If you've seen the documentary on which this HBO movie is based, you know that Barrymore's accent, wardrobe and mannerisms were — frighteningly — dead-on accurate. Less expected was the warmth she brought to the role, which puts Little Edie's sad sacrifice front and center, without explanation or apology.

Tom Bergeron, Dancing with the Stars and Ryan Seacrest, American Idol Watch any of the year's 486 awards shows and it will be made abundantly clear that not everyone has the talent to host a live television program. This genial pair does. They're supportive of the competitors, hard on the judges and always game for whatever cheesy twists the producers throw their way.

Proof that you don't have to look like Jennifer Lopez to be a musical sensation. Boyle's heartfelt rendition of Les Miserables' "I Dreamed a Dream" didn't technically appear on American television, but the subsequent wave of adulation hit our shores in the form of a viral Internet following and a parade of appearances on the morning news shows. This fall, she appeared on both America's Got Talent and Dancing with the Stars, two shows that, like Boyle, are successful British imports.

We already loved watching the courtship of Jim and Pam. But who knew that their blessed nuptials would unfold with such beauty (that Niagara Falls mist), romance and, yes, humor? Bonus points for taking the most overexposed YouTube clip in memory and making it fun again.

Flockhart, already known for her prodigious dramatic and comedic talents on Ally McBeal, was handed a dicey one-two storyline punch this calendar year: divorce and cancer. That neither was/is a soapy mess of melodrama is a testament to her abilities.

The Battlestar Galactica vet was sexy and chilling as Maryann Forrester. Tara's mysterious benefactor eventually revealed herself to be a maenad, a servant of Dionysus whose love of chaos nearly destroyed Bon Temps.

The acerbic British comedian can always be counted on for a soundbite, as his presentation of the nominated film Happy-Go-Lucky proved. Not even making a Holocaust joke — or imbibing a lager on stage while doing so — turned the crowd against him. The gambit worked: Gervais will host the 2010 Golden Globes.

Wait for it: Harris' moment as a leading man has just about arrived. His rock-solid characterization of man-whore Barney weathered monogamy, and his glitzy, musical presentation at the Emmys wowed us. Go back and watch his opening number, "Put Down the Remote," and marvel at his rhyming couplets of dozens of networks. That's entertainment.

What a pleasant surprise to find out that a few years trapped in the 1970s Dharma Initiative transformed shifty con man James "Sawyer" Ford" into heroic leader Jim LaFleur. Holloway's delicate shift in character retained Sawyer's rakish charm, but imbued him with a welcome sense of gravitas.

The cast of "Broken," the season premiere of House (Hugh Laurie, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Andre Braugher, Franka Potente and Megan Dodds) House kicked off its sixth season by sending the crusty doc to rehab. It's his worst nightmare: He's the patient and his stubbornness prevents him from making a clear-headed diagnosis. A new cast of characters (including the excellent Braugher and Tony winner Miranda) challenged Laurie's established character in enlightening ways, and the two-hour episode acted as a nice breather before House headed back to that other loony bin known as Princeton-Plainsboro. The two-hour episode had us wishing for another mental breakdown. Is that wrong?

Much was written, in a post-Hillary Clinton world, about 24 electing a female commander in chief. Jones' Emmy-winning performance, though, had little to do with her gender. She conveyed strength, decisiveness and vulnerability when a passenger plane exploded outside the Oval Office window and she was held captive by terrorists. Very presidential.

Lambert arrived to wake us from our Celine Dion-inspired coma with ambitious cover versions of Michael Jackson's "Black or White," Led Zeppelin's "Whole Lotta Love," and especially, Johnny Cash's "Ring of Fire." He didn't win the competition (the safer Kris Allen was Season 8's victor), but his performance at the AMAs makes him the competitor whose post-Idol career looks most intriguing.

