Joyce's top 5:

1. "Mad Men" (AMC)
2. "Homeland" (Showtime)
3. "Louie" (FX)
4. "Girls" (HBO)
5. "30 Rock" (NBC)

Special Categories:

1. What was the show of the year? "Mad Men" continued to deliver the TV equivalent of the Great American Novel in a brilliantly written season portraying the cultural and social upheaval of the mid-'60s through the characters' increasingly poignant choices and increasingly complex inner lives.

2. What was the best scene? The haunting, witty ending of the "Mad Men" season finale. Don, disillusioned with the role of faithful husband, kisses his young wife goodbye on the soundstage where she's shooting a "Beauty and the Beast"-themed commercial, then walks out of the fairy tale -- literally -- and into a bar, eyeing a willing blonde and slipping back into the sleek skin of Don Draper, Super Stud. The background music: Nancy Sinatra singing the James Bond theme song, "You Only Live Twice."

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The Stones Incident came to symbolize everything that I feared about becoming a parent. Would the generation gap yawn as wide for me and my kid? Would I become a well-meaning but clueless authority figure? But I need not have worried. There are many things I could never have imagined about parenthood: that a dewy baby boy could grow into a slouchy, unkempt, 6-foot-tall 13-year-old in what seemed like the space of a breath, for instance, or that he would become a teenager in a country that's divided over a dubious war, just as it was when I was a teenager. But the thing that was most unimaginable to me on the night of that Stones concert has turned out to be the thing that has, so far, surprised me the most about being a parent: My son and I go to rock concerts together.

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The media hadn't gone this Springsteen-happy since Ronald Reagan misappropriated the lyrics to "Born in the USA." This time, of course, the theme of "The Rising" was the news hook; it's the first full-length Sept. 11-themed work by a rock artist of Springsteen's stature, featuring songs sung from the perspective of the dead, the grieving and the walking wounded. As Time reported, Springsteen found inspiration in part from the New York Times' "Portraits of Grief" section, the thumbnail sketches of lives in full swing that were stopped short that day.

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"Dark Shadows" took the soap genre beyond hospitals and Peyton Places into the wiggy, more youth-friendly realm of the serial thriller. From 1966 to 1971, kids (well, girls, mostly) avoided after-school activities in order to be home by 4 p.m., when the spooky, Theremin-laced theme song would strike up and big, Gothic lettering spelling out "Dark Shadows" would float over footage of a storm-tossed surf. For 30 minutes, these future fans of Anne Rice, "Buffy" and "Angel" were held rapt by the continuing adventures of Barnabas Collins -- the original vampire with a soul -- and his occult-bedeviled descendants, the wealthy Collins family of Collinsport, Maine.

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E! True Hollywood Story (8 p.m. Sun., E!) shines a two-hour spotlight on "L.A. Law." American Masters (9 p.m. Sun., PBS, check local listings) chronicles the history of vaudeville. Larry gets a massage, and trouble follows, on Curb Your Enthusiasm (10 p.m. Sun., HBO).

Specials

Radio's most played artists (and you know what that means) are honored on the Radio Music Awards (9 p.m. Fri., ABC). Try to contain your excitement. Allison Janney hosts Women Rock! Girls & Guitars (9 p.m. Fri., Lifetime), a breast cancer benefit concert featuring Mary J. Blige, the Dixie Chicks, Emmylou Harris, Nelly Furtado, Sheryl Crow and more. The Blair Witch Project (8 p.m. Sun., FX) gets a pre-Halloween airing. The new TV movie The Wedding Dress (9 p.m. Sun., CBS) charts the course of one vintage dress as it changes the lives of several people, one of whom is Doogie Howser.

