The Top 10 Everything of 2008

1. The Shield

Talk about police brutality. The final season of FX's groundbreaking cop show outdid itself in emotional violence, as the bill finally came due for Vic Mackey (Michael Chiklis) and his years of rationalized corruption. As his partner in crimefighting and graft, Shane (Walton Goggins), turned on him, the ensuing spiral of revenge destroyed the very families that the Strike Team had been skimming drug money to provide for. (In Shane's case, his family's destruction was heartbreakingly literal.) After seven years, the staggering finale of this drama allowed us to see Mackey's history of misdeeds — and his complicated motivations for them — with fresh eyes. In a word: arresting.
(FX)

Connect to this TIME Story