Leary, who's also a producer on FX's 9/11-haunted firefighter drama, has repeatedly said that he thinks Tommy Gavin, the character he plays, should die before the end of the series. It's not looking too good for Tommy. He fell off the wagon (with his family) and his grieving uncle Teddy shot him in the season's cliff-hanger. Leary's grounded, specific portrayal of Tommy has us hoping his wounds aren't fatal.

Lowndes' pregnant, drug-addicted teen quickly became a standout among 90210's cliched assortment of TV teens as she found love with nice-guy Navid and a sensible plan for her future. After giving her baby up for adoption, Lowndes added a new dimension to "No Drama Adrianna": fun. She's an expert, eye-rolling sidekick to devious Naomi and a supportive friend to the grieving Silver.

It's fun to hate Sue Sylvester. The nihilistic fervor with which Lynch personifies the vicious cheerleading coach is the perfect antidote to the show's occasionally over-the-top sweetness. How lovely a surprise to learn that Sue's anger has an opposite twin in her compassion for her mentally challenged sister. Sue surely hasn't lost her edge, but her secret depth has made us love her.

The Men of Mad Men (Jon Hamm, Jared Harris, John Slattery and Bryan Batt) After a Season 2 that focused on the ladies, the Mad men took center stage. A closeted Sal (Batt) met a heartbreaking end. Slattery's Roger battled with both Don and his new wife. Expatriate Pryce (Harris) stood in for Sterling Cooper's British owners with formality and glee. And once Betty discovered Don's real identity, the series underwent a promising shift in direction.

It's not easy playing crazy: If one goes too far toward either despair or comedy, all credibility is shot. Noble balances Dr. Walter Bishop's inherent nuttiness with a deep pathos about his as-yet-unknown past transgressions. His paternal energy has critics describing the show in familial terms, and his encyclopedic scientific knowledge drives the plot of every Fringe episode.

Sheldon, Parsons' prickly alpha nerd, has been busy this season. He played Cupid to Leonard and Penny (sort of). He taught the guys about football. He saved Koothrappali from deportation. He's more than just a brilliant mind; he's our superhero.

There have been plenty of junkies on TV, but Jesse's sad descent into heroin addiction after Jane's death was particularly poignant. Paul's fine acting has blurred the line between good guy and bad guy in this morally relative drug drama. We're focusing on Walter White's partner because with two back-to-back Emmys, Bryan Cranston's already getting the praise he so richly deserves.

Ramirez has struggled to find her place within the talented Grey's ensemble. It took two relationships — her character's aborted marriage to George and her nascent pairing with Arizona — for her to find it. This Tony winner has dealt with the utter shock of George's death and the profound sadness of her Catholic father's disapproval of her bisexuality with careful modulation (this isn't the stage, after all). Her portrayal has made her everyone's new/old favorite character.

We know, she only appeared in one episode this year. But what an episode! When Ryan's Holly and Michael reunited at the Dunder Mifflin company picnic, their relationship played out like a Scranton-set Romeo and Juliet. No one is more perfectly suited to being Michael's one that got away.

Sevigny's Nicki has always been a schemer, but this season, her penchant for deception was shaken when she realized how much her father's whims were harming her family. By season's end, a very different, cowed Nicki was crawling back to Bill, Barb and Margene, with a new family member in tow: her heretofore-unseen teenage daughter.

Think vampire romances are corny (love is eternal, yada yada)? Watch how Somerhalder, as Diaries' snarky Damon, rains on every parade d'amour with razor-sharp wit, cruel acts of vengeance and a certain studly swagger.

Stewart took aim at CNBC's investment-advising skills after several questionable calls, in particular the adrenalized rants of Jim Cramer. It could have been a feud, but instead a good-natured Cramer appeared on Stewart's show and acknowledged some misjudgments. Stewart earned his stripes as something of an investigative reporter, but with jokes.

No other SNL cast member in recent memory has crafted as many entertaining impressions (Suze Orman, Nancy Pelosi, Bjork) and memorable characters (Target lady, Gilly, Penelope, Judy Grimes) as Wiig. Those who say there's too much Wiig on the show these days should address that complaint to the rest of the cast.