As each year ends, it's appropriate to pause and reflect on what -- and whom -- is being left behind.

Invariably, that includes television personalities who passed away during the preceding 12 months. Some genuine staples of the home screen died this year, many of whom left their marks on the medium.

Johnny Carson: Many thought late-night television would never be the same after Carson left his "Tonight Show" throne, and they largely were right. It's a little terrifying to think a generation has grown up not knowing the witty, stylish Carson's mastery at playing host to everyone from superstars and politicians to bright kids and animal experts.

Peter Jennings: After Tom Brokaw and Dan Rather ceded their network-news anchor seats, no one expected to lose the third member of the troika so soon afterward. Right up to the end -- as even his rivals acknowledged -- ABC's Jennings remained the personification of the debonair, erudite, well-traveled newsman.

Bob Denver: Not just the Skipper's "little buddy," television's most lovable castaway kept the high jinks on "Gilligan's Island" afloat after his time as television's first regularly scheduled beatnik, Maynard G. Krebs ("The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis").

Don Adams: With a phone in his shoe and a "Would you believe ... ?" on his lips, Adams was the perfect counterpoint to the big screen's oh-so-smooth superspies as hapless Agent 86 in the sitcom "Get Smart."

Eddie Albert: Many years after he starred in one of television's first experimental transmissions, "Green Acres" was the place to be for this accomplished actor, bringing the perfect gravitas to Oliver Wendell Douglas to offset the kookiness of the attorney's Hooterville neighbors.

James Doohan: How many times would Enterprise have been doomed on "Star Trek" without chief engineer Montgomery "Scotty" Scott saving the day? And that's without his beaming anybody up.

Ruth Warrick: Every daytime serial has its matriarch. For ABC's "All My Children," it was Phoebe as played by the regal Warrick, whose wide-ranging career dated back to Orson Welles' Mercury Theatre troupe.

Barbara Bel Geddes: Also renowned for her work in other venues, this actress found fame on a much bigger scale as the original Miss Ellie, the voice of reason for a family that really needed one on "Dallas."

Ossie Davis: Often a television sidekick to Burt Reynolds in later years, the ever-distinguished Davis lent prestige to any project, including the National Memorial Day Concert, which he long presided over on PBS.

Frank Gorshin: "Riddle me this." Would television's "Batman" have had the same initial impact with anyone else playing the lithe, maniacally giggling Riddler? Whoever else plays the villain -- even Jim Carrey -- skilled impressionist Gorshin will always be the standard for the role.

Pat Morita: One of the last celebrities to leave us in 2005, this reliable performer not only found television popularity as malt-shop proprietor Arnold in "Happy Days," he scored big-screen stardom -- and an Oscar nomination -- as martial-arts mentor Miyagi in the "Karate Kid" movies.

Ralph Edwards: "This Is Your Life" was a phrase that personalities either dreaded or anticipated -- or both -- thanks to series creator-producer Edwards, who also gave America one of its first hit game shows (and host Bob Barker) with "Truth or Consequences."

Skitch Henderson: Kevin Eubanks has the job now, but in the early years of NBC's "Tonight Show," Henderson was the conductor who struck up the band each weeknight.

Louis Nye: From his 1950s stint with Steve Allen ("Hi-ho, Steverino!") through his time on "The Beverly Hillbillies" and "Curb Your Enthusiasm," this comic genius got maximum mileage out of playing a snob.

Howard Morris: A successful director in later years, Morris was in the ensemble that made "Your Show of Shows" legendary in the 1950s, then became Ernest T. Bass on "The Andy Griffith Show" the following decade.

Paul Winchell: When it came to ventriloquism, Winchell -- the voice of Tigger in Disney's "Winnie the Pooh" tales -- was a superstar of the field, holding down series with assistance from real dummies Jerry Mahoney and Knucklehead Smith.

Nipsey Russell: A king of comedic poetry, Russell always made time for a rhyme as a panelist on the 1970s incarnation of "Match Game."

Shana Alexander: By squaring off regularly with James J. Kilpatrick on "60 Minutes," the writer and journalist cemented a segment spoofed memorably by Jane Curtin and Dan Aykroyd in "Saturday Night Live."

Barney Martin: Thanks to "Seinfeld" repeats, this distinctive character actor will live on forever as Jerry's on-screen father.

John Vernon: One of the most-sought guest stars for crime shows, this actor found his trademark role by playing sinister Dean Wormer in "National Lampoon's Animal House," a part he reprised in the television spinoff "Delta House."

Len Dresslar: If you ever saw a television ad for Green Giant vegetables, you heard Dresslar's deep "Ho, ho, ho!"

Frank Perdue: Also famous from commercials, the poultry magnate confirmed it took "a tough man to make a tender chicken."

Bobby Short: Always a big draw on the cabaret circuit, the gifted singer-pianist became a television presence by crooning about the perfume named Charlie in ads that starred "Charlie's Angel"-to-be Shelley Hack.

Shelby Foote: Best-known for his historical novels, the author was an invaluable resource to filmmaker Ken Burns on the landmark PBS miniseries "The Civil War."

Charles Rocket: This "Saturday Night Live" alumnus' legacy isn't the happiest, since he's primarily remembered for uttering a verboten word live on national television ... thus losing the gig.

Richard Pryor: Television wasn't this famously edgy comedian-actor's main domain, even with his short-lived 1977 NBC series. Still, he made a big impression through appearances on "The Merv Griffin Show," "The Ed Sullivan Show" and "Saturday Night Live."

John Spencer: The sudden passing of the Emmy winner who gave "The West Wing" so much of its heart and soul leaves a definite gap in the series, since his Leo McGarry had gone from White House chief of staff to vice-presidential candidate.