There are lots of TV shows I miss. But then there are the characters: individual performances so good they came alive, and I still wonder about them. It's one thing to mourn a show for awhile, another to ask yourself years later, "Whatever happened to...?" as if that person was real.

Here are ten TV characters that I still think about, in (almost) chronological order of their departures.

1. Jennifer Sampson in Line of Fire, as played by Julie Ann Emery (2003)

I'm putting this one first because this is the character that gave me the idea for this piece. Sometimes I feel like I was the o...

Happy Birthday to 8 Simple Rules actress Kaley Cuoco (1985), The Girl Next Door star Elisha Cuthbert (1982), American Idol winner Clay Aiken (1978), Detroit Tigers catcher Ivan "Pudge" Rodriguez (1971), comedic actor Ben Stiller (1965), British rocker Billy Idol (1955), stage and screen actor Mandy Patinkin (1952), playwright David Mamet (1947), Deep Purple bassist Roger Glover (1945), film director Ridley Scott (1937), activist Abbie Hoffman (1936), TV producer and New Year's Eve host Dick Clark (1929), actor Robert Guillaume (1927), Rambo actor Richard Crenna (1927; d. 2003), Prime Minis...

Happy Birthday to 8 Simple Rules actress Kaley Cuoco (1985), The Girl Next Door star Elisha Cuthbert (1982), American Idol winner Clay Aiken (1978), Detroit Tigers catcher Ivan "Pudge" Rodriguez (1971), comedic actor Ben Stiller (1965), British rocker Billy Idol (1955), stage and screen actor Mandy Patinkin (1952), playwright David Mamet (1947), Deep Purple bassist Roger Glover (1945), film director Ridley Scott (1937), activist Abbie Hoffman (1936), TV producer and New Year's Eve host Dick Clark (1929), actor Robert Guillaume (1927), Rambo actor Richard Crenna (1927; d. 2003), Prime Minis...

TV Land is in high gear as it kicks off the summer with new originals, the addition of favorites such as The Jeffersons, classic marathons such as Little House and the Prairie, and other programming throughout August. Over the course of the summer, the network will premiere brand new episodes of “TV Land's Top Ten” and unveil the new series "My First Time."

In addition, the network will showcase movies such as Grease, Caddyshack and "Behind the Camera: The Unauthorized Story of Three's Company."

Below is a detailed list of summer programming for TV Land:

TV Land's Top Ten (s...

Happy Birthday to 8 Simple Rules actress Kaley Cuoco (1985), The Girl Next Door star Elisha Cuthbert (1982), American Idol runner-up Clay Aiken (1978), Detroit Tigers catcher Ivan "Pudge" Rodriguez (1971), comedic actor Ben Stiller (1965), British rocker Billy Idol (1955), stage and screen actor Mandy Patinkin (1952), playwright David Mamet (1947), Deep Purple bassist Roger Glover (1945), film director Ridley Scott (1937), activist Abbie Hoffman (1936), TV producer and New Year's Eve host Dick Clark (1929), actor Robert Guillaume (1927), Rambo actor Richard Crenna (1927; d. 2003), Prime Mi...