Characters Welcome.

That's not just the slogan for the USA Network but an apt description of TV as a whole -- character and personality driven. And to drive that point home again -- lest we forget it in this era of reality TV (which, admittedly, is also character/ personality driven -- what would 'Jersey Shore' be without Snooki and The Situation?), the folks at Harris Interactive have released the results of their latest poll listing the top TV personalities for 2009.

I know, I know, that's an impossible question to answer. But Harris just conducted a poll where they asked people what their favorite shows are. Topping the list are shows like M*A*S*H, Seinfeld, Friends, House, Star Trek, and The Simpsons. The number one show? CSI. Yeah, that's my thought exactly. What, do these people have long-term memory loss?

My list would include The Dick Van Dyke Show, The Simpsons, Seinfeld, The Twilight Zone, The West Wing, The Andy Griffith Show, NewsRadio, Sports Night, Lost, Magnum, P.I., Kate and Allie, and Columbo. Oh, and Mad Men and 30 Rock have zoomed onto the list in the past couple of years. What's on your all-time list?

Sure, Oprah Winfrey might have her own TV network, but that doesn't mean she's number one.

The Harris Poll has released their annual list of the 10 favorite TV personalities, and Oprah actually came in second (after being on top for five years). The first place winner? Believe it or not, it's Nancy Grace.

OK, just kidding about that. Number one is actually Ellen DeGeneres, who was number eight last year. The full list is after the jump.

Every year the Harris Poll asks TV viewers for who they think is the best TV personality. Every year, Oprah is number one, and a bunch of the usual suspects are in the top 10. But the 2006 actually has a few surprises. Here's the list:

1. Oprah Winfrey
2. Jon Stewart
3. Bill O'Reilly
4. Hugh Laurie
5. David Letterman
6. Jay Leno
7. Ray Romano
8. Kiefer Sutherland
8. Ellen DeGeneres
8. Conan O'Brien

Maybe Dr. Phil has finally fallen out of favor with Americans. Or, maybe I'm reading way too much into an annual poll listing the Top 10 Favorite Television Personalities. Since 1993, Harris Poll has conducted a research project listing Americans' favorite celebrities. Dr. Phil, Regis Philbin, Ray Romano, and Bill Cosby all fell off the list this year.

The pollsters conducted their research online, and only interviewed 960 adults. So, I'd say that leaves out a significant portion of the population that isn't yet "wired".

Anywho, here's the list: