December 22, 2006 - Welcome to IGN TV's Year in Review for 2006. IGN TV didn't actually hit the Web until May of this year but for our inaugural Year in Review feature we'll be covering the entire year of 2006 -- from 24's fifth season debut to the various fall finales.

As 2006 ends, things are winding down at the IGN offices as we take off for the holidays -- today (Friday, Dec. 22) is IGN TV's last publish of the year. We'll be back with our regular updates on Tuesday, January 2. Until then, please enjoy our 2006 Year in Review!

State of TV
2006 saw the rise and, sadly, the decline of serialized dramas on television. Within the same year anticipation and ratings grew for such series as 24, Lost and Prison Break, only to see ratings for most heavily serialized shows drop as the '06-'07 season began, with both Lost and Prison Break struggling to retain the ratings of last season. The popularity of high concept serials like 24 and Prison Break prompted the networks to develop various new series for the fall '06 season, including Day Break, Vanished, and Kidnapped (all three of which ended up being cancelled by ABC, FOX, and NBC before their 13-episode seasons had aired -- and story arcs had been resolved).

Those cancelled serialized dramas now thankfully have a chance to get their remaining episodes out to the public, thanks to another trend of 2006: television networks embracing the Internet. Over the course of the year, all of the broadcast networks (and many cable networks) began offering shows for either as purchased downloads (usually on Apple's iTunes) or streaming for free. Fans of many shows that were cancelled before all of their episodes aired were finally offered a chance to see to see the unaired episodes for free, instead of waiting and hoping for an eventual DVD release of the series.

It wasn't all low ratings and cancellations for new serialized dramas in 2006 -- a handful of new series did well enough to garner full-season pick-ups from the networks, including Jericho, Friday Night Lights, and Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip. There was even one new fall '06 drama that's become a breakout hit: NBC's superhero series Heroes. The catchy ad campaign ("Save the cheerleader. Save the world."), well-written characters and intriguing stories made the series popular to comic book geeks and the general public alike.

Drama fans were safer from cancellation woes on the cable networks. While CBS canned Ray Liotta's Smith after airing just three episodes, more patient networks like Showtime allowed freshman series Brotherhood and Dexter a full season to find an audience. Cable also continued to be the section of your listings to head to if you wanted edgy serial programming, with new seasons of The Sopranos, The Shield, The Wire, Battlestar Galactica and Weeds all portraying characters and stories one doesn't find on broadcast television. Even the best cable dramas weren't completely safe from the axe, however, as 2006 saw Deadwood get cancelled just before season three began airing on HBO. A deal was soon announced for a pair of two-hour specials that will wrap up the series.

Continuing in popularity were the run of various reality series/game shows the broadcast nets turn to for filling holes in their schedules. Less expensive to produce than standard programming, shows like Deal or No Deal, Dancing with the Stars and American Idol produced big ratings for NBC and FOX, prompting the networks to produce similar shows, including 1 Vs. 100, Skating with Celebrities, and America's Got Talent. Oddly, one of the originators of the reality show competition genre, Survivor, simultaneously had one of its least popular seasons ratings-wise, yet arguably one of its most entertaining competitions to date with Survivor: Cook Islands.

CBS

A reality series was one fledgling network's only real hit. America's Next Top Model was the main ratings-getter for The CW, which launched in Fall 2006 as the first new broadcast network in 11 years. A combination of The WB and UPN, The CW started the season with what many viewed as the best series from both networks and expectations were high that the ratings for many of their shows would increase with the merger. Unfortunately, Top Model has been The CW's sole performer over last year, and their one new drama, the serialized thriller Runaway, was soon cancelled due to low ratings.

2006 was a great year for comedy, with single-camera series such as The Office, How I Met Your Mother, My Name Is Earl, and Everybody Hates Chris hitting their strides as traditional, multi-camera comedies were diminishing in both number and popularity (one exception being CBS's Two and a Half Men, which consistently posts strong ratings in its fourth season). Ironically, the critically acclaimed show that started off the single-camera comedy trend, Arrested Development, was cancelled in 2006, ending its three-season run with a four-episode marathon in February.

FOX

Comedy fans also continued to get their humor fix via animated series. With the continued success of such adult-oriented animated comedies as Family Guy, The Simpsons, King of the Hill, and South Park, a handful of networks produced more episodes of returning animated series and launched a bunch of new adult cartoons. Comedy Central, FOX, and Cartoon Network's [adult swim] programming block continued to air the majority of adult animation, including returning series Drawn Together, American Dad, and such [adult swim] series as Aqua Teen Hunger Force, Robot Chicken, Tom Goes to the Mayor, Venture Bros, and Harvey Birdman. Cartoon Network's [adult swim] started up a bunch of new series, including Metalocalpyse, Frisky Dingo, and Assy McGee. Adult cartoon fans also had gained one new network to turn to for animated comedy: MTV2. The cable network's Sic 'Emation programming block started up with three series: Where My Dogs At?, The Adventures of Chico and Guapo and Celebrity Deathmatch, which returned after a 4-year hiatus, previously airing on MTV.

iTunes

Overall 2006 was a great year for television fans, with tons of great programming available year-round, and plenty of options for people to watch their favorite shows, from recording on TiVos and other DVRs, buying episodes on services like iTunes, and watching free streaming versions on the networks' websites. With more and more shows becoming available online, TV fans may never have to worry about missing an episode.