Best of 2011 - The Year In Television

Welcome to part 2 of Genres & Judgements' Best of 2011 lists, this one is for the ten best TV shows of the year.

There is so much good television on these days, especially comedies. When I started to think about the shows I was going to have to leave off this list, I almost turned it into two -- one for comedies, another for action/drama shows -- but 10 is just such a nice, simple number. And I'm lazy. Who knows, maybe next year! Onward...

------------------------------------

10. The League (FX)
What a transformation The League has made. It's always been good for some laughs, but a few adjustments made in season three -- namely fewer plots revolving around fantasy football, more Nick Kroll and dropping that bizarre requirement of earlier years of a Jon Lajoie musical number in nearly every episode -- it's gone to the next level (evidence). There were also a bevy of well-placed guest stars throughout the season, including Eliza Dushku, Seth Rogan and Sarah Silverman, but none were better than Jeff Goldblum's turn as Ruxin's father (during the best Thanksgiving-themed episode for any show ever). It doesn't matter if you don't follow football or even play fantasy sports. The best parts of The League have little to do with that stuff.

9. Boardwalk Empire (HBO)
While most of the best dramas in 2011 built themselves into a fury before ultimately pulling back the reins during that final episode to the colossal disappointment of their audience (I'm especially looking at you, Sons of Anarchy), Boardwalk did no such thing. If anything, they went further than I ever dreamed they would. The reason this show is sitting this low on my list is because the early episodes continued the first season's slightly tedious plotting. But that changed in a hurry during the final slew of episodes. It'll be interesting to see if the show can continue at this level with the necessary changes as a result of the finale; I hope it can.

8. Parks & Recreation (NBC)
It's pretty safe to say this is the most consistent comedy on TV; it never ceases to make me smile a few times an episode, and that's between when I'm bursting at the seams laughing. The supporting characters are the best part about the show, especially Nick Offerman as Ron Swanson who never fails to kill his scene ("You had me at meat tornado."). The latest stretch of episodes haven't been quite as good as when season three ended in the spring (hence its drop in my hierarchy), but with recent events in the show, it appears that the less-interesting subplots have been excised. See what the gang in Pawnee is up to here to see what I mean.

7. Doctor Who (BBC)
Matt Smith's second year in the TARDIS was even better than the first. That said, this year's Who was one of the victims of building more anticipation for a grand ending than the show was able to deliver upon. However, in this case, the small stories away from the larger story arc of the season were mostly outstanding and still enabled to maintain its position in my good graces. And that big story... man. Is anything better in the Who-verse than River Song? There's so much magic evident when Alex Kingston and Smith share a scene. I know more River means less Amy and Rory, and would spoil us with too much of a good thing, but dammit if sometimes I want it anyway. Enjoy the Christmas special this week because it'll be a while until we get more adventures with the Doctor -- Fall 2012.

6. Game of Thrones (HBO)
What a debut season. After some slow plotting early on, Thrones failed to yield from my attention once it got going. Any other complaints regarding this fantasy action-drama are likely to be nit-picks. Having recently finished the novel which this inaugural season is based upon, I can attest that they really trimmed most of the fat from the narrative, leaving all the best parts to play out on screen. What's most exciting about this series is to hear from fans of George RR Martin's novels that the best is yet to come. We'll get at least three more years of Thrones, as they're already making preparations to split book three, A Storm of Swords, into two television seasons. Winter is coming, indeed.

------------------------------------

Did I leave your favorite show off? Got any guesses as to what the final five are? Find out after the jump.

Breaking Down the 2011 Television Season (Part 2)

As promised, here's Part 2. Missed Part 1? No problemo.
Breaking Down the 2011 Television Season (Part 1)

This edition covers shows having ended after January 1st, when my last recap took us up until, through early June 2011.

------------------------------------

Justified
(Season 2, FX)
Damn. As much as I loved the first season, Justified took itself to another level in 2011. Raylan Givens is still an uber bad-ass, and continues to take unconventional approaches in administering the law. This year's big bad was played by longtime character actress Margo Martindale who was simply brilliant as the ruthless matriarch of the backwoods Bennett clan. (Normally I'm not an advocate for such things, but if she doesn't win the Supporting Actress Emmy she's been nominated for, I'd be impressed to see who outdid her onscreen.) And thankfully last year's lead villain didn't leave us either, as Boyd is still causing problems in Harlan County through his good intentions and old habits. In addition to all the great tough-guy moments that are never in short supply on the show, this year the emotional tones took a giant leap forward, as Raylan had a seemingly constant barrage of tough decisions and intense hardships presented before him throughout the season. In my mind, Justified is one of the elite shows on television today and has the potential to get even better in subsequent seasons.
A+

