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...

2011 was a fantastic year for entertainment. Here are my eleven favorite things from the year that's about to wrap, in chronological order...

1. Southland, TNT

(Season 3 began January 4)

I have to admit that I didn't keep up with TNT's gritty Los Angeles cop drama as much as I would have liked; it fell victim to sharing Tuesday nights with three other shows on my watch list. Yet when I did find time to catch it, I was no less than impressed every time.

There's been talk about the show's TV-MA content (allegedly the reason that NBC axed it), but the real talking point should be the st...

An admission: I love the Fast & Furious films. So give me Hawaii Five-0 taking after the Fast & Furious films, and I'm a happy girl.

The show opens big, with Honolulu Police cruisers trying to catch a speedy flame-red set of wheels and finding a whole host of beautiful cars inside locked shipping containers. One of them has a dead body sans fingerprints in the trunk. This allows us to use Hawaii's car culture as the episode's backdrop. (It also means Lauren German gets primped as if she's trying to channel Michelle Rodriguez - if Rodriguez's Letty had driven a bait car.) There are ...

Eddie Cibrian bares his chest in a new marketing campaign for luxury home brand, Charisma®. Since his wife LeAnn Rimes often poses provocatively in Twitter pics, we're sure she supports her hubby in this campaign.

Cibrian stars in NBC's upcoming new TV series "The Playboy Club," set to debut September 19. He has also starred in "Third Watch," "Invasion" and "CSI: Miami."

The Fall 2011 Charisma campaign will debut in October issues of lifestyle and shelter magazines such as Elle Décor, Traditional Home, House Beautiful and Gotham and will also be featured online.

In honor of Father’s Day on June 19, we're counting down the Hottest Celebrity Dads.

President Barack Obama

Whether you’re are a republican, a democrat or an independent, there is no denying that President Barack Obama, father to Malia, 12, and Sasha, 10, is the dapperest of dads. Whether he’s wearing power suits on Air Force One or rocking dad jeans at a Wizards game, the First Father always makes me proud to be an American.

Eddie Cibrian

I was a fan of the ridiculously hot Eddie Cibrian and his dimples years before his new wife, LeAnn Rimes, stopped singing…and eating. It star...

There's no group of people that I love seeing on the small screen than the police. Having been there and done that, I have a certain affection for good portrayals of the men and women in law enforcement. Now that we've recently celebrated Police Week, here's my tribute to the TV cops (note: not federal agents or anything else - just cops!) who've left impressions on me over the years.

Sergeant Joe Friday (Jack Webb) and Detective Ben Gannon (Harry Morgan), NBC's Dragnet

My earliest memories of TV cops have to do with one of the most storied franchises in the genre. Thanks to Nick ...

(*Firstly, if you don't get the joke in the title, visit Failblog. I'll wait.)

There's been a tremendous response to my Tuesday article about the reasons why I'm not excited about TV romance. It's been really awesome to hear from fans of various shows and pairings, who wrote in with their own opinions and ideas, and helped create a great discussion of the topic and the issues surrounding it - most importantly, with respect for me and for each other.

As is natural and perfectly fine, there were some people who disagreed with my lack of enthusiasm. One reader suggested that romantic r...

Season five of Burn Notice is underway in Miami, and I'm certainly looking forward to it! Thankfully, I don't have to do any spy work to get the dish; I went straight to one of the experts - series star and January People Who Are Awesome honoree Coby Bell, who's ready for his second season as burned counterintelligence expert Jesse Porter. Coby and I sat down Wednesday to talk about what Burn Notice fans can expect when the show bows in the summer, as well as the recently-concluded fourth season of his other series, BET's The Game. Spoiler alert!

You've just started shooting season ...

Coby Bell tops my list of People Who Are Awesome because not only does he exemplify what this column is about, but he went from unknown to awesome in eight months.

There's so much attention given to those celebs who make headlines for all the wrong reasons, and not enough given to those who are honestly good people. I decided I wanted to devote some column space each month to recognizing those awesome individuals you might not know, and the moment I made that choice, I knew I had to start with Coby. It still blows my mind that eight months ago I had no idea who he was. In June of 2...

Here's a way to start off a new year of TV viewing: TNT brings back the acclaimed cop drama Southland for its third season tomorrow night at 10 PM. Season three is the longest that the show has seen yet (ten episodes, up from seven in season one and eight in season two), and it's been highly anticipated (not to mention heavily promoted). Is it worth it?

You bet.

The characters haven't gone stagnant in the time between seasons; in fact, they've all got new problems to deal with. Lydia (Regina King, still criminally underrated) has a new and somewhat reckless partner, Josie Ochoa (gue...

Michael Cudlitz may be television's most recognized law enforcement official. He's played cops, sheriffs, FBI agents, and even done voice work for the popular Call of Duty video game series. Currently, he's polishing up his LAPD badge for another tour of duty as Officer John Cooper on Southland, the gritty cop drama rescued from NBC and moving to TNT for its third season. Before Southland returns on January 4, Michael sat down with me to talk about coming back to the series and his long history behind a badge.

These last few months must have been a real roller-coaster ride for you, to b...

The American version of the highly acclaimed Australian comedy Kath & Kim stars Molly Shannon and Selma Blair as a wild mother and daughter. The complete series is now available. Also on DVD: Matlock season 3, Murder She Wrote season 10, Reno 911 season six, Third Watch season 2.

Sometimes it seems as if the world is crashing in on itself. It’s the job of the first responders to hold it together. Police, firefighters, paramedics: The men and women of the 3-11 PM shift called third watch are ready to serve in situations ranging from small (attending to a frequent 9-1-1 dialer) to playful (a football match between fire departments) to harrowingly large and complex (tracking an elusive sniper who targets cops).

The original team of heroes returns and an FDNY newcomer joins them in a 22-episode Season Two that combines the rigors of duty with compelling vignettes of...

When Michael Cudlitz and I last spoke, back in April, I used some, well, (ahem) colorful language during an interview junket -- a junket that everyone but me thought was on live local television -- to describe his character on Southland, Officer John Cooper. We finally get a chance to go one-on-one and clear the air over that moment and, more importantly, discuss tonight's season finale of Southland (airing at 10 pm ET on NBC) along with his experience on Band of Brothers and working with John Cusack in Grosse Point Blank.

Michael Cudlitz: You're the guy who said, "You're a dick."

...

A&E is a great channel to catch up on The Sopranos, Third Watch, and CSI Miami and to indulge in their reality show lineup. A&E's most popular reality shows include Criss Angel Mindfreak, Dog The Bounty Hunter, and Gene Simmons Family Jewels. There are a few others that you should be watching; here are the top picks.

Intervention, Mondays at 8:00 PM

Why it's great: It's very inspiring and powerful yet makes you feel a little better about yourself, however wrong that may be! Family and friends of addicts unsuspectingly meet with a counselor and stage an intervention for the peop...

The time and financial constraints of the writers' strike are being felt this TV pilot season. The broadcast networks are developing half the number of pilots they usually do, ordering presentations in lieu of pilots for some and giving others the straight to series order.

Aside from NBC, which announced its schedule ahead of the pack last week, the networks have kept their plans for fall shrouded in mystery. We'll learn more during the networks' May upfronts. While we can't make any guarantees about which series will get the vote of confidence, here are some promising players to keep...

Third Watch centers on the professional and personal lives of New York City police officers, firemen, and paramedics. Season one is now on DVD. Also in stores: seasons one and two of Perfect Strangers, season two of Brotherhood, and seasons three of Beauty & The Beast and Soul Food.

* Actress Kim Raver likes TV shows with numbers - after finding fame as a star on firefighter drama Third Watch, the actress became a regular on 24 and now she's set to star in another tense drama series, "The Nine."

* Jenna Fischer, star of The Office, was once fired as a kennel assistant for being "too nice" to the dogs. The canine lover also had to quit her job as a dog walker after discovering she was allergic to dog hair.

* Ashlee Simpson has put her Hollywood home on the market for $6 million. The dream house comes with a 1,300 square-foot closet.

* A dress worn by Juli...