Barnhart's top 25; Time-tested shows dominate our critic's list of television's best

1. 24 Get ready, America - Jack's had a shower and some sleep! 2. The Sopranos Will Tony's inner circle break up before he cracks up? 3. Frontline Edward R. Murrow would be proud. 4. The Shield He's no Tony Soprano, but Vic Mackey is an antihero for our time. 5. Six Feet Under Sudsy yet serious; brilliant writing saves this show from pure camp. 6. Late Night With Conan O'Brien Catch late-night's premiere act in repeats on Comedy Central. 7. The Bernie Mac Show Twisted tribute to "The Cosby Show." 8. Ed The Foo Fighters theme is back! 9. The Daily Show Not necessarily the news, but an amazing likeness. 10. Saturday Night Live The reruns on E!, that is. 11. HBO documentaries TV's best reality series expands this winter with 13 films on HBO2. 12. Scrubs Mile-a-minute comedy has heart - also lungs, kidneys ... 13. P.O.V. PBS' documentary series gets me through the summer. 14. National Geographic Today The only cable news program that matters. 15. PTI Like sports radio, but funnier and with pictures. 16. Everybody Loves Raymond Our "Honeymooners." 17. Reba Our "Roseanne." 18. Buffy the Vampire Slayer Though only occasionally brilliant, a true original. 19. Late Show With David Letterman Dave's peaked, but he's still miles better than Jay. 20. King of the Hill Has bypassed "The Simpsons" as TV's premier 'toon. 21. Law & Order "CSI" is creepier, but this one's smarter. 22. John Doe Who is this guy? With luck, millions will soon know. 23. The Twilight Zone So far, Forest Whitaker is faithful to Serling's dark vision. 24. CSI: Miami David Caruso makes this better than the original. 25. Boomtown A different kind of whodunit has promise. @ART:Photos (7, color, uncaptioned)