It's that annual time to reflect on what worked on TV over the past year… and what didn't. Here is my personal list.

BEST

"Mad Men"
This intricately woven tale of 1960s ad men's work and home lives captured the imagination of an obsessively loyal fanbase. It's also one of the few things Emmy got right, awarding the show its outstanding drama trophy. And creator Matthew Weiner has become one of our favorite people this year. See our Q&A here.

DirecTV's deal for "Friday Night Lights"
A shared window plan between the satellite provider and NBC bought the critical darling another season. Those lucky few who subscribe to DirecTV have had the privilege of enjoying a season that approaches the greatness of the show's epic first season.

"Big Bang Theory"
This comedy about socially awkward geniuses has emerged as a surprise hit this fall after garnering fair ratings in the strike shortened 07-08 season. Creatively the show's never been better, with the razor sharp ensemble now firing on all cylinders and auds propelling it to season high numbers week after week. See our Q&A with star Jim Parsons here.

"Desperate Housewives"
Fast forwarding the ladies' lives five years added a much needed jolt to the flagging drama. See our Q&A with creator Marc Cherry here.

Tina Fey as Sarah Palin
Priceless

"Privileged"
A sweet dramedy that's too smart for the CW's core audience. More people ought to be watching.

"Worst Week"
Consistently laugh-out-loud funny.

"Dexter"
Jimmy Smits proved a suitable friend, then foil, to our favorite sociopathic hero. See our Q&A with exec producer Clyde Phillips here.

“The Office”
Anyone who works in an office has got to appreciate this painfully accurate laffer.

“The Biggest Loser”
As reluctant as I am to include a reality show in any best of list, I have to admit, this one hits on every emotion.

"The Capture of The Green River Killer"
This Lifetime mini was an engrossing and emotional account of the 20+ years search for a serial killer with stellar performances from Tom Cavanaugh and Amy Davidson. It's too bad the broadcast nets have given up on movies and minis.

WORST

The Emmy Awards
An embarrassment to the television community. Everyone involved should be ashamed. If you've blocked out how truly awful it was, read my review from that night here.

"Do Not Disturb"
Auds mercifully checked out early from this dreadful Fox comedy.

"Grey's Anatomy"
This show has lost whatever charm it once had and now just feels desperate.

"Knight Rider"
A bad idea, executed horribly.

"Crusoe"
Unwatchable.

"ER's" final season
I've been a fan for most of this hospital drama's 15 seasons but this last gasp has been a slow painful death.

"Boston Legal"
Someone needs to explain to me how this ever attracted an audience. I've never been so happy to see a show end its run.

Those are mine. What are yours?

For more best of lists, visit TVGuide.com's list of best shows and best TV moments. TV.com weighs in here. Our pal Mo Ryan of the Chicago Tribune has her say here.

Did you see other lists that resonated with you?

— Kathy Lyford

Posted by Kathy Lyford

Being a “Mad Men” obsessive, I've read a lot of interviews of the show’s creator Matthew Weiner over the last couple of years. So when I sat down to breakfast with him last week to go over readers’ questions, I expected someone a little uptight, single-minded, perhaps a control freak. This is what many of the profiles had led me to believe of the man. What I discovered was, as you would expect if you watch the show, a man who is incredibly intelligent, passionate about 1960s America and fascinated with human behavior. He also has many traits you might not expect: he’s very funny, extremely sweet and surprisingly soft spoken. He’s somebody I’d love to hang out with more. I found him endlessly fascinating and entertaining. And, although the interview was all about him, he spent a lot of time asking about me, my background and my family and my parents’ experiences growing up. I suspect he does this with everyone he meets and I’m sure the information he learns informs his writing.

If you’ve been paying attention, you already know that Weiner wrote the “Mad Men” pilot eight years ago, before his stint as a writer-producer on David Chase’s HBO masterpiece “The Sopranos.” Earlier in his career he was also a writer on the Ted Danson comedy “Becker.” As “The Sopranos” was coming to a close, Weiner shopped the “Mad Men” pilot around town, was famously turned down by HBO, and eventually sold it to AMC, which was just wading into the original series waters. What a way for the network to start!

