Dream Emmy Ballot 2012: Lead Actor in a Comedy

Alec Baldwin - "Jack Donaghy", 30 Rock
Louis C.K. - "Louie", Louie
Zachary Levi - "Chuck Bartowski", Chuck
Joel McHale - "Jeff Winger", Community
Adam Scott - "Ben Wyatt", Parks and Recreation
David Walton - "Pete", Bent

I don't love 30 Rock as much as I used to, but Jack's attempts to cope in the face of Avery's kidnapping still showcased Baldwin's strengths. Louis C.K.'s performance freely communicates the scope of his ambitions as a writer/director - at his best, it feels like his imagination has no limits. Levi is sort of a sentimental favorite for Chuck's final season, but his performance was really key to the show wrapping up its five-season arc in demonstrating Chuck's growth and maturity. McHale remains Community's chief straight man, but also lets us see Jeff giving himself over more and more to his friends' whims. Scott wore many different hats this season on Parks and Rec - romantic lead, unemployed sadsack, capable campaign manager - and proved to be a valuable part of the show's ensemble in all of them. It's a shame that NBC didn't want to give Bent a chance to grow an audience. It didn't get the opportunity to work all its kinks out, but always showed Walton off at his most charismatic.

Honorable Mentions: Will Arnett, Up All Night; Garret Dillahunt, Raising Hope; Rob Lowe, Parks and Recreation

I wouldn't be surprised to see: Tim Allen, Last Man Standing; Don Cheadle, House of Lies; Jon Cryer, Two and a Half Men; Larry David, Curb Your Enthusiasm; Johnny Galecki, The Big Bang Theory; Ed Helms, The Office; Ashton Kutcher, Two and a Half Men; Danny McBride, Eastbound and Down; Jim Parsons, The Big Bang Theory; Elijah Wood, Wilfred

Oh, to be in Nerd Heaven

I wish I could've spent the weekend bopping around the San Diego Convention Center instead of roasting in the open-air sauna of the East Coast. I'd still love to go in person someday, but the increasing presence of entertainment media means that you can cobble together somewhat of a virtual attendance from the safety of your air-conditioned home. I particularly love the snarky, self-aware videos shows will put together for their panels. Behold:

As time passes, I appreciate Jeffster in smaller and smaller doses, but this is pretty much the ideal use of their special talents.

Something about Zachary Quinto with the sandwich really cracks me up. (Do I need to say I love Ben Schwartz? I feel like I'm creeping ever-closer to embarrassing Lee-Pace-style gushing there.)

I wasn't a finale-hater, but I still love this. (How excellent is Titus Welliver? In the past TV season, he got sliced all to pieces and had his voice coming out of a stuffed animal. I feel like there should be some kind of special Emmy for something like that.)

Dream Emmy Ballot 2011: Lead Actor in a Comedy

Alec Baldwin - "Jack Donaghy", 30 Rock

Steve Carell - "Michael Scott", The Office

Zachary Levi - "Chuck Bartowski", Chuck

Joel McHale - "Jeff Winger", Community

Lucas Neff - "Jimmy Chance", Raising Hope

True Life: This is always the most difficult category for me. It seems that there are a lot of male-led comedies that I simply have no interest in watching. Or they're like buzzy arthouse movies - I feel more like I should watch them than I want to watch them. There were certainly performances I enjoyed, though. Baldwin did a great job with the art-imitating-life storylines with Kabletown and Jack becoming a father. Carell executed his final episodes as Michael Scott with both grace and humor. Levi did a lot of heavy lifting that carried some of Chuck's storylines (especially the one focused on Vivian Volkoff) through their weaknesses. McHale anchored Community with magnetic personality. Neff proved to be a great straight man among Greg Garcia's cast of wacky personalities.

Honorable Mention: Rob Lowe, Parks and Recreation

Not that I don't think Lowe wasn't delightful as Chris Traeger, or that I don't get why he or his agent or whoever decided on this strategy, but he doesn't belong in this category.

