a smattering of year end lists of good television (with Buffy excerpts. follow the links for other programs. all links pilfered from Slayage.com, which is a great place to stay up on Buffy articles):

Neal Justin: The Year in Television. (Star Tribune) The cast of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" can't sing or dance well, which is one reason this musical episode was such a treat. The young actors had to rely on pure energy, and the result was one high-spirited number after another. The highlight: "I'll Never Tell," in which lovers Xander (Nicholas Brendon) and Anya (Emmy Caulfield) make like Fred and Ginger. Sexy, silly, sensational.

TV faced reality in '01. It had the best single episode: Feb. 27's ``The Body,'' a beautifully crafted and acted look at death. It had the single most innovative episode: Nov. 6's ``Once More With Feeling,'' an all-singing, all-dancing ``Buffy'' that actually worked. It killed off its lead character in spectacular fashion -- and then brought her back from the dead even more spectacularly.

Primetime's top 10. (Orlando Sentinel) The supernatural series depicted its heroine's return from the dead with poignant eeriness. It established a steamy romantic relationship between Buffy (Sarah Michelle Gellar) and Spike (James Marsters). It offered a musical episode that was remarkable and daring. Gellar astonished with her wide-ranging talent -- it's time Emmy voters acknowledged her.

Goodies the tube delivered in 2001. (Mercury News) Hits more home runs than any series.

TV watching made easy. (SF Examiner) The Can't-Miss Network Show: Any regular reader of this column already knew the answer to this one. "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" gave us two of the most striking hours of television this year with the powerful episode "The Body," in which Buffy's beloved mother died, and the musical episode, "Once More With Feeling. ... Even Examiner movie critic Jeff Anderson called "The Body" one of the best hours of television he's ever seen, putting most major Hollywood movies to shame. So take that, naysayers.

Television in the Year of 9-11 (MSNBC) It was a tough year for “Buffy the Vampire Slayer.” It was a tough year for all of us. February now feels so removed from the post-Sept. 11 world that it might as well be the Middle Ages. But back in ye olde February, an episode of “Buffy” aired that might just have been the best episode aired by any television program all year.