He speaks quickly and in a stream-of-consciousness kind of way, which I’ve tried to capture in transcribing his answers. I hope that will give you an essence of what it’s like to have a conversation with him. You’ll find that he not only answered the questions completely but he went above and beyond, often exploring tangents that were not part of the original question. You’ll get a lot of bang for your buck in this Q&A, I promise. (Although there is one question that gets a one word answer!)

As I write this, AMC has exercised its option for a third season of “Mad Men,” the show that has captured the imagination of the country. Weiner and Lionsgate, which owns and produces the show, are still negotiating his deal. So, our show will return. Let’s just hope it still has its genius at the helm.

And with just one show left to air this season – Sunday’s season 2 finale – here is what Weiner had to say:

Q. How much of the Don Draper story did you have in mind when you wrote that spec script? And do you know now how the series ends? — Cynthia
A. I sort of know how the series ends. I don’t know if I have a very good ending to it yet but I sort of know how it ends. In terms of Don’s backstory, I had all of it. Here’s the interesting thing: I had written a movie about this character. I’d gotten to page 80 and I’d only covered a fraction of his life. It was called “The Horseshoe.” Actually the hobo story was in there, and the thing with him bringing his own body home (from the war) and a lot of his childhood and things that you’re still going to see (in the last two episodes of season 2) were in there, things you’ll find out about. And there’s way more to be mined. And on some level it was a story that imitated writers that I love - Sinclair Lewis, F. Scott Fitzgerald and John Irving.

And I had all of that. And when I wrote “Mad Men,” and AMC said “Where does the series go?” I went home and looked for my notes about “Mad Men” and I came across the script (for “The Horseshoe”) and started leafing through it. Now this was a script I wrote – “Mad Men” is eight years ago – this is a script I wrote eight years before that. I wrote it before I had my first job. After I got married this is what I worked on for a year. And I got to the last page of the script and it said “Ossining, 1960” and I said “Oh my God. That’s who he is.” I loved John Cheever and those writers and that’s why I picked Ossining.

I told Jon (Hamm, pictured with Weiner above) the whole story before last year started. He was the only one I told, except for the producers, of course. And I told Jon about the brother and how the genealogy works and what kind of childhood it was and where he was from. There were a lot of these people. It’s an American story. You know mountain (folks), or whatever it is, coming to New York and shedding the whole thing. That’s the American dream on some level. Even though I didn’t finish the movie I did know where it was going. And I feel lucky to have that consistency and the audience can see that it’s not just being spun as it goes along.

The "Mad Men" Q&A with Matthew Weiner will post by Wednesday. As you might imagine, his answers were so in depth and so detailed, I've had difficulty finding the time to transcribe them. I'm working on it. I promise you the wait will be worth it.

In the meantime, you can amuse yourself with the stellar recap by my colleague Cynthia Littleton over at her On the Air blog.

Posted by Kathy Lyford

"Mad Men" showrunner Matthew Weiner will be answering reader questions right here on Season Pass.

By now you've probably all gotten a sense of just how much we at Season Pass, and Variety at large, love this show. Check out our analysis and recaps at my esteemed colleague Cynthia Littleton's On the Air blog. I am very excited by this opportunity, as I hope you are.

With a show this intricate and attentive to detail, I am expecting some really creative and clever questions from you all — something beyond "Jon Hamm is really hot. What's it like to work with him?"

So there you go, you've been challenged.

Here's how it works:

1) Click the comment button below and leave your question by Tuesday at midnight.
2) Read through the other comments so you aren't repeating a question that's already been asked.
3) You may ask more than one question but that won't boost your chances of seeing your questions answered. I try to be fair and let lots of folks have a chance.
4) On Wednesday I will choose the 20 best questions to present to Mr. Weiner, who will then answer at least 10 of them.
5) On Monday, Oct. 20 I will post the answers.
6) Any changes to this timeline due to unforeseen circumstances or conflicts with Mr. Weiner's schedule will be added to this post as necessary.

Thanks for participating and have fun!

P.S.

There is still time to get your questions in for the "Friday Night Lights" Q&A before the Friday deadline.

And be sure to check out our previous Q&As with "Desperate Housewives" top dog Marc Cherry and "Ugly Betty" boss Silvio Horta.

Upcoming Q&As include the showrunning teams from "Lost" and "How I Met Your Mother." Stay tuned for details and added shows.