Sports

World Series:
Yankees at Diamondbacks (7:30 Sat., Sun., Fox)

Football:
Jaguars at Ravens, Jets at Panthers or Bengals at Lions (1 p.m. Sun., CBS)
Saints at Rams, Vikings at Buccaneers or 49ers at Bears (1 p.m. Sun., Fox)
Patriots at Broncos, Raiders at Eagles, Bills at Chargers or Dolphins at Seahawks (4 p.m. Sun., CBS)
Giants at Redskins or Cardinals at Cowboys (4 p.m. Sun., Fox)

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The fact that she's pregnant doesn't stop Rachel from going out with a soap opera hunk on Friends (8 p.m., NBC). The tribes get eaten by lions -- or maybe not -- on Survivor: Africa (8 p.m., CBS). Did you hear the one about the dead scuba diver in the tree? Catherine and Nick do, on CSI (9 p.m., CBS). Susan has a run-in with Weaver on her first day back on ER (10 p.m., NBC) Frontline (10 p.m., PBS, check local listings) presents "Trail of a Terrorist," a Canadian TV report about the foiling of the December 1999 "millennium" terrorist plot to blow up American targets on New Year's Eve.

Sports

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Shoe enthusiast Imelda Marcos is profiled on a new Biography (8 p.m., A&E). On Dawson's Creek (8 p.m., WB), Joey discovers Pacey's whereabouts and Dawson reconsiders his choice of college. The subpoenas fly as hearings into Bartlet's health deception begin on The West Wing (9 p.m., NBC). If O.J. Simpson's road rage trial is making you nostalgic for old times, check out the E! True Hollywood story (9 p.m., E!) on Juice's double-murder trial. Undeclared (9:30 p.m., Fox) reruns the one where Will Ferrell guests as a speed-freak term paper purveyor.

Sports

Hockey:
Stars at Penguins (8 p.m., ESPN)

Talk

Rosie O'Donnell (syndicated) Carole King
David Letterman (CBS) Brooke Shields, Joe Henry (rerun)
Jay Leno (NBC) Denzel Washington (rerun)
Politically Incorrect (ABC) Leeza Gibbons, Simon Shaheen
Conan O'Brien (NBC) Rob Schneider, George Stephanopolous (rerun)
Craig Kilborn (CBS) Terry Bradshaw (rerun)

All times Eastern unless noted.

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On Buffy the Vampire Slayer (8 p.m., UPN), the three geeks -- Jonathan, Warren and Andrew -- begin their quest for world domination. Big Pussy alert: Vincent Pastore of "The Sopranos" guests on Emeril (8 p.m., NBC) -- not that that's a reason to watch this loser sitcom. Nova (8 p.m., PBS, check local listings) presents "Secrets of the Mind," a look at a neurologist's case files. Lorelai and Rory hit the road for a visit to Harvard on Gilmore Girls (8 p.m., WB). Juliette Lewis plays Dharma's best friend from childhood on Dharma & Greg (8 p.m., ABC).

Specials

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Tonya Harding, Kato Kaelin and Darva Conger are among the losers appearing on a special edition of Weakest Link (8 p.m., NBC). Doug accompanies Carrie on a business retreat on The King of Queens (8 p.m., CBS). Third Watch (9 p.m., NBC) has an episode that looks at the show's fictional New York rescue workers' lives on Sept. 10, before the terrorist attacks. Marie's art class sculpture looks oddly familiar on Everybody Loves Raymond (9 p.m., CBS). On Angel (9 p.m., WB), Fred's parents show up, and the skittish physicist freaks out more than usual. Minute by Minute (10 p.m., A&E) looks at the 1996 crash of TWA Flight 800.

Sports

Football:
Eagles at Giants (9 p.m., ABC)

Talk

David Letterman (CBS) TBA
Jay Leno (NBC)Ellen DeGeneres, Blink 182
Politically Incorrect (ABC) Tim Robbins, Grace Slick
Conan O'Brien (NBC) Jeff Greenfield, Ana Gasteyer (rerun)

All times Eastern unless noted.

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Grace and Jessie compete for a role in the school play on Once and Again (10 p.m. Fri., ABC). Lara Flynn Boyle hosts a rerun of Saturday Night Live (11:30 p.m. Sat., NBC), with music from Bon Jovi. E! True Hollywood Story (8 p.m. Sun., E!) looks at the ups and downs of the Spice Girls. Tony becomes suspicious of Pussy on The Sopranos (8 p.m. Sun., HBO). On Alias (9 p.m. Sun., ABC), Sydney simultaneously tracks a terrorist and spies on Francie's boyfriend. Patricia Wettig ("thirtysomething") guests as a reclusive star witness on The Practice (10 p.m. Sun., ABC).

