THE BEST OF 2013 - The Best TV Of The Year

THE BEST OF 2013 - The Best TV Shows of The Year

- What a year for television. There is, as usual over the last few years, a lot to talk about in terms of how the way series are being scheduled, programmed, and watched is changing. This was the year that Netflix became a legitimate TV content programmer, and that Amazon jumped into the fray as well. This was the year that binge-watching went mainstream, and did so in a way that actually helped raise the on-air ratings for current shows, as people caught up on past seasons via streaming and download services. This was the year that cable TV continued to dominate, as The Walking Dead became the most-watched scripted show on all of television, and shows like HBO's Game of Thrones dominated the pop-cultural conversation.

But all that being said, this was, I think, the year of Breaking Bad. Changes in consumption habits are one thing, but ultimately, what's even more interesting is when a medium reaches a new creative peak. And that happened this year: BREAKING BAD ended in stunning fashion, and in doing so, set a new bar for TV drama. It feels weird to call a show the greatest-anything of all-time when it only just ended -- don't we need the passage of time to declare such things? -- but with Breaking Bad, it seems like a fair call to make. Months after the astounding final season concluded, I'm still going through withdrawal, still wondering what became of characters like Jesse Pinkman and Walter Jr. after the final credits rolled.

2013 was also the end for some other all-time great shows. One regret I had earlier this year was not finding time to write a lengthy piece about the end of 30 ROCK. 30 Rock somehow became underrated as time went on - perhaps the disconnect between the devotion of critics and hardcore fans, vs. the low on-air ratings, drove some people to dismiss the show as high-brow elitist comedy. Whatever. 30 Rock was TV's best sitcom since they heyday of The Simpsons. It was endlessly quotable, brilliantly written and acted, and mixed random humor with pointed social commentary better than any other comedy in the last decade. I already miss this show greatly. This was the comedy that would have me jotting down quotes to share on social media, that would have me chatting with friends at work about an episode's funniest moments, that would have me pausing and rewinding my DVR to catch jokes I'd missed because I was laughing too hard from something that had happened earlier. 30 Rock had occasional ups and downs over the years, but it was far more consistently great than people give it credit for, and its final season was flat-out brilliant. What's more, each of the final batch of episodes that aired back in January were among the series' best. The series finale was a classic - everything you could have hoped for from this show.

2013 also marked the end of THE OFFICE. The show was in sort of a weird place ever since Steve Carrel left the cast a few years back, but I do think that the show rebounded a bit for its last couple of episodes, showing signs of what made it, in its early years, one of the best comedies on television. In particular, the series finale was a really well-done send-off. Even though the show had long since lost its spot as one of the elite comedies on the air, that finale was a nice reminder of how great the show had been and could be.

For a number of reasons - personal, professional, and otherwise - the end of The Office and 30 Rock really did feel like the end of an era for TV comedy and for NBC.

Another all-time great comedy that ended in 2013 was FUTURAMA. This is a weird one, because we all thought the show was finished years ago when FOX cancelled it. But it got picked up by Comedy Central, and we've been treated to new episodes of the show for the last few years. The quality didn't always match the level of greatness that the show displayed during its original run. But every so often, there'd be an episode like "The Late Philip J. Fry" that was an all-time classic, and a reminder to be thankful that this show was still churning out new episodes. The final season was more hit-or-miss than usual, but the show gave us one last all-timer with its jaw-droppingly amazing finale. The series-ender was an encapsulation of all that made Futurama great - hilarity, imagination, cleverness, fantastic characters, and the uncanny ability to produce episodes that were so full of heart that they made you misty-eyed. How could an animated comedy about robots and lobster-aliens make me more than a little verklempt? It shouldn't, but it did. The finale was a perfect ending for one of my favorite-ever TV shows. And by the way, one of the truly awesome experiences I had at this year's Comic-Con was the Futurama panel, in which I got to see the show's uber-talented voice cast table-read scenes from the series finale, and artists (including Matt Groening himself) live-draw characters from the show. It was a privilege to experience the ongoing adventures of Fry, Leela, Bender, Zoidberg, and the rest of the crew over the years, and I can only express thanks to the creative people behind the show for giving us so many memorable moments and episodes.

Another finale that I've got to talk about: FRINGE. The show aired its final batch of episodes in January, and this was another one that went out with a bang. The show's final season - set in an apocalyptic future - was a strange and bold leap for the show to take, and at times it did seem like too much of a departure from what made the series work so well originally. That said, the two-part finale was a rip-roaring adventure - a time and universe-spanning epic that, while containing a few head-scratching moments, felt like a fantastic farewell to Olivia Dunham, Peter Bishop, and Walter Bishop. Fringe will forever go down as an underrated cult classic. It never got the attention or awards it deserved, and the fact that the great John Noble never even got a single Emmy nomination is a travesty, given that week in and week out, he was doing the best acting on TV of anyone not named Bryan Cranston. Fringe will be talked about and discussed and rediscovered for many years to come, and it will go down, I think, as one of the great sci-fi shows alongside stalwarts like The X-Files and Lost (and Fringe's ending was better than both). But what I already miss about Fringe is that it was one of the rare sci-fi shows on TV that actually made me think about science. It felt mind-expanding. While I enjoy a good light and fluffy fantasy show on occasion (Sleepy Hollow, anyone?), I've had a serious post-Fringe void of harder sci-fi storytelling on TV. Still waiting to see what new show will rise to the occasion and take the ball from Fringe.

