Hey gang, as a bunch of our favorite TV Shows are only a week or two (or 5 months) away from returning after their WGA Strike imposed hiatus, a handful of TV Bloggers got together to share their favorite characters currently on television.

Below is a list of the Top 25 Characters of Television! Did your favorite make the cut? Share your Top 10 in the comments section below if you like!

1. Kara “Starbuck” Thrace (Battlestar Galactica)
2. Tami Taylor (Friday Night Lights)
3. Barney Stinson (How I Met Your Mother)
4. Benjamin Linus (Lost)
5. Dexter Morgan (Dexter)
6. Coach Eric Taylor (Friday Night Lights)
7. Landry Clarke (Friday Night Lights)
8. Dwight Schrute (The Office)
9. Lily Rush (Cold Case)
10. Omar Little (The Wire)
11. Gaius Baltar (Battlestar Galactica)
12. Olive Snook (Pushing Daisies)
13. Shawn Spencer (Psych)
14. Sheldon Cooper PhD (The Big Bang Theory)
15. Dr. Juliet Burke (Lost)
16. Michael Weston (Burn Notice)
17. Captain Jack Harkness (Torchwood)
18. Dr. Miranda Bailey (Grey’s Anatomy)
19. Chuck Bartowski (Chuck)
20. Brenda Leigh Johnson (The Closer)
21. Emerson Cod (Pushing Daisies)
22. Ned “The Piemaker” (Pushing Daisies)
23. Liz Lemon (30 Rock)
24. Stephanie Lane (My Boys)
25. Stewie Griffin (Family Guy)

Also receiving multiple votes: Desmond Hume (Lost), Major John Casey (Chuck), Jack Donaghy (30 Rock)
Voters: Dan, Ducky, Jo, Kate, Sandie, Scooter McGavin, TVFan, Vance

DEXTER is one of my favorite shows on television because it takes a darkly comic approach to a psychologically frightening tale of self discovery and confronting your past… with the occasional murder thrown in for good measure.

If ever there was a serial killer that deserved a laugh, a hug, and a cry it’s my man Dexter Morgan. He’s complex, he’s devilish, he’s fucked in the head but he has good intentions and let’s face it… he’s smokin’ hot!

If you’re worried about what CBS might do to the sometimes intensely graphic and always profane Dexter here are a few clips CBS sent out to show all the new and old fans that they’re taking care of business and letting Dex do his thang. Let the bloody good times begin.

If you fall in love with Dexter like I did, please go out and rent the unedited Season 1 DVD and then watch Season 2 on Showtime… you will not be sorry. Loves!

It’s official, CBS will begin airing a severely edited version of Showtime’s killer drama (pun intended) DEXTER beginning the day after my birthday, February 17th. Is censorship a good birthday present? With luck people will watch and get so involved in the story that they’ll rent the DVD’s. I mean, how on earth are they going to edit Deb? She’ll have about 3 seconds of airtime each episode. Girl swears like its going out of style.

Apparently this marks the very first premium channel to air a full season on a network affiliate. Now where’s the news I’ve been waiting for? NBC needs to put Battlestar Galactica on prime-time and let the world recognize. Right?

Everyone’s sick of end of year lists but how can I not do one on my favorite TV shows of 2007? I always find these lists hard to do because 12 months is a really long time and we watch a LOT of TV. I wish I could prepare enough ahead of time to write up some great “moments” that stand out but let’s be honest… I don’t get paid to do this so that’s not gonna happen.

Regardless, the end of the 2006-2007 season provided lots of thrills and even a few tears. The 2007-2008 season started off so promising but as we all know, many shows just didn’t live up to the hype and the WGA Strike has kind of killed any hope of making this a banner year for television. So what did I choose? Did I pick a previous favorite that ended last May? Did I give a sophmore series about superheroes another nod? Did those Housewives make a showing after being off the list for so many years? Here goes.

Ducky’s Favorite TV of 2007:

30 ROCK I was late jumping on the 30 Rock train but once I gave it a chance late last winter, I instantly fell in love. 30 Rock is the successor to Arrested Development and I actually may love it even more. Tina Fey and Alec Baldwin together are impossibly brilliant and the supporting cast only add to the mayhem and madness. Highlights: Season 1’s “I love NY in springtime” moment, Season 2’s return of Will Arnett, “Me Want Food” and “Gay for Jamie“.