I wouldn't be surprised to see: Louis C.K., Louie; David Duchovny, Californication; Johnny Galecki, The Big Bang Theory; Thomas Jane, Hung; Matt LeBlanc, Episodes; Danny McBride, Eastbound and Down; Matthew Morrison, Glee; Jim Parsons, The Big Bang Theory; Matthew Perry, Mr. Sunshine; Jason Schwartzman, Bored to Death; William Shatner, $#*! My Dad Says

Dream Emmy Ballot 2011: Supporting Actress in a Comedy

Yvette Nicole Brown - "Shirley Bennett", Community

Busy Phillipps - "Laurie Keller", Cougar Town

Aubrey Plaza - "April Ludgate", Parks and Recreation

Naya Rivera - "Santana Lopez", Glee

Yvonne Strahovski - "Sarah Walker", Chuck

Sofia Vergara - "Gloria Delgado-Pritchett", Modern Family

Pregnancies involving suspect paternity can seem awfully cliched, but Brown did great work with Shirley struggling to maintain her cheery optimism in the face of a situation over which she has no control. I think Phillipps might best embody what's great about Cougar Town - the show's capacity for both deep silliness and emotional heartbreak. Plaza's arid deadpan is becoming a trademark, but the way she shows the flickers of April's affection for Andy and her coworkers makes her performance great. Rivera got the best material of this season of Glee in communicating both Santana's razor-sharp snarkiness and her roiling internal conflict. Strahovski is always great, but this year in particular she did a great job with Sarah in both action mode and in coming to terms with embracing a domestic commitment she hadn't previously envisioned for herself. Vergara moderates beautifully, letting Gloria be big without feeling too manic or shrill.

Honorable Mention: Julie Bowen, Modern Family; Alison Brie, Community; Rosemarie DeWitt, United States of Tara; Gillian Jacobs, Community; Brie Larson, United States of Tara; Christa Miller, Cougar Town; Heather Morris, Glee; Amy Ryan, The Office; Phyllis Somerville, The Big C; Casey Wilson, Happy Endings; the Perfect Couples ensemble of Mary Elizabeth Ellis, Olivia Munn and Christine Woods

I wouldn't be surprised to see: Jane Adams, Hung; Eve Best, Nurse Jackie; Mayim Bialik, The Big Bang Theory; Jenna Fischer, The Office; Anne Heche, Hung; Ellie Kemper, The Office; Jane Krakowski, 30 Rock; Jane Lynch, Glee; Anna Deavere Smith, Nurse Jackie; Betty White, Hot in Cleveland; Kristen Wiig, Saturday Night Live; Vanessa Williams, Desperate Housewives

Dream Emmy Ballot 2011: Guest Actor in a Comedy

Robert Clendenin - "Tom", Cougar Town

Darren Criss - "Blaine Anderson", Glee

Timothy Dalton - "Alexei Volkoff", Chuck

Eddie Izzard - "Dr. Jack Hattarras", United States of Tara

Jim Rash - "Dean Pelton", Community

Ben Schwartz - "Jean-Ralphio", Parks and Recreation

I don't think there's another actor or actress who got a better introductory scene this past year than Darren Criss did with "Teenage Dream." It was essentially Glee telling America to meet their new Fake TV Boyfriend, and I think Criss rose to the challenge. (Tangent: The more I think about it, the more I really wish they would do some sort of bit at the Emmys involving Darren Criss, Jon Cryer, and Ducky's lines from Pretty in Pink musing on the name "Blaine.") Dalton was far and away the best thing about Chuck this year, and is probably the best villain the show's ever had, playing Volkoff with a twinkle in his eye that made even psychotic threats of violence seem positively delightful. Clendenin, Rash and Schwartz all proved to be vital oddball contributors to their shows' universes in the second season of all three - Schwartz always throws himself whole-heartedly into Jean-Ralphio's oblivious toolishness, and Rash in particular gets bonus points for multiple costume changes, some involving short shorts. Izzard played well off of Toni Collette, infusing Tara with gravity as he took Hattaras from skeptic to believer.

