31. Tina Fey
Funniest female on TV. I say ever, and yes, that means funnier than Lucy.

32. Special guest stars
Some people hate them, and some shows (Will & Grace, for instance) rely on them far too often. On the other hand … Alan Alda as Jack Donaghy’s dad on 30 Rock? Scott Bakula as Chuck’s dad on Chuck? Sammy Davis Jr. planting a kiss on Archie Bunker on All in the Family? Pretty much every episode of The Simpsons? A well-cast guest star can be a treat. On the other hand, sometimes they are just weird.

33. Ethan Suplee
Jason Lee and Emmy winner Jaime Pressly get all the props, but I’m still watching My Name Is Earl solely for Suplee, whose portrayal of Earl’s dimwitted brother (who occasionally pops up with a pithy observation) is sometimes over-the-top hilarious and sometimes just really sweet. I interviewed Suplee earlier in the show’s run, and he said part of the inspiration for his performance of the child-like Randy comes from simply observing his stepchildren. Really sweet indeed.

34. Jim and Pam
As with most TV couples, the road to coupledom was the best part for this Office duo, but I love how Pam has become more confident now that she’s the future Mrs. Halpert.

35. Kenneth the Page
He’s just a sweet small-town boy who loves TV, played by Jack McBrayer, a sweet, and hilarious, small-town guy who loves TV. And another of my fave interviews.

36. Reno 911!
The show that always goes there, “there” being an increasingly weirder, less politically correct and hilarious place. That’s a good thing, as is Lt. Jim Dangle’s (Thomas Lennon) short-shorts uniform, a piece of TV wardrobe that’s every bit as cool as Fonzie’s jacket, Chandler Bing’s sweater vests and June Cleaver’s pearls.

37. The Office
This season has been the show’s weakest … not as many of those watercooler moments as in seasons past. But it can still surprise with a great Michael moment, a clever prank on Dwight or some Creed weirdness. And big ups to Ed Helms, whose Andy was at first super annoying, but who has emerged – especially after his pitiful engagement to frosty Angela – to be a lovable geek.

38. Ace of Cakes
There is just something soothing about watching people make fantastic cakes, even during those Food Network Challenges when the bakers are so obviously stressed out. Maybe that’s the main appeal of the Charm City Cakes crew, from Duff (and his trademark laugh) and super-organized office manager Mary Alice to Jeff, the talented baker/designer who may be the most laidback person in the history of TV.

39. Lifetime movies
There are few things in a girl’s life better than a weekend marathon of made-for-TV movies starring Tori Spelling, Kellie Martin, Tiffani-Amber Thiessen, Judith Light, Meredith Baxter or anyone from the cast of Charmed. All-time best Lifetime movie title, by the way: Mother, May I Sleep With Danger?

40. The Wire
Dukie, McNulty (McNutty, as my friend Jeff calls him), Omar and his Honey Nut Cheerios … despite where he was headed when last we saw him in the series finale, I’d like to believe that Dukie ends up graduating from high school and landing a computer job. Heartbreaking show, but so worth it. The Wire: The Complete Series DVD box set is a must own, or at least, a must to Netflix.

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• Filed in I Love TV!
• Tags: 30 Rock, Ace of Cakes, Alan Alda, Charmed, Chuck, Ed Helms, Ethan Suplee, Jack McBrayer, Jaime Pressly, Jason Lee, Kenneth the Page, Lifetime, My Name Is Earl, Reno 911!, Scott Bakula, The Office, The Wire, Thomas Lennon, Tiffani-Amber Thiessen, Tina Fey, Tori Spelling

All the tube news that’s fit to surf …

– I love me some Chuck Bass (Ed Westwick), but New York magazine is crediting Monday night’s episode of Gossip Girl with coining the phrase “fauxialite,” and it’s simply not true. I interviewed The Real Housewives of New York City star Bethenny Frankel back in February, and she used the phrase back then.

– HBO is officially moving forward with Treme, the post-Katrina New Orleans drama from The Wire‘s David Simon and Eric Overmyer, and starring The Wire‘s fantastic Wendell Pierce. The show will begin filming in the fall in New Orleans, after hurricane season.

– Meanwhile, Peter Dinklage will star in another HBO series, Game of Thrones, a fantasy series based on author George R.R. Martin‘s Songs of Fire and Ice novels. And another alum of The Wire, Tom McCarthy, will direct the pilot. McCarthy, an actor/writer who penned The Station Agent, starred in the final season of The Wire as Stephen Glass-ish newspaper reporter Scott Templeton.

– The Office star/writer Mindy Kaling has signed a deal to create her own series for NBC. She’s incredibly talented, but can’t say I’m sad about the prospect of there eventually being a Kelly Kapoor departure from Dunder Mifflin Scranton.

– Seth MacFarlane says a big-screen Family Guy movie will happen … someday.

– Leonard Nimoy – as Spock – will deliver the top 10 list on Letterman Thursday night (May 7).

– Elizabeth Edwards‘ interview with Oprah airs tomorrow, giving us all the final bit of proof we need that John Edwards is officially one of the bigger douchebags in history.

– CBS is considering remakes of Let’s Make a Deal and The Dating Game to replace The Guiding Light. Still can’t believe that show’s being canceled. Sniffle, sniffle.

– Farrah’s Story, a two-hour documentary chronicling Farrah Fawcett‘s battle with cancer, will air on NBC on May 15.

– Jay Leno‘s promising to be funny in a promo for his new 10PM timeslot next season. I so doubt that will happen, and hope this experiment, which really only means there’s even less room for quality scripted shows now, is a short-lived one at NBC.

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• Filed in TV News
• Tags: Family Guy, Gossip Girl, Jay Leno, Letterman, Oprah, Real Housewives of New York City, Star Trek, The Guiding Light, The Office, The Wire