Dream Emmy Ballot 2010: Best Drama

Damages

Friday Night Lights

Grey's Anatomy

Lost

Mad Men

True Blood

Damages because of its beautifully labyrinthine plotting. Because of the way it wove all three seasons together in one dense package. Because it was willing to sacrifice Tom Shayes. Because after the gloriously mercenary Tobins, Law & Order's version of "ripped from the headlines" will always feel a little toothless from now on.

Friday Night Lights because it strives to do things that are new and different where other high school shows will stay complacent. Because it neither abandons its older characters nor neglects the new. Because its universe is fully lived-in, down through the landscape. Because "The Son" will stand as one of television's great meditations on grief.

Grey's Anatomy because it had its best, most consistently good season since Season Two. Because it established an ensemble that, if necessary, can now survive the departure of original cast members. Because its finale was one of the most riveting, emotionally harrowing two hours of the 09-10 season.

Lost because it never stopped being frustrating and mysterious in the most wonderful way. Because it took a few steps back to shower love on its characters, all the way up to "The End." Because I'm so looking forward to watching it again.

Mad Men because of the way its slow-burn plotting showcased its characters at their best and (more frequently) their worst. Because its writers aren't afraid to see anyone at rock bottom. Because of "The Gypsy and the Hobo" and "The Grown-Ups" and "Shut the Door. Have a Seat." Because, at the end of the day, it's the show that will give you a man getting maimed by a riding lawnmower.

True Blood because of the way it glories in all the possibilities of its genre. Because it exemplifies the potential for episodic television as an adaptive medium. Because it has the most fearless, committed ensemble cast on television. Because it never stops aiming for new, different and increasingly twisted ways to blow the audience's mind.

Honorable Mentions: Caprica, Dollhouse, Parenthood, Treme