One final finale I've got to talk about, and that's EASTBOUND & DOWN. Here's another show that had a cult following, but that never really got the proper respect it deserved from most critics. I sort of get it, because Eastbound & Down is pitch-black comedy - it's funny as hell, but also deeply disturbing and boundary-pushing at times. Kenny Powers is not a good person, and the show never pretended that he was. For that reason, the final season of Eastbound made for an interesting companion piece to the final season of Breaking Bad. In its own way, Eastbound was just as epic and dark - with Kenny falling into an ever-expanding black hole of depravity as he once again attempts to reclaim his treasured modicum of fame and fortune. Despite its dark undertones, however, the fact is that no show, maybe ever, has made me laugh harder than Eastbound & Down. Through Kenny, his grotesque sidekick Stevie, and the rest of its oddball cast, the show constantly pushed boundaries, thumbed its nose at good taste, and was one of the last shows on the air that truly shocked me and left my jaw on the floor on a consistent basis. There was always a temptation to just make Kenny awesome - a hero for us to root for. But what made this show great was that yeah, sure, Kenny was sort of awesome in his own ridiculous way - but ultimately, the joke was always on him. Take note, all other shows that have no self-awareness about their own main characters' likability factor: Eastbound & Down never tried to sell us on the idea that Kenny Powers was a great man (far from it). But because the show was so funny, so layered, and so completely unafraid to go where no other comedy dared go, it is, indeed, one of the all-time greats.

Those were some of the shows that ended in 2013, but not to worry, amigos: the future looks bright. In a matter of week we've got the return of  the reliably awesome JUSTIFIED, and the best new show of 2013, THE AMERICANS. There's so much out there now, it's harder than ever to keep up - but the good thing is that there is a lot of quality stuff being made. The Netflix's of the world see the effect that buzzworthy shows like Breaking Bad have on their platform's usage, and so it's now very much in their interest to create similarly buzzworthy shows of their own, that are drivers to their platform. See: ORANGE IS THE NEW BLACK. I'll admit that I've yet to check out that show, but there's no denying that it made a huge impact on the pop-cultural landscape this year. It's a brave new world, people.

So here we go, my top TV shows of 2013. As always, remember: I can't and don't watch everything, so forgive me if I leave out one of your favorites (unless one of your favorites is lame/bad/boring/unworthy, in which case ... not sorry!).

DANNY'S TOP TV SHOWS OF 2013:

1. BREAKING BAD

- Hail to the king of kings. Breaking Bad went out in grand fashion in 2013, and anyone who doesn't just acknowledge that it was not just the best TV of the year, but of any year, needs to get their head checked. Breaking Bad was a triumph of storytelling on TV. So often, TV plotlines are derailed by network interference, budget, time, and the lingering uncertainty of how long, exactly, a show will last. But here, for one of the first times ever on American TV, a story was told exactly as it was meant to be told. And so, finally, here was a TV show that felt as seamless, as confident, as expertly plotted as any great film or novel. Vince Gilligan and the creative team deserve all the credit in the world, as do Bryan Cranston, Aaron Paul, and the rest of the best-in-the-biz cast. Cranston's work as Walter White was the best-ever acting I've seen on TV - maybe anywhere. Breaking Bad, like I said, set a new bar in 2013.

2. EASTBOUND & DOWN

- After an uneven third season that was meant to be the show's last, Eastbound unexpectedly returned for one more swing. And thank god it did. The show course-corrected itself, delivering its best season since the first, once again taking wannabe bad-boy Kenny Powers and his delusions of grandeur on an epic journey into the heart of darkness. This season of Eastbound was absolutely, drop-dead hilarious - the funniest thing on TV in 2013. If you've yet to dive into Eastbound & Down, do so immediately. As long as you're not too shocked and easily offended. Because be warned: this show boldly went to places that no other comedy had gone before. While it may be gone, it won't be forgotten: long live Kenny Powers.

3. 30 ROCK

- 30 Rock only aired a handful of episodes in 2013, but here's the thing, nerdz: each of them was a stone-cold classic. 30 Rock deserves to be this high on the list because it was just that good - and Tina Fey, Alec Baldwin, Jane Krakowski, Tracy Morgan, and the rest of the fantastic ensemble cast did some of their best work in those final episodes. 30 Rock did something that few of the great comedies have ever managed to do - it went out at the top of its game.

4. JUSTIFIED

- This year saw the passing of the great writer Elmore Leonard, whose stories serve as the basis for Justified. It's to Leonard's credit that so much of this show - plotlines, dialogue - are lifted straight from the author's novels. Nobody wrote hard-boiled pulp fiction like Leonard, and no show does hard-boiled pulp fiction like Justified. The show's fourth season created yet another sprawling new-Western yarn, that once again pitted Raylan Givens against his sometimes-friend, most-of-the-time nemesis Boyd Crowder. Timothy Olyphant and Walton Goggins really are the perfect yin and yang. As long as these two are involved, you know that Justified will continue to be the most badass show on TV.

5. THE AMERICANS

- This show really wowed me in 2013. It took a few episodes to really get going, but soon enough, business picked up bigtime. This cold war-set series mixes the moral gray areas of a Breaking Bad with spy thriller action, and one of the most volatile husband-and-wife relationships ever seen on TV. Keri Russell and Matthew Rhys are phenomenal on the show as a pair of Soviet spies posing as ordinary US citizens, and Noah Emmerich is similarly fantastic as the dogged agent pursuing them (though unaware, so far, that the normal-seeming couple next door are, in fact, who he's after). Gripping and full of surprising twists, The Americans became an absolute must-watch for me in 2013, and I can't wait for Season 2.

6. GAME OF THRONES

- In a year full of great TV, no single scripted event was more shocking or talked-about than Game of Thrones' already-infamous "red wedding." Sure, fans of the books may have known it was coming, but for the rest of us - holy $#%&. But weddings-gone-wrong aside, this was just a great season for Game of Thrones - a show with so many great actors and characters that it's hard to pinpoint just a few standouts. But I'll try. This was the season that Emilia Clarke's Daenerys became really, really badass - a true mother of dragons. This was the season that Margaery Tyrell and her scheming family came into the picture, and added a new level of intrigue to the ongoing saga. This was the season that "you know nothing, John Snow" entered the popular lexicon, as Snow made a home for himself beyond the Wall. Great, epic stuff. 

7. CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL

- Children's Hospital continued to be awesome in 2013, with some of the show's craziest and most ambitious episodes to date. I saw the season premiere over the summer at Comic-Con, and it absolutely killed, leaving the crowd in stitches. This show has still got one of the flat-out funniest casts of anything on TV - Ken Marino, Rob Huebel, Rob Cordry, Lake Bell, Malin Ackermann, Erin Hayes, David Wain, Henry Winkler, Meagan Mullaly, guest appearances from Nick Offermann, and the list goes on ... I hope this show just keeps going and going.

8. BOARDWALK EMPIRE

-  Boardwalk is one of those shows that sometimes takes a while to build up steam. Sometimes the pace feels a little slow, and the many divergent plotlines a bit all over the place. But when everything comes together, when Boardwalk really nails it, there are few shows better. I was reminded of this while watching the incredible Season 4 finale. I'd been feeling a bit down on S4 as compared to the superb S3 ... but that finale, man, that was Boardwalk at the top of its game. A key character died in a tragic, unsettling, and memorable fashion. The rift between the Thompson brothers grew bigger yet again. And poor Gillian seems to be in the worse shape she's been in since the show began. So many amazing actors on the show - S4 benefited from a spotlight on Michael K. William's ultra-intense Chalky White, and the introduction of Jeffrey Wright, playing Chalky's enigmatic new rival. 

9. AMERICAN HORROR STORY: COVEN

- What's this show doing on here? In past years, I dismissed American Horror Story as all-style, no-substance shock TV. But Season 3, Coven, has me absolutely hooked. This season's yearly reboot is just clicking on all levels. The show is still wildly over-the-top and crazy, but this year, it feels like there's an actual narrative driving all of the insanity. It feels like a show I can sink my teeth into, rather than just watch to see what crazy $#%# will happen this week. But man, Coven has become an absolute playground for Oscar-caliber actresses to go at it: Jessica Lange, Kathy Bates, Angela Bassett, Gabourey Sidibe, Sarah Paulson, and more are making this season ridiculously fun and entertaining. 'Tis the season of the witch, and I couldn't be happier. If you bailed on the show previously, it's time for a second look.

10. PARKS AND RECREATION

-  All hail one of the last great network comedies left standing. With 30 Rock and The Office finito, and Community suffering through a Dan Harmon-less season, Parks and Rec assumed the mantle of king-of-comedy at NBC. And Leslie Knope and the rest of the citizenry of Pawnee delivered yet again, with numerous fantastic episodes and more great moments for some of comedy's best characters. With the hsow bouncing around the schedule, and Rashida Jones and Rob Lowe set to leave the cast shortly into 2014, it felt like we had to savor each new episode this year. And savor we did, Ron Swanson-eating-a-raw-steak style.

The Next Best:

11. MASTERS OF SEX

- One of the year's best new shows, this Showtime drama features incredible performances from leads Michael Shannon and Lizzy Caplan. Come for the sizzle, but stay for the steak - namely, an insightful and thought-provoking look at the sexual and social revolutions of mid-century America. 

12. NEW GIRL

- New Girl was on top of the comedy heap earlier this year, but I'm docking it a few points for an only so-so season since September. Still, New Girl was one of the funniest, most laugh-out-loud comedies on TV this year, and the ensemble cast is second to none. 

13. FRINGE

-  I spoke about Fringe at length up top - only a few episodes aired in 2013, but the episodes that we got provided an epic finish to one of the best sci-fi series of the last ten years. Emmys for everybody, said I. If only people listened. 

14. THE GOLDBERGS

-  This new comedy has been a great surprise so far. I'm loving the mix of wacky humor and heartwarming storylines, many of which feel lifted from tales of the Baram household circa twenty-odd years ago.

15. BATES MOTEL

- Go, now, and binge-watch Season 1 of Bates Motel. It gets good, really good, and the high quality of the last few episodes in the season gives me high expectations for Season 2. Vera Farmiga owned it on this show as Norma Bates - a woman both comforting and creepy, heroic and deranged.

16. FUTURAMA

- Futurama deserves to be on here for its series finale alone - a masterful close-out to one of the best-ever animated comedies. Futurama will be quoted, re-watched, and made into memes for years and years - possibly up to and beyond the year 3,000 when it will be directly ingested via neural implant. So I'm glad that the show got to give us a couple more classics before all was said and done.

17. KEY & PEELE

- This year, Key & Peele became one of my most anticipated weekly shows. The ambition of the sketches is high - you could get anything from a viral video-ready music video parody to a pointed political satire. But what's consistent are how high-quality each sketch is, impeccably shot and directed, impeccably acted by Key and Peele. These guys have just been killing it of late.

18. HELLO, LADIES

- I'm a huge fan of what I'll call the Ricky Gervais school of comedy. The original UK version of The Office is one of my all-time favorites, and now, Gervais' partner-in-crime, Stephen Merchant, has an ultra-awkward, ultra-funny comedy to call his own. Hello Ladies grew on me as it went on, and ultimately I'd say it had a great first season. This is cringe-worthy comedy on par with The Office and Extras, but Merchant does this stuff so well - he finds the humor and heart in all the awkwardness to make this show something special.