Specials

The four-hour Concert for New York City (8 p.m. Sat., VH1) benefits the victims and honors the rescuers of the Sept. 11 attack. Paul McCartney, the Who, Eric Clapton, Billy Joel, Macy Gray, James Taylor, Jerry Seinfeld, Chris Rock, Gwyneth Paltrow, Susan Sarandon and Denis Leary are among the performers and hosts. The new cable movie In the Time of the Butterflies (8 p.m. Sun., Showtime) stars Salma Hayek, Edward James Olmos and Marc Anthony in an adaptation of the bestseller about sisters who fought against the Trujillo dictatorship in the Dominican Republic. Laura San Giacomo has the title role in the new TV movie Jenifer (9 p.m. Sun., CBS), the true story of a young woman diagnosed with Lou Gehrig's disease and her devoted sisters (Annabella Sciorra, Jane Kaczmarek), who went on a fund-raising tear to help find a cure. The two-part cable drama Victoria and Albert (9 p.m. Sun., A&E) stars Victoria Hamilton and Jonathan Firth as the royal couple, Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. Diana Rigg and Jonathan Pryce co-star.

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Rachel and Ross reveal what happened that night on Friends (8 p.m., NBC). The reality series Popstars 2 (8 p.m., WB) re-applies the "Popstars" formula, this time to a coed singing group. The thrill is gone, but Survivor: Africa (8 p.m., CBS) remains. CSI (9 p.m., CBS) has a case about the shooting death of a high school jock, seemingly by a tormented classmate. Will takes an acting class on Will & Grace (9 p.m., NBC). Sherry Stringfield rejoins the cast of ER (10 p.m., NBC) as Dr. Susan Lewis, Mark Greene's ex-girlfriend. Frontline (10 p.m., PBS, check local listings) presents "Dangerous Straits," a look at the United States' precarious relationship with China.

Sports

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Ed tries out a hip new image on Ed (8 p.m., NBC). Dawson visits Joey at school, while Jen and Jack party, on Dawson's Creek (8 p.m., WB). Bartlet's staffers are at odds with the campaign crew and C.J. can't get her foot out of her mouth on The West Wing (9 p.m., NBC). Felicity thinks she should tell Ben about what happened with Noel, or maybe she shouldn't, on Felicity (9 p.m., WB).

Sports

Baseball:
ALCS, Game 1, Yankees at Mariners (4 p.m., Fox)
NLCS, Game 2, Braves at Diamondbacks (8 p.m., Fox)

Hockey:
Stars at Blues (8 p.m., ESPN)

Talk

Rosie O'Donnell (syndicated) David Duchovny, 'N Sync (rerun)
David Letterman (CBS) Quincy Jones, Judith Miller
Jay Leno (NBC) Salma Hayek, Hayden Christiansen
Politically Incorrect (ABC) Muslim students
Conan O'Brien (NBC) Shannen Elizabeth, Ice-T, Sugar Ray
Craig Kilborn (CBS) Christine Lahti, Keb Mo

All times Eastern unless noted.

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Buffy has to face the economic facts of life without Mom on Buffy the Vampire Slayer (8 p.m., UPN). Lorelai has second thoughts about marriage, despite a wild bachelorette party, on Gilmore Girls (8 p.m., WB). On Undeclared (8:30 p.m., Fox), Steven tests fraternity life and Ron tries to stop Lloyd from making a conquest. The new drama series Smallville (9 p.m., WB) premieres. Tom Welling plays the teenage Clark Kent, a high school nerd with secret superpowers, a crush on Lana Lang and a bullying classmate named Lex Luthor. Mrs. Landingham lives! Kathryn Joosten guests on Scrubs (9:30 p.m., NBC) as a wise patient. Amy has to decide the fate of conjoined twins on Judging Amy (10 p.m., CBS).

Sports

Baseball:
NLCS, Game 1 (4 p.m., Fox)

Talk

David Letterman (CBS) Drew Barrymore
Jay Leno (NBC) Jet Li, Jill Hennessy
Politically Incorrect (ABC) Emmylou Harris, Jay Thomas
Conan O'Brien (NBC) Tom Cavanaugh
Craig Kilborn (CBS) Courtney Thorne-Smith

All times Eastern unless noted.

