TVSquad

As I think about the past year, in both my life and in the world of TV, there's plenty I have to be thankful for. The life stuff is obvious: health, family, my girlfriend, a roof over my head, food on my plate, and a job that I enjoy. But the TV stuff isn't quite as obvious. So, as the balloons float over midtown Manhattan and people get ready to gorge themselves, here are a few things that made me happy to be a television watcher this year:

The election - Yes, it was too long. And, yes, it was exasperating at times. But it was the source of a lot of entertaining television. Of course, The Daily Show, The Colbert Report and SNL were in top form (Tina Fey became a huge star, thanks to Sarah Palin). But entertainment came in many forms this election season, from Katie Couric's skewering of Palin to David Letterman's spat with McCain to just about anything that came out of Joe Biden's mouth. Finally, I have three words of infinite entertainment for you: Chuck Todd's goatee.

HIMYM, Big Bang, 30 Rock, Scrubs, The Office, and any other show out there that's continuing the tradition of quality sitcoms on TV. However, I'd like to give the short end of the wishbone to Gary Unmarried, According to Jim, Worst Week, and every other show out there that makes people think comedy on TV is dead.

HDTV - I helped my girlfriend pick out a new LCD TV earlier this year. I was so charged up I had her go get an HD-capable cable box the next day. Man, does everything look fantastic on HD or what? Since I'm a huge baseball and football fan, this past summer and fall have been a boon of HD watching. But I've also been fascinated at a) how other shows look and b) how damn old and blotchy some of the actors on those shows are.

The fascinating people who make and work in TV - just like last lear, I'm happy that I got to meet and talk to a number of fascinating people who populate the TV world. And I'm glad the networks continue to make these people accessible, either via traditional interviews, conference calls, ComicCon appearances, or TCA parties and panels.

The writers and readers at TV Squad - You all keep this train going down the tracks; without either, it would be just me writing about Scrubs all the time. Thanks to the bloggers for providing the words, and thanks to the readers for coming by and reading what we have to say.