Television — It's not easy to choose, but here's this year's list of the best in television

Have I mentioned lately how much I hate doing top 10 lists?

Well, not since last year's top 10 TV list.

Frankly, except for the "Late Show With David Letterman," I hate top 10 lists of any kind. And my reasoning hasn't changed:

There are too many good shows to narrow it down to just 10; I think it's kind of stupid to compare soaps and dramas and comedies and talk shows and animation and sports; the end of the year is the middle of the TV season; my obsessive-compulsive tendencies kick in and I agonize over what's No. 8 and what's No. 9.

Honestly, the list had more than 10 shows on it and I fretted for waaaay too long about moving some shows down to honorable-mention status.

(Sorry about that "Amazing Race," "30 Rock," "Dirty Sexy Money," "Reaper," "Scrubs," "Survivor," "True Blood" and "Ugly Betty.")

And I'm always afraid I'll forget something. Which I always do.

This year I made the added mistake of telling my children that I was working on this list — and I was immediately assailed with their views about what it should contain.

To which I could only say, "Thanks for your input." And "It's my list. When you're the TV critic, you can write whatever you want."

Sheesh.

The girls lobbied heavily for "Supernatural." My son insisted that "Battlestar Galactica" should be No. 1.

They're both on the list, although neither is No. 1. And it was my decision, not theirs.

This list is not meant to be composed of the 10 best shows on TV. It's not an artsy list of stuffy shows that win acclaim but not viewers.

It should more properly be called a list of my favorite shows. These are shows I look forward to watching, shows I record, shows I watch with my family and friends, shows we talk about.

If I could only watch 10 shows, this is what I'd watch:

1. "Big Bang Theory": OK, I know I'll be mocked in some quarters for this pick, but no show on television makes me laugh more than this one. It's hilarious. And, in the troubling times in which we live, you can't underestimate how important it is to have something to make you laugh.