The Killing
(Season 1, AMC)
The most disappointing series of the year? Pretty much; I can't think of another. Which is such a shame because although the first three episodes failed to explain much more of what happened to Rosie Larson than the rest of season ended up revealing, there was a delicious mystery teased in such a fascinating manner that I was completely drawn in then. And given AMC's track record, I was guilty of assuming that we'd get answers by the end like Rubicon gave us. Not so. Which is why it's so curious that The Killing will actually be back for season 2. As lame as the first season ended up being, there was enough groundwork laid that another 13 episodes could fix the those missteps. I plan on giving it a chance to right the ship. I don't know if many more of the original audience be joining me though.
C+

Lights Out
(Season 1, FX)
A modern boxing drama that initially played into many of the genre's tropes we've seen in various movies over the years, but later revealed some well-plotted storylines that were expertly executed onscreen. At times, this was a freaking great show. Unfortunately, it never gathered up much of an audience and had some missteps as the season went along before FX finally KO'd it. (This just in: I'm hilarious.) The season has an amazing ending, one of the boldest of the year. Amazingly it was written and shot before they knew if they were renewed or not. How they would have gone forward after that would really have been something to see unfold. It worked wonderfully as a series finale, but probably would have been my favorite season finale had a second season been ordered. Lights Out joins both Terriers and Rubicon as the new shows I wish had made it this year; it belongs in third place on that list. Even though it was cancelled and had some consistency problems, I still feel it's worth watching down the road.
B+

Modern Family
(Season 2, ABC)
A good first season was followed up by a good second season. I'm a little disappointed it wasn't better than the first season, but I guess not everything can be Community. The achievement this year was rounding out young Luke into an actual character instead of the dumb kid who ran into the sliding glass door. Now he's basically a mini version of his dad. Everyone else was pretty much the same as they were the year before with some slight tweaks. I think the level where the show is at now is where we can expect it to remain for awhile -- good laughs each week, but nothing that's gonna blow your mind.
B+

Mr. Sunshine
(Season 1, ABC)
This mid-season replacement comedy was cancelled after its only season, which wasn't much of a surprise. Matthew Perry ran the Sunshine Center, an arena that housed sporting events, concerts and other special events that are brought in to arenas. He's the least quirky employee in the place. Allison Janney (The West Wing) was surprisingly funny as his crazy boss, but otherwise there wasn't much interesting going on.
Sigh. I can't even make this show sound interesting when I'm trying. Whatever. Next review...
C-

The Office
(Season 7, NBC)
So. No more Steve Carell. He was great as Michael Scott, but his departure is probably a good thing for the show's chances at continued longevity, as the recent seasons have been treading water at best. To its credit, the show bounced back a little this season, especially with Michael's own action movie, Threat Level Midnight; it reminded me how good this show was at one time. Hopefully James Spader can give the show a much-needed shot in the arm. But I don't think anyone can blame him if The Office finally closes next spring.
B

Parenthood
(Season 2, NBC)
Hmm. I'm having trouble remembering what actually happened during this season. I think the show coasts on the likeability of the actors from their previous projects as opposed to the audience being drawn in by the current quality of the show. It's starting to tip ever-so-slightly to the heavy drama plots with each additional episode, as I feared it would. Still highly watchable, but it has proven that it's not essential viewing at this stage, and isn't particularly memorable either.
B-

Parks & Recreation
(Season 3, NBC)
Hard to believe a show that stumbled so greatly when it first premiered would be able to pull off the its own complex meme of Lil' Sebastian to perfection. Out of all the fake-documentary shows airing now, this is the best one. (Btw, how much footage do these assholes need? Or is it just Mr. Brainwash behind the lens?) I think it's the relationships that really glues this show together. Leslie & Ben. Andy & April. Tom & Jean-Ralphio. Ron Swanson & red meat. It took its time getting there, but Parks & Rec has become worthy of inclusion in the best-comedies-on-television discussion.
A-

Shameless
(Season 1, Showtime)
This is the American version of an apparently very successful British show (there have been 8 seasons and counting) about the Gallaghers, a low-income family in west side of Chicago. Well, maybe "low-income" is too generous; these six kids and their deadbeat dad (the great William H. Macy) are basically a no-income family, doing every oddjob and pulling as many scams as they can to get by. That probably sounds too depressing to start watching. But know that Shameless doesn't take the route of over-examining the socioeconomic struggles of these hopelessly downtrodden people. If anything, there are more moments of pure joy on display than the woe-is-me attitude they easily could've gone with (even when they are engaging in morally bankrupt acts, like stealing food out from the back of delivery truck). And that happens because these kids are smart (literally brilliant in one case) and ultimately they just want to be kids and have some fun. Meanwhile, Macy plays Frank Gallagher as more than just the drunken, deadbeat father he is -- he repeatedly has clownish moments and sometimes even Shakespearean-esque soliloquies. There's really nothing else like this on American TV right now.
B+

