Best of the year

Best character: This is a tough one. I thought hard about giving it to Ben on Lost and Dr. House, but the big winner this year is Mr. Jack Donaghy. 30 Rock was a bad show at the beginning, which I contend was because Tina Fey was pandering to the network just to get the show picked up before she got really wacky with the show. But even through that, Alec Baldwin has been a comic genius. There's been no better character on television -- from his awful bird-boned fiancee, to his evil ex-wife, to his interestingly deep (for a comedy) relationship with Liz Lemon. He's had more funny lines than anyone on TV and has carried his show more effortlessly than anyone. That there was a chance he'd leave because someone decided to take shots at his career is abhorrent.

Best new show: This one I wanted to give to Jericho. I wanted SO BAD to give this to Jericho. It had impressed me so much. But I can't do so in good conscience simply because of the lame cliffhanger ending and, well, its cancellation. So I defer to Heroes -- exciting and original for a television show, it's kept my interest, and the interest of many, throughout the whole season. It's comic book roots give it a much different feel than any other show on television and puts it on track to stick around for a long time.

Best canceled show: This, obviously, should also go to Jericho. But the idea that Veronica Mars is gone is much more troubling. It was the smartest show on CW and had some of the best writing and storytelling of any show on television. Extremely high quality for the CW... I suppose it was just too high quality.

Best drama/best show: It's too obvious what I'm going to pick, right? It's the popular choice, I think, even though ratings are down. It's the easiest decision out of all of these. Lost consistently tells the best story on television and uses the serial format better than any other show. The decision to end the show at a certain time now gives it a focus that no other show on television has, and allows the team to put together the perfect story arc. The ensemble cast is also stunningly strong and full of a ton of interesting characters.