TVSquad

I don't mean of one particular show, I'm talking about the best episode of any TV series? Not an easy thing to do. Just think of how many shows and how many episodes we've had in 60+ years. The new issue of TV Guide is out, and while the full list of the 100 best episodes isn't online yet (here are #'s 100-81), we do know some episodes in the top ten (TV Guide did a similar issue back in 1997).

The number one ep? "The Contest" from Seinfeld. "Chuckles Bites The Dust" from The Mary Tyler Moore Show and "Opie The Birdman" from The Andy Griffith Show are up there too, as is the pilot episode of Lost and the "College" episode of The Sopranos. What's the first episode that comes to mind when you think of great TV?

You won't believe which show is kicking the collective ass of TV Land's The Cougar. Then again, maybe you will. The New York Times reports that reruns of (Shazam!) The Andy Griffith Show are the cable network's most watched show.

So does this mean that the former classic TV network will go back to running shows that people actually want to watch? Probably not. Sorry to break the bad news to you. Oh, and there is no Santa Claus, and if the tooth fairy does exist, she's probably a big ol' commie.

My family often watches TV during the dinner hour. There, I've said it. I'm not proud of that fact, but there you have it. We also force the kids to take 2-hour nature walks with us every weekend, so maybe it all evens out in the end.

Our favorite channel during the dinner hour is TV Land. In our neck of the woods, Hogan's Heroes airs from 6 to 7 p.m., and The Andy Griffith Show from 7 to 8 p.m. We love both these shows, and the episodes always spark laughter and a few discussion topics. Like, how could Colonel Klink be such a dimwit, and why can't more people be like Andy Taylor?

But we might have to start watching the Discovery or History channels or - gasp! - turn the TV off altogether, because the commercials on TV Land are making us gag on our organic mac-and-cheese. I'm talking about the commercials for TV Land's reality shows, High School Reunion and The Cougar.

I recall a time when Ron Howard was diligently trying to distance himself from the two television icons that made him famous: Opie Taylor and Richie Cunningham (from The Andy Griffith Show and Happy Days, respectively). Now, thanks to Funny Or Die and in an effort to get his candidate of choice (Barack Obama, if you didn't know) elected, he is prepared to step back into those two roles. And to do so, he takes Andy Griffith and Henry Winkler with him.

I didn't really grow up with Andy Griffith, but it was quite the nostalgia trip to see Ron Howard and Henry Winkler as Richie and the Fonz again. Winkler seemed to just slip back into the character despite all the years.

One of the highlights of this year's primetime Emmys is going to be musical. That's right, I'm psychic. I've looked into the future and can tell you without equivocation that Josh Groban singing a medley of TV themes from 60 years of programs will stop the show.

On September 21, the night ABC broadcasts the big anniversary of the Primetime Emmys, producer Ken Ehrlich has tapped balladeer Groban for a four-minute medley of TV themes. The mind reels with the possibilities of how many memorable melodies he can fit into 240 seconds.

Some choices seem obvious: Cheers (where everybody knows your name), The Jeffersons (movin' on up to the big time), The Beverly Hillbillies (black gold, Texas T), The Flintstones (they're a modern stone-aged family).

Like I said, the possibilities are vast, and the promise of a something hilarious is sure fire.

AOL Television has compiled a list of the 50 Best TV Comedies -- Ever, this week revealing numbers 50-41. Inspired by what they did, I've decided to list my favorite sitcom sidekicks, those funny foils that oftentimes make the star shine even brighter than you might have thought. Coming up with just a ten-pack hasn't been so easy. Many times, I'd look at a show and think, "No, it's more of an ensemble. There isn't one sidekick." Falling into that category were B.J. and Trapper John on M*A*S*H. Neither were Hawkeye's sidekick, really (any more than Radar was). Same thing with Friends -- they were all each other's sidekicks. Also, on The Odd Couple, Oscar and Felix were equal; neither was a sidekick. Ditto Two and a Half Men and Laverne & Shirley. Also, because it's my list, I decided not to include married couples -- sorry Rob and Laura, Ricky and Lucy, Archie and Edith.

Whew, after all that, here, in alphabetical order, are the ten I love -- within my own parameters! Feel free to comment with your choices, if your favorite isn't on my list.

A roundup of TV people from in front of the camera and behind the scenes who have passed away.

• Dennis Letts: He was a teacher who taught at universities for 30 years and then decided to get into acting. He appeared in several TV shows, including Walker, Texas Ranger, Once and Again, and The CBS Summer Playhouse, as well as the TV movies Dallas: The Early Years, Challenger, and The Last Prostitute. On the big screen he was in Cast Away, Infamous, Passenger 57, A Perfect World, and many others. He died of cancer at age 73.

Allan Melvin had so many roles on so many TV shows over the years that it's hard to know where to begin, but I guess the most logical spot would be The Brady Bunch, where he played Sam The Butcher, the guy Alice dated. He was also a regular on The Phil Silvers Show, played Archie Bunker's friend Barney on All in the Family, and also played Rob's army buddy on The Dick Van Dyke Show. He appeared on dozens of other shows over the years, from the Andy Griffith Show (he always played a crook - that's him on the right in the pic) and Gomer Pyle, USMC to Kung Fu and The Banana Splits (he was Drooper).

You would probably also recognize his voice in many cartoons, including Magilla Gorilla, The Flintstones, The Scooby-Doo/Dynomutt Hour, The Smurfs, Spider-Man and Friends, Foofur, Ducktales, Talespin, and others.

He died of cancer in Los Angeles.

This guy is running for sheriff in Platteville, Wisconsin, and he has an unusual gimmick to get attention.

He's legally changing his name to Andy Griffith.

And before you say that I'm being too hard on the guy by implying that he's doing it to get attention, he admits to doing it for that reason. His real name is William Fenrick, and he's sick of how the politics game is played nowadays and wants to get things back to the way they were in Mayberry. His opponent has been sheriff for the past 10 years.

But wait a second. If this guy is running for sheriff, shouldn't he change his name to "Andy Taylor?" After all, that was the name of the character on the show. Seems odd to run for sheriff and change your name to an actor's name and not the sheriff character he played.

When you hear the name of Barney Fife, deputy sheriff on the classic The Andy Griffith Show, what comes to mind? Well, he was smug and self-confident, over-analytical, overzealous, and a bit of a blowhard. But how about eloquent, intense and heartwarming? No, you say? Well, you'd be wrong, because there was one particular episode where he was just that, all in defense of his partner Sheriff Andy Taylor.

Jump ahead and I'll tell you all about it.

We've all heard of "comfort foods," those foods that we always return to, the ones that we love and make us feel good and maybe even bring back good memories. But TV shows can be the same way. They might not be our "favorite" shows (though they very well could be), but they certainly make us feel so good we want to keep watching them (and now with DVDs, it's even easier). Here are mine:

1. The Dick Van Dyke Show: My favorite TV show of all time, but it's also a feel-good show: a positive family show and a clever showbiz show at the same time. A childhood favorite that never lost any appeal for me, even as I became an adult.