2006 has been a TV year to remember for all that it has given and all that it has taken away.

It gives us "Ugly Betty" but takes away "Everwood." "Friday Night Lights" appears, while "West Wing" disappears.

I suppose there must be balance in the Force.

Despite my continuing sadness over the demise of some shows, I'd like to give a big old hug to the network execs who decided that serialized shows deserved some love alongside those pesky crime procedurals.

Without them, people might waste time doing something productive, like cleaning or saving the whales.

Instead, hours upon countless hours have been spent on new shows "Heroes" and "Jericho," and old favorites "Lost" and "24."

Sure, the traditional comedy has taken a hit in the past couple of years with the loss of "Everybody Loves Raymond" and "Friends," but "The New Adventures of Old Christine" has gotten a gazillion times better and even "The Class" shows signs of life now and again. The hilarious "Scrubs" is back and NBC also gave us Tina Fey's decent "30 Rock."

Add in "The Office" and "How I Met Your Mother" and that's a whole lot of comedies that don't make me ill.

If only ABC could see beyond the success of its dramas and try to develop a comedy without Jim Belushi in it.

To celebrate everything that went right in 2006, yours truly plus fellow Tribune staffers and TV addicts Jan Jonas and Phil Parker are counting down our favorite shows, characters, pairings and moments.

And just for giggles, we included canceled shows we're going to miss and shows we wish we had a chance to miss - "7th Heaven," I'm talking to you.

Top 10 shows of 2006

1. "Brothers and Sisters"

I alternate between wanting to throttle the Walker clan and wishing I could be one of them.

2. "Grey's Anatomy"

Love the humor and romance but wish to high heaven that they'd get rid of the Meredith voiceover.

3. "Battlestar Galactica"

Brutal political and religious commentary set in space with awesome romantic tension, too.

4. "Jericho"

I love that all the things we take for granted are completely gone because of the bombs, and the people of Jericho don't even know who to thank.

5. "The Office"

Only show that makes the inanities of daily worklife hysterical.

6. "Lost"

With the addition of Irishman Desmond, the circle of hotties is complete and the mysteries keep bringing me back for more.

7. "Veronica Mars"

Witty, gritty and full of good tunes.

8. "The Closer"

While Brenda's lipstick horrifies, I'm entranced by her way of solving priority homicides.

9. "Ugly Betty"

She ain't so pretty, but Betty has the best heart and coolest family. It's swell that there's a good show besides "American Idol" that everyone can watch together. Awww . . .

10. "How I Met Your Mother"

Tomcat Barney continues to be "legendary," and I still care how Ted eventually met his baby's mama because the writers keep bringing the funny every week.

Top five characters

1. Dwight Schrute (Rainn Wilson), "The Office"

2. Cristina Yang (Sandra Oh), "Grey's Anatomy"

3. William Adama (Edward James Olmos), "Battlestar Galactica"

4. House (Hugh Laurie), "House"

5. Bree Van De Kamp (Marcia Cross), "Desperate Housewives"

Top five moments

1. Jim smooches Pam and shares his feelings on "The Office."

2. Hawkins pushes pins into a map to show which cities were attacked on "Jericho."

3. Michael shoots Ana Lucia and Libby on "Lost."

4. Cylons take over New Caprica on "Battlestar Galactica."

5. The fun-loving, happy hippies win "The Amazing Race."

Best onscreen pairing

1. Denny Crane (William Shatner)/Alan Shore (James Spader), "Boston Legal"

2. Lee Adama (Jamie Bamber)/Kara Thrace (Katee Sackhoff), "Battlestar Galactica"

3. John Shepherd (Joe Flanigan)/Rodney McKay (David Hewlett), "Stargate: Atlantis"

4. Hiro Nakamura (Masi Oka)/Ando Masahashi (James Kyson Lee), "Heroes"

5. Michael Scofield (Wentworth Miller) /Sara Tancredi (Sarah Wayne Callies), "Prison Break"

I'm in mourning over:

"Kidnapped"

"Everwood"

"The Nine"

Cancel these shows

"7th Heaven"

"Nip/Tuck"

"According to Jim"

Jan Jonas

Top 10 shows of 2006

1. "NCIS"

Gibbs' smile, DiNozzo's antics, Abby's wardrobe, Ducky's stories. What's not to like? Well, maybe Ziva's everything.