19. AN IDIOT ABROAD

- Speaking of Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant, I've been a huge, huge fan of their brainchild An Idiot Abroad. I'd probably rank this higher, except there were only three episodes of the show's third season, and man, I wanted more! In S3, reluctant adventurer Karl Pilkington explores various remote destinations, accompanied by Gervais' pal Warwick Davis (of Willow and Harry Potter fame). Davis and Pilkington make an amazing odd-couple, and the two share some amazing, hilarious moments. Please lord, let there be more Idiot Abroad. This show is too great to end now.

20. ORPHAN BLACK

- I marathoned through this one on DVD at the recommendation of friends, and I dug it. What makes the show special is the phenomenal work of actress Tatiana Maslaney, who plays several highly distinct characters - all clones. I'm hoping that S2 ups the ante in terms of ongoing plot and overarching mythology, but S1 was a fine start. And Maslaney has crafted not just one, but several, of the most kickass female characters on TV today. For that, she's got to be commended.

21. WORKAHOLICS

- Workaholics is a random, goofy comedy series that has a DIY feel. It's clear that its three leads love hanging out and doing this show and putting their unique brand of stoner-bro humor out there into the world. In other hands, it might be grating. But these guys are funny - really funny - and the sharp writing and imaginative plotlines make this series about hapless slackers a must-watch.

22. SLEEPY HOLLOW

- I saw the Sleepy Hollow pilot at Comic-Con this past summer. I went in skeptical, but came away very impressed. This was clearly a show that fully embraced its over-the-topness, and it had an earnest, geeky sensibility that was incredibly endearing. Credit star Tom Mison for making it work. As Ichabod Crane, he gives gravitas and humor to a show that you can't help but root for. I'm still waiting for the show to have its first truly great episode, but there's enough good raw material here that I'm optimistic we'll get it soon.

23. MARON

- As a huge fan of Marc Maron's WTF podcast, I was curious to see how the comedian's world-weary humor would translate to a Louie-esque TV comedy. Things started out a little rough, but by the end of S1, the show had produced some truly winning, highly funny episodes (my favorite: a hilarious teaming of Maron with Danny Trejo as an ex-con). Can't wait to see more.

24. PORTLANDIA

- Season 3 of Portlandia started off on a high note, with a fantasticaly funny sketch about an aging hipster trying to take back MTV, storming the network's NYC offices and recruiting guys like Kurt Loder to help in the cause. It was proof that when it's on its game, Portlandia is capable of doing great sketch comedy. I look forward to new episodes this year.

25.THE WALKING DEAD (TIE)

- I know, this show has its share of haters. And occasionally, I'm one of them. But the fact is that The Walking Dead, for all its flaws, remains a must-watch because it's a show capable of producing big, crazy, jaw-dropping moments like few other series can. The latter half of Season 3 early in the year was a high point, as the war between Rick and company and The Governor escalated. Season 4 floundered for a while, but picked up steam when the Governor returned. The mid-season finale in December was a great episode of television, delivering a climactic final showdown with the Governor, and opening up some exciting possibilities for 2014.

25. BROOKLYN NINE-NINE (TIE)

- Another funny new comedy with boatloads of potential, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, I feel, is right on the verge of greatness. The ensemble they've assembled is top-notch, episodes so far have shown flashes of brilliance, and the show seems like the spiritual heir to the aging Parks and Recreation: a workplace comedy with both wackiness and heart. 

INDIVIDUAL AWARDS:

The Best TV Heroes of 2013:

1.) Daenerys Targaryen - Game of Thrones

2.) Raylan Givens - Justified

3.) Ichabod Crane - Sleepy Hollow

4.) Walter Bishop, Peter Bishop, and Olivia - Fringe

5.) Sarah Manning, Alison Hendrix, and Cosima Niehaus - Orphan Black

The Best TV Villains of 2013:

1.) Todd - Breaking Bad

2.) Tywin Lanister - Game of Thrones

3.) King Joffrey - Game of Thrones

4.) Dr. Valentin Narcisse - Boardwalk Empire

5.) The Headless Horseman - Sleepy Hollow

The Best TV Anti-Heroes of 2013:

1.) Walter White and Jesse Pinkman - Breaking Bad

2.) Margaery Tyrell - Game of Thrones

3.) Boyd Crowder - Justified

4.) Saul Goodman - Breaking Bad

5.) Chalky White - Boardwalk Empire

Best Actress in a Comedy:

1.) Christine Woods - Hello, Ladies

Runners Up: Amy Poehler - Parks and Recreation, Zooey Daschanel - New Girl

Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy:

1.) Katy Mixon - Eastbound & Down

Runners Up: Lake Bell, Erin Hayes and Malin Ackermann - Children's Hospital

Best Actor in a Comedy:

1.) Danny McBride - Eastbound & Down

Runners Up: Max Greenfield - New Girl, Jake Johnson - New Girl, Stephen Merchant - Hello, Ladies 

Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy:

1.) Ken Marino - Eastbound & Down

Runners Up: Nick Offermann - Parks and Recreation, Aziz Ansari - Parks and Recreation, Rob Cordry - Childrens Hospital

Best Actress in a Drama:

1.) Keri Russel - The Americans

Runners Up: Lizzy Caplan - Masters of Sex, Vera Famiga - Bates Motel, Tatiana Maslaney - Orphan Black

Best Supporting Actress in a Drama:

1.)  Anna Gunn - Breaking Bad

Runners Up: Natalie Dormer - Game of Thrones, Emilia Clarke - Game of Thrones, Jessica Lange - American Horror Story: Coven, Kathy Bates - American Horror Story: Coven

Best Actor in a Drama:

1.) Bryan Cranston - Breaking Bad

Runners Up: Matthew Rhys - The Americans, Timothy Olyphant - Justified, Michael Sheen - Masters of Sex

Best Supporting Actor in a Drama:

1.) Aaron Paul - Breaking Bad

Runners Up:  Dean Norris - Breaking Bad, Walton Goggins - Justified, Jack Huston - Boardwalk Empire, Michael Kenneth Williams - Boardwalk Empire, Noah Emmerich - The Americans

And that's all, folks - my picks for the best TV of 2013. 

