Best & Worst 2008: Robert Lloyd’s TV picks

By Robert Lloyd

It was a strange, stuttering year for television. It’s no knock against collective bargaining to point out the writers strike made a constitutionally skittish medium even more erratic than usual. On the broadcast networks, shows came and went and came and went confusingly through the winter, spring and summer; fall, when it arrived, was underwhelming. (Premium and basic cable were somewhat inured to those shocks, but it was a slow year there, too.) And yet, as anyone with a DVR knows, there is still more to watch than there is time watch to it.

The election was reliably the most exciting thing on the air, as it would have been even in a better year.

Here are some things I liked, in no particular order. (John Moore / Getty Images)

Sept. 16, 2014 10:53 AM PT

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TV critic Robert Lloyd gives a rundown of the year in noteworthy TV.

Katie Couric and Rachel Maddow

The election refocused attention on Couric and raised the fortunes of Maddow, who together represent a kinder, gentler -- but no less firm -- brand of news hosting, network anchor and cable divisions. If the seriocomic Maddow is not exactly post-partisan, she is polite, which means a lot. (CBS / Los Angeles Times)

Craig Ferguson (CBS)

The late-night host I’d take to a writers strike. (Frederick M. Brown / Getty Images)

Beyonce “Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)” TV blitzkrieg

The video, a minimally edited, light-sculpted, Fosse-inspired dance routine, harked back to the floating-in-white early days of MTV clips and earlier days of prime-time variety, when performance ruled. Repeated live on a TV tour that included “Saturday Night Live,” the “TRL” finale, “The American Music Awards,” “Today,” and the talk shows of Ellen and Tyra and Keyshia, it stayed exciting, the star radiating power and joy. (Vince Bucci / Getty Images)