season was also Buffy's last at Sunnydale High. Once the show left the school and its never-ending 'high school is hell' metaphors, it was never quite as good. Plus, the high school library was the show's best hangout, and I missed it when it was gone.
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VERONICA MARS - SEASON ONE
The first season of Veronica Mars plays out more like a novel put on screen than a television show. The season long mystery of Lilly Kane's murder is the overarching mystery that gives her Veronica both her drive and vulnerability. Each episode also has a great standalone mystery in which Veronica puts her detective skills to use in the most fun and witty way possible.
The characters in Veronica Mars are fabulous (with the possible exception of Duncan - so much possibility, and yet so boring) - Veronica and her fabulous Dad, Wallace the best friend, Weevil the bad boy with questionable ties to Lilly, and best of all, Logan Echolls, the "obligatory psychotic jackass" with hidden depths.
Kristen Bell and Jason Dohring really shine in this first season, and the resolution of Lilly's murder is so satisfying. The show's second and third seasons never quite reached this level of greatness. I just hope that one day Rob Thomas is able to make that Veronica Mars movie - I really want to see FBI!Veronica one day.
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ANGEL - SEASON FIVE
While I have a huge soft spot for the first season of Angel, I think it's fifth season is its best. The gang working at Wolfram and Hart provides a great season long story, and the addition of Spike to the cast provided endless comedy. Episodes like Smile Time, where Angel becomes a puppet, are comedy classics. The fact that the next episode made me cry like a baby (A Hole in the World) is a true testament to Whedon shows - you can cry with laughter one week and with anguish the next.
Amy Acker's turn as Illyria is one of the show's best storylines (almost quite as good as the Angelus storyline on Buffy), and the consequences Fred's death (and Ilyria's birth/rebirth) have on Team Angel are so interesting to watch. One downside to this season is David Boreanaz's hair (seriously, ugh) and his knee injury that led to the weight gain (still super hot, but definitely a low point before he lost it all and became Booth on Bones).
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BATTLESTAR GALACTICA - SEASON TWO
Ah, the good ol' days, back when we were sure Ronald Moore knew what he was doing! (j/k, kinda) The second season of BSG is by far its best - it opens with a bang (Papa Adama has been shot by Boomer!) and ends even bigger (a timejump to the future!). In the interim we get awesome episodes like Downloaded which give us a little bit of Cylon POV and great plotlines like the introduction of the Pegasus. We get to meet the Caprican resistance (oh, Hot Uncle Cooper from One Tree Hill, we welcome you!) and Apollo gets to angst all over the place. It's a great season.
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THE OFFICE - SEASON TWO
Anybody who tells you the Office's second season wasn't its best is lying. Every episode is hilarious, the Jim/Pam dynamic is at its most wonderful/addicting/painful, and every character gets a change to shine. The season's finale, Casino Night, is my favorite episode of the series. Who else wishes that they still opened up each season with another edition of The Dundies?
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THE O.C. - SEASON ONE
C'mon, you guys all remember how much we loved this show in its first season. Seth Cohen made being a nerd cool, the term Chrismukkah was coined, and we were all guilty of saying "Welcome to the OC, bitch!" at least once. It was fun and fabulous.
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ALIAS - SEASON TWO
This season of Alias is SO GOOD. We've got Phase Two, the show's post-Superbowl episode that rocked all of our socks and was a complete gamechanger. Sydney and Vaughn finally converted all their UST into RST, but not before we get to spend the first half of the season yelling "just kiss her!" at the TV a few dozen times. Plus, we get tons of fun spy missions (with clothes and accents to match!) and great moments between the Spy!Family of Irina, Jack and Sydney. And that finale? I still remember sitting in front of my TV for a good ten minutes in complete shock after that aired.
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GREY'S ANATOMY - SEASON TWO
I think the second season of Grey's is the best example of a good primetime soap opera. Every character in the huge ensemble cast is fun to watch, the storylines are addicting, and we end up really caring about what happens in each relationship. AND. This is the season that brought us Addison Montgomery and Denny Duquette, and the classic finale montage set to Snow Patrol's "Chasing Cars." Sometimes soap operas really are the most deliciously fun thing to watch.
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FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS - SEASON ONE
This is another first season (like Veronica Mar's) that feels more like a novel put onto screen, it tells such a complete and fulfilling story. The thing about Friday Night Lights that makes it different than other TV shows is that it feels so real. The people may be prettier than normal, but they act like people we know and talk like people we know and the sets look like real places (probably because they film completely on location). If you don't fall in love with Matt Saracen and Jason Street and Coach and Mrs. Coach, you have no business watching television.
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I'll probably edit this later for mistakes (too lazy to reread right now), so my apologies if they're everywhere.
