We've come to the end of another season of tv, and this year was rather disheartening. By the end of this season, not only had some favorites really disappointed me, but a few newcomers were falling by the wayside. We can never hope that our opinions of any show or actor/actress will translate into the national psyche. However, it is really disappointing when a show that is original and interesting isn't picked up for any of a million reasons....none of them we're really privy to.

The year started out with a bang with all my favorites and a few of the newbies. Here is an overview of what I saw last season.

A new fall entry, Smith, played almost like a feature film. It was classy and daring, and gone in three weeks. Apparently, we really don't like to root for the "bad guys."

Justice, was one of the few shows that featured defense attorneys. It had a great cast, and we got to see (regardless of who won the case), how the murder actually occured. It was clever, and it gave the audience a sense of closure that we don't always see.

Raines was just a royal hoot! Jeff Goldblum was mesmerizing in the role and had just the right sense of integrity and intellect to solve the case. His hallucinations of the victims was a brilliant idea of the screenwriters.

3 lbs. had the makings of an intriguing new medical drama. You can't go too wrong with Stanley Tucci, IMO. I rather liked his colleagues, too. Again, a few weeks and it was gone. One bright spot here is Tucci went on to join ER in it's final few episodes this year and was fabulous. Men in Trees was a light, frothy treat. I was sure they wouldn't return this show, but I'm awfully glad they are. Hopefully, to a better night and hour.

Ugly Betty turned out to be one of the few new shows that I followed throughout the season. One late addition to NBC, was Thank God You're Here, and I found that to be a funny and original improv sketch show. I'm not sure if it's returning, but if I liked it....it probably won't. Now, for the disappointments...

House jumped the shark this season. I was sorrier than I can say to see it, but at one point I was watching it and thought...I just can't take this anymore....and stopped watching. I never really looked back, except for possibly wanting a Foreman spin-off....I'd be there in a hurry.

ER had a few ups and downs this year, but it seemed to have it's usual shining moments. Shawn Hatosy's guest starring role this year was the highlight for me, not to mention the pleasure of watching Forest Whitaker. The writing was a bit off occasionally, some characters were pretty flat, the hiatus much too long, but IMO by the end of the year it also had the signs of promise for the 14th season.

24, my favorite, was the most difficult to watch this year. It started out so strong and limped to it's conclusion. The cast and guest stars were brilliant, as usual. 24 has the best cast on tv, IMO, year after year. I admired that this year the writers decided to give some development to some of the characters, but it seemed to be too much....too often. We had several office romances, only one of which was truly interesting. There were too many questions left unanswered, too many repetitions of earlier seasons, not enough Jack for weeks on end....and then a natural ending that came weeks before the show actually ended. We were left with a story that didn't make a lot of sense, and the bounce just went out of it's bungee. Please let Season 7 have us terrified and leave us breathless!

As for hits....I found a few on other networks. Clatterford (Jams & Jerusalem to most of the world) was a particular favorite. SciFi channel's Dresden Files was a show that was good from the get-go. Also, a funny thing happened on the way to the remote....I re-discovered (and in some cases discovered) the CSI franchise. Thanks to A&E and CBS, I've found myself wiling away the hours solving crimes with the gang in Las Vegas, NY and Miami.