'Tis the Season for Giving Thanks! What TV Shows are We Most Grateful for?

As the first half of the television season comes to a close and the holiday season picks up, I thought it would be in the spirit of the season to reflect on the first half and make a list of all of the things in television that I'm thankful for this year. Yes it is the season for giving, so it seems only fair that we give thanks to the shows that give us so much. Here's a list of the TV things that I'm thankful for:

-I'm thankful that CBS giveth and then taketh away the Josie Sutton character on Cold Case. The show has been running so smoothly since her departure, proving that the current group didn't need the "Sutton" change.

-I'm thankful to UPN for its continued belief in Veronica Mars. The network moved it against Lost, which many thought was sudden death for the show, but it has actually gained viewers this season.

-I'm thankful for Gabby and Carlos on Desperate Housewives, for without them, I might have given up on the show right before it got excellent again. And their latest storyline just keeps getting better and better!

-I'm thankful for Medium's Allison and Joe Dubois for showing us a real relationship and family. Somehow refereeing kids and juggling schedules seems a lot closer to my family memories than the usual family treatment on TV.

-I'm thankful for Law & Order: SVU's great storytelling. With gripping, emotional cases that often leave you shocked in its 7th season, this show gets better with age.

-I'm thankful for the hatch on Lost. This thrilling storyline is keeping me at the edge of my seat, and the hatch-centric episodes earlier this season were so riddled with mythology that the episodes played out more like works of literature than a television show. That's good writing!

-I'm thankful for the character Veronica Mars. She's easily one of the smartest, best written characters to come from a television set in the history of the medium. With a quick wit, charm, and smarts this girl proves she can play with the big boys and still have time for the teenage stuff too.

-I'm thankful for Marshall on Alias. Some things may change, but other remain the same and Marshall is still the gadget-loving geek who brings the humor on an often dark show.

-I'm thankful for Dr. Brown and Dr. Abbott's love/hate relationship on Everwood. These two never fail to make me laugh with their constant game of one-upmanship.

-I'm thankful for Lilly Rush because without her, Cold Case would be missing that extra spark. Her outer strength and inner vulnerability facilitate her interrogations, and her tremendous compassion mixed with her too-quick-to-judge mentality create an interesting dichotomy. And this season she's dealing with a lot of residual effects after her encounter with serial killer George Marks, so the character just gets more and more interesting.

-I'm thankful for Veronica Mars' Logan and Weevil teaming up to combat a greater evil. This storyline has Bosom Buddies written all over it! New episodes can't come soon enough!

-I'm thankful for CSI's ability to not take itself too seriously. The show deals with serious crimes, but still finds a way to lighten them up, such as an episode that aired on Thanksgiving about a man who literally eats himself to death. It also has its more serious moments like the episode where an entire family, save the young daughter, was murdered in their suburban home. After a tears-inducing episode like that, we're always thankful for the lighter one that follows.

-I'm thankful for Without A Trace creator Hank Steinberg for getting the show back on track this season. This show went from a low priority on my list last season to a top one this year. It's nice to see compelling cases again, less office soapiness, and the addition of Elena Delgado.

And finally...

-I'm thankful for wonderful writing, brilliant acting, creativity, and all around greatness in television this season. Shows such as Veronica Mars, Cold Case, Everwood, Lost, Law & Order: SVU, and Without A Trace have been showing us how excellent television shows can be when they combine the attributes above. The bar has been set very high.

So there you have it. A list of a few of the things that I'm thankful for from television so far this season. What TV shows, characters, storylines, etc are you thankful for? Leave a comment with your picks.

About Last Night... ABC won the first hour of the night with Wife Swap (football on the West Coast), followed by CBS comedies King of Queens (r) and How I Met Your Mother (r) and NBC's Elton John special. The ratings troubled Arrested Development didn't get any help last night, it finished behind WB's 7th Heaven and tied for fifth with UPN. At 9, ABC continued to lead with Monday Night Football, followed by CBS comedies Two and a Half Men (r) and Out of Practice (r) and NBC's Las Vegas (r). The final hour of the night went to CBS's CSI: Miami, followed by football on ABC and Medium (r) on NBC. For more on last night's ratings, visit Zap2it.

~Primetime Pass~
@8 p.m. - On CBS, the NCIS team investigates the murder of a reality show contestant. Over on NBC, it's a 90-minute episode of Fear Factor that features a special "Blind Date" theme. Contestants will be matched up with partners that they have never met.

@9 p.m. - It's the two-hour season finale of CBS's The Amazing Race. The final three teams race to the finish line and the million dollar prize. Just a reminder, immediately following the West Coast broadcast, you can log onto to CBS.com and watch the second and third place teams compete in a mini-race for a new car. Over on Fox, Cynthia Nixon guest stars on House as a patient who has cried wolf in the past, but might have a deadly disease.

@10 p.m. - Alan Shore asks the firm's financial expert to help his secretary get out of credit card debt and the firm works a case of a man impersonating an FBI agent on ABC's Boston Legal.




Bones - Brennan, Booth, and the Jeffersonian crew spend their Christmas quarantined in the lab after skeletal remains release a deadly virus. 8 p.m. Fox

According to Jim - Cheryl and Dana's mother visits for the holidays and the two couples compete for her affection. 8 p.m. ABC

Hope & Faith - Faith surprises everyone with personal, extravagant Christmas gifts. (Special night and time) 8:30 p.m. ABC



QUICK CUTS

*Sci Fi Channel is coming to the rescue of fans of ABC's canceled Night Stalker. The cable network purchased the rights to air all 10 episodes of the series, including the 3 that never aired. The show ended on a cliffhanger that ABC never resolved. Look for the episodes to start airing on Sci Fi next summer.

*Actor Jason Bateman will guest star on an upcoming episode of NBC's Scrubs. The Arrested Development actor will complete the trade that started with Scrubs star Zach Braff guesting on Arrested several months back. Bateman will play a domestic ostrich farmer who doesn't thank J.D. (Braff) or Turk after receiving treatment at the hospital. J.D. and Turk are upset by the lack of gratitude and decide to track down the patient, but they end up going to toe-to-toe with the ostriches. There is no airdate yet for the episode. Scrubs returns to NBC on January 3rd.

*And finally, as I reported in today's Special Edition, the Golden Globe nominations were announced this morning. On the television side, sophomore shows Desperate Housewives and Lost walked away with nominations in Best Comedy and Best Drama, respectively, as well as many of the acting categories. Freshman series Prison Break also came away with a lot including nominations for Best Drama and Best Actor (Wentworth Miller). If you missed today's earlier edition regarding the announcement and reaction, be sure to scroll down or click the link above to check it out.

That's all for today. Be sure to tune in tomorrow for The Amazing Race finale (will the Linz missteps keep them from the million?)! Plus, all the latest television news!