Published on December 03, 2008.

There weren’t any wardrobe malfunctions, and Madonna didn’t make out with another girl on TV. But this year of television had its own great moments. Here are a few of my personal favorite moments and TV shows of 2008.

My Top 5 TV shows of the Year

1. “The Office” (NBC)

Although it’s not as funny as it used to be, “The Office” has still held my attention this season. After all, I’m wondering what will become of Jim and Pam’s relationship, or whether or not Michael will finally get along with Toby, or if Angela will take back her responsibilities as party planner.

2. “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” (FX)

This show, although wildly inappropriate, is one of the funniest things I’ve ever seen. The off-the-wall, random antics of the main characters are sure to keep the viewer’s attention. The season finale, a musical, was outrageous enough to keep people coming back for more.

3. “Dexter” (Showtime)

This show is proof that being a serial killer can be sexy. “Dexter” has really picked up since its beginning in 2006. The show, based on the novel “Darkly Dreaming Dexter,” follows a blood splatter analyst in Miami who kills “bad” people in his spare time. Sounds too dark to be enjoyable, but the dry humor and interesting plot twists definitely move the show along.

4. “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation” (CBS)

After Gary Dourdan, who played Warrick Brown, was killed off the show, there’s been some adjusting on the murder-mystery crime scene show, with new characters and the question of whether main character Gil Grissom (played by William Peterson) will leave. Although situations are exaggerated and I’m sure crime scene investigators aren’t actually this good looking, “CSI” still holds its own as one of the sort-of-cop-show greats.

5. “30 Rock” (NBC)

Who would’ve thought Tina Fey and Alec Baldwin could have so much on-screen chemistry?

The pair is absolutely hilarious on the show that comes on after “The Office” every Thursday. The show is chock-full of celebrity appearances, one of the most recent being Steve Martin, who played a germaphobic rich guy whom Fey’s character considers marrying.

Most memorable TV moments of 2008

President-elect Barack Obama makes acceptance speech

Barack Obama’s historical win was quickly followed by an acceptance speech given in Chicago’s Grant Park, where Obama promised his daughters a puppy and promised the nation, “change has finally come.”

The speech was moving and nearly tear-jerking, and I’m sure I’ll never forget where I was when I watched the historical moment.

Videos of the speech have had as many as three million hits on YouTube.com.

Writers strike ends

The Writers Guild of America strike, in which more than 12,000 film, television and radio writers walked away from their posts in hopes of more fair earnings for members of the labor unions, left many TV viewers without anything to watch while heating up their TV dinners.

The strike, which began in late 2007, finally concluded in February. By this time, however, some people stopped caring about what used to be their favorite shows.

“Grey’s Anatomy,” for example, was much too choppy in its 4th season as a result of the huge gap in time between episodes and the need to show reruns.

The strike cost the entertainment industry about $500 million dollars.

Brooke Smith gets kicked off “Grey’s Anatomy”

The story line of a developing sexual relationship between characters Callie Torres (played by Sara Ramirez) and Erica Hahn (Brooke Smith) came to a screeching halt when Smith was let go from the ABC drama.

While “Grey’s” creator Shonda Rhimes claims that Smith’s sudden absence from the show has nothing to do with her character’s sexuality, one has to wonder.

It was awkward the way they went about covering their tracks on “Grey’s” when they realized people weren’t comfortable with the relationship between Hahn and Torres.

Torres has a random call-room sex session with the male whore of the hospital, McSteamy, causing the viewer to think maybe Torres is bisexual.

Britney Spears performs on “Good Morning America”

Britney Spears, the pop sensation who had her break in the late ’90s with her single “Hit Me Baby One More Time,” has had her share of problems, just as many other young actors or singers in the spotlight have.

The singing sensation has since made a comeback with her recent successful performance on “Good Morning America,” a huge step up from her disastrous attempt of a performance when she opened for the 2007 MTV Video Music Awards.

Spears’ performance Tuesday happened to land on her 27th birthday and also marked the release of her latest album, “Circus”.

Beijing Olympics is most-watched event in TV history

Throughout its 16 days of coverage in August, the 2008 Beijing Olympics brought more than 211 million viewers to sit in front of the tube and watch athletes from around the world compete for the gold.

The games had 2 million more viewers than the 1996 Atlanta Games, which previously held the record for most-watched.

The next Olympic Games will take place in 2012 in London.

Looking ahead

John Mayer enters TV world

Artist John Mayer plans to host a weekly variety sketch show on CBS starting as early as 2009.

The producer of the Emmys and the Grammys, Ken Ehrlich, will produce the show with Mayer.

Clips of Mayer acting as a TV host can be seen on TMZ.com.

Mayer is a quirky guy. His blog on johnmayer.com/blog is pretty darn cute and entertaining, so maybe he will be just as cute and entertaining on TV.

“Arrested Development” to hit big screen

While rumors have been circulating since February that the beloved, albeit canceled, Fox show will turn into a movie, plans are finally in motion for the 2009 big screen debut. According to IMDB.com, producer Ron Howard and writer Mitch Hurwitz have been closing deals for the project.