CHUCK Chuck Bartowski, how I love you! The funniest thing about Chuck is that GMMR and I had seen the pilot probably 10 times before we hit Comic-Con where Zac Levi and crew got a superheroes reception from the geek gala. I don’t know that the show has lived up to my expectations but I can’t say that I don’t love watching it every week. There’s an inherent sweetness to this action-comedy that makes me squee. Zachary Levi and Yvonne Strahovski are magnificent together and anytime Adam Baldwin gets to be a smartass, I’m on board. So sad that the WGA Strike put an end to our enjoyment of the Nerd Herd! Highlights: The Pilot, Chuck and Lou, Captain Awesome’s many skin shots, and the return of Bryce Larkin.

DAMAGES Week after week this intense drama built to a shockingly graphic climax and it kept me guessing every step of the way. Glenn Close, Rose Byrne and Ted Danson delivered crazy intense performances for 13 weeks, proving that summer is not for the lazy brainless reality shows any longer. It was great interviewing most of the cast this summer, it really made me realize how brilliant the writing of the show really is. Kudos to FX for sticking with Damages and granting us 2 more seasons. Highlights: The endless time shifting and the seemless togetheness of it all, Glenn Close’s reaction to Ray Fiske blowing his brains out, the closing moments on the dock.

DOCTOR WHO/TORCHWOOD The one-two punch of Doctor Who and Torchwood coupled with my going to Comic-Con made 2007 my geekiest year to date. Season 3 of Doctor Who was probably the best of the new series. While I loved and miss Rose, Martha was a great companion. Capt. Jack may have ended up on Who at the end of Season 3 but more importantly he kicked some demon ass all season on his own show, Torchwood. Harkness, Gwen, Ianto, Owen, and Tosh made their show so much more than a spin-off. Torchwood delivered thrills, chills, and tears and I cannot wait for it’s return early in 2008. Highlights: Who’s Donna the Runaway Bride, “Human Nature” and the scary intense weeping angels of “Blink”. Torchwood’s gayness, “Random Shoes” with Eugene, Billis the scariest wrinkled creepy since the Preacher Kane from Poltergeist.

FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS The Dillon Panthers won State, the audience won another season and all seemed great down there in Texas. Then poor Tyra and Landry had to dump a body in a river leading to the most interesting coupling the show could ever have concocted. Some balked at the stunt plotline but I welcomed it once I saw how unbelievable both Adrianne Palicki and Jessie Plemons would make their roles. The Taylors continued to bring one of the most realistic and beautiful families to television not to mention Connie Britton’s acting her ass off. Highlights: Winning State, Plemons acting, Santiago’s first moment in the game during “The Confession”… breathtaking.

LOST Say what you will about Season 3 of LOST but the addition of Juliet and the jump forward solidified the show as greatness in my book. While it took a bit to flesh out Ben’s backstory, Juliet’s arrival on the island, Mr. Friendly’s allegiance, and the involvement of the Whidmore’s it was all worth the wait. We got some great answers this season, some scary twists and turns, some great revelations, some wonderful death’s, and HELLO, the chaos surrounding who’s coming to the island in Season 4? Matthew Fox continued to bring anxiety and sadness to the role of Jack and it’s a damn shame he wasn’t nominated for something this year. I’m psyched for it’s return on January 31st! Highlights: The story of how Juliet came to the island, the death of Charlie, the flash-forward, and Patch!

MAD MEN Seriously, do I even need to explain why Mad Men is on the list? The acting, the writing, the art direction, the costuming, the genius? Another summer sleeper that rocked my socks! Highlights: Jon Hamm as Don Draper, any scene with Joan, the sadness of the era, Don Draper’s carousel pitch.