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Third Watch (9 p.m., NBC) begins its new season with an episode featuring New York City rescue personnel telling their stories of Sept. 11 On Everybody Loves Raymond (9 p.m., CBS), Robert accidentally loses Ray's wedding ring down a hotel room grate. Angel's body is taken over by a being intent on eternal youth on Angel (9 p.m., WB). Minute by Minute (9 p.m., A&E) chronicles the 1989 San Francisco earthquake.

Specials

Masterpiece Theatre American Collection (check local listings, PBS) opens a new season with an adaptation of Eudora Welty's "The Ponder Heart," starring Peter MacNicol as a wealthy man who wants to give away his fortune. Martha Coolidge directs. The I Love Lucy 50 Greatest Laughs Marathon (9 p.m., TV Land) celebrates the 50th anniversary of the classic sitcom, which debuted on Oct. 15, 1951. TV Land will show the first episode aired ("The Girls Want to Go to a Nightclub") with its original rarely seen opening credits.

Sports

Football:
Redskins at Cowboys (9 p.m., ABC)

Talk

Rosie O'Donnell (syndicated) Julianna Margulies, Macy Gray
David Letterman (CBS) Heather Graham, John Mellencamp
Jay Leno (NBC) Heather Locklear
Politically Incorrect (ABC) James Marsters, Tavis Smiley
Craig Kilborn (CBS) Thomas Gibson

All times Eastern unless noted.

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Ellen is photographed for a magazine spread on dot-com has-beens on The Ellen Show (8 p.m. Fri., CBS). Sam the artist (Steven Weber) is back in Judy's life on Once and Again (10 p.m. Fri., ABC). Drew Barrymore hosts Saturday Night Live (11:30 p.m. Sat., NBC) with music from Macy Gray. Inside the Actors Studio (7 p.m. ET/ 8 PT, Sun., Bravo) has a two-hour special celebrating its 100th episode. Gene Hackman is the guest. Aaliyah is the subject of both E! True Hollywood Story (8 p.m. Sun., E!) and Behind the Music (9 p.m. Sun., VH1). The new sitcom Men, Women and Dogs (8:30 p.m. Sun., WB) stars Bill Bellamy one of a group of friends who tries to get lucky in a dog park. Sydney goes up against her arch-nemesis, a female Russian agent, on Alias (9 p.m. Sun., ABC). Two college pals, one British and one American, share a New York bachelor pad in the new sitcom Off Centre (9:30 p.m. Sun., WB). Sounds almost as good as "Men, Women and Dogs." Larry tries to set up an HBO project for Julia Louis-Dreyfus on Curb Your Enthusiasm (10:15 Sun., HBO). It won't work out. It never does. But the way it won't work out will be brilliant.

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Survivor: Africa (8 p.m., CBS) gets underway. Is the "Survivor" ride over? Is America too preoccupied with reality to care about reality TV? This is going to be interesting. Rachel prepares to let the father of her baby in on the news on Friends (8 p.m., NBC). The new reality series Elimidate Deluxe (8 p.m., WB) sends one person out on a date with four simultaneous suitors. It's like "Chains of Love," without the chains. On Will & Grace (9 p.m., NBC), Grace goes to the prom with Jack's son, and Karen tries Will's patience. Grissom probes a suicide at a construction site -- or was it murder? -- on CSI (9 p.m., CBS). Amy Sedaris guests as a key figure from Finch's past on Just Shoot Me (9:30 p.m., NBC). A&E gets into the reality game (a little late) with Ultimate Reality (10 p.m., A&E), a new series in which people get the chance to live out their lifelong fantasies. Greene gets a surprise from his daughter on ER (10 p.m., NBC).

Sports

Baseball playoffs:
Indians at Mariners (4 p.m., Fox Family)
A's at Yankees (8 p.m., Fox)

Hockey:
Kings at Blues (7:30 p.m., ESPN2)
Avalanche at Oilers (10 p.m., ESPN2)

Talk

Rosie O'Donnell (syndicated) Richard Dreyfuss, Carnie Wilson
David Letterman (CBS) Bruce Willis, Alicia Keys
Jay Leno (NBC) Terry Bradshaw
Conan O'Brien (NBC) Lance Bass, Chris Kattan
Craig Kilborn (CBS) Leah Remini

All times Eastern unless noted.