Honorable Mentions: Will Arnett, 30 Rock; Kevin Corrigan, Community; Matt Damon, 30 Rock; Matt Dillon, Modern Family; Buck Henry, 30 Rock; Ken Howard, 30 Rock; John Lithgow, How I Met Your Mother; James Marsden, Modern Family; Justin Timberlake, Saturday Night Live; Stephen Tobolowsky, Community

I wouldn't be surprised to see: Alan Alda, 30 Rock; Tim Conway, Hot in Cleveland; Richard Dreyfuss, Weeds; Will Ferrell, The Office; Zach Galifianakis, Saturday Night Live; Don Johnson, Eastbound and Down; Michael Keaton, 30 Rock; Nathan Lane, Modern Family; Liam Neeson, The Big C; Carl Reiner, Hot in Cleveland; John Slattery, 30 Rock; John Stamos, Glee

Week in TV: October 10-16

Boardwalk Empire

Best episode yet, and a great episode for fleshing out previously underserved characters in Margaret, Gillian and Chalky. In some reviews I've read, people have found the scenes highlighting Margaret and Chalky somewhat heavy-handed, but then I don't know what period television they're watching where such moments are "expected" or "obvious." Maybe it's just years spent in history classes where people feel compelled to excuse "the way things were back then," but I think it's important to showcase resistant voices in media like this. Thinking critically about the past helps us understand then and now, and if this is the kind of writing that BE's going to continue to employ, then I'm in for the long haul.

Rubicon

I'll be honest, I really didn't think they would ultimately have the terrorist act seen through to completion, but I think that doing so distinguishes Rubicon from every other show airing right now. The whole season has gradually ratcheted up the tension in a glorious slow burn; many shows are daring, but few do so without also being showy. I'm on pins and needles waiting to see what happens in the finale - now that that tension has culminated in an explosion, what do the characters do next?

Mad Men

- Unusually low-key penultimate episode, at least as far as this show goes, which makes me a little concerned that something crazy is going to happen tonight. Like, both Sterling and Cooper keeling over dead or something. A plot point like Don publicly rejecting tobacco work represents a dramatic shift in the show - Lucky Strike is the client that forms the backbone of the pilot - but I think it would be uncharacteristic of Weiner to have some new savior show up in the finale. Most of the storylines feel right now like their implications are designed to play out in the long-term rather than the short-term - an exciting feeling after a finale, but an unnerving one beforehand.

- I usually like the oblique collection of out-of-context quotes that fill the "Next Time on Mad Men" teasers, but I wish that if they'd only been pulling from past episodes that they'd used the prior season finales rather than selections from this season. Not because I haven't liked this season (I definitely have) but because the past three finales are among the show's best episodes. A teaser with, say, Don's carousel speech and Peggy in the hospital from "The Wheel," Peggy's confession and Don's righteous smackdown of Duck from "Meditations in an Emergency," and various company-heist hijinks from "Shut the Door. Have a Seat." would actually get me excited about next week. As it is, I have to say I'm more intrigued to see how Rubicon closes out their season.

- This is mostly unrelated, but I really hope that somewhere among the lead-up to the Broadway arrival of the How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying revival we get a picture of Robert Morse and Daniel Radcliffe together. Just because I'm pretty sure it would be adorable.

Chuck

- I'm not dreaming, right? This season has been mad boring thus far? I'm sure a lot of outlets will blame it on Chuck and Sarah being together, but the problem is not their relationship as much as it's the fact that they never stop talking about their relationship. There's a rational level of insecurity involved in any new pairing, but I think we passed "rational" sometime in Season Three's back six and now we're veering off into "grating". All I know is when 8 on Monday rolls around, I increasingly want to watch 90210 live and time-shift Chuck instead of the other way around.

- I know I should probably be offended by the incidences of obvious product placement, but there's something so blatant about the way they mention Subway that it just makes me laugh.

Glee

- Now that's how you use a song from A Chorus Line.

- When the characters were reviewing their summer vacations in the premiere, did we somehow skip over Artie's lobotomy? Or are we supposed to believe that breaking up with Tina prompted some sort of dramatic break with rational thought? Where he seemed essentially smart, though occasionally misguided last season, now he just seems like he's taken leave of his senses. (The football thing stretches even the bounds of Glee's universe. Rules or not, there's no way that a school system lawyer wouldn't intervene in the interest of liability there. I'm pretty sure the apprehension of being sued transcends hyper-reality.) I just wish that he could've had a serious, low-key discussion with Brittany about the implications of losing his virginity instead of condemning her for manipulating him with her slatternly ways.

