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It has been an eventful television season, interrupted by a Hollywood writers strike that saw some of the most popular shows drop off the schedule for several months before returning at the very end of the season.

And though most are back, take a peek at the weekly Nielsen list of most popular shows, and you will find American Idol and Dancing With The Stars always at the top of the heap. Reality still rules in the ratings.

Did television manage to survive the strike? Are you back watching the same shows as before the strike? What shows are succeeding — and which just didn't hold up after the strike break?

And during the sweeps period, what can we expect from some of the fan favourites — Desperate Housewives, Lost, The Office, Ugly Betty and newcomers Samantha Who? and Private Practice?

The Globe and Mail's Andrew Ryan answered your questions from noon to 1 p.m. ET about television — the good, the bad and the ugly — and whether television has been irreparably scarred by the writers strike. Your questions and Mr. Ryan's answers appear at the bottom of this page when the discussion begins.

Mr. Ryan is the former editor of TV GUIDE Canada. He came to The Globe and Mail in the summer of 2000 and currently writes about television for the Globe's Review section.

David Psutka, globeandmail.com Thanks for taking the time to talk with us Andrew. I'll begin by admitting my apathy for television right now; Howie Mandell, Bret Michaels and Simon Cowell just aren't doing it for me these days. What are some reasons to be excited about television right now?

Andrew Ryan:Thanks, David. And you're not the first person to register their dismay over the TV lineup lately. The normally vast wasteland of broadcast television has become half-vast, so to speak, in the wake of the TV writers strike last winter. If anything, the work stoppage appears to have strengthened the iron grip of Howie (Deal or No Deal), Bret (Rock of Love) and the ever-testy Simon (American Idol) and other non-scripted programming. Don't blame me, but reality-TV has never been so popular with prime-time viewers; even the newest campaign of The Bachelor is performing well for ABC, and that show exhausted its concept in its first season. There has been some buzz in recent weeks over the return of some prime-time favourites, like 30 Rock, Grey's Anatomy and Desperate Housewives, but in almost every instance the show is returning to a slightly diminished audience. These days people are more engaged in the ongoing madness of Dancing with the Stars, or watching Gordon Ramsay shriek at cooking novices on Hell's Kitchen. The changeover from scripted drama to raw human drama is nearly complete.

Sybil Jackson from Gravenhurst Canada writes: I'm fed up with TV in general. A good chunk of my income goes to paying for cable and what do I get - infomercials and crappy movies ad nauseum, especially in the middle of the night when I tend to have my TV on. I don't know who decides their packaging but I have to pay for about 40 channels I never watch to get the few that I want. Why do I get two or three French channels? I hate anything with sub-titles because I mostly use a 13' TV. I don't want to have to actually watch anything - I just want something I can listen to. I have two friends who don't have cable or a satellite dish and they find the three to six channels they get are adequate. They're afraid they won't be able to get them soon. I admit I'm not a 'regular' viewer in that aside from news, sports and politics I don't watch many shows that have been made in the last 15 years.

Andrew Ryan:Sybil, I feel your pain. The most common complaint of all cable subscribers is the area of the channel lineup. Hey, who knew there were channels devoted entirely to food, golf and science-fiction shows? The birth of specialty channels a decade ago changed everything, and the arrival of digital television has only refined the level of choice to a precise level. Also: Your friends who are getting three to six channels are correct in assuming they won't be getting them soon: Early next year, all broadcasters in Canada and the U.S. will cease broadcasting an analog signal. By this time next year, it will be all-digital. To that end, you say you're not a regular sort of TV viewer. You might want to consider switching to satellite radio service?

Carolyn Bongiorno, Glenham, NY: Does Ian Weir, the creator and main writer of 'Edgemont,' have a new project? I haven't seen his name attached to anything that's shown here in the States since. I really liked his series and wonder what he's up to.

Andrew Ryan:Mr. Weir most recently wrote the TV movie Dragon Boys, which aired on CBC last year. He doesn't seem to have any other upcoming television projects.

Brodie Fenlon, globeandmail.com: I was interested to read recently that American Idol's ratings have slipped a fair bit from last year (although the numbers are still huge). What's happening here? Has the franchise run its course? And what does it mean for Canadian Idol?

Andrew Ryan:Thanks, Brodie. The numbers for Idol have indeed dipped in the U.S., but the franchise remains solid. Even after five years and seven campaigns, Idol remains the juggernaut of American network television, with a regular audience of 30-million or so viewers. And remember, the show airs two and sometimes three times weekly. Don't do the math. The show has lost a few million followers in the U.S. this time around, most likely due to the ongoing appeal of ABC's Dancing with the Stars, but no one at the franchise is pushing the panic button yet. In this country, the ratings for American Idol remain virtually unchanged from years past. Canadian viewers are still wild for TV's pre-eminent karaoke contest.