THE BEST OF 2012 - The Best TV Of The Year

 THE BEST OF 2012 - The Best TV Shows of The Year

- It's that time of year again ... time to make some lists, talk about the year that was, and dive into a lot of the stuff that I don't usually get to cover here on the blog. In the past, I've written regular reviews of a couple of my favorite TV shows, but this year I was limited to the occasional special blog or two to talk about a major TV milestone. But man, it's been quite a year for TV shows. There is still a glut of garbage out there, no question. But more than ever, there's an almost overwhelming amount of good stuff to choose from. Until this year, I never really regretted not subscribing to Showtime. Sure, I missed out on Dexter, but I felt like between HBO and other cable networks, I had my bases mostly covered. Now, HOMELAND has become must-see TV, and I'm sad to say that I'm just starting to catch up. I've got Season 1 on blu-ray, and I'm eager to dive in and see what all the hype is about. I do think a lot of people are trying to figure out how best to catch up with all these shows. The cost of cable keeps going up, even as more and more channels - from IFC to Showtime - are becoming must-haves. HBO is practically a must for any discerning TV fan nowadays, but how many people are using their uncle's friend's HBO GO password to catch the latest Game of Thrones episodes? The cost of keeping up is going up, as is the time commitment required. So more and more, people are turning to alternate means to watch their favorite shows - new and old. The sheer volume of content on Netflix, for example, is almost overwhelming. Suddenly, there's a simple and easy way to go back and watch great TV that you might have missed. For me, for example, BATTLESTAR GALACTICA has been a regular part of my TV diet over the last few months. I'd never seen it previously, but now, I've slowly but surely made my way through the first two seasons. Once I get through that, my to-watch list of classic shows is almost as long as my watch-list of new shows. And I suspect many people are now watching TV the same way.

It is sort of exciting. TV was, for a long time, a disposable medium. Shows were built to be watched once, or else to be watched in repeats or in syndication whenever someone happened to catch them. But now, we are entering an age where TV is now built to last. Because really, it's not "TV" anymore. It's longform storytelling. Much the same as movies, just a different format. To that end, we're seeing shorter seasons, more tightly-told stories with less filler, and more and more high-quality prestige series that aspire to greatness. Of course, a lot of this is happening on cable, where it is easier to adapt programming schedules to this new paradigm. But, even on the broadcast nets, we're starting to see a transition. Experiments like the shortened fifth and final season of FRINGE are paying off creatively, whereas shows still adhering to the old 22-episode format are starting to, more and more, feel stretched out.

It's funny, because you hear a lot about people "hate-watching" shows lately. Sometimes, there is a fine line between a show that you actually enjoy, and one that you can't take your eyes off of for all the wrong reasons. In the past, I've stuck with certain shows (cough*Smallville*cough) way past the point where I found them consistently enjoyable. But lately, there's so much good TV, that my tolerance for unevenness is low. And yes, there's been a lot of unevenness this year - particularly from the perspective of the Fall TV season. Pilot after pilot seemed to stumble this year, with very few really making an impact. Even some that I liked - like LAST RESORT - quickly lost my interest after the second or third episode. Of course, the one new show that I've developed a lot of affection for - BEN AND KATE - a charming and uber-likable comedy on FOX, is tanking in the ratings.

To that end, there seems to be a continuing cultural gap when it comes to comedy. Most friends of mine love COMMUNITY, PARKS AND RECREATION, and 30 ROCK ... but these shows continue to draw flies in the Nielsen ratings. 30 Rock is ending in only a few weeks' time, and for many it will be the end of an era - one of the greatest modern comedy series coming to an end. But in the fragmented TV market that we now live in, 30 Rock's conclusion may register as a mere blip in the large cultural consciousness.

And yet ... think about *this*. THE WALKING DEAD was the #1 scripted show on TV this year ... period. That, to me, is incredible. 1.) It's a cable show on a network, AMC, that only a few years ago had essentially no presence or audience or brand loyalty. 2.) It's a gory, violent show, based on a comic book, about the zombie apocalypse. Unbelievable to me that the show is as popular as it is, but it's also pretty damn cool. As I've said before, it is, perhaps, a sign that the geeks are winning (see also: GAME OF THRONES). Even better, the quality of the show has finally caught up to its potential, and to the greatness of the source material. This year, The Walking Dead finally got awesome.

Speaking of AMC ... I continue to be floored by BREAKING BAD. The show is an all-time classic, and it will be talked about, analyzed, and debated for years to come. In many ways, I see it as the pinnacle of what the television medium is capable of, and it's been an absolute pleasure to watch it over the last few years. The conclusion of the show this coming summer will be both momentous and bittersweet.

It's a new age of television. Once it was all about CBS, ABC, NBC, and FOX. Now it's HBO, FX, AMC, and Showtime. Once it was about watching shows week to week. Now it's about marathoning, Netflixing, catching up on Hulu. Once, the thought of a zombie horror show ruling TV land was unthinkable. Now, everyone else is scrambling (or is it shambling?) to catch up. All of us Gen Y'ers, and those younger, have made the leap to this new era. The question now becomes: where do we go from here?

Below are my picks for the Best TV of the Year. As I mentioned, I didn't and can't watch everything. And yes, Homeland is missing from my list, because I simply haven't seen enough episodes yet to include it. But there is a wide variety of content - and it was tougher than ever to rank my favorites and narrow down the list.