PUSHING DAISIES The facts are these: Lee Pace, Anna Friel, Kristin Chenoweth and Chi McBride are my favorite finds of 2007. Bryan Fuller created a vivid, magical world I didn’t realize was missing from making my life complete until it slapped me in the face. My favorite pilot of 2007 led to stalking Fuller and Co. at Comic-Con, creating a fansite called ThePieMaker.com, and landed me on the Red Carpet interviewing these great talents. What a summer and fall leading up to the premiere of Pushing Daisies. This show makes me beyond happy and I cannot wait for its return in 2008. Highlights: The pilot, Ellen Greene, the musical numbers, Ned & Chuck, Bryan Fuller and Lee Pace recognizing me on the red carpet with hugs all around. Swoon…

SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE I have to include SYTYCD because seriously could there have been a bigger obsession all summer long? Sure I loved Damages and Mad Men but sweet lord did it not compare to my lunacy over Neil Haskell and the rest of the dancers on SYTYCD. Highlights: Neil and Sabra’s boardroom brawl, Cat Deeley’s flawless hosting, Mary Murphy’s continued screaming, Wade Robson’s increased involvement, Debbi Allen and Shankman, backstage on tour.

SUPERNATURAL Love those Winchester’s. In a year that saw Sammy go real dark, the demise of YED, and a soul searching Dean, how can I not love Supernatural? The end of Season 2 was a wild wild ride but the beginning of Season 3 proved that this show is not and will not be stereotyped. Broadening the horizons of the demon world has suited the show nicely. Sure the addition of Ruby and Bela has been problematic for some but I can overlook that because the suspense and the gore has increased! Highlights: Visiting the set last May, blood and more blood, Supernatural:Origins comics, the return of Gordon.

The rest of the best: Battlestar Galactica, Big Bang Theory, Brothers & Sisters, Gossip Girl, How I Met Your Mother, Project Runway, Psych, The Closer, The Office, Top Chef and the end of Veronica Mars.

Should be on the list but isn’t for one reason or another: Dexter (never finished Season 2 because we got rid of Showtime but I’m dying to see the rest), Bones (just got addicted so I felt it couldn’t be added just yet - though let it be known that I’m obsessed), Dirty Sexy Money (something just isn’t right just yet, but that doesn’t mean I don’t love it).

Have a safe and Happy New Year! Looking forward to a wonderful and hopefully television filled 2008.

The Screen Actors Guild Award Nominations are out and listed below. I have to say that while I’m excited for Mad Men, Michael C. Hall, Glenn Close, Alec Baldwin, Tina Fey, and The Office Cast nod — I’m pissed that Friday Night Lights is once again being shut out. Connie Britton is acting her ass off out there in Texas and noone seems to be taking notice. This is hands down my biggest problem at the moment, give the girl some respect. The show also should have been nominated for Ensemble. That’s bullshit.

Also, seriously no How I Met Your Mother for Ensemble Comedy? Come on… Lost? Matthew Fox? Someone’s huffing some strong stuff over there in LaLaLand.

Male Actor in a Drama Series
James Gandolfini, The Sopranos
Michael C. Hall, Dexter
Jon Hamm, Mad Men
Hugh Laurie, House
James Spader, Boston Legal

Female Actor in a Drama Series
Glenn Close, Damages
Edie Falco, The Sopranos
Sally Field, Brothers & Sisters
Holly Hunter, Saving Grace
Kyra Sedgwick, The Closer

Male Actor in a Comedy Series
ALEC BALDWIN / 30 Rock
STEVE CARELL / The Office
RICKY GERVAIS / Extras
JEREMY PIVEN / Entourage
TONY SHALHOUB / Monk

Female Actor in a Comedy Series
CHRISTINA APPLEGATE / Samantha Who?
AMERICA FERRERA / Ugly Betty
TINA FEY / 30 Rock
MARY-LOUISE PARKER / Weeds
VANESSA WILLIAMS / Ugly Betty

Male Actor in a TV-Movie or Miniseries
MICHAEL KEATON / The Company
KEVIN KLINE / As You Like It
OLIVER PLATT / The Bronx is Burning
SAM SHEPARD / Ruffian
JOHN TURTURRO / The Bronx is Burning

Female Actor in a TV-Movie or Miniseries
ELLEN BURSTYN / Mitch Albom’s For One More Day
DEBRA MESSING / The Starter Wife
ANNA PAQUIN / Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee
QUEEN LATIFAH / Life Support
VANESSA REDGRAVE / The Fever
GENA ROWLANDS / What If God Were the Sun?

