Our 2009 TV Year in Review (Part IV)

Best Subplot: This hasn’t been the best season for THE OFFICE, but hooking Michael up with Pam’s mom was a stroke of genius that came to a conclusion way too soon.

Worst Cliffhanger, Part 1: Who did Mike marry? Who cares. DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES ended last season on a whimper, proving once again that it needs to put someone in charge who understands how to tell a continuing story, including the importance of true cliffhangers and pacing.

Worst Cliffhanger, Part 2: After months of rumors about the plane slated to crash on Wisteria Lane (including the intriguing premise of it being Oceanic’s LOST flight) turned out to be a puddle jumper that left either Orson or Karl. Yawn.

Most Obvious Product Development: How did it take the folks at Showtime until the end of THE L WORD’s run to come up with a line of lipsticks? Winey Kit, Red Hot Bette, Blushing Alice and Naturally Naughty Shane cosmetics allow any gal to become a lipstick lesbian!

Show That’s Worse Than You Think: At this point, every episode of GREY’S ANATOMY is exactly the same: Opening monologue, semi-shocking moment, commercial, whining, inappropriate-for-the-workplace sexual remarks/behaviour, closing monologue, semi-shocking mini-cliffhanger, fade to black. Bored now.

Funniest Feud: Blowhard bloviator Bill O’Reilly got hot under the collar when a LAW & ORDER character referred to him (and other right wing loons) as “a cancer spreading ignorance and hate.” O’Reilly called it “defamatory” but, of course, failed to take his charge to the courts… where the fictional character’s would have been proven true.

Best Place To Go For Information: Nobody plays the commentary game better than MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow. (That said, we get practically giddy during COUNTDOWN WITH KEITH OLBERMANN’s night “Worst Persons In The World” segment.)

The Short-But-Sweet Guest Gig We Loved: TOP CHEF’s Padma Lakshmi’s cameo on 30 ROCK left us hungering for her to get a show of her own.

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