AFI TV PROGRAMS OF THE YEAR-OFFICIAL SELECTIONS

ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT

CREATOR Mitchell Hurwitz

SHOWRUNNER Mitchell Hurwitz

EXECUTIVE PRODUCER Mitchell Hurwitz, Ron Howard, Brian Grazer, David Nevins

PRODUCER Victor Hsu, John Amodeo, Barbara Feldman

CO-PRODUCER Brad Copeland

PRINCIPAL CAST Jason Bateman, Portia de Rossi, Jeffrey Tambor, Jessica Walter, Will Arnett, David Cross, Michael Cera, Alia Shawkat, Tony Hale

DIRECTOR Joe Russo

WRITER Jim Vallely and Mitchell Hurwitz

EDITOR Steven Sprung

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY James Hawkinson

PRODUCTION DESIGNER Dawn Snyder

ART DIRECTOR Charisse Cardenas

COMPOSER David Schwartz

ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT marches to the tap of its own therapist's pencil, often finding itself so far outside the traditional form of television comedy that it stands alone in its own genre. Richly imagined by Mitchell Hurwitz and the creative ensemble, each week the show's lovably twisted characters give us an uproarious, glorious trip to the nuthouse they call home. Amid the laughs is brilliant commentary on celebrity and a gleefully wicked satire of the American family we all know too well.

CURB YOUR ENTHUSIASM

CREATOR Larry David

SHOWRUNNER Larry David

EXECUTIVE PRODUCER Larry David, Jeff Garlin, Gavin Polone, Robert B. Weide, Larry Charles

PRODUCER Tim Gibbons

PRINCIPAL CAST Larry David, Jeff Garlin, Cheryl Hines

DIRECTOR Robert B. Weide

STORIES BY Larry David

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY Bill Sheehy

DIGITAL EFFECTS ARTIST Randy Lowder, Daniel DeFabio

MUSIC SUPERVISOR Steve Rasch

CURB YOUR ENTHUSIASM makes it impossible to curb your enthusiasm for the talents of Larry David. Finding humor in the droll and everyday, the show unfolds in a signature style that sets it apart from all other comedy on television. This year's spectacularly engineered storyline with Mel Brooks and THE PRODUCERS was not only one of the longest comedic build-ups on record, but it also delivered one of the great punch lines in television history.

DEADWOOD

CREATOR David Milch

SHOWRUNNER David Milch

EXECUTIVE PRODUCER David Milch

CO-EXECUTIVE PRODUCER Gregg Fienberg

PRODUCER Scott Stephens, Davis Guggenheim

CONSULTING PRODUCER Jody Worth, Walter Hill

PRINCIPAL CAST Timothy Olyphant, Ian McShane, Molly Parker, Jim Beaver, Brad Dourif, John Hawkes, Paula Malcomson, Leon Rippy, William Sanderson, Robin Weigert, W. Earl Brown, Dayton Callie, Powers Boothe

DIRECTOR Alan Taylor

WRITER Elizabeth Sarnoff

EDITOR Lauren Schaffer

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY James Glennon

PRODUCTION DESIGNER Maria Caso

DIGITAL EFFECTS ARTIST David T. Altenau

COMPOSER David Schwartz

DEADWOOD stands tall in the proud tradition of the American Western. Grand schemes and Shakespearean motives take viewers on a true journey through time, and yet the show's unique power comes from what is not necessarily true to the period, illustrating that sometimes storytellers have to lie to tell the truth. David Milch and his writers blend fact and fiction, historical and imagined characters, and use modern language to immerse viewers in a richly defined parallel universe that captures how dark and difficult life was in a time that has since been glamorized by Hollywood.

DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES

CREATOR Marc Cherry

EXECUTIVE PRODUCER Michael Edelstein, Marc Cherry, Tom Spezialy, Charles Pratt, Jr.