Sons of Anarchy

- I was struck in this episode by the difference between the ceremony involved in accepting or dismissing a member from the club and Jax's cursory break-up with Tara; I don't think SoA's ever before delineated quite so clearly the status of women in the club's milieu. I'm interested to see where Tara's path takes her now; I suspect that like Bill and Sookie on this past season of True Blood, she and Jax may be more interesting apart than they are together. It's not classy, but I'd love to see Tara totally lose her shit.

- Where's Wendy in all this kidnapping rigamarole? If I recall correctly, when last we saw her she was headed for a halfway house to become accustomed to sobriety. To some extent, it makes sense that they wouldn't tell her what's going on, in a variation of what kept them from sharing the news with Gemma for so long - don't alarm the recovering addict. But it would be nice if they'd mention her every once in a while, even if it's just to say that they're continuing to keep her in the dark.

Undercovers

Just what I was hoping for - oblique references to mysterious secrets! There may be hope for this show yet.

Hellcats

Perhaps the most pleasant surprise of the new crop of shows this fall, at least on the networks. The pilot was a little obnoxious, but Hellcats has actually turned out to not be terrible - its recent episodes have bestowed its main characters with decent development, and though it's depiction of both college cheerleading and the life of a pre-law student may not be 100% "accurate" in a real-world sense, the show does know its universe and communicate its ins-and-outs clearly. Special credit to Ashley Tisdale, who may be one of least broad actors to come out of the Disney/Nick machine in a while.

Terriers

Whenever I'm watching Sons of Anarchy and catch ads for Terriers, I'm struck by how mismarketed the show seems. The commercials highlight the goofy vibe and amiable banter between Donal Logue and Michael Raymond-James, and if I wasn't watching the show I think I'd think it was pretty lightweight. Since the third episode, though, the show's been tempering that goofiness with some serious doses of darkness that make the show unique, and very, very good. That last scene with Hank and Katie was heartbreaking, and the kind of scene that makes you realize that you've become totally invested in a show's characters.

30 Rock

- I can't believe this is the first time I've wondered this, but something about the use of the TGS sketches in the live show brought it to mind: Does SNL exist at 30 Rock's NBC?

- While I like Jon Hamm a lot, I've never really found Drew terribly funny, and I think his ad (in both versions of the show) was the most SNL-esque moment of the show just in distance from reality. Later in the evening I saw one of those Allstate "Mayhem" ads with Dean Winters, and thought how much funnier it could've been with an ad from Dennis instead.

Also Watched: How I Met Your Mother, 90210, Gossip Girl, Raising Hope, Detroit 1-8-7, Caprica, Modern Family, Cougar Town, Top Chef: Just Desserts, Law and Order: LA, Community, The Office, Grey's Anatomy, Private Practice, Degrassi, Gigantic, Law and Order: UK

Mood Music XXXVII

The start to the new television season means lots of DVR maneuvering and rationalizations about what my academic schedule can reasonably allow in hours-per-week. It also means that my profligate media hoarding gets fired up anew, particularly in the "music I hear on TV" niche. Hence, the full-length version of the Community theme (excerpted in the credits below) that appears on that show's newly-released soundtrack is now my new most favorite thing.

Honorable mention to the Black Keys' "Howlin' for You," used to great effect in the Chuck premiere.

Best of the 00s: Best TV Music Moments

Television offers so many different examples of the rich potential in uniting images and music - both original to the show and previously recorded. This list seems a little intense, but here's my chronologically-ordered rundown of some of my favorite television music moments of the decade:

"Lady" - Styx and Nick Andopolis (Jason Segel), Freaks and Geeks - "Boyfriends and Girlfriends" (1/16/00)

It seems fitting that this particular moment came only a few weeks into the decade, because Freaks and Geeks still feels so formative to me as a television viewer. There isn't much to say about this that I haven't already, but I'll add that I love that nearly a decade later I can still see Jason Segel being goofy on television on a weekly basis.

"Heat Wave" - Martha and the Vandellas, American Dreams - "Pilot" (9/29/02)

A few weeks ago, I was reading a quote from Jon Hamm where he observed that Mad Men is not American Dreams, particularly referring to the latter's featuring black characters within its narrative. The musical moment here, which comes about four minutes into the clip below, highlights the fundamental difference in tone between the decade's two major depictions of 1960s life - while Dreams featured many of the conflicts that defined the 60s, it also placed some value on a sense of warmth and community. The explosive sense of joy that came when "Heat Wave" kicked in, emblematic of the show's use of popular music, made this a truly wonderful pilot.

"Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me" - Clay Aiken, American Idol - "Season Two Wild Card Performance Show" (3/4/03)

True Confessions Alert: When the second season of Idol aired, I was sixteen years old and I loved Clay Aiken. I was never one of those fans that was deeply invested in his mythic heterosexuality - I just though he had a beautiful singing voice, and voted for him every single week. There are other performances I could have chosen (this past week's Community reminded me of how much I liked his "Somewhere Out There," and he had one of the few non-terrible finale songs in many seasons of the show) but I went with the wild card performance that got him into the top 12.

"Shakin'" - Rooney, The O.C. - "The Third Wheel" (1/7/04)

Before they added the Bait Shack in Season Two and built performances by popular musicians into the show, the first season episode featuring this performance by Rooney felt novel. (To me - I mean, I wasn't old enough to have seen the same kind of thing on previous teen shows.) It also remains a favorite for introducing me to a band I continue to love.

"If You Leave" - Nada Surf, The O.C. - "The Goodbye Girl" (3/3/04)

Music Supervisor Alexandra Patsavas has been behind several TV music moments that prompted me to then purchase said music - I believe this was the first. She chose several gorgeous covers for moments on The O.C. - Ryan Adams' take on "Wonderwall," Petra Haden's "Yellow" - but this may have been the best. It featured the departure of a great character before that kind of thing took the show downhill, and drew upon the John Hughes music legacy without feeling forced.

"It Ain't Easy Being White" - G.O.B. and Franklin Delano Bluth (Will Arnett), Arrested Development - "Righteous Brothers" (4/16/05)

Was there ever a more perfect representation of G.O.B.'s all-consuming self-absorption than Franklin? This song serves as just one example of what made Arrested Development totally unlike anything else on television.

"Muffin Top" - Jenna Maroney (Jane Krakowski), 30 Rock - "Jack-Tor" (11/16/06)

I think it says a lot about popular dance music of the decade that this is what a parody of it sounds like. Props to Jane Krakowski for her 100% commitment to Jenna's insanity and total lack of self-knowledge.

Muffin Top - Celebrity bloopers here

"Let's Go to the Mall" - Robin Sparkles (Cobie Smulders), How I Met Your Mother - "Slap Bet" (11/20/06)

I think with How I Met Your Mother, a lot of people can't get past their association of the multi-camera setup and the laugh track as relics of a bygone age of comedy. It's too bad for them, because then they miss awesome stuff like "Let's Go to the Mall," the denouement of perhaps the show's best episode. It is simultaneously hilariously goofy and insanely catchy, making it a winner in every way.

"Open Your Eyes" - Snow Patrol, The Black Donnellys - "Pilot" (2/26/07)

This comes from a time when Snow Patrol seemed to be everywhere, particularly "Chasing Cars." This is an example of a song that I heard previously on another show (Grey's Anatomy in this case) but in this specific circumstance, it made me sit up and pay attention. The cascading notes that close the song, paired with the pilot's framing of the violent origins of a destructive crime family, gave the scene a dire, apocalyptic air that I still remember even though the show was short-lived.

"Wild World" - Cast, Skins - "Everyone" (3/22/07)

To some extent, this moment is emblematic of how significant music can be to a show, and how much can get lost in translation. The music rights for Skins, a British show, don't apply to the U.S. releases of the show, which in most places just means that popular songs get switched out for genre-similar approximations. However, the DVD version of the first season finale cuts out this moment - where members of the cast sing the Cat Stevens classic - out completely, causing a scene jump that makes little narrative sense. On top of that, it's also a unique, beautiful moment that serves as an example of what makes Skins so excellent.