DANNY'S TOP TV SHOWS OF 2012:


1. BREAKING BAD

- How will the journey end for Walter White? That is what fans of great TV will be asking themselves for the next several months, until finally, one of the greatest shows of all time reaches its sure-to-be-epic conclusion. In 2012, Breaking Bad continued to stun on multiple levels. The acting is just heads and shoulders above almost everything else. Bryan Cranston is so good on this show, it's scary. Aaron Paul as well. And how about the underrated Dean Norris as pesky brother-in-law Hank? The midseason finale was literally the "oh, $#%&!" moment of the year. But even without that game-changer of a cliffhanger, Breaking Bad quite simply mixes ultra-intensity, complete unpredictability, and pitch-black humor ("Better Call Saul!") to create a one-of-a-kind narrative alchemy. Heisenberg's blue meth may have perfected the formula for the perfect high, but I'd reckon a great episode of Breaking Bad is nearly as good.


2. JUSTIFIED

- It's time to give Justified its due. In three seasons, it's become one of the absolute best dramas on TV - in my view second only to Breaking Bad in terms of character, plotting, and "what happens next?" intensity. Season 3 of Justified was, quite simply, badass. Timothy Olyphant was as good as ever as the now-iconic lawman Raylan Givens. Walton Goggins was, again, superb as morally ambiguous nemesis Boyd Crowder. Add Neal McDonough to the mix as sadistic villain Robert Quarles, and you've got all the ingredients you need for some hard-boiled, bullet-ridden noir-Western goodness. I'll also throw in shout-outs to Raymond J. Barry as wily old coot Arlo, Joelle Carter as femme fatale Ava, Jeremy Davies as ne'er do well Dickie, and Jere Burns as professional sleazebag Wynn Duffy. Season 4 starts up shortly, and I can't wait. I'm now such a fan of Justified, that I get positively giddy when I hear that great theme song kick up. 


3. AN IDIOT ABROAD

- Ricky Gervais has made a career out of finding profundity in the absurd, and he does so to great effect with the brilliant real-life comedy he mines from An Idiot Abroad. Karl Pilkington is so uproariously, unintentionally funny that it's no wonder many question whether his schtick is all an act. But the fact is, Karl is a one-of-a-kind man - eminently quotable, oddly sympathetic, and yet flat-out hilarious with his zero-filter observations and philosophical musings. All the same, I was constantly surprised by what I got out of An Idiot Abroad. It's funny as hell, sure, but it's also, in its own way, an incredible travelogue and an insightful look at different parts of the world. And hidden in Karl's at-times ignorant or naive thoughts are often some real common-man's wisdom. For cheesy as it may sound, all of us, I think, have an inner Karl - the part of us that gapes in awe and confusion at the weird world around us. This is spectacular TV.


4. COMMUNITY

- Six seasons and a movie! That is my hope for what we'll get from this brilliant comedy, when all is said and done. But realistically, this past season of Community might have been its last gasp of greatness. We shall see. But what we do know is that Dan Harmon is no longer running the show. And what we also know is that Harmon went out with a bang - a big bang of weirdness that took the show to its structural extremes. We saw the gang as 8-bit videogame characters, we saw a pillow-fort war, we saw Abed become Inspector Spacetime. And what we also saw was a show simply firing on all cylinders - delivering great episode after great episode. Community is an undisputed internet darling, but seriously ... let's start talking about it as an all-time classic comedy. Cool? Cool.


5. BOARDWALK EMPIRE

- For some reason, some seem to have bailed on Boardwalk, but to me it just keeps getting better and more engrossing. Sure, the show juggles a metric ton of characters and plotlines, but it's second to none in terms of delivering jaw-dropping, game-changing moments. I loved this season of Boardwalk - not only did we see Nucky Thompson go "full gangster," but we also saw him pitted against the insane Italian bootlegger Gyp Rosetti - one of the scariest and most vile villains on TV this year. In addition to Steve Buscemi's fantastic performance, the show is just stacked with incredible actors portraying memorable characters. Michael Stuhlbarg as conniving Arnold Rothstein, Jack Huston as the tragically-disfigured sharpshooter Richard Harrow, Michael Shannon as the increasingly unstable Van Alden, and Gretchen Mol as the equally unhinged Gillian. Can't forget Steven Graham as Al Capone, or Michael Kenneth Williams as Chalky White. Every week, Boardwalk is an acting clinic, a history lesson, and a wonderfully-woven drama. One of the best.


6. 30 ROCK

- Yep, that's right, nerdz. After a bit of a slump, 30 Rock roared back this year with numerous instant-classic episodes. Season 7 has been a fantastic and hilarious return to form, and the show is most definitely going out on top. Few shows not named The Simpsons have ever been this rapid-fire quotable week in and week out. And few comedies can boast an ensemble cast as great as this one. Alec Baldwin has always been the show's MVP, but he's been absolutely on fire in Season 7. The recent election-centric two-parter was 30 Rock at its best, as was Tina Fey's takedown of the "women can't be funny" train of thought several weeks back. It's going to be a sad day when 30 Rock is no longer on the air - to me, this was the smart and witty counterpoint to all the lame laugh-track sitcoms of the world. The world will be a dumber and less funny place sans 30 Rock.


7. PARKS AND RECREATION

- Argh. How is it that Parks and Recreation - one of TV's funniest shows that's filled with heart, with, and hilarity - is not also one of its highest-rated? The failure of Parks and Rec to become a mainstream hit is a recurring source of heartbreak for comedy fans. But the good news is that Parks continues to do right by its rep as one of the best in the biz. This year saw all kinds of Pawnee goodness, from the moving engagement of Leslie and Ben to the hilarious attempts of Tammy II to foil Ron Swanson's new relationship in a recent episode. Joe Biden even made a pretty great little cameo. Parks continues to have one of the deepest benches in comedy, with episodes able to seamlessly shift focus from Aziz Ansari to Nick Offerman to Aubrey Plaza to Chris Pratt to Rob Lowe. I'm not kidding when I say if you're not watching Parks, you're *literally* missing out on a show that is quickly becoming one of the all-time greats.