David Psutka, Globeandmail.com: Washed up musicians and celebrities are the new television stars; If you had to create a bachelor-esque reality show with anyone in history as the love interest, alive or dead, who would you choose?

Andrew Ryan:Now there's a challenge. The reality template for washed-up stars was created several years ago with The Osbournes, which followed the home life of middle-aged metalhead Ozzy and his dysfunctional clan. And it truly did have its charms, most likely because Ozzy really was as addled as portrayed on TV. Since then, sadly, the format has been used on lesser entities, most notably Gene Simmons (Gene Simmons Family Jewels) and Bret Michaels (Rock of Love). And while it defies all logic, viewers love these shows, which means they keep coming back. Certainly it's a grand ego-boast for Simmons and Michaels, but does anybody out there really believe that fans--particularly female fans--are still throwing themselves at these old coots? At least Ozzy was concerned with more pressing matters, like finding his keys or taking the dog for a walk. I can't think of any one celebrity that I would like to see in a Bachelor-style show, save for Elvis Presley, who of course would never have agreed to such tomfoolery.

Terry Weber, globeandmail.com: Is Top Chef returning to Canadian TV? The Food Network has carried it in the past, but I noticed they haven't picked up the most recent season even though it's already well under way in the U.S.

Andrew Ryan:At last check, Top Chef is still absent from The Food Network schedule in this country, even though the fourth season has already begun airing in the U.S. It's a situation that occurs frequently in the cross-border translation of American-Canadian television. Very often the price for an American show drops after its first run; if a Canadian broadcaster is willing to wait several months, they can get the same program for a fraction of the cost. Grocery stores very often use the same technique to sell wilting produce and day-old bread.

Christine Diemert, globeandmail.com: Hi Andrew, you know -- since we discuss this more frequently then you probably would like -- that I love Coronation Street. But I also love hockey, so I'm not too disturbed when NHL playoffs start to mess with the Corrie weekday schedule. I tape the omnibus show on Sunday morning and spend the week catching up. I understand however, when it comes to Street fans, I am not like everyone else and that CBC has a tough time accounting for the fact it takes away the 7 p.m. weekly Corrie during NHL playoff season. Does the network lose viewers during the playoff season every year? And where does Coronation Street sit in the ranking for CBC shows anyway?

Andrew Ryan:Ah, Corrie. The venerable British soap has filled a void on Canadian television since launching on CBC in the early sixties (the first shows were reportedly flown over by transatlantic flight, no less). To this day, the show receives more fan feedback than any other show on our public broadcaster: When the schedule is interrupted, the main CBC switchboard still lights up like a Christmas tree. The CBC made a rare smart move a few years ago by scheduling Coronation Street in a 7 p.m. timeslot four days weekly, in addition to the broadcasts on weekday afternoons and early Sunday mornings; the show immediately garnered a brand-new audience of viewers. In ratings terms, Corrie very often ranks among the most-watched programs on CBC. On the downside, the arrival of playoff hockey each spring always upsets the broadcast schedule and greatly rankles viewers following the story. The safest bet: Tape the Sunday-morning shows and enjoy a Corrie marathon once the hockey playoffs are over.

Da Puma from Stab City Canada: Hi Andrew, kudos on doing a great job with TV commentary for the Globe and Mail. This is probably more of a vent than anything; how can the CBC justify cancelling Intelligence and replacing it with Tripe? Why aren't high-quality shows given the opportunity to grow an audience any longer? (This isn't just the case with the Mother Corp. - I recall a great CTV production a few years back called The Eleventh Hour.) We're capable of creating great TV in Canada, but the inmates seem to be running the asylum when it comes to what gets aired. Please use your soapbox to speak out about this debacle!

Andrew Ryan: Thanks for the kind feedback. And your vent is an accurate description of the Canadian broadcast scene. Some people I know have described the recent loss of Intelligence as the last gasp for TV in this country. And the ongoing inability of CBC to remain competitive in the current broadcast landscape does not bode well for the future of quality programming in this country. It will be a very long time before a Canadian network tries to mount a show like The Eleventh Hour. In comparative terms, the eighties were rife with homemade series—remember ENG? Night Heat? The Littlest Hobo? Most broadcasters in this country have already moved beyond the era of telling Canadian stories to Canadian viewers. And why would private broadcasters like CTV or Global bother to develop new programs when it's easier, and infinitely cheaper, to show U.S. imports? Throw in the occasional true-life TV movie and those Canadian content regulations are covered. Even Corner Gas is pulling its own plug after next season. If the CBC can't find a way to support that kind of high-quality show, what's the future hope for our public broadcaster? The Week the Women Went? The Next Great Prime Minister? Heaven help us.

David Psutka, globeandmail.com: Andrew, thank you for sharing your insight today, there seems to be a general tone of discontent with the state of television these days -- I suppose it's better to be a television critic than a cable provider. To our readers, we're sorry we didn't get to all of your questions