YouTube won't let me embed: Link

"All Along the Watchtower" - Bear McCreary, Battlestar Galactica - "Crossroads, Part Two" (3/25/07)

"Crossroads, Part Two" was the first BSG episode that I ever watched on a television (as opposed to my computer) and the closing moments featuring this song epitomized that increase in quality. The ties between the people BSG depicted and people today was always sketchy - references to "Earth" and Greek gods made it clear that we weren't totally distinct, but bringing in Bob Dylan to *spoiler alert!* introduce four of the final five Cylons was a gamechanger. BSG composer McCreary's take on "Watchtower" is hauntingly beautiful, and though the associated backstory introduced in the show's fourth season never completely worked for me, the closing shot of this episode zooming in on our Earth is one of the show's best.

Someone's super-litigious, as I can't even find the associated clip on YouTube. This is one of many coupling McCreary's take on the song with pictures from the show: Link

"Sweet Dreams" - Eurythmics, So You Think You Can Dance - "Season Three Top Six Performance Show" (8/8/07)

The third season of SYTYCD is still my favorite - I think it was the one group of dancers that had an ideal balance between technical ability, versatility and personality. This is my all-time favorite routine of the show - the moment where Neil does the "plange" (my phonetic spelling) propelling himself up and over Sabra on the table, it felt like time was standing still.

"Hopelessly Devoted to You" - Olive Snook (Kristin Chenoweth), Pushing Daisies - "Dummy" (10/10/07)

There's a moment at the end of the Pushing Daisies pilot where Ned and Chuck hold their hands behind their backs, pretending to be holding each other's hand, where when I originally watched it I thought to myself, "I think I love this show." This moment, from the second episode, is when I thought to myself, "I know I love this show."

"Stripper" - Sohodolls, Gossip Girl - "Victor Victrola" (11/7/07)

From yet another Patsavas-supervised show, this moment functioned as the genesis for a great TV couple in Blair Waldorf and Chuck Bass, and also served notice that Gossip Girl was decidedly departing from its source material.

"Mr. Roboto" - Jeffster (Scott Krinsky and Vik Sahay), Chuck - "Chuck vs. The Ring" (4/27/09)

This moment, from Chuck's second-season finale, represents the kind of go-for-broke spirit that defines the show's tone and makes its fans love it so fervently. That this was written and made it to air well before the creative personnel knew that the show would be renewed for another season just makes it that much better.

"Don't Stop Believin'" - Cast, Glee - "Pilot" (5/19/09)

Just when it starts to feel like network television is stagnating, something like Glee comes along. The pilot builds all the way up to this joyous burst of song, which managed to make "Don't Stop Believin'" feel fresh even at the close of a decade where it appeared regularly across channels and shows.

08-09 TV Season: Looking Back and Ahead

Reflecting on this past season in television put me in the mood for a mondo-post. Clips abound! (Hulu ones are clips, not full episodes) First, ten awesome finale moments, in no particular order:

Chuck - "Guys? I know kung fu."

It's a ballsy move, sticking a game-changing cliffhanger with a "To Be Continued" at the end of a show with uncertain prospects for returning.  Chris Fedak and Josh Schwartz practically dared NBC to incur the wrath of fans by canceling the show, a gamble that thankfully paid off.  Now they've got at least 13 episodes to prove that this change was a good one - I can't wait to see what happens.

How I Met Your Mother - Barney and Robin work through their issues

The writers of HIMYM were armed and ready for the Moonlighting-invoking naysayers with this one, bringing their two commitment-phobes together in a way that satisfied the tension that's lingered between them all season without resorting to anything out of character.  It helps that Neil Patrick Harris and Cobie Smulders have a) excellent chemistry and b) deft comedic timing.  At this point, I could kind of care less about who Ted ends up with - I just want to see more of Barney and Robin trying to navigate their romantic minefield together.

Grey's Anatomy - 007

Every time I think I'm finally done with Grey's, Shonda Rhimes manages to pull me back in with a stroke of televisual genius.  The writers managed to build the rumored departures of T.R. Knight and Katherine Heigl into an emotionally tense hour of television with a doozy of an ambiguous ending.  One of my favorite feelings in television watching is when a moment causes my stomach to drop to my feet, the kind of moment that makes me say "Oh, shit" aloud, even if I'm watching alone in my living room.  The moment when Meredith realizes who the John Doe is (about 1:35 in the clip) was one of those.  I literally cannot stop myself from reading spoilers, so I knew something awful was going to happen to George, but I was still shocked, and that's good TV.  I'm excited to see what they do with this ending - any combination of George and Izzie living or dying has potential repercussions and hours of story. 