8. FRINGE

-  Time is running out for Fringe, but man, what a wonderfully strange, trip it's been. Fringe ended last season with an epic run of sci-fi insanity, and then took the bold step to set its fifth and final season decades in the future, in a dystopian world ruled by the cold-hearted and mentally-advanced Observers. The gamble seems to have paid off, with some of Fringe's most tightly-plotted and well-crafted longform storytelling to date. Really though, what has and does make Fringe so special is its combination of whiz-bang pseudo-science with its fantastic, ever-evolving characters. John Noble as mad-scientist Walter Bishop continues to be incredibly underappreciated by the mainstream. Noble absolutely kills it as Walter week in and week out, setting up a fascinating character arc, telling the story of a man of science trying to make up for the sins of his past, but ever-fearful that he might regress back to "the Walter that was." Noble is the heart and soul of Fringe, and the reason that Fringe has cemented itself as truly transcendent sci-fi.


9. NEW GIRL

- Last year at this time, I never would have predicted that New Girl would be in my Top 10 list for 2012. But somehow, some way, New Girl has improved leaps and bounds and become one of the most sharply-written and best-performed comedies on TV. But it happened, and though some still think of this show as "that adorkable show with Zooey Daschanel", the fact is, the show has course-corrected and actually become sort of amazing. A big reason is two of the best breakout characters on TV this year - Nick and Schmidt. Nick's bitterness issues combined with Schmidt's hilariously douchey antics have resulted in one of TV comedy's most potent one-two punches. Occasionally, the show will show signs of its old meh-factor, but when it's on its game, it can't be beat. Few shows have made me laugh out loud as much as New Girl has this year.


10. GAME OF THRONES

- I still am somewhat in awe of the fact that this show exists, and, what's more, that it's a huge hit. And sometimes, the sheer nerd-out factor of seeing this kind of epic-fantasy story on TV is enough to make watching GoT a thrill. But Season 2 of the show really kicked some ass, upping the action, bringing in new characters, and continuing to be a showcase for Peter Dinklage's iconic portrayal of Tyrion Lannister. The show still suffers a bit from jumpy storytelling, but it does so many things so well that it's hard to get too hung up. Has any show, ever, looked better or more lavishly-designed than this one? Have we ever seen a story of this scale and scope on a serialized TV series? And do the glimpses of of those dragons ever get old? I mean come on - dragons! - amiright?



The Next Best:



11. CHILDRENS HOSPITAL

- Childrens Hospital is a weekly injection of awesomely absurdist comedy. I'm just thankful that this sort of thing is one the air, where it's lovingly nurtured by the good people at Adult Swim. They're even giving it a spin-off. Are they crazy? Good-crazy, I think. But how great is it that folks like Rob Cordry, Ken Marino, and David Wain have a forum like this to just indulge their wackiest comedic instincts? And by the way, how amazing are the women of this show? Lake Bell, Malin Ackerman, Erin Hayes, and Megan Mullally are all living proof that women most certainly can be funny - and look good while doing it.


12. THE WALKING DEAD

- Up until Season 3, The Walking Dead had showed sporadic signs of the show it could be, but never kept up the momentum for a sustained period. Not so this season, which has just been a nonstop frenzy of carnage and zombie-apocalypse mayhem. It's also been great seeing the show's adaptation of the comic's most infamous storyline - the stay at the prison and the conflict with uber-villain The Governor. The show's version has been an interesting change - a more subtle and more quietly menacing sort of antagonist. But mostly, the show has improved by cutting down on the talky angst and upping the action and unpredictability. Suddenly, the show has become filled with the sort of big-time "holy $%&#!" moments that made the comic so great.

13. LOUIE

-  Louie is one of those shows that probably shouldn't exist. But somehow, it does, and it's singlehandedly changing the paradigm for what a TV show can be. Has there ever been a total auteur-driven show like this one? An episode of Louie is essentially whatever Louie CK wants it to be, and that's led to some wonderfully weird half-hours of TV. This year saw, for example, an off-the-wall encounter with an off-her-rocker woman played by Parker Posey, as well as a surreal multi-parter in which Louis CK was tapped to replace Letterman, and mentored by David Lynch. Occasionally, Louie's experiments in minimalist, avant garde comedy don't pay off. But the show is always a must-watch - a testament to what can happen when TV frees itself from its created-by-committee tendencies.


14. EASTBOUND AND DOWN

- Kenny Powers = inherent hilarity. Eastbound & Down undoubtedly suffered a bit from Season 1 to Season 2, and then again from Season 2 to 3. The lightning-in-a-bottle awesomeness of S1 was never quite recaptured in later seasons. Nevertheless, S3 had its fair share of shock-comedy showstoppers - as expected, Kenny playing the part of dad to an infant son led to some incredibly funny moments. Danny McBride also doesn't get enough credit for what he does on this show. His comic timing as Kenny is impeccable, and the way he somehow makes us root for and sympathize with Kenny - despite all the horrible things he says and does - is an award-worthy accomplishment.


15. CHUCK

- What's Chuck doing on here? I know, it already feels like an eternity since Chuck last logged into the Intersect, but I'd be remiss if I didn't include this cult-favorite on my list. Because, despite airing only a handful of its final episodes in early 2012, that final run saw the show reclaim its former awesomeness, and deliver some truly spectacular installments. In particular, the Chuck series finale stands as perhaps my single favorite episode of TV of the year - an action-packed conclusion that was also surprisingly moving. I mean, come on, what red-blooded fan among us didn't have a tear or two in their eyes as Chuck and Sarah sat on that beach as the show forever faded to black? As Chuck and his nerd-herd said their final farewells, we got one last, great hurrah for a show that sometimes stumbled, but ultimately found its font and forged a geek-out worthy legacy.