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Ed (8 p.m., NBC) opens its new season with the bowling alley lawyer caught between a rock and a hard place. Actually, he's caught between Carol and Bonnie. Kim Fields -- that's Tootie from "Facts of Life" to you -- gets her very own Biography (8 p.m., A&E). College life beckons for everyone except Pacey in the season opener of Dawson's Creek (8 p.m., WB). The West Wing (9 p.m., NBC) gets back to business with the season opener, in which Bartlet makes his reelection intentions public. On the season premiere of Felicity (9 p.m., WB), senior year proves to be a rude awakening for our girl, who has to decide what she's going to be when she grows up. Drew juggles two wives on The Drew Carey Show (9 p.m., ABC). In case you fell asleep waiting for it to start Sunday, Curb Your Enthusiasm (9 p.m., HBO) gets another airing. Larry's affection for the composer Wagner gets him labeled a "self-hating Jew."

Sports

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So, you think Buffy came back from the dead with no strings attached? On Buffy the Vampire Slayer (8 p.m., UPN), the Scoobys find out otherwise. Gilmore Girls (8 p.m., WB) has its two-hour season opener, in which Lorelai considers Max's marriage proposal and Rory finds her and Dean growing apart. Nova (8 p.m., PBS, check local listings) presents "18 Ways to Make a Baby," a look at advances in in-vitro fertilization technology. Steven, Lizzie and Rachel buy term papers from a drug-addled townie (Will Ferrell) on Undeclared (8:30 p.m., Fox). On the season premiere of Roswell (9 p.m., UPN), Max and Liz are arrested for armed robbery while trying to gain access to the hidden spaceship that brought Max to earth.

Specials

The five-part documentary Local News (10 p.m., PBS, check local listings) looks at one Charlotte, N.C., TV station's struggles to strike a balance between quality journalism and the stuff that gets ratings.

Sports

Baseball playoffs:
Braves at Astros (1 p.m., Fox Family)
Indians at Mariners (4 p.m., Fox)
Cardinals at Diamondbacks (8 p.m., Fox Family)

Talk

Rosie O'Donnell (syndicated) Lance Bass, Joey Fatone
David Letterman (CBS) Tom Cavanagh, Leona Naess
Jay Leno (NBC) Billy Bob Thornton
Politically Incorrect (ABC) Al Franken, Fyvush Finkel
Conan O'Brien (NBC) Lorraine Bracco, Snoop Dogg
Craig Kilborn (CBS) Ming-Na

All times Eastern unless noted.

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Doug tries to break a package delivery record on The King of Queens (8 p.m., CBS). Who Wants to Be a Millionaire (8 p.m. ET/10 PT, ABC) has a charity event featuring comedians Orlando Jones, Jack Black, Seth Green, Kathy Griffin, Jimmy Kimmel and others. On Everybody Loves Raymond (9 p.m., CBS), Frank is jealous when Marco (David Proval) starts taking piano lessons from Marie. Gunn's old crew resents his new comrades on Angel (9 p.m., WB). The new documentary series Minute by Minute (10 p.m., A&E) begins with eyewitness accounts of the 1993 World Trade Center bombing.

Specials

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Sabrina the Teenage Witch (8 p.m. Fri., WB) opens its sixth season. What is she, like, 40 by now? WB also unveils the sitcoms Maybe It's Me (8:30 p.m. Fri., WB), about a teenage girl who is embarrassed by her family, and Reba (9 p.m. Fri., WB), starring Reba McEntire about a single mom who is embarrassed by her family. Grace has a love-hate thing going with her creative writing teacher (Eric Stoltz) on Once & Again (10 p.m. Fri., ABC). Seann William Scott hosts Saturday Night Live (11:30 p.m. Sat., NBC), with music from Sum 41. American Masters (9 p.m. Sun., PBS, check local listings) has a new profile of movie mogul Samuel L. Goldwyn, narrated by Dustin Hoffman. Behind the Music (9 p.m. Sun., VH1) finally does the Sean "Puff Daddy/P. Diddy" Combs story. On Alias (9 p.m. Sun., ABC), Sydney plays both sides of the fence, hopefully losing the orange "Run Lola Run" hair in the process. Larry is accused of being a self-hating Jew on Curb Your Enthusiasm (10:40 p.m. Sun., HBO).

Specials

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