Lost - Juliet detonates the bomb

In many ways, this moment (at the very end of the clip, around 1:55) is about what's to come.  There are no clues as to whether the detonation will have the intended effect of hitting the reset button and preventing the plane crash and the wait until 2010 will be excruciating.  However, I had to give a spot to this moment because of the amazing job Elizabeth Mitchell does communicating Juliet's desperation.  Her determination not to die for nothing rendered the final moments of Lost Season 5 both heartbreaking and breathtaking.  I can't believe the crazy ride of this show is almost over, and I anxiously await the final chapter.

The Office - Jim & Pam's big news

Jim and Pam speak to the heart of the part of me that is totally a crazypants shipper about everything I watch.  I love them, I love them being happy, and this moment was beautifully done.  Unbelievable physical acting by John Krasinski and Jenna Fischer.

Gossip Girl - Chuck and Blair finally get their shit together

Alas, YouTube (or, rather, the CW's lawyers) won't let me embed this one.  Sometimes Gossip Girl can seem like a never-ending dance of "will they or won't they," which makes a denouement like this particularly satisfying.  Ed Westwick and Leighton Meester have some of the best chemistry on television, and they sell the sweet moments just as well as the combative ones.  Who knows what Stephanie Savage and co. will do with this relationship next season, but it's nice to have the two of them happy, even if it doesn't last.

Friday Night Lights - Tyra gets into UT

When I found out that I got into my first-choice school, over the phone from my mother while I was at school working on the newspaper, I sank to the ground and started crying.  In retrospect, it was probably pretty embarrassing, but nothing matches that specific feeling of elation, an emotion which shines through in this scene. All credit to Friday Night Lights, the writers and the actors for creating this wonderfully rendered world of authentically realized characters.  The journey of Tyra from the pilot until now (including the murder and drug-addled cowboy boyfriend) has been a joy to watch.  (Narrowly missing the slot, and deserving of an honorable mention: Matt taking his grandmother away from the nursing home.  Zach Gilford is regularly heartbreaking on this show, and that moment made me weep.)

Fringe - Leonard f-ing Nimoy!

I watched Fringe intermittently this season - when it went into its midseason hiatus, I felt like I wasn't really following the mythology, and when it came back I wasn't sure that I cared enough to pick it back up.  However, when I heard that J.J. Abrams, Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman had capitalized on their Star Trek work and gotten Leonard Nimoy to play shadowy Big Bad William Bell, I knew I had to watch.  I don't have much more to say about that, beyond: Leonard f-ing Nimoy!  I extended the clip beyond his appearance to include the final shot of the alternate-universe Twin Towers, an indelible image that closed out the season with a bang.

ER - Life goes on

Ultimately, the ER finale spanned the entire season, bringing back old cast members in flashbacks and reunions to compose a body of work that honored the show's fifteen years and millions of fans.  At the beginning of the season, I thought that the ideal final scene would be a montage of daily life snapshots of the show's departed doctors.  This was just as good - an episode showing the ER continuing to work, right up until the end.  If you had told me when she was recurring on the show years ago that I would be glad to see Hallee Hirsch show up in the finale, I would have laughed right in your face, but her return as Rachel Greene managed to bring the show full circle without seeming too forced.  I love the final shot, when it pans out to show the exterior of County General in full for the first time, scored by the show's excellent theme song.

Battlestar Galactica - Roslin at rest

When we first meet Laura Roslin in the BSG miniseries, she is learning that she has cancer.  It remained as the specter haunting her through remission and recurrence, always threatening to keep her from shepherding the human race to a safe haven.  There was something undeniably peaceful about the "Dying Leader," having seen her seemingly impossible mission achieved, simply slipping away.  When I first watched this, I was crying so hard I was not breathing.  Even now, getting the clip, I still teared up.  There were some unsatisfactory things about the final season of BSG, but this was not one of them.

