“Top Ten” TV show lists do you a disservice. Right now, with so many great shows of different kinds available on the small screen, you’d need a list of at least 11 for it to be truly sufficient. Fortunately, we’ve got you covered, with the 11 best shows of 2006 (the top three listed separately):

“24” — FOX

Season five of the Jack Bauer (Keifer Sutherland) story began with a shocking murder and didn’t let up for an entire day’s worth of intense action, political intrigue and twists and turns every step of the way. The show’s formula — explosions and traitors everywhere — remains the same the fifth time around and the 24-hour real-time gimmick is almost an afterthought, but that’s just fine for the most exciting show on TV.

“Heroes” — NBC

By far the most popular new show of this season, and the one with the most potential. With a great ensemble cast, a variety of locations and several intriguing storylines weaving together, this costumeless-superhero drama deserves its high ratings. Not to mention, space-time traveler Hiro Nakamura (Masi Oka) is probably TV’s most endearing new character.

“How I Met Your Mother” — CBS

The last good sitcom. In a genre increasingly loaded with clichés, one-dimensional characters and shallow humor every year, “Mother” came along with clever writing, an appealing and talented cast and relationships you can really care about. After just a few episodes, you’ll come to love (and root for) everyone in the show.

“The Office” — NBC

By far the funniest show on TV. With the original British series’ shadow now far behind, Steve Carell and one of the best casts from top to bottom set up the workplace perfectly, providing a perfect balance of cringe-inducing realism and zany hilarity. The ongoing saga of Jim and Pam (John Krasinski and Jenna Fischer) is the most engrossing romantic storyline you’ll find on TV.

“Scrubs” — NBC

NBC’s still-not-as-popular-as-it-should-be screwball comedy is going as strong as ever, tightly traveling between moments of humor and tragedy on a weekly basis. Every character on the show is so well-defined yet feels refreshingly unpredictable with each episode.

“The Shield” — FX

Capped off by its gut-wrenching season finale and the death of a major character, this past season of “The Shield” displayed the series’ penchant for true grit imbued with high-drama theatricality more than any other. Michael Chiklis is TV’s best cop by a long shot, as the only one who will not only threaten a noncompliant criminal but deliver the goods as well. The high-energy series is a slap to the face that hurts so good.

“Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip” — NBC

Has the makings of another “West Wing” for series creator Aaron Sorkin, but just misses the mark. It’s still a brilliant show, with a smart cast and an even smarter writing team. So what if the SNL-like show-within-a-show isn’t actually as funny as the characters act like it is? It’s not like you have to watch it.

“The Wire” — HBO

HBO’s best series, and the one you’re least likely to know about. The coarse Baltimore-based drug saga took an unexpected turn when it focused on a group of young school kids for the fourth season, but the change brought new life into a show willing to go deeper and more relentlessly into the urban narcotics industry than anything else ever broadcast, where every character has a compelling story to tell.

The Top Three

“Battlestar Galactica” — Sci-Fi Channel

Yes, it’s science fiction. They fly around in space ships. There are talking robots. Don’t let that prevent you from taking in a series teeming with ingenious social and political commentary, compelling epic storylines and some of the most exciting action scenes put on film. Its only issue (if it is one) may be that it spends too much time on being a brilliantly written character drama and not enough time on the cool special effects sequences.

“Dexter” — Showtime

Of the more obscure shows on this list, this one probably has you scratching your head the most. If so, go out and find a way to watch it immediately. In its 12-episode first season run, the show about a serial killer fighting his natural instincts to survive in the normal world gave us one of the most tightly written and cohesive overarching storylines of all time. Its protagonist, the title character, is not just morally ambiguous, but morally vacant. Somehow, you’ll find yourself sympathizing with him more often than not. Consistently shocking and unpredictable, you owe it to yourself to see this one.

“Veronica Mars” — The CW

While its move to “Girl’s Night” on the new network may have nudged it towards being the teen schlock-drama it’s perceived as, “Veronica Mars’” second season finale put a cap on one of the most mind-blowingly twisted and complex series mysteries of all time. With snappy, clever dialogue in every scene and emotionally involving storylines that never fail to intrigue, the show will draw you in and never let you go. You can’t just watch “Veronica Mars,” you can only love it.