2. "The Unit"

Please, Mac, take me away.

3. "Friday Night Lights"

It's football, for Pete's sake.

4. "24"

You have to ask?

5. "Bones"

Gross, maybe, but gotta love the bones and Dr. Jack Hodgins, the dirt-and-bugs guy.

6. "Jericho"

Let's all pray Jake is available in our time of need.

7. "Justice"

What lawyers are like when you have money and they have money.

8. "Smallville"

Such scruples. There are things Clark Kent won't do, but is there anything he can't do?

9. "Eureka"

I want that underground, sweet-talking, drink-making house.

10. "Saved"

What smart alecks!

Top five characters

1. Leroy Jethro Gibbs (Mark Harmon), "NCIS"

2. Abby Sciuto (Pauley Perrette), "NCIS"

3. Jonas Blane (Dennis Haysbert), "The Unit"

4. Lex Luthor (Michael Rosenbaum), "Smallville"

5. Jack Bauer (Keifer Sutherland), "24"

Top five moments

1. Tony Almeida is shot and killed, then Edgar Stiles dies, "24."

This makes room for new characters?

2. Lyla gets it on with Tim Riggins, "Friday Night Lights."

Hmmm. Hunky boyfriend in bed all the time or available bad boy. Who could choose?

3. Jonas Blane lets African dictator die during hurricane, "The Unit."

I guess he kills lots of bad guys.

4. Tony DiNozzo works for Director Jenny Shepard on the sly, "NCIS."

Anything else we ought to know?

5. Farmer Eric Green and IRS snooper Mimi Clark enjoy close company, "Jericho."

Saw it coming, but didn't think it'd be so creepy.

Best onscreen pairings

1. Clark Kent (Tom Welling) and anybody but insipid Lana Lang (Kristen Kruek), "Smallville"

2. Gus (Dul‚ Hill)/Shawn Spencer (James Roday), "Psyche"

3. Special Agent Seeley Booth (David Boreanaz)/Dr. Temperance "Bones" Brennan (Emily Deschanel), "Bones"

4. Dr. Larry Fleinhardt (Peter MacNicol)/Megan Reeves (Diane Farr), "Numbers"

5. Matt Albie (Matthew Perry)/Danny Tripp (Bradley Whitford), "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip"

I'm in mourning over:

"Vanished": Watch it on my computer? On that tiny screen. Ick.

"Justice": Bye, bye, Kerr.

Cancel these shows

"Lost": Who are all those people and why do we care?

"American Idol": Even the good singers are bad singers.

"Survivor": I know, I know, but just shoot me now, or shoot them now.

All sitcoms: Get rid of the laugh track and I'll watch. I think I know when I hear something funny.

Phil Parker

Top 10 shows of 2006

1. "The Wire"

The best TV show I've ever seen, and it's not even close. There are no detours or subplots in "The Wire." Every single scene plays an important part in telling the story of how the seeds of a violent drug trade are planted on the streets and grow all the way to the mayor's office. "The Wire" is complicated in the best sense of the word. I love this show.

2. "The Shield"

The best season yet, as Vic Mackey and his Strike Team fought to evade an obsessed investigator determined to nail them for killing a cop five years ago. They did it . . . in the series' very first episode. That's how you tell a story.

3. "24"

It has always been fearless, and this season Jack Baugher took on a corrupt U.S. president using all the power of his office for protection. This series puts other action-driven entertainment (including the movies) to shame.

4. "Lost"

I was like a junkie for "Lost" when the first-season DVDs came out, and it's only gotten better with time. When you have no idea what's going on, each hard-core episode has a surprise or four.

5. "The Office"

Totally hilarious. Steve Carell is a genius and every single character brings something funny to the table.

6. "Battlestar Galactica"

I get made fun of - a lot - for liking this show. Your loss. The "Battlestar" story of humans trying to survive extinction has become darker and more intense than ever this year. There's nothing else like it.

7. "Friday Night Lights"

A serial drama about sports that is genuinely terrific. We've only been waiting . . . forever? Each episode has the look and feel of a movie, and if some of these scenes don't give you goose bumps, go buy a soul.

8. "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia"

A scream. I knew I was hooked when Mac posed as a killer of abortion doctors to lock down a religious hottie.

9. "The Sopranos"

I've given up hoping this show will return to the form of the series' first three seasons, but it's still "The Sopranos" and I still can't stop watching.

10. "Costas NOW"

Bob Costas understands sports like no one else on television. Every episode is packed with fascinating segments.

Top five characters

1. Omar Little (Michael K. Williams), "The Wire"

No one plays the game like Omar. Like some deranged combination of Shakespeare and Tarantino's best characters, the gay gangster is constantly (and fearlessly) declaring war on Baltimore's most powerful drug dealers. Smart, ruthless and funny.

2. Jon Kavanaugh (Forest Whitaker), "The Shield"

Apparently, internal affairs cops are some of the most psychotic people on the planet. Whitaker set the screen on fire in this performance, and didn't get nearly the credit he deserved.

3. Andy Bernard (Andy Helms), "The Office"

"Saw your dorkmobile in the parking lot. What, does it get - four miles to the gallon?" The guy is flat-out hilarious. A welcome new edition.

4. Hiro (Masi Oka), "Heroes"

This adorable little time traveler is the heart of "Heroes."

5. Coach Eric Taylor (Kyle Chandler), "Friday Night Lights"

For anyone who played sports in high school, it's eerie. Taylor's tough-love approach to players is exactly how a coach should be.

Best onscreen pairings

1. Kate (Evangeline Lilly)/ Sawyer (Josh Holloway), "Lost"

2. Charles Barkley/Kenny Smith, "Inside the NBA"

3. Mac (Rob McElhenney)/Dennis' mom (Anne Archer), "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia"

4. Michael (Steve Carell)/Dwight (Rainn Wilson), "The Office"

5. Vito (Joseph R. Gannascoli)/Johnny Cakes (Joe Costelloe), "The Sopranos"

Top five moments

1. Shane kills Lem with a grenade on "The Shield."

From the beginning, years ago, Lem has wanted no part of the Strike Team's plan to steal thousands from the Armenian mob. This is the sad result - the most jarring on-screen death of a main character I've ever seen. Shane is left crying as he waits for his former best friend to finish dying.

2. Jack Bauer begs the Chinese to kill him on "24."

This happens in the last minute of the season finale. After a lifetime of betrayal, lies and violence, Bauer just wants release. He's a hero at the breaking point.

3. Jack's final play on "Lost."

With one vicious scalpel swipe, Jack takes control of his nightmare situation and leaves fans desperate to see what happens next.

4. Michael kisses Oscar on "The Office."

The hardest I laughed at the TV all year. Their faces are priceless.

5. Michael kills Bode on "The Wire."

A soldier new to the streets takes out a veteran with one squeeze of the trigger. This scene signifies the end of integrity in the drug game. Now anything goes.

Cancel these shows

"The War at Home": Pure torture. Only not as funny.

"Grey's Anatomy": Look, I tried. It's awful. My male buddies who watch this show need to attend a special camp or something.

"According to Jim": I accidentally caught a couple seconds and it almost killed me.

"Deal or No Deal"L: You're lazy, NBC.

"Fear Factor": The epitome of stupid.