Smallville
(Season 10, CW)
After 10 years, there's no more weekly adventures featuring Clark Kent. Sad. I'll miss it and there doesn't seem to be a cheesy replacement of good constantly triumphing over evil these days. Too bad. (Edit: Mike tells me SyFy's Alphas is a contender.) Curiously, Smallville became a better show the more they allowed themselves to play in the sandbox of DC Comics, which is funny considering how much they avoided it in the early years. By now, if you're not a fan, you're probably not going to watch it. I don't know that the early seasons would still hold up now anyhow. But it worked wonderfully at the end. To see Clark Kent finally become SUPERMAN...man. It was awesome. I didn't expect it, but I actually shed a few tears during the final sequence. I guess when a show pulls off pretty much the perfect ending, it'll do that to you.
B+

Star Wars: The Clone Wars
(Season 3, Cartoon Network)
To give you a sense of how much better this show has gotten since that, well, unfortunate theatrical release in 2008, I actually look forward to watching The Clone Wars when it airs each week. Even the Padme and (amazingly) the Jar-Jar episodes are tolerable. A few years ago, I was a big fan of a couple of the expanded universe comics written by John Ostrander that Dark Horse was putting out. While the show hasn't quite gotten to the quality achieved there, it's clear the creators of this show are paying more attention to the good stuff from those expanded universe tales than they are to the drab prequel films. Quinlan Vos even showed up for an episode, albeit with a surfer-dude voice. But after my initial disappointment in that decision wore off, I realized at the end of the day this is a kids show. Basically the lesson here is Star Wars continues to be great the further away from the hands of George Lucas it gets, which is good news for the long-rumored live-action show I've been reading about for so many years.
B

Supernatural
(Season 6, CW)
For some reason I was under the impression that this would be the last year for Winchester boys to kill all sorts of evil monsters, and it actually held up as swan song season for the most part. But after getting solid ratings yet again (by CW standards), we're going to get another one. The past three seasons have built on the show's Christian mythology, which is a lot more interesting to me than chasing after vampires, ghosts and yellow-eyed deamons every week. Now their challenge is to make Sam wholly likeable again, but that shouldn't be too difficult as long as they don't suddenly abandon the show's formula.
B

Underbelly Files
(Made-For-TV Movies, Nine Network)
These three, mainly self-contained stories have only passing connections to the first three seasons of Underbelly. But that's all they need to have because, overall, they're still interesting little crime stories in Australia's extensive criminal past. Tell Them Lucifer Was Here details the long search for the killers of two police officers who were gunned down while in the line of duty. It's the weakest of the bunch, but has the strongest connection to the main series, featuring one of the great villains of season 1. Next was Infiltration, where one detective spent many months on a deep undercover mission trying to expose the dirty deeds of a branch of the Calabrian mafia. Next there was The Man Who Got Away, about a brilliant criminal who has a penchant for escaping prisons and eluding the police at nearly every turn. Probably because I enjoy when the bad guys win more than I should, The Man Who Got Away was my favorite of the three. The better news, however, is that season 4, this time called Underbelly: Razor just started up this past week. Look for a report on that in the end of 2011 recap.
Tell Them Lucifer Was Here:  C
Infiltration:  B
The Man Who Got Away:  B+

------------------------------------

Since I took such a long time to write these last two entries, you'll only have to wait another few weeks until I'll be posting my reviews of the shows from Summer, which will include Falling Skies, The Hour, Louie and Game of Thrones.

The Best of 2010 - The Year in Television

First off, my apologies if you were waiting for this final piece of my Best of 2010 trilogy. The holidays, work, intense procrastination, blah-blah-blah...
Second, writing about TV over the course of a calendar year is far more difficult than I realized it was going to be. It's simply not a natural time to do so. Most shows are in the middle of their current season at the moment, and if I get really technical about my analysis in this recap, I should take into account the second half of last season's episodes as well (which, because I'm a crazy person who thinks about this stuff too much, I do).
Anyway, on with the list.

