TV 2009: The Year in Review

As NBC's ER continued to lure some of their biggest and brightest characters back for the 15th and final season, we all hoped (but never expected) that George Clooney would return as Dr. Doug Ross. Imagine our surprise when the big movie star announced that he would indeed return -- and he even brought Julianna Margulies (Nurse Carol Hathaway) along for the ride!

After two years of near misses, ABC confirmed that Edie Britt (Nicollette Sheridan) would finally be leaving Wisteria Lane -- for good. Poor Edie lost her life following a nasty fight with her murderous (and crazy) husband tried to prevent her from revealing his true identity. Edie was memorialized in a touching and funny episode the following week. Her presence will always be missed on Wisteria Lane... although I doubt those lovely ladies would agree.

The series may not have ever been a huge ratings winner for NBC, but the network knew from the very beginning that Friday Night Lights had an incredible fan base. As a result, the network made a deal with DirecTV to air the series exclusively for subscribers several months before the episodes would appear on NBC. After a successful run, fans were beyond thrilled when DirecTV renewed the show for another two years.

After 15 fabulous years, NBC's hit medical drama series ER finally closed its doors. After an entire season filled with returning (and memorable) characters, the finale treated longtime fans with enough symbolic scenes to please even the most critical fan.

The fact that the CW's One Tree Hill is still on after all of these years truly amazes me, but when I heard that series stars Chad Michael Murray and Hilarie Burton were leaving the show, I thought for sure the network would finally pack it in. After adding new characters to the canvas (including Robert Buckley), the series went into the fall stronger than ever and even managed to nab a full season order before any of their neighbors on the network.

Television icon Farrah Fawcett lost her battle with cancer on June 25 at the age of 62 with longtime companion Ryan O'Neal and best friend Alana Stewart by her side. Fawcett was diagnosed in 2006 with anal cancer, went into remission in February of 2007, only to learn that the cancer had returned in May of 2007. This incredibly talented actress will never be forgotten.

Just when is appeared as though former O.C. star Mischa Barton was about to make a career comeback with the new CW series The Beautiful Life, authorities were called to her home and the actress was then placed on a 5150 (an involuntary psychiatric hold). Although production was delayed, Barton was eventually released -- which turned out not to matter since the series got canceled anyway.

The latest in a very long line of scandals from the cast of Grey's Anatomy featured series star Eric Dane, his wife Rebecca Gayheart and Playboy model/former Miss Teen USA Kari Ann Peniche in a very strange video. While no sex actually appeared on the video, all three were naked and appeared to be very high on some sort of drug(s). When are people (especially celebrities) going to learn to keep the cameras out of the bedroom?

As a major fan of the original Melrose Place, imagine my delight when I learned that Heather Locklear would be returning to the show as Amanda Woodward. Amanda's return certainly didn't disappoint as she brought with her plenty of attitude, along with a big mystery that involved the twice-dead Sydney Andrews. I still have yet to learn the whereabouts of her husband Peter Burns.

When Maura Tierney announced back in September that she would have to drop out of NBC's new series Parenthood after being diagnosed with breast cancer, the search began to find the right actress to fill those big shoes. Although bittersweet, fans of the popular WB/CW series Gilmore Girls were thrilled to learn that Lauren Graham would return to their living rooms once again when the network announced that she would replace Tierney. Fortunately, Tierney's prognosis is favorable.

Since the very beginning, the CW's teen series Gossip Girl has been a thorn in the side of the Parents Television Council (PTC). Imagine being as fly on the wall when they learned that the show would be featuring a threesome involving teenagers. The much-hyped scene didn't amount to much, so in the end one has to wonder if the series jumped the shark with their latest desperate attempt at nabbing more headlines to grab bigger ratings.

From vampires and geeks to that mysterious island, as we head into a brand new decade, we take a look back at the dramas that had the biggest impact on television. In addition to the most influential dramas, we also took a look at the most shocking and painful TV cancellations of the decade.