Honorable Mention:

30 Rock - Kenneth's cousin

Ultimately, the 30 Rock finale wasn't quite there for me - there was a lot about it that was funny (especially Liz's talk show romance advice - "Sir, have you ever kissed a gentleman?") but the season was just a bit less cohesive than its predecessors.  However, I must honor my 16-year-old self and acknowledge that I was kind of thrilled to see Clay Aiken in the finale, especially with the allusion to him being Kenneth's cousin.  I hope they do something more with this in the future - there's potential there.

Life on Mars - ...what?

I didn't really watch this show, but after I saw the finale of the UK version, with the classic tragic-time-traveler ending of the protagonist committing suicide, I was curious to see how the American version would end.  I was rewarded with one of the most batshit crazy things I've seen in quite some time.  I love insane things just about as much as I love really high-quality things, so this seemed like the place to shout out Life on Mars for some truly excellent crazy.

And looking ahead, five(-plus) fall returns to television about which I am psyched.

Michelle Forbes - True Blood

Technically, this is in two weeks, not the fall, and Forbes has been on TV recently on In Treatment.  However, I had to give this one a slot for returning her to what she did so awesomely as Admiral Cain on Battlestar Galactica - crazy bitch mode.  Even if True Blood and its literary source material hadn't become my new crazy-ass obsession (I'm sure I'll address this more fully in some other post, but apparently my childhood vampire phobia was keeping me from experiencing some seriously out-of-control, totally unhealthy pop-culture obsessions) I would still be psyched about getting to see her do what she does best yet again.

Thomas Calabro and Laura Leighton - Melrose Place

This is essentially what I wished for three years ago, but potentially more awesome because they're actually returning to play the same characters.  I love a good primetime soap opera - hopefully, this one will embrace the true Aaron Spelling spirit and really go for broke.

Kristin Chenoweth and Victor Garber - Glee

Both cast members on post-writers' strike second season casualties on ABC (Pushing Daisies and Eli Stone), I hope with all my heart that these Broadway vets will be utilized to the full extent of their abilities in guest spots on Glee. (The clip is my personal favorite part of the Glee pilot - the introduction of Rachel Berry.  Her Type-A persona seems like it could become grating, but Lea Michele absolutely sells the whole thing, from the way she smiles as she dabs at her tears, to the whole gay dads segment.  Also, I love "On My Own" - it's a gorgeous, heart-rending song, especially when it's performed well.)

Busy Phillips - Cougar Town

A post that keeps floating around in my mind but never quite making it to the blog is "Actresses from Past Judd Apatow Productions Who I Wish Were Getting the Same Boost in Fame as Their Male Counterparts," and I thought I'd mention that because Busy Phillips is at the top of that list.  Kim Kelly was a truly unique television character, and more than nearly any other character on Freaks and Geeks, I really wanted to know what would happen with her in the future.  As far as this fall is concerned, I really hope that Cougar Town will be better (specifically, less desperate for relevance) than it seems in this preview.

Tina Majorino - The Deep End

What I said about Percy Daggs goes for Tina Majorino, too.  Her work on Veronica Mars was stellar, and I'm glad to see her continuing to get work.  Former child stars who keep their shit together and prove to be good actors as adults don't get nearly enough credit, or at least they get overshadowed by the ones with drug problems.  Props to Tina for staying awesome.

A Semi-Idle (But Still On-Topic) Observation on Music

I was watching this week's episode of Chuck, where they used the original version of this song, and I realized when I started unthinkingly singing along that I've officially seen Boogie Nights enough times to have learned it.

I cannot help but laugh at the terrible, terrible singing and John C. Reilly bopping along manically in the background.  This is even related to the current theme, since the music on Chuck is supervised by Alexandra Patsavas, who is also the music supervisor for Twilight.  Here, she talks about the music for Chuck:

Now, initially I was unsure if the obsession would extend to the soundtrack, I was waiting to see the tracklist.  But when I heard that Patsavas was in charge, I knew it was an automatic pre-order.  Her work on shows like The O.C. and Grey's Anatomy have resulted, for me, in untold numbers of "What is that song? I must find out what it is, who sings it and how I can own it RIGHT NOW" moments.  Taking on the Twilight soundtrack is no small feat, due to Stephenie Meyer's book playlists, but the track listing shows a balance between new or different songs and some from Meyer's favorites.  Patsavas truly has a way with pairing music and other media - I'm looking forward to getting the soundtrack next week and hearing it in the film.