------------------------------------

Terriers (FX)

This scrappy PI duo was the very definition of television bliss. Rarely does a show steadily improve over the course of 13 episodes the way Terriers did. The first three or so installments were nice, well-constructed hour-longs. You'd chuckle at the banter between Donal Logue and Michael Raymond-James, and be pleasantly surprised that the plotlines weren't too obvious as they proceeded to solve that week's case. But there was a little something bubbling up underneath these two men and their predicaments. Then around the end of end of that fourth episode, you realized these mofos just Veronica Mars-ed your ass. You had NO idea that was going down, and from then on out, they never stopped hittin' the pleasure buttons as you fell harder for every character on the show with each passing week.
But I'm one of the few who watched it, and now it's gone. I haven't been this disappointed in a show's cancellation since... well, Veronica Mars. Have no fear, however, new viewers. While Terriers only lasted one season, it at least ends in a way you can still go on with your life, as there is no insane cliffhanger and the majority of the key storylines are resolved in a satisfactory way during that last hour. If you're going to watch anything on this list, let it be Terriers.

Mad Men (AMC)

Another stellar season from the always excellent Mad Men. In it's fourth year, the show examined lowest points of multiple characters, none moreso than Don Draper, as our favorite ad agency struck out on it's own in a new business endeavor following the series-altering events of season 3. Don't worry, there's still plenty of drinking, smoking, bad-mothering, racism, sexism and skinny ties to go around. We're introduced to a litany of ladies vying for the heart of Mr. Draper (a great guessing game over the course of the season as to who he'll end up with), Lane's father, Peggy's lesbian friend, suave Glen, new bitch-faces from Pete, Roger begging, and Joan riding a bus. Not to mention an astronaut. Season 5 can't arrive soon enough.

Community (NBC)

For my money, there's nothing more consistently funny on the airwaves than Community right now. In particular, the second half of the first season was amazing episode after amazing episode. The ensemble half-hour is at it's best when parodying classic genres, whether it be post-apocalyptic warfare, zombie infestation, space exploration, or the American mafia to name a few. I sell this show to friends and family by saying Chevy Chase is great in it, which he is. But really, he's the one I look forward to least. Community is comedy gold. Enjoy it while it lasts.

Friday Night Lights (DirecTV/NBC)
Of all the shows that are tricky to review based on it's scheduling, none pose more of a problem than FNL. Season 4 originally aired on DirecTV at the end of 2009, and then re-aired on NBC in the spring of 2010. Season 5 is in mid-swing on DirecTV currently, but most of you won't have access to it until NBC airs it later this year. Fortunately, any way you look at it, great television was aired in 2010 from Friday Night Lights. Season 4 was perhaps the show's strongest, and season 5 thus far has been no slouch. Despite its flaws (none of the kids seem to know what a text message is, and there's almost zero Latinos present in an entire Texas summon me to write such lofty claims, but this one does. I'm sorry that season 5 will be its last.

Justified (FX)

Based on characters from the great Elmore Leonard, Justified expertly combines well-scripted crimes, quirky characters and an Old West mentality in a modern setting, and is without question one of the highlights in television over the past year. After reading a lot of other reviews on the show from critics, there seemed to be a consensus that Justified was uneven at the outset of its first season and then improved steadily as it concluded. I suppose they're right, but I enjoyed it immensely right out of the gate. Great one-liners, intense glares and gunfire are never in short supply. I found myself rooting for the villains just as often as I was the heroes, which is no small feat. Season 2 starts in February.

Fringe (FOX)

Is this the best sci-fi show on television? Well, there are some other very strong contenders for that title at the moment (who have all made my Others Worth Your Time list after the jump), but I think the answer is yes. The second half of last season really threw the show into a new realm of awesome, and season 3 has only improved upon that high level. As dueling universes continue to battle, wrapping an already complexly wound mythos even tighter, Fringe is surpassing previous seasons work both in terms of storytelling and acting. Anna Torv in particular has excelled in this two-Earth format, displaying a range in her ability she'd never been given opportunity to explore previously. FOX has moved the show to Fridays in 2011, traditionally a timeslot where good science-fiction such as Firefly and Dollhouse have been sent out to pasture. However, the network execs say they believe it can be a longtime staple, ala The X-Files at that position on the schedule. Time will tell.

Louie (FX)

This harsh, often provocative new comedy from Louis C.K. plays up his existence as an aging, out-of-shape comic through his daily life, whether it be encountering obsessed fans, his family or the women he hopelessly attempts at dating. It's unconventional structure, sometimes tossing out as many as four loosely connected stories, may be a turn off to some, but I appreciate the subtlety he utilizes by constructing each of the vignettes into a cohesive episode. As I enter my 30s, many of these topics on the show hit pretty close to home, sometimes uncomfortably so. But I'm sure that's the point. The show's humor is rooted in truth -- philosophically, if not in actuality.