CO-EXECUTIVE PRODUCER Kevin Murphy

PRODUCER George W. Perkins, Larry Shaw, Patty Lin, Tracey Stern, Alexandra Cunningham

CONSULTING PRODUCER Charles Pratt, Jr., Oliver Goldstick, John Pardee, Joey Murphy

CO-PRODUCER David Schulner, Charles Skouras III

ASSOCIATE PRODUCER Stephanie Hagen

PRINCIPAL CAST Teri Hatcher, Felicity Huffman, Marcia Cross, Eva Longoria, Nicolette Sheridan, Brenda Strong, Andrea Bowen, James Denton, Ricardo Antonio-Chavira, Mark Moses, Cody Kasch, Jesse Metcalfe, Steven Culp

DIRECTOR Charles McDougall

WRITER Marc Cherry

EDITOR Kaja Fehr, Jonathan Posell, Brent White, Michael Berenbaum

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY Walt Fraser

PRODUCTION DESIGNER Thomas A. Walsh

DIGITAL EFFECTS ARTIST Mark DiSarro, Peter Vazquez

COMPOSER Music by: Steve Bartek

DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES is the best thing to happen to television in many years. Marc Cherry has created the water cooler show of 2004 by dusting off one of the oldest forms of TV-the classic American soap opera-and presenting it with a level of sophisticated satire that makes it totally unique. The show is a triumph for its acting ensemble, which bring such personality to their characters each week that we feel as if we know them like our own neighbors. For all the accolades and critical attention the show receives, perhaps its greatest contribution is that it reminds us that one of the key elements of great television is-in a word-fun.

LOST

CREATOR J.J. Abrams, Damon Lindelof, Jeffrey Lieber

EXECUTIVE PRODUCER J.J. Abrams, Bryan Burk, Damon Lindelof

CO-EXECUTIVE PRODUCER David Fury, Thom Sherman, Jack Bender

PRODUCER Sarah Caplan, Jean Higgins

PRINCIPAL CAST Matthew Fox, Ian Somerhalder, Naveen Andrews, Dominic Monaghan, Terry O'Quinn, Jorge Garcia, Daniel Dae Kim, Malcolm David Kelly, Harold Perrineau, Josh Holloway, Evangeline Lilly, Maggie Grace, Emilie de Ravin, Yunjin Kim

DIRECTOR J.J. Abrams

WRITER J.J. Abrams, Damon Lindelof, Jeffrey Lieber, David Fury, Christian Taylor, Javier Grillo-Marxuach, Lynne Litt, Jennifer Johnson, Paul Dini, Jean Higgins, Monica Macer

EDITOR Mary Jo Markey

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY Michael Bonvillain

PRODUCTION DESIGNER Mark Worthington

DIGITAL EFFECTS ARTIST Kevin Blank, Mitch Suskin, Archie K. Ahuna

COMPOSER Michael Giacchino

LOST was found by American audiences this year, just when they needed to be rescued from reality television. Confounding expectations with every episode, the show demonstrates how fulfilling it is to be in the hands of talented writers and storytellers. From the opening moments of the harrowing pilot episode, LOST has played like a psychological thriller, presenting a giant puzzle and doling out its pieces sparingly. Strange and offbeat, yet familiar (think GILLIGAN'S ISLAND), LOST enjoys both a broad audience and a cult following, which is a testament to the inventive work of the creative ensemble.

NIP/TUCK

CREATOR Ryan Murphy

EXECUTIVE PRODUCER Ryan Murphy, Greer Shephard & Michael M. Robin

CO-EXECUTIVE PRODUCER Lyn Greene & Richard Levine

PRODUCER Patrick McKee

SUPERVISING PRODUCER Sean Jablonski

CO-PRODUCER Jennifer Salt, Brad Falchuk, Michael Weiss

ASSOCIATE PRODUCER Bonnie Weis

PRINCIPAL CAST Dylan Walsh, Julian McMahon, Joely Richardson, John Hensley, Roma Maffia

DIRECTOR Elodie Keene

WRITER Ryan Murphy & Brad Falchuk

EDITOR Tim Boettcher

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY Christopher Baffa

PRODUCTION DESIGNER Ed McAvoy

COMPOSER James S. Levine

NIP/TUCK continues to alter the face of television. Beautifully designed and photographed, the program entrances viewers with its sexy appearance, but ultimately reminds us that there is more to great drama than what meets the eye. Creator Ryan Murphy and the show's creative ensemble operate with precision each episode, cutting through layers of the human condition to reveal stories of friendship and family rarely seen on television today.