Ensemble in a Drama Series
Boston Legal
The Closer
Grey’s Anatomy
Mad Men
The Sopranos

Ensemble in a Comedy Series
30 Rock
Desperate Housewives
Entourage
The Office
Ugly Betty

Stunt Ensemble in a Television Series
24
Heroes
Lost
Rome
The Unit

The SAG Awards are supposed to be held January 27th but who knows what will happen with the whole WGA Strike issue.

These guys might be on strike but that’s not stopping the WGA from nominating the best in their field this year! Here are the Writers Guild of America Awards Nominees.

DRAMATIC SERIES
DEXTER, FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS, MAD MEN, THE SOPRANOS, THE WIRE

COMEDY SERIES
CURB YOUR ENTHUSIASM, ENTOURAGE, FLIGHT OF THE CONCHORDS, THE OFFICE, 30 ROCK,

NEW SERIES
DAMAGES, FLIGHT OF THE CONCHORDS, MAD MEN, PUSHING DAISIES, THE SARAH SILVERMAN PROGRAM

EPISODIC DRAMA
Final Grades (The Wire), The Second Coming (The Sopranos), The Round File (The Closer), Flashes Before Your Eyes (Lost), The Hobo Code (Mad Men), The Dark Defender (Dexter)

EPISODIC COMEDY
Pie-Lette (Pushing Daisies), The Job (The Office), Negotiation (30 Rock), Local Ad (The Office), Phyllis’s Wedding (The Office), Sally Returns (Flight of the Conchords)

LONG FORM - ORIGINAL
Pandemic, The Lost Room

LONG FORM - ADAPTATION
The Company: A Story of the CIA, Bury My Heart At Wounded Knee, The Starter Wife

ANIMATION
The Haw-Hawed Couple (The Simpsons), The Homer of Seville (The Simpsons), Kill Gil Volumes 1&2 (The Simpsons), Stop or My Dog Will Shoot! (The Simpsons), The Passion of the Dauterive (King of the Hill), Lucky’s Wedding Suit (King of the Hill)

COMEDY/VARIETY
THE DAILY SHOW WITH JON STEWART, THE COLBERT REPORT, LATE NIGHT WITH CONAN O’BRIEN, PENN & TELLER: BULLSHIT!, REAL TIME WITH BILL MAHER, SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE

The Golden Globe Nominations were announced this morning and there are some squee worthy nods and sadly some of my faves that are missing. *cough* Friday Night Lights *cough*

DRAMATIC TV SERIES
“Big Love”
“Damages”
“Grey’s Anatomy”
“House”
“Mad Men”
“The Tudors”

BEST ACTOR, TV DRAMA
Michael C. Hall, “Dexter”
John Hamm, “Mad Men”
Hugh Laurie, “House”
Jonathan Rhys Meyers, “The Tudors”
Bill Paxton, “Big Love”

BEST ACTRESS, TV DRAMA
Patricia Arquette, “Medium”
Glenn Close, “Damages”
Minnie Driver, “The Riches”
Edie Falco, “The Sopranos”
Sally Field, “Brothers & Sisters”
Holly Hunter, “Saving Grace”
Kyra Sedgwick, “The Closer”

TV SERIES, MUSICAL OR COMEDY
“Californication”
“Entourage”
“Extras”
“30 Rock”
“Pushing Daisies”

BEST ACTOR, TV MUSICAL OR COMEDY
Alec Baldwin, “30 Rock”
Steve Carell, “The Office”
David Duchovny, “Californication”
Ricky Gervais, “Extras”
Lee Pace, “Pushing Daisies”

BEST ACTRESS, TV MUSICAL OR COMEDY
Christina Applegate, “Samantha Who?”
America Ferrera, “Ugly Betty”
Tina Fey, “30 Rock”
Anna Friel, “Pushing Daisies”
Mary-Louise Parker, “Weeds”

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A SERIES, MINI-SERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION
Rose Byrne, “Damages”
Rachel Griffith, “Brothers & Sisters”
Katherine Heigl, “Grey’s Anatomy”
Samantha Morton, “Longford”
Anna Paquin, “Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee ”
Jamie Pressly, “My Name is Earl”