Lost (ABC)

Like it, love it, or loathe it, the final season of Lost was both memorable and entertaining. Personally, I've teetered back and forth whether I was actually satisfied by its conclusion. Regardless, it was an engaging end to a show many of us have labored with for years, and in my opinion was one of the best of the year.

------------------------------------

After the jump, my pick for Television Series of the Year is revealed, as well as some other extras.

TV's Summer 2010 Report Card

I'm back with another comprehensive recap of the past few months of my television viewing. Looking back, it was an excellent summer for TV. I mean, when the David Simon entry is the amongst the least interesting shows you've watched, I believe that's a sign you've surrounded yourself in some quality programming.

This edition covers shows having ended after June 1st, when my last recap was published, through September 12th.

------------------------------------

Breaking Bad
(Season 3, AMC)
Is this now the best show on television? In my mind, only Mad Men gives it a run for it's money. Season 3 was THAT good. A horse with no name. Gustavo. Hank slamming the SUV into reverse. The tortoise. Saul. Leg blood on a hospital floor. Motherfucking Badger's voice. The Chicken Brothers. Mike the PI/hitman. That one god-damned fly. And those are just the ancillary bits of Breaking Bad I get jacked up for. I don't think Mad Men, as phenomenal as it is, is constructed in a way that I can enjoy it as I now enjoy the trials of Walter White and Jesse Pinkman.  A+

Doctor Who
(Series 31, BBC)
What a blast this latest incarnation of Doctor Who turned out to be. Even if you prefer David Tennant as the Doctor, I think you have to admit Matt Smith did an admirable job taking over the reigns of the series. I feel he did a fantastic job and accepted him by the time the second episode of the season rolled around. And of course, there's the mega-crushable Karen Gilliam as Amy Pond, who is easily my favorite companion not only because she's a cutie pie, but also because she's intelligent, mischievous and . Rory was also a nice addition, and was in perfect doses. But let us not forget Steven Moffat, who I justifiable praise on this site constantly, taking over the show's direction from Russell T. Davies. A fabulously entertaining season resulted from mixing high concept science fiction, simple humor, and repeatedly tugging and tearing at our heartstrings as each week's story progressed. As much as I enjoyed this season, I expect 2011 to bring an even better one.  A-

------------------------------------

After the jump, you'll find the nine other shows I watched to completion this summer, including Entourage, True Blood and some more fantastic imports from overseas.

TV Tweets: March 22-28

As always, you can follow me at LowBrowJon to get my minute manifestos, as well as other LBM updates.

------------------------------------

March 24th [Breaking Bad, Lost]

The two unexplained bad asses on #BreakingBad = my new favorite mimes on tv.

Welcome back, Heisenberg! (Yes, I'm aware that I only had to wait three weeks between when I finished season 2 and season 3 started and the rest of you waited for much longer. It was still a long three weeks, dammit.)

See what happens when you ditch the flash-sideways, #Lost? You get the best episode of the season, perhaps of the series.

I probably went too far in suggesting it was the best of the series, but entire seasons of the show have gone by since I was last this enthralled by a single one. What made this episode focusing on the mysterious Richard so engaging was we actually got answers to long-asked questions that not only were satisfying and gripping, but simultaneously helped to further explain the ultimate inquiry of why this island is what it is. Plus, that was some stage-level acting from Nestor Carbonell, Mark Pellegrino and Titus Welliver.
The flash-sideways may end up being cool. All I know is they have been either boring me or pissing me off each and every week and, right now, seem to have no impact on the "realtime" narrative of the show. Once their purpose is revealed, I hope to go back and have as happy a re-watch experience knowing what I know then just as I was given this week.

------------------------------------

After the jump, read up on Human Target, Justified and the mid-season finale of Caprica.

TV Tweets: March 8-21

As always, you can follow me at LowBrowJon to get my calloused catharsis, as well as other LBM updates.

------------------------------------

March 17th [Lost]

So weird to see Sawyer and Liz Lemon hanging out, and on a beach no less! #Lost

That broad looked like Tina Fey. Seriously. To the point where my roomie and I debated if it was actually her guest appearing for a bit. Kinda figured it wasn't her when Sawyer pulled his gun on her and she quipped, "That's a dealbreaker!"

 
March 18th [Justified]

Damn, that was lots 'o racist rednecks gettin' pwned on #Justified. Jonny like.

This show has some serious promise. Aside from the ass-kicking, modern-day western goodness going on and the excellent casting of minor characters from other shows I enjoy (notably Walter Goggins from The Shield and Natalie Zea from Hung), the final scene in the pilot is what really gave me hope for the longevity of the show.