THE BEST TELEVISION OF 1996

By CONTRIBUTORS GINIA BELLAFANTE, RICHARD CORLISS, CHRISTOPHER JOHN FARLEY, PAUL GRAY, BELINDA LUSCOMBE, JOSHUA QUITTNER, RICHARD SCHICKEL, MICHAEL WALSH, STEVE WULF, RICHARD ZOGLIN

1 EZ STREETS (CBS) Ken Olin's thirtysomething days are long gone. Here he's a desperate detective--the central figure in one of the more profound crime dramas ever to hit a television screen. Lyrically bleak in tone, EZ Streets is a haunting meditation on moral ambiguity, on city politics and--most effectively--on fate. Alas, the dismally rated series was abruptly canceled after two airings. Alone, perhaps, we anxiously await its scheduled return next year.

2 Seinfeld (NBC) The granddaddy of modern urban sitcoms is still hipper, still wittier than its offspring. Now in its eighth season, the show has maintained its brilliant comic rhythms and dark undertones, and this season boasts some of the most original episodes ever. Kramer's stash of Japanese businessmen--need we say more?

3 Pride and Prejudice (A&E) Having arrived just when it seemed Austen-mania could be borne no longer, this lush production radiantly revived the rage for Jane. With perfectly observed sets and a keen grasp of the subversive social themes that underlie Austen's comedy, this mini-series put its competition to shame. PBS' Moll Flanders? A dud!

4 Murder One (ABC) Chronicling three consecutive trials rather than a single one all season, the revamped legal thriller returned more clearly focused and more energetically paced. The real bonus? The arrival of Anthony LaPaglia as the brash, ethically messy Wyler.

5 Politically Incorrect's Election Coverage (Comedy Central) It would be a challenge indeed to plumb recent TV history to find a funnier piece of sketch comedy than PI's Republican Party infomercial spoof, which aired the week of the San Diego convention. As the networks lulled us to sleep, Bill Maher's wry, combative round-table show succeeded in covering the campaign with bite.

6 Profit (Fox) A heinous antihero (named Jim Profit), who made J.R. Ewing look like Bob Saget. A corporate empire shrouded in mystery. A wry subtext that attacked the evils of techno-culture. Profit had it all--except a decent-size audience. This mesmerizingly original corporate thriller was canceled after just a few outings, and yet we will never forget the chill of star Adrian Pasdar's insidious whisper.

7 Ned and Stacey (Fox) Thankfully, this smart sitcom was not the victim of its network's scratch-happy spirit. Now in its second season, the show about mismatched lovebirds in the making has given us a chance to feast on the prodigious comic gifts of Thomas Haden Church, who plays Ned, a voluble adman. If there is a more engagingly comtemptuous character on TV, we haven't come upon him.

8 The Essence of Emeril (The TV Food Network) Cooking shows have been notoriously bland offerings during the past few years but the brash New Orleans chef Emeril Lagasse has arrived to bring on the spice. Spirited and prone to free-association, he is a kind of Frank Sinatra of cooking-show hosts, a kitchen-bound swinger who begins segments like this: "Lamb shanks, if you can find 'em--you get 'em, baby."

9 Relativity (ABC) At first this new drama from Ed Zwick and Marshall Herskovitz seemed a tad too precious, a touch too eager to wrap up its conflicts with tidy bows. But the series, focused on a pair of new young lovers, quickly managed to ground itself more firmly in the rhythms of a real relationship. Poignant but not overwrought, Relativity has become one of TV's finest hours.

10 Taking on the Kennedys (PBS) This documentary about the 1994 congressional race between young Patrick Kennedy and Kevin Vigilante, an accomplished physician, has all the populist wit of a Michael Moore piece without the contrivances. We learn that Vigilante didn't stand a chance against an opponent who wooed voters with the musk of Camelot.