16. BEN AND KATE

- My favorite new show of 2012 was Ben & Kate - a charming sitcom that keeps catching me off guard by being both disarmingly sweet and also surprisingly, bitingly funny and clever. The brother-sister chemistry of Dakota Johnson and Nate Faxon is fantastic, and young Maggie Elizabeth Jones, as Maddie, has got to be one of the best and funniest kid-characters we've seen on a sitcom in a long while. Few shows do funny and warm-and-fuzzy as well as this one - I can only hope that it survives to show its stuff to a broader audience.

17. TRON: UPRISING

- This hard-to-find show has been given the timeslot shaft by Disney, but it's well-worth tracking down on iTunes or elsewhere. Tron: Uprising has brilliantly been bridging the gap between the original cult-classic Tron movie and the more recent sequel, introducing a plethora of great new characters and expanding the Tron universe in exciting and unexpected ways. The voice-cast is off-the-chain, too - with Elijah Wood as lead character Beck, and Lance Henrikson as the fearsome General Tassler. Plus, original Tron actor Bruce Boxleitner reprising his iconic title role. What seals the deal is the super-slick, oftentimes gorgeous animation - which brings the world of The Grid alive in ways that in some ways surpasses even the movies. If you haven't seen the show, track it down and get in the game.


18. PORTLANDIA

- Portlandia's jokes can be hit or miss, but it's a ton of fun to see Fred Armisen and Carrie Brownstein let loose and experiment with sketch comedy. The show feels different from anything else on the air, and there's a casual elegance to the show and its Portland setting. Though its exaggerated, there's also a lived-in authenticity to the show that makes it not just funny, but keenly observant. And when the show does nail a sketch, it really can be great (my favorite from this year - a hilarious visit to the "Around the World in 80 Plates" burger joint).


19. KEY AND PEELE

- Speaking of new and different in the world of sketch comedy, Key & Peele has been another breath of fresh air. The comedic duo does everything from totally random and off-the-wall humor to spot-on caricatures of Obama. You never know what you'll get, but as with Louie and Portlandia, there's an exciting sense of auteurism at work here. Some of the best and most original comedy on the air today.


20. EAGLEHEART

- Comedy doesn't get much crazier than Chris Elliott's Eagleheart - a whacked-out, oftentimes hilarious show from former Conan O'Brien writers. The show has three great and up-for-anything leads in the great Chris Elliott, Maria Thayer, and standout Brett Gelman (also seen on Go On). Like Children's Hospital, this show is just an anything-goes forum for Elliott and co. to get as weird as they want. And if you're an Elliott fan (and who isn't?), then you know that that is pretty awesome.

INDIVIDUAL AWARDS:

The Best TV Heroes of 2011:

1.) Raylan Givens - Justified

2.) Walter Bishop -Fringe

3.) Chuck Bartowski - Chuck

4.) Glenn - The Walking Dead

5.) Arya Stark - Game of Thrones

The Best TV Villains of 2011:

1.) Walter White - Breaking Bad

2.) Robert Quarles - Justified

3.) Widmark - Fringe

4.) The Governor -The Walking Dead

5.) Gyp Rosetti - Boardwalk Empire

The Best TV Anti-Heroes of 2011:

1.) Richard Harrow - Boardwalk Empire

2.) Tyrion Lannister - Game of Thrones

3.) Boyd Crowder - Justified

4.) Mike "The Cleaner" - Breaking Bad

5.) Jesse Pinkman - Breaking Bad

Best Actress in a Comedy:

1.) Amy Poehler - Parks and Recreation

Runners Up: Alison Brie - Community, Zooey Daschanel - New Girl

Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy:

1.) Jane Krakowski - 30 Rock

Runners Up: Aubrey Plaza - Parks and Recreation, Erin Hayes, Malin Ackermann, and Lake Bell - Children's Hospital, Gillian Jacobs - Community


Best Actor in a Comedy:

1.) Jake Johnson - New Girl

Runners Up: Max Greenfield - New Girl, Joel McHale - Community, Louie CK - Louie, Alec Baldwin - 30 Rock

Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy:

1.) Nick Offerman - Parks and Recreation

Runners Up: Donald Glover - Community, Rob Lowe - Parks and Recreation, Rob Cordry - Childrens Hospital, Rob Huebel - Childrens Hospital

Best Actress in a Drama:

1.) Maisie Williams - Game of Thrones

Runners Up: Anna Torv - Fringe, Kelly McDonald - Boardwalk Empire


Best Supporting Actress in a Drama:

1.)  Anna Gunn - Breaking Bad

Runners Up: Laura Frasier - Breaking Bad, Gretchen Mol - Boardwalk Empire, Emilia Clarke - Game of Thrones


Best Actor in a Drama:

1.) Bryan Cranston - Breaking Bad

Runners Up: Steve Buscemi - Boardwalk Empire, Timothy Olyphant - Justified, Joshua Jackson - Fringe

Best Supporting Actor in a Drama:

1.) John Noble - Fringe

Runners Up: Jonathan Banks - Breaking Bad, Dean Norris - Breaking Bad,  Aaron Paul - Breaking Bad, Peter Dinklage - Game of Thrones, Jack Huston - Boardwalk Empire, Lance Reddick - Fringe


There you have it - my picks for the best TV of 2012. Be sure to leave thoughts and comments - and angry tirades about me having left out Homeland (still haven't seen it), Girls (only sort of liked it), Newsroom (couldn't stand it), etc.