THE SHIELD

CREATOR Shawn Ryan

EXECUTIVE PRODUCER Shawn Ryan and Scott Brazil

PRODUCER Glen Mazzara, Charles H. Eglee, Kurt Sutter, Scott Rosenbaum, Adem E. Fierro, Kim Clements, Dean White

PRINCIPAL CAST Michael Chiklis, CCH Pounder, Benito Martinez, Jay Karnes, Walton Goggins, Kenneth Johnson, Catherine Dent, Michael Jace

DIRECTOR David Mamet

WRITER Glen Mazzara

EDITOR Jim Page

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY Rohm Schmidt

PRODUCTION DESIGNER Kitty Doris-Bates

COMPOSER Neophonic

THE SHIELD is not just another cop show. Visceral and raw, hard-hitting and complex, this is a program where the unresolved tension between daily police activity and ethical transgression redefines the genre. Michael Chiklis delivers a powerhouse performance with each episode and helps to make THE SHIELD "appointment television." This was particularly true in 2004, when corruption began to corrode the core of the strike force in episodes reminiscent of John Huston's classic film THE TREASURE OF THE SIERRA MADRE.

SOMETHING THE LORD MADE

EXECUTIVE PRODUCER David Madden, Eric Hetzel, Robert W. Cort

PRODUCER Julian Krainin, Mike Drake

CO-PRODUCER Irving Sorkin

PRINCIPAL CAST Alan Rickman, Mos Def, Mary Stuart Masterson, Gabrielle Union, Merritt Wever, Clayton Lebouef, Charles Dutton, Kyra Sedgwick

DIRECTOR Joseph Sargent

WRITER Peter Silverman and Robert Caswell

EDITOR Michael Brown

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY Donald M. Morgan

PRODUCTION DESIGNER Vincent Peranio

DIGITAL EFFECTS ARTIST Ron Simonson

COMPOSER Elmer Bernstein

SOMETHING THE LORD MADE is a revelation. In a world where so much information is available at our fingertips, this television movie is a spectacular example of how the medium can find an unknown story and share it with millions of people in a single night. With seasoned veteran Joseph Sargent at the helm, and outstanding performances by Mos Def and Alan Rickman, this bittersweet story is an important tool for America as it continues to search for a public vocabulary to discuss issues of race.

THE SOPRANOS

CREATOR David Chase

SHOWRUNNER David Chase

EXECUTIVE PRODUCER David Chase, Brad Grey, Robin Green, Mitchell Burgess, Ilene S. Landress, Terence Winter

CO-EXECUTIVE PRODUCER Henry J. Bronchtein

SUPERVISING PRODUCER Matthew Weiner

PRODUCER Martin Bruestle

PRINCIPAL CAST James Gandolfini, Lorraine Bracco, Edie Falco, Michael Imperioli, Dominic Chianese, Steven Van Zandt, Tony Sirico, Robert Iler, Jamie-Lynn DiScala, Drea de Matteo, Aida Turturro, Steven R. Schirripa, Vincent Curatola, John Ventimiglia, Steve Buscemi

DIRECTOR Tim Van Patten

WRITER Terence Winter

EDITOR William B. Stich

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY Alik Sakharov

PRODUCTION DESIGNER Bob Shaw

THE SOPRANOS returned to television in 2004, drawing America back into its dark and dangerous family circle. Digging deeper into the psychological complexities of its already beautifully realized characters, David Chase and the creative ensemble created a profound emotional resonance in a year marked by the tragic grandeur of the series. The show's ability to captivate viewers with its alluring-but doomed-universe became even more powerful as the family struggled internally...and began to take care of business.

SOUTH PARK

CREATOR Trey Parker, Matt Stone

EXECUTIVE PRODUCER Trey Parker, Matt Stone, Anne Garefino

SUPERVISING PRODUCER Jennifer Howell

PRODUCER Frank C. Agnone II

DIRECTOR Trey Parker

WRITER Trey Parker

EDITOR Keef Bartkus

SOUTH PARK takes American audiences where no politically correct man-or woman-has gone before. Smart, fearless and sometimes indefensible, SOUTH PARK speaks most importantly to television's role as communicator with younger generations. Creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone have a remarkable ability to react quickly to current events and trends, which creates an extraordinary vitality in the comedy...and laughter that will echo across the century.