the best tv shows i watched this year even though we don't have a tv

so, i love me some internets. 

matt and i have never had a tv since we've been married, but thanks to shows being online (a la hulu.com, youtube and the network websites) as well as watching shows long after they're off the air, you don't really need a tv. in 2008, i had some time on my hands...

first, when i was pregnant with little m i couldn't sleep for more than a couple hours a night, so i needed to kill some time somehow. enter, tv online. then, when little m needed some marathon breastfeeding for the first few months of her life and i logged about 12 to 14 hours a day feeding her, again, i got into a few shows...

in no particular order...good* tv from 2008!

(keep in mind that it wasn't necessarily made in 2008, that's just when i happened to watch it)

*good=kept me entertained. this does not mean in every single case it is actually high in quality...especially the shows i watched when i was up in the middle of the night preggers. don't judge until you have an almost 9 pound baby doing gymnastics in your belly at 2 am. 3 am. and 4.

• arrested development: oh.my.goodness. how did this show get cancelled after 3 seasons? it is hilarious and witty and amazing.
• the hills + kitchen nightmares: ok these are my examples of not-quality-but-got-me-through-some-tough-nights-tv. i've since moved on, but they hit the spot when i was tossing and turning all night. i'll be the first to say that the hills is complete trash. oh, and another entry in the hall of shame: greys anatomy. it's really quite awful at this point, but then i watch it in order to confirm that it continues to be awful??? what is my problem? and i will admit to watching a couple of episodes of lipstick jungle. but the confessions stop there.
• the wire: matt and i are watching it right now and are just starting season two. it is genius. messy characters, ghetto neighborhoods and a jacked up city. sounds very familiar...
• gilmore girls: my poor sister. my poor friend nancy. they both tried to tell me how great this show was for years...and i scoffed at them. but they were so right. the entirety of this show got me through the beginning months of feeding little m. i think i was a little obsessed, but it's hard not to keep watching when you have every single episode on dvd. quick dialogue, great characters, and jess. oh, i have a special place in my heart for jess.
• project runway + top chef: love them both. i know, it's reality tv, but it is reality tv in which something creative and interesting is being produced. it actually really makes me think about whether i could be imaginative and resourceful with a limited amount of time. i figure it stimulates my mind kind of like a crossword puzzle or suduko would, so perhaps watching these shows staves of alzheimer's and keeps me mentally sharp. (how's that for justification?) 
• the office: i've never even worked in an office (well, one summer, but that doesn't really count; i was 18 years old. but if you must know, i was the equivalent of pam, except jim, the cute prankster did not inhabit my office. just a creepy feed ex guy that always hit on me) and i think this show is hilarious. i'm not a purist- i don't watch the british version. but as you can see from my list, i have no problem with low brow things, so the american version suits me just fine.
• six feet under: another one of those shows that was on years ago, but we are just getting around to watching it in this house. (box sets=the best!) it had some low points, but somehow we soldiered on and made it to the final season- which was incredible and touching.

runners up: for a brief, desperate bit i watched project catwalk, the uk's version of runway on youtube. season 1 was actually pretty good. and once in a while i've watched samantha who? on abc.com. christina applegate is pretty hilarious and has great comedic timing; that show was fabulous for when i had greeting cards to work on and needed something mindless on in the background as i stayed up all hours. 

ok, now that i sound like a complete couch potato, off to accomplish lots of important things!