thankful

Ah, Thanksgiving. My second favorite holiday after Christmas. So much to be thankful for, and they all sound like cliches: family, friends, health, happiness, pizza. But what about the stuff that we really can't do without, television? Below are a half dozen things about TV that I'm truly thankful for this year.

1. A second season of Mad Men: You know how it usually goes. You love a TV show like it's your wife or husband, and then the show is canceled after its first season because of low ratings or some other reason involving numbers. But that's not the case with AMC's Mad Men. I'm not completely surprised it was renewed, because when you have a period piece drama on one of the niche cable channels, there's a hell of a better chance of it getting renewed than if it was on NBC, Mondays at 10. Most times when a show is called "adult" that just means there's a lot of violence or a lot of sex or it's on cable so they can swear a lot. Mad Men is adult in the truest meaning of the word: intelligent, well written, well-acted, and focusing on adult themes of relationships, society, and the workplace.

There's so much on television for which to be thankful: the returning favorites, the new obsessions, the comedic, and the dramatic. Fresh faces work with old pros to bring us shows ranging from artistic masterpieces to guilty pleasures. On a basic level, I'm thankful that I had some difficulty choosing only five things on TV to praise. Specifically, the five things that I chose have given me hours of thought-provoking, laughter-inducing entertainment.

Another brilliant season of Ugly Betty: There's nothing worse than watching your favorite new show lose its touch in the second season. Like all Ugly Betty fans, I'm thankful that the sweetest comedy on television has avoided the sophomore slump. The best elements from the first season--clever one-liners, heartwarming moments, and top-notch performances from the ensemble cast--have remained intact.

To be honest, I don't usually think of television as something to be thankful for. This time of year I usually reflect on how lucky I am to have loving husband, a supportive family, and loyal friends. Also, as I'm sure most people do, I pause for a moment of gratitude for the things I take for granted most days: my health, my job, enough to eat, the clothes on my back, etc.

But now that I think about it, after I say thank-you for all the above, I guess I am rather thankful for television (especially on the weeknights). After a long day at work or running errands, I can't say I'm not grateful that a new episode of Cane, The Office, or Boston Legal is on. And on Sundays, the inevitable dreaded Monday morning is made more bearable by Desperate Housewives or some HBO series (I used to love Rome).

There's plenty of things to be thankful for every year. A semi-safe roof over your head. People who pretend to love you. That boil that finally disappeared. But enough about our intimate personal lives. This is TV Squad, so we're going to tell you what we're thankful for as related to all-things television; our families should be so proud.

From now through Thanksgiving day, a slew of TV Squad writers will be presenting their lists of what they're thankful for when it comes to what earns them the big bucks here: TV. Don't be surprised if a few of them suck up to us while they're at it.

Enjoy, and Happy Thanksgiving! (even if you're not here celebrating.)