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A SERIES, MINI-SERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION
Ted Danson, “Damages”
Kevin Dillon, “Entourage”
Jeremy Piven, “Entourage”
Andy Serkis, “Longford”
William Shatner, “Boston Legal”
Donald Sutherland, “Dirty Sexy Money”

BEST MINI-SERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION
“Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee”
“The Company”
“5 Days”
“The State Within”
“Longford”

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A MINI-SERIES OR A MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION
Bryce Dallas Howard, “As You Like It”
Debra Messing, “The Starter Wife”
Queen Latifah, “Life Support”
Sissy Spacek, “Pictures of Hollis Woods”
Ruth Wilson, “Jane Eyre”

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A MINI-SERIES OR A MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION
Adam Beach, “Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee”
Ernest Borgnine, “A Grandpa For Christmas”
Jim Broadbent, “Longford”
James Isaacs, “The State Within”
James Nesbitt, “Jekyll”

I’m super psyched for a good chunk of nominations. Pushing Daisies, Lee Pace, and Anna Friel have to be my biggest joy this morning! You know I love me some PD and this really gives me hope that the show can be bigger and better post-strike. Kick ass for summer shows like Damages and Mad Men! They kept television in a higher class all summer long so they are much deserved of this honor. Kudos to John Hamm and Rose Byrne for being the summer newbies! Also huge props to 30 Rock, Tina Fey and Alec Baldwin because there is pretty much not a funnier duo on television at the moment.

Sadly Friday Night Lights is shut out, as is Battlestar. It’s hard to believe that The Office got shat upon as well. I thought for sure there was a nomination in there for Jenna Fischer. She killed it at the end of last season and the beginning of this short season. Lost’s Matthew Fox and Elizabeth Mitchell were robbed. What about Barney? Oh god, Neil Patrick Harris didn’t get a nom, kinda sucks.

The 65th Annual Golden Globes will be awarded on January 13th (NBC).

The WGA Strike is about to take away television but before that happens, there’s plenty for GMMR and I to talk about!

Dan and Kath are back for TV Podcast #16, and it’s all about the shows! It’s not about the strike, it’s just us talking about what we’ve loved and hated about television over the past couple weeks. I’m going to warn you now, it’s an hour long podcast. We haven’t talked in a while so sit back, relax, and listen to us in 2 sittings if that makes it easier. Thanks for sticking with us!

We tackle each day’s best and worst starting with Monday and working our way all the way to the lazy nights of Sunday. Chuck, HIMYM, Big Bang Theory, Prison Break, Heroes, House, Bones, Reaper, Pushing Daisies, Gossip Girl, Dirty Sexy Money, Private Practice, The Office, Grey’s Anatomy, Ugly Betty, Supernatural, Moonlight, Friday Night Lights, Torchwood, The Amazing Race, Brothers & Sisters, Dexter, and more. Phew, who’s tired already?

Subscribe and Listen via iTunes

Listen Online: Podcast #16

Interested in catching up on our past podcasts? Head on over to the podcast page where you can listen to all of our previous episodes.

Have a question for Ducky and GMMR? There are a couple ways to contact us:

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It’s Sunday and while you should be getting your beauty rest for a just lovely day of working tomorrow, who’s got time with all of the premiere’s tonight? From sibling rivalry to a desperate Nathan Fillion to major blood splattering - it’s a bloody good Sunday night of television.

Show’s Ducky Will Be Watching Tonight:
Well, really there are none as I’ll be on my way back from NYC. If I was home I’d watch the following shows.

9pm - Desperate Housewives - okay so I won’t watch this probably but damnit Nathan Fillion is on it this year and seriously, hearts…

10pm - Brothers & Sisters starts season 2 with a hideous video of Nora catching Justin up on what’s gone down with the family. While it’s a lame expositional method, I can look past it because seriously I love the Walkers and I’m ready for the drama.

10pm - Dexter is back for some slicing and dicing. Doakes will be creeping Dexter out, Deb will hopefully find a less serial killery mate, and Dexter will hopefully saw some people into itty bitty parts. Love him!

Other Shows Premiering Tonight:
Brotherhood (Showtime)
Extreme Makeover: Home Edition